Nightfall

The black horse carriage sped across the main street. The speed was so fast that the green pastures outside seemed like an endless large green block from the window of the carriage. Ning Que stared outside the window and admired the view. He was feeling complex. The sight of the arrogant goose and weird people in the mountain behind the Academy made him felt as though he was starting his life in a brand new and mysterious world, and somewhat, it was rather unbelievable to him all of a sudden.

As for the most mysterious Talisman Taoism which the legend had spoken of, other than seeing an old taoist doing tricks and burning a piece of talisman outside a Taoist temple in Chang’an city, Ning Que knew nothing about it. However, sitting in this steady horse carriage made of Stainless-steel, he could almost felt that he was already in the world of Talisman Taoism. No matter how fast the horse carriage was moving, the passengers in the carriage could not sense any discomfort. As for the lonely horse in front of the carriage, it did not seem to mind the weight of the carriage at all.

Yan Se watched the expression on his face and added, “You seem to have some questions on your mind.”

Ning Que turned around and looked at the old taoist, who was dirty all over. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “I am wondering if what kind of talisman is carved on this horse carriage, making it seems so light, just like dark magic.”

Instead of asking if there’s talisman carved on the horse carriage, he directly asked what kind of talisman was carved. This question made Master Yan Se rejoiced, but the choice of word Ning Que used at the back made him frowned as he said unhappily, “Talisman is talisman. Why relate it to the dark side?”

Ning Que had only subconsciously categorized such extraordinary things and experience as dark magic, and had never thought that to the Minister of Offerings at South School of Haotian Taoism, the word ‘dark’ was so displeasing to their ears.

The gentle trampling sound of the horse gradually slowed down and came to a halt. The black horse carriage stopped on the street at the northern part of Chang’an. Master Yan Se led Ning Que off the horse carriage before he took a glance at the nearby pavilion and the skinny-looking poplar trees outside the pavilion. He then turned around and told Ning Que, “Since you know that there’s talisman carved on the carriage, go ahead and feel it.”

Ning Que was slightly taken aback, but he followed the words and went to the side of the horse carriage. He gazed at the black carriage surface seriously and carefully. He confirmed that the carriage was indeed made of stainless-steel and the complicated scribblings were cut deeply on the surface by a type of sharp weapon. It was then covered by another light layer of paint, making it looked extraordinary beautiful and slightly peculiar.

Those scribblings were overly complicated, to the extent that it had betrayed the principal of beauty. He spent a long time watching them but to no avail, and he gradually had a new thinking in his mind. Talisman inscription that is really useful should not be this complicated, and those complex scribblings that looked like twigs were probably distractions used to camouflage the real talisman inscription.

He had read a few books on Talisman Taoism in the old library, but those were all introductions. He had not grasped any basic knowledge on talisman inscription yet and to search for the true Talisman inscription in this messy scribblings was practically impossible for him.

However, since Master Yan Se wanted him to feel it, then it must be a kind of test for him.

He thought for a while as he slowly shut his eyes and raised his arm to feel the inscription that was carved deep into the metal surface with his fingertip.

Suddenly, he frowned his brows.

Initially when he saw it with his eyes, he could not see anything strange about the inscription on the carriage. The moment he closed his eyes, with the help of his psyche power to control the Qi of Heaven and Earth, he started to perceive and discovered another faint layer of thing at his fingertip. That layer of thing was extremely thin, as if it was an invisible membrane that prevented his finger from touching the carriage.

In a split second, that layer he perceived disappeared instantly.

Ning Que kept silent for a while and went into his meditation state, a state which he was best at. He once again used his psych power to perceive the tiniest changes in the Qi of Heaven and Earth, and indeed, that layer of invisible thin membrane was back to the space between his finger and the carriage. This time, he was well prepared and he could perceive even deeper, to the extent that he could vividly felt a gradual movement in that thin membrane.

The voice of Master Yan Se rang by his ears. “What did you feel?”

Ning Que focused on the feeling and kept silent for a long while before he replied seriously, “A very light feeling of the movement in Qi of Heaven and Earth.”

Master Yan Se continued, “What kind of movement? What does it feel like?”

Ning Que replied peacefully, “It’s like water, yet lighter than water…emptier than water. It’s more like wind, but it can’t be wind.”

Master Yan Se watched Ning Que who stood beside the carriage, as he gradually frowned and asked, “Why can’t it be wind?”

Ning Que kept quiet for a moment and answered, “Because…the primordial Qi on the Talisman inscription moved in an orderly manner, as though it is instructed to move along a pre-set path within some completed system. Wind is the movement of air, so it can’t be moving in such orderly manner.”

The frowns on Master Yan Se’s brows were relaxed. He gazed at Ning Que’s back and tears welled up his eyes. He felt both praised and amazed, because at this moment, Ning Que’s performance was way better than he had expected.

Ning Que’s finger left the carriage as he turned around and said to Yan Se worriedly, “Master, I am just saying based on my feeling.”

“Feeling. That’s the most important quality to have in pursuing talisman taoism.”

Master Yan Se gently touched his sideburn as he watched Ning Que in a fatherly manner. His husky and strange laughter sounded like an old farmer who had dug out an antique at his backyard. He said, “You’re very sensitive, more sensitive than I am. I like it.”

Ning Que did not know how to answer him.

“The movement in Qi of Heaven and Earth which you felt is the feeling of wind. The talisman I’ve drawn on this carriage is a Wind Talisman.”

Master Yan Se looked at him as he added, “As for why the wind will move in a fixed line and in an orderly manner, like what you’ve said…within a complete system, the logic is simple. That’s because the talisman sets a fixed direction for the wind.”

“Come with me.”

Master Yan Se swung his sleeve gently as he placed his hands at his back and slowly walked towards the poplar trees beside the nearby pavilion.

Ning Que walked to the front of the carriage and stood beside the horse. He looked at the big black round eyes of the horse as he smiled and said, “You must be the world’s most comfortable horse.”

That horse breathed out gently as it lowered its head and munched on the dry leave in the bag. Its silence had represented its agreement to such saying.

Ning Que watched Master Yan Se’s back and hurriedly followed his steps.

…

…

Master Yan Se folded his legs and sat in the middle of the pavilion, with a small charcoal oven and a tea set at his side. Ning Que entered the pavilion and seeing that the Master was preparing the tea by himself, he quickly pounced forward to snatch over the task. Though that day it was this Divine Talisman Master who cried to have him as his disciple, but he would never be arrogant and missed any chance to please his teacher.

The fragrance of the tea leaves was out the moment they were placed into the boiling water. Master Yan Se watched the quiet Ning Que who was busily pouring the tea and nodded his head in approval. He then used his index finger to gently knock on the plate of the teacup, reminding him to sit properly and added, “There are many ways to cultivation, such as swordsmanship, stamina training and formation. Pursuers like us who can write talismans are commonly known as Martial Arts of Talisman. However, we don’t address ourselves as that, we would name it as Talisman Taoism.”

Ning Que respectfully placed the cup of hot tea in front of the Master, kneeled properly and listened attentively to the Master.

Master Yan Se lifted the cup of tea and gently sipped a mouthful before asking, “Do you know what Talisman Taoism mean?”

Ning Que thought for a while and asked carefully, “Is it using talisman to cultivate taoism?”

“Hahahaha…”

Master Yan Se laughed as he looked at Ning Que and shook his head. He said, “Everyone wishes to cultivate taoism via pursuing taoism, via sword skills, via killing and via love. Even the West-Hill Divine Palace was guilty of such thinking, what’s more if it’s you? What is taoism if what everyone does is equivalent to what ants do in their empire? Yet taoism is something that is intangible, and how does one go about searching for it? Talisman Taoism is actually very simple. Talisman is taoism.”

Talisman is taoism? Ning Que was wondering what it meant, yet he could not understand.

“What is talisman? Taliman is inscription, lines and marks.”

The smile on Master Yan Se’s face gradually dissolved, as he looked at Ning Que sternly, “The mark left by a snake that glided over the sand is a talisman. The veins on a dried leaf is a talisman. The muddy marks left by carriages on the street is a talisman. The veins within the beast’s body is a talisman. The mark left by water movement is a talisman. The mark left by wind movement is a talisman.The cracks left on the dehydrated ground is a talisman. The clouds in the blue sky is also a talisman.”

Using the easiest way to explain it in the clearest manner, Ning Que was speechless. According to the way Master Yan Se had explained, all the marks on earth are talismans. This idea was way beyond his own logical state of mind!

After a long silence, he asked slowly, “Master, does this mean that one just needs to copy all the marks in nature to draw talismans?”

Master Yan Se was slightly taken aback, as he looked at him and laughed, “That’s a painter, not a Talisman Master.”

…

…

A few leaves fell as the wind blew, and before they could touch the ground, the wind blew again as they gently flew to the top of the pavilion. They finally landed on the tiles that were drenched by the rainwater, where soft tapping noise was heard.

“The veins with the beasts are talismans, but they can only maintain their lives; the marks left by water movement are talismans, but they can only follow Haotian’s order to move from a higher ground to a lower ground. The veins on dry leaves are talismans, but they can only, as what they had always been doing, absorbing nutrients and water for the leaves.”

Master Yan Se calmly added, “These talismans are known as nature talismans. They are born from nature and disappeared in nature. They coexist with the Qi of Heaven and Earth, just like what every human on this earth is doing right now.”

“Nevertheless, whether humans are pursuing or researching on Talisman Taoism, they have already gone beyond the nature order, which also means that they have gone beyond what is needed to survive. Hence, the true meaning of Talisman Taoism is certainly originated from nature, but it must go higher than nature.”

Ning Que listened quietly. He faintly felt that though the Master was explaining about Talisman Taoism, there were many worthy ideas behind his explanation.

Master Yan Se drank finish the remaining tea in his cup as he looked at him and continued, “A talisman that originates from nature yet is higher than nature must first go through several stages: Copying, understanding, inducing, simplifying, purifying, and lastly, charming. Talismans are actually lines and marks that humans have learned and extracted from nature talismans for numerous years.”

Ning Que helped the Master to fill the tea to the brim of his cup again before he sat back and inquired, “Then what is taoism?”

“Taoism is to know.”

“To let who know?”

“To let Qi of Heaven and Earth know.”

Ning Que felt shocked and confused. He asked, “To let Qi of Heaven and Earth know about what?”

Master Yan Se stared at him and smiled gently as he said, “To let Qi of Heaven and Earth know what we wish to do?”

“Humans cultivation will never leave the control in Qi of Heaven and Earth. In swordsmanship, psyche power is used to control Qi of Heaven and Earth to remotely control the flying sword, but it is rather indirect. Though a Psyche Master can directly control Qi of Heaven and Earth to attack the enemy, but it is too simple that it can only attack the opponent’s pool of knowledge.”

“Only talisman taoism that is in between the two, yet its state is much higher than both. That’s because the ultimate goal in talisman taoism is to let Qi of Heaven and Earth know what you want to do, so that Qi of Heaven and Earth can help you to achieve it.”

“Qi of Heaven and Earth has no eyes nor ears, so it will never know what kind of weird thinkings you have on your mind. It will never possibly know that you wish to freeze the raindrops into millions of sharp knives, then how do you let it know what you want?”

“Talisman then comes into play as a bridge between human psych power and Qi of Heaven and Earth. A Talisman Master will use the psych power to freeze the Qi of Heaven and Earth within the lines and marks. With a shot, it will react with the surrounding Qi of Heaven and Earth, which allows one to control the surrounding nature.”

Ning Que indistinctly captured the essence of the question.

Yan Se watched the expression on his face and asked, “You seem to have understood something.”

“I’ve heard from a friend in the past that the Ocean of Qi and Mountain of Snow within a human body is like an instrument. The psyche power is like the air. Only when the air is blown into the instrument, will there be beautiful melody. That’s when Qi of Heaven and Earth can listen and understand.”

Ning Que stared at Master Yan Se and added, “Listening to Master’s explanation makes me wonder. Since Talisman Taoism is about using talisman to tell Qi of Heaven and Earth what you want, then can we say that talisman is equivalent to the Ocean of Qi and Mountain of Snow in our body?”

“Your friend’s state is very high, for his way of describing is very special.”

Master Yan Se gazed at Ning Que as he smiled and said, “Of course, you are teachable as well. The acupoints for your Ocean of Qi and Mountain of Snow are too little in your body, so no matter it’s swordsmanship cultivation or others, it would be very troublesome for you. Talisman Taoism is different. As long as you can perceive Qi of Heaven and Earth, be aware of the small differences in your surrounding, and using talisman to write down and understand it, you will be successful.”

Ning Que was puzzled. He questioned, “Since for thousands of years, Talisman Masters have been continuously learning how to record the nature talismans, then isn’t there a readily-made talisman? If there is, then does this mean that without perceiving the movement in Qi of Heaven and Earth, one can still practice Talisman Taoism?”

Master Yan Se started smiling as he gently brushed his beard and asked, “Are there any two completely identical leaves in this world?”

Ning Que thought in his heart, if you ask me about egg, I will really suspect if I am Da Vinci. He then replied, “No.”

“Then are there any two completed identical humans in this world?”

“Of course not.”

“If that’s the case, you can never be me. Your psych power can never be identical to my psych power. Then why would writing two identical talismans enables the Qi of Heaven and Earth to know they mean the same?”

Ning Que completely did not understand.

Master Yan Se looked at him and said calmly, “For Talisman Masters, our psych powers are like endless different vocabularies and talismans are the ways these vocabularies are grouped. The difference is that I am someone from Chang’an who speaks formally, whereas you are someone from Northern Sea who speaks Martians language. Even if we put our own vocabularies into the same grouping, it is still impossible to create two completely identical essays.”

“There are more than ten different types of languages in the world, and every Talisman Master’s psych power is in a completely different language. I did a composition and the Qi of Heaven and Earth can understand the generosity and agitated feelings in it. You, too, did a composition, yet the Qi of Heaven and Earth was lost and unable to understand it. It will start to wonder why the beginning contradicted with the back, and what exactly does the person wish to say?”

Ning Que finally understood what he meant as he bowed towards Master Yan Se to express his deep gratitude.