After that, I returned to school and didn't participate much in the Yi Study Society's affairs. Every day, I would attend classes and focus on studying the contents of the Death Scripture.
According to Tong Tong, Professor Deng had escaped. Although he was injured, no matter how serious the injury was, he would recover one day.
He definitely wouldn't let this matter go. After he recovered, he would definitely come to find me.
The 'big sister' Tong Tong mentioned had saved me once, but she had also disappeared. The next time Professor Deng came to find me, there would be no one to save me, and I could only rely on myself.
Although Deng Meng was an animal devoid of conscience, he had helped me take a big step forward in the study of Feng Shui. After comprehending the true meaning of "Qi", I had been working hard to learn how to draw Qi. In the beginning, I could only use a very small amount of Qi, which was not enough to make talismans. At most, I could only use talismans like the "Profound Accumulating Incantation".
However, as I became more familiar with the Qi drawing technique, I was able to draw more and more Qi.
After leaving Xu Ziyu's house for more than a month, when I used the Qi drawing technique again, the Qi I could draw wasn't as scattered as before. Instead, it formed a thin stream of Qi.
This was the Qi drawing technique mentioned in the Death Scripture. After reaching this realm, one could be considered a real Earth Master and could try to make their own talismans. Moreover, they could use some truly powerful incantations.
I immediately went to buy cinnabar, yellow talisman paper, and a weasel hair brush.
These three items were essential to making talismans. Cinnabar was a pure Yang item that could break evil Yin. However, the main reason for using cinnabar to make talismans wasn't to remove evil, but to condense Qi. Real talismans needed to draw Qi into the talisman to have a great effect. Cinnabar could lock Qi and make the talisman more effective for a long time.
The yellow talisman paper wasn't just any yellow paper. It was made from a plant called Angel Grass. Moreover, the newly made yellow talisman paper couldn't be used. It had to be stored for three years until the yellow talisman paper had some curved lines on it. Only then could it be used to make talismans.
There was a saying in Fengshui, "Wolf's hair and dog's blood can eliminate evil." This meant that wolf's hair and dog's blood had the same effect of eliminating evil. A brush made from wolf's hair was naturally extraordinary.
These three items weren't easy to find. I had to go to the biggest antique market in the city to buy them from an old shop.
At first, I didn't buy any yellow talismans. Before we left, the shop owner told me that he had some 'old paper' and asked me to take a look.
When I looked at the paper, I saw a cloud pattern on it. It was the yellow talisman paper I needed.
At that moment, I learned that in the antique trade, the yellow talisman paper was called 'Laozi'.
These yellow paper talismans were not cheap. A stack of five talismans would cost five hundred yuan.
Since I was short of money, I could only buy two stacks of yellow paper. Together with the weasel hair brush and the cinnabar, I spent almost two thousand renminbi. If it weren't for the ten thousand renminbi that Director Li had given me when I first came to the university, I wouldn't have enough money to buy these things.
After buying the items I needed, I returned to the dormitory and started to make talismans.
Talismans had different levels of difficulty. The simplest ones were the 'Peaceful Earth Talisman' and the 'Purifying Sky Talisman', which were used in the geomancy of yang and yin residences.
It was my first time making talismans, so I started with the 'Peaceful Earth Talisman'.
The 'Peaceful Earth Talisman' didn't have any other effects. It was only used to inform the land after the yang and yin residences were settled.
After laying the yellow paper talismans and grinding the cinnabar, I went to wash my hands. Then, I silently prayed to the ancestor of Fengshui, the Goddess of the Ninth Heaven.
These were the necessary rituals to make talismans.
After everything was prepared, I didn't hurry to make talismans. I first closed my eyes and gathered my energy, reading the 'Mysterious Accumulating Mantra'.
The Mysterious Accumulating Mantra was a talisman that could dispel evil spirits. It allowed the Fengshui master to guide energy into the talisman better. It was a supplementary technique before making talismans.
After doing all this, I felt a wisp of energy appear in front of me. Then, I picked up the weasel-hair brush and started to write on the yellow talisman paper.
Each talisman was a complicated and abstruse pattern. It was far from being as simple as the yellow talismans in the hands of the Daoists of the Jianghu. Just remembering these patterns required a lot of time. It took me many years to gradually remember a few of the commonly used yellow talisman patterns.
Although I had memorized the patterns in my head, when I started to draw them, I found that it was very difficult.
Making talismans wasn't just about drawing the pattern. I had to control the energy to follow the tip of the brush and make it flow into each stroke of the pattern. That way, the completed pattern would be a real talisman.
I hadn't even drawn half of the first yellow talisman paper when I made a mistake.
It wasn't that my memory of the pattern was wrong. It was just that during the drawing process, the tip of the brush inexplicably changed directions. I couldn't control it at all.
It was a sign that the energy didn't follow the brush. Although I could draw the energy like a wisp of silk, it wasn't easy to control the energy to follow the brush.
My first attempt was a failure. I put down the brush, but I wasn't discouraged. I closed my eyes and rested for a while. After I adjusted my condition, I tried again.
After using the whole stack of yellow talisman papers, I still couldn't draw the Peaceful Earth Talisman. The closest I got was when I was drawing the last three strokes. My wrist shook, and I couldn't control it well. I failed again.
After five consecutive failures, my forehead was sweating profusely. I had consumed a lot of energy, and I even felt a little weak.
In this situation, if I continued, I would just be wasting the yellow talisman papers. I couldn't succeed.
Looking at the five discarded yellow talisman papers in front of me, I forced a smile. No wonder the Fengshui master had to charge a high fee to read people's fortune. The things he used were really expensive.
I put away the yellow talisman papers, the weasel hair brush, and the other items and had a good night's sleep. When I woke up the next day, I felt refreshed. Then, I took out the yellow talisman papers and the other items to try again.
This time, I didn't hurry to draw the talisman. First, I found the records about 'qi' in the Death Scripture. There was an incantation for drawing spiritual energy and gathering energy.
At first, it was used to comprehend the energy. However, last night, I summarized the reasons for my failure. I felt that it was because I didn't have a deep understanding of the method to draw spiritual energy.
On the one hand, it was because I wasn't familiar with it. On the other hand, I couldn't draw enough energy when I was making talismans.
This incantation could temporarily increase the amount of energy I could draw. Perhaps it would have a miraculous effect when I was making talismans.
After preparing last night, I picked up the weasel hair brush and read, "Don't let your wandering thoughts be delusional. The pure land can return to enlightenment.
Don't be ignorant of the current internal energy. It all depends on the cleansing. "
After chanting, the hair-like energy in front of me seemed to become thicker. I didn't dare to linger. Taking a deep breath, the weasel hair brush moved quickly on the yellow talisman paper.
This time, it went smoothly. Soon, I reached the last stroke. I read the incantation for the 'Peaceful Earth Talisman'.
"Yuanshi Peace Town, inform all spirits.
Yue Zhenguan, the earth has only spirits.
Zuo She, You Ji, do not be rash.
Return to the right path, clear the internal and external.
Take your positions and prepare to guard the altar.
The Great Master has ordered us to search for evil spirits.
Protect the Divine King and protect the scriptures.
Convert to the Great Way, Yuan Heng Li Zhen. "
This was the incantation for the talisman. It was also the last step of making a talisman. Before finishing the last stroke, I had to read the incantation for the talisman. That was the only way to make a perfect talisman.
After I read the last sentence, the weasel hair brush in my hand moved up, completing the last stroke of the 'Peaceful Earth Talisman'.
Right after that, the yellow talisman paper flashed with a yellow light. After the talisman pattern circled once, the light disappeared, and the vermilion lines on the talisman became lustrous. A perfect, jade-like pattern appeared. It was exactly the same as the 'Peaceful Earth Talisman' in my mind.
Finally, it was done!
When I picked up the talisman, my heart was filled with great satisfaction. Although it was the simplest Earth Calming Talisman, it was a sign that I could draw spiritual energy into the talisman. This meant that from today onwards, I had officially become a true Earth Master.