Chapter 6 My Talismans... Will Feel More Comfortable

A spring thunderclap echoed through the night, and soon after, rain began to fall.

At the inn in Four Stones Town, Uncle Chen carried the unconscious Gu Yi into his room.

By rights, he shouldn’t have fainted, but—he did.

The others remained awake, oil lamps burning as sleep eluded them.

Could it be true?

Did Gu Yi really walk out of the Four Stones Dragon Gate Array?

That question hammered unceasingly at their hearts.

Uncle Chen suddenly recalled the bewildered young woman who had knelt before Gu Yi earlier. He called her over, but her lips were pale with weakness. For all their uprightness, master and servant both, since she seemed unwilling to speak, they simply sent her off to rest.

He Xian paced the room, her elegant brows furrowed, circling round and round, until a sudden exclamation burst from her lips.

“Oh!”

Uncle Chen started. “What is it, miss?”

“Was I… cursing him all day for being black-hearted?” The girl pressed her hands to her mouth, wide eyes brimming with panic and regret as she wished she could sink into the floor.

The middle-aged man’s lips twitched. From his conversation with Gu Yi, it seemed there was no harm done, but when he recalled the Dragon Gate Array, Little Courtyard Mountain, and its immortals, it felt wrong to have linked such words with someone worthy of respect.

But all he could do was comfort her. “Don’t worry, miss. I’ve spoken to Young Master Gu about it.”

“Really?” He Xian’s eyes widened. “What did he say?”

“He’s broad-minded. He said he wouldn’t take it to heart, and even envied how, in your world, right is right and wrong is wrong.”

What sort of answer was that?

He Xian raised her brows, asking, “What does that mean? Isn’t right right and wrong wrong?”

“In any case, it’s nothing serious.”

She snorted. “How can it be nothing? It must be terrible! They say he’s a transcendent, but he actually came out of the Four Stones Array. Has he really met an immortal?”

Uncle Chen’s face reddened—after all, he was the one who’d called Gu Yi a transcendent. But considering the man’s background… having entered the Four Stones Array, he most likely had seen an immortal. That strange swordplay could very well have been taught by one.

In another room, Gu Yi had already awoken. He had only been feigning unconsciousness; in that situation, collapsing straightaway was the simplest option.

With someone as upright as Uncle Chen, he could count on being carried back—a double benefit.

He was nothing if not clever.

Of course, exhaustion soon overtook him, and he’d truly fallen asleep.

Now, however, he’d awoken with an urgent need.

He had his own methods of healing, and the wound on his leg was nearly mended. But as he returned from the latrine, he saw the young woman waiting at his door—she must have been keeping an eye on his movements.

In the darkness, only a few rooms glowed with light. The rain veiled the moon, making the night especially black and cold.

He couldn’t bear to let an injured girl wait outside any longer.

In this world, people treated others as less than human; he refused to act the same.

Before entering, Gu Yi said, “Go and wash up, so I can see you clearly.”

At the sound of his voice, the girl’s shoulders trembled, and her eyes shone with emotion. To see her? Wasn’t that just an excuse to summon her here?

“Yes!” Her voice quivered with excitement.

The patter of rain masked the sound of the wooden door. For three years, the youth had seldom neglected his cultivation, but tonight, he sat by the oil lamp, listening closely to the world’s sounds—a rare indulgence, yet one he relished.

He caught a whiff of fragrance—she had entered.

“You took a blade for me. What if you’d truly been struck?”

His voice broke the silence.

“I didn’t have time to think,” she replied.

So be it.

“What’s your name?” Gu Yi lay in his rocking chair, gently swaying.

“My name is Canlian.”

“Canlian?” Gu Yi turned to look at the sallow-skinned girl, smiling but too lazy to correct her humble way of referring to herself, “Did you hear what the female swordswoman said earlier?”

“Yes.”

“And you saw it yourself?”

With a soft thud, Canlian knelt again. “I have never spoken of it to anyone.”

So she’d seen it too.

Gu Yi hadn’t anticipated this—the ordeal of leaving the Four Stones Array was spawning even more complications. He’d hoped to break free of trouble, to enjoy a few quiet, carefree days.

Canlian kept her head bowed. “But… what I saw was different from the swordswoman.”

“Oh?” Gu Yi didn’t understand. “How so?”

“She said you walked out, but that’s a lie. You clearly flew out.”

A silence settled between them.

Gu Yi’s face flushed; his eyebrows twitched uncontrollably. Damn, she got it right.

“Enough, get up.” Gu Yi reached out to help her. “Earlier, in my haste, I struck you with the flat of my sword…”

“Mmm~” The accidental touch seemed to hurt her, and she bit back a pained gasp.

But it was only a gentle, supportive gesture.

In the flickering light, Canlian’s face shifted between shadow and glow. Gu Yi noticed her pallor and the fine sheen of sweat on her brow.

“Lift your clothes and let me see your back.”

Though propriety between men and women in the Xu Kingdom wasn’t so strict, it was the middle of the night…

“I dare not… trouble you, sir.”

“You dare not trouble me, yet you defy my words?” Gu Yi got up, lamp in hand, and walked to the desk.

Fortunately, he’d struck her back, not her front. A look would suffice.

“It will heal in time,” Canlian said after a moment’s hesitation, still reluctant.

The swordswoman’s aura had left her back battered and swollen. The pain was intense, but compared to baring her back, she preferred to endure.

She wasn’t beautiful, but her spirit was fierce. Gu Yi didn’t press her. He simply unfolded a sheet of paper, his hands moving deftly. “Fine, come grind ink for me.”

“Sir, truly, I’m fine.”

“I won’t look. Just grind the ink.”

Canlian’s lips parted slightly. So he could heal her without looking? If she hadn’t insisted, would he have made her bare her back after all?

Gu Yi’s face was righteous; he offered no further explanation. He had no intention of peeking.

“You were hurt because of me. I’ll heal you. Once you’ve recovered, you should leave—and as before, say nothing of what you have seen.”

Canlian’s heart plunged. She’d hoped his willingness to heal her meant he’d changed his mind, but it was only to send her away.

“If that’s the case, then let my wound be—it needn’t be healed!”

Still stubborn.

Gu Yi ignored her, dipping his brush in ink and writing with focus. “I know you’re strong-willed, unyielding. But your wound isn’t life-threatening, so don’t imagine you can use it to pressure me. As for your well-intentioned interference, I neither feel grateful nor blame you. So even if I let you go without healing you, I’d feel no guilt.”

“Sir!” Canlian pleaded, “I only wish to cultivate immortality. I mean no harm. Since you emerged from the Four Stones Array, you must have been taught by an immortal. I don’t dare covet such fortune—just someone to guide me is enough!”

“We’ll discuss that later. Let me heal your wound first.”

“I don’t want healing! I just want answers!”

As she spoke, the strange symbols beneath Gu Yi’s brush began to glow.

Light blossomed in the darkness, leaving Canlian dumbstruck.

“What is this…”

All around, green points of light gathered like fireflies, tracing lines that stretched from the room and beyond, swirling into a vortex. At Gu Yi’s pen tip, the glow was drawn into the paper, faintly accompanied by a tinkling sound, as if spirits of ambient energy were dancing.

“It’s a rune for channeling spiritual energy!” Canlian exclaimed with joy. She’d never before seen someone inscribe a rune so close.

The green lines under the brush grew brighter, illuminating Gu Yi’s features; the spiritual energy swirled, making his robe billow and his untied hair flutter.

Canlian watched as he wrote without pause, with perfect fluency. How could this be a mere transcendent?

The symbols on the paper, though written, seemed more like spiritual energy arranging itself in order, forming four interlocked arcs and, at the center, a large character for “Gu,” glowing green.

The room returned to darkness, but the spiritual energy gathered on the central “Gu,” pulsing with light.

When Gu Yi set the brush down, the talisman floated up, drifting in the air.

“This is a Dual-Element Healing Talisman. Since you won’t let me examine your wound, I can only use this all-purpose healing charm. Turn around.”

Canlian still hesitated.

Gu Yi’s tone hardened. “Turn around!”

“Then… thank you, sir.”

“How are the walls for soundproofing?” Gu Yi asked out of nowhere, then realized, not very good. “My healing talisman… is very comfortable. Try not to cry out.”

Canlian didn’t understand, but nodded obediently. “Understood.”

Gu Yi flicked his finger, turning the talisman upright. It was simple—the talisman would seek out the injury, even through clothing. As it touched her back, the energy enveloped the paper, which dissolved into a block of green and melted into her body.

“Mmm~”

In that instant, Canlian’s eyes squeezed shut. Even with the warning, the tingling warmth spreading through her back nearly overwhelmed her. Remembering Gu Yi’s caution, she bit her lip.

Gu Yi: (“▔□▔|||)

“Forget it, maybe I was too strict. I know it feels good. If you really must, just let it out, don’t hold back.”

“Ah~ ah~”

The tinkling of spiritual energy grew louder as it spread across her back.

Gu Yi thought: Thank goodness she’s not pretty. Sometimes, when your talisman is too effective, it feels a bit improper, but I swear, I’m an upright scholar.

After over a minute, the talisman’s energy finally dissipated.

Canlian gasped for breath, her cheeks flushed. She felt herself—there was definite improvement.

Gu Yi instructed, “Now the energy suffuses your back, but the wound won’t heal instantly. It will take days to nourish you. Take care of yourself.”

Anyone who wished to learn could write talismans, the only difference being skill. Talismans didn’t require the writer’s own spiritual energy; rather, their special patterns drew upon the energy of heaven and earth.

As for Gu Yi’s skill—good or bad, refined or crude—Canlian now understood intimately.

From swordplay to talisman, from flying out of the Four Stones Array… the conclusion was clear in her heart.

“It truly is comfortable. Is this Dual-Element Healing Talisman a personal transmission from the immortal of Little Courtyard Mountain?”

“Think what you like,” Gu Yi replied, offering no explanation. “Now that you’re healed, go get some rest.”

She lingered, unwilling to leave—how could she, when the talisman felt so wonderful?

“Sir… I also have wounds on my feet and legs…”