Chapter 5 The Proper Way to Unlock the Path of Talismans

Chapter 5: The Proper Way to Unlock the Path of Talismans

In prosperous times, people collect antiques; in troubled times, they buy gold. Gold and silver have always served as universal currencies for human society, especially now, when chaos reigns and their prices soar. A single silver dollar can buy dozens of pounds of rice; a few can purchase a whole cow. The pawnbroker, harboring ill intentions, casually quoted a price, and Luo Feng ended up with twenty-eight silver dollars—an amount equivalent to twenty or thirty thousand yuan in the twenty-first century. After paying three silver dollars for medicine, twenty-five remained.

In a small room at the pharmacy, Zheng Zha, suffering mainly from external injuries, was bandaged tightly to guard against infection—a real threat in this era—and lay resting in bed. Luo Feng sat on a chair nearby, gazing at the twenty-five silver coins on the table, pondering how they would get by in the days to come.

After a long silence, Zheng Zha spoke quietly, “Thanks.”

He was a white-collar worker, never adept at expressing emotion; even his gratitude was barely audible. Luo Feng blinked in confusion, glanced at him twice, and only then realized Zheng Zha had spoken.

“What are you thanking me for? We escaped from the Lord God’s Space together; that’s a kind of fate.” Luo Feng laughed it off. In his view, since he had saved Zheng Zha, he might as well see it through to the end.

Once one person broke the silence, the awkward atmosphere between them eased considerably. Truthfully, they were just familiar strangers.

“You could have left me there, you know. Why carry me down the mountain?” Zheng Zha tested him. “Out in the wilderness, an invalid like me is just a burden.”

Having seen the cutthroat world of office politics, Zheng Zha was used to assuming the worst in people; not kicking a man when he’s down already counted as kindness—acts of selfless aid were unheard of.

Luo Feng replied without hesitation, “What you think is your business; whether I help is mine.”

Feeling perhaps that this was too blunt, Luo Feng added, “This era is rotten enough. We nearly lost our lives at the pawnshop. As two people from the modern world, we should help each other—survive together.”

“I see…” Zheng Zha smacked his lips, then, after a long pause, smiled, thrusting out his right hand. “Let’s live through this together!”

Luo Feng was momentarily taken aback before slapping Zheng Zha’s hand hard, producing a crisp, pleasant clap.

“Ow! Ow! Ow! My hand… Luo, are you slaughtering pigs? Don’t you know your own strength?!”

Zheng Zha cried out in pain.

“Heh.” Luo Feng scratched his head, embarrassed.

Their bond deepened. After chatting a while, Zheng Zha hesitantly spoke up, “Actually, I got something from the Lord God’s Space.”

“Oh, me too…”

“At first I—wait, what did you just say?!”

…

After the incident at the pawnshop, both felt a vague sense of impending danger.

On the very first day after crossing over, they’d nearly been killed for money—there was no chance of lying low like salted fish; it was all too much! And since both were undocumented in this world and couldn’t withstand scrutiny, they decided together that staying in the county town was impossible. Instead, they would head to Yangjia Village.

Luo Feng called this their “novice village” for leveling up before tackling the “mini-dungeon” of the county town.

He summoned old Yang, produced three silver dollars, and asked him to arrange lodgings and furniture for them in Yangjia Village, handing over another coin as a reward. Old Yang, clutching the silver tightly, grinned from ear to ear. As a farmer, he might not earn even a single silver coin in a whole year; to receive one for free was a blessing from the heavens. He promised to handle everything.

To avoid further complications, the next morning the two set off with their herbs on old Yang’s ox cart, heading for Yangjia Village.

The county was over twenty kilometers away, and though the ox cart was slow, it was steady. After half a day’s travel, they finally arrived.

Introduced by old Yang, Luo Feng and Zheng Zha met the village head and clan leader, Yang You.

In the countryside, clan power was strong, and as the saying goes, imperial authority seldom reached the villages. Without the headman’s permission, they would never be allowed to stay. Conversely, with Yang You’s support, they could quickly settle in.

Unlike the villainous landlords of fiction, Yang You belonged to the well-off but still hardworking class—though he owned livestock, he still toiled in the fields himself.

Led by old Yang, they found Yang You cutting grass to feed the pigs. After sizing up Luo Feng and Zheng Zha, Yang You frowned, dusted his hands, and pulled old Yang aside to murmur, “Are you sure they’re all right? They don’t look like farm folk—their hands are as pale as a girl’s.”

Old Yang slipped a glinting silver coin into his palm, smiling, “No problem, brother. They’re just kids, nothing to worry about—couldn’t even beat your son Dazhuang.”

Yang You’s demeanor softened instantly. “Where are they from? What about their household registration? Any special requests?”

“They were robbed by bandits—lost their papers,” old Yang sighed.

“No papers!” Yang You exclaimed, his face darkening.

“Brother, they’re educated—what trouble can they cause? Don’t worry, really. Besides, all they need are two rooms, not any land,” old Yang added, pressing another silver coin into his hand.

Weighing the coins, Yang You nodded. No land, no problem. As the village and clan leader, he had to consider his people, but so long as no land was divided, nothing else mattered. There were always a few old houses in the village.

Turning to them, Yang You managed a smile. “You two don’t want any land?”

“No need,” Zheng Zha shook his head. He had no intention of staying in the village to farm forever.

“And you?” Yang You asked Luo Feng.

“No need,” Luo Feng echoed. Though more cautious, he certainly didn’t plan to hide out for decades in this small mountain village.

“Excellent, excellent! Welcome, welcome to Yangjia Village!” Yang You beamed.

Old Yang, with an extra silver coin in hand, was all smiles too—his son’s marriage prospects were now secure.

With the headman’s help, Zheng Zha and Luo Feng chose two houses at the edge of the village and settled in. Feeling slightly guilty for the extra silver, old Yang brought them some furniture, rice, oil, and salt, and even had his wife prepare a few meat dishes for them.

Looking at the decent houses and the fragrant food, Luo Feng finally relaxed. This saved them a lot of trouble.

Once settled, the two devoted themselves wholly to practicing breathing techniques and studying talismans.

In a foreign land torn by chaos, only strength could bring peace of mind.

The arts of breathing and talismans were the means to claim power for oneself.

The art of talismans originated with the yellow talisman, inscribed with the runes of birds and beasts, the names and seals of spirits—profound and mysterious.

It could be considered Zheng Zha’s life-bound treasure.

With the yellow talisman, Zheng Zha could draw talismans with ease, but Luo Feng could not.

After more than ten failed attempts, Luo Feng finally burst out, “We both escaped from the Lord God’s Space—why am I being discriminated against?!”

Zheng Zha came over to explain kindly, “Talismans aren’t drawn at random. You need the right credentials.”

Luo Feng: (⊙⊙)

Zheng Zha continued, “A ‘fu’ is the spirit of heaven and earth; a ‘lu’ is the seal of spirits and deities. To command the vital energies of the world, to commune with their spirits, to inscribe the names of ghosts and gods, and to stir the true qi within oneself into a seed of the talisman in the dan tian—that is the beginning of magical power.”

Luo Feng: “???”

Seeing Luo Feng was still bewildered, Zheng Zha thought a moment and simplified: “Put plainly, to draw a talisman you need an identity or lineage—only then will the spirits of heaven and earth respond.”

Then, pulling out his life-bound yellow talisman, Zheng Zha smiled, “I’m not a Daoist priest, I have no master, but this is my credential.”

Luo Feng was flabbergasted. So even drawing talismans required a license!

His yellow talisman was basically an ID card!

Luo Feng felt dazed and asked, “Then what about Daoist rituals—how do those work? In simple terms!”

That was a hard one to simplify. Scratching his head, Zheng Zha pondered, then snapped his fingers as inspiration struck. “Got it! The ‘fu’ is the application form written by the Daoist; the ‘lu’ is the leader’s name and office location! So when Daoists set up altars and draw talismans to summon thunder, they’re submitting a report. If the Department of Thunder approves, the heavenly thunder strikes down evil.”

Luo Feng muttered, “So that’s how it is.”

“Exactly,” Zheng Zha nodded. “That’s about all the information I got from the yellow talisman.”

“Then what about that phrase ‘By order of the Supreme Lord Laozi, let it be so’—what’s that for?” Luo Feng suddenly recalled a line often heard in movies and TV shows.

“Oh, that,” Zheng Zha replied. “Normally Daoists recite, ‘By order of the Supreme Lord Laozi, let it be so,’ which is like saying, ‘I’ve sent a report to the central leader—spirits, obey my command!’ If it’s urgent or important, they say, ‘By urgent order of the Supreme Lord Laozi, let it be so,’ meaning, ‘I’ve sent an expedited report to the leader—spirits, obey my command! This is top priority, answer immediately!’”

Learning the truth, Luo Feng could only abandon the path of talismans in despair—after all, he had no ID card.

(End of Chapter)