"Senior Brother Tian, Junior Brother Shen, are you both dogs in the Chinese zodiac? I've just returned and you've already cornered me." One of them was busily unlocking the door while chuckling at the other two.
The one unlocking the door was Bai Xiaotian, the Junior Brother Shen he referred to naturally was Shen Luo, and that Senior Brother Tian was the same Tian Tiesheng who was assigned by Master Luo two years ago to bring Shen Luo up the mountain.
A fair while after Shen Luo arrived at the mountain, he felt that this person was quite honest and simple, only his personality was a bit too timid. Even though he arrived at the mountain earlier than most of the disciples, he was often teased by Ding Yuan and his group.
Bai Xiaotian and Shen Luo had both helped him out of his encirclements before, and because the three of them were disciples of Luo Shi, their relationships became increasingly close.
"Let's go in first, go in first..." Shen Luo said with a smile.
The two of them urged Bai Xiaotian to open the room, lit the lamp, and then they all took their seats at the circular table in the hall in turns.
Bai Xiaotian placed what he was holding onto the table which turned out to be four oil-paper wraps soaked in oil and three green porcelain pots.
"Oh my, this fragrance… it's from Hongyun Building, isn't it?" Upon seeing the oil-paper wrap on the table, Tian Tiesheng swallowed his saliva.
"Good eye." Bai Xiaotian responded as he unwrapped the oil-paper packages.
There was a layer of lotus leaf wrapped inside the oil-paper. As soon as it was unwrapped, a rich aroma of meat immediately filled the room.
Immediately after, he chuckled and took two green porcelain pots from the table and stored them in a lacquer wooden box at the corner of the bed, leaving only one pot on the table.
Bai Xiaotian loved to drink, which Shen Luo was accustomed to. Tian Tiesheng, on the other hand, was solely focused on the roast goose and braised pork, and didn't say anything.
"Today, Junior Shen has finally made a breakthrough in the Small Transformation Yang Skill, so let's drink to celebrate." Bai Xiaotian filled three porcelain cups, each with a full serving of White Jade Scorch and held up his drink.
"Junior Shen has made a breakthrough? Since when? We brothers should indeed celebrate." Tian Tiesheng was initially surprised by the news but then rejoiced.
"Senior Brother Tian, I just recently made a breakthrough with my Small Transformation Yang Skill. Brother Bai spent two months before mastering this skill, whereas I've spent two whole years, what is there to celebrate!" Shen Luo said with a bitter smile.
Not to mention Bai Xiaotian who was an inner sect disciple, even an average outer sect disciple would have mastered the ten levels of Small Transformation Yang Skill in two years.
"The path to cultivation is long, what difference does it make if we are early or late, we have succeeded in the end. Furthermore, Junior Shen you are a person of great perseverance, your future achievements may not be less than mine." Bai Xiaotian shook his head with an indifferent look.
"Brother Bai is right..." Tian Tiesheng echoed while his eyes never left the roast goose and braised pork, as if he was calculating which to start with first.
Shen Luo heard the words, smiled, and let it go.
Although the path to cultivation is long, if one step is slow then all the steps are slow. Who would say it's that easy? Moreover, his own cultivation is for the purpose of extending his life, how dare he really slow down?
However, all these words, he can't really share them with them.
"Anyway, it's still good news, let's drink this cup first." Bai Xiaotian said with a casual smile.
"Indeed, congratulations Junior Shen!" Tian Tiesheng echoed.
"Thank you, my two Senior Brothers." Shen Luo thanked them then the three of them did a toast and drank together.
The outside moon hung on a western branch, the indoor laughter gradually rose, without realizing it was already late at night.
Being aware of his weak body and average tolerance for alcohol, Shen Luo didn't drink too much. Bai Xiaotian, on the other hand, had a very good tolerance even though he always drinks the most with the pretext of punishing himself and yet showed no signs of drunkenness.
Tian Tiesheng's alcohol tolerance is quite poor. After a few glasses, his face turned red. With his belly full of roast goose and braised pork, he drifted off to sleep on a couch in the side hall with the help of the two of them.
The two of them sat back down at the table in the hall. From the side hall came the sound of Tian Tiesheng's snoring.
Upon hearing the sound, Bai Xiaotian chuckled and took out a stack of yellow papers and three white porcelain bottles from inside his sleeve and placed them onto the table.
"Thank you Brother Bai." Shen Luo clearly knew what he had brought, and quickly thanked him.
"I've brought you the things, and there are some things I need to say to you again." Bai Xiaotian's face was rarely not filled with laughter as he spoke.
"Go ahead." Shen Luo nodded.
"The matter of crafting talismans is related to the rules of the sect, so I cannot say much about it. However, I believe that sincerity brings success, and you, Junior Brother, are persistent, so you might be able to figure it out yourself. It's just that without real Mana, how to activate the talisman you probably wouldn't know, right?" Bai Xiaotian said.
Upon hearing these words, Shen Luo was overjoyed. Knowing that Bai Xiaotian was going to help him, he quickly shook his head.
"The talisman stores spirits and Qi, and it can connect to Heaven and Earth and ghosts and spirits. When using it, you need to ignite the Talisman core with Mana to make the talisman powerful. But if you don't have Mana and want to activate a talisman, you can only use external objects, such as the Yuan Stone." Bai Xiaotian said.
"What is a Yuan Stone?" Shen Luo asked doubtfully. He had never seen this mentioned before in the ancient books.
"It's this."
As he spoke, Bai Xiaotian rummaged around in his pocket a bit and took out a few grey-white jade stones about the size of a pigeon's egg, putting them on the table.
Upon seeing them, Shen Luo noticed that these "jade stones" seemed quite ordinary in material, the surface lacking any gloss and even had a few brown spots upon a closer look. The only unusual thing was that under the light, he could faintly see a small cluster of white gas slowly circulating within.
"Use this to ignite the talisman?" Shen Luo picked one up and asked.
"Of course not just that, it also needs to be combined with one's own Yang Gang Qi to be activated. Now that you've made a breakthrough in the Small Transformation Yang Skill, you should be able to manage it as long as you pay attention to the way to activate." Bai Xiaotian shook his head.
"It also requires Yang Gang Qi..." Shen Luo pondered aloud.
"It's not that surprising, Yang Gang Qi may not be Mana, but for people with plenty of Yang Qi, creating talismans is much easier than for ordinary people. Remember, creating talismans consumes both spirit and Yang Qi. You must not push yourself too hard." Bai Xiaotian reminded him.
"Thank you, Brother Bai for your guidance." Knowing that Bai Xiaotian had told him so much already was being very kind indeed, Shen Luo immediately bowed to thank him.
"What are you thanking for, just pick up the Yuan Stone first…" Bai Xiaotian pointed to the table with his chin.
Shen Luo didn't refuse this time and put the Yuan Stones away, because he knew that without Bai Xiaotian, he would hardly be able to get these things.
"I will repay your great kindness in the future, when I have the chance." Shen Luo stated seriously.
"Alright, if you get the chance, just treat me to a few more meals. The flower wine from Chunhua County town is also good, haha..." After giving serious advice, Bai Xiaotian went back to his usual frolicking manner.
Given that Tian Tiesheng was in no state to leave, Shen Luo had to return to the Quiet Room of Qing Shi Ping alone.
The stone steps amidst the mountains, under the clear moonlight, emitted a hazy white light. The sound of insects could be heard around them, making people feel refreshed. Caressed by the cool nocturnal mountain breeze, Shen Luo's minor inebriation gradually faded.
By the time he returned to the Quiet Room, he didn't feel the least bit sleepy anymore.