"So, ones drawn with cinnabar on yellow paper are single-use talismans, while carving talismanic scripts into wood or jade makes them Magic Artifacts?" Gu Zhao's thoughts branched further.
He could sense that the spiritual power stored in the bracelet was potent. Aside from its long-lasting nourishment of spiritual energy, it could activate the Gang Qi of the Heavenly Dipper Talisman at least three or four times, and then...
Then, if he followed the stroke order of the talismanic script and poured Mana into it, could he activate this Heavenly Dipper Bracelet again?
"What a pity it can't automatically absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, or it would be a proper Magic Artifact." Gu Zhao felt somewhat regretful, then immediately shook the thought away. "May heaven bless you boundlessly. A man's heart must not be too greedy!"
"Not bad. It's quite pretty too." Gu Qi looked at the bracelet in his hand.
The three bracelets were all different sizes.
The one he made for Li Man used eight-millimeter beads, delicate and elegant. The one for his son used twelve-millimeter beads, highlighting individuality. The one for himself used fifteen-millimeter beads, grand and imposing.
Small-leaf Sandalwood truly deserved its reputation as the finest wood. Its grain was crisp and distinct, purple with a hint of red. A careful sniff even revealed a faint, subtle fragrance.
Among the string of purplish-red beads, one bead was slightly larger than the rest. Vermilion Taoist talismanic scripts were carved into its surface, gleaming as the light struck it from different angles, making it look mysterious and noble.
"Go on, take it and play with it!" Gu Qi tossed one bracelet to Gu Zhao, then took an exquisite gift box from the nearby cabinet. He carefully placed the bracelet meant for Li Man inside and even arranged it into a decorative pose.
"Is that really necessary?"
"It's called a sense of ceremony!"
Ignoring Gu Zhao, Gu Qi picked up the gift box. "Come on! Let's go home!"
"Thank you, hubby! Mua!" Li Man kissed Gu Qi, then put on the bracelet and admired it happily from side to side. "It's so pretty. You can't buy something like this on the market—it looks so high-end."
Gu Qi grinned smugly. "Of course. This is a work of art handcrafted by the Gu family's grandmaster. It's far better than those machine-carved things!"
Li Man looked away and asked Gu Zhao, "What talisman is this? So I can show it off to my girlfriends!"
Gu Zhao snapped his fingers. "It's the Heavenly Dipper Talisman from the Taoist Upper Clarity Heavenly Heart True Method. It heals illness and dispels calamity, returns the dead to life, exterminates the fierce and wicked, erases traces and removes forms. That's why this bracelet is called a Heavenly Dipper Bracelet."
"Got it. It promotes health and longevity, and keeps petty people from stirring up trouble," Li Man said.
Gu Zhao nodded speechlessly. "More or less."
"Heavenly Dipper Talisman? Then why not carve an Earthly Fiend Talisman too?" Li Man asked. "Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend—they're a pair, aren't they?"
Gu Zhao did not even need to answer. Although Gu Qi had not cultivated under Gu Zhao's grandfather, he had read those Taoist Scriptures. "There's only a Heavenly Dipper Talisman in the scriptures, no Earthly Fiend Talisman. There is a Black Tortoise Black Fiend Talisman, though. It's for subduing demons and eliminating devils, but you wouldn't have any use for it!"
"Fine." Li Man had only asked casually. Information was so advanced nowadays, and Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend were often mentioned together. Who knew whether the ancient person who wrote this Taoist Scripture had only known of the Heavenly Dipper back then and not the Earthly Fiend?
Thinking that, she looked again at the Heavenly Dipper Bracelet in her hand and silently said, may heaven bless you boundlessly. This humble woman was only thinking casually—I certainly didn't mean any disrespect toward the patriarchs!
"All right, hurry up and go to bed. We still have to catch a flight tomorrow morning!" Li Man sent Gu Zhao off to sleep, then pulled Gu Qi toward the second floor.
Gu Zhao: "..."
Gu Zhao and Li Man flew back to Rongcheng that Friday and went to see Gu Zhao's maternal grandparents first.
Gu Zhao's paternal grandparents had already been fairly old when they had Gu Qi, and they had since passed away. His maternal grandparents, however, were not that old yet, and they were still quite robust.
After Gu Zhao secretly drew a Heavenly Dipper talismanic script onto the boards of their bed, they would surely become even more vigorous.
Nothing unexpected happened at the wedding the next day. Li Man and her plastic girlfriends were all delighted as host and guests, and Gu Zhao did not actually snatch the bride away.
"I'm going shopping with my girlfriends. You can do whatever you want!"
Since she rarely returned to Rongcheng, Li Man naturally wanted to gather with her old girlfriends. By now, their children were either already adults or nearly adults, leaving them with plenty of free time. They themselves were not that old either, making it the perfect age for shopping and get-togethers.
And with no task to occupy him, Gu Zhao would not be bored. His first stop was Qingyang Palace, known as the foremost Taoist temple in western Sichuan Province.
It was not summer vacation yet, so there were not many tourists. Gu Zhao presented his student ID, paid five yuan, and the first thing he saw upon entering through the mountain gate, as usual, was King Lingguan.
Compared with the pure-gold deity statue at Yuanfa Palace, Qingyang Palace's King Lingguan was a painted clay statue, clad in jeweled armor with red hair and glaring eyes of divine majesty. The couplet above read: [By decree, thunder rises; the mystic way is magnificent, Qingyang solemn.] The lower line read: [The divine lord drives away filth and evil; the celestial inspector keeps the Dharma realm stern.]
Gu Zhao looked up and saw the four large characters on the plaque: [Chief Administrator of Thunder and Fire].
"Not bad. Although Chief Administrator of Thunder and Fire isn't his original title, it suits his status. At least they didn't use the title from Journey to the West, so it doesn't throw you out of the story at first glance." Gu Zhao smiled.
Qingyang Palace had a little more taste than Yuanfa Palace.
But only a little.
Because this was not Gu Zhao's first time at Qingyang Palace. He remembered that the Three Pure Ones Hall farther inside had the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan School as Attendants!
Say, will Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West become orthodox Taoist Scriptures in the future? As Gu Zhao pondered this, he bowed three times to King Lingguan, then walked around the altar and collected three free incense sticks from the side.
Without listening to the introduction from the public-service guide nearby, Gu Zhao took the incense and walked out through the mountain gate. After following a rather long path, he arrived at the Hunyuan Hall.
Gu Zhao was in no hurry to offer incense. After all, the Hunyuan Hall only had Taishang Laojun as an Attendant. It was more cost-effective to offer incense at the Three Pure Ones Hall in the rear and pay respects directly to all three patriarchs.
After paying respects to the Hunyuan Patriarch in the front hall and True Person Cihang in the rear hall, Gu Zhao did not disturb Laojun again when he passed the Eight Trigrams Pavilion. Instead, he went straight to offer incense before the Three Pure Ones Hall.
Gu Zhao lit the incense, first bowed to the Three Pure Ones, then paid respects in all four directions. After placing the three sticks into the incense burner, he sensed someone come up beside him. "Handsome little guy, what a coincidence! It really is you. Why are you in Sichuan Province?"
Gu Zhao turned around and was greeted by a pair of ripe fruits that filled his vision.
He took a step back for a clearer look, then raised his head again. At last, he saw her face—it was Miss Shuoguo, the young lady who had spoken up for him at Yuanfa Palace.
The somewhat shy Long-legged Miss was still beside her.
"What a coincidence," Gu Zhao replied. "My maternal grandparents are from Sichuan Province, and I happened to come back for something. What about you two...?"
"We came to Rongcheng for a performance and stopped by Qingyang Palace to pray for blessings." Miss Shuoguo smiled. "It was the same in Guangzhou last time. I didn't expect to run into you again. Don't tell me you're here to buy cinnabar and yellow paper again?"
"Of course not." Gu Zhao shook his head with a smile. "I've been to Qingyang Palace many times. This time, I'm just revisiting an old place."
Miss Shuoguo's eyes lit up. "You've been here many times?"
"Yeah." Gu Zhao nodded.
"Then let's tour the place together. You can be our guide, and we'll treat you to a vegetarian meal." Miss Shuoguo smiled.
Gu Zhao looked at the two of them. They were a feast for the eyes, so he readily agreed. "Sure!"
Before you continue