Chen Xiao sneered repeatedly and retorted,
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? A top student from Yanbei City's key university, majoring in biopharmaceutical engineering, is actually imitating a common charlatan drawing talismans at a job interview?"
"Common charlatan?"
Lin Meiqi felt that Chen Xiao's words were not very hurtful but extremely insulting, making her even more furious.
"Chen, what do you know? I am a legitimate inheritor of the Way of Talismans, and this Minor Gathering Sha Talisman, in particular, embodies the essence of talismanic arts. As long as I bite my fingertip and drip a drop of blood, wherever it's placed, it will gather Yin Sha. Those afflicted will, at best, lose their sanity, become疯癫憨傻 (fēngdiān hānshǎ - delirious and foolish), and be beyond medical help. At worst..."
Chen Xiao chuckled, shaking his head with disdain, interrupting Lin Meiqi.
"Stop bragging in front of me. If you have the guts, try dripping blood and sticking it on now. Stick it anywhere you want, and I'll show you what it means to show off your skills before an expert!"
"You said that?"
Lin Meiqi never dreamed that Chen Xiao would actively ask her to stick the Minor Gathering Sha Talisman. Without further hesitation, she skillfully bit her fingertip, then dripped blood and with a "snap," stuck the Minor Gathering Sha Talisman from the book onto the workbench in front of her.
She wouldn't back down, even if it meant revealing her abilities. She wanted Chen Xiao to witness the power of the Minor Gathering Sha Talisman.
Moreover, she was very confident in her martial arts skills, believing she could defeat Chen Xiao in a few moves and wasn't worried about him tearing down the talisman in front of her.
After sticking the talisman, she couldn't help but look Chen Xiao up and down with schadenfreude. Her triumphant expression was as if she already saw Chen Xiao succumbing to Yin Sha, becoming weak and listless, until he couldn't move and his consciousness blurred. Unconsciously, she was drawn to Chen Xiao's handsome and attractive appearance and said,
"Chen Xiao, you can still be scared now. As long as you are willing to follow me from now on as a loyal servant, I guarantee you'll do better than managing this broken pharmaceutical factory."
Chen Xiao looked at her with contempt, casually locked the workshop door, and then leisurely walked towards Lin Meiqi at the workbench.
"It's just a piece of paper, why should I be afraid? And rather than being a servant, I'd rather be your master."
"Stop right there!"
Lin Meiqi thought Chen Xiao was trying to tear down the talisman before it had gathered enough Yin Sha and coldly warned,
"If you dare to take another step closer, don't blame me for being ruthless..."
"Heh."
Before Lin Meiqi could finish speaking, Chen Xiao suddenly let out a cold laugh and accelerated, reaching Lin Meiqi in an instant.
"You're seeking death!"
Lin Meiqi was furious. The inch-force (cùnjìn) she had practiced for years erupted instantly. The bronze brush in her hand shot towards Chen Xiao's forehead like a sharp sword.
With the reinforcement of inch-force, if this strike had landed, Chen Xiao's back of the head would have been pierced.
Thinking of such a young and handsome man dying by her hand, a hint of helplessness flickered across Lin Meiqi's face.
However, the next second, to Lin Meiqi's disbelief, Chen Xiao not only wasn't killed by her brush but also, as if performing magic, easily disarmed her of the brush. Then, he even casually slapped her, sending her staggering back.
"You... you... you you you..."
If she hadn't experienced it herself, Lin Meiqi would never have believed that she was no match for Chen Xiao. After all, in her eyes, Chen Xiao was fair-skinned, tall and slender, and looked weak, showing no sign of a martial arts master.
At this moment, Lin Meiqi finally realized she had underestimated Chen Xiao and quickly tried to escape.
But to her despair, the workshop door was locked by Chen Xiao. Although she possessed inch-force, capable of easily breaking bricks with a single slap, the workshop door and its lock were welded stainless steel.
Turning back to glare at Chen Xiao, she threatened sinisterly,
"Chen, open the door and let me out immediately, or you'll regret it..."
Chen Xiao played with the bronze brush in his hand, observing the Minor Gathering Sha Talisman stuck on the workbench with interest, and interrupted Lin Meiqi with a cold sneer.
"It's only polite to reciprocate. You tried to harm me with this damned, low-class broken talisman, and I haven't even retaliated yet. How could I possibly let you go?"
"You... what do you want?"
Facing Chen Xiao, whose combat power was unfathomably deep, Lin Meiqi inexplicably felt nervous, her back almost pressed against the door.
"Of course, it's to draw a talisman!"
As Chen Xiao spoke, he picked up the brush and began to draw and write on the Minor Gathering Sha Talisman. The mysterious, wordless golden formula in his mind immediately activated.
As he moved his brush, the Minor Gathering Sha Talisman, stuck on the workbench with Lin Meiqi's fingertip blood, actually floated up. Then, it spontaneously combusted, and the flickering blue smoke resembled writhing demons and monsters.
"..."
Lin Meiqi's mind instantly went blank as she witnessed the bizarre scene before her. It felt as if she had returned to the gates of Shenlong Temple.
"Surprised, aren't you? This is just the beginning! You are fortunate to become my servant!"
Chen Xiao sneered coldly, and the bronze brush in his hand suddenly pointed lightly in Lin Meiqi's direction.
Immediately, the blue smoke from the burning Minor Gathering Sha Talisman seemed to be controlled by Chen Xiao and swept towards Lin Meiqi, instantly entering her eyes, nose, and mouth.
"Cough... cough cough... cough cough cough..."
Lin Meiqi choked and immediately bent over, squatting on the ground, coughing repeatedly. Tears, snot, and saliva streamed down her face.
After a long while, when she finally managed to stop coughing, she was horrified to discover that she had indeed been afflicted by the Minor Gathering Sha Talisman –
Her body was weak, her spirit was listless, and she occasionally saw terrifying hallucinations. It felt as if she had suddenly fallen into the Avici Hell.
Struggling against her consciousness that was on the verge of blurring, she roared at Chen Xiao in despair,
"Bastard! What did you do to me?"
Chen Xiao casually tossed the bronze brush onto the workbench and said with a half-smile,
"What I did to you is exactly what you wanted to do to me but failed to accomplish, isn't it?"
"You..."
Lin Meiqi found Chen Xiao increasingly terrifying, her expression filled with shock.
"Why do you also know the Minor Gathering Sha Talisman?"
"You really dare to flatter yourself. Do you think your Minor Gathering Sha Talisman can turn into poisonous smoke and directly harm people?"
Chen Xiao looked at her with utter disdain. His wordless golden formula encompassed 108 supreme inheritances, including the heavenly medical arts, peerless ancient martial arts, alchemy and talismans, feng shui and destiny, and secrets of longevity. There were thousands of talismans more powerful than the Minor Gathering Sha Talisman.
However, he saw no need to explain anything to Lin Meiqi. Instead, he lunged forward and slapped the defenseless Lin Meiqi, making her spin around, his tone turning as cold as a knife.
"Why did I come to Jinfang Pharmaceutical to cause trouble?"