“Wonderful! Wonderful!” Zhang Shisan laughed heartily, patting Mei Qing on the shoulder and exclaiming, “Excellent! Excellent! No wonder you’re my apprentice! One day, I’ll take you back to the sect and make those stubborn old coots there die of shame!”
If merely producing talismans was concerned, Mei Qing’s performance had been outstanding, and if his knowledge of ancient cloud script could be considered a stroke of luck, then tonight’s set of surveillance talismans had been nothing short of genius—at a loss for words, Zhang Shisan could hardly find any other term to describe it.
The art of talismans wasn’t particularly difficult when it came to drawing on basic paper. However, to apply them flexibly, arranging them cleverly and innovatively in seemingly mundane situations, required a master’s touch. As an expert, Zhang Shisan naturally understood how rare Mei Qing’s performance had been.
Even Ku Dashi, who stood beside them and had no expertise in talismans, recognized the value of Mei Qing’s skill and nodded approvingly with a smile.
At this moment, both masters were so caught up in praising their apprentice that they had nearly forgotten the original concern of whether someone would show up tonight or if they could track down the whereabouts of the sect leader.
Even Hou Shen, though unfamiliar with the underlying principles, was deeply impressed. Ever since he first met Mei Qing, who at the time hadn’t seemed particularly formidable, Mei Qing had always planned ahead and impressed him with his foresight. Now, witnessing this new feat, Hou couldn’t help but think, “This young master’s trick is truly impressive. Even without studying Daoism, one can perceive nearby movements. If I could learn this technique, wouldn’t I also be able to detect surroundings and strike first?”
Flattered by Zhang Shisan’s praise, Mei Qing felt slightly embarrassed and quickly changed the subject: “Master, please don’t praise me so much. Why don’t you check if there’s anything that needs improvement? This was made in a hurry and feels too crude. It would be better if we could project images onto the water.”
Actually, Mei Qing had envisioned a device that could monitor fluctuations in spiritual energy around and directly observe movements. However, among the talismans he had learned, none seemed capable of transmitting images. Moreover, since the deployment tonight was intended to detect cultivators, being able to see directly wasn’t the most crucial aspect.
Zhang Shisan chuckled and replied, “You really are insatiable. What you’re talking about is usually placed at the entrances of sect arrays by major sects and is known as ‘flickering reflections.’ It requires multiple high-grade magical artifacts and array diagrams to function. If you want to learn it, I can teach you later.”
After finishing the setup, Mei Qing felt a bit tired and sat cross-legged on the bed to rest briefly. Drawing over a dozen Taiyi talismans in one go wasn’t particularly exhausting, but it had required considerable focus. Besides, he had been mentally exhausted these past few days; during the excitement, he hadn’t noticed, but now that he had calmed down, he felt somewhat drowsy.
Rather than rushing to sleep, Mei Qing gently relaxed his mind, following the Shenxiao cultivation method to open his senses and absorb the essence of stars and moonlight. Due to receiving teachings from Ku Dashi at night for the past few days, he hadn’t practiced cultivation techniques. Practicing tonight, he felt his progress was indeed significant compared to before.
Seven nights ago, during cultivation, Mei Qing had already sensed that the teachings from Master Zhang and Ku Dashi had significantly improved his cultivation. Tonight, this feeling was even more pronounced. The moonlight seemed almost tangible, as if he could channel its power effortlessly, like it was within reach. As he opened his mind to absorb the moon’s essence, it poured into him like the Milky Way cascading downward, circulating through his body in nine transformations. The gains in just a short moment surpassed what he would normally achieve in several days.
After completing the refinement, Mei Qing immersed his consciousness into his spiritual sea, sitting in meditation between wakefulness and sleep, restoring his exhausted mind from the past few days.
In truth, although Mei Qing hadn’t yet reached the level of being able to function without sleep, enduring seven or eight consecutive days wasn’t particularly difficult. However, lacking proper guidance from a sect, he wasn’t familiar with such methods. Being a novice in Daoist techniques and applying himself intensely, Ku Dashi had advised him to rest for a day. This meditation now, although not the same as normal sleep, provided far better rest.
Zhang Shisan and Ku Dashi also entered meditation. Even Hou Shen seized the opportunity to rest and conserve energy, preparing for whoever might come.
Around the third watch, suddenly, like a small insect entering a spider web, a tiny ripple appeared on the calm water surface, spreading slowly from the southwest toward the center.
Zhang Shisan and Ku Dashi opened their eyes simultaneously. Soon after, Mei Qing also stirred awake with a soft “Hmm.”
“Here they come!?” Hou Shen was startled and hurried over, observing the ripples in the basin with great interest.
“Hehe, this method is indeed quite clever. Hmph, as Mei Qing guessed, someone really is thinking of us. Come on, let’s go check it out.” As Zhang Shisan spoke, he flicked his sleeve and instantly transported everyone onto the rooftop outside.
It was already late August. Though it was only the third watch, the moonlight wasn’t as bright as in previous nights. However, among the four, Zhang Shisan, Ku Dashi, and Mei Qing were cultivators, so the difference between night and day wasn’t significant for them. Hou Shen, being a former thief, also had exceptionally sharp eyes, so all four could see clearly in all directions.
Looking southeast, a faint green figure floated like a willow branch in the wind, swaying gently yet moving swiftly. Looking closely, it was a woman.
This woman was wrapped in a green gauze robe, her sash fluttering as she flew, emitting a faint green glow under the moonlight. Looking closer, her eyebrows and eyes were like painted, her face beautiful, but her cheeks bore a faint greenish hue, giving her an eerie, otherworldly appearance.
The green-robed woman arrived outside the Shi residence’s courtyard wall without hesitation, lightly drifting inside. Then she changed her course, beginning to circle the courtyard from west to east, gradually moving inward in circles.
“Ah?” Zhang Shisan couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise: “So it’s actually a Liu Ling’er!”
“What’s a Liu Ling’er? Why did she start circling around once she entered the courtyard?” Mei Qing asked, puzzled.
“Hehe, wait until your master catches her and gives her to you to play with, and you’ll understand,” Zhang Shisan chuckled. “As for why she’s circling, maybe this Liu Ling is like a donkey?”
From Zhang Shisan’s tone, Mei Qing knew he was joking again. Hou Shen, standing beside them, quietly explained to Mei Qing: “Her circling must be for searching for something. In my opinion, she probably senses someone or something’s presence but doesn’t know the exact location, so she’s searching like this.”
Upon hearing this, Mei Qing suddenly understood. Liu Ling’s actions were similar to how they had tracked the Myriad Marionettes back then—searching for someone or something.
In the blink of an eye, the Liu Ling’er had already circled several times within the Shi residence. However, her movements were eerie and silent. The night watchman, already drowsy, naturally noticed nothing.
Just as she was circling near the courtyard where Shi Mengzhu resided, the Liu Ling’er suddenly stopped. After a brief pause, seemingly confirming something, she suddenly transformed into a streak of green light, directly diving into Shi Mengzhu’s room.
“Shè!” Zhang Shisan calmly uttered a command, flicking his sleeve. Suddenly, a massive curtain-like object appeared in the air, instantly wrapping the Liu Ling’er from head to toe before vanishing.
In the next moment, Zhang Shisan shook his sleeve, and a small wooden doll rolled out, which he caught in his hand.
Mei Qing and the others hurriedly looked over. The wooden doll was only a few inches tall, carved with facial features and a red dot vividly marked on its chest. A strange talisman pattern was drawn on its back.
The wooden doll lay motionless in Zhang Shisan’s hand, making it hard to believe that the graceful, flowing figure from moments ago had been transformed from this tiny object.
“So this is the Liu Ling’er?” Mei Qing asked, looking at it. “Could it be considered a form of puppetry?”
Zhang Shisan shook his head: “This isn’t really puppetry. Liu Ling’er is something used by lower sects with little true cultivation to scare people, somewhat similar to the summoned spirit talismans. However, the Liu Ling’er has some clever aspects. Any object with seven orifices can, after being exposed to sunlight and moonlight or coming into contact with human blood or spiritual energy from rare treasures, develop some intelligence and become a spirit or monster. The Liu Ling’er uses this trick, carving a willow wood from beside an east-flowing stream into a figure with seven orifices, using blood as a key to refine it. However, since it’s a shortcut, its intelligence is naturally limited and not very useful.”
Mei Qing laughed and said, “I was actually fooled by it. Last time I saw something called Myriad Marionettes—it was really impressive.”
Zhang Shisan nodded: “Among our Daoist sects, the Geyao Sect is most proficient in puppets. If you encounter them in the future, you must be careful. I’ve heard of the Myriad Marionettes too. When fully cultivated, they can truly transform into countless copies, unstoppable and indestructible. Puppet cultivation uses one’s own essence as a guide, much like how ordinary people cultivate their life-bound treasures, creating a deep connection and thus great power. The Liu Ling’er, although also using blood as a catalyst, mostly relies on heavenly forces for awakening, making it hard to control precisely. It’s just a toy to play with.” Saying this, he explained the method of creating Liu Ling’er to Mei Qing.
Actually, creating a Liu Ling’er required taking willow wood from wet soil beside an east-flowing stream. Using special tools, it was cut at an auspicious time, dried with fire, and carved into shape. Then a drop of the creator’s blood was added, and it was nurtured under moonlight for thirty-six days. Willow wood is naturally sensitive, and when combined with east-flowing water, yin-moistened soil, metal from a sword’s edge, and fire without roots, completing the five elements and seven orifices naturally led to the emergence of intelligence. Once its intelligence was awakened, it could be controlled with incantations and used at will.
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