Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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“This is Longxing Prefecture. For the past month, continuous rain has caused flooding here, so the local gentry have asked me to come and pray for clear skies.” Sa Shoujian seemed to sense something, and his attitude towards him changed slightly. Although it was only their second meeting, he naturally ordered Xie Lingya and Wang Shan to prepare things.
Xie Lingya placed Da Bao and Xiao Bao beside Sazu and followed Wang Shan to buy supplies.
Sa Shoujian’s reputation had grown even stronger over the years as he helped the poor. When Xie Lingya and Wang Shan arrived at the market, some people saw him wearing a Taoist robe and asked if he was Sa Zhenren. Upon learning that he was with Sa Zhenren, they repeatedly expressed their hope that Sa Zhenren would use his magic to help everyone.
Just then, it started raining again. Fortunately, they had brought an umbrella, and Xie Lingya, holding the umbrella, returned with Lingzu.
“It’s strange, you’re neither a demon nor an immortal, so how come you, like Master Sa, possess such youthful beauty? Which school do you belong to?” Wang Shan asked Xie Lingya, somewhat puzzled.
Xie Lingya chuckled dryly, “Well… you’ll find out later.”
Master Sa would tell him sooner or later; as someone who had been called “Uncle-Master,” he dared not claim to be his Nth generation successor.
Wang Shan, seeing his mysterious demeanor, snorted unhappily.
After the two returned, as expected, a large crowd had gathered outside the room, all having come to watch after learning of Sa Shoujian’s arrival.
The two squeezed in and saw several people inside. A stack of dates was laid out on the table, and Sa Shoujian was using the dates to heal people.
These were all poor people who were looked down on and couldn’t afford to see a doctor, so since Sa Shoujian had come, he was treating them for free.
When Sa Shoujian saw the two of them return, he asked, “Xiao Xie, do you know how to inflict jujube curses?”
Xie Lingya thought that Sa Shoujian seemed to have noticed, so there was no need to hide it. He nodded and said, “Yes.”
“Then you can have this one.” Sa Shoujian smiled slightly and handed a jujube to Xie Lingya.
There were many versions of the jujube curse technique, and they varied. You could tell the lineage from the techniques and incantations.
“Breathe in the sun and moon, the sun feeds on blood. Yin and Yang are split apart, heaven and earth collapse…” Xie Lingya made a hand seal, split the jujube open, blew on it, and gave it to the patient.
This was an old man suffering from a sudden stomachache. But as soon as the jujube was swallowed, he was cured immediately. So he stood up and thanked Sa Shoujian and Xie Lingya profusely.
Wang Shan, watching from the side, was a little puzzled. He had secretly followed Sa Shoujian for so long and had naturally seen Sa Shoujian treat patients. Xie Lingya’s spellcasting was almost exactly the same as Sa Shoujian’s… but Sa Shoujian still asked him if he knew how to inflict jujube curses.
Sa Shoujian’s jujube curse technique was passed down by the current Zhang Tianshi. Could it be that Xiao Xie had also been taught by Zhang Tianshi? That was possible; Zhang Tianshi also enjoyed spreading his teachings widely.
Sa Shoujian quickly healed everyone and promised those outside that he would soon begin his ritual, so they didn’t need to worry. Only then did they disperse.
“Wang Shan, since you’ve come to my sect, although I… well, I should still teach you our sect’s thunder magic. Come and sit down,” Sa Shoujian said solemnly after the room was quiet.
Wang Shan naturally sat down obediently, wanting to ask what “although” meant, but he knew better and didn’t ask. He glanced at Xie Lingya again. Did he mean that since he was teaching his sect, Xie Lingya didn’t need to leave?
Sa Shoujian didn’t intend for Xie Lingya to leave. Instead he took out a talisman and said, “To practice the methods of the Primordial Great Dao, to command one’s own primordial spirit, this is called the method!”
Xie Lingya knew this phrase all too well; it was written in Sazu’s “On Thunder,” and all disciples of this sect were familiar with it, as it was key to their cultivation.
Although Master Sa practiced both internal cultivation and talisman making, as the words implied, regardless of talismans or incantations, one should prioritize one’s own primordial spirit and cultivate the mind above all else; there was no need to seek anything else.
Even though Xie Lingya had heard this before, seeing Master Sa imparting his teachings, he perked up his ears.
Master Sa dipped his brush in cinnabar and, while drawing a talisman, said, “Understanding this principle, the two energies are not merely two energies, but reside within oneself; the five elements are not merely five elements, but also reside within oneself. A breath becomes wind, movement becomes thunder, exhale becomes clouds, exhale becomes rain— a thousand transformations, a thousand forms, all are matter within the mind!”
With the talisman complete, he drew it, and white clouds appeared on the ground, instantly growing larger and flying to the rooftop.
“Wow—!” Da Bao and Xiao Bao, who had been playing on the bed, jumped up to touch the clouds.
Sa Shoujian waved his hand again, and another cloud drifted down, enveloping Da Bao and Xiao Bao in a circle.
Xie Lingya sighed. Sazu truly lived up to his name; he was already exceptionally talented, his use of thunder magic extremely skillful, but to achieve such effortless mastery was still a long way off.
Wang Shan also tried drawing talismans. Although he was a celestial general, Sa Shoujian was one of the Four Celestial Masters, destined to join the ranks of immortals, and a founder of a school of Taoist arts. Moreover, Wang Shan was a martial artist, so after grasping the essence, he barely managed to generate some clouds— a privilege already afforded to a deity.
Xie Lingya’s hands itched too. So he picked up his brush, drew a talisman, and threw it out. Sa Shoujian’s clouds darkened, and then rain began to fall inside the house.
“Damn!” Xie Lingya exclaimed, quickly raising his hand to shield himself from the rain.
Sa Shoujian chuckled and casually waved away the clouds.
Wang Shan looked at Xie Lingya in astonishment, “How did you learn that?”
Although this wasn’t Xie Lingya’s first time encountering the sect’s talismans, he was indeed the kind of person who could learn on his first try, so he just smiled. If anyone else had asked, he might have boasted, but it was Lingzu who asked…
Sa Shoujian showed a satisfied expression, nodding repeatedly, “Good, good, excellent aptitude!”
His gratified expression was similar to, “Our old X family finally has an heir.”
Wang Shan was still muttering to himself when Sa Shoujian took out a piece of paper, his poetic inspiration flowing, and wrote: “Wang Shan, if you can thoroughly understand the essence of our sect’s spellcasting, you will be just as good!”
Xie Lingya, seeing Sazu compose a poem he was very familiar with, felt a surge of emotion. This time, he had witnessed too many extraordinary scenes, seeing Sazu write “The Treatise on Thunder,” accept Lingzu, and now seeing the old man write poetry.
Wang Shan also leaned out and read aloud: “A spark of inspiration is a talisman; the world wastes ink and cinnabar in vain. The superior man obtains it and diligently guards it; ascension is but a matter of time.” Wang Shan scratched the back of his head and muttered, “But I’m already an immortal.”
Sa Shoujian’s originally graceful posture stiffened for a moment, and he glared at Wang Shan.
Wang Shan, used to being struck by lightning, immediately shrank his head reflexively and praised loudly, “Good, good poem!”
Xie Lingya also nodded; having witnessed Sazu writing the poem, he could better understand the spirit in it. Besides clarifying the key to learning the art, the poem also carried a hint of pride; he possessed a spark of inspiration, and his talisman-making was perfected, while the world had wasted so much cinnabar and ink!
Sa Shoujian dried the paper, rolled it up, and said, “This poem is for you.”
Xie Lingya took the paper with both hands, “Thank you, Master!”
Wang Shan’s eyes widened, “What? Shouldn’t it be given to me? I am the disciple! Master, you’ve got it wrong!”
Sa Shoujian pretended not to hear, too lazy to pay attention to Wang Shan, and turned to count the things they had bought.
Wang Shan leaned close to Xie Lingya and whispered, “Give it to me!”
Xie Lingya mustered his courage and said, “…No.”
Unreasonable demands are unacceptable, even from the patriarch!
Wang Shan glared at him fiercely for a long time, then said, “Then tear it in half for me.”
Xie Lingya: “…”
Xie Lingya stuffed the paper into his robes, vowing to defend the calligraphy of Patriarch Sa to the death.
In front of Sa Shoujian, Wang Shan couldn’t do anything to him, only giving him a warning look.
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