Chapter 388: Offensive and Defensive Jade Talisman

Embedding miniature formations into jade pendants was a technique Zhang Xiaohua had already gained some insight into while stranded on the deserted island. On the ship back to the mainland, his understanding deepened further. By the time he returned to Songning Town, he even tried it out, successfully inscribing a basic calming and meditative formation into an old jade pendant. Out of a sense of making amends, he gifted it to Ji Xiaohua’s mother.

However, when Zhang Xiaohua was infusing the jade pendant with the formation in Songning Town, even though it was just the most basic calming array, the world’s Yuan Qi was already scarce. Manipulating the energy with incantations was extremely taxing. He had to carefully balance the energy from yuan stones with his own internal true qi, barely managing to complete the jade pendant. The process drained his true qi so much that his face turned pale from exhaustion.

Now, Zhang Xiaohua intended to embed a much more advanced defensive formation into the jade pendant. He had pondered over this formation many times on his journey back to Pingyang City. Yet, whenever he tried to channel the incantations, he always felt a sense of obstruction; once he reached a certain point, he could go no further, let alone imprint the formation into the jade.

But today, as Zhang Xiaohua performed the incantations, everything felt smooth and natural, as if all previous obstacles had vanished. Sensing this change, Zhang Xiaohua’s heart stirred, but this was no time to overthink. He quickly changed his hand seals, completing the intricate transformations of the formation. Then, with a clear shout, he intoned, “Swift!”

Bringing together the index and middle fingers of his left hand, he channeled his true qi and struck the formation—already completed at his fingertips—into the jade pendant before him. Within his divine sense, he saw the formation compressing, the energy within growing denser and denser, until it shrank to the size of the jade pendant itself. With a crisp “pop”, the formation was embedded into the jade. In that instant, an almost imperceptible radiance flashed across the seemingly ordinary old jade, making it subtly different. While Zhang Xiaohua could sense the change with his spiritual perception, to the naked eye, he could discern nothing at all.

But just as Zhang Xiaohua was feeling satisfied and about to bask in a moment of pride, he suddenly sensed a disturbance in the Yuan Qi within the jade pendant. With a soft “bang”, the jade pendant in his hand instantly crumbled into a pile of fine dust.

Zhang Xiaohua frowned, recalling the process carefully before finally relaxing a bit. He reached into his robe and took out another jade pendant to continue his work. He still had plenty of these jade pieces in his money pouch, all acquired from the treasure vault of West Cui Mountain. Knowing their use, Zhang Xiaohua hadn’t stored them all in a box buried underground, so he didn’t need to be too stingy with their use.

This time, the process of forming the incantations went smoothly again. However, as he imprinted the formation into the jade, Zhang Xiaohua’s expression grew serious. His left hand moved with a curious rhythm—seemingly swift yet actually slow. With another crisp “pop”, the formation was successfully embedded into the jade. This time, though, the jade pendant showed no outward change, save for a subtle deepening of the color within.

Zhang Xiaohua didn’t even need to examine it with his divine sense; he could already feel in his heart that this attempt was a success.

Placing the completed jade talisman on the kang bed, Zhang Xiaohua closed his eyes in thought, pondering why this time the process had gone so smoothly, and why the previous sense of obstruction had suddenly vanished. After a long contemplation, he realized that the greatest stroke of fortune in recent days was having come into contact with the innate formation at Bairen’s birth. Although he hadn’t deliberately studied it, even a brief glimpse had profoundly impacted his understanding of formations. That must be the reason.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but glance at the three hundred and sixty tadpole-like talisman scripts in his Niwan Palace, each flickering with a faint golden light, encircling his Pill Heart like a shimmering fringe. A faint smile appeared on Zhang Xiaohua’s lips—he now had much to ponder and comprehend in the days ahead.

Having found the reason, Zhang Xiaohua opened his eyes and proceeded to craft several more jade talismans from the remaining jade pieces. The saying “practice makes perfect” couldn’t be truer; each subsequent talisman was completed in one smooth motion, with no further failures. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua was delighted, and before he knew it, he had made as many as ten jade talismans in a single sitting.

Seeing that the sky was growing brighter, Zhang Xiaohua was about to put the jade talismans away when a thought struck him. These ten talismans were more than enough for defense, but if he encountered a formidable opponent and lacked a powerful means of counterattack, he would be at a disadvantage. As the saying goes, “The best defense is a good offense.”

With that thought, he immediately acted. After all, it was all part of cultivation. Zhang Xiaohua laid out another ten jade pieces and inscribed into them an offensive formation he had long since memorized. Not long after, ten jade talismans, each tinged with a faint red hue, were refined. Looking at these crimson-tinged talismans, Zhang Xiaohua was puzzled—did the color have something to do with the formation?

However, he had only just finished studying this particular formation and wasn’t proficient in others, so he couldn’t test it further for now.

After carefully storing away the twenty jade talismans, Zhang Xiaohua sat cross-legged, preparing to cultivate the Carefree Heart Sutra. But as soon as he began circulating his energy, he noticed a subtle improvement in his technique. Zhang Xiaohua was overjoyed—could it be that crafting talismans also aided his cultivation?

This was truly a method that killed two birds with one stone.

The next morning, after practicing the Big Dipper Divine Fist in the bamboo grove behind the courtyard, Zhang Xiaohua returned to find Guo Sufei already up and making breakfast. Seeing his mother’s slightly swollen eyes and the bloodshot streaks within them, Zhang Xiaohua felt a pang of guilt. “Mother clearly didn’t sleep well last night. I am truly an unfilial son.”

“But if I can’t find Second Brother, I would be even more unfilial. I hope Mother can understand.”

“When everything settles down, I will make sure to spend more time with Mother and Father.”

“Ah, I almost forgot—I should also help them find some longevity prescriptions. According to the records of Fire Dragon True Person, certain pills can extend one’s life, but although he was knowledgeable, he wasn’t an expert in this field.”

“Cultivating immortal arts can prolong life, but Mother and Father are clearly not suited for it. Even Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law—who knows if they could? I myself have only just begun and don’t yet know how to guide others. This matter will have to wait.”

When Guo Sufei saw Zhang Xiaohua enter the courtyard, she forced a smile and said: “Xiaohua, you’ve been out practicing your fist techniques again?”

Zhang Xiaohua replied respectfully: “Yes, Mother. Just as a song needs constant practice, so too does fistwork—it must be trained regularly.”

Seeing his mother wipe her eyes and return to her chores, Zhang Xiaohua picked up a bucket and said: “Mother, I’ll fetch some water. It’s been a long time since I helped you with the chores.”

Guo Sufei said: “No need, Xiaohua. Take a good rest. Let your elder brother handle this.”

But Zhang Xiaohua wouldn’t hear of it. Grabbing the rope and bucket, he strode out the door.

Because it was winter, the fields were still covered in patches of unmelted snow. In the few days since Zhang Xiaohua’s return, he hadn’t yet gone to visit the farmland that was still registered under his name. This time, taking the opportunity to fetch water, he took a good look.

The fields were now tended by Zhang Xiaolong. Seeing the neatly exposed ridges above the snow and the finely tilled earth within, Zhang Xiaohua could tell at a glance how meticulous his eldest brother was in his farming. With a sigh, Zhang Xiaohua turned and walked down the hillside. Though the fields were in excellent condition, they were destined to have nothing more to do with him.

The snow was deep at the foot of the slope, and the well’s mouth gaped like a black hole. Standing by the well, Zhang Xiaohua hesitated for a moment—how should he handle the water from this well?

If it had been just a few days earlier, he would have set a restriction on the well, ensuring that only the Zhang family could draw water, not letting a single drop fall into others’ hands. But now, Zhang Xiaohua’s mindset had changed. This mountain spring water was sweet and rich in the world’s spiritual energy, nourishing to all—a gift from the heavens. Since it was a gift from above, it shouldn’t belong to any one family alone. If he set a restriction for his family’s exclusive use, how would that be any different from the bullies in Lu Town who seized others’ property for their own benefit?

Moreover, the essence of heaven is to go with the flow. To hoard it selfishly would surely diminish one’s blessings and lifespan. The Zhang family had already produced a talent like Zhang Bairen thanks to this spring water, a blessing for generations—why be greedy for more?

With this thought, Zhang Xiaohua let go of his worries. He drew the water, carried it back to the village with a steady stride, and no longer concerned himself with who drank from the well and who didn’t.

Now, Zhang Xiaohua’s heart was filled with compassion and kindness; his thoughts were all for the greater good. In truth, this was the way of reason and harmony. Dear readers, just imagine—if Zhang Xiaohua had set a restriction on the well so that only the Zhang family could draw water, while others could not, wouldn’t that only draw suspicion and attention? Or if only the Zhang family could even see the well, while it was invisible to others, wouldn’t that be even more conspicuous? Instead, acting with such openness and letting things take their course was the most appropriate way.

As for whether this spring water was truly the key to producing a figure like Zhang Bairen, that was a question no one could answer.

After pouring the well water into the vat, breakfast was already ready. As usual, Zhang Xiaolong took his share next door to eat with Liu Qian, while Zhang Xiaohua ate with his parents inside. Though breakfast was brief, Guo Sufei’s mouth never stopped moving—reminding, instructing, worrying about this and that, giving advice and expressing concern. Zhang Cai could only frown at the endless chatter, but Zhang Xiaohua smiled gently and responded to each word without the slightest impatience, as if this was the tastiest side dish of all.

But in the end, Guo Sufei still couldn’t set her mind at ease. She repeatedly questioned Zhang Xiaohua’s martial skills, afraid that this son she had lost and regained might be lost to her once again.

Zhang Xiaohua could only smile wryly and say: “Mother, you really don’t need to worry. Didn’t you see for yourself how heavy my weapon was the other day? Just think about it—if I hit someone with such a heavy weapon, who wouldn’t be scared? They’d run off long before daring to face me in a fight!”

“Oh, come off it, Xiaohua. Do you think I’ve never listened to storytellers? You try to hit someone, but what if they dodge? And besides, you call that a weapon? It’s just a stone stick!”

Zhang Xiaohua scratched his head and said: “How about this, Mother—I’ll give you a demonstration so you can see my skills for yourself?”

“No need. If you’re not as good as those martial arts masters, what’s the point of showing me?”

At that moment, Zhang Xiaolong walked in.

Zhang Xiaohua grinned and said: “It doesn’t have to be against a martial artist. How about this—let Big Brother tie me up and we’ll see what happens.”

Zhang Xiaolong was startled and exclaimed: “Mother, Xiaohua is still young. If he’s done something wrong, just tell him—why go so far as to tie him up and beat him?”