Chapter 392: The Rabbit Talisman

“Big Brother Ren…”

Nie Qianyu hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but stopped.

Zhang Xiaohua thought for a moment, then said: “Alright, you go ahead and rest. I’ll stand guard at the door.”

With that, he got up and walked to the doorway. His tall, slender figure blocked the sunlight streaming in, casting a long, slanted shadow across the kang bed.

Nie Qianyu blushed, her heart pounding. She curled up on the kang, pulling the quilt over herself—and over that warm shadow as well. A sense of peace settled in her heart.

Before long, the room was filled with the soft sound of her breathing as she drifted into sleep.

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua tiptoed over and gently closed the door, then made his way to the next room.

The black-clad men were targeting Little Orange, the girl whose birthday fell on the seventh day of the seventh month. Nie Qianyu, on the other hand, was in no real danger—she had merely been frightened out of her wits.

“Sigh, what a pitiful child,” Zhang Xiaohua sighed inwardly. “First, she was chased by enemies, and now her own maid has been abducted. She’s been living in constant fear these past days. I wonder how her wrist is holding up? I forgot to ask.”

Back in his small room, Zhang Xiaohua sat cross-legged on the kang. To be honest, he was only trying to comfort Nie Qianyu—he himself felt utterly at a loss. Pingyang City was so vast; where was he supposed to look for Little Orange? What’s more, she had already been missing for ten days—who knew where she might have been taken by now?

But what else could he say?

Sitting cross-legged on the kang, Zhang Xiaohua released his divine sense. By now, his spiritual perception was formidable—he could easily cover the entire city of Pingyang. Yet, just as he had experienced back in Lu Town, even if he could encompass everything, what good would it do? He could see, yes, but he couldn’t possibly keep track of every movement and sound. After all, divine sense was not the same as a true domain!

If only there were some way to place a mark on Little Orange—something that would let him sense her presence no matter where she was. As long as she remained within Pingyang City, all he’d have to do was release his divine sense, and he’d be able to find her instantly. How wonderful that would be!

Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense swept through Pingyang City for a long time, but he found nothing. Helpless, he could only withdraw it.

It was still early, so Zhang Xiaohua closed his eyes and began to cultivate.

The mysteries of the Heavenly Dao were vast and boundless—there was no use in being impatient. Before leaving Guo Village, making jade talismans had given him great inspiration. Since he could both craft talismans and cultivate, why not do both?

However, before he began crafting, there was something even more important: he needed to carefully study the three hundred sixty-five talismanic seals within the golden formation in his Niwan Palace.

The first time Zhang Xiaohua had chosen one of the seals and tried to immerse his divine sense into it, he had been overcome by exhaustion almost immediately and had to withdraw. As a result, he still knew nothing about these three hundred sixty-five talismans.

Now that he finally had some free time, he naturally wanted to continue exploring each seal, hoping to find a breakthrough in his cultivation.

Looking at the three hundred sixty-five talismanic seals—interconnected like tadpoles, fitting together seamlessly—Zhang Xiaohua felt a bit troubled. These “tadpoles” looked almost identical; from their appearance, there was no way to tell them apart. But Zhang Xiaohua knew that they couldn’t possibly be the same—each one must be unique.

Watching the seals drift about, Zhang Xiaohua randomly chose one that had just floated by him and sent his divine sense into it. The moment his mind entered, he felt a wave of exhaustion, but this time, instead of withdrawing, he forced himself to press deeper. The deeper his divine sense penetrated, the stronger the fatigue became, even to the point of a sharp pain. Zhang Xiaohua hesitated, uncertain whether he should continue to endure it.

But at that moment, the talismanic seal erupted in a milky-white radiance, generating an immense suction force that gripped Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense like a vise, as if attempting to devour it whole.

Instead of panicking, Zhang Xiaohua’s heart surged with excitement. His greatest fear had been that the seal would remain inert no matter how he probed it. Yet now, mere moments after contact, it had begun to react. It must require an infusion of divine sense, he realized.

Steeling himself, he carefully regulated the flow of his spiritual consciousness, allowing it to seep gradually into the seal. As his divine sense was absorbed, the talisman’s glow intensified until it burned with a brilliance so fierce that even without physical sight, Zhang Xiaohua felt its dazzling pressure.

When his reserves were nearly depleted, the light reached its zenith.

Unfazed, Zhang Xiaohua retrieved two yuan stones from his robe—one in each palm—and activated the Jade Blood Refines the Pill Heart method. Channeling his meridians’ true qi, he transformed it into heartfire and directed the flames toward his Pill Heart.

Since advancing to the sixth layer of the Carefree Heart Sutra, his divine sense had grown profoundly robust, rendering the Jade Blood Refines the Pill Heart method less effective. He’d neglected it for some time—until now. With his spiritual energy on the brink of exhaustion, this forgotten technique became his lifeline.

True to his instincts, the heartfire ignited his Pill Heart and was instantly siphoned into the blazing talisman. The seal’s radiance flared once more before dimming steadily. As the light receded, the “tadpole” shape began to morph, its true form emerging, though still faint and indistinct.

Emboldened, Zhang Xiaohua accelerated the Carefree Heart Sutra, drawing fresh streams of heaven-and-earth Yuan Qi from the yuan stones into his meridians. The replenished qi fed the heartfire, sustaining its flames as the talisman continued its voracious absorption.

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon—after an entire afternoon of relentless cultivation—the seal’s form finally crystallized. To his astonishment, it resolved into a delicate, whimsical shape: a rabbit!

“What kind of talisman is this?”

Zhang Xiaohua stared in disbelief.

As the rabbit-shaped talisman fully materialized, an immensely complex set of 365 distinct hand seals abruptly flooded his mind. Delving deeper, he realized these were the precise mantras required to activate the rabbit talisman.

Elation surged through him, but before he could study them further, a crushing wave of exhaustion struck—his spirit and body teetered on collapse. Not daring to press further, he withdrew his divine sense, allowing the golden formation in his Niwan Palace to resume its slow rotation around his Pill Heart. Closing his eyes, he began circulating his qi to recover.

Hours later, after several cycles of the Carefree Heart Sutra’s sixth-layer energy coursing through his meridians, his fatigue eased. Yet when he assessed his progress, his cultivation showed no advancement. His divine sense, however, had grown stronger, albeit accompanied by a lingering ache in his mind. Likely backlash from overstraining my Niwan Palace during the talisman’s absorption, he concluded.

Cautious of pushing too hard, Zhang Xiaohua abandoned further study. Outside, dusk had fallen. He wondered if Nie Qianyu had awoken.

Silent as a shadow, he drifted to her door and knocked softly. Only the faint rhythm of her breathing answered—she still slept deeply.

Ten days of terror, Zhang Xiaohua sighed. No wonder she’s exhausted. My presence finally let her drop her guard.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Zhang Xiaohua waited for a while. Then he went to the front of the inn to fetch some thin porridge and a few side dishes. He brought them back. The innkeeper, knowing that his guest had suffered a calamity, feared Zhang Xiaohua might be angered. He accompanied him cautiously, greeting him with a smile. Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t be bothered to explain, simply took the food box and left.

When Zhang Xiaohua placed the food box on the table and lit the lamp, the sudden brightness roused Nie Qianyu from her sleep. Rubbing her drowsy eyes, her face flushed, she asked softly: “Big Brother Ren, have you… been here with me all this time?”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and replied: “No, I went back to my room and slept for a bit myself. I just got up and thought you must be hungry, so I came to wake you for something to eat.”

As he spoke, Nie Qianyu’s stomach let out a loud rumble.

Her face turned even redder.

Zhang Xiaohua opened the lid of the food box and said: “Come, Little Fish, have something to eat first. You can sleep some more afterwards.”

“Mm.” Nie Qianyu nodded. “Brother Ren, you should eat too.”

Zhang Xiaohua replied: “No need, I’ve already eaten. This is for you.”

With that, he moved to serve her the food.

Nie Qianyu wouldn’t hear of it. She hurriedly jumped down from the kang bed, not even bothering to put on her shoes, and rushed over, saying: “Let me do it, Brother Ren. You should rest.”

Zhang Xiaohua laughed: “Just sit, Little Fish. Your wrist probably hasn’t fully healed yet. If you injure it again, you’ll need even more days to recover.”

Nie Qianyu was a little embarrassed. “Then, I’ll trouble you, Brother Ren.”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled without replying. He took out all the side dishes and served the porridge, placing everything on the table. He stood to the side, watching with a gentle smile as Nie Qianyu ate in small, delicate bites.

Nie Qianyu had never eaten so heartily as she did today, finishing the entire small pot of porridge. Setting down her bowl and chopsticks, she said shyly: “Brother Ren, you’ve never seen me eat this much before, have you?”

Zhang Xiaohua replied: “Indeed not. Before, you’d only nibble at your food. Today, you’ve truly opened my eyes—you can eat even more than I can.”

Nie Qianyu gave a soft smile. “There’s much you haven’t seen yet, Brother Ren. You’ll have plenty of chances to broaden your horizons.”

After speaking, she seemed to realize her words were a bit forward and lowered her head slightly.

However, she immediately raised her head and asked: “Brother Ren, is there any news of Little Orange?”

No sooner had she spoken than she laughed at herself: “Oh, right, Brother Ren just said he was resting in his room. I’m just being impatient.”

Zhang Xiaohua replied: “I did ask around outside earlier, but didn’t find any useful leads. I’ll go out again in a while—perhaps there’ll be some clues to be found at night.”

“I see.” Nie Qianyu sounded a bit disappointed. “Then… please be careful. Don’t—don’t let anything happen to you.”

“All right.” Zhang Xiaohua nodded, walked over to the table, and began clearing the dishes. “You should rest some more. You probably haven’t slept well for days. Go lie down—who knows, maybe you’ll see Little Orange tomorrow.”

“Really?” Nie Qianyu perked up, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head and said: “I’m just trying to comfort you. I’m no immortal—how could I find her so quickly?”

“Sigh.” Nie Qianyu let out a long breath. “I can’t help you with anything, so I’ll just sleep.”

“Go ahead and rest. You getting some sleep is already the biggest help you can give me.”

Seeing how blunt Zhang Xiaohua was, Nie Qianyu could only pout and sit back down by the kang.

Zhang Xiaohua picked up the food box and headed out, calling: “Little Fish, remember to bolt the door.”

“I know, just go.” Nie Qianyu replied weakly: “The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back.”