With virtue

A calm mind is required when drawing talismans.

Not only in drawing talismans, but also in most Taoist practices, a calm mind is required.

A seven-character poem reads: "The mind of Tao is as still as a mountain hiding jade, the taste of books is as pure as water nourishing fish." Cultivation is always based on a calm and composed mind, and its effect is achieved by forgetting the mind and concentrating the breath.

However, achieving true inner peace is actually an extremely difficult thing.

Many people, even when meditating and trying to calm their minds, think they have calmed down, but in reality they are just drowsy and sleepy, and can't be said to have calmed down at all.

The matter of drawing talismans these past two days has actually been quite complicated.

Zhao Yunshu was only seventeen or eighteen years old, a time when he was full of vigor and vitality. In the past few days, he had encountered a series of major events. These matters were intertwined and weighed heavily on his mind. How could he calm down?

Yesterday, he spread out yellow paper, ground cinnabar, and drew only two talismans before his mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts. One moment he thought of Mei San Niang's origins, the next he thought of the ghost general talking about his connection with Yuntai Temple, and then he thought of Monk Yuanmeng. As a result, the cinnabar talisman he drew became crooked, and the whole talisman was ruined.

He drew another one, and it was ruined again. After struggling like this for half a day, he had crumpled up a pile of waste paper, but he had only managed to draw a barely passable amulet, which was far inferior to the quality he had achieved when the old Taoist priest was alive.

Wasting money is a small matter... actually it's not a small matter, but that's something you'll regret later. The key is that if you really take this kind of talisman to venture into the demon cave, you'll probably mess things up and stumble at the crucial moment.

A day earlier, he was worrying about this matter when he happened to hear the sound of a pipa playing outside the inn.

The pipa's lingering notes, like fine raindrops, were melodious.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yunshu felt his distracting thoughts vanish and his mind calm down. So he simply put down his pen, pushed open the door, and followed the sound of the pipa downstairs, where he found the woman playing the pipa in a corner of the hall.

Without any pretense, he immediately stepped forward, bowed, asked for the name, and explained the hiring matter.

Liu Qimei was a straightforward person. Seeing that the Taoist priest was generous and that he was only good at playing the pipa and had no unreasonable requests, she readily agreed.

The first time they collaborated, Zhao Yunshu spread out yellow paper, ground ink, and mixed cinnabar in the room. Seventh Sister then sat at the door with her pipa and played two tunes. The door was wide open, and the windows were also open. Guests coming and going in the hall could hear the pipa music. Some curious people peeked out and saw the Taoist priest seriously drawing talismans and the woman seriously playing the pipa. The two were about ten feet apart, each doing their own thing, so it was not appropriate to gossip.

As expected, amidst the sound of the pipa, Zhao Yunshu gradually calmed down, and the talismans he wrote returned to their former level.

The day's collaboration was very fruitful, so on the second day, Zhao Yunshu prepared to continue looking for her and prepared breakfast for seven or eight people.

Seeing that the other party had responded again, the young Taoist priest placed the steaming hot breakfast on the small table beside her and said with a smile, "Haven't eaten yet? Eat while you wait, no rush."

Liu Qimei blushed slightly and said in a low voice, somewhat embarrassed, "Daoist Master already spent a lot of money yesterday, and today you bought so much food. How can I possibly accept this?"

Zhao Yunshu placed the lotus leaf package on the small table next to her and said with a smile, "It's no trouble at all. Your pipa will be very useful to me. Just accept it and play it with all your heart."

She responded softly, carefully gathered the lotus leaf packets together, but didn't rush to eat them. Instead, she tied them tightly with hemp rope, then bowed to Zhao Yunshu and said, "Please wait a moment, Daoist Master. I'll be right back."

After saying that, he picked up the several large bags of food and walked briskly out of the inn.

The young Taoist knew what she was going to do, but he wasn't in a hurry; he simply sat and waited.

When Liu Qimei went out, she saw a boy of about ten years old squatting outside the inn. He was wearing clothes with several patches on them and his hair was tied up messily at the back of his head.

This kind of attire was not uncommon in Dingzhou City. Many idlers had no livelihood, no land or other means of making a living, so they would gather at various restaurants or the gates of wealthy families. They would wait for someone to call them and then go up to them. After receiving money from the people, they would help them buy things, deliver food, or transport goods. In short, they would do some physical labor in exchange for a day's worth of food.

It's rare to see such young idlers. It's not that there are few children who don't have enough to eat, but rather that they can't outrun adults, so few people are willing to let their children run for them. Their legs are short, their stamina is insufficient, and they are not agile enough.

Leaving aside these idle chatter, the child, upon seeing Liu Qimei emerge, immediately sprang to his feet and called out, "Sister!"

Liu Qimei quickly stepped forward, stuffed the breakfast in her hands into the boy's arms, and said, "Take this back and share it with everyone. Eat the porridge and soup noodles while they're hot. It's okay if the fried dough sticks get cold; you can reheat them at noon. There's a banquet tonight where they specifically asked me to play, so maybe I can bring back some leftovers. You all wait in the yard and don't run around."

"Okay!" The boy nodded, carrying a pile of lotus leaf buns taller than his head in his arms, but still managed to free one hand to pick out a portion from the pile of food, stuff it back into Liu Qimei's hand without saying a word, and without waiting for Liu Qimei's reply, he turned and ran away in a flash.

Yes, that's why Zhao Yunshu bought so many breakfasts.

He had been staying in Dingzhou for a few days, and in his spare time he had chatted with the innkeeper, casually asking about Liu Qimei's family background. This question, however, gave him quite a shock.

Liu Qimei came from out of town. She was said to be the seventh child in her family, but logically she should be the youngest.

But after getting to know them, I realized that the elderly couple in the Liu family were not so good at having children, or if there was some other reason, but they had a total of seventeen children!

During festivals and holidays, you can see Seventh Sister leading a group of children to the City God Temple market, with a long line of children following behind!

Now, the first six are nowhere to be found, leaving only the last eleven. Liu Qimei is the eldest, with a total of ten younger brothers and sisters below her!

When Zhao Yunshu first heard about it, her jaw dropped in astonishment—seventeen! Even if Liu's mother had a body of iron, she couldn't have given birth to so many! Could it be that the pigs had become spirits?

But these words could never be spoken aloud, and besides, it had nothing to do with him.

Liu Qimei supported her entire family with just a pipa, and even managed to feed her younger siblings. This sense of responsibility is something many men cannot match.

As for the children's origins, he didn't ask since they didn't tell him; he simply offered them a few more breakfasts.

After a short while, Liu Qimei had eaten the buns wrapped in lotus leaves, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, picked up her pipa, tried out a few notes, and then walked back to Zhao Yunshu's side.

But then she asked, "Master, shall we play the same two pieces as yesterday, or perhaps some new ones?"

Zhao Yunshu then said, "It doesn't matter what piece you play, just pick the one you're best at."

After saying this, he spread out the banknotes and prepared to draw a talisman.

Once the talisman was drawn and everything was prepared, he set off for the deserted village!