Ghostly Scribbles

With Detailed Explanation of Basic Talismans, his "peerless secret manual" (as he'd dubbed it) tucked under his arm, Xu Qian returned to the dormitory and bolted the door. He was so excited he could hardly contain himself, as if he could already see himself becoming a talisman master, sweeping his hand and sending talismans flying through the air.

He carefully spread the tattered book across his hard bed, treating it like a fragile treasure. In the faint daylight filtering through the vent, he devoured its contents... Well, mostly he was "reviewing" the knowledge the Longevity Dao Fruit had already absorbed and organized.

The information the Dao Fruit returned was clear: drawing talismans involved several key elements—a specific design (the talisman shape), the correct stroke order, an even and steady flow of true qi (Spiritual Power), and materials to draw on (talisman paper and ink).

All he had to do now was turn theory into practice.

To do a good job, one needed the right tools. First, he had to solve the problem of materials.

Talisman paper? There was no way he could get proper talisman paper, and he couldn't afford to buy any. But he had a substitute—when he'd helped Zhou Kang sort documents earlier, he'd "borrowed" some blank official papers that were a little better in quality and neatly cut. They were no match for specially made talisman paper, but should just about do for practicing basic talismans.

Talisman ink? Forget cinnabar or monster blood. He used... water mixed with soot from the bottom of a pot, with a little juice squeezed from aconite added to make it thicker (he suspected this might increase the failure rate, but he had no other choice for now).

A talisman brush? That was even shabbier. He'd made one himself by tying rat whiskers to a thin twig. It just about looked like a brush.

With his "beggar-grade" tools ready, Xu Qian rubbed his hands together, eager to get started. The first talisman he chose to practice was the simplest one in Detailed Explanation of Basic Talismans, and the one that looked most harmless: the Cleanliness Talisman.

As the name suggested, once activated, the talisman produced a faint current of air that swept away dust in a small area. It was a household aid with no real offensive power, perfect for a beginner to practice with.

He laid out a sheet of "talisman paper" (official document paper), took a deep breath, and picked up his shabby "talisman brush," dipping it into the inky "talisman ink."

He focused inward on his dantian and summoned his Longevity True Qi, preparing to guide it evenly and steadily through the brush tip and into the talisman as he drew, following the route described in Detailed Explanation of Basic Talismans.

"Here goes!"

He set brush to paper and carefully drew the first stroke, following the talisman shape and stroke order in his mind.

It slanted.

The line beneath the brush twisted like a drunken earthworm, and the flow of true qi surged and faltered, wildly unstable.

"Pfft..."

A faint sound, like a fart, escaped. A wisp of green smoke rose from the crooked line, and a small patch of the whole "talisman paper" instantly charred black. It was ruined.

Xu Qian: "..."

It's okay. I'm a beginner. Failure is the mother of success! He encouraged himself and switched to a fresh sheet.

On the second try, he got the stroke order wrong. Halfway through, the paper spontaneously burst into flames, nearly singeing his eyebrows.

On the third, he poured in too much true qi. The "talisman paper" couldn't take it and exploded, smearing his face with black soot.

The fourth, the fifth, the sixth...

Xu Qian felt less like he was drawing talismans and more like he was performing some kind of avant-garde art. Soon, the table and floor were covered in all sorts of bizarre, charred, tattered "ghostly scribbles." Some had crooked lines, some had blotches of smeared ink, and some had burned straight through. The whole room reeked of scorching and choking soot, looking no different from a pile of wastepaper at a recycling depot.

What gave him an even bigger headache was how much Mental Power it took. Drawing talismans required intense concentration, control over his true qi, and memorization of complicated stroke orders. Each time he failed, he felt as if his brain had been hollowed out. His temples throbbed, and he was even more exhausted than after a fight.

Holy crap! This thing is way too hard! It's much harder than sword practice! Xu Qian slumped to the floor and stared at his "masterpieces," beginning to question his life choices. "Is this really a 'basic' talisman? Are you sure it isn't deliberately giving me a hard time?"

He'd originally thought that with the Longevity Dao Fruit helping him work things out, he'd learn quickly. But theory was theory, and practice was practice. The Dao Fruit could help him understand the principles and refine the details, but the skill of his hands and control of his mind still depended on him practicing over and over.

It was like memorizing a driving manual from cover to cover. That didn't mean you could immediately take the car out and drift.

"No. I can't give up!" Xu Qian rubbed his aching temples and rallied himself. "Steady progress takes patience! Surely a mere Cleanliness Talisman can't defeat me, a Longevity Seed?"

After resting for a while, he recovered some of his energy and picked up the "talisman brush" again.

This time, he didn't rush to put brush to paper. He closed his eyes and repeatedly visualized the Cleanliness Talisman's complete shape, simulating the path and rhythm of his true qi as he guided the Longevity Dao Fruit to work through minute adjustments.

Only when he felt sure of himself did he snap his eyes open and set brush to paper!

His brush danced like a dragon and serpent... No, more like an earthworm, but it was much steadier than before!

His true qi flowed like a gentle stream, guided by his intent into the brush tip with a steady hand. The black line wound across the paper. It still wasn't pretty, but at least the talisman shape was more or less complete, and the stroke order was correct!