Chapter 389: The Power of the Jade Talisman

Zhang Xiaohua rolled his eyes and said: “What are you talking about? Big Brother, am I really so bad that Mother would have to string me up?”

After Zhang Xiaohua explained, Zhang Xiaolong finally understood. He found a rope in the corner and tied up Zhang Xiaohua’s hands and feet tightly. You have to admit, Zhang Xiaolong was quite skilled—he bound Zhang Xiaohua so securely that he couldn’t move an inch.

Guo Sufei, standing by, felt sorry for him and kept urging: “Be gentle, loosen it a bit.”

Once Zhang Xiaolong finished tying him up, Zhang Xiaohua grinned and said: “Mother, what do you think? Is this tight enough?”

Guo Sufei quickly nodded: “Yes, yes, it’s tight.”

Before Guo Sufei could finish nodding, Zhang Xiaohua gave a slight effort with his hands and feet. With two crisp snaps, the ropes Zhang Xiaolong had painstakingly tied around him broke apart like withered grass. Zhang Xiaohua sprang to his feet and said: “How about that? Mother, even if someone captures me, I can still escape, right?”

Guo Sufei was dumbfounded. She knew her son was strong, but she hadn’t expected it to be this astonishing.

Still, she was unconvinced and said: “But if someone catches you, they’ll definitely throw you in a jail cell. What good will it do if your ropes break then?”

Zhang Xiaohua rubbed his nose and said: “If that’s the case, Mother, let me show you another trick.”

With that, he led the three of them into the main room. He had Zhang Xiaolong fetch another rope and tie him up again. This time, Zhang Xiaolong was crafty—knowing Zhang Xiaohua could easily break free, he didn’t bother tying him too tightly.

Once his brother finished, Zhang Xiaohua said: “Mother, Father, Big Brother, let’s pretend this is a villain’s prison. Lock the door and go outside. Watch how I escape.”

Zhang Xiaolong glanced at his parents. Though the three of them didn’t quite understand, they still did as Zhang Xiaohua asked, locking the door and standing in the courtyard, their eyes fixed on the window, curious to see how he’d get out.

But after a while, there was still no movement at the window. Zhang Xiaolong laughed: “Father, Mother, looks like Xiaohua’s trick failed this time. Good thing I didn’t bother tying him too tightly.”

Just then, a laugh came from behind them. Someone said: “Who says I failed? I’ve been standing behind you for quite a while now.”

The three of them were shocked. Turning around, wasn’t it Zhang Xiaohua standing there, smiling brightly?

Zhang Xiaolong was shocked. He rushed over, looking Zhang Xiaohua up and down, reaching out to pat him on both sides, and asked: “Are you really Xiaohua? How did you get back from outside?”

Then he turned to his mother and said: “Mother, I don’t remember having a twin brother.”

Zhang Xiaohua laughed: “Big Brother, are you teasing me? Since when did you become so humorous? I’m the same Xiaohua who was just inside the room!”

Guo Sufei was skeptical as well. She pushed open the door to the main room, only to find nothing left but several broken pieces of rope.

Looking around, Zhang Xiaolong chuckled: “Looks like Xiaohua escaped through the window in the back wall. But wait, that can’t be right—the window is still perfectly sealed, not a bit broken. Xiaohua, just how did you get out?”

Seeing the confusion on his parents’ faces, Zhang Xiaohua explained: “This is a kind of escape technique I learned from the Piaomiao Sect. It lets me slip away unnoticed when others aren’t paying attention—very useful.”

“I see.” Guo Sufei and the others finally understood somewhat.

Since Zhang Xiaohua could escape even when bound hand and foot, Guo Sufei truly had no more objections. Even if Xiaohua couldn’t defeat his enemies and couldn’t escape immediately, even if he were captured, he’d still be able to get away safely. She really had no reason to keep him at home any longer.

Of course, the bloody means of the martial world were far more than this, and such things were beyond Guo Sufei’s comprehension. Zhang Xiaohua used this simple earth escape technique to reassure his mother, just to put her mind at ease.

Seeing his mother finally relent, a smile appeared on Zhang Xiaohua’s face. Then, he took out ten jade talismans from his robe and said: “Mother, Father, Big Brother, these are some strange items I found on the deserted island. They’re said to protect people. Find some cords and wear them on your person.”

Zhang Cai reached out to take one, examining it from all sides. “Xiaohua, this jade piece looks pretty valuable, doesn’t it?”

Zhang Xiaohua gave a wry smile. “Father, whether it’s valuable or not, you must never sell it. These can save your life.”

“What?” Zhang Xiaolong nearly cried out. “This worthless trinket can save a life? I still think it’d be better to pawn it.”

Guo Sufei was displeased. “Look at you two, old and young alike, always thinking about money! Listen to Xiaohua.”

Zhang Xiaohua laughed. “Mother always understands me best.”

“But can it really save a life?” Guo Sufei asked, still uncertain.

Zhang Xiaohua hung one of the jade pendants around his neck and smiled. “Big Brother, take that hoe and hit me with all your strength.”

“No way! Absolutely not!”

 Before Zhang Xiaohua could finish, Guo Sufei immediately objected.

“Alright, how about this then, Big Brother? I’ll put the jade piece on the ground. You take the hoe and strike it as hard as you can. How about that?”

“No need, Xiaohua. No matter what, this piece of jade is worth a few taels of silver. What a waste if it breaks.”

Zhang Cai was unhappy with that, glaring at Zhang Xiaolong. “Just a few taels of silver, and you’re hesitating? Xiaolong?”

“Oh? Right, Father, I’ll listen to you.”

With that, Zhang Xiaolong picked up a jade talisman, tossed it to the ground, and fetched the hoe. Gathering all his strength, he brought it down hard. As soon as the hoe touched the jade pendant, it was as if it had struck a ball of cotton—it sank in, but no matter how much force he used, there was always a gap between the hoe and the jade, and he simply couldn’t make contact.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaolong exclaimed: “Interesting, very interesting!”

“But Xiaohua, if you wear this, and someone attacks you, they won’t aim for the jade talisman specifically, will they?”

“No worries, Father. As long as you wear it, the jade talisman will protect your entire body from any blow above a certain force. If you don’t believe me, I’ll put the jade pendant on Huanhuan, and you can try hitting her with a wooden stick.”

Sure enough, when the pendant was placed on the Sibu Xiang, Zhang Xiaolong took a wooden stick and tried to hit Huanhuan’s rump. Each time he swung with force, it was as if an invisible barrier blocked the blow—no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn’t land a hit.

Zhang Xiaolong was overjoyed and quickly snatched one of the talismans. “This thing is amazing! With it, my wife will never be able to pinch me again! Hahaha!”

Zhang Xiaohua chuckled and handed the remaining nine jade talismans to Guo Sufei. “Mother, let’s have one for each family member, and keep the rest as spares. These talismans don’t last forever—after a few uses, they might lose their power.”

“Alright,” Guo Sufei agreed, carefully putting them away. “I’ll find some silk cords later so we can all wear them.”

Seeing his mother had put the talismans away, Zhang Xiaohua took out ten more pale red jade talismans from his robe. Before he could say anything, Zhang Xiaolong called out: “Xiaohua, what are these? They’re different from the last ones, right?”

“That’s right, Big Brother, you’re absolutely correct. The previous ones are for protection, but these…”

Zhang Cai interjected: “Are these for attacking?”

Zhang Xiaohua laughed. “Father, you’re truly clever. No wonder all three of us brothers are so smart—it must run in the family!”

Guo Sufei smiled. “Stop flattering your father. Last night, he couldn’t stop praising you, all because you know how to sweet-talk.”

Zhang Xiaohua grinned. “Father’s good, Mother’s good, haha. Just wait a moment.”

With that, Zhang Xiaohua went outside the courtyard and hauled in a massive stone, about the size of their dining table. Only someone with Zhang Xiaohua’s strength could manage it; if it were up to Zhang Xiaolong, it would take five men.

Seeing him drag in such a huge rock, the three of them were puzzled—what did this have to do with attacking?

Once the stone was placed in the middle of the courtyard, Zhang Xiaohua said: “Father, Mother, Big Brother, stand behind me and watch how I use this jade talisman.”

The three dared not be careless, and all stood behind Zhang Xiaohua. They watched as Zhang Xiaohua picked up a jade talisman and, with a flick of his wrist, hurled it forcefully at the large stone. With a crisp “crack”, the talisman shattered, releasing a streak of red light—a ball of crimson flame. But this was no ordinary fire like what the Zhang family had seen before. When the flame touched the stone, it actually began to burn. In the time it took to finish a cup of tea, more than half of that massive stone had been reduced to ashes.

Such a miraculous sight left the three of them utterly dumbfounded. After all, this was the first time they had ever seen a flame capable of burning through solid rock.

Zhang Xiaohua turned and handed the remaining talismans over. Zhang Xiaolong reached out but hesitated, a bit afraid, and asked: “Xiaohua, isn’t this thing a bit too dangerous? What if we’re carrying it, trip, and fall right on top of it—wouldn’t we end up burning ourselves to death?”

Zhang Xiaohua laughed, then casually tossed another talisman onto the stone. This time it didn’t break. Zhang Xiaohua picked it up and slipped it back into his robe, smiling: “You need to throw the talisman with all your strength for it to activate. If you’re even a little weak, it won’t break. Besides, if you’re wearing the protective talisman from before, even if the two talismans collided, it would be mutually neutralized—there’s no danger.”

“Ah, I see!” Only then did Zhang Xiaolong dare to take the remaining talismans, examining them closely. “Xiaohua, this is a real weapon—far more effective than any blade or sword. Do you have more? Give me a few extra.”

Zhang Xiaohua was struck by the thought—why hadn’t he considered that before?

He smiled: “There are a few more. I’ll give them to you later. But, Big Brother, don’t use these for anything evil.”

Zhang Xiaolong laughed: “And to think you and I look exactly alike, yet you thought of it while I didn’t!”

Zhang Xiaohua handed the rest of the talismans to Guo Sufei.

Guo Sufei took them, a bit reluctant, and said: “Xiaohua, you’ve given us all your things—when are you planning to leave?”

Zhang Xiaohua glanced at the clouds in the sky and said: “Mother, the sooner the better. If possible, I’ll leave tomorrow. What do you think?”

“Sigh, tomorrow is only the eighteenth of the first lunar month—we haven’t even left the New Year yet. You came back on the ninth, and it’s only been nine days, and now you’re leaving again?”

Hearing the word “nine”, Zhang Xiaohua’s heart stirred, and he smiled: “Mother, it’s all the more reason I should leave tomorrow. Nine is a very auspicious number.”