The Time of Twilight

Yin hour (3-5 AM).

The time of descent into demonhood.

Pei Si swallowed hard. As long as he could get through the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), the Red Lantern Goddess should disappear.

There are many taboos in this realm.

The hours of You (5-7 PM) and Yin (3-5 AM) are when evil spirits and demons are most likely to appear, hence they are also known as the times of encountering demons.

Suddenly, a bright red light shone forth.

Pei Si suddenly felt a chill on the back of his hand, a sharp pain that was unbearable. Before he could take a closer look, he heard a fierce roar in his ear.

As the red light faded, the red palace lanterns hanging and rotating in the sky gradually disappeared.

Pei Si breathed a long sigh of relief.

We've passed this hurdle.

Pei Si looked down and saw a bright red palace lantern branded on the back of his fair hand.

Above the red lantern, there is a striped tiger head, angry and ferocious, with its mouth open as if it is tearing at the palace lantern.

Pei Si realized that he had been "marked" by the Red Lantern Lady.

Adversity has struck here.

That colorful tiger head was the 'talisman' that the mountain king left on him.

Suddenly, Pei Si heard a voice in his ear.

"That red-light district is notorious for its vengeful nature. My talisman may protect you for a while, but not forever!"

Pei Si turned around abruptly, but the statue did not move.

Just now, the mountain god appeared to him and whispered in his ear.

Pei Si walked to the altar and laid out three incense coins.

After a while, the incense money was still on the altar.

Pei Si's gaze was deep as he put away the incense money.

The fact that the mountain king does not accept this means that the opportunity to resolve the predicament is not on this mountain.

The rooster crows, and dawn breaks.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Pei Si quickly descended the mountain.

Just as we were about to descend the mountain, I heard a whisper in my ear again.

"When you go up the mountain in the future, there is no need to worship. You can take the unclaimed treasures in the mountain by your own ability."

Pei Si stopped, turned around and bowed three times towards the mountain, his hands already covered with gloves.

"Having a talisman actually opened a back door for me."

…………

Qingcheng County.

The city gate stood tall, and the city guards, fully armed and in good gear, were inspecting passersby.

"Everyone entering the city for the first time must pay ten coins as incense money!"

Ten coins for incense is equivalent to ten taels of silver!

In Qingcheng County, a medium-sized county, the most basic food, clothing and daily necessities for a family of three in the town would cost about nine taels of silver a year.

However, entering the county town means that safety can be guaranteed to a certain extent.

"Hey, Brother Si's back! Did you bring back a few big sheep this time?" a dark-skinned middle-aged captain laughed.

Pei Si flicked out two coins as incense money. He recognized the man; he was Su Li, a captain in the city guards.

I once bought Cistanche deserticola, Morinda officinalis, and other medicinal herbs from him.

"Don't mention it, I've been having a run of bad luck lately. Let's have a drink together in a couple of days." Pei Si left after exchanging pleasantries with Su Li for a while.

"Boss, that kid Pei Si is really something else." A young soldier stared at Pei Si, his eyes unreadable.

Su Li fiddled with the incense money in his hand, muttering, "Shepherd, shepherd, I wonder who the real fat sheep is."

Pei Si wandered around for a while before stopping in front of a small courtyard.

The courtyard is located in the city's near-market area. It was bought by his master and now belongs to Pei Si.

With a creak.

Pei Si entered and checked the place inside and out.

kitchen.

Suddenly.

Pei Si stopped, bent down, and squinted his eyes.

There was a shoe print, with some dirt and grime.

Pei Si's heart sank. Someone had come in. Pei Si grabbed a knife and searched the courtyard to make sure no one was home.

Pei Si pondered inwardly:

"If someone is targeting me, it's highly likely for financial gain!"

He makes a living in this line of work, and anyone who is interested in investigating will find out.

The business of treasure hunters has a certain quality, where one successful business can sustain them for three years.

Although they weren't rolling in money, they still had some savings.

Every husband is not guilty, and he is guilty of his crime.

"I need to learn another self-defense technique," Pei Si thought to himself.

"We're short of money!"

Pei Si already had an idea in mind.

He can serve as a shepherd, but what about a warrior?

Join a martial arts school, learn a martial art, and continuously advance in rank!

But the martial arts schools in this county town have high entry requirements and high fees!

To become a disciple of a martial arts school, the average price is over a hundred coins for incense money!

One hundred taels of silver is the threshold!

If you fail the exam, you will have to pay incense money again.

Pei Si tallied his belongings and found he had thirty-two coins for incense offerings, a ten-tael silver note, three hundred copper coins, and some shepherd's equipment.

Every ten days within the city, an incense fee of three coins must be paid.

Just living in the city costs nine coins a month for incense offerings.

Paying money to buy peace of mind.

Pei Si glanced at the calendar as usual.

The Beginning of Winter, Gengchen year.

The old blind man said before he died that he wanted to open what he left behind today.

Pei Si returned to the room and stood in front of the bookshelf.

Pei Si rearranged the books, and a moment later, a hidden compartment popped out with a snap.

Inside the hidden compartment was a wooden box made of dark wood, emitting a faint fragrance.

Just as Pei Si was about to open the wooden box, a chill suddenly ran down his spine, and the hairs on his body stood on end. He collapsed to the side.

shhhhhh!

The wooden box suddenly sprang open, and three poisoned arrows shot out from it.

"That old lecher, he even tried to trick me before he died!"

Pei Si cursed.

The old blind man had a habit of seduceing people!

Inside the wooden box were two yellowed booklets and a letter; the paper looked quite old.

"Is this what the old blind man left behind?" Pei Si picked up a book casually and turned to the first page.

"By the time you see this, I will already be dead..."

Pei Si remained expressionless and turned to the second page.

What time is it?! Still wallowing in self-pity.

"Knowing you are cold-hearted by nature, I doubt you'll even read the first page, so I'm writing it again..."

Pei Si turned to the third page expressionlessly.

"Things don't happen more than three times... After all these years as a shepherd, I still have some feelings for people. By the time you see this, I'll already be dead...!"

Oh shit.

Is copying and pasting fun?

Pei Si slammed the book shut, took three deep breaths, and then turned to the fourth page, finally getting to the main topic.

"I have observed the stars and made some calculations last night. You have a peculiar destiny. You will surely face a great calamity when you are twenty years old. I have specially written you a letter. Half a month later, take this letter to Qingcheng Mountain and find a female Taoist priest named Huang Ting. She will have a way to help you."

"Remember, remember, it will be in half a month!"

"In the other booklet are my years of experience traveling all over the country, collecting rare and precious items. You may use it as you see fit."

Pei Si closed the booklet and picked up another booklet, which contained the old blind man's experiences traveling all over the country, as well as the secret methods for leading different spirit sheep. Pei Si named it the Sheep-Leading Secret Manual.

Pei Si put the box and the box into his treasure bag.

No Money!

Pei Si pondered, "The old man is still quite capable; he foresaw our current predicament."

"The female Taoist priestess of Qingcheng Mountain, I never expected that the old man had connections in the Taoist community."

"Half a month later, well, I'll take advantage of this half month to get some rare and precious treasures and learn a martial art."

The turning point may lie with the female Taoist priests of Qingcheng Mountain.

Shifang.

Pei Si walked to the shop he often worked with.

Qingzhitang.

"Brother Si, it's been a long time. Why have you become so thin?" A beautiful woman in her thirties, with a tall figure, a swaying chest, and a slender waist, greeted him with a voice as melodious as a nightingale.

The person in charge is Xu Zhi.

They run a fairly large "mountain produce" shop.

Because of its reasonable prices, it's a popular spot for treasure hunters and mountain gofers.

Pei Si had followed the old blind man to sell goods here quite often. The old blind man told him that he had a close relationship with the previous shopkeeper, Xu Xi.

"Sister Zhi, long time no see! Running around in the mountains under the sun every day, it's no wonder you've lost weight," Pei Si said with a smile, taking out a spiny rat and placing it on the counter. "Sister, take a look, how much is this spiny rat worth?"

Xu Zhi took the cage, examined it carefully, and said, "It's in good condition. You've truly inherited Uncle Lin's skills."

"Given the relationship between our two families, how about eighteen coins as incense money?"

Pei Si nodded. This is a fair price!

"make a deal."

"Great!" Xu Zhi said as she kept the accounts and had the shop assistant put the spiny rats into the warehouse.

Xu Zhi blinked her beautiful eyes and noticed that Pei Si was wearing gloves. Instead of asking further questions, she offered Pei Si a suggestion:

"Fan-ge'er, do you know that the Red Lantern Goddess went to Mengshan?"

Pei Si's heart tightened. Had the news spread so quickly? Then he thought about it again. A powerful demon like the Red Lantern Goddess would attract attention with her every move.

"Thank you for the advice, Sister Zhi. Do you have any requests for me lately?"

Qingzhitang not only collects rare mountain products, but also acts as a consignment station.

Some buyers who lack connections will entrust their services to this agency.

"have"

"Miss Lu Shuangshuang of the Lu family wants a white fox with red eyes. The reward is 150 coins as incense money," Xu Zhi said with a smile.

The Lu family was a prominent family in Qingcheng County, managing the fish market business.

Red-eyed fox, a species unique to Mengshan.

One hundred and fifty coins for incense, just to buy a fox as a pet, is truly extravagant.

"So? Should I accept it or not? I haven't even listed this commission yet," Xu Zhi said in a low voice.

Following her father's wishes, Xu Zhi took appropriate care of Pei Si.

According to her father, Pei Si was a pitiful child. She lost her parents at the age of ten and had to learn a trade from that old blind man, Lin. It was too hard for her.

Actually, Xu Zhi was quite satisfied with Pei Si even without Xu Xi's instructions.

He's handsome and his goods are of good quality.

It's just a pity that he's a shepherd now.

Some taboos must not be violated.

"catch."

One hundred and fifty coins for incense offerings would be enough to relieve Pei Si's immediate crisis.

Understanding the ways of the world is true learning; being adept at human relationships is true literature.

Xu Zhi, you need to maintain good relationships.

Unfortunately, he was now penniless and had to make other plans.

…………

noon.

Inside the guards' quarters.

Su Li was having dinner and drinking with the young soldier Zhao Hu.

Zhao Hu picked up a piece of pork skin jelly with his chopsticks, chewed it, and said, "Captain, that guy surnamed Pei has left the city again. Should we...?"

Zhao Hu made a throat-slitting gesture.

Su Li gulped down a cup of wine, his eyes turning sinister. He shook his head and said, "No rush. Let's wait until that kid gets a few more treasures, then we'll slaughter him all at once!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hu smiled, but a fierce glint flashed in his triangular eyes.

He followed Su Li and shared the same quirks as his boss.

gamble!

My luck was bad a few days ago, and I lost all my money.

My boss said that craftsmen like Pei Si are very wealthy, and they can easily make a lot of money by selling just a few things.

Therefore, Zhao Hu had an idea and shared it with Su Li, who happened to agree.

He also took some time to visit Pei Si's house, but after searching everywhere, he found nothing.

"Captain, that Pei fellow is shrewd. I found nothing in his house. This kid should be risking everything on himself." Zhao Hu poured wine for Su Li.

"Don't underestimate him. He's traveled all over the country and is very cautious." Su Li's eyes were deep, and he was chewing on a pig's snout.

He bought a lot of medicine from that kid, but after brewing and drinking it at home, he still couldn't regain his virility. Instead, his wife made fun of him. From then on, he always felt that his neighbor's eyes were strange.

That's perfect, I'm a bit short on cash lately.

A hint of resentment flashed in Su Li's eyes. It must be that brat Pei Si who couldn't keep his mouth shut and spread the word about him buying medicine!

Thinking of this, Su Li glanced at Zhao Hu.

What a coincidence.

Someone brings you a pillow when you're dozing off.

Using someone else to do the dirty work is a brilliant plan.

Su Li asked with a smile, "Zhao Hu, you didn't leave any loose ends, did you? Pei Si and his group are quite cunning."

"Don't worry, it rained last night, so I specially wore a new pair of shoes."