Chapter 15: The Profound Meaning of Spirit Talismans

This matter truly was a stroke of fate.

Gu Yi gazed at the scattered Binding Spirit talismans across the table, now rendered useless. He had written extra, anticipating a prolonged stay at the sect to help Zhi Hua establish her resolve, never imagining he’d encounter someone attempting to break through to the Saint of Arts—a chance that comes once in a millennium.

“I wonder… what is Luyang really like?”

He had been in this world for several years, yet had never set foot in that city.

Master Ma was still mourning his lost opportunity, clutching his sword as he sat quietly on the steps in a corner. Gu Yi picked up a pebble and tossed it at his gleaming bald head.

“What’s that for?” Ma snapped irritably, his disgruntled huff reminiscent of a child nursing a grievance. If he hadn’t known about it, it wouldn’t matter; but knowing made the disappointment all the harder to bear.

It was like… scoring 424 on an exam is somehow more painful than not taking it at all, even if the outcome is the same.

“Zhi Hua is cultivating, so it’s just the two of us here. Why don’t you listen when I speak?” Gu Yi beckoned him over. When bored, provoking this fellow was quite amusing.

“Hmph! I’m thinking,” Ma replied.

Gu Yi asked, “About what?”

The bald man said, “Little Yuan Mountain—you’ve heard, haven’t you? These past days, people keep coming down from the mountain, saying His Majesty sent the Imperial Guard to seal it off. What’s really going on?”

“Who cares? It doesn’t concern you, so why bother thinking about it?”

Ma Yuan didn’t heed him, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

Gu Yi sighed. “Master Ma, do you know how many types of spirit talismans exist in the world?”

Ma’s eyelids twitched. He shuffled over reluctantly, though his steps were swift. This fellow had his own charm.

“We learned in the Immortal Cultivation Academy: spirit talismans are auxiliary. There are Healing Talismans for injuries, Binding Talismans to restrain enemies, Sealing Talismans to subdue foes, and Weapon Talismans cast on blades.”

“Well answered,” Gu Yi smiled, “but not entirely correct. Spirit talismans are the mysterious patterns of the world’s energy flowing through nature. In theory, their variations are endless. Practitioners only master a few, and the four you mentioned are the most familiar.”

“Really? I rarely hear such things. Can you write other talismans?” The bald man fetched a small stool and sat with an air of obedience.

Of course.

Gu Yi poured water from his cup onto the table, then took up his brush. He tapped the air lightly, and his strokes flowed like drifting clouds, evoking the winding movements of water.

“In nature, water flows from high to low. It leaps over rocks, winds around obstacles, rejoices in the depths, embraces the fish. Ever lively, ceaselessly thriving.”

He wrote as he spoke, his brushwork imbued with a beauty that drew admiration.

The water on the table seemed drawn by a mysterious force, quickly gathering beneath Gu Yi’s brush. The paper floated and finally landed before Ma Yuan’s agape mouth.

“This—this—such a talisman exists?” Master Ma was both startled and delighted. “How did you do it? I never saw it clearly!”

It was just a trifle. With little cultivation, Gu Yi could only manipulate a bit of water—barely enough to make a splash.

“Try pinching it.”

Droplets trickled from the paper, soaking the talisman and his hand.

“This… it’s the water from the table!” Ma’s eyes widened. “Ha! Amazing, amazing! You truly are extraordinary!”

Though he suspected Gu Yi might be an Ascendant, that display of talisman mastery was unmistakable.

Gu Yi asked, “Now are you willing to answer my question? What is Luyang like?”

Ma Yuan was no fool. After their interaction, he sensed Gu Yi was no ordinary man. “Are you really just seeking someone? Why would you need my help for that?”

“I do. I’m unfamiliar with those places of pleasure and can’t blend in.”

“Why?”

“Because I am upright—and handsome.”

Ma Yuan: (;￢д￢)

“Don’t ask me too many questions,” Gu Yi said, unwilling to waste energy answering.

Master Ma pursed his lips, annoyed by Gu Yi’s air of mystery. But in truth, those involved in cultivation were all enigmatic; it was he who was prying too much.

“But you must at least tell me what the person we’re looking for looks like?”

Gu Yi shook his head. “I don’t know either.”

“Are you kidding me?! How am I supposed to find them?”

If it were that easy, Gu Yi would have gone to Luyang already. It was the lack of clues that kept him leisurely at ease.

Like the saying goes, a dead pig doesn’t fear hot water.

“What if I can’t find them?” Ma began to fret. “Are you going to keep my second brother trapped forever?!”

What if he couldn’t find them?

Indeed, what then?

Gu Yi rubbed his fingers, pondering. “If we can’t find them… then so be it. I’ll simply live well in this world.”

Master Ma rolled his eyes. “I’m not talking about you, live or die as you wish—I mean me! What about me?”

“No need to panic. I am a man of clear debts and favors. If you truly help me, when the time comes, I will teach you the Sealing Talisman to lift your body’s restraint.”

“You mean it! You mean it! You’ll teach me!” The bald man suddenly grew excited, making a fuss around him.

Gu Yi’s talisman skills were indeed exquisite. But as he said, he was upright and fair, never one to cheat others.

“Yes, I will teach you.”

“Ha! Good!” Ma Yuan was slightly exhilarated. In these times, learning anything was not easy; the royal family controlled cultivation resources, making them scarce for common folk, and such skilled talisman masters were rare.

“At last, something worth celebrating! I should go drink to it!” He paced in circles, hands on hips. “Hey, you seem free—care to join?”

Gu Yi lay back in his rocking chair. “I don’t want to move. Go ahead. And remember—not a word of what I told you to anyone.”

Not even drinking or feasting—such a boring fellow. Master Ma waved him off, annoyed. If you won’t come, it saves me money anyway.

He slung his sword and headed to the door, his steps slowing, then he doubled back to stand before Gu Yi, his brows taut with embarrassment and a hint of pride.

“I understand the way of cultivation. Passing on talismans isn’t a trivial matter. Since you’ve agreed… then… then…”

Gu Yi was puzzled. “What are you trying to do?”

Ah! The bald man gritted his teeth, shut his eyes, tossed his sword to the floor, and dropped to his knees with a loud thud, kowtowing three times.

“Master, I’m off to drink!”

He didn’t wait for Gu Yi’s reply, but rose on his own, grabbing his sword and leaving with a muffled groan, feeling somewhat dissatisfied. In his view, he was already at the Realm of Resolve.

Outside, he slapped himself, “Damn, that was embarrassing!”

He felt goosebumps all over, ran for several minutes to shake it off—such discomfort.

“Waiter! Bring me two catties of wine! And a basin of chicken! I must drink, must get drunk, I can’t stand it!”

The inn bustled with voices, guests coming and going in a steady stream. Quanmen County had become lively these days, all because the Imperial Guard had sealed the mountain, leaving those forced to descend sighing in resignation.

The waiter approached with a grin, “Master Ma, not in good spirits today? It’s been day turning to night and back again, everyone’s curious about the cause and wanting to ask you, but who dared offend you?”

“Of course I know what caused that strange phenomenon, but my master won’t let me say. And you—who are you calling blind?” Ma glared at him. “That’s my newly acknowledged master. If he disciplines me, I can only drink in gloom. What right have you to call him blind?”

The waiter suffered a silent rebuke. Goodness, who’d have thought at your age you’d take a master?

But in the business of serving all sorts, his skin had grown thick as Great Wall bricks.

He slapped himself, “Right, right, my mouth deserves it. Had I known he was your master, I’d have knelt to him. But Master Ma, how come you suddenly took a master today? Is there really a cultivator stronger than you?”

“Master Ma, where did you meet your master? Do you truly know why the sky darkened? Ha ha ha!”

Not just the waiter, the other patrons who knew this regular joined in the teasing.

Master Ma thought, I can’t embarrass myself further.

“Hey! The master I took—is he ordinary?!” The bald man puffed up. “Has anyone in Quanmen County ever subdued me? I slay monsters and banish demons, fearless. Only monsters fear me, not the other way around. But my master is different. He can restrain me—just for that, you tell me, isn’t my master formidable?”

“Yo! Must be a big shot from Luyang City, then? Looks like Master Ma will be heading to Luyang to do great things—boundless prospects!”

“I am going back to Luyang, just letting you all know in advance. Rest assured, when I make it big, I won’t forget you lot.” He bragged, though inwardly uncertain—what big shot, what great things?

Damn it, he was told to go back and hang around brothels.

Not far from his table, Old Chen had no patience for their nonsense, quietly dining with Hexian. After Gu Yi left without a word, Can Lian had vanished as well, leaving the pair baffled by the strange happenings.

They felt as if they’d missed something momentous.

Hexian was still worried. “Though I’m angry at him for leaving without notice, these past days I keep thinking—those four swordsmen did not act at random. Didn’t they say there was a master? If so, might they still pursue him?”

Old Chen kept his hands tucked in his sleeves, face grave. “I too worry for his safety. Though Young Master Gu has some skill, he lacks cultivation, while the other side are all practitioners.”

Master Ma, at the Realm of Resolve, had keener hearing than most. Amid the bustling marketplace, he caught their conversation and scrutinized the pair.

Young Master Gu? Lacking cultivation?

Could they be talking about that fellow?

After a few drinks, Ma was tipsy, chuckling to reassure himself—it couldn’t be, it couldn’t be, there’s no such coincidence in the world. This journey would be safe.