Chapter 57: Take the talisman-making class with the eldest lady!
Not long after, Fourth Elder arrived in the courtyard.
Her dark hair, streaked with silver, was elegantly coiled, and she wore a blue-brown skirt, making her appear like a dignified and graceful noblewoman.
“Grandma.”
“Grand-aunt.”
Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaoge immediately cupped their hands and bowed to Fourth Elder.
“No need for formalities, both of you, please sit.”
Fourth Elder’s expression was gentle and benevolent as she waved her hand.
Then, she looked at the two and said, “Changsheng, Miaoge, both of you, draw the Talismans you’ve been practicing recently for me to see.”
Upon hearing this, both of them took out their Talismans tools and began drawing Talismans.
Lu Changsheng still drew the Fire Cloud Talisman he had initially revealed.
After all, when he first revealed himself as a First-Order Middle-Grade Talisman Master, his success rate for Talismans was only one or two tenths, so he naturally still needed to practice.
Fourth Elder glanced at the Talismans drawn by the two, and seeing Lu Changsheng steadily drawing the Fire Cloud Talisman stroke by stroke, she showed a hint of surprise.
Then, under Fourth Elder’s gaze, Lu Changsheng successfully drew the Fire Cloud Talisman.
“Changsheng, your success rate for drawing the Fire Cloud Talisman should be six or seven tenths now, right?”
Fourth Elder’s face showed a hint of pleasant surprise after watching Lu Changsheng draw the Fire Cloud Talisman, and she praised him.
Lu Miaoge, who was drawing a Talisman nearby, heard this and her fair wrist couldn’t help but tremble, causing the Talisman she was drawing to fail. Then, her beautiful eyes looked at Lu Changsheng.
Her clear and snow-like face showed an expression of astonishment.
She knew that Lu Changsheng had become a First-Order Middle-Grade Talisman Master two months ago.
Only two months had passed, and he had already raised the success rate of the Mid-Grade First-Order Fire Cloud Talisman to six or seven tenths.
This Talismans talent was simply terrifying!
She couldn’t help but recall three years ago when Lu Changsheng became a Talismans apprentice, and she went with Butler Fu to assess Lu Changsheng.
At that time, she had already seen that Lu Changsheng’s Talismans talent was higher than her own.
But she never expected Lu Changsheng’s Talismans talent to be even higher than she imagined, so much higher!
Without anyone’s guidance, he became a Middle-Grade Talisman Master in just over three years!
Now, under Fourth Elder’s guidance, the Fire Cloud Talisman, which originally had only a two-tenths success rate, improved to six or seven tenths in just one month!
This progress was simply terrifying!
Even though her Heart-Nature had always been as calm as water, and she had already begun attempting to draw High-Grade Talismans and aiming to become a High Grade Talisman Master, at this moment, in front of Lu Changsheng, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss and frustration.
She pursed her lips, put away the disappointment and frustration in her heart, and took out another Talisman paper to draw a Talisman.
“Thanks to Grandma’s guidance last time, I’ve been practicing diligently at home during this period, which is why I have this success rate now.”
Lu Changsheng nodded and said.
He didn’t know that his actions caused Lu Miaoge to feel frustrated.
This display of talent with the Fire Cloud Talisman was something he had planned beforehand, part of his strategy.
Using Fourth Elder’s guidance and teaching as a pretext, he accelerated the revelation of his Talismans talent.
“Good, good, very good. Grandma can see that you no longer have significant problems with the Fire Cloud Talisman.”
“It’s just that during the turning points, at the Talisman line outlines, your spiritual power isn’t flowing smoothly enough.”
“However, for this aspect, as long as you practice more and become more proficient, it will be fine.”
Fourth Elder praised him repeatedly after hearing Lu Changsheng’s words.
She continued to Lu Changsheng, “Then today, Grandma will teach you to draw the Wind Riding Talisman.”
The Wind Riding Talisman, like the Fire Cloud Talisman, is a Mid-Grade First-Order Talisman.
In terms of difficulty, it’s slightly higher than the Fire Cloud Talisman.
“Thank you, Grandma.”
Lu Changsheng said respectfully.
He didn’t care what Talisman he learned or practiced; he completely followed Fourth Elder’s arrangements.
One reason was that he didn’t care, and another was that this was also a condition of the Lu family’s spiritual contract.
He had to follow the Lu family’s arrangements to learn and practice the corresponding Talismans.
“The Wind Riding Talisman is different from the Fire Cloud Talisman; it emphasizes softness. Not only must the brushstrokes be soft, but the spiritual power output must also be soft, with a sense of roundness.”
“And a crucial point for the Wind Riding Talisman is that at every turn, the brushstrokes must be light and smooth, while the spiritual power must be continuously ‘bounced’ out.”
Fourth Elder explained the key points of the Wind Riding Talisman to Lu Changsheng.
Then, she immediately drew a Wind Riding Talisman on the spot, allowing Lu Changsheng to sense the spiritual power fluctuations on it and draw according to the Talisman lines.
“Yes, Grandma.”
Lu Changsheng nodded upon seeing this, first picking up a stack of white paper from the table to familiarize himself with the drawing of the Talisman lines.
Typically, when drawing a new Talisman, one first familiarizes oneself with the Talisman line drawing on white paper before attempting to create a Talisman with Talisman paper.
If one were to start practicing with Talisman paper from the beginning, it would essentially be a waste.
Because at this point, failure is inevitable.
Of course, exceptions like Lu Changsheng, who has a cheat, exist.
However, in front of Fourth Elder, he naturally still maintained the appearance of diligently studying.
Subsequently, Fourth Elder looked at Lu Miaoge, who was drawing Talismans, and saw that Lu Miaoge’s Talisman had failed again.
Knowing that Lu Miaoge was still unfamiliar with the Talisman she was drawing, she spoke out, explaining the key points.
“Miaoge, this Golden Light Shield Talisman emphasizes hardness as the main principle, with softness as a supplement. The brushstrokes must be soft with underlying hardness, but the spiritual power output must also be strong and forceful.”
“When you make the first stroke, the brushstroke and spiritual power should be like iron wrapped in cotton. At the first turning point of the Talisman line, you need to incorporate more of a ‘receding’ intention, while the spiritual power needs to be ‘released.’ After the ninth fold, continuous spiritual power output is required.”
Drawing Talismans becomes more difficult and complex as the grade of the Talisman increases.
Every beginning, transition, turn, and conclusion, every stroke, has very strict guidelines.
Just the techniques for starting a stroke have a multitude of intricacies: what is strong and forceful, strong with underlying softness, soft with underlying hardness, a balance of strength and softness, and so on, making it very complex.
For example, the Golden Light Shield Talisman that Lu Miaoge is currently drawing is a High-Grade First-Order Talisman, extremely complex, and can be considered a hurdle compared to Middle-Grade Talismans.
“Yes, Fourth Grand-aunt.”
Lu Miaoge nodded upon hearing this, her delicate face showing a focused expression, and she continued to bend over and draw the Talisman.
But halfway through the drawing, green smoke billowed from the Talisman paper again, and it failed.
“Miaoge, when you were outlining the Talisman lines, your brushstroke was too forceful and clashed with the spiritual power, which is why it failed.”
“Come, feel my spiritual power and strength.”
Fourth Elder spoke out, pointing out the error.
Immediately, she took Lu Miaoge’s hand and slowly drew the Golden Light Shield Talisman.
Lu Changsheng also glanced over.
He could tell that Fourth Elder’s Talismans skill was indeed good.
At least she was very familiar with the Golden Light Shield Talisman.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to guide someone in drawing Talismans in this manner.
“Miaoge, try again with this feeling.”
Fourth Elder said after guiding Lu Miaoge to complete the Golden Light Shield Talisman.
“Yes, Grand-aunt.”
Lu Miaoge nodded gently, then tried drawing again.
However, it failed again halfway through the process.
Seeing this, Fourth Elder didn’t say anything.
She only encouraged her, saying, “It’s alright, just practice more and familiarize yourself with it a few more times.”
For a Talisman Master, this is very normal.
If it succeeded easily after just a few tries, then becoming a Talisman Master wouldn’t be so difficult.
After a while, Fourth Elder saw that Lu Changsheng was also quite familiar with drawing the Wind Riding Talisman, and she said to Lu Changsheng, “Come, Changsheng, you also draw the Wind Riding Talisman for me to see.”
“Yes, Grandma.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Changsheng immediately began to demonstrate drawing the Wind Riding Talisman.
However, it also failed at about one-fifth of the way through.
He was portraying a Genius, but not to the extent of being a Prodigy or a freak.
If it succeeded in just one or two tries, it would be too astonishing and could lead to trouble.
“Your hand is very steady, your brushstrokes are very steady, but just now your spiritual power was a bit too rushed.”
“At this step, your hand needs to carry a sense of ‘looseness,’ and your spiritual power should gently ‘wrap’ around the brushstroke.”
“Come, feel my spiritual power and strength.”
Fourth Elder said after watching Lu Changsheng finish drawing.
Immediately, she stepped forward, took Lu Changsheng’s hand, and slowly guided him stroke by stroke in drawing the Wind Riding Talisman.
Although there’s a saying about men and women not touching, in her eyes, Lu Changsheng was merely a junior, her own grandson-in-law, so she naturally wouldn’t fuss over such things or think in that way.
During this process, Lu Changsheng could clearly feel the strength and spiritual power flowing through Fourth Elder’s hand from the touch.
“At this step, the hand must be ‘loose,’ the spiritual power must ‘wrap’ around the brushstroke, carrying a hint of ‘bounce,’ the wrist lightly ‘trembles,’ and finally, it’s completed in one go.”
“You try again.”
Fourth Elder said to Lu Changsheng in a kind tone, then released his hand.
“Okay, Grandma.”
Lu Changsheng nodded, but he didn’t start drawing immediately.
Instead, he took out a wine gourd from his Storage Pouch, took a sip of wine, and then continued drawing.
Inside was White Jade Hundred Flower Wine, which had the effects of restoring spiritual power and calming the mind, aiding him in drawing Talismans.
He naturally didn’t need this wine to help calm his mind, but he did need it to help restore his spiritual power.
Fourth Elder didn’t say anything about this.
She also knew that Lu Changsheng was only at the third level of Qi Condensation, unable to draw many Mid-Grade First-Order Talismans, and needed to rely on spirit wine to restore his spiritual power.
Subsequently, under Fourth Elder’s gaze, Lu Changsheng failed at about one-fourth of the way through the drawing.
“Your spiritual power didn’t wrap around the brushstroke and condense at one point. You need to try more.”
Fourth Elder commented after watching.
Just like that, under Fourth Elder’s guidance, a whole morning passed.
Throughout that morning, neither Lu Changsheng nor Lu Miaoge successfully drew new Talismans.
However, they could be considered to have gotten the hang of these Talismans, grasping their essentials. The next step was to go back and practice more to become more familiar.