Chapter 63: Sudden Downpour

"You know how to draw a basic spirit-communication talisman, right?" Senior Brother Hai asked, pulling a piece of talisman paper from his mountaineering backpack.

"I practice drawing those myself." I patted my pocket, preparing to take out the talismans I had previously prepared.

However, the spirit-communication talismans had been turned into a soggy mess of pulp by the heavy rain, along with the rest of my paper talismans. My face turned a sickly shade of green. These were the talismans I had worked so hard to draw back at the Zhao family estate, and now they were completely ruined by the downpour.

"Well, ruined is ruined. Since you didn't possess a divine orthodoxy back then, the effects of what you drew would have been limited anyway. But it seems you do know how to draw talismans, which will save me a lot of trouble. Make sure you buy a waterproof mountaineering backpack like mine in the future; it can hold quite a lot of things." With that, Senior Brother Hai remembered that his sympathetic turtle was still inside his pack and casually let it out.

After the sympathetic turtle was injured and sprinkled with salt by Old Hai, it had been on its last breath. Old Hai took it out of the refrigerator and placed it on a small dish filled with a black liquid, whereupon it slowly regained consciousness.

"Senior Brother, first you sprinkled salt on it, and now you're marinating it in soy sauce on a vegetable dish. Although I'm not too concerned about wildlife protection laws and the like, that's your sympathetic turtle. Is it really okay to eat this wild game?" I asked, somewhat startled as I watched him treat the creature like a culinary dish.

Senior Brother Hai paused for a moment before snapping back to reality, breathing heavily. "That's medicine! What soy sauce?!"

"Oh..." I had thought I was in for a treat and licked the corner of my mouth. In these border regions, such wild game was quite common. But really, who stabs their pet with a knife for no reason and then salts it? If you ended up eating it now, I wouldn't even be surprised.

The sympathetic turtle was full of spiritual energy. Even though it had woken up, it didn't scurry around, simply lying motionless in the dish. I thought to myself that if someone placed a couple of florets of broccoli next to it, anyone would surely mistake it for a dish of turtle braised in soy sauce.

"Back to business. Ordinary spirit-communication talismans are definitely useless, but a higher-tier deity-communication talisman will do the trick. We practitioners of the Yin-Yang school aren't skilled in summoning lightning or heavy rain, but we excel at bridging the realms of yin and yang and acting with expediency. Of course, a deity-communication talisman has a shorter duration than a spirit-communication talisman, so you must use your best steel on the blade's edge," Senior Brother Hai said as he picked up a paper figurine and began drawing with lightning-fast, ghost-like speed.

In just two or three seconds, an immensely complex talisman was completed. His speed was easily double my own, which explained why he always had a stack of low-grade paper talismans in his mountaineering backpack.

But that wasn't all. Just as I leaned in to observe closely, Senior Brother Hai let out a sharp grunt and spat a mouthful of blood directly onto the paper. Immediately afterward, his face flushed red as if bleeding.

I was terribly startled. Feeling the blood splatter onto my face, my expression instantly grew solemn.

"See? On top of the spirit-communication talisman... you just add these few... these few strokes. Then, with an unclouded mind, bite the tip of your tongue and imbue it with righteousness to bring this paper talisman to life. Then, tonight when you go to sleep, place it close to your heart... and you will be able to see the one behind you in your dreams." Senior Brother Hai's facial muscles twitched wildly, the pain making it hard for him to speak coherently.

I was inexplicably moved. Looking at him and taking the talisman speckled with dots of blood like rain, my hands trembled. "Senior Brother... this..."

"Enough. You are my junior brother. If what you say is true, this can be considered my welcome gift to you." Senior Brother Hai waved his hand, his complexion gradually turning pale.

Biting the tip of one's tongue to spit blood was something anyone could do, but it was a desperate measure taken only in dire straits. Senior Brother Hai knew that my vital energy and blood were currently not in a state to be depleted further, which was why he had crafted this precious deity-communication talisman for me at such a cost, allowing me to see the wife in my household. Such sentiment was truly invaluable.

"Senior Brother!" I was completely won over by him now. Willing to bite the tip of his tongue for me meant he was ready to risk his life for my sake. Where could one ever find another senior brother like this?

"Junior Brother! No... wait, what are you calling me for?" Senior Brother Hai reacted out of instinct, nearly slapping me across the face the next second.

"It's nothing, Senior Brother. I've already memorized how to draw this deity-communication talisman. I can make them myself from now on." I found a plastic bag nearby and carefully tucked the talisman away close to my body.

"You can make them yourself, but you must rest and recover your spirit first. Biting the tip of your tongue to spit blood drains a massive amount of vital energy and qi. In your condition, you might even end up summoned down by the City God. You must practice moderation in those matters!" Senior Brother Hai said with a smile.

Suddenly, a ferocious, chilly wind began to swirl wildly behind my back. Startled, I hurriedly blurted out, "Wife Elder Sister, Senior Brother was talking about moderation in drawing talismans!"

Only then did the chilly wind behind me stop. I turned to look at Senior Brother Hai, but he had already retreated to the side of the Grand One Deity statue at some point, his face terrifyingly pale as he hugged the doll of the Grand One and shook.

Seeing me look at him, Senior Brother Hai feigned busyness, picking up a rag to wipe the dust off the Grand One Deity statue. "Al... alright. It's getting a bit late, and with the heavy rain and this lingering ghostly chill, the ritual for the Zhao family cannot be performed tonight. Don't do anything else tonight, hurry back and go to sleep."

"Oh, right." I nodded in agreement.

Senior Brother Hai then began rummaging through things until he finally found a bundle of books tied together from beneath the altar table. He patted away a thick layer of dust and carried it over to me.

"Here, take a good look at these. This is the orthodoxy of our Yin-Yang school. These are all the books handed down through generations. Take them back with you. From now on, you are the successor of our Yin-Yang school orthodoxy. You are younger than your senior brother, and your future prospects are limitless. I am temporarily entrusting them to your care—make sure you don't lose them, because if the orthodoxy is lost, it's gone for good. The subjects inside are eclectic and miscellaneous, and Master said we aren't required to master every single one, so just study what catches your eye," Senior Brother Hai advised.

"Alright, once I finish reading them, I'll bring them back for Senior Brother to keep safe. You know I'm still staying at Zhao Qian's place; how could I possibly keep something so valuable in someone else's house?" With that, I used a larger plastic bag to pack up all the books. To think such an important orthodoxy could be left lying around carelessly—no wonder Senior Brother Hai had only truly mastered the art of escaping.

Senior Brother Hai saw me downstairs, and I started my car, driving back to Longyuan Residential Area.

Before I had driven very far, my phone rang. I pulled it out and saw it was Senior Brother calling, so I answered, "Senior Brother, what's up?"

"I forgot to mention something to you. Didn't I ask a few of my old pals in the car earlier? That Li Poliao from the Li family—according to what their household says, he left home to study the arts since he was a child, and his background carries immense weight. Pulling one hair moves the whole body. But don't you worry, he's only back home to visit relatives this time and will be leaving after a while. So remember, during this period, absolutely, positively do not go looking for trouble with him. Focus on what the book teaches and get initiated into the Heavenly Eye for me! I'll be regularly checking up on your progress on Master's behalf! Don't slack off, or things will get a lot more 'fun' for you!" Senior Brother Hai warned over the phone.

"Hehe, Senior Brother, I'm already too busy trying to learn Daoist arts; when would I have time to look for trouble with him? As long as he doesn't come looking for trouble with me, I'll be more than happy." Senior Brother Hai had added one "definitely" after another—who knows how many times over. Of course I had self-awareness; if I went looking for Li Poliao right now without Senior Brother by my side, I'd just be serving myself up as a snack in his mouth. Better to learn more stuff first and pick a fight with him later.

"That's good. Also, in a couple of days, I'll introduce you to those old pals of mine. We'll grab some tea, get acquainted, and it'll be easier for you to get around the county seat from now on." Seeing me obediently listen to his instructions, Senior Brother Hai felt rather pleased.

"Sounds good." I was also looking forward to meeting the senior experts in the county seat who were on the same level as Senior Brother.

Eighty-Meter Avenue was no longer far from Longyuan Residential Area. By this time, the rain had gradually stopped. I drove the car back into the garage and entered the villa.

Zhao Qian and Yu Xiaoxue were sitting there watching TV and chatting. Seeing me return carrying a pile of books, they were both startled and stood up, intending to greet me.

Yet as they stood up, I nearly spat a nosebleed. The two of them had draped light coats over themselves, but underneath they were wearing somewhat translucent, sheer silk nightgowns. Their underwear was completely visible to me, not to mention the hardened peaks on their chests which stood out prominently in my field of vision. I found that my eyes instinctively refused to move, and I hurriedly used my hand to block my sight.

Only then did Zhao Qian and Yu Xiaoxue realize their attire was inappropriate, and they hurriedly buttoned up their coats.

Although the heavy rain had just passed, the weather wasn't particularly cold. Plus, since I had said I would be coming back very late, the two of them couldn't fall asleep because of the rain, so they threw on light coats and came downstairs together to watch TV and chat,正好 running into me opening the door and entering.

"You two aren't asleep yet?" When I looked at them again, they had already buttoned their coats. I didn't plan on spending much time with them, as I was eager to go to sleep and see Wife Elder Sister.

"Not yet... we were just about to go upstairs." Zhao Qian said, pulling her coat tighter around herself, looking rather shy after being almost completely seen through.

"Brother Tian, didn't you say you weren't coming back?" Yu Xiaoxue felt it didn't really matter since it was me, and simply asked why I had returned.

Thinking there was no harm in telling them so they could peacefully go off to sleep, I left out Li Poliao and simply recounted the matter of becoming a disciple of Gan Daozhi and Qiu Cunzhi. Of course, I also mentioned that I hadn't gotten involved in the Zhao family's business.

Although ignoring the Zhao family's affairs initially worried Zhao Qian slightly, upon hearing that I had actually become Senior Brother Hai's fellow apprentice, all her doubts vanished. What an impressive feat that was! If word got out in the local Xuanmen community in the county, I could walk sideways like an armored crab, and even the Zhao family wouldn't dare do anything to me.

"Hurry up and go to sleep, you two. It's already twelve o'clock. Don't you have to go out tomorrow?" I checked the time and was surprised to find it was nearly midnight.

"Twelve o'clock?" Zhao Qian was startled, then remembered I had mentioned taking her out to play tomorrow, and nodded happily.

"Then we're going to sleep!" Yu Xiaoxue also obediently scurried upstairs.

Watching the well-proportioned curves of their bodies as they ran up the stairs in small steps, I felt somewhat intoxicated. Youthful maidens were truly wonderful.

While I was sighing with emotion, due to my height advantage, I caught sight of things I shouldn't have seen. Zhao Qian seemed to have noticed something, quickly covering her hip area with her hand and turning back to see if I was looking.

As a result, our eyes met directly. My old face flushed red. Accompanied by a gust of chilly wind, I awkwardly turned my head, walked into the study, and quietly grabbed a change of clothes before taking a hurried shower.

Perhaps due to the recovery of my vital energy and blood, the scene from when I first entered the door kept replaying in my mind while I was in the shower. I was somewhat speechless at myself—I was about to meet Wife Elder Sister any minute now, yet here I was having all these wandering thoughts.

Inside the study, I took out Senior Brother Hai's talisman paper and gently stroked it, only to remember it still had Senior Brother's saliva on it, prompting me to quickly pull my hand back.

"Ahem, Xijun, Wanyi, both of you come out and stand guard." I gave a light cough and summoned Xijun and Wanyi to protect me. I was terrified of the City God now, so it was much better to release them while I slept; they could save my life at a critical moment.

Just as I had undressed and prepared to fall asleep, a horrifyingly pale human face suddenly appeared right before my window!