Since the man was willing to pay eight thousand, Lin Fan could help him survive this bloody calamity. If he couldn't bear to part with the money, then all Lin Fan could say was that this disaster was his fate.
Life and death were ordained, and wealth and honor lay with heaven. Whether this man lived or died would depend entirely on his fortune!
Looking into Lin Fan's eyes, Chu Tianxiong finally began to feel a little uneasy.
Of course, suspicion still outweighed everything else. The young man probably hadn't made a sale in ages, and now that Chu Tianxiong had come along, he was determined to fleece him for all he was worth.
"Fine. Wrap it up."
Chu Tianxiong sighed. He wasn't short of money anyway. He had simply gone soft for a moment.
Hopefully, this young man will learn to behave someday.
Eight thousand meant little to him, but his opinion of Lin Fan had sunk even lower. Young people these days were getting more and more full of themselves.
Charging outrageous prices without even considering whether his cultivation is good enough-doesn't he worry about ruining his own reputation?
"Coming right up," Lin Fan said with a smile.
"Here's a Peace Talisman to keep you safe wherever you go."
As he spoke, he wrapped the Peace Talisman in red paper, folded it neatly, and placed it in Chu Tianxiong's hand.
Chu Tianxiong looked down at the rather ugly markings on the red paper, nodded, and casually tucked it into his trouser pocket.
"Please remember, sir, you must burn this Peace Talisman and mix the ashes with water. Trust me, it will definitely come in handy," Lin Fan repeatedly reminded him before he left.
It may just be a Peace Talisman, but it's blessed by yours truly. Guaranteed genuine, no cheating anyone!
Chu Tianxiong nodded and left the shop. He took it out of his pocket, looked at it, then put it back, unable to resist a soft chuckle.
This young man certainly acts like some mystical guru. If he were older, he'd be a proper old charlatan.
Finally, he shook his head again and left, looking somewhat dejected.
Chapter 19: Faith Makes It Work!
"Faith makes it work."
Watching Chu Tianxiong walk away, Lin Fan sighed inwardly. Everything would depend on fate now.
After returning home, Chu Tianxiong put the Peace Talisman out of his mind.
He entered the bedroom, where a full set of medical equipment stood beside the bed.
His wife lay on the bed, unable to move.
"Honey."
Chu Tianxiong's eyes reddened. He had never done anything bad in his entire life, so why had such suffering fallen on him?
"You're finally back."
The woman asked weakly, "I heard you went to find a master. Did you have any luck?"
At her question,
Chu Tianxiong held his wife's right hand and sighed. "He was a young charlatan. I felt sorry for him, so I bought a Peace Talisman from him for ten thousand yuan."
"There aren't any real masters in this world."
In truth, he wished Lin Fan really were a master.
Unfortunately, Chu Tianxiong knew perfectly well that calling such a young fellow a charlatan might even be giving him too much credit.
The woman knew her husband was a softhearted man.
Rather than blame Chu Tianxiong for being a sucker, she smiled. "Since you bought the Peace Talisman, why not let me keep it on me, whether it works or not?"
"Maybe I'll get lucky, and my illness will improve once I carry it."
As her words fell,
Chu Tianxiong looked momentarily startled. He understood what his wife meant. She didn't want him to be too upset, or to lose faith in people.
He took the red paper from his pocket and unfolded it layer by layer, revealing the Peace Talisman inside.
It was an ordinary-looking talisman with nothing remarkable about it.
Chu Tianxiong said softly, "That young man said it has to be burned to ashes, then mixed with water and drunk."
Mixed with water and drunk?
Just then, a doctor in a white coat walked in.
She was Chu Tianxiong's family doctor, responsible for caring for his wife around the clock.
"Absolutely not!"
The doctor stepped forward to stop them. "Drinking talisman water isn't good for you. Yellow talismans usually have cinnabar on them. If you burn one and put the ashes in water, it can cause mercury poisoning!"
She took the Peace Talisman and placed it on the table.
The doctor wondered whether Chu Tianxiong had lost his mind. His wife was already in poor health. Drinking talisman water might shorten what little time she had left.
"Don't worry, Doctor. We won't drink talisman water. She'll just carry the Peace Talisman."
Chu Tianxiong wasn't angry. After all, the doctor only wanted what was best for their health.
But thinking of his wife's condition, he couldn't help asking, "Doctor, how much time does my wife have left?"
Over the past several days, he had taken his wife to countless major hospitals and sought out countless renowned doctors. Unfortunately, not one of them could cure her.
He was beginning to despair.
Even their family doctor had said that the machines were all that kept her alive now. Once they were removed, his wife would die within an hour.
"With the machines, three months at most."
The family doctor fell silent for a moment, then said, "Without them, probably half an hour to an hour."
There... isn't much time left.
On the bed, Chu Tianxiong's wife looked calm. When she first learned the news, she had indeed struggled to accept it.
As time passed,
She had come to terms with it.
Life and death were ordained, and wealth and honor lay with heaven.
Sometimes, departing was a release.
"Tianxiong, when I'm gone, you need to take good care of yourself."
She said tenderly, "And I'll be leaving our daughter in your care."
At her words,
Chu Tianxiong sighed and stood up. "I'll go get you something to eat."
He remembered that beef noodle soup was his wife's favorite.
Over the years, he had been so busy with work that he hadn't had a chance to make it for her.
Now that his wife was nearing the end of her life, no matter how busy or tired he was, he had to fulfill every wish she had.
"Ma'am, have a glass of water in a little while."
After Chu Tianxiong left the room, the doctor poured the woman a glass of warm water, then got up and left as well.
The woman picked up the glass, holding the Peace Talisman in her other hand.
A thought crossed her mind: should she burn the Peace Talisman and make a glass of talisman water to drink?
It probably wouldn't do anything.
But what if it works?
The instant that thought arose, the Peace Talisman burst into flame on its own.
The searing heat
Startled Chu Tianxiong's wife, and she hurriedly tossed the Peace Talisman away.
Perhaps it was a coincidence.
Perhaps it was fate.
The burning Peace Talisman landed right in the glass of water she held in her left hand.
Most astonishing of all, the Peace Talisman didn't go out when it fell into the water. It continued to burn slowly.
At the sight,
Chu Tianxiong's wife widened her eyes in disbelief. Could the young charlatan her husband had met actually be a true master rather than a fraud?
Before long,
The Peace Talisman burned away completely, its ashes mixing with the warm water to form a glass of talisman water.
She looked at the cloudy liquid and swallowed.
"One sip should be fine, right?"
Chu Tianxiong's wife stared at it for a while, but finally couldn't resist taking a small sip.
The instant she drank the talisman water,
She distinctly felt a strange power flowing through every part of her body. Everywhere that had once hurt returned to normal at that moment.
"What's happening? Why do I feel like I'm getting better?"
She drained the glass of talisman water.
The next moment,
Chu Tianxiong's wife felt her body recover. She pulled off the medical equipment attached to her and took deep breaths.
As time passed,
The discomfort she had expected never came.
She had recovered!
Before you continue