Chapter 37: So This Is Consecration?

Jiang Shishi couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by that?"

Daoist Priest Yan Song raised his eyebrows. "What I mean is, this young brother is truly accomplished in the Dao. The talismans and magical artifacts he has consecrated are actually more effective than those consecrated by most monks and Daoist Priests across the country."

"Ah?" Xiao Ya looked at Daoist Priest Yan Song, then at Gu Zhao, completely dumbfounded.

If it weren't for the fact that they had only known Gu Zhao for two days, if it weren't for the fact that Gu Zhao had just accidentally shown off a move, if it weren't for the fact that this was the Tower of Taishang Laojun, if it weren't for the fact that just now a group of Daoist Priests had all been respectfully deferential to this old Daoist Priest...

Xiao Ya would have thought this was a scheme between Gu Zhao and the old Daoist Priest to fool her.

However, before Xiao Ya could react, Gu Zhao waved his hand first. "Daoist Priest, you flatter me. Although I can draw talismans, I do not know how to consecrate them."

"Hmm?" Daoist Priest Yan Song widened his eyes upon hearing this. "You don't know how to consecrate?"

"I don't know how." Gu Zhao shook his head and asked, "How does one consecrate?"

Daoist Priest Yan Song felt it was incredible. He looked Gu Zhao up and down. "You have clearly cultivated internal breath and true Qi, so don't you know how to use it?"

Gu Zhao rolled his eyes, testingly asking, "How do I use it?"

Daoist Priest Yan Song widened his eyes again. "It is simply letting the internal breath and true Qi circulate within the body, or calming the mind and quieting the spirit to infuse it into talismans and magical artifacts. Did your grandfather not teach you?"

Saying this, he could no longer sit still. "Wait a moment."

Daoist Priest Yan Song stood up and left, leaving Jiang Shishi and Xiao Ya staring at each other.

"Truly accomplished in the Dao?" Jiang Shishi looked at Xiao Ya.

"Internal breath and true Qi?" Xiao Ya looked at Jiang Shishi.

They were not unfamiliar with these two terms; at least they appeared frequently in martial arts novels. But seeing them appear in reality, and moreover applied by an old Daoist Priest to a young man, felt rather strange.

Jiang Shishi couldn't help but ask, "What is going on?"

Gu Zhao slumped into the chair. "This is the treatment one receives after achieving success in cultivation."

He was no longer worried about encountering problems at Long Hu Tianshan. He hadn't expected that there were truly Daoist Priests in the modern era capable of cultivating magic power.

Although, due to environmental reasons, their magic power seemed very faint, it was indeed magic power, and it seemed to be quite sensitive.

Since there was some at Qingcheng Mountain, Long Hu Tianshan, as the ancestral court of the Zhengyi Sect, naturally should have it as well. He estimated he wouldn't even need to cast the Palm Thunder; the Purple Robed Celestial Masters at Long Hu Tianshan would respectfully offer the Diamond Profound Talisman.

"You haven't displayed Wu Gong in front of Daoist Priest Yan Song. How does he know you have achieved success in cultivation?" Xiao Ya asked. "Experts know whether one has skill with a single move, but you haven't made a move."

"This is the resonance between masters." Gu Zhao said with a straight face.

Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi stared at each other, half-believing and half-doubting.

Just then, Gu Zhao suddenly felt a wave of faint magic power, and then they heard footsteps coming from outside the door.

In the next moment, Daoist Priest Yan Song pushed the door open and entered. The three saw him holding a jade ruyi scepter in his hand. This jade ruyi was less than a foot long, pure white throughout, giving a feeling of warmth and softness.

Daoist Priest Yan Song asked Gu Zhao, "Did you feel anything?"

Looking at the jade ruyi before him, this time it was Gu Zhao's turn to be dumbfounded. "This is consecration?"

Isn't this just forcibly pouring magic power inside and relying on the effect of the jade to store the spiritual energy within? It was just like the Five Thunder Talisman he drew at the Yuanfa Palace that time.

But this method of storage is not lasting. As time passes, the spiritual energy inside the jade artifact will gradually dissipate, eventually being completely exhausted. Its shelf life is even worse than the Great Star Talisman he drew.

"Correct, this is consecration." Daoist Priest Yan Song was quite proud. "This is a jade ruyi I consecrated for a month at the beginning of last year. Since then, I have maintained it once on the first day of every lunar month. The Daoist rhyme is ethereal, the spiritual energy is abundant; it is a rare magical artifact!"

Gu Zhao, "..."

Alright, indeed the Daoist rhyme is ethereal and the spiritual energy is abundant. Being near it would bring some benefits, but he always felt something was off.

"If Xiao Ya's grandfather is not sick, but merely suffers from qi deficiency and weakness, then you draw a Peace Talisman, consecrate it for nine days, and have him wear it on his person for a while, he should show some improvement." Daoist Priest Yan Song said.

Gu Zhao looked at the jade ruyi before him.

Although the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the modern era is extremely thin, relying on Daoist Priest Yan Song's continuous input of magic power for a month, the spiritual energy around this jade ruyi was indeed relatively dense, of course, provided one didn't greedily suck it dry.

If a weak person placed it beside them, it would be roughly equivalent to being in nature rich with spiritual energy, which would indeed be of great benefit to both body and mind.

"It really does feel different!" Jiang Shishi blinked. "I feel my breathing has become much more comfortable."

Daoist Priest Yan Song looked at Jiang Shishi and spoke bluntly, "You carry too much burden, and climbing the mountain was too tiring, so your senses are indeed more sensitive."

Being teased by an elder, Jiang Shishi was rarely a bit flushed, but she was still shocked, feeling as if her worldview had been overturned.

Could it be that this world truly has magical artifacts, truly has metaphysics?

But Xiao Ya had already looked at Gu Zhao. After thinking for a moment, she asked Daoist Priest Yan Song somewhat uneasily, "Does consecrating a magical artifact have any cost?"

"You are a nice young lady." Daoist Priest Yan Song raised an eyebrow, then looked at Gu Zhao. "Such a kind girl is rare nowadays; I suggest you don't miss her."

Gu Zhao was speechless. "Do you like playing matchmaker so much?"

Daoist Priest Yan Song looked serious. "The state is encouraging marriage and childbirth; religious figures must also respond to the state's call."

Gu Zhao, "..."

Xiao Ya, "..."

"I am not a doctor. I don't even know the reason why her grandfather is unwell. If I give her a Peace Talisman and say it can cure illness, isn't that feudal superstition?" Gu Zhao said helplessly.

Xiao Ya smiled lightly, but at the same time felt a bit disappointed. Then she heard Daoist Priest Yan Song say, "So even if it doesn't cure the illness, it doesn't matter. Who believes that a Daoist Peace Talisman can truly cure illness?"

The three were dumbfounded, suddenly realizing that what Daoist Priest Yan Song said made a lot of sense.

Gu Zhao could only ask Xiao Ya, "What illness does your grandfather have?"

"Actually, it's not really an illness. It's just that in the past two years he has been qi deficient and weak, with difficulty walking. The hospital couldn't find the cause and could only explain that my grandfather was born with a weak constitution." Xiao Ya explained softly. "But my grandfather was actually quite healthy before."

Gu Zhao thought for a moment, took out a wallet from his pocket, then pulled out a yellow paper folded into a triangle and handed it to Xiao Ya. "This is a Great Star Talisman I drew myself. If your grandfather believes in it, keep it on his person or place it under his pillow. As for whether it has any effect, I make no guarantee!"

Meeting a modern Daoist Priest like Daoist Priest Yan Song who possessed magic power, and who had even exposed some truths, plus Xiao Ya being kind and filial and having kindly cared for him just now, Gu Zhao felt there was no need to hide things too much.

Xiao Ya took the talisman paper. The disappointment from just moments ago was already gone. Her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, her spirit was high, and a blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Thank you!"