In the idyllic Qingping Village, which seemed to be gently caressed by time, there lived an elderly woman over seventy years old. The villagers affectionately called her Granny Li. Granny Li had been hardworking and kind-hearted all her life. When she was young, she could always be seen busy in the fields, and she managed the household affairs in an orderly manner. She painstakingly raised her children to adulthood. She should have enjoyed a happy family life in her old age. However, time had mercilessly left many marks on her.

In recent years, Granny Li's health had been deteriorating. She was like a dying candle flickering in the wind. Her legs were as heavy as if filled with lead, and it took a great deal of effort for her to take each step. Her back and waist were always aching, and she often couldn't straighten up, having to hunch over all day long. Her eyes had become cloudy and blurry, and it was increasingly difficult for her to see things. What was worse, various illnesses haunted her constantly. Headaches, coughs, and joint pains took turns to torture her, making it impossible for her to sleep at night and robbing her of her appetite.

Her children saw her suffering and were deeply distressed. They took Granny Li everywhere to seek medical treatment and visited all the well-known doctors in the surrounding areas. She drank countless bitter herbal decoctions, but her condition always relapsed and showed no sign of improvement. The medicine pot at home was smoking all day long, as if lamenting the helplessness and sorrow of its owner.

One day, Granny Li was sitting in the yard basking in the sun. The gentle breeze blew by, which should have been a pleasant moment. However, due to her physical discomfort, she frowned. At this time, the little granddaughter of the neighbor skipped over, holding a string of candied haws in her hand, and handed it to Granny Li with a smile, saying, "Granny, Granny, here you are. I heard my parents say that you're not feeling well. If you eat the candied haws, you'll get better." Granny Li lovingly stroked the little girl's head and forced a smile, but her heart was full of bitterness.

The little granddaughter chattered about the interesting things in the village. Suddenly, she leaned close to Granny Li mysteriously and whispered, "Granny, I heard the old people in the village say yesterday that there is a reclusive old Taoist priest in the deep mountains behind our village. He's really amazing! The talismans he draws can ward off evil and cure diseases and keep people healthy. Many people have gone to him for help. Why don't you give it a try too?" Hearing this, Granny Li's heart skipped a beat, as if she saw a glimmer of faint hope in the dark.

After the little granddaughter left, Granny Li fell into deep thought. Although she was somewhat skeptical about these supernatural things, now that she was suffering from illness and had nowhere to turn, she thought she might as well take a chance. So she told her children about it. At first, the children were hesitant. After all, it sounded a bit mysterious. But seeing the rare glimmer of anticipation in Granny Li's eyes, they finally decided to accompany her to the deep mountains to find the legendary old Taoist priest.

The deep mountains were densely forested and the mountain paths were rugged and difficult to travel. With the support of her children, Granny Li moved forward step by step with great difficulty. Along the way, thorns tore their clothes and sweat drenched their foreheads, but no one complained. They were all just looking for a glimmer of hope. Finally, in the depths of the forest, a simple and ancient Taoist temple came into view. The walls of the temple were covered with moss, and the vermilion gate was slightly mottled, but it exuded a solemn and respectful atmosphere.

Granny Li and the others gently knocked on the temple gate. After a while, a young Taoist boy opened the door. Seeing the tired and anxious looks on their faces, he led them into the temple. In the courtyard of the temple, Granny Li met the old Taoist priest. The priest was dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe, wearing a Hunyuan scarf on his head and holding a whisk in his hand. His face was thin, but his eyes were as deep as an abyss, revealing extraordinary and refined wisdom, which made people feel respect at first sight.

Granny Li quickly stepped forward and made an awkward bow, pouring out her physical condition to the priest one by one. Her words were full of pain and helplessness. The old Taoist priest slightly closed his eyes and listened quietly to Granny Li's narration. After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes and said calmly, "Old lady, the problems with your body are caused by evil qi invading your body. Coupled with your advanced age and deficiency of qi and blood, you are suffering from various illnesses."

Hearing this, tears welled up in Granny Li's eyes, and she hurriedly asked, "Priest, what should I do? Please have mercy and save me, an old woman."

The old Taoist priest stroked his beard and thought for a moment before saying, "I can draw an Evil-Averting Talisman for you. This talisman absorbs the pure yang power of heaven and earth and incorporates the spiritual power bestowed by the patriarch. It can dispel the evil qi in your body and protect your health."

Hearing this, Granny Li's eyes flashed with a glimmer of hope, and she thanked the priest repeatedly. The old Taoist priest then led Granny Li to a quiet room. The room was filled with curling incense smoke, permeating a mysterious and solemn atmosphere. On the table were neatly placed the tools for drawing talismans, such as yellow paper, cinnabar, and a wolf-hair brush. The old Taoist priest washed his hands and burned incense, his expression solemn and respectful, as if he had entered a state of communication with the gods of heaven and earth.

He picked up a tough, slightly yellowed piece of yellow paper, gently spread it flat on the table, then picked up a wolf-hair brush, dipped it fully in cinnabar, and held the tip of the brush above the paper, murmuring incantations. The incantations were low and long, like a call from ancient times, echoing in the quiet room. Each note seemed to contain mysterious power, resonating with the pure yang qi between heaven and earth.

As the priest chanted the incantations, the wolf-hajority of the time, the wolf-hair brush in his hand began to move. Amid the flowing brushstrokes, one by one, powerful and sharp runes shaped like evil-averting divine beasts gradually emerged on the yellow paper. The runes were dazzlingly red, like burning flames, and also seemed to carry the power of thunderbolts, emitting a majestic and intimidating aura that made evil qi tremble.

Before long, an Evil-Averting Talisman was completed. The old Taoist priest handed the talisman to Granny Li and solemnly instructed, "Old lady, take this talisman back and place it beside your pillow every night before going to sleep. Be sure to place it respectfully and do not desecrate it in any way. After that, you must keep a calm state of mind, bask in the sun more often, eat a light diet, and conform to the way of nature so that the power of the talisman can be better exerted."

Granny Li took the talisman with both hands as if it were a precious treasure, carefully put it into her bosom, thanked the priest again and again, and then left the temple happily.

Back home, Granny Li did as she was told. Every night before going to sleep, she would piously place the Evil-Averting Talisman beside her pillow, then put her hands together and pray silently for a while before slowly falling asleep. In the first few days, there was no obvious change in her body, but Granny Li was not discouraged. She firmly believed what the priest said and still placed the talisman on time every day. At the same time, she also tried hard to adjust her lifestyle, trying to keep a calm state of mind, going to the yard to bask in the sun more often, and eating a lighter diet.

Unconsciously, several months had passed. One morning, Granny Li woke up as usual, but suddenly felt that her body seemed much lighter. She tried to sit up slowly and was surprised to find that the back and waist pain, which used to be as heavy as a thousand catties, had 减轻了不少，双腿也仿佛有了些许力气，不再像之前那般沉重。她兴奋地呼唤着子女，声音中透着许久未有的喜悦：“孩子们，我感觉好多了！这身子骨好像一下子轻快了不少呢！”

The children heard her call and came over. Seeing Granny Li's radiant appearance, they were both surprised and happy. After that, Granny Li's body recovered more and more obviously. Even her long-term old illnesses, such as coughs and joint pains, began to improve gradually. She could get up slowly by herself, walk a few circles in the yard, and even help her children with some simple household chores. Finally, there was laughter and joy in the family again.

Granny Li knew well that all these changes were due to the protection of the Evil-Averting Talisman. She was grateful and not only often brought fresh fruits and vegetables grown by herself and carefully prepared dry food to the Taoist temple to thank the old Taoist priest for his kindness but also shared her miraculous experience with other elderly people in the village. Under her influence, many elderly people in poor health also followed her example and went to the Taoist temple to seek the old Taoist priest's help. For a while, the Taoist temple in the deep mountains became famous in Qingping Village, and the miraculous legends of Taoist talismans spread wider and wider in the village, making people have more respect and longing for the ancient and mysterious Taoist culture.

As the years passed by, Granny Li spent many peaceful years under the protection of the Evil-Averting Talisman. She often taught the younger generation to revere heaven and earth, respect nature, and have a kind heart, because the health and longevity in this world did not come out of thin air. It depended not only on one's own conditioning and efforts but also on the blessing and grace of the gods. And that Evil-Averting Talisman, although it had gradually turned yellow, was carefully collected by Granny Li and became a witness to a legendary experience in her old age. It also made the mysterious and profound Taoist culture, like a bright star, leave a glorious mark in the long history of Qingping Village.