I used folk talismans to ward off the evil spirit.

Chapter 47, Item 4: The Gourd That Devours Demons

Whether it's the cultivation of the "Qi Harmony" stage or the purification of the Blood Lotus tainted by demons, both require painstaking effort.

When Jiang Jun gets bored practicing at home, he will occasionally go out to participate in folk exorcists' exchange meetings.

That day, disguised as Black Cat Sheriff, he traded another incomplete scroll of Fusion Realm cultivation. With nothing else to do, he strolled around the antique street.

"Gourds for sale! Gourds for sale! Natural, long-grown gourds for cheap!"

The calls of vendors coming from a small stall ahead caught Jiang Jun's attention.

He raised an eyebrow, recalling that he was about to forge a talisman with suppression and sealing functions, and had considered many forms, with the gourd being one of them.

He stepped forward and found that the stall owner was a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old, with dark skin, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a few light freckles on the bridge of his nose.

He was wearing a faded T-shirt, squatting behind the stall. When he saw someone coming, he grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth, and looked quite honest.

Jiang Jun casually asked, "Kid, what kinds of gourds do you sell here?"

When the young man saw a customer asking about the price, he immediately perked up and pointed to the stall, saying, "Brother, what I sell here are all natural, unprocessed gourds."

"Look, there are gourds with a narrow waist, gourds with a single belly, bottle gourds... and this one, a hand-held gourd, suitable for holding and playing with in your hand, which is loved by people in the antique and collectible circle."

As he spoke, he gently tossed the small gourds with his fingertips, making them roll around with practiced ease.

Jiang Jun followed his finger and looked at each variety, discovering that the selection was quite comprehensive.

The gourd with a sloping waist is a classic figure-eight shape, and it also has representative shapes such as eight treasures, three courts, and ant belly.

The single-bellied gourd has only one round belly, and it can be shaped like an oil hammer, garlic clove, crane head, swan, etc.

Long, cylindrical bottle gourds, as well as all sorts of oddly shaped gourds, can be found here.

Among a pile of small hand-held gourds, there was one that was less than two centimeters tall, which Jiang Jun spotted at first glance.

This gourd is small and exquisite, with a warm, ripe yellow color all over, like old beeswax that has been soaked in sunlight.

Its skin is even and delicate, without a single spot or crack, and has a natural matte finish, so it should feel very smooth to the touch.

Its belly is round and plump, its waist is neatly cinched, and its head is slightly upturned, like a chubby little boy with his belly sticking out and his head tilted back, looking adorable.

"How much is this?" Jiang Jun asked, pointing to the gourd he was holding.

The boy's eyes darted around, and he deliberately lowered his voice: "Big brother, you have a good eye! This is a collector's item, 'Gold in the Grass.' I'd offer two thousand for anyone else in this condition, but for my first sale today, I'll give you a thousand, okay?"

Jiang Jun was slightly taken aback: "So expensive? This is all-natural, and it's not even properly polished yet."

"I didn't cheat you!" the boy said sincerely.

"Golden 'grass' pieces smaller than two centimeters are extremely rare. This one is of very good quality; if I weren't in a hurry to sell it, someone knowledgeable could have offered two or three thousand for it."

Another stall owner chimed in, "Yeah, buddy, this kind of 'grass gold' is in high demand. A couple of years ago, one of theirs was sold for four thousand yuan by a professor."

Jiang Jun raised an eyebrow: "Then why have prices plummeted this year?"

The boy looked distressed: "Sigh, it was last autumn that Qidong Province and several other provinces had favorable weather and abundant harvests of gourds."

"If there are too many items, they become worthless. The market for collectible gourds is only so big, and prices have been falling since last winter."

"You're quite honest, kid," Jiang Jun couldn't help but laugh. "Then why not hoard it and sell it later? Your 'gold in the grass' is a rare commodity after all."

The boy shook his head and said honestly, "Natural things, if you don't polish them until they have a sheen, they won't last long. My grandfather believes in fate, saying that these 'grass golds' are not ordinary things, they are all destined to be owned. If we don't keep them at home, he won't let us polish them, he'd rather they go bad."

Jiang Jun didn't know how to comment, but after thinking for a moment, he gave a thumbs up: "The old man is an old-fashioned person."

He really liked the little gourd, so he asked, "Can I handle it?"

The boy stared at him, a sly smile playing on his lips. "If you really like it, big brother, you can pick it up and play with it for a bit, see how it feels. But I won't haggle over the price."

The implication is that if you're not serious about buying, don't touch it.

Jiang Jun smiled, held the small gourd between his fingers, and gently rubbed it. The texture was delicate and warm, like holding a small piece of warm jade, which was very pleasant to handle.

"Okay, I'll take this." He nodded, gesturing for the boy to pack it up.

"Okay!" the boy replied crisply, quickly and neatly packing the small gourd into the gift box. He then looked up and asked, "Do you need an invoice? For an individual, one thousand to four thousand is fine; you'll have to pay the tax for any extra amount. For a company, it can only be issued based on actual expenses..."

Jiang Jun shook his head and chuckled: "I bought it for myself to play with, I don't need it anymore."

His gaze swept over the other gourds on the stall: "Give me another one with a slender waist, it has to be big and have a neat shape."

The boy picked out a decent-looking, oblong gourd, put it in a paper bag, and handed it to him with a grin: "Consider this a free gift, big brother!"

Jiang Jun didn't stand on ceremony, paid the money, and took the gift box and paper bag in his hand. He said out of the blue, "Kid, you should pack up and go home for today."

"Huh?" The boy was a little confused.

Jiang Jun gave him a meaningful look: "Who knows, the price of this gourd might rise tomorrow."

After saying that, he turned and left, disappearing into the antique street.

Watching his departing figure, the boy asked the stall owner beside him, "Uncle, what did that man mean?"

A nearby stall owner seemed somewhat skeptical: "He said gourds are going to go up in price? How is that possible!"

The boy suddenly shuddered and asked in a low voice, "Uncle, do you remember what that customer looked like?"

The two looked at each other, their minds blank.

They don't remember!

*

Back home, Jiang Jun put the two gourds aside, took out his folk custom notebook, and began to compile the talisman he had designed long ago into an article.

【Item for warding off evil spirits: "The Gourd That Swallows Demons"】

[Preparation: Take a natural gourd, drill a small hole in the mouth, hollow out the inside, stuff it with seven red beans and a pinch of white salt, and seal the opening with red paper.]

[Incantation: The gourd's mouth opens outwards, filling it with evil spirits and monsters. The bottom is sealed shut, the mouth tightly sealed; easy to enter, hard to exit.]

[Usage: Hang it on the inside of your home, directly opposite the main entrance, or in a corner where evil spirits are said to lure you in. It will suck evil spirits into the gourd, preventing their escape.]

[Taboo: The gourd must not touch the ground; if it does, the seal will break, and evil spirits will turn on you. On the first day of each month, incense must be burned around the mouth of the gourd three times; otherwise, the gourd will crack, and evil spirits will turn on you.]

In folk tradition, red beans are considered yang in nature and are believed to ward off evil spirits.

In folk tradition, white salt is also believed to have cleansing and purifying properties.

Jiang Jun was prepared. He took out a box of red beans from the refrigerator, carefully selected seven of the plumpest and most vibrant ones, and placed them on a porcelain plate for later use.

I opened a new package of snowflake salt that is iodine-free and anti-caking agent-free, and spread it out on a porcelain plate with a spoon.

His gaze lingered between the two gourds for a moment before he finally decided to follow his own preference and hold the one with the grass-like gold in his hand.

With a thought, he gently poked the mouth of the gourd with a purple light needle, revealing a small hole. He then used his true energy to break up the pulp and seeds inside and carefully poured them out.

Then, seven red beans were stuffed in one by one, and a pinch of salt was also put into the gourd.

Jiang Jun took a piece of red paper, pasted it on the small opening, and softly recited: "Gourd mouth, open outwards, let evil spirits and monsters be poured in..."

As the incantation ended, the small gourd floated up in Jiang Jun's palm, emitting a soft, warm yellow glow.

The red and white shimmering light inside the gourd seemed to come alive.