The Fortune-telling Old Daoist and the New Instance Notification

He thought back to the 【Chronicle of the Desolate Village】 instance.

His big sister had told him what happened five years ago.

She had met an old, fortune-telling Daoist. He was the one who told her that ghosts and monsters were real and that Yin Fate Village existed. It was only after learning this that she resolved to go there.

The rest of the story was history.

After the Black-hearted Penguin altered her memories in Yin Fate Village, she came to believe she had never actually entered the mountains at all.

He vaguely remembered that his big sister had put the talisman on her door right after she returned from that trip to find her origins.

He had once casually asked where it came from.

Big Sister said it was a safety talisman given to her by some old Daoist.

At the time, both of them were still grieving the loss of their family. On top of that, he was constantly trying to kill himself under the influence of 【Undying】.

He figured she must have thought he was possessed, so she had gone to a Daoist temple or a similar place to ask for a talisman.

He hadn't paid it much mind back then.

But connecting the dots now, the timing was just too coincidental.

It had to be the talisman given to her by that same fortune-telling Daoist, the one who tricked her into going to Yin Fate Village!

"How could I have forgotten something so important? No! It's not that I just forgot!"

Wu Wang's expression grew heavy. He realized it wasn't a simple case of forgetting.

The talisman's presence was frighteningly low.

It seemed to possess some kind of strange ability. The moment he looked away from it, his memory of the charm patterns drawn on it would blur.

If he turned his head completely, he would almost forget the talisman on the door even existed.

This was probably why it had remained on the door for so many years. Neither he nor his big sister had ever thought to tear it down.

It wasn't just the talisman, either. It was the same with the fortune-telling Daoist.

Wu Wang had clearly learned of the man's existence back in the 【Chronicle of the Desolate Village】. But after leaving the instance, despite how suspicious the man was, the thought of asking his big sister about him had never even crossed his mind.

That wasn't like him at all.

In fact, if the Pen Immortal hadn't mentioned the talisman, prompting him to recall his experience in Yin Fate Village, he might never have realized how strange the old Daoist was.

It was similar to the effect of lowered presence or even memory loss that the 【Clown's Red Nose】 could achieve.

That fortune-telling Daoist had used a similar method.

He didn't want people to remember his existence.

Ding!

As soon as the thought formed, a system notification chimed in his ears.

【Your contemplation in seeking the truth has greatly pleased %#￥@.】

【The falsehood has been further unveiled for you.】

In the next second, the Red Vertical Pupil on his wrist began to blink.

At the same time, beneath Wu Wang's black cosmetic lenses, his pupils, already a different color due to the 【Eye of the Prophet】, began to change.

Beneath those blue-and-white eyes, deep red patterns emerged, so fine they were almost invisible to the naked eye. They outlined symbols that possessed a strange yet subtle beauty.

【Evil-Breaking Talisman (Level Unknown)】

【This item possesses the effects of dispelling evil, warding off harm, and accumulating good fortune and karma.】

【Operational Duration. Five years, nine months, and eighteen days.】

"???"

This was the first time Wu Wang had ever seen an item with an unknown level.

But looking at its effects, the talisman wasn't even that powerful. At most, it could barely squeeze into the 【Epic】 category, and that was only because it could operate for so long.

Otherwise, it would probably just be considered an ordinary 【Fine Quality】 item.

The concealed level has nothing to do with the item itself. What's powerful is the cognitive-impairment effect attached to it, Wu Wang analyzed rationally.

His own 【Vision of Truth】 could see through even 【Legendary】-level cognitive-impairment effects. And yet, he hadn't been able to detect anything unusual about the talisman before.

That fortune-telling Daoist was no simple character.

"Dispelling evil, warding off harm... accumulating good fortune and karma..."

"What on earth is he trying to do?"

When Wu Wang first learned the old Daoist had tricked his sister into searching for her origins, he'd assumed the man had malicious intentions.

But now, it was clear the talisman he gave his big sister was something that could genuinely keep her safe.

This contradictory course of action made no sense. What was he trying to achieve?

Or was his big sister even the real target?

【Undying】 had always been coveted by others. After what had just happened with Zhuge Yue, Wu Wang subconsciously felt that the old Daoist's ultimate target might be him.

"Little Brother? What are you spacing out for?"

"Didn't you say you were going to buy me new clothes? Come take a look at this one."

His sister's voice interrupted his train of thought. She was holding up her phone, showing him a clothing style.

Wu Wang looked away from the talisman and then back again. After repeatedly confirming that he would no longer forget about the fortune-telling Daoist, he walked over to help her pick out clothes.

"Sis, are you really just helping out with photography and editing at the company?" Wu Wang suddenly asked as they browsed.

He trusted his sister more than anyone, so he'd never doubted her before. He believed whatever she said.

But the Pen Immortal's description of her superhuman reaction speed and physical fitness didn't match that of a desk-job office worker. Plus, after becoming a player, he could always sense a faint, almost imperceptible smell of blood on her.

Now, he had to wonder what kind of work his big sister actually did.

"Huh? Of course, why would I lie to you?" Wu Xiaoyou said with a smile.

Wu Wang looked into her big, bright eyes.

"If I find a job with a salary high enough to support both of us, would you quit your job?" he asked seriously.

He estimated that he would be contacting Xiezhi in the next few days to arrange a way to receive the tens of millions in transaction fees. Barring any accidents, that money would be enough for them to live on for a lifetime.

He just couldn't take it all out at once, or he'd never be able to explain where it came from. He could pretend to have a high-paying job and withdraw a sum each month for expenses.

Although he didn't know what his big sister did now, she wouldn't have to work so hard if they were no longer short on money.

His words caught Wu Xiaoyou off guard.

"Little Brother! You're not going to do anything illegal, are you?" she asked nervously. "Big Sister knows that the businesses recorded in the Criminal Code are all very profitable, but you must never get involved in that kind of thing!"

Wu Wang was rendered speechless.

What the hell are you thinking! Do I look like the kind of person who would break the law? This is all from a legitimate transaction!

Seeing his silence, Wu Xiaoyou thought she had hit the mark. She grew even more nervous and began to lecture him on basic law, advising him to be an upstanding, law-abiding citizen.

Her true thoughts appeared above her head.

【I kill villains because I have no other choice, but Little Brother can't, because he still has me.】

【I can live in the mud, but the person I cherish cannot.】

【Big Sister will take care of everything for Little Brother!】

My dear sister! What in the world do you do for a living! The Pen Immortal said you were raising a little ghost, and that's one thing, but now you're killing villains too? Are you secretly a Kamen Rider fighting evil behind my back?

Just as his heart skipped a beat, he saw a strange, illusory shadow appear on Wu Xiaoyou's forehead. It exuded an ominous aura, the kind that signified disaster, like the 'blackened forehead' in fortune-telling.

As he stared at the shadow, a deathly pale and extremely exaggerated face emerged from it, baring its teeth at him. It was as vivid and expressive as a Beijing opera mask.

The patterns on the illusory face even resembled the white-faced villain makeup for the role of Cao Cao in Chinese opera. It was as if he could hear operatic singing coming from its mouth.

Was this remnant soul some Disciple of the Pear Garden in its past life? So this is the other remnant soul the Pen Immortal mentioned?

Perfect timing.

The 【Evil-Breaking Talisman】 on the door can dispel evil just by being in the house, reducing the remnant soul's influence, he thought. If I tear it down and have Big Sister carry it with her, I might be able to drive the entity away directly.

He had also considered using the 【Xiaochuan Broken Sword】, but the thing had already possessed his sister. The sword's soul attacks were indiscriminate, injuring on contact. There was no way to get past his sister's own soul to strike the remnant, and a moment of carelessness could cause her even more serious harm.

The talisman seemed like a gentler method. At least, it had hung in the house for over five years without harming anyone.

Staring at the remnant soul's dark shadow, he prepared to stand up and take the talisman off the door.

But just as he moved, the familiar notification sound echoed in his ears once more.

Ding!

【In three days, you will enter the Nightmare-level Team Instance, Anecdotes of the Pear Garden.】

【Please prepare in advance. On the day the Instance opens, find and wear a Chou (Clown Role) opera mask.】

【Wishing you find a death of your own.】