Starting as a Talisman Master

"Speaking of our sect leader Lin Chengye and Madam Qin, they are a well-known perfect match in Dongyue County."

"That's right. I heard that Madam Qin was originally from a mortal background, but she possessed a mid-grade spiritual root. She was spotted by a traveling elder and personally brought back to the sect."

"The story of how Sect Leader Lin met her is quite a tale. It is said that they first met at a sect banquet, fell in love at first sight, and admired each other. Later, with the help of the old sect leader, they became Daoist partners."

"Madam Qin was not only outstanding in appearance, but also shrewd in her dealings. Later, she established the Cangyue Pavilion, which specialized in the business of Taoist robes and headwear, bringing considerable income to the Qixia Sect."

"Yes, everyone says she's a virtuous wife. It's just a pity that Sect Leader Lin died young, poisoned by Xuan Yin Valley, leaving Madam Qin to struggle alone."

"Alas, life is unpredictable. The Qixia Sect is only able to hold things together thanks to Madam Qin."

The chatter came intermittently from the other end of the corridor.

At that time, Lu Chi had already bypassed the inner hall and arrived at the backyard of Yueyin Pavilion.

It was much quieter here than in the front hall, but it wasn't deserted.

Several young disciples were gathered around a stone table, as if they had just rested. They were still holding half-dry talismans in their hands and talking. The few casual remarks about "Madam Qin" that had just been made by them were the ones that had just come out of their mouths.

Lu Chi slowed his pace slightly, taking in those words.

Lin Chengye is the name of Qin Su Niang's deceased husband, and also the former sect leader of Qixia Sect.

Although Qin Suniang is now in charge of the sect's affairs, she is still in a temporary position. Therefore, when the disciples mention her in private, they mostly still call her "Madam Qin".

Judging from what these people said, the marriage between Sect Leader Lin and Madam Qin back then seemed to have been passed down as a beautiful story everywhere.

The disciple leading the way led Lu Chi into the courtyard and whispered to the people by the stone table, "Master Lu has arrived."

Upon hearing the sound, several disciples in the courtyard turned around, fell silent for a moment, and then stood up and bowed.

"Greetings, Master Lu."

"Master Lu the Talisman"

Several gazes fell on Lu Chi, their curiosity barely concealed beneath their composed demeanor.

Lu Chi nodded slightly, and with a casual glance, he spotted Cao Zhen in the crowd.

The latter still had that burly figure, standing out quite in the crowd. When he saw him looking over, he grinned.

The people in the courtyard were all quite young, with most of them at around the second level of Qi Refining, and their spiritual energy was still somewhat immature.

Cao Zhen was the oldest and strongest among them, and his cultivation had reached the fifth level of Qi Refining, making him stand out among the group of talisman craftsmen and apprentices.

Lu Chi nodded slightly to Cao Zhen, as if to greet him privately, but a hint of amusement flashed through his mind.

What's that scoundrel Cao doing here?

On second thought, it's not surprising.

Cao Zhen had previously mentioned that he also practiced drawing and repairing talismans in his spare time.

Qin Su Niang has always been good at employing people and giving them opportunities, so it's not surprising that he's here.

The way people in the courtyard looked at him was very different from the day he opened his business.

When Moonshadow Pavilion opened, Lu Chi had also visited this backyard. At that time, he was just a newly arrived young talisman master. Although he had some skills, he had not yet truly shown his abilities.

At that time, everyone admired Liu Qing more.

After all, Liu Qing already had a reputation as a mid-grade talisman master and had been working in Xuan Yue Market for several years. In terms of seniority and reputation, he was superior to him.

When the apprentices saw him that day, they merely greeted him politely, without showing any particular interest.

But things are different now.

Everyone in Yueyin Pavilion knows that the reputation of the talismans in the shop is growing, and the one who truly carries the brand is this young talisman master, Lu.

So even though they were all standing properly, the probing and speculation in their eyes were quite obvious.

Lu Chi took in all these expressions and already understood the situation.

If he had been asked to teach someone the art of talismans earlier, he might not have been able to do so with such ease.

After all, the path he took was not orthodox. If he were to explain the principles of talismans and break down the brushstrokes step by step, he might not be as reliable as those old talisman masters.

Things are different now.

Having the "spiritual eye" allows him to observe the successes and failures of people's brushstrokes and talismans, which has become his strength.

He didn't rush to sit down and talk about talisman principles, nor did he adopt a "lecturing" posture. He simply stood in front of the stone table, glanced at the talisman papers, talisman brushes, and inkwell scattered on it, and said in a flat tone:

"Please don't be shy, everyone. Just continue writing as usual. I will be watching from the side and will offer my advice if I see any mistakes."

Upon hearing this, the people in the courtyard were taken aback. Then, they exchanged glances involuntarily, their expressions somewhat strange.

Cao Zhen was also taken aback for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist and replied "Yes," but there was a clear hint of hesitation on his face.

It's no wonder they became suspicious.

The teaching methods of talisman masters they had encountered in the past were mostly different from this.

For example, during this period, when Liu Qing came to teach, he would first explain the structure of the symbols and the lightness and heaviness of the brushstrokes, and then have the apprentices copy them.

Either he demonstrates by drawing and explaining at the same time.

At the very least, one should first ask a few questions about each person's background to assess their level of knowledge before determining who is in the best order.

How could anyone be like Lu Chi, who, upon arrival, immediately told everyone to do their own thing while he stood aside and watched?

This doesn't look like they're teaching anyone; it looks more like they're here to inspect someone's work.

The apprentices dared not ask too many questions, but they couldn't help but have doubts in their hearts.

"Can you really figure things out just by watching from the sidelines?"

"Is it because your reputation is too great that you're unwilling to teach me in detail?"

"Or are all top-tier talisman masters just eccentric?"

No one dared to voice these thoughts aloud, but their restraint and doubt were evident in every action they took.

Lu Chi stood in the shadows under the corridor, his expression unchanged, secretly activating his [Spiritual Eye].

The idea suddenly became clear to me.

He didn't speak immediately, but waited for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before walking over to a thin young man.

Lu Chi looked at the talisman paper on his desk, his tone still calm.

"Concentrate your mind and do not deliberately press down on your wrist for stability. If you slow down the end of the stroke, the transition will be sluggish. Look at the second branch line where it connects to the main line; the inspiration is already hesitant. If you continue to write, even if you can form a talisman, its power will be diminished."

The boy froze, subconsciously looking down at his talisman, his expression changing slightly.

He was indeed afraid of making a mistake in front of Lu Chi, so he deliberately slowed down his writing, but he didn't expect that Lu Chi would see through his mistake at a glance.

Before he could even react, Lu Chi's gaze had already shifted to the other side.

"You don't need to replace that useless talisman in the bottom right corner anymore."

The apprentice, who was engrossed in repairing talismans, was taken aback upon hearing this. He quickly looked up, his face full of confusion: "But this crack is the most conspicuous..."

Lu Chi shook his head slightly.

"A visible crack may not be the root of the problem. You only see the tear on the paper, but you don't see the interruption of the spiritual energy within the talisman. The real problem with this talisman is not in the lower right corner, but in the dark line behind the main pattern."

"If you continue to fill in the gaps from the bottom right corner, you will only disturb the surrounding lines and make it more and more messy. First, gently scrape away half an inch of the old ink from the loop area, and then continue with a light brush, following the original inspiration. Perhaps you can still salvage it a bit."

The apprentice was half-believing and half-doubting, but dared not disobey, and hurriedly did as he was told.

After scraping away the old ink, a very fine break was indeed seen in the spirit pattern underneath, which had been covered by the surface ink all along.

He gasped in shock, and his gaze toward Lu Chi changed.

The atmosphere in the courtyard, which had been somewhat tentative, instantly quieted down.

The doubts in everyone's hearts began to quietly dissipate.

"Cao Town".

Upon hearing his name called, Cao Zhen immediately straightened his back: "Master Lu, please speak."

Lu Chi glanced down at the Fire Crow Talisman on his desk and said calmly, "You have enough strength and your writing is steady. There are no major mistakes in the first half. It's just that you rely too much on your hand strength and are unwilling to trust the spiritual power guiding you."

"At every turning point, the wrist moves first and the spirit follows. Therefore, the talisman looks powerful but is superficial. After completion, it suffers from the problem of being strong on the outside but weak on the inside."

Cao Zhen's face turned red and then white as he listened.

These words were blunt, yet they all hit his old problems.

Not to mention others, even he himself felt something was off after drawing for a long time, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Now, Lu Chi's words, "outwardly strong but inwardly weak," have revealed a sudden insight to him.

"Then... how should it be changed?" Cao Zhen couldn't help but ask.

Lu Chi raised his hand and made a light tap above the talisman.

Cao Zhen understood immediately and did as instructed.

This stroke, though not yet perfectly executed, was noticeably smoother than before.

Cao Zhen stared blankly for a long time before looking up, his heart filled with admiration.

Seeing this, the remaining people in the courtyard completely dispelled their last bit of suspicion.

Master Lu is indeed remarkable!