Talisman (Part 2)

At the tender age of five or six, Fang Yi was taught by an old Taoist priest to draw talismans. However, at that time, he had yet to cultivate true energy, and the talismans he created were merely superficial, devoid of any magical power, and hardly worthy of being called Taoist talismans.

After practicing for two years, Fang Yi became adept at drawing even the most complex talismans with ease. As a child, he found the act of creating talismans to be as delightful as doodling, and the old priest allowed him to cover the walls of the Taoist temple with his drawings.

However, upon reaching the age of ten and completing a hundred-day foundational training, which resulted in the emergence of a trace of true energy within him, the old priest insisted that each time Fang Yi drew a talisman, he must infuse that trace of true energy into the brush, thereby endowing the talisman with spirit and transforming it into a genuine Taoist talisman.

It was only after the old priest's insistence that Fang Yi truly grasped the challenges of talisman creation. With the limited true energy he possessed at that time, he found that he could not even write a single character, let alone create a complete talisman.

With each stroke, his true energy would be entirely depleted, forcing Fang Yi to alternate between cultivation and talisman creation. If he could not maintain a steady flow of energy, unexpected failures would frequently occur during the process.

On occasion, after completing the first character, by the time he restored his true energy to write the second character, the two characters would often fail to communicate, resulting in the failure of the talisman. At times, even when he reached the final stroke of the talisman, failure would still occur.

From the age of ten to fifteen, Fang Yi diligently practiced every day, dedicating a full five years before he finally succeeded in creating his first complete talisman in one continuous effort. This highlights the considerable difficulty of talisman crafting, which is far from the effortless depictions seen in films.

Even now, when Fang Yi creates talismans, he must mobilize all of his true energy and maintain unwavering focus to produce a Taoist talisman, and there remains an inevitable chance of failure.

Therefore, before preparing to create a talisman, Fang Yi must ensure that he is in optimal condition; otherwise, any disruption in his breathing could lead to a depletion of true energy, rendering the resulting talisman nothing more than a worthless piece of paper.

The chubby boy and San Pao were accustomed to witnessing Fang Yi draw talismans and were unfazed by his current demeanor. However, it was the first time for Manager Man, who appeared somewhat restless, glancing at Fang Yi several times as if to remind him to begin, but ultimately remained silent after observing the expressions of the other two.

After about ten minutes of meditation, Fang Yi finally lifted the brush with his right hand. After dipping it in vermilion, he took a deep breath, and the brush felt as heavy as a thousand pounds as he began to write on the prepared yellow paper.

"Five Ding, Great Commander, devour demons and ghosts, drink the winds, ward off corpses for a thousand miles, dispel misfortune, urgent as the decree of the Supreme Emperor..."

The characters Fang Yi inscribed on the yellow paper were not crooked or difficult to decipher, as is often the case with many talismans. Instead, each stroke was executed with utmost seriousness. Manager Man was able to recognize every character, silently mouthing the words beside him.

However, just as Fang Yi was about to write the final character "Ling," Manager Man, in a fit of excitement, inadvertently voiced his thoughts, causing Fang Yi's brush to quiver at the last moment, resulting in an overly elongated stroke for that character.

"Manager Man, weren't you told not to speak?" 

Gazing at the talisman devoid of any spiritual energy, Fang Yi felt a profound sense of despair. He had been in excellent form while drawing today and had hoped to create the talisman in one seamless effort, only to be disrupted by Manager Man's outburst, leading to an error at the final stroke.

"I... I didn't say anything..." Manager Man replied, perplexed. "I merely guessed that your last character was 'Ling' and let out a sound."

Although Manager Man recognized each character Fang Yi had written on the talisman, he could not comprehend their collective meaning. The phrase "urgent as the decree of the Supreme Emperor," which he had seen in a film, had excited him enough to vocalize it.

"A mere sound?" 

Fang Yi let out a bitter laugh. If he could fail while drawing talismans in the tranquil mountains, then doing so in a residential area like Manager Man's was a challenge indeed, and he never imagined he would still fall short.

"Fang Yi, I think the characters on this talisman are quite well written. Does that mean it's ineffective?" Manager Man, being in the antique business, may not have been skilled in calligraphy, but he certainly appreciated it. To him, Fang Yi's small seal script seemed to require at least a decade of practice to master.

"Merely superficial..." Fang Yi shook his head. "Manager Man, it's not your fault; it's my own lack of cultivation. Allow me to rest a moment before I continue."

Fang Yi did not harbor any resentment towards Manager Man, for he had once witnessed his master create talismans during a downpour, undeterred by the torrential rain and deafening thunder, completing each talisman without a moment's pause, truly unflappable in the face of adversity.

"I am still far from my master's state of mind..." 

Fang Yi understood that the disparity between him and his master lay not in the quantity of true energy or the level of cultivation, but in the refinement of one's mindset. Only when he could successfully create talismans amidst external distractions would he consider his mental state to have made some progress.

Fortunately, Fang Yi's current cultivation level was incomparable to that of his ten-year-old self. With the true energy he now possessed, he was capable of crafting three talismans in succession. After resting for over ten minutes, he cleaned the vermilion from his brush, re-dipped it, and began the second attempt at crafting a talisman.

This time, Manager Man dared not utter a sound, even holding his breath. Years of experience in talisman creation allowed Fang Yi to remain unaffected by his previous failure. After five or six minutes, he finally completed the last character "Ling."

As he pressed down the final stroke, Fang Yi's gaze sharpened, and with his left hand, he drew a symbol in the air while reciting, "Sincerity brings forth the spirit, the heavens and earth respond; faith illuminates, and power knows no bounds; urgent as the decree!"

As Fang Yi spoke, his left hand pressed lightly on the yellow paper adorned with red small seal characters.

Perhaps it was an optical illusion, but those beside Manager Man seemed to witness the talisman radiating a golden light, an indescribable pressure enveloping their hearts, making it feel as though their breaths were constricted.

However, in the blink of an eye, when Manager Man focused again, the golden glow had vanished, leaving only an ordinary piece of yellow paper quietly resting on the table, as though the preceding spectacle had been nothing but a figment of their imagination.

"Fang Yi, is... is this done?" 

Manager Man inquired cautiously. For reasons unknown, after Fang Yi completed the talisman, he felt an inexplicable sense of trepidation towards this young man, perhaps due to the mysterious nature of the earlier occurrence.

"It's finished, Manager Man; I'll take a moment to rest..." 

Fang Yi nodded with a hint of fatigue. Upon closer inspection, one could see beads of sweat forming on his forehead in the air-conditioned living room, indicating that the effort he exerted in crafting the talisman had indeed drained a considerable amount of his energy.

"Hmph, has this kid's ability to put on a show improved?" 

Seeing Fang Yi in such a state, the chubby boy and San Pao exchanged glances, reading the unspoken thoughts in each other's eyes. They had witnessed Fang Yi create talismans before, so they were puzzled as to why he seemed so exhausted this time.

Previously, they often joked that if Fang Yi had lived seventy or eighty years ago, his talent for drawing talismans and chanting incantations would surely have made him a master, though they would add the caveat of him being a bit of a charlatan. Had it not been for Manager Man's presence, they might have teased Fang Yi once more.

However, the chubby boy and San Pao were unaware that due to the scarcity of vermilion in the mountains, Fang Yi had primarily practiced with black ink in their presence, merely drawing talismans without infusing them with true energy. The talismans they had seen posted in the Taoist temple were creations Fang Yi had secretly crafted late at night.

"Let me see what differences exist between these two talismans." As Fang Yi sat cross-legged in a chair, Manager Man picked up the two talismans from the table—one was the failed attempt, while the other was the newly completed one.

"Hmm? There is indeed a noticeable difference..." 

In the antique business, having a discerning eye is paramount. As Manager Man examined the talismans, he realized that although the characters were identical, the first talisman appeared somewhat stiff, while the second exuded a sense of vitality.

If he held just one talisman, Manager Man would not have been able to distinguish between them, but comparing the two side by side made the difference immediately apparent. The final stroke of the first talisman was excessive, while the second was a perfect finishing touch, the subtle distinction rendering the two talismans entirely different.

"Chubby boy, San Pao, does this thing truly have any efficacy?" 

After comparing the two talismans, Manager Man turned his gaze towards the two beside him. While he believed in the supernatural, he felt a twinge of doubt about whether a piece of yellow paper inscribed with characters could truly drive away pests.

"Of course it's effective! Hehe, I think this time Fang Yi's work is even better than before; perhaps its efficacy will be greater as well..." The chubby boy assumed the role of an expert, leaning in to critique the two talismans.

"It is indeed superior to his previous works, and that is also thanks to the quality of the vermilion Manager Man provided..." Fang Yi adjusted the tumultuous true energy within him and opened his eyes, a hint of a smile appearing as he gazed at the talisman he had just completed.