Yuan Stone

"Senior Brother Tian, Junior Brother Shen, are you two dogs or something? I'd only just gotten back, and you were already blocking my door." One of them fumbled with a key to unlock the door, then could not help turning back to grin at the other two.

The one opening the door was Bai Xiaotian. The Junior Brother Shen he mentioned was naturally Shen Luo, while Senior Brother Tian was Tian Tiesheng, the one Daoist Luo had sent down the mountain two years ago to bring Shen Luo into the monastery.

It was only some time after Shen Luo came up the mountain that he realized Tian Tiesheng was rather honest and simple-hearted, though somewhat timid. Although he had joined the monastery earlier than most disciples, he was often teased by Ding Yuan and his group.

Both Bai Xiaotian and Shen Luo had helped him out of such situations before. Since all three were disciples of Daoist Luo, they had gradually become closer.

"Let's go inside first, let's go inside..." Shen Luo said with a smile.

The two urged Bai Xiaotian to open the door and light the lamps, then took seats around the square table in the main hall.

Bai Xiaotian set down what he had been carrying: four grease-soaked parchment packets and three blue porcelain jars.

"Oh? That smell... Is it from Good Fortune Tower?" Tian Tiesheng swallowed as he looked at the oil-paper packets on the table.

"You know your food." Bai Xiaotian opened all four packets as he spoke.

Beneath the parchment was another layer of lotus leaf. Once opened, a rich aroma of meat immediately filled the room.

Then, with a chuckle, he picked up two of the blue porcelain jars and put them into a lacquered wooden box in the corner by the bed, leaving only one on the table.

Bai Xiaotian loved wine, and Shen Luo was long used to it. Tian Tiesheng, meanwhile, had eyes only for the roast goose and braised meat, so neither said anything.

"Junior Brother Shen has finally achieved entry into the Minor Transforming Yang Art today. Let this cup of wine be a celebration for him." Bai Xiaotian took out three porcelain cups, filled each to the brim with White Jade Shao, and raised his cup.

"Junior Brother Shen has achieved entry? When did that happen? We brothers truly ought to celebrate!" Tian Tiesheng was startled at first, then delighted.

"Senior Brother Tian, I only achieved entry into the Minor Transforming Yang Art not long ago. Senior Brother Bai took two months to achieve entry into this technique, while I spent a full two years. What is there to celebrate?" Shen Luo gave a bitter smile.

Not to mention an Inner Disciple like Bai Xiaotian—even an ordinary Outer Disciple should have cultivated the ten levels of the Minor Transforming Yang Art nearly to completion in two years.

"The path of cultivation is long. What difference does it make whether you are early or late, so long as you arrive? Besides, Junior Brother Shen, you are a man of great perseverance. Your future achievements may not necessarily fall below mine." Bai Xiaotian shook his head, wholly unconcerned.

"Junior Brother Bai is right..." Tian Tiesheng said, though his gaze never left the roast goose and braised meat, as if he were deciding which to attack first.

Shen Luo merely smiled it off.

The path of cultivation might be long, but one slow step led to countless slow steps. How could it be so easy? Besides, his cultivation was meant to prolong his life. How could he truly afford to be slow?

But he could not speak of such things to them.

"No matter what, it is good news. Let's empty this cup first." Bai Xiaotian laughed heartily and spoke loudly.

"That's right. Congratulations, Junior Brother Shen!" Tian Tiesheng echoed.

"Then thank you, Senior Brothers." Shen Luo thanked them, and the three raised their cups and drank.

Outside, the moon hung over the western branches. Inside, laughter steadily rose, and before they knew it, it was deep into the night.

Shen Luo knew his body was weak, and his tolerance for alcohol was mediocre, so he did not drink much. Bai Xiaotian could drink exceedingly well; though he drank the most under all sorts of excuses, such as punishing himself with a drink, he showed no trace of drunkenness.

Tian Tiesheng, on the other hand, truly could not hold his liquor. After only two or three cups, his face had turned red. He ate quite a bit of braised meat and roast goose, then, full and sleepy, was helped by the other two onto a couch in the side hall to sleep.

The two returned to the table in the main hall, and Tian Tiesheng's snores soon sounded from the side hall.

Bai Xiaotian smiled when he heard them, then took a stack of yellow paper and three white porcelain bottles from his sleeve pouch and placed them on the table.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Bai." Shen Luo naturally knew what they were and quickly expressed his thanks.

"I've brought you the things, but there are some matters I need to tell you as well." The usual playful expression was rarely absent from Bai Xiaotian's face.

"Go ahead." Shen Luo nodded.

"The matter of making talismans concerns the sect rules, so I cannot tell you much. But I believe sincerity brings results, and you are a persevering person, Junior Brother. You may not be unable to figure it out yourself. Still, you do not possess true mana, so you probably do not know how to activate talismans, do you?" Bai Xiaotian said.

Shen Luo was delighted to hear this, knowing Bai Xiaotian intended to help him, and hurriedly shook his head.

"A talisman stores spirit and conceals qi, allowing it to communicate with the gods and ghosts of heaven and earth. When using one, you must use mana to ignite its talisman core, thereby unleashing its power. But if one has no mana and wishes to activate a talisman, one can only rely on external objects—for instance, Yuan Stone." Bai Xiaotian said.

"What is Yuan Stone?" Shen Luo asked in confusion. He had never encountered this item in the ancient books before.

"This."

As he spoke, Bai Xiaotian searched his robes again and took out several grayish-white jade stones the size of pigeon eggs, placing them on the table.

Shen Luo looked them over and found their material quite ordinary. Their surfaces lacked all luster, and closer inspection revealed several brown spots. Their only unusual feature was that, when held to the light, he could faintly see a small cluster of white vapor slowly circulating inside each stone.

"This can be used to ignite talismans?" Shen Luo picked one up between his fingers and asked.

"Of course, that alone is not enough. You must also combine it with your own Yang Gang energy to activate it. Since your Minor Transforming Yang Art has already achieved entry, as long as you pay attention to the method of activation, you should barely be able to manage it." Bai Xiaotian shook his head.

"It also requires Yang Gang energy..." Shen Luo murmured thoughtfully.

"What is so strange about that? Yang Gang energy may not be mana, but those with abundant yang qi find it much easier to draw talismans than ordinary people. Remember this: making talismans consumes both mental strength and yang qi. You must not push yourself too hard." Bai Xiaotian cautioned.

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Bai." Shen Luo knew that Bai Xiaotian had already shown him great favor by telling him so much. He immediately cupped his hands in thanks.

"Why thank me? Put away the Yuan Stone first..." Bai Xiaotian jerked his chin toward the table.

Shen Luo did not refuse. He put away the Yuan Stone, for he knew that without Bai Xiaotian, he would likely find it difficult to obtain such things.

"Great kindness needs no words of thanks. I will repay you when the chance arises." Shen Luo said solemnly.

"Enough. When you get the chance, just treat me to a few more rounds of good wine. Wine and women in Chunhua County Town would work too, haha..." With the serious business finished, Bai Xiaotian returned to his usual joking manner.

Tian Tiesheng was in no condition to leave, so Shen Luo had no choice but to return alone to his meditation chamber on Bluestone Terrace.

The stone steps in the mountains glimmered with hazy white light beneath the clear moonlight. The chirping of insects sounded here and there around him, soothing the heart. As the cool mountain breeze brushed past him, what little drunkenness Shen Luo had gradually faded away.

By the time he returned to his meditation chamber, he had not the slightest desire to sleep.