Two chests of paper ingots, a few paper villas, were quickly burned to ashes.
After burning these, I returned to the front hall.
Seeing that I had finished burning the items, Master began to assign my tasks for the day.
There wasn't much to do, just setting up a stall.
The paper figures, wreaths, and other items were moved from inside the house to the doorway.
Then, we waited for customers to come.
After finishing this, Master suddenly spoke to me.
"Xiao Qin, your cultivation has now reached the late stage of the Spirit Spring Realm.
Your master will now teach you another talismans art."
Upon hearing Master say he would teach me another talismans art, my face immediately lit up with joy.
The more talismans arts I mastered, the more means I would have to deal with malevolent spirits.
For such a good thing, I naturally wouldn't refuse in the slightest.
I quickly nodded and said,
"Thank you, Master."
Master nodded, took out yellow paper and a brush, and dipped them in cinnabar.
He said to me,
"Watch carefully. The talisman I am drawing today is called 'Po Sha' (破煞).
It is an upgraded version of the 'Zhen Sha Fu' (镇煞符) you currently know.
Its power is stronger, but it consumes more spiritual energy..."
I didn't reply, but listened attentively.
After Master finished saying this, he took a deep breath.
He dipped the cinnabar brush downwards and chanted,
"Yin and Yang, the five elements, Po Sha is here today.
The Azure Dragon roams to the left, the White Tiger leaps to the right.
The Vermilion Bird stops in front, the Black Tortoise supports the back."
With every sentence Master spoke, it corresponded to a part of the talisman's script.
After three sentences, a talisman was formed.
Master put down his brush and smiled calmly.
"Xiao Qin, this is the Yin Yang Four Gods Po Sha Fu (阴阳四神破煞符).
Did you remember the incantation I just recited?"
I was murmuring to myself, but fortunately, the incantation was not long and was quite easy to remember.
It was about guiding Yin and Yang to the four divine beasts.
I nodded and said,
"I remember, Master."
"That's good that you remember. Now, draw it as I instructed!
Remember the three essentials of drawing talismans:
A calm mind, a sincere heart, and a connected spirit."
As Master spoke, he took out his small pipe.
It seemed his nicotine craving had struck again.
"Understood, Master. I'll try it now!"
I replied, picked up the cinnabar brush and yellow paper.
Following Master's instructions, I began to draw this "Yin Yang Four Gods Po Sha Fu."
Looking at the talisman itself, it was much more difficult than the "Tian Shang Tai Xing Zhen Sha Fu" (天上台星镇煞符) that I already knew.
The main difficulty lay in the drawing of the four divine beasts' script.
It would be easier if I had an artistic background.
But with my complete lack of artistic skill,
I found it somewhat difficult to draw such intricate talismans.
As expected, my first attempt failed.
The talisman directly cracked and couldn't gather energy.
I tried a second, a third...
All of them, without exception, ended in failure. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Master stood by, not angry with me, but smiling instead.
He seemed a little gleeful.
"Xiao Qin, although you have some talent and understanding in cultivation,
It is still very difficult to draw the Yin Yang Four Gods Po Sha Fu well.
Back then, when your Grandmaster, True Master Jiu Xuan (九玄真人), taught me how to draw it,
It took me a whole three days to draw just one.
And even then, I was considered to have very good aptitude.
I even received praise from your Grandmaster!
I was a whole two days faster than that idiot dog across the street.
Don't get discouraged, keep drawing diligently..."
After speaking, Master took a contented puff of his pipe.
I paid no mind to Master's words.
Instead, I focused on calming my own mind.
I had drawn at least three to five hundred talismans by now.
In my spare time these days, I just drew talismans and practiced breathing exercises.
Although this talisman was difficult to draw, it didn't feel as hard as I imagined.
Each failure was due to a mistake in the final stroke, when sealing the talisman's essence and gathering energy, causing it to crack.
So this time, I deliberately paused for a moment.
I slowed down, allowing myself to be inwardly calm, and not so restless.
Only by maintaining a state of equanimity, stable emotions, and sincerity can one draw talismans well.
This is something I had realized on my own during this time.
It also coincided with the three essentials Master mentioned: a calm mind, a sincere heart, and a connected spirit.
However, this talisman was indeed too difficult to draw.
Even after adjusting my mindset, I still ruined three more talismans.
Master glanced at me and chuckled,
"Xiao Qin, you might not know this.
This talisman is actually something one begins to learn in the Qi Gathering realm.
Although your comprehension is good, you are still only in the late stage of the Spirit Spring Realm.
Don't push yourself too hard. Practice diligently first, and don't let it spoil your mindset."
After speaking, Master took another puff of his pipe.
But who knew, just as he inhaled,
The seventh talisman I was drawing began its final stroke.
It was again at the most critical step of gathering energy.
That is, dotting the 'talisman's eye'.
This is the most crucial part for a talisman to be effective.
In the previous attempts, I had made mistakes here every time.
But this time, as I dotted the talisman's eye, I inexplicably felt a warmth in my right palm.
It was as if the Wu Chang Fu (无常咒) had reacted.
Without hesitation, I directly dotted the talisman's eye.
With this single dot and stroke,
The entire talisman unfolded, and each drawn script seemed to possess a 'divine charm'.
The cinnabar ink drawn on the yellow paper instantly dried and solidified, without cracking.
Seeing this, my pupils dilated, and my heart rejoiced.
"Master, it's done!"
I said happily.
Holding the completed talisman, I looked towards Master, who was still puffing away.
Upon hearing my words, Master was also taken aback.
He abruptly turned his head, looking at me with astonishment.
"Wh-what? It's, it's done?"