Chapter 6: Hollowed Out

"The mistake certainly isn't mine; the mistake is this, uh..."

Chen Ci quickly shut his mouth. Daoist, that kind of talk is not to be spoken lightly.

However, all ten talismans were ruined; there must be something wrong somewhere. Chen Ci picked up a piece of talisman paper and rubbed it between his fingers to examine it. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, lacking the gritty texture of ordinary mortal paper.

This was "leakless paper," capable of storing True Qi and Dharma Power for several days without loss. It was a relatively common type of talisman paper in the cultivation world; a bundle of one hundred sheets was worth about one tael of Divine Sand.

Actually, one didn't need to be so particular. In the way of talisman arts, yellow paper, wooden plaques, talisman paper, or even drawing talismans by channeling Qi could all serve as carriers. It was just that ordinary objects could only carry True Qi but not store it. If one used mortal yellow paper, it had to be drawn and used immediately. Therefore, in terms of cost-effectiveness, this leakless talisman paper was more practical.

This bundle of talisman paper was something his predecessor had brought down from the He Mountain Sect; there was nowhere in Changping County to buy it. Having wasted a tenth of it all at once, Chen Ci still felt a slight pang of heartache.

The talisman paper seemed to be fine, so Chen Ci checked the gold brush and cinnabar ink again.

This gold brush had a gold-copper shaft and a wolf-hair tip. It channeled True Qi very smoothly, without any sense of obstruction.

This "wolf hair" was not from a wild wolf, but the tail hair of a yellow weasel. Talisman masters believed this object possessed spirit, so most used wolf-hair brushes to craft talismans.

As for the cinnabar ink used for crafting, it was made by grinding cinnabar and Five Elements Divine Sand into the ink, which often had miraculous effects. The bottle in Chen Ci's hand was only low-grade cinnabar ink, but it was enough for drawing Soul Fixing Talismans.

Since there was no problem with the talisman paper, brush, or ink, then after eliminating all impossibilities, only one conclusion remained.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible."

Chen Ci shook his head repeatedly. How could this possibly be a human error? It was absolutely impossible; he was a man with a Gold Finger.

"Drawing this Soul Fixing Talisman actually requires the right time, place, and people? Is the effect best at noon, increasing the success rate?"

Chen Ci looked at the bright moon and sparse stars outside the window, speechless.

Calm the mind and steady the breath, pray for blessings and change clothes.

Once the brush touches the paper, there is no regret; channel it in one breath.

The difficulty of talisman arts lies not in the "drawing," but in the "sealing." Being able to let others use this method is much harder than using the spell oneself.

"First is the timing; at this hour, Yin energy is at its peak, so drawing Soul Fixing Talismans yields half the result with double the effort."

"And I just finished practicing the Three Yin Qi-Eating Method; the True Qi in my body is agitated, and I haven't calmed my breath yet."

"Finally, although the brush moved like a dragon or snake, flowing like clouds and water across the talisman paper, it was my first time after all, and I harbored hesitation. Sigh."

There are so many nuances to crafting talismans; if I encounter the Dao of Arrays in the future, wouldn't I have to relive the fear of being baptized by advanced mathematics?

Chen Ci shook his head violently, casting this terrifying thought to the back of his mind.

Why think so much? As for arrays... such a minor art, it's fine not to learn it.

After resting for about two hours, when Chen Ci opened his eyes, the sky was already bright. His whole body felt light, comfortable, and refreshed, with not a trace of the fatigue from staying up all night.

This immortal cultivation is truly worth it; it's much better than the life-shortening late nights of his past life.

Chen Ci first went into the courtyard to practice the Stone Lock Hunyuan Art for an hour, circulating his blood and Qi. Only after breaking into a heavy sweat did he bathe, change clothes, burn incense to calm his mind, and close his eyes to regulate his breath, waiting for noon to arrive.

Even when he went to see his girlfriend in his past life, he had never washed himself this clean.

"It's noon."

Chen Ci held the brush, dipped it in ink, and stood before the table to spread out the talisman paper. He finished it in one go, not considering at all whether the Soul Fixing Talisman would succeed.

It was just like writing a book; when you first start, you are trembling with fear, terrified that you might write something you shouldn't and get hit with a 404.

What kind of car to drive, what words to use, what names for people and places, what kind of phrasing.

But after writing a lot, the feeling comes naturally; you can handle anything with ease.

Chen Ci only felt his brushwork was fluid, like flowing clouds and water. The True Qi in his Acupoints naturally followed the gold brush and cinnabar ink, adhering to the talisman paper and then vanishing from sight.

After about three or four sheets, there was a flash of inspiration.

It was very wondrous.

The trade of talisman crafting is: it's hard for those who don't know, and easy for those who do. A single Soul Fixing Talisman takes only about five breaths to complete.

If it took any longer to draw a talisman, who knows who would be playing whom if you ran into a female ghost.

Chen Ci drew twenty sheets in one breath, taking only a hundred breaths of time; it was truly exhilarating.

"Success!"

Chen Ci looked at the few Soul Fixing Talismans whose Spirit Light differed from the others and let out a long, turbid breath. Counting them carefully, there were actually seven of them.

I'm rich.

This was Chen Ci's first reaction.

He had spent only two minutes getting these seven Soul Fixing Talismans. He could get four hundred in an hour, twelve hundred in a month, and in a year... well, anyway, it was a lot.

But why is my head a little dizzy?

Chen Ci stumbled violently and collapsed into his chair, feeling as if his entire being had been hollowed out. A slight check revealed that the Three Yin True Qi in his body was nearly exhausted, with only a few Acupoints holding any remnants; the thieves had come and the house was empty.

"One talisman consumes the True Qi of one Acupoint; I was too reckless."

This feeling of emptiness from having his True Qi completely drained made Chen Ci's palms start to sweat. The gap between being a supernatural being and returning to a mortal made his heart jump into his throat. His nerves tightened, as if there were treacherous people around him at every moment waiting to harm him.

The last time he had this feeling was at an Aegean Sea foot bath, when police sirens suddenly sounded downstairs.

Fortunately, he had been practicing the Stone Lock Hunyuan Art during this time, tempering his muscles and bones. Although his True Qi was exhausted, he hadn't lost the ability to move. He endured the feeling of emptiness, closed the doors and windows, and sat cross-legged to recover his True Qi.

"If True Qi and Dharma Power are consumed by more than half, it affects the body, similar to physical exhaustion. I forgot about that."

"However..."

Chen Ci glanced at the Gold Finger panel.

Soul Fixing Talisman: Minor Success/3/100 (Talisman paper and cinnabar ink, three out of ten parts, ten talismans per part, one can be advanced)

He vaguely felt that the detailed explanation of the Daoist arts provided by the Gold Finger might be the most reasonable ratio for current cultivation, such as how many times to practice and how many times to craft talismans in a day.

Exceeding this number might lower efficiency or even cause negative effects.

"In the future, when drawing talismans, I will do it at most ten times a day."

"But if I can only get three Soul Fixing Talismans a day... that's not very promising."

Chen Ci shook his head.

It took about five hours for Chen Ci to recover from his state of True Qi depletion and regain control over the great power of a cultivator.

"Reflecting on myself once more, I must collect some treasures to restore True Qi in the future; exhausting one's True Qi and then exploding with power to counter-kill only exists in books. Remember this, remember this."

Five days later, Sanyin Temple.

In the backyard, several lean, dark-skinned men pushed a few large carts, carefully guarding the surroundings.

A variegated tiger, a leopard, a pair of jackals, and a motley-colored fox were tied onto them, while a cloud-embroidered handkerchief exhaled a faint pink mist that shrouded these beasts, leaving their muscles and bones weak, capable only of low hisses.

"Master Chen, hurry, hurry, hurry! Are the Soul Fixing Talismans ready yet?"

Not having seen her for a few days, Shi Sanniang still looked radiant, but there were obvious bloodshot veins in her eyes, and even her makeup was not as exquisite as before: "It's strange, I've been having nightmares these past few days; that river floater was almost about to crawl onto my bed, making me afraid to even sleep for the last two days."

Chen Ci, meanwhile, curiously circled the large carts a few times and even reached out to touch the head of the variegated tiger; the fur was coarse, and this "golden gradient" did not feel very good to the touch.

"Here."

Chen Ci tossed the five Soul Fixing Talismans over. Shi Sanniang did not stand on ceremony; she ignited them directly with her True Qi and slapped them onto her body. As a slight burning sensation brushed over her, a wisp of faint black mist drifted from her hair, fell to the ground, and turned into a few drops of foul water.

After all five Soul Fixing Talismans were used up, the black mist finally dissipated completely, and Shi Sanniang felt much more at ease.

However, Shi Sanniang's heart was not completely at rest, and she still felt somewhat apprehensive, raising her hand to tidy her hair: "Great Master Chen."

"Wait, Sanniang, I have given you the Soul Fixing Talismans exactly as promised."

Chen Ci suddenly asked: "The pair of jackals is one thing, but isn't this fox a bit too much?"

Shi Sanniang gave a sheepish smile, her confidence waning a little: "Master Chen, the time was too tight; just this tiger cost my stronghold two good men. I will make up the difference another day. Do you think you could spare me two more Soul Fixing Talismans?"

"Heh."

Chen Ci smiled and said nothing.

"I know, an Apprentice from a great sect like you, Master Chen, how could you look upon mountain folk Miscellaneous Cultivators like us?"

Shi Sanniang's tone was resentful: "In the end, it is still disdain, but back then..."

Chen Ci: "." Why are you saying all this? I said I'm not interested, thanks.

"However, I have a secret technique called the Snow Mountain Locking Golden Aperture; I wonder if Great Master Chen would be willing to do me the honor of trying it?"

Shi Sanniang had cultivated for many years; although she was a mountain dweller, she saw that Chen Ci was vaguely displeased. After a moment of thought, she understood the reason, so she simply crossed her arms, opting for a roundabout approach.

As for the tricks, how one plays is just playing.

Chen Ci: "."

No, I really am a decent person!

(End of chapter)