(Although I took more leave this month, I still wrote 170,000 words. A little self-praise is in order. More importantly, thank you all for your patience. You are the best readers, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.)

The two walked up to the second floor of the bamboo building, ascending to gain a wider view.

Below, the young Cui Ci and the two little sprites were locked in a silent staring contest.

Li Xisheng inquired, “Do you know the significance of Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Lane?”

Chen Pingan shook his head. He only knew that the people living there were wealthy, exceedingly so. Bluestone pavements, stone lions, and even the painted door gods seemed more divine.

Li Xisheng raised the peach wood charm in his hand. “Fortune and Prosperity, 福祿 (Fú Lù), is a homophone for talismans, 符箓 (Fú Lù). Fortune, 福 (Fú), actually represents the Fu, 符, character. Peach Leaf Lane, 桃叶巷 (Táo Yè Xiàng), is the peach, 桃, of the peach charm, 桃符 (Táo Fú). Reversed, it is precisely the peach charm.”

Chen Pingan’s eyes widened in realization.

“This is a great opportunity for our small town. Compared to the five elements, including the golden carp, this peach charm might even surpass them.”

Li Xisheng elaborated, “At the end of the year, I had a bizarre dream. I vaguely recall seeing many people and events, but upon waking, I forgot everything. It was as if I had played a game of chess with someone. I only remembered the inside story of the peach charm. The twists and turns are profound, mysterious beyond words, impossible to fully explain.”

Li Xisheng gestured towards the bamboo building. “Originally, I intended to hang this peach charm above the entrance of the bamboo building to ward off all evil and protect against all magic. That might sound like hyperbole, but it can indeed make this already magical bamboo building even more indestructible. Moreover, hanging the peach charm for a long time can nurture various extraordinary plant and wood spirits…”

At this point, Li Xisheng chuckled teasingly, “Chen Pingan, are you really sure you don’t want it? This is a one-time opportunity.”

Chen Pingan didn’t hesitate. “Since it’s so precious, Brother Li should keep it for himself. Aren’t you about to embark on a long journey? I just went outside earlier, and it’s full of strange wonders and lurking dangers. You definitely need a magical artifact for protection.”

Li Xisheng asked with a smile, “Do you think I lack magical artifacts?”

Chen Pingan was taken aback, recalling the scene in Mud Jar Lane when Li Xisheng fought with the sword cultivator Cao Jun. However, a thought struck him, remembering a saying from a book. “The more, the better!”

Li Xisheng, feeling helpless, could only put away the peach charm and re-hang it on his waist, regretting, “It would have looked really nice hanging on the bamboo building door.”

Li Xisheng even turned around, gazing at the bamboo door behind him. “It really would have looked good there.”

It was rather childish.

Therefore, Chen Pingan wanted to laugh but felt embarrassed, so he suppressed it.

Previously, because Li Xisheng was Li Bao Ping’s elder brother, he had been inclined to feel close to him from the start. After several interactions, Chen Pingan grew to like this scholar more and more, not because Li Xisheng possessed a bellyful of righteous qi, not because as a Qi cultivator, he could already hold his own against Cao Jun at the fledgling stage, but because the man’s every interaction with the world felt comfortable.

Like Ah Liang’s relationship to swordsmen, and Teacher Qi’s to scholars.

Even though Ah Liang had never mentioned a sword, and Teacher Qi had never told Chen Pingan great principles from books, Chen Pingan felt that they were the best swordsman and the most knowledgeable scholar.

Deep down, Chen Pingan hoped to become someone like them, but he hadn’t spoken of these thoughts to anyone, fearing that he would be deemed presumptuous.

Li Xisheng suddenly made a resolution. “No, no, this is really against my conscience. I can’t just leave like this!”

Chen Pingan was about to speak.

Li Xisheng suddenly placed his hand on Chen Pingan’s shoulder, his expression serious. “Chen Pingan, let me be blunt. In the future, when interacting with people, never use your own code of conduct to judge everyone. For example, you might feel that refusing the peach charm is the right thing to do, because you are considering my well-being, Li Xisheng, so you have a clear conscience, right? Right, absolutely right. However, you must know that the world is a vast and varied place. After putting your own mind at ease, you should also think one step further, thinking about how to make the people around you feel just as at ease.”

Li Xisheng patted Chen Pingan’s shoulder. “Just consider me as being demanding. Don’t overthink it. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t even bring this up, but you, Chen Pingan, are different. I think you are good, and you can be even better. Sometimes, you can even make the people around you feel ashamed, you know?”

Chen Pingan looked blank.

Am I really that good?

Li Xisheng laughed heartily, walked to the railing, and waved to the book boy Cui Ci below. “Bring the luggage up here. I need it now.”

“Alright, Master, just wait a moment.”

The boy, with a beauty as exquisite as porcelain, hurried upstairs, skillfully removing the package from his back. Inside was a scholar’s traveling kit, containing a complete set of writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, all antique objects but without an ostentatious display of wealth.

Li Xisheng took out a writing brush, seemingly designed for writing small regular script and seal script, slightly smaller than usual. Engraved on the upper half of the brush holder were the four characters “Wind Snow Little Awl,” 風雪小錐 (Fēng Xuě Xiǎo Zhuī). The brush holder was made of bamboo, but through generations of inheritance and the accumulation of countless years, it exuded a round, reddish-brown luster. Even more strangely, the brush tip was made of stiff bristles of a light-golden color, straight and sharp like a pointed awl.

As Li Xisheng took the brush, Chen Pingan moved closer and noticed that there were also four almost imperceptible characters on the lower half of the brush holder.

“Inspired Writing.”

Li Xisheng, having apparently noticed that Chen Pingan had seen the four characters, slightly raised the writing brush and explained with a smile, “Reading a hundred times reveals its meaning, reading ten thousand volumes grants inspired writing. There’s a similar saying when practicing boxing, ‘If the spirit doesn’t arrive, the fist isn’t right.’ It sounds vague, but it’s not at all. It’s all about diligence. Practice makes perfect, perfection produces the profound, step by step, and you’ll understand. Once you understand one technique, you understand all techniques, and all techniques become perfected.”

In that instant, Cui Ci experienced a flash of inspiration, as if grasping at some sprout, scratching his ears and cheeks, unable to contain himself.

The pink-skirted girl, who had been steeped in poetry and books since childhood, felt dazed and confused, as if she had drunk a jar of aged wine, tipsy and disoriented.

Only the green-robed boy, sitting on the railing picking his nose, was completely indifferent, only beginning to feel puzzled after seeing the odd reactions of the other two.

Chen Pingan didn’t feel much, only silently memorizing these principles in his heart.

Li Xisheng gently breathed on the brush tip. The golden, stiff bristles seemed to become warm and moist at that moment. Although its sharpness remained, the brush tip, like a knife-like awl, now possessed a spiritual essence.
Li Xisheng smiled and said, “Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish. Since you won’t accept the peach wood charms, I must show you some of my skills. My studies haven’t made me a great scholar, but I consider myself proficient in seal carving and drawing talismans. Today, I will write and draw on these bamboo strips of the bamboo building. Rest assured, after I’m done, no visible text will remain, so it won’t ruin the overall aesthetic of the bamboo building. However, one day, certain visions may appear, so don’t be surprised. Today, I’ll mainly teach you about drawing talismans. I’ll only stop when you feel you’ve grasped the essence. Don’t rush, I’ll write slowly, and you can comprehend at your own pace.”

Chen Ping’an blushed and said, “I’m rather slow, Brother Li, please be prepared.”

Li Xisheng gently moved, facing the bamboo building as if meditating, one hand behind his back, the other holding the brush, seeking a place to begin. He smiled and said, “If being kind is foolish, and diligence and perseverance are foolish, then something is wrong with this world. Chen Ping’an, I hope you continue to embrace this ‘lack of cleverness’.”

Chen Ping’an scratched his head. He was used to being scolded by Old Yao, used to seeing other people’s brilliant lives. Li Xisheng’s praise today was truly unsettling.

Li Xisheng thought for a moment, then turned his head and said, “Drawing talismans has always been dominated by the Taoist talisman lineage. But when we draw talismans, we don’t need to be too confined by Taoist traditions. The ultimate truth of the world cannot escape the transformation of the mundane into the miraculous, just like when you practice your fist…”

Speaking of this, Li Xisheng smiled knowingly, “…it’s quite beautiful.”

A young man practicing his fists, seeing mountains as mountains, and water as water.

Li Xisheng felt there was no more poetic painting in the world.

Li Xisheng gently shook his head, held his breath, and said solemnly, “Drawing talismans requires talisman paper, and talisman paper can be all things in the world. But for now, you still need to follow the rules and honestly draw on paper. I’ll give you a large stack of decent talisman paper and an introductory talisman diagram. You don’t have to worry about the cost of buying talisman paper for now, but once you run out, you’ll have to worry about the expenses yourself. There’s no way around it, the difficulty of cultivation lies, in part, in how expensive it is. Sword cultivators need to temper their flying swords, and talisman masters need to consume talisman paper, it’s essential.”

“A wisp of true qi, injected into the tip of the brush, and then completed in one go, like a lotus root with unbroken fibers. The characters can be separated, but the divine intent cannot be broken. They must echo each other from afar, like two mountain peaks shouting to each other, there must be a response.”

“Chen Ping’an, watch carefully.”

Li Xisheng suddenly switched the “Wind and Snow Small Cone” brush to his other hand, wiped his free hand on his sleeve, and then switched it back, smiling at Chen Ping’an, “This is learning from you, we must have reverence for certain things. I wasn’t as good as you before, I learn from the virtuous.”

The first time they met at the entrance of the Li family mansion in Fortune Street, Chen Ping’an put down the pottery jar and wiped his hands before receiving the books from Li Xisheng.

Chen Ping’an never imagined that such an unintentional action would be taken so seriously by Li Xisheng.

Li Xisheng finally began to draw talismans, which looked more like a scholar writing carefully.

“Towering view of the vast sea at sunrise.”

Li Xisheng’s writing was very upright and balanced, but compared to the Taoist priest Lu Chen’s prescriptions, it lacked the same “blandness,” resembling the form but not the spirit.

But Chen Ping’an couldn’t explain the reason, it was just a subtle feeling.

After that, Li Xisheng wrote lines of poetry, sayings of the sages, Taoist classics, and the essence of various schools of thought that he considered “beautiful”.

Li Xisheng would stand on tiptoe to write high up, bend down to write low down, move repeatedly, and moisten the brush with his breath again and again. When he was writing with great enthusiasm, he would even have the book boy Cui Ci bring a bamboo chair from downstairs, stand on the chair and write with unrestrained joy, or simply sit on the ground and write with unbridled freedom.

He wrote, “Speak not loudly, lest you startle the celestial beings.” He wrote, “Easier to conquer bandits in the mountains, harder to conquer bandits in the heart.”

He wrote, “Man is an unawakened Buddha, Buddha is an awakened man.” He wrote, “The sound of oars echoes amidst the green mountains and waters.” He also wrote, “The Master’s Way is simply loyalty and reciprocity.”

Li Xisheng continued to write tirelessly, without annoyance, until Chen Ping’an said, “I understand.”

Each character was quickly written, and after it was finished, the golden light on the bamboo wall dissipated, but the meaning remained, lingering endlessly.

The boy in green had jumped down from the railing and whispered in the girl in the pink dress’s ear, “What’s he writing?”

The girl in the pink dress lowered her voice and said, “I can read the characters, but I don’t understand the meaning… it’s too profound.”

The boy in green laughed and said, “You’re just stupid.”

Cui Ci turned his head and glared, scolding, “Don’t disturb my teacher’s writing!”

The boy in green pouted and said, “This is my home. If you keep yapping, I’ll have you pack your bags and get out.”

Cui Ci said indignantly, “You don’t know gold when you see it, you’re wasting the teacher’s efforts.”

The boy in green crossed his arms and leaned against the railing, mocking, “What do I care? Only my master has the right to scold me.”

Li Xisheng wrote, and Chen Ping’an watched, oblivious to the petty quarrels behind them.

The sky had darkened, and Li Xisheng had reached the end of the corridor, stopped writing, and asked with a smile, “How is it?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head with a wry smile.

Li Xisheng said softly, “It’s okay, let’s go downstairs.”

So the group went to the first floor of the bamboo building, where the girl in the pink dress and the boy Cui Ci helped hold candles to illuminate the writing.

Although the boy in green was grumbling, he was still watching very seriously, his eyes fixed.

“The Master, standing by the river, said, ‘It flows on like this, never ceasing, day and night!'”

Today was the same.

Cui Ci’s hand holding the candle suddenly trembled. It turned out that the candle had burned out and reached his fingers.

The handsome young man silently replaced it with a new candle.

When Li Xisheng wrote the four characters “Burn Talismans and Break Seals,” Chen Ping’an suddenly blurted out, “Wrong.”

Li Xisheng stopped writing, turned to look at the young man, and laughed heartily, “That’s right!”

The scholar in Confucian robes was pale, his face was full of fatigue, but his eyes were shining brightly.

Li Xisheng took a deep breath, stretched, and handed the brush to the young man, “Chen Ping’an, I’ll give you this Wind and Snow Small Cone. I believe you won’t disgrace it.”

Only then did Chen Ping’an remember the crux of the problem, “I can’t cultivate, I can’t become a Qi Refiner. Drawing talismans requires spiritual energy, how can I write a spiritual talisman?”
Li Xisheng chuckled, divulging a secret of the heavens, and slowly explained, “The talisman scripture I will give you later contains a vast array of spirit talismans, but none will be of particularly high grade. Therefore, many talismans don’t require much spiritual energy, but they do have certain demands on the Qi repositories within your body. Your talisman drawing will be like a martial arts practice that takes an unconventional path. Martial artists also possess true Qi, but because it is fundamentally opposite to the way Qi cultivators operate their energy, each talisman becomes a short test, a close-quarters combat on the battlefield, where the brave prevail. You must complete each talisman with the greatest speed and the steadiest Qi condensation, otherwise, even if you fall short by a hair’s breadth, you will fail to create the talisman. If you persevere, in time, like water dripping on stone, talisman drawing will not only be about drawing talismans. Imperceptibly, it will help you temper your physique and hone your spirit.”

Chen Ping’an took the writing brush and nodded, “I understand!”

The night deepened.

Li Xisheng turned his head to look outside the mountain, “After this parting…”

Li Xisheng didn’t finish what he was thinking, dispersing the touch of melancholy in his heart, and laughed, “I wanted to go out and see the world anyway, it’s just a little earlier, it’s not a bad thing.”

Afterward, Li Xisheng chose not to stay on the Desolate Mountain, but instead descended the mountain at night with the young Cui Ci.

The scholar even refused Chen Ping’an’s offer to see him to the foot of the mountain.

Chen Ping’an stood outside the bamboo building, feeling a sense of loss.

The boy in azure robes grinned and said, “Master, this fellow is really good, his Taoist arts are high, his character is excellent, and he’s loyal! I like him! He’s qualified to be my brother.”

Chen Ping’an said unhappily, “You’re willing, but is he willing?”

The boy in azure robes had a look of taking it for granted, and said proudly, “Is there anyone in the world who wouldn’t want to be my brother? Is he stupid?”

Chen Ping’an laughed, “I don’t know if he’s stupid, but I know you’re stupid.”

The boy in azure robes laughed triumphantly, “Master, of course I’m extremely clever.”

The girl in the pink dress looked at her companion with a touch of pity in her eyes. She used to think he was ruthless and violent, but now she suddenly felt that he was actually quite simple-minded.

The boy in azure robes keenly noticed her gaze and shouted, “Silly girl, you don’t agree? Let’s have a duel!”

The girl in the pink dress hid behind Chen Ping’an.

She wasn’t stupid.

The moonlight was hazy, Li Xisheng slowly descended the mountain with the boy, and after leaving the boundaries of Desolate Mountain, he cupped water from a stream to wash his face, helping to clear his mind. After all, writing each stroke with full concentration was extremely draining.

Li Xisheng raised his head and saw an old man standing across the stream, taking large puffs from a pipe.

Li Xisheng stood up and bowed, “Li Xisheng greets Old Mr. Yang.”

The old man subtly turned to the side, avoiding the young scholar’s bow.

After Li Xisheng straightened up, the apothecary Old Yang said, “I need you to help me cast a divination for Chen Ping’an, would you?”

Li Xisheng nodded without hesitation, “Of course, no problem.”

Old Yang grunted in agreement, “I will reward you handsomely afterward.”

Li Xisheng didn’t say anything about it, and directly gave the answer, “The Great Dao proceeds directly, opening mountains if there are mountains, and crossing water if there is water. It is advisable to travel far and wide as soon as possible, with benefits to the south.”

Old Yang laughed, “I trust you.”

Li Xisheng had some doubts, but he didn’t ask.

Old Yang glanced at the peach wood talisman hanging from the young scholar’s waist, a complex expression flashing across his eyes, and then his figure vanished like smoke. It turned out that the old man was just a wisp of purple mist.

The two continued on their way.

Cui Ci asked, “Teacher, if you’re going to travel far, can you take me with you?”

Li Xisheng laughed, “I can.”

The boy was greatly shocked, “Ah?”

He had thought that getting his teacher to agree to this matter would be harder than ascending to heaven, but who would have thought it would be easier than descending the mountain?

Li Xisheng said softly, “Because someone wants you to follow me, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”

The boy was silent for a long time, then lowered his head, feeling a bit lost, “Teacher, I want to know where I come from.”

Li Xisheng sighed, “That won’t be easy, perhaps you should first think clearly about where you want to go.”

The boy suddenly became happy, “Where else can I go, I’ll just follow Teacher, wherever Teacher goes, I’ll go!”

Li Xisheng smiled without saying a word.

The moon was bright, and the air was refreshing. Seeing a gentleman was a beautiful thing.

The boy clearly sensed his teacher’s mood, and became happy too, his footsteps were light and filled with joy on the way down the mountain.

In just one night, Desolate Mountain was pressed down by more than a foot.

Wei Bo had been on a nearby mountain peak, watching Desolate Mountain sink little by little.

So the true words of the world were so heavy.

Wei Bo laughed, “Impressive, truly impressive. Even I’m a little curious, Li Xisheng, who exactly are you? Could it be that the Chen Clan’s Exemplar Tree really has nothing to do with you? Then who could you be?”

At the transition between day and night, Wei Bo couldn’t help but look at the bamboo building again.

They complemented each other, the sun and moon shining together.

Outside the bamboo building, since they weren’t sleepy, Chen Ping’an and the two children sat side by side on bamboo chairs, waiting for dawn together.

Chen Ping’an suddenly asked the boy in azure robes, “A common snake gallstone, would exchanging it for ten thousand taels of silver be too expensive?”

The boy in azure robes looked dazed.

Chen Ping’an was uneasy, “Too expensive?”

The boy in azure robes jumped up, “Only ten thousand taels? Master, are you insulting me?!”

Chen Ping’an felt relieved, “Then eleven thousand taels?”

The boy in azure robes said angrily, “If you keep doing this, Master, I’m going to run away from home!”

Chen Ping’an naturally didn’t take it seriously, and asked curiously, “What kind of money do cultivators on the mountain use for trading?”

The boy in azure robes chuckled, “Master, wait, I’ll show you the kind of money the immortals on the mountain use. I have a lot of wealth!”

The boy in azure robes waved his sleeve, revealing the great mystery within the spatial artifact he carried with him. A rain of glistening jade stones fell, all shaped like copper coins, roughly of three different sizes.

He squatted on the ground and began to explain to Chen Ping’an the origin of each type of jade stone, and the differences in their value.

This was the money of the immortals!

The miser Chen Ping’an quickly left his chair and squatted next to the mountain of money, listening carefully to the boy in azure robes’ detailed explanations.

Finally, Chen Ping’an suddenly blurted out, “I want to give Treasure Talisman Mountain to Miss Ruan, do you think it’s appropriate?”

The girl in the pink dress blinked, at a loss for words.
The azure-robed boy thumped to his knees, “Master, doesn’t your heart ache? You must restrain yourself, restrain yourself! I beg you, old one, do not act rashly! Miss Xiu Xiu is the finest maiden under the heavens, I will not deny that, but she is not yet Master’s wife, not yet part of our household!”

Chen Ping’an did not dwell on the nonsensical talk of betrothal, simply shaking his head, “My heart does not ache.”

The azure-robed boy wailed like a banshee, “But *my* heart aches!”