Chapter 13 Talisman Brush

Zhiyan Brush Shop is a traditional brush shop with a history of 150 years. The storefront is decorated in an antique style, and the shop is decorated with various writing brushes, inkstones, ink sticks, Xuan paper and other stationery items. The whole shop is filled with a scholarly and elegant atmosphere.

Many of the sales assistants in the store are elderly people. They wear gray long gowns and have goatees, which adds a touch of ancient elegance and scholarly atmosphere to the pen shop.

When the sales assistants saw Yu Ziqing leisurely walk into the pen shop, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes.

Unlike some stationery stores that sell stationery items with collectible value, attracting only true scholars and literati willing to pay high prices, this shop doesn’t cater to ordinary people looking to learn calligraphy. Therefore, its clientele is primarily composed of long-time customers, mostly elderly scholars. Young and unfamiliar customers like Yu Ziqing are a rare sight, occurring only a handful a year.

“What would you like to buy, sir?” an elderly sales assistant approached and asked with a smile.

“I’d like to buy a top-quality wolf-hair brush, an inkstone, cinnabar, and yellow paper,” Yu Ziqing replied.

Yu Ziqing’s words caught the attention of an elderly man who was coming down the stairs from the second floor.

The old man had a thin, sallow face, but his eyes, which should have been showing signs of presbyopia, occasionally flashed with a bright light.

The sales assistant led Yu Ziqing to a wall cabinet displaying wolf-hair brushes, pointing to the antique-looking brushes hanging on the wall, and said with great pride, “These are all top-quality wolf-hair brushes.”

Yu Ziqing glanced at the brush, shook his head, and said, “I don’t want a brush made of weasel hair. I want a brush made of real prairie wolf hair.”

A hint of surprise flashed in the sales assistant’s eyes. Just as she was about to speak, the old man’s voice rang out from behind her.

“Old Zhang, go and attend to other matters. I’ll take care of this gentleman.”

“It’s the boss.” The sales assistant, known as Old Zhang, trembled slightly upon hearing this, her surprise deepening. Aside from a very few prominent customers, even the big spenders were never personally greeted by their boss. Calling him a businessman was an understatement; he was more like a recluse. She never expected him to personally greet this young stranger today.

As the old man approached, Yu Ziqing, having combined the powerful spiritual energy of the two men, sensed a change in the aura, though the change was somewhat sluggish and not smooth.

A strange glint flashed in Yu Ziqing’s eyes, but he remained outwardly calm.

“My name is Shangguan Mingyuan, and I am the owner of this brush shop. I heard that you wish to buy genuine grassland wolf hair brushes, as well as some cinnabar, inkstones, and yellow paper?” Shangguan Mingyuan said with a smile, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as he glanced at Yu Ziqing.

However, he couldn’t see anything special about Yu Ziqing. This wasn’t because Yu Ziqing’s cultivation was higher than Shangguan Mingyuan’s, but because Yu Ziqing had been cultivating the highest-level immortal technique, the Tongtian Yuqing Xuan Gong, from the very beginning. His internal energy was condensed into a thread, and unless he used his power to cause a change in his aura, or the other party’s cultivation was much higher than Yu Ziqing’s, no one could see through his secrets.

However, precisely because of this, Yu Ziqing became unfathomable in Shangguan Mingyuan’s eyes.

Yu Ziqing nodded and said, “That’s right. If you have any truly fine wolf hair brushes, please take them out for a look. We can discuss the price.”

With nearly 70,000 yuan in his pocket, Yu Ziqing finally shook off his past financial embarrassment.

“Our shop does have some truly excellent wolf-hair brushes, but it’s too crowded here. Why don’t we go upstairs? It’ll be quieter up there. I’ll bring them over for you to choose from at your leisure,” Shangguan Mingyuan said with a smile.

“That’s fine too!” Yu Ziqing said calmly, and followed Shangguan Mingyuan upstairs to the second floor.

“May I ask your name, sir?” Shangguan Mingyuan asked casually.

“My name is Yu Ziqing,” Yu Ziqing replied with a smile.

The upstairs room was indeed quiet and elegant, with several landscape paintings hanging appropriately on the walls, and the melodious sound of a guzheng floating like a clear spring.

Shangguan Mingyuan led Yu Ziqing to a bamboo chair by the window, personally brewed him a cup of top-quality Longjing tea, and then said, “Mr. Yu, please wait a moment while I go and fetch some top-quality wolf hair tea.”

Soon, Shangguan Mingyuan personally presented seven antique-style wooden boxes.

Shangguan Mingyuan opened the boxes one by one, and each box contained a wolf-hair brush.

Yu Ziqing glanced at them briefly and couldn’t help but reveal a hint of disappointment. These were all wolf hair brushes, and the workmanship was very fine. If they were used for calligraphy and painting, they would be considered top-quality. However, the quality of the wolf hair still did not meet Yu Ziqing’s minimum requirements.

It should be known that talismans are one of the magical arts of the immortals. When drawing a talisman, one not only needs to be single-minded and have a clear mind, but also needs to use one’s energy to write the talisman and send out magical power to the tip of the brush so that the talisman is attached with magical power. Only by doing this in one go can a talisman be made.

Once cast, a talisman from the immortals can trigger the energy of all things and draw upon the power of heaven and earth. Some truly powerful talismans can move mountains and overturn seas, destroying the world. Those random scribbles on talisman paper by itinerant sorcerers are merely ghostly scribbles and are by no means immortal talismans.

Therefore, the brush used to draw talismans is of utmost importance, because the magic power of the person drawing the talisman must pass through the brush and finally land on the talisman. If the brush is of poor quality, not only will the transfer of magic power be problematic, but the person drawing the talisman will also have to expend a lot of extra magic power.

Previously, Yu Ziqing used a talisman brush made from the tail hair of a ten-thousand-year-old wolf demon, but now he could only make do with ordinary wolf hair, which was still unsatisfactory. If his magical power were high, he could barely use it, but now his magical power is pitifully low, so such a talisman brush cannot draw any real talismans.

Does this mean I have to personally capture the wolf king and make it myself? Yu Ziqing shook his head inwardly.

Shangguan Mingyuan had been secretly observing Yu Ziqing. Seeing the look of disappointment on his face, he said, “Could it be that these still don’t meet Mr. Yu’s standards?”

Upon hearing this, Yu Ziqing raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, “Could it be that Boss Shangguan has some good wolf-hair brushes that he hasn’t brought out yet?”

“I do have a privately treasured piece, which is said to be made from the tail hair of an Arctic wolf king. It’s just at home. If Mr. Yu is interested, I can go back and get it,” Shangguan Mingyuan said.

Yu Ziqing was somewhat tempted upon hearing this, but he knew that Arctic wolves were extremely rare, and Arctic wolf kings were even more extraordinary. He was afraid that his 70,000 yuan would not be enough, especially since this sum was Shangguan Mingyuan’s private collection.

“As long as Mr. Yu is interested, money is not a problem. Consider it me making friends with you,” Shangguan Mingyuan said.

Yu Ziqing was finally moved, staring intently at Shangguan Mingyuan as if trying to see through his internal organs.

For the first time in his life, Shangguan Mingyuan felt uneasy under Yu Ziqing’s gaze, as if that gaze could penetrate the depths of his soul, leaving no escape for his thoughts.

“I can’t accept something for nothing. Here’s what I’ll do: regardless of whether I like your wolf-hair brush or not, I’ll help you get through this difficult time,” Yu Ziqing said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Mingyuan trembled, his eyes flashing with dazzling light, and said in a trembling voice, “Mr. Yu, please wait a moment, I will go home and get it right away.”