Yizhen sat in the shop waiting lifelessly, but after a while, she couldn't help but get up and come to the counter to look at the Talisman Scripture Scroll that Xu Qing was copying.
The embroidery girl, on the other hand, sat sideways on the coffin, her eyes empty as she looked at the shop door, beyond which lay the freedom she had lost...
...
As dawn approached, the distant sound of a rooster crowing could be heard.
After a night of recovery, the Golden Simurgh could now stand upright. Unfortunately, when it flapped its wings in an attempt to crow, it still could only produce a hoarse sound akin to a cough.
The poison on Xu Qing's sword was no ordinary poison. Although the rooster had taken the antidote, its scorched throat might still need some time to heal.
In front of the counter, Xu Qing tied the completed pages with a string and affixed a cover.
Then he wrote the four small characters "Cave Profound Talisman" on it.
