As Master drove, he explained the role qi played within every person's body.
Ordinary people only knew that people like them understood talismans and knew how to ward off evil and avoid misfortune.
What they did not know was that before any of that, they needed to understand how to circulate qi, regulate qi, and use qi.
Once they could accomplish those three things, they had truly crossed the threshold into this profession.
Qi also had its own explanation:
Qi began and gave rise to transformation; qi dispersed and took form; qi spread and fostered growth; qi ended and forms changed.
The transformation, growth, reproduction, and extinction of all things were threaded through from beginning to end by qi. Qi was the foundation and root of all things.
Zhuangzi said, "A person's life is the gathering of qi. When it gathers, there is life; when it disperses, there is death."
Only by fully mastering how to circulate one's own qi and replenish it—
Could one truly be considered part of the profession.
After learning to use qi, the next step was talismans.
Once one learned to use talismans, one had gained an initial glimpse of the path and entered a "realm."
Only then did one truly differ from ordinary people and possess real skill...
Master spoke lightly, but every word carried immense value.
Only those in this profession understood these things.
I listened with absolute focus.
Because I knew every word Master was saying now was important.
When we arrived at the shop, Master took me straight upstairs.
He first offered incense to the Grandmaster, then had me wait in the living room while he went into his room.
I felt both nervous and delighted, wondering what real skill Master was going to teach me.
A few minutes later, Master