Chapter Forty: The Genius of Daoist Arts

Ah Huang took out two large sheets of rice paper from the cloth bag he always carried with him and spread them on the table. Then he pulled out two calligraphy brushes and a box of ink.

All set.

"Uh... Ah Huang, are we about to practice calligraphy? Where’s the talisman paper?"

Fu Yang turned the rice paper over and over, but saw nothing of those small, mysterious yellow talisman slips.

Ah Huang shot him a fierce glare. "Talisman paper? Do you even know how expensive that stuff is? You haven’t even learned to crawl and you want to run. Practicing with rice paper while I teach you how to draw talismans is already pretty extravagant."

The two of them stood a meter apart, each holding a brush, dipping it into the ink.

"The incantation is the language that connects heaven and earth, possessing immense spiritual power. Different incantations manifest different forces. They can enhance or diminish one’s fortune, defend against or attack ghosts and demons. Legend has it, the strongest ones can even defy fate! Talisman paper is the medium that carries these words to communicate with heaven and earth. Typically—"

"Cut the lecture and draw! I want to learn something useful, not theory."

Ah Huang glared at him again, even more fiercely. "Thank goodness you’re my brother, not my disciple!"

Apparently provoked, Ah Huang raised his right hand, brush poised in the air. He held his breath, then his brush moved like a dragon, completing the talisman in a single, fluid motion.

Fu Yang watched every movement with rapt attention, not missing a single detail.

For some reason, that strange yet familiar feeling welled up within him once more. He remembered, the first time he saw Ah Huang draw a talisman and perform Daoist arts, he’d felt this same sense of wonder gazing at the glowing symbols.

Now, watching Ah Huang draw a talisman at such close range, the feeling was even more intense...

The spell was elaborate, each stroke entangling with the next.

As he watched, Fu Yang seemed to slip into an ethereal, mystical state. The world around him faded away; between heaven and earth, there was only himself and the incantation forming on the rice paper...

All he could see was the spell!

Unconsciously, Fu Yang dipped his own brush generously in ink, then—he began to move!

His brush danced across the page in swift, fluid strokes. The brush in his hand followed the path of the spell his eyes saw.

Ah Huang thought Fu Yang was being cocky, not taking the study of talisman-drawing seriously. He was ready to give him a modest lesson; after all, even as brothers, the Dao demanded respect and earnestness.

He knew well how difficult this art was. When he’d first started, even mastering the most basic "Light Talisman" had taken him three days of painstaking practice before he could make the paper glow in the dark...

The one he was drawing now was called the "Wind Talisman." As its name implied, once complete, it would summon a small breeze. Mostly charlatans used it to trick people, but for beginners, it was already quite difficult...

"Whew! Done. The spell is complete!"

Ah Huang put down his brush and exhaled. In this casual environment, using ordinary rice paper, the talisman’s power would be minimal—barely enough to tousle their hair. It was just to give Fu Yang a taste of the effect.

Strangely enough, it was as though there really existed a mysterious power in the world, communicated through these magical symbols!

As soon as Ah Huang finished, the rice paper bearing the "Wind Talisman" floated off the table, rising three feet into the air and releasing a refreshing breeze.

Grinning smugly, Ah Huang turned to Fu Yang. "So? Did you see clearly, Xiao Yang? Wasn’t that amaz—"

The last word stuck in his throat.

Ah Huang looked as if he’d seen a ghost; his eyes nearly popped out.

Because right then, he saw Fu Yang also lay down his brush—having just completed a complex "Wind Talisman" himself!

Moreover, from those sinuous, mysterious lines emanated a resonance he could hardly describe—even at his very best, Ah Huang would struggle to draw one so perfectly.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Whoosh!

The rice paper with Fu Yang’s "Wind Talisman" soared into the air, unleashing a fierce gust!

In an instant, the spot where they stood became a whirlwind. Sheets of paper flew everywhere, the box of ink crashed to the floor, and finally, the table itself overturned.

Utter chaos!

Ah Huang’s hair was a wild mess, his mouth agape wide enough to fit an apple. "Unbelievable, bro... You’re actually a Daoist prodigy!"

Fu Yang himself was completely baffled; he’d never expected the talisman he’d just drawn to have such force.

Heaven knows, this really was his first time encountering any of this, his first attempt at drawing a talisman...

Once they’d recovered, the two hurriedly tidied up the mess, reset their tools, and tried again.

This time, they chose the harmless "Light Talisman."

Unfortunately, Fu Yang’s result wasn’t as "fierce" as before. The glow from his talisman was weaker than Ah Huang’s...

He was a bit disheartened. "Sigh... It’s not working anymore. I just can’t get that feeling back. The first time was so strong—now, nothing special."

But Ah Huang was already on the verge of madness!

A genius! An absolute genius!

He’d never heard of anyone, with no cultivation training or theoretical foundation whatsoever, being able to draw a talisman that worked on their very first try.

Based on his experience and knowledge of the supernatural world, he’d always believed such a thing was impossible.

Yet today, he’d been completely upstaged by the childhood friend he’d grown up with—embarrassingly so.

Ah Huang’s eyes gleamed, and he was practically drooling, like an old bachelor who’d just laid eyes on a stunning beauty for the first time in a year.

Fu Yang was so creeped out, he wanted to get as far from this guy as possible—only to be seized by a pair of strong hands, his shoulders shaken violently.

"Holy hell! Fu Yang, you’re a natural at Daoist arts! No, not a genius—a monster! A monster-level talent! How did I not notice when we were kids? I’ve got to show those old fossils in the South China supernatural circle—my brother Huang Lengshuo’s got a prodigy who’d crush their so-called gifted heirs!"

Seeing Ah Huang getting more and more carried away, Fu Yang quickly cut him off.

"Alright, enough with the bragging. You’re making me blush here."

Still, "enough with the bragging" sounded oddly off...

In any case, after discovering Fu Yang’s astonishing talent for drawing talismans, Ah Huang was so ecstatic he dragged him out for drinks and a lavish meal, celebrating wildly all morning.

It wasn’t until Qín Mèi called Fu Yang in the afternoon that the two of them, arms around each other and drunk, finally staggered back to Jiangcheng University...

(Third update! Old Wu’s here to beg for recommendation votes.)