"No? Look again, carefully!"
"It must have been stolen. I had it hanging at my waist. Look, the thin hemp cord holding the money pouch has been cut."
As he spoke, Chen Ziping showed Xing Yan the cord at his waist, his face full of frustration. Only half remained, dangling there, its smooth severed end clearly cut by a blade.
"That's it! Someone must have cut it off in that crowd just now, while I wasn't paying attention!"
"Rotten luck!"
Hearing Chen Ziping's words, Xing Yan silently groaned.
All the money for their journey to Mount Luofu had been entrusted to Chen Ziping. Since this was Xing Yan's first trip there, he had brought quite a few things. He had left the Nameless Sword in their room at the inn without worrying that anyone would steal it, but his Jade Flute, musical scores, and talisman scripture were all treasures he carried with him. Adding the rather heavy money pouch would have made him too cumbersome. Thus, they had agreed to let Chen Ziping carry all their silver.
However, his fellow Daoist Chen Ziping clearly lacked Xing Yan's experience in bustling streets and markets. Had it been Xing Yan, even while chatting amid a jostling crowd, he would instinctively have positioned himself to protect the valuables he carried.
"Ah, some little thief must have sneaked off with it."
Xing Yan sighed. Looking at all the men and women wearing silver ornaments in the street, he thought that even if the thief did not spend the stolen silver, finding a buyer would be no trouble.
"Brother Zhang, this is all my fault for being careless!"
Chen Ziping looked dejected and apologetic.
"It's nothing. Money is only a worldly possession. In an unfamiliar place like this, it's hard to avoid giving some petty scoundrel an opening."
Despite those words, neither of them felt like drinking tea anymore-not that they could afford it, with their purses washed clean.
A very practical problem now confronted Xing Yan and his companion: how were they to pay for their room at the inn, let alone the rest of their journey?
According to Chen Ziping, even riding their donkeys at a hurried pace, they still needed five or six days to reach Mount Luofu. If they sold their mounts to cover expenses, the journey would probably take more than half a month. Yet, as the saying went, "a single copper coin can bring a hero to his knees." That had always been true. If they set off penniless, braving meals in the wind and nights beneath the dew, by the time they reached Shangqing Palace on Mount Luofu, Xing Yan and his companion would look much like a pair of destitute beggars.
"Don't worry yet. There must be a way."
Seeing Chen Ziping's anxious, guilt-ridden expression, Xing Yan could not help comforting him. Unlike Chen Ziping, Zhang Xingyan had mingled in markets and streets since childhood, so he was not nearly as worried. He believed that as long as they were willing to work hard, there were plenty of ways to earn money in a market town.
Find a tavern or teahouse and work there for a few days?
His old line of work was the first thing Xing Yan thought of.
No, no. That would hold us up far too long, and we wouldn't earn much anyway.
After a little consideration, he rejected the idea himself.
"That's it!"
Xing Yan suddenly remembered the Jade Flute tucked at his waist. Divine Snow was now wrapped in a discreetly colored cloth sleeve, to keep evildoers along the road from coveting it. The sleeve was the handiwork of the dragon maiden Ling Yier, though its stitching was truly dreadful, crooked and clumsy. Still, even had it been ten times uglier, Xing Yan would never have dared mock the girl's spur-of-the-moment creation.
"Have you thought of something, Brother Zhang?"
Seeing that inspiration seemed to have struck Xing Yan, Chen Ziping perked up.
"Yes. How does this sound? I have a flute with me, and I know a few tunes. Why don't we follow that fellow performing with his staff earlier, find an open spot beside the street, and perform for money?"
"Er... wouldn't that damage Shangqing Palace's dignity? After all, you are the master of our Shangqing order's Four Seas Hall!"
"Oh, who here knows that? As for dignity-didn't the great Wu Zixu once play the xiao for money in Wu Market?"
"Well... that's true."
"Wait, this method may still not work."
Chen Ziping seemed suddenly to remember something and found a reason to pour cold water on Xing Yan's enthusiasm.
"I once came to Luoyang with a senior brother to buy Bamboo Paper, so I know something of the local customs. Everyone here, Han or otherwise, is skilled at singing and dancing. Almost everyone can play a dozen tunes on the local bamboo flute or gourd pipe. I'm afraid your plan to perform for money..."
"Ah! You're right. I'd probably be showing off my axe at the master carpenter's door. We'll have to think of something else."
And so the two stood facing the clear river beside the bridge, utterly at a loss. Truly:
When the gold upon his staff was spent, even a brave man's face lost its color!
"Ah, it's all my fault. If I hadn't been so engrossed just now, this would never..."
"Ah! I've got it!"
Chen Ziping's self-reproach reminded Xing Yan of something, and he cut him off at once.
"Hm? What is it?"
"It seems your words really have become a prophecy, Brother Chen. This time, we truly will have to sell talismans."
Back at the inn, Xing Yan told the innkeeper about their stolen money. Just as the man began to frown, Xing Yan hurriedly explained that they were both Daoists from Shangqing Palace, skilled at drawing talismans. He hoped the innkeeper could help them with some paper, brushes, and charcoal ink so they could make talismans to sell and pay for their lodging sooner.
Shangqing Palace's fame truly did reach across the land; even here in Luoyang, it seemed to carry considerable weight. Hearing its name and looking at Xing Yan and Chen Ziping's bearing, the innkeeper immediately softened. Not only did he refrain from making things difficult, he readily brought them Bamboo Paper, brushes, and ink for their talismans.
Xing Yan returned to their room and treated it as a meditation chamber. Taking out the Scripture of House-Guarding and Evil-Repelling Talismans that the old Daoist Qinghe had given him at their parting, he began copying the talisman designs within.
Ah, I never expected old Qinghe to predict things so unerringly! Still, even he probably never imagined I would need this book so soon.
Although this Shangqing Order disciple from an orthodox, reputable school had always loathed such "ghost-scrawling," it was his own carelessness that had cost them their money. He could hardly object to Xing Yan making talismans to sell, and could only sit silently to one side, brooding...
After carefully drawing several, Xing Yan gradually began to grasp the principles involved. After all, the youth from Raozhou had entered the No-Self State and learned several spells from the dragon maiden Lingyi. Although his understanding of yin and yang and the Five Phases was far from clear or thorough, he had already developed a remarkably sound intuitive grasp of them.
Thus, after drawing a few talismans, Xing Yan seemed to gain an insight:
These talismans, said to repel evil and subdue demons, were by no means the mere fraudulent tricks Chen Ziping dismissed them as.
Xing Yan discovered that the dots and lines of these designs seemed to harbor principles of change, closely aligned with the workings of yin and yang and the Five Phases. Arranged according to particular patterns, these dots, horizontal strokes, and slanting strokes seemed to possess a mysterious power.
It seems that just as the Jade Flute's Five Tones secretly correspond to the Five Phases, these talisman designs accord with certain underlying principles. Perhaps I misjudged old Qinghe before!
At this thought, Xing Yan grew increasingly reverent. His initial desire to scrape together traveling money gave way to quiet concentration as he earnestly drew and copied the designs.
As his wrist and brush tip moved, gathering and releasing their momentum, Xing Yan gradually entered a state in which he seemed oblivious to everyone around him. His entire body and mind seemed to follow the talismans' lines, flowing and unfolding with them.
Nearby, Chen Ziping remained wholly unaware of this, still sitting there unhappily. Whenever he thought of how his carelessness had reduced them to earning their traveling expenses with scraps of talisman paper, the Shangqing disciple felt both ashamed and mortified.
More than half a double-hour passed. Even Chen Ziping, well practiced in sitting meditation, had begun to grow impatient before Zhang Xingyan finally completed his work at the table.
Now the table before him, the bed beside him, and the floor all around him were strewn with talismans covered in strange designs. Many still bore fresh, glistening ink that had yet to dry.
The Scripture of House-Guarding and Evil-Repelling Talismans given to him by old Qinghe contained a bewildering variety of talismans: for repelling evil and lifting curses, subduing demons and capturing monsters, commanding ghosts and communing with spirits. There were even talismans for thriving livestock, abundant harvests, headaches and fevers, ant bites and mosquito stings! Truly:
No nook too small, no matter too slight; every trade and trick fell within its scope!
Who knew where old Qinghe had found such a grand compendium of talismans?
After spending so much time on them, Xing Yan had no chance to examine everything in detail. He simply copied the patterns, drawing several of each kind, figuring that this might broaden their prospects for sales.
Once the ink had dried on all the paper talismans, Xing Yan called the dispirited Chen Ziping over to help gather them.
When all the talismans had been stacked on the table, Xing Yan asked the Shangqing Palace cultivator to take a look at his handiwork.
At Xing Yan's request, Chen Ziping rather distractedly picked up an evil-repelling talisman between two fingers and inspected it.
Xing Yan watched Chen Ziping's expression intently, feeling quite nervous. After all, their traveling expenses for the next several days depended entirely on these thin scraps of paper.
As he watched for a reaction, Xing Yan suddenly noticed that Chen Ziping, who had initially paid them little heed, was growing increasingly solemn as he studied the talisman.
"What's wrong? Did I draw it badly? Does it look ugly?"
Xing Yan asked anxiously.
"No—if you ask me now, Brother Zhang, these talismans of yours may really have something to them!"
"Really?"
Hearing Chen Ziping say this, Xing Yan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes. After gazing at this talisman for a while, I felt remarkably clearheaded and refreshed. All my worries from earlier seemed to have been swept away!"
"Really?!"
Encouraged by this Shangqing Palace disciple's praise, Xing Yan immediately brightened and replied:
"As the saying goes, draw talismans without the secret, and ghosts and gods will laugh; draw talismans with the secret, and ghosts and gods will cry out in fright! I put quite a bit of effort into these!"
'"Draw talismans without the secret..." That's quite an interesting saying.'
"Yes, I heard it from your martial uncle Qinghe."
"Oh, him. Shall we head out, then?"
"Sure. Er, wait a moment. Let me draw one more talisman."
Just as he was about to gather their things and leave, a thought stirred in Xing Yan's mind. He sat down again and began drawing another talisman according to the book. This time, he turned to the last page of the demon-subduing section and said:
"This is the one!"
Then he began carefully copying the most intricate and mysterious talisman design in the entire book. According to its accompanying explanation, if the person making and using it possessed sufficiently profound Dao Power, even immortal birds and divine beasts would obediently submit to its restraint!
Of course, Xing Yan had no intention of subduing immortal birds or divine beasts. Even if he could, where would he ever encounter such creatures? His reasoning was this:
Yesterday, that old man said a Daoist who came to Luoyang to sell talismans was eventually humiliated and driven away by the Little Fox Immortal. As they say, preparation wards off trouble. Whether this talisman works or not, I'd best choose the supposedly strongest one and draw it, just in case.
Once the ink on this last talisman had dried, Xing Yan and Chen Ziping gathered all the talismans into a stack. Then they borrowed a bamboo table and Bamboo Stool from the innkeeper and went outside to set up a talisman stall.
The inn where they were staying did not stand directly on the street. Its front entrance lay some distance back, connected to the main street by a passage paved with blue stone slabs. Verdant bamboo groves lined both sides. Together, Xing Yan and Chen Ziping carried the table and stools to the street end of this bamboo-lined path and began selling talismans beneath the bamboo shade.
Chen Ziping had still not quite reconciled himself to this venture. Beside Xing Yan, he fidgeted awkwardly, unable to sit or stand at ease. Understanding his difficulty, Xing Yan told him to return to their room and rest; he could handle the hawking alone, having plenty of experience. But Chen Ziping valued loyalty. Though deeply opposed to a Shangqing Palace disciple hawking goods in the street, he could not bring himself to leave Xing Yan there alone.
In the end, Chen Ziping took a bamboo stool and moved a little farther away, putting some distance between himself and the talisman stall. Even then, this disciple of a renowned orthodox order, who had never done anything like this before, felt uncomfortable all over, as though he were committing some shameful deed. His eyes remained fixed on the cracks between the street's blue paving stones, and he dared not look directly at the passing pedestrians...
The youth, long accustomed to streets and markets and not yet steeped in Shangqing Palace's winds of scripture and rains of doctrine on Mount Luofu, had no such scruples. Once the stall was ready, he began calling out loudly, heedless of anyone around him. Having spent so long with old Qinghe, who relied entirely on talismans to fund his drinking, Xing Yan could reel off a sales pitch without the slightest hesitation!
Although Xing Yan had changed into a short-skirted Daoist robe to suit the occasion and called out with perfect assurance, he did not invoke Shangqing Palace's name. For one thing, Chen Ziping firmly opposed it; for another, Xing Yan himself had little confidence in these talismans.
Xing Yan thought it would hardly do to smash Shangqing Palace's reputation before he had even set foot on Mount Luofu.
However, after Xing Yan had shouted himself hoarse, all he received were pointing fingers and comments from passersby. Occasionally, two or three curious people stopped, but they merely shuffled through the talismans with no intention of buying.
Ah, rotten luck! That Daoist elder who came here last time must have ruined the reputation of our talisman trade in Luoyang!
Xing Yan kept lamenting inwardly.
By now, the sun had risen higher, and its light gradually crept onto the bamboo table before Xing Yan. More sunlight slanted through the sparse bamboo leaves overhead, scattering mottled spots of brightness across his body.
After so much hawking, the warm spring sunshine gradually sapped Xing Yan's energy. His earlier vigor faded, and his ringing cries of "Subdue demons and repel evil!" slowly dwindled into "Drive off mosquitoes and flies!" Even his voice began to sound like the buzzing of those very insects...
On his bamboo stool a short distance away, Chen Ziping, despite his excellent training at Shangqing Palace, had also begun to grow drowsy, just like Xing Yan...
Just as business had grown so quiet that sparrows could have nested at their door, the listless Xing Yan, sitting with his head lowered, suddenly sensed someone standing before the table, seemingly turning over his talismans with considerable interest.
Ah! Finally, our first sale?
Xing Yan immediately rallied, gathering every ounce of his strength as he raised his head, ready to launch into an energetic sales pitch.
But just as he was about to extol the talismans, Xing Yan saw that the person rummaging through them was none other than the little girl who had made trouble for Zhao Yigun that morning—
Dressed in a fiery-red short jacket, her pretty face as though dusted with jade powder, the little girl now thrust out her red-jade lips in a pronounced pout. With one hand on her hip and the other pointing at the stallholder, she tilted her face up and demanded indignantly:
"Big brother, are you selling Demon-Subduing Talismans too?"
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