"System, I have a lottery draw, right? Can I use it now?"
[Lottery draw successfully initiated. 3... 2... 1... Congratulations, Host! You've drawn **a stack of Yellow Paper**.]
Wen Ying listened to the system's announcement, her face expressionless...
'Is this what you call a lottery draw?'
She hadn't felt the thrill of the draw or even seen a prize wheel. The system had just unceremoniously dumped a stack of Yellow Paper on her.
And it had the nerve to say she'd "drawn" it.
'Could a system be any more shameless?'
Wen Ying took a square, palm-sized sheet of Yellow Paper from the drawer and laid it on the desk.
She casually picked up a ballpoint pen and began to scribble on the Yellow Paper.
Uncle Zhang stood nearby, watching her, unsure what she was doing. He remained silent so as not to disturb her.
In less than two minutes, Wen Ying put down her pen, picked up the sheet of Yellow Paper, and walked over to Uncle Zhang. "Uncle Zhang, this remedy can help reverse your luck. Simply put, it makes bad luck go away. Wear it on you, and these things won't happen again."
Uncle Zhang accepted the talisman paper with a peculiar expression. His eyes scanned it, and on it was... a fish???
If he wasn't mistaken, the girl had just plucked a tiny, colorful fish from the tank, placed it on the Yellow Paper, and then scribbled a few lines over it with a ballpoint pen.
'So the Yellow Paper absorbed the fish? Was he sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him?'
'Are talisman papers this fancy nowadays?'
Other people's talisman painting involved all sorts of professional-looking patterns and symbols, the kind you'd see at a temple.
But here...
"Little Ying, this is a fish, isn't it?" Uncle Zhang was confused, not understanding what kind of stunt Wen Ying was pulling. "And what happened to that little fish from before?"
"Uncle Zhang, this is a form of psychological suggestion therapy. There's no such thing as actual bad luck in the world, it's just a small problem with the surrounding magnetic field. I drew a koi fish. Koi represent good luck, so this can help deepen your mental suggestion and alter the magnetic field causing your misfortune. What little fish? You must have been seeing things, Uncle Zhang!"
The corner of Uncle Zhang's mouth twitched. He had no idea how Wen Ying had managed to get a fish onto the talisman paper, but a fish like this probably wouldn't even cost one yuan at the seafood market, right?
'And he'd spent a thousand yuan to be made a sucker.'
Wen Ying could tell what Uncle Zhang was thinking. While many people needed professional Taoist symbols and a Wolf Hair Brush to perform talisman painting—and once, that had been true for her as well—it was only after she reached a higher level that she understood. If one had Spiritual Energy and could infuse it into the talisman paper, it didn't matter what you drew; it would function as a proper talisman.
'But that was something she couldn't tell anyone.'
As Uncle Zhang left, Wen Ying added one last instruction: he had to wear it against his skin at all times.
Back at his grocery store, Uncle Zhang threaded the talisman paper onto a red string and hung it around his neck. 'It's for my own peace of mind, I suppose,' he thought.
The walk from his shop to his home took about ten minutes. He proceeded cautiously, and by the time he reached his own gate, he realized that... nothing strange had happened?
'Just a coincidence?'
'Or was this "psychological suggestion therapy" really that amazing?'
When he got home, his wife greeted him with a curious look, grabbing him and turning him around to inspect him. "You didn't run into any trouble today, did you?"
"No!" As he said it, it dawned on him too. There really hadn't been any incidents on his way home!
And to think, things like that had been happening for six days straight!
At dinner, Uncle Zhang sat at the table with his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.
"Dad, did you get to see Grandma Wen?"
His daughter-in-law asked. Her father-in-law's recent experiences were truly frightening to think about.
Uncle Zhang shook his head. "Sigh... Grandma Wen has passed away. But I did meet her granddaughter."
His daughter-in-law pressed on, "So, were you able to get a peace charm?"