Seeing such behavior, the villagers were all stunned, while Mei Qing and others found it highly amusing, and Hou Shen even laughed so hard he slapped his chest. When they saw the leader of the incense sect getting into his palanquin and preparing to leave, Mei Qing’s eyes flickered with an idea. With a quick flip of his hand, a small talisman shot out unnoticed, landing silently on the palanquin.
Zhang Shisan smiled slightly but said nothing.
With the farce now over, everyone dispersed. Shi Mengzhu and the others returned to his mansion, where it was already quite late. He ordered the servants to prepare a banquet in the back hall. In the past few days, Mei Qing had been diligently studying in the rooms of Zhang Shisan and Master Ku, even having his meals brought to him there, so they hadn’t had a proper meal together. Since Mei Qing had finally been granted a day off, Shi Mengzhu specially arranged a feast, declaring that none would leave until they were all thoroughly drunk.
Just as they began their meal, Mei Qing suddenly froze, murmuring, “Hmm.”
“What’s the matter, young Mei?” Shi Mengzhu, seated at the head of the table, noticed Mei Qing’s distraction and quickly asked.
Mei Qing shook his head. “Earlier, I placed a talisman on the palanquin to track where the incense sect leader was headed. But just now, I suddenly lost contact with it. I thought the leader’s cultivation skills were probably quite weak—could it be that he actually detected my talisman?”
Zhang Shisan listened and smiled without answering. Mei Qing blinked, feigning sudden realization. “Oh, I understand now. Although the talisman is good, its application must have some shortcomings. Perhaps the methods of the Buddhist school would be more effective.”
With that, he raised his wine cup and offered it respectfully to Master Ku. “Master, this is a vegetarian wine specially prepared by Master Shi. I offer this cup to you in gratitude.”
Master Ku, smiling broadly, happily drank the cup of wine. Before he could speak, Zhang Shisan suddenly jumped up. “You little ungrateful brat! I’ve been teaching you all these days, and yet when it comes to the end, you don’t even offer me a cup of wine!”
Mei Qing looked crestfallen and replied helplessly, “Master, it’s not that I don’t want to offer you a cup—it’s just that the techniques you’ve taught me don’t seem to work very well. When I used the talisman, you were just sitting there laughing, clearly seeing something wrong but not telling me. So, about this wine—”
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Shisan had already rapped him on the head. Zhang scolded him, “You good-for-nothing kid! You’re blaming your teacher for your own incompetence! That sect leader might be a fool, but those guys standing around him weren’t just decorations! Someone must have arranged that formation, meaning there’s definitely a skilled master behind it. And you, so carelessly placing your talisman without any cover, of course someone would notice!”
“Cover?” Mei Qing looked puzzled. “How do you cover it up? I’ve been pitifully alone since childhood, never taught properly. Now that I’ve finally found a master, won’t you take better care of me?”
Zhang Shisan chuckled. “Your master isn’t much good, and doesn’t know many tricks. Go ask your monk master instead!”
“Nonsense!” Mei Qing quickly poured Zhang another cup of wine with a bright smile. “These past few days, Master has been working tirelessly for your disciple’s benefit. I’m deeply grateful—words cannot express it. This cup is for you!”
This time, Zhang Shisan drank the wine without hesitation, grinning as he said, “I’ve had my wine, but seriously, this matter really should be taught by your monk master. Forget about talismans for a moment—every cultivator must know how to conceal their spiritual energy. But you, you go around shining like a lantern, practically writing ‘cultivator’ on your forehead! You’re so bright, you could light the way at night! Don’t look at me. This skill is definitely something your monk master is good at. Their Huayan Sect does have some useful tricks for these little situations.”
Mei Qing listened quietly and then poured another cup for Zhang Shisan. Together, they toasted their two masters. Putting down his cup, Mei Qing said, “After meeting this incense sect leader today, I have many suspicions. In the capital, the protectors and altar masters of the incense sect all had considerable cultivation skills, yet this leader is such a fool. Could there be some hidden secret? Master Shi, do you know anything else about this incense sect leader?”
Shi Mengzhu shook his head. “The incense sect is similar to the White Lotus sect. I’ve heard they worship not only Maitreya but also Dipamkara and Sakyamuni. However, the origin of their sect’s name and the identity of their leader remain unknown.”
Mei Qing fell silent after hearing this, but Zhang Shisan said from the side, “Whoever they are, once we find their hideout, we’ll know everything. My good apprentice, your method was discovered—what’s your next move?”
Mei Qing grinned. “Master, please rest assured. I’ve already made plans. Just wait until after dinner and watch my methods unfold.”
Zhang Shisan blinked, raised his wine cup, and drank it with a “zi” sound, smacking his lips. “This brat of a disciple, keeping secrets from his master now! Fine, I’ll see what tricks you have up your sleeve.”
The conversation shifted to lighter topics, with everyone exchanging witticisms and discussing literature and arts. Shi Mengzhu was well-read, Zhang Shisan and Master Ku had extensive worldly experience, and Mei Qing, with his photographic memory and unique insights, made for a lively and engaging discussion among the three elders and the young prodigy.
As the banquet ended, Shi Mengzhu, unable to hold his liquor, retired early. Mei Qing, however, stretched and said with a grin, “Heh, it’s still early. Time to get to work.”
Zhang Shisan and Master Ku watched as Mei Qing took out a brush, inkstone, and talisman paper and began drawing talismans. Zhang Shisan knew his apprentice had some clever ideas, but after watching for a while, all he saw were Yin-Yang talismans, leaving him puzzled.
After drawing about ten talismans, Mei Qing called Hou Shen over and pointed to several locations around Shi Mengzhu’s mansion, instructing Hou Shen to paste the talismans there. For a few key spots, Mei Qing applied the talismans himself.
“This isn’t a formation, nor does it look like a trap. What’s it for?” Zhang Shisan, an expert in talismans, was completely confused. “Could you possibly be certain that ghosts will come knocking tonight?”
The Yin-Yang talismans were simple, balanced only when Yin and Yang remained undisturbed. Once disturbed, they would react, but otherwise, they were useless. Mei Qing’s use of these talismans for monitoring Yin and Yang fluctuations puzzled Zhang Shisan.
“Haha, it’s just a guess on my part,” Mei Qing replied. “I think that sect leader is the kind of person who holds grudges. Since he came here so openly, he must have had a plan. But now that he’s retreating in disgrace, he won’t just let it go. He’s not an honorable person, so it’s likely he’ll send some dark creatures to retaliate tonight. I’m just preparing for the worst.”
“But why use these Yin-Yang talismans?” Zhang Shisan frowned. “Even without them, you could extend your spiritual awareness to monitor the entire mansion. Why go through all this trouble?”
Mei Qing grinned. “I’ve thought of a little trick just now. I want to try it out tonight. If it doesn’t work, Master, please don’t laugh at me.”
Saying this, he took another talisman and started drawing again. Zhang Shisan looked closely and saw it was another Yin-Yang talisman, but slightly different. Normally, Yin-Yang talismans were self-contained, balancing Yin and Yang internally. This one, however, seemed to rely on external spiritual energy, radiating its own power outward. Without external support, it might not function at all.
After finishing the talisman, Mei Qing thought for a moment, then ordered Hou Shen to bring a basin of water and drew another water spirit talisman. When Hou Shen returned with the water, Mei Qing placed it on a table, first taking the Yin-Yang talisman and performing a hand seal while chanting, “Heaven and earth have no limit, the universe lends its power. As the command is given, so shall it be done!” The talisman floated gently upward. As soon as it activated, Zhang Shisan and the others felt a sudden ripple in their spiritual energy before it returned to normal.
Next, Mei Qing took the water spirit talisman, performed another hand seal, and attached it to the Yin-Yang talisman. After chanting the spell, the talisman didn’t vanish. Instead, a stream of water energy shot downward into the basin, instantly creating a dozen small whirlpools on the smooth surface.
Zhang Shisan was stunned for a moment, then burst into applause, his face beaming with joy.
It turned out that Mei Qing had cleverly combined several talismans to project the entire flow of spiritual energy and Yin-Yang balance throughout Shi Mengzhu’s mansion into a small basin of water.
The numerous Yin-Yang talismans placed around the mansion were all connected to the one above the basin, transmitting their surrounding spiritual conditions and forming a monitoring network. The water spirit talisman projected this information onto the water’s surface, where each talisman created a whirlpool. Even someone without cultivation could easily observe the surrounding changes.
Monitoring spiritual energy usually required setting up a complex formation. Yet Mei Qing had managed to create a monitoring array using only the simplest talismans, a feat of remarkable ingenuity that even Zhang Shisan couldn’t help but admire.
Moreover, the water spirit talisman wasn’t fully activated at once; instead, it slowly released its energy to sustain the entire monitoring network. As long as the talisman’s energy wasn’t completely depleted, the formation could remain active indefinitely.
Earlier, Zhang Shisan had suggested that Mei Qing could simply extend his spiritual awareness to monitor the mansion. However, doing so would risk alerting any intruder who touched the awareness, potentially spoiling the surprise.
Mei Qing’s method, however, was different. The Yin-Yang talismans remained balanced and undisturbed, producing no detectable fluctuations. The slow energy drain from the water spirit talisman was so minimal that it would take a day and night to deplete. Unless someone deliberately scanned the area closely, the formation would remain undetected.
For Mei Qing to use such basic talismans in such an advanced and clever way showed an exceptional level of skill. It was no wonder that Zhang Shisan was so delighted with his apprentice’s ingenuity.
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