Chapter 146: Gifting You the Five Thunder Talisman Scripts, the Green Snake Displays Its Power Once More

Before, Ye Qin drew talismans relying solely on his own exploration; although they contained energy, it was not much, and could not be called a complete talisman technique.

But now, after having some inspiration, he already has a rough idea in mind.

However, he is not in a hurry to practice now; instead, he is strolling around in the Daoist Association.

Inside the Daoist Association there are many talisman patterns and hanging scrolls; they look exquisitely brushed with dragons flying and phoenixes dancing. Ye Qin releases his mental power to sense them, and indeed there is no energy fluctuation.

Just as he expected, these talisman papers are quite ordinary.

"Since it's talisman paper, there must be a carrier; otherwise, no matter how great the energy, there is nothing to rely on."

Paper is a tool for writing characters, and it can also serve as a carrier for certain objects; such items have no special requirements.

Just like when Ye Qin previously refined elixirs, at first there were no particular requirements; even a common large vat in the countryside could be used for refining, the key being the medicinal ingredients inside and the presence of heavenly-earthly Qi.

Now drawing talismans follows the same principle: the paper is not important; what matters is what is infused into the talisman paper.

Just as fine tools are useless without genuine materials, it's merely gold-plated on the outside and rotten cotton within.

"There should be a dedicated place for drawing talismans inside the Daoist Association, right?"

Ye Qin searched a moment, and indeed found a large quantity of blank yellow talismans in a room, with many spoiled talisman papers on the table.

Some were accidentally splattered with ink dots, others had stroke order errors; due to various reasons they were scrapped, and even the nearby trash bin contains many discarded ones.

The room also contains several books on drawing talismans.

Whether the talisman papers are successful or failed, they emit no energy; however, Ye Qin observes their form, and although he now has considerable confidence, looking more never hurts.

He has almost examined everything related to talismans in the Daoist Association, until there is nothing left to observe.

This room is located in the courtyards behind the Daoist temple, a short distance from where the Daoists rest, and it does not attract much attention.

Ye Qin intends to start drawing here; he calms his mind and breath, and the surrounding hazy mist becomes thicker, spreading outward from him.

Unbeknownst to him, the entire room becomes enveloped in a thin mist, appearing full of mystery.

Night falls, pressing the night sky low, smearing a vast expanse of dark ink; only that hint of moonlight emits a faint glow, illuminating the small world.

Silver gauze drapes over the ancient-style buildings, drawing mottled moon shadows; all courtyards are covered with a thin layer of gauze,

The Daoists have all entered sweet dreams; no one can notice that within the Daoist Association there is a room surrounded by thick mist, through which even moonlight cannot penetrate.

Ye Qin calms his mind and breath; the White Bone origin gradually condenses into form, a delicate and exquisite Supreme Clarity Temple rests peacefully in his palm, and the golden characters on his sternum flicker with a faint light.

At this moment, the White Bone sits cross-legged, with several sheets of yellow paper laid on the ground; everything can be said to be ready, or at least it looks like it.

But if someone were to accidentally intrude, they would surely find the scene before them extraordinarily bizarre; setting aside the talisman papers on the ground, just that huge snake alone would be astonishing.

Earlier texts record that the procedure and ritual for drawing talismans must not be hastily completed or have their order reversed.

Generally speaking, drawing talismans requires setting up an altar and performing rites; there is a so-called 'general altar style', in which the general talisman inscriptions contain the deities commonly believed in by Daoists—the Three Pure Ones, Earth God, City God, and the Four Directional Emperors, etc.

There are also methods that do not set up a general altar or build an altar, such as the 'Inviting Immortals Basket Method'; when performing the Inviting Immortals Basket, three plates of fruit, three cups each of tea and wine are offered on the divine altar of the main hall.

Besides that, before drawing talismans one must purify the mind, as well as purify the body, face, hands, and rinse the mouth.

And one must prepare fruits, rice wine, incense and candles as offerings; for these items, Daoists first use divine spells to consecrate them, so they possess divine power.

Some strict traditions even require selecting a time; each year there are four days when talismans must not be drawn randomly, for if drawn on those days they are not only ineffective but also harmful.

In short, the many cumbersome steps are more troublesome than refining elixirs.

The two share a common point: mental power permeates throughout, which can be said to be an all-encompassing presence.

Ye Qin lacks limbs, so he covers his mental power over the White Bone, letting the White Bone carry out the talisman drawing, which is wonderfully similar to elixir refining in its own way.

The ancients established so many rules for certain reasons; there is some justification, and traces can be followed.

But more so because they lacked spiritual energy, thus they were subject to many restrictions, hoping to increase success odds through other means.

If Ye Qin draws talismans, there is absolutely no need for such trouble.

Heavenly-earthly Qi as a guide, plus mental power empowerment, and the two power-containing golden characters on the White Bone origin are enough to let the energy inside the talisman paper condense into form, saving many cumbersome steps.

However, the timing he chose for drawing talismans is not bad; it happens to be deep night.

It is best to draw talismans at zi or hai hours; it is said that at this time yang wanes and waxes, yin and yang intersect, spiritual energy is strongest, and adding one's own carried spiritual energy suffices to condense into talisman power.

Ye Qin focuses his spirit, dispels distracting thoughts, and releases his mental power to cover the White Bone.

"Crack—crack"

Accompanied by the sound of bones rubbing together, the White Bone quickly springs into action; the golden characters on its sternum emit a unique radiance, and golden threads begin to flow within.

However, all of this is enveloped by the thick mist, forming a layer of natural protective barrier; one cannot clearly see the interior oddities, and from the outside the room remains dim, seeming normal.

But inside the room, specks of golden light spread and intertwine, encircling Ye Qin and the White Bone, filling the space with supreme dignity.

The 'Dao' and 'Qi' characters seem to have been given life, radiating circles of golden light, stirring ancient ripples, and a weighty historical aura rushes forth.

The White Bone uses its hand as a brush, imbibing heavenly-earthly Qi, splitting the two golden characters into horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling strokes, etc., allowing arbitrary combination into various symbols.

Ye Qin feels as if he has entered an extremely mysterious state; when his thought moves, the White Bone also sways, as if the two have become one.

His mental power fills the White Bone's interior; one could say the White Bone is another incarnation, and even without limbs it does not affect Ye Qin's behavior.

Although he has conducted many experiments before, formally drawing talismans is Ye Qin's first time; he recalls the content he saw earlier in the Daoist Association.

Ye Qin calms his mind and breath, begins to control the White Bone to write on yellow paper, breaking down the golden character strokes into symbols; not knowing if it's due to unfamiliarity with paper, he only hears a 'pfft' sound.

Seeing the large hole punctured by the White Bone in the yellow paper, Ye Qin feels somewhat helpless.

He forgot that this is ordinary yellow paper, unlike when he practiced on the ground earlier, where he accidentally used too much force, the paper being fragile and easily punctured.

After adjusting his mental power, Ye Qin writes again.

He originally thought this attempt would be fine, having just begun, but again due to insufficient speed, the cinnabar lingered too long on the yellow paper, soaking through it completely, making further writing impossible, and this sheet was ruined as well.

"It seems not only force must be controlled well, but speed is also important."

Since Ye Qin is not directly controlling it but using the White Bone as a medium, with mental power flowing through it, the demands for force and speed are both very high.

Talismans differ from elixir refining; elixir refining stresses patient gradual progress, whereas talismans must be completed in one continuous effort, and any mistake midway requires starting over.

If it were elixir refining, one could still make adjustments based on fire control and elixir condition, but in talisman art this does not work.

Fortunately, its raw materials are relatively simple—just cinnabar and talisman paper—able to withstand consumption; otherwise, if replaced with medicinal ingredients, given this failure rate, even mountains and fields would not be enough to consume.

Controlling the White Bone also required spiritual power to support, but this consumption, he could still endure.

First time

Second time

Third time

After countless failures, the last stack of yellow paper had only two sheets left; this time Ye Qin did not hastily put pen to paper, but instead thought carefully.

Ye Qin constantly summed up his failures, knowing that drawing talismans was not an easy task—force, speed, and sensitivity to spiritual energy were all indispensable.

If it were that simple, wouldn't that be too contrary to common sense? Even with his extraordinary comprehension, he could not achieve success in a single step.

When he first refined elixirs, he also failed many times before finally succeeding in producing a batch of elixir.

Thinking of this, Ye Qin's originally somewhat restless mind gradually calmed; such a minor setback could not defeat him.

Having come this far along such a difficult path, how could he fear this small failure?

The deep green snake pupils regained their original clarity, like a fine piece of translucent jade, seemingly unmoved by any external object.

Ye Qin took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and upon opening them again, his entire aura shifted sternly; the deep green hue in his snake pupils even overshadowed the original golden light.

His state of mind had changed, as if enlightened; he had grasped the crux, and it seemed the doubts clouding his vision were blown away.

This time Ye Qin had a clear plan in mind.

"One stroke moves the world!"

The White Bone was also affected, as if infected, laying down a bold stroke of dark ink on the yellow paper—this stroke, derived from splitting the golden character, is a left-falling slash!

All the spiritual energy in the air gathered here, as if attracted by something.

Although there was no wind, the surrounding scrap yellow papers moved on their own, as if blown by some mysterious energy, floating in midair with continuous sound.

"Second stroke, Ancestral Master's Sword!"

The characters for Qi and Dao seemed to receive some summons; the golden threads surged even faster, converging toward the White Bone's fingertips.

Countless golden specks spread throughout the hazy mist, making the originally ordinary yellow paper seem somewhat extraordinary.

The brush force was great enough to almost pierce the paper, yet it remained in a delicate balance, not breaking through as before, seemingly blocked by an invisible force.

"Third stroke, ferocious gods and evil spirits flee a thousand li away!"

At this moment Ye Qin had gradually entered an excellent state; his snake pupils were utterly calm, and the talisman paper was now mostly completed, formed from the disordered strokes of the two golden characters.

The White Bone used its hand as a brush, the Qi of heaven and earth as ink, drawing on the yellow paper with a coiling motion that seemed chaotic yet actually contained a mysterious Dao rhythm.

Like a character yet not a character, like a talisman yet not a talisman, the symbols before him were full of mystery, making their meaning hard to comprehend.

The two characters on the breastbone constantly flashed light, with golden rays radiating outward, wrapping the yellow paper as if golden threads were continually wandering within.

At the same time, around the White Bone began to emit a purple light, bursting forth countless tiny sparks and arcs that merged into the talisman paper.

The golden light and purple lightning intertwined, and the freshly written characters seemed to have a flash of electric light pass through.

The White Bone completed it in one breath; more accurately, Ye Qin did so in one breath. Taking advantage of still being in that state, he likewise produced another sheet of yellow paper.

Outside the window the night deepened, everyone was in deep sleep; the night was silent, as if even insect chirps and bird calls had vanished, as if wary of disturbing some presence.

Hazy mist filled the entire room, within which faint golden light flickered.

Ye Qin coiled within the room, his green body twisting and turning, complementing the golden threads emanating from the White Bone beside him.

At this moment he stared fixedly at the White Bone, while the White Bone gazed at the yellow paper on the ground, splashing ink and wielding the brush with motions smooth as a normal person's.

Ye Qin's spiritual power enveloped the White Bone entirely; after previous acclimation, it had gradually entered an excellent state.

After drawing the first sheet, Ye Qin found the second much easier to handle; as the final stroke fell, all the golden threads converged here.

The White Bone set down its brush, and the talisman paper was completed!

Ye Qin's eyes shone with sharp light; the deep glimmer in his pupils fell like two blades upon the two talisman papers.

The yellow talisman paper, with black characters formed from the Qi of heaven and earth, looked complementary.

Faint golden light mixed with purple lightning power lay hidden between the lines, like tiny swimming snakes, then vanished completely into the talisman's strokes.

During the writing process Ye Qin integrated his own Thunder Divine Ability, so this talisman ought to be a—Thunder Talisman!

For now, let's call it the Five Thunder Talisman!

If the talisman is activated and used, the released thunderous power, compared to his Divine Ability, is not lacking and may even exceed it.

Because it contains not only the Qi of heaven and earth but also the power of the two golden characters, plus Ye Qin's Divine Ability, with multiple factors bolstering it, its power can be imagined.

In the future, Ye Qin could also inscribe even more powerful talismans, whose methods and effects would surely differ; but for now, as this is his first practice and he is relatively familiar with thunder, he chose to draw a talisman containing the thunder element.

Among the several discarded talisman papers on the ground, these two stood out markedly; upon closer inspection, these patterns and symbols possessed a certain mysterious power.

Ye Qin cleaned up the scene, leaving no trace; the remaining two Five Thunder Talismans were wrapped in spiritual power and held in his mouth.

Only then did he leave the Daoist Association, heading toward another direction.

……

In the night, the solemn and dignified temple was like an old monk in meditation; the starry sky hung high, tranquil and peaceful, the silent night only hearing the cicada's rhythm, as if hearing a low Buddhist chant.

Moonlight poured onto the ancient temple, outlining its unique beauty; all the monks had already slept, leaving only the lingering incense in the Buddha hall, which contained deep significance.

Ye Qin slipped in silently; this second time was already familiar to him.

Since Ye Qin last succeeded in contemplation here, he left behind an extraordinary aura, and due to various traces, it was considered a manifestation of the Buddha, leaving behind a mysterious legend.

Mistaken for the Heart Sutra that Zhidun had browsed through, it was also taken out separately by the monks, placed in a room dedicated to worship, and even swept clean daily by someone.

Ye Qin walked along the courtyard and soon found this place.

The room is not large; for a scripture to receive such treatment shows its extraordinary status among the monks.

The scripture was placed on the desk, before which a small golden statue of the Buddha sat cross‑legged, with a kind face, facing the scripture as if reading it.

Below were also arranged many fresh fruit offerings; amidst the wafting incense, the text on the blue cover gained a subtle hint of flavor.

Ye Qin placed the talisman he held in his mouth beside the scripture, intending to gift it to the temple to conclude this affinity and karma.

"Observing your scripture, I grant you two Thunder Talismans to protect this temple's safety; the karma between us is now finished."

The sky faintly showed a hint of fish-belly white; Ye Qin's five senses were sharp, and he had already heard the sound of someone getting up.

After finishing all that, he did not linger, swiftly slipping out; just as he climbed out of the temple gate, he heard the sound of wooden fish chanting from behind.

Those monks had already begun their morning service.

As the sun rose slowly, the morning glow spread over the temple buildings, as if a layer of Buddha's light had been gilded upon them.

The room returned to calm; aside from the two talismans that had appeared on the scripture, everything looked unchanged.

The incense on the offering table had long burned out; the golden Buddha statue's expression showed neither sorrow nor joy, and no one could perceive the supernatural events that had once taken place in this room.

Early in the morning, a monk entered the room to replace the incense, candles, and offerings.

The monk bowed devoutly before the Buddha, was about to insert the incense into the burner, but caught a glimpse of a yellow shadow out of the corner of his eye; he curiously picked it up and asked, "What is this?"

What met his eyes were two talismans.

The texture of the yellow paper felt different; it was not like the paper they used in the temple for burning incense and worshipping the Buddha, but rather resembled Daoist paper.

Moreover, the patterns and symbols on it were unlike those used in their Buddhism, yet they were also clearly distinct from Daoist ones.

In the temple, talismans are generally absent; if any exist, they are merely amulets.

The key question is who would place a talisman similar to those found in a Daoist temple here—this is no joke.

Most shocking of all, even the scripture lay open.

Since it was believed that Master Zhi Dun had browsed this Heart Sutra, everyone treated it with added reverence; ordinarily, besides the abbot, no one else would dare touch it.

Could it be that someone turned the scripture yesterday and also drew this talisman?

The monk held the talisman, dazed, when the abbot's voice came from behind: "Have the incense and candles been lit?"

He then came to his senses and quickly said, "Namo Amitabha, Abbot, look at this—I just found it beside the scripture; it looks like a Daoist talisman."

The abbot's expression shifted slightly as he took the talisman in his hand, turned it over and examined it several times, then shook his head and said, "These patterns and symbols are not Daoist."

The monk stared for a moment, puzzled, and said, "Not Daoist? And not from here either—where did this talisman come from?"

The abbot could not answer either; who could have drawn it, and why place it so conspicuously in the Heart Sutra?

"Could it be that someone is playing a prank?"

The abbot thought it over and deemed it unlikely; a prank would not target this place.

Consider what happened before: everyone firmly believes in the Buddha's manifestations, even enshrining the Heart Sutra specially, and the monks dare not offend the Buddha.

Even so, the abbot still summoned all the monks together.

"Who drew this talisman?"

The monks looked at one another; none spoke, for in their memory, no fellow disciple would draw talismans.

"Who else had approached this room before?"

The cleaning monk thought and said, "Besides me yesterday, a few senior fellow disciples came to pay respects, after which no one else came."

Except during nighttime rest, the room's door remained open; what those inside were doing was clear to those outside.

Everyone also rested together at night, and no one deliberately stayed up late to practice mystifying deception.

Although the paper is ordinary, the handwriting on it is somewhat strange; most importantly, the symbols and patterns are also quite distinctive.

The abbot had also exchanged with other Daoist temples in his youth, so he understood Daoist talismans; in his impression, this bore little resemblance to common talismans.

After a monk examined the talisman, an idea arose: "Namo Amitabha, could it be that Master Zhi Dun has manifested his spirit again?"

"The talisman appeared out of nowhere beside the Heart Sutra, and none of us can draw talismans."

"Yes, look at the script and patterns on it—never seen before; perhaps it really is Master Zhi Dun's handwriting."

"At first glance it seems ordinary, but upon closer inspection, the traces on it seem beyond human ability to produce."

The monks whispered among themselves, their eyes showing a hint of respect; the inexplicable appearance of this talisman is truly puzzling.

Finally, the abbot and the eminent monks unanimously decided that, since the talisman appeared beside the Heart Sutra, they would not move its position and would jointly make offerings to it.

White smoke curled in the incense burner, swirling around the talisman, as if even ordinary yellow paper had become somewhat extraordinary.

……

The azure sky was cloudless, white clouds drifting slowly, revealing winding, continuous mountains with peaks rising and falling; the summits vanished into mist, while river waters encircled them—truly a beautiful landscape.

A breeze brushed past; not far off, the river rippled in layers, the water surface glittering, occasionally a few splashes striking the shore, adding further vitality.

Along this road ahead lies an ancient village, which is precisely the destination of Professor Song and his party.

Professor Song stopped a passing villager and asked, "Hello, is this Waiting King Village?"

The villager eyed the newcomers curiously, speaking in a thick local accent, "Yeah, are you here for sightseeing, or what brings you here?"

"We want to inquire about the story of carving a boat to seek a sword."

This place is the origin of the tale of carving a boat to seek a sword; the researchers intend to start their investigation here.

By now, Professor Song and his team have no other recourse; they can only follow this line of inquiry to see if they can uncover any information related to the ancient bronze sword, given how scarce the clues are.

The villager, however, seemed doubtful: "Carving a boat to seek a sword? What's there to inquire about?"

After all, the story is well known to them, and as they are its place of origin, they are not unfamiliar with it; it has long been commonplace.

However, seeing Professor Song and his party dressed like scholars, one would assume they are educated and would not be ignorant of such a simple tale.

Seeing the villager's doubt, Professor Song explained, "We are from the archaeology center; we have an artifact related to this story, so we need to gather more details."

The villager listened, even more puzzled, unable to fathom how a historical relic could be connected to the boat-carving tale, yet he did not press further and enthusiastically began to explain.

However, the version he related was still the formerly widely known one, not like what is said online, since the villagers seldom go online.

"Then, in this context, are there any special versions?"

The villager, somewhat confused, replied, "A special version?"

"For example, who salvaged that sword after it was fished out, and where did it eventually end up?"

The villagers chuckled, "It's been so long—how could we possibly know?"

After going around asking, the researchers gained nothing; although this place is said to be the origin, the passage of time is too great to allow any investigation.

There are no useful clues here.

The people at the research center sighed and planned to head to the next destination.

Zhi Dun built many temples, but only a few have survived to the present day: the Yuyao Mount Zhi Chan Temple, the New Prosperity Xiguangsi, the Small Ridge Temple, and Xiguangsi.

The research center team visited all the way, and the earlier temples had nothing special.

They also looked through the books left by Zhi Dun and the temple records, but none mentioned that Zhi Dun carried a bronze ancient sword with him.

After all the travel and hard work with no gains, the people at the archaeological center already showed signs of fatigue.

The group went from being full of energy to looking like frost‑bitten eggplants, completely lacking any vital essence.

"Professor Song, the only place we haven't visited yet is Xiguangsi; if there are no clues here either—"

"Professor Song let out a faint sigh: 'If there are no clues, then we might as well go back.'"

Along the way they had spent a lot of time, everyone was exhausted, and on the road to Xiguangsi they all remained silent.

Gazing at the scenery outside the window, Professor Song couldn't help but show a worried look, wondering if their trip was destined to yield nothing.

The known clues were only two: one was the bronze ancient sword, the other was Zhi Dun himself here.

The first lead had already broken, the second was fading to an end, and even the bronze ancient sword's whereabouts were unknown.

Now the only temple they haven't visited is Xiguangsi, and they don't know whether they will get any news there.

If it really comes to that, they can only give up.

"Beep‑beep—beep‑beep—"

Just as Professor Song was lost in thought, a piercing siren sounded from outside the car window.

All they saw were dozens of police cars speeding past on the other road, not knowing what major incident had occurred.

This road happened to be the route from Wu Du into the Cloud Ridge region.

The honking made people uneasy for no reason; the police cars were fast and gradually disappeared from everyone's sight.

"How could there suddenly be so many police cars? Could something have happened?"

When they had previously arrived at Wu Du, they hadn't heard any rumors either.

Professor Song frowned slightly and said, "I'll make a phone call to ask."

The director of the Wu Du Archaeological Research Center was none other than Professor Zhang, who had earlier gone to Longyuan Village for an inspection; he was also a good friend of Professor Song, and although they worked in different places, their relationship was still decent, after all the archaeological community is quite small.

Afterward, from him Professor Song also learned the general situation.

"It turns out a gang of lawbreakers tried to sneak into a mountain called Longyuan Mountain; the nearby villagers reported them, and now they're fleeing, heading exactly toward the Cloud Ridge area."

"Longyuan Mountain? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere."

"Is that all? Just sneaking into a mountain, yet it's caused such a huge commotion!"

They chatted a few words about it, but didn't take it to heart.

As the car kept driving, they soon entered the Cloud Ridge area, then continued through and finally arrived at the location of Xiguangsi.

After passing through the bustling steel‑and‑concrete city, what came into view were lush trees and endless mountain ranges.

The group got out of the car, and the ancient temple, bathed in sunlight, was coated with a thin layer of gold light, like a silhouette floating above the clouds.

Amid the curling incense, the drifting sound of wooden fish chanting added a sense of solemnity and reverence.

Among the temples founded by Zhi Dun, Xiguangsi has the longest history and the most flourishing incense; seeing it now, its reputation is truly deserved.

Upon learning that people from the Capital Archaeological Research Center had arrived, the abbot personally came out to greet them.

"Amitabha, greetings to all benefactors."

Professor Song and the others also pressed their palms together, exchanged pleasantries, and then directly stated their purpose.

"We previously discovered Zhi Dun's remains after his meditation‑until‑nirvana in an ancient temple ruin, with a bronze ancient sword beside him, and we want to ask if there are any related clues or records."

(End of Chapter)