“Why couldn’t I even draw that ghost-summoning talisman just now?” Mei Qing mused for a while, suddenly recalling the talisman he had repeatedly failed to draw earlier.
“What ghost-summoning talisman? That’s called the Yiqian Talisman! Even I don’t understand it,” Zhang Shisan replied helplessly. “Earlier, I thought maybe it was because it’s a third-grade talisman, beyond your capability, but now it seems you can successfully draw the Vajra Talisman, so that explanation doesn’t hold.”
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Shisan slapped his thigh and said, “Forget it! We’ll do it the hard way. I’ll draw each talisman from the beginning for you to watch and learn one by one. Any you can’t draw, we’ll set aside and figure out what’s going on.”
Without hesitation, Zhang Shisan started drawing talismans one after another. According to his theory of talisman crafting, teaching a student this casually would be unheard of. But first, Mei Qing was no ordinary disciple, so conventional methods wouldn’t work. Second, Zhang Shisan genuinely wanted to uncover the secret behind Mei Qing’s talisman drawing, so he decided to act with urgency and disregard convention.
Zhang Shisan drew while Mei Qing observed and learned. Although earlier he had only briefly listened to Zhang Shisan’s explanation of talisman crafting essentials, it had been eye-opening and deeply enlightening for Mei Qing. Moreover, he had drawn many talismans the previous night and gained some experience. Therefore, now that he was drawing talismans again, his speed had improved significantly. Soon, he had drawn over a dozen talismans.
However, when they reached the “Dao Xu Fu” (Treading Void Talisman), Mei Qing encountered difficulties and repeatedly failed. Reflecting carefully and comparing it with the earlier Yiqian Talisman, Mei Qing began to form some vague ideas. Yet, without certainty, he didn’t elaborate but simply asked Zhang Shisan to draw some more complex talismans.
By now, Zhang Shisan had begun drawing mid-level, first-grade talismans like the Cloud Binding Talisman and Rain Summons Talisman, but none of them posed any difficulty for Mei Qing. However, when he reached the “Tian Sui Fu” (Heavenly Marrow Talisman), Mei Qing had some thoughts and, upon testing, indeed couldn’t succeed.
Mei Qing paused, exhaled deeply, and nodded. Zhang Shisan, sensing that Mei Qing had some realization, anxiously asked, “What’s going on? Mei Qing, have you figured something out?”
Mei Qing nodded and said, “If my thoughts are correct—” He placed the three talismans he had failed to draw together, slowly examining each one several times before continuing, “The three talismans I couldn’t draw all contained characters I didn’t recognize. Although I copied them, I lacked the spiritual connection, so they failed.”
“What!” Zhang Shisan jumped up, scattering the talisman papers around, “You mean—you recognize the celestial script and thunder seal on these talismans?”
“Celestial script and thunder seal?” Mei Qing frowned. “I thought it was called cloud script. Whatever you call it, it’s just a variant of ancient Zhuan script, nothing too difficult. I recognize about eighty to ninety percent of it.”
Zhang Shisan stared blankly at Mei Qing, unable to comprehend his words.
Mei Qing wasn’t mistaken. This script was indeed the ancient cloud script. However, when used in talisman crafting, many sects preferred to call it the celestial script or thunder seal. It was called celestial because the script was supposedly used by ancient immortals and was now unreadable by anyone. It was called thunder seal because many sects used this script for their highest and most commonly used attack talismans, known as Thunder Talismans. This name gradually spread and became a standard.
Hearing Mei Qing suddenly claim he could recognize this thunder seal, Zhang Shisan couldn’t help but be astonished. However, his mind raced, not dwelling on how Mei Qing could recognize the thunder seal, but rather why Mei Qing could effortlessly draw talismans he recognized and failed those he didn’t.
Could it be—Zhang Shisan suddenly recalled a line he had once seen in an ancient book, which he had previously dismissed as nonsense. Now, however, it seemed like the only explanation.
The line was: “Talismans have no fixed form; they gain spirit through energy.”
Understanding “gain spirit through energy” was straightforward. However, the phrase “talismans have no fixed form” was unacceptable to Zhang Shisan.
As previously mentioned, there were five essentials to talisman crafting: mind, body, energy, brush, and appearance. “Mind” referred to sincerity—sincere mind brings efficacy. “Body” meant physical posture; one must maintain proper posture to perform talisman crafting. “Energy” naturally referred to Daoist essence, as the saying goes, “Talismans are merely vermilion and ink; how can they possess power on their own? Their power comes from true primordial energy.” “Brush” referred to brush techniques, with specific rules for starting, connecting, turning, and finishing strokes. “Appearance” referred to the talisman’s form, requiring balanced composition and visual harmony.
Talisman crafters often said, “A slight deviation leads to a great error,” emphasizing that the form of the talisman must be precise down to the smallest detail. Therefore, when Zhang Shisan encountered the phrase “talismans have no fixed form,” he naturally dismissed it as nonsense.
“But why couldn’t I draw that ghost-summoning talisman earlier?” After a moment of daze, Mei Qing suddenly remembered the talisman he had repeatedly failed to draw earlier.
“What ghost-summoning talisman? That’s called the Servant Summoning Talisman! Even I, the old Taoist, don’t understand it. Earlier, I thought it might be because it’s a third-grade talisman, beyond your current ability. But now that you’ve successfully drawn the Diamond Talisman, it seems that’s not the case,” Zhang Shisan said with a look of helplessness.
After pondering for a moment, Zhang Shisan slapped his thigh and said, “Forget it! Let’s use a brute-force method. I’ll draw the talisman from scratch for you, and you can learn one by one. We’ll pick out the ones you can’t draw and figure out what’s going on.”
With that, Zhang Shisan began drawing talismans one after another without pause. According to his theory of talisman crafting, teaching a disciple in such a hasty manner was highly unorthodox. However, Mei Qing was no ordinary disciple, and conventional methods wouldn’t work on him. Moreover, Zhang Shisan was genuinely eager to uncover the secret behind Mei Qing’s talisman drawing. Given the urgency, he had no choice but to proceed this way.
As Zhang Shisan drew, Mei Qing watched and learned. Although he had only briefly heard Zhang Shisan explain the key points of talisman crafting earlier, it had been a revelation for Mei Qing. Coupled with the experience he had gained from drawing numerous talismans the previous night, Mei Qing’s speed in drawing talismans had increased significantly. In no time, he had drawn over a dozen talismans.
One by one, he continued until he encountered a problem with the “Void Treading Talisman,” which he repeatedly failed to draw. Mei Qing thought carefully, comparing it to the earlier Servant Summoning Talisman, and began to form some ideas in his mind. However, he wasn’t entirely sure, so he didn’t say much and simply asked Zhang Shisan to draw some more complex talismans.
By this point, Zhang Shisan had started drawing mid-grade talismans, such as the Cloud Binding and Rain Summoning Talismans, but none of them posed a challenge to Mei Qing. It wasn’t until he encountered the “Heavenly Marrow Talisman” that Mei Qing felt a sense of understanding, but upon attempting to draw it, he still failed.
Mei Qing stopped and let out a long sigh, nodding to himself. Zhang Shisan noticed that Mei Qing seemed to have had an epiphany and asked eagerly, “What’s going on? Mei Qing, have you figured something out?”
Mei Qing nodded and said, “Yes. If I’m not mistaken—” He placed the three talismans he couldn’t draw side by side and examined them slowly before continuing, “These three talismans I couldn’t draw all contain characters I don’t recognize. Even though I copied them, I lacked the spiritual connection, so they didn’t work.”
“What?!” Zhang Shisan jumped up, causing the talisman papers around him to scatter. “Are you saying—you can read the celestial script on these talismans?”
“Celestial script?” Mei Qing frowned. “I thought it was called cloud script? Whatever it’s called, it’s just a variant of ancient seal script, and it’s not that difficult. I can recognize about eighty to ninety percent of it.”
Zhang Shisan stared at Mei Qing, dumbfounded.
Mei Qing wasn’t wrong. This script was indeed an ancient cloud script, but when used in talisman crafting, many sects preferred to call it celestial script. It was said to be the script used by ancient immortals, and no one could read it anymore. It was also called thunder script because many sects’ most powerful and commonly used attack talismans were thunder talismans, and this script was associated with them, hence the name.
Hearing Mei Qing claim that he could read this thunder script, Zhang Shisan was naturally shocked. However, his mind quickly shifted focus. Instead of dwelling on how Mei Qing could read the script, he wondered why Mei Qing could effortlessly draw talismans with characters he recognized but failed with those he didn’t.
Could it be—Zhang Shisan suddenly recalled a phrase he had once read in an ancient book, which he had dismissed as nonsense at the time. Now, it seemed to be the only explanation.
The phrase was: “A talisman has no fixed form; it is animated by qi.”
The idea of being animated by qi was easy to understand, but the first part—that a talisman has no fixed form—was something Zhang Shisan couldn’t accept.
Earlier, he had mentioned the five essentials of talisman crafting: heart, body, qi, brush, and form. The heart referred to sincerity, as a sincere heart would make the talisman effective. The body referred to posture; one had to sit upright to craft a talisman. Qi referred to the essence of the Tao, as the saying went, “The talisman’s ink is just ink; it cannot animate itself. What animates it is the true essence of qi.” The brush referred to the technique of drawing, with each stroke having its own significance. The form referred to the talisman’s appearance, with its left and right sides in harmony and its upper and lower parts in balance.
As the saying goes, “A slight deviation can lead to a huge mistake.” The form of a talisman couldn’t be off by even the slightest bit. Therefore, when Zhang Shisan read the phrase “a talisman has no fixed form,” he naturally dismissed it as nonsense.
Now, hearing Mei Qing’s words, Zhang Shisan suddenly understood why this guy could draw so many talismans with such ease. Since Mei Qing could read the thunder script on the talismans, drawing them was as natural as writing. When writing the character for “fire,” one naturally envisioned the image of flames; when writing the character for “water,” one naturally imagined the flow of water. This was a natural consciousness formed over years of reading and writing.
Therefore, since Mei Qing could read these thunder scripts, his intent naturally followed his brush as he drew, much like a master who had been drawing talismans for decades. Moreover, his mind was free of preconceptions, allowing the talisman to flow naturally. How could it not succeed?
On the other hand, when he encountered characters he didn’t recognize, even if he could infer what they were, his mind was occupied with reasoning rather than natural recognition. Without the support of spiritual intent, the talisman’s qi lacked vitality, and of course, it couldn’t be drawn successfully.
“Grasp the intent, forget the form… essence attaches to essence, spirit depends on spirit…” Zhang Shisan muttered to himself, and in an instant, all the incomprehensible parts of the various scriptures and Taoist texts he had read over the years came flooding back to him. He was so absorbed in this sudden inspiration that he completely forgot Mei Qing was still in the room, lost in a new world of understanding.
Seeing that Zhang Shisan had become oblivious to his surroundings, completely engrossed in his new theory, Mei Qing quietly got up and prepared to leave. He had drawn many talismans that day, and the effects of the Calming Talisman were wearing off. Feeling increasingly fatigued, he decided it was time to rest.
He tiptoed to the door, opened it quietly, and stepped outside, gently closing it behind him. As he turned around, he was greeted by the bright sunlight, and a shiny bald head reflected the light so intensely that it blinded him.
A kind-looking monk with a baby-like complexion was staring at him with deep affection.
“Uh… Master Ku… as you can see, I’m physically and mentally exhausted…” Mei Qing said hoarsely, his voice weak.
Master Ku’s smile widened, and Mei Qing, with a look of reluctance, followed the monk’s graceful steps as they walked away.
“Haha! Haha! So that’s how it is, that’s how it is!”
Shi Mengzhu hadn’t rested all day, busy helping with the funeral arrangements for Sweet Girl—though there wasn’t much for him to do, as the de facto village head, his presence was necessary to maintain order during such a significant event.
Finally, after a long day, Shi Mengzhu hurried home, thinking of the friends waiting for him. As he entered the courtyard of the guest rooms, he suddenly heard a strange shout from Zhang Shisan’s room, followed by a figure rushing out, pausing briefly in the courtyard, and then darting into Master Ku’s room.
“Mei Qing! Old monk, you’ve had him for half a day; it’s my turn now! Mei Qing! Mei Qing! Let’s try again; I think I understand!” Zhang Shisan shouted loudly.
“Mm… mm…” came the sound of resistance. Shi Mengzhu looked over in surprise to see Hou Shen standing like a bamboo pole in front of Master Ku’s door, unable to move, only able to make muffled sounds and signal with his eyes.
It turned out that Hou Shen, seeing Master Ku had once again taken Mei Qing to teach him Buddhist teachings, worried that Mei Qing’s body couldn’t handle it, had tried to sneak in and rescue him. However, as soon as he reached the door, he felt his body stiffen, and he couldn’t move at all. He had been standing there for half a day, his legs numb, and in his heart, he had cursed the old monk thousands of times, but with his mouth unable to speak, he could only endure.
Shi Mengzhu, not understanding what was happening and unable to break the spell, quickly walked toward Master Ku’s room.
As he entered, he saw Zhang Shisan and Master Ku each holding one of Mei Qing’s arms, glaring at each other like two fighting roosters, neither willing to back down.
“Old bald head! You’ve had him for half a day; isn’t it my turn now?” Zhang Shisan shouted angrily. “Even your Buddha teaches in turns, doesn’t he?”
Master Ku’s gaze was calm, his spiritual voice as serene as a Buddhist chant: “The arising of the dharma realm is interdependent and interpenetrating, like the net of Indra, infinite and boundless—the dharma itself is infinite; how can there be turns?”
“To hell with your infinite arising!” Zhang Shisan was furious. “Ever since I met you, it’s been the four dharma realms, the six characteristics, the ten mysteries—can’t you come up with something new? Aren’t you tired of it? I don’t care; the disciple isn’t necessarily yours, so why are you hogging him?”
Master Ku remained unmoved, continuing to expound his teachings with unshakable serenity: “The principle and phenomena are non-obstructive, phenomena and phenomena are non-obstructive, sequentially arranged, perfectly interpenetrating…”
Mei Qing, barely able to keep his eyes open, said in a weak voice, “Seniors, may I say something?”
“No, you may not!” Zhang Shisan said without hesitation.
“Purify your body, speech, and mind, and delight in wisdom and learning,” Master Ku intoned.
“…The destruction of Buddhism by Emperor Wu and the abandonment of Taoism by Empress Wu—there’s a reason for it…” Mei Qing said indignantly.
“Confucius said, ‘Do not impose on others what you do not desire for yourself.’ Fellow Taoists… to persist in doing what you know is impossible—is this what it means?” Shi Mengzhu, witnessing the scene, shook his head and sighed.
Therefore, since Mei Qing recognized these thunder seal characters, his intent naturally followed his brush strokes, just like a master who had practiced talisman drawing for decades. Moreover, he had no preconceived notions in his mind, allowing nature to flow freely, so how could his talismans fail?
However, when he encountered unfamiliar characters, even if he could deduce their identities, his mind only held the reasoning without genuine recognition. Without natural acceptance, the talisman’s true energy lacked spiritual support, so naturally, he couldn’t succeed no matter how many times he tried.
“Grasping the meaning, forgetting the form… essence attaching to essence, spirit relying on spirit…” Zhang Shisan muttered to himself. Suddenly, all the previously inexplicable passages he had read in various Daoist scriptures over the years surfaced in his mind. Completely forgetting that Mei Qing was still in the room, he immersed himself in the brand-new world brought about by his sudden inspiration.
Seeing Zhang Shisan become oblivious to his surroundings, deeply engrossed in new theoretical insights and forgetting his very existence, Mei Qing quietly got up, preparing to leave. He had drawn many talismans in the past half-day, and the effect of the Clear Mind Talisman was wearing off, making him even more exhausted. It was the perfect time to rest.
Opening the door quietly, he tiptoed out and gently closed the door behind him. Just as he turned around, he was met with the bright sunlight outside. A shining bald head reflected so much light that it dazzled his eyes.
A kind-looking monk with a smiling face and a complexion like a baby was gazing at him affectionately.
“Ah… Master Ku… I feel completely drained…” Mei Qing muttered weakly with a dry throat.
Master Ku’s smile deepened, and then Mei Qing reluctantly followed the monk’s graceful steps away, his expression full of reluctance.
“Haha! Haha! So that’s it! So that’s it!”
Shi Mengzhu hadn’t rested all day, helping to handle the funeral arrangements for Tian Niu—although there wasn’t much for him to do, as the de facto lord of the small village by the port, he still needed to be present to maintain order during such a significant event.
Finally, after a busy day, Shi Mengzhu was eager to return home to check on his elderly friends. Just as he entered the courtyard of the guesthouse, he suddenly heard a strange cry from Zhang Shisan’s room. Then he saw a figure rush out of the room, pause briefly in the courtyard, and then head straight into Master Ku’s room.
“Mei Qing! Old monk, you’ve taught him for half a day; now it’s my turn, right? Mei Qing! Mei Qing! Let’s try again; I think I’ve figured it out!” Zhang Shisan shouted loudly.
“Hmm hmm…” came sounds of resistance. Shi Mengzhu looked closer and was shocked to see Hou Shen standing like a bamboo pole in front of Master Ku’s door, completely immobile except for his eyes, which were desperately signaling Shi Mengzhu.
It turned out that upon seeing Master Ku once again taking Mei Qing to teach him Buddhist doctrine, Hou Shen had worried about Mei Qing’s physical condition and tried to sneak in to rescue him. However, as soon as he reached the door, he felt his whole body stiffen and couldn’t move at all. He had stood there motionless for half a day, his legs numb, silently cursing the old monk countless times in his mind, but unable to speak, he could only endure.
Shi Mengzhu didn’t understand what was happening and couldn’t undo the spell, so he quickly walked toward Master Ku’s room.
As he entered the room, he saw Zhang Shisan and Master Ku each holding one of Mei Qing’s arms, glaring at each other like two roosters ready to fight, neither willing to back down.
“Old baldy! You’ve had him for half a day; isn’t it my turn now?” Zhang Shisan was furious. “Even your Buddha takes turns preaching, right?”
Master Ku’s gaze was calm and serene, his spiritual presence as soothing as distant Buddhist chants: “The principle of dependent origination transcends boundaries, interpenetrating like Indra’s net, infinite and boundless—since the Dharma is infinite, how can there be turns?”
“Go to your infinite dependent origination!” Zhang Shisan was furious. “Ever since the day I met you, you’ve been spouting the same old Four Dharmadhatu, Six Characteristics, and Ten Mysteries. Can’t you come up with something new? Do you even get tired of talking like that? I don’t care; the apprentice isn’t necessarily yours. Why won’t you let him go?”
Unmoved, Master Ku continued to chant with an unwavering spiritual presence: “There is no obstruction between principle and phenomena, nor between phenomena and phenomena. Step by step, they are arranged and integrated seamlessly…”
Mei Qing weakly pried open his eyelids and mumbled, “Esteemed seniors, may I say something?”
“You don’t get to speak!” Zhang Shisan replied without hesitation.
“Pure body, speech, and mind lead to wisdom, happiness, and learning,” Master Ku continued his serene spiritual chanting.
“…The Emperor Wuzong’s suppression of Buddhism and the old woman Wu’s rejection of Daoism indeed had their reasons…” Mei Qing muttered bitterly.
“Confucius said, ‘Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.’ Fellow Daoists… to persist in what seems impossible—that must be what it means,” Shi Mengzhu, witnessing the scene before him, shook his head and sighed.
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