Lock the door and leave the dormitory.
Originally Chen Yun wanted to go back and continue to ponder over the "Break Enlightenment song".
Suddenly, he remembered that it had been a long time since he had chatted with Li Si and Zhang Qian.
After some contemplation, he walked towards the herb garden.
As soon as he walked in, Chen Yun saw Li Si leading a stranger apprentice to sort herbs.
The thought occurred to him that this unknown apprentice must be someone Master Wang Zhi had recently sought out anew.
Chen Yun stepped over the threshold and greeted proactively, "Master Li."
Hearing the voice, busy Li Si raised his head in a hurry and immediately broke into a smile that was slightly ingratiating, "Ah, Master Chen, what brings you here?"
While speaking, he also pulled over the unfamiliar apprentice and said, "Ji Apprentice, introduce yourself to Master Chen."
The apprentice Ji seemed to be honest and hardworking. He smiled awkwardly and said, "Master Chen."
"Apprentice Ji, hello."
Chen Yun did not show arrogance because he had become a direct disciple, still smiling as before, "Master Li, you've been……"
But Li Si quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't, Master Chen. You mustn't call me 'Master', according to the rules. I should be the one to call you Master."
As he said this, Li Si's tone was filled with sincerity and trepidation.
Originally, Chen Yun wanted to catch up with Li Si, but he never expected the other's attitude to change so drastically, giving him a feeling reminiscent of Lu Xun reuniting with Quanyou after many years.
Lu Xun said, "Brother Yin," but Yin Tu replied with "Master."
Yes, that's the feeling I'm talking about.
Chen Yun felt dazed for a moment. Although the person in front of him was still Li Si, he was no longer the Master Li he remembered.
For a moment, all the words that Chen Yun wanted to say in his heart seemed to be blocked by something, merely circling in his mind, but never able to say them out loud again.
Reluctantly, Chen Yun could only chat with Li Si for a while before taking his leave.
Later, he also went to visit Zhang Gan.
Law weapon Hall.
Zhang Gan was diligently teaching the new apprentice, "……The magic sword, also known as the treasure sword, divine sword, divine edge, Seven Star Sword, cutting demon sword, and so on. For example, the Seven Star Sword is about two feet long and comes in both iron and wood versions... As for the peach wood sword with inscribed talismans on its body, it is often used to expel demons and has great power. Apprentice Yao, have you memorized this?"
That chubby and round Yao Apprentice nodded forcefully, "Huh!"
Chen Yun stood at the door without disturbing, knowing little about the magic weapons. It was only after his master had presented him with a hundred-year-old lightning-struck jujube sword during the ceremony that he took a slight interest.
The hundred-year-old lightning-struck jujube wood sword is officially named the "Jinshan Demon-Slaying Sword."
It is said that before Zhongli Quan gained enlightenment, he used this sword to slay a dragon, and indeed it has tremendous power.
Unfortunately, Chen Yun has not yet cultivated out true qi, and he cannot fully unleash the true power of this magic sword.
Just then, the sound of Zhang Gan's voice reached his ears, "Chen apprentice... brother."
Yao Apprentice's voice also echoed, "I have seen Master Chen."
"Master Zhang, Apprentice Yao." Chen Yun nodded slightly in response to the two.
Zhang Gan did not "correct" Chen Yun's "grammar error" in the same way that Li Si had.
He moved a long bench to the door with enthusiasm, "Master Chen, I only see you during mealtime, and Li Si and I often miss you."
He pointed to the bench and said, "Let's sit down and chat for a while."
However, Zhang Gan did not sit down first.
Chen Yun felt the change in the other, though not as strong as Li Si's. Perhaps Zhang Gan is better at hiding his emotions.
He sat down without a word, smiling warmly, "I also miss Master Zhang very much."
Seeing him sit down, Zhang Gan only seemed to sit casually, but in fact sat down tightly with only half his buttocks.
The two sat there chatting aimlessly.
Mostly, they were talking about the past.
Things like driving ghosts down the mountain.
Or when the group was free and went to play in the mountain waist.
During the conversation, Chen Yun keenly noticed that although Zhang Gan was not as ingratiating and fearful as Li Si, his attitude had also become much more respectful.
This left Chen Yun feeling confused.
The teaching of the Taoist Academy is "Equality for All".
Why is there still that layer of fearful separation between people?
The secular world he could understand. Regardless of modern society or the current world, society always has class differences, and there is a barrier is normal.
But the Taoist philosophy advocates for equality among people. How can it still turn out this way?
After chatting for a while.
Chen Yun looked at the time and stood up, "Master Zhang, I'll be leaving first."
Zhang Gan quickly stood up as well, "Okay, Master Chen, you should come often. I'll be going down the mountain next month. By then, let's have a meal in Xigou City?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yun involuntarily stopped, staring at Zhang Gan with great surprise, "Do you plan to go down the mountain next month?"
As soon as Zhang Gan mentioned it, he couldn't help but smile bitterly and sigh, "I've been at the Taoist Academy for nearly five years, so it's time for me to go down the mountain. My comrades and I are not as talented as Master Chen, and we will inevitably return to secular life." He said this while forcing a smile, "Perhaps going down the mountain is not necessarily a bad thing. Find a wife, have a big healthy son, live a happy life. That's all there is to it."
Chen Yun knew that Zhang Gan was ambitious for immortality, but without Zhongli Quan's approval, no one could officially enter the path.
He didn't know how to console him, so he simply said, "After going down the mountain, remember to always keep in touch with your brother."
"Good." Zhang Gan said seriously, "I'll hold a banquet in Xigou City on the fifth of next month. You must come."
Chen Yun said solemnly, "I will definitely be there."
Leave the Law Weapon Hall.
Chen Yun's heart felt heavy.
Chen Yun hadn't expected that his close friend Zhang Gan, whom he had lived with day and night, was about to leave the mountains.
"Although Zhang Gan's attitude towards me has changed, we are still friends. He is about to leave the mountains soon. Should I do something?"
Chen Yun was thinking while walking towards the inner courtyard.
When he reached the Hall of Alchemy, he suddenly stopped.
That's right!
I can create some magical talismans for Zhang Gan and Li Si!
Although Chen Yun was not good at expressing his inner feelings, he was very loyal and generous.
It is better to give talismans that can save lives than to give gold and jewels.
Although I can draw talismans, I don't know how to give them magical functions.
"I won't be left out. Cai Rugin knows how to do it, doesn't he?"
Chen Yun looked inside and saw Cai Rugin teaching the unfamiliar apprentice how to draw talismans. He walked slowly towards the house.
……
Alchemy Hall.
After entering, Chen Yun greeted him warmly, "Zhang Uncle, what are you doing?"
Unlike Li Si and Zhang Gan, who were never formally apprenticed to Chen Yun, Cai Rugin had been formally inducted into the master's door, so Chen Yun could not violate the seniority relationship and must refer to him as his nephew.
Cai Rugin had long noticed Chen Yun, and earlier had deliberately ignored him while teaching the new apprentice to draw talismans. The main reason was that not long ago, he had given Chen Yun a hard time under the guise of being his personal disciple. Now that Chen Yun was his mentor's uncle, he felt rather ashamed to confront him.
However, since Chen Yun had come to ask for help, Cai Rugin had no choice but to respond.
He looked up, stood up straight, and bowed respectfully, "I have seen Master Chen. I am indeed a bit busy now, teaching Ren apprentice how to draw talismans."
The apprentice Ren also bowed and said, "I have seen Master Chen."
Chen Yun also replied to the other party and turned to Cai Rugin, saying, "I have something I want to ask for advice, do you mind if you can spare a moment to chat with me?"
Cai Rugin said, "Sure."
Said and done, he instructed Ren apprentice to continue reading, and then he reached out a hand, leading Chen Yun out of the house.
Outside.
Cai Rugin asked, "Master Chen, what do you want to do?"
Chen Yun explained the situation, "Zhang Gan is going to leave the mountains next month. We are good friends, and I want to make some talismans for him before he leaves. However, I don't know how to make talismans, so I would like to ask you for guidance."
Upon hearing this, Cai Rugin casually said, "What kind of talismans do you need? I'll help you make them in a while."
Chen Yun shook his head and said, "I want to make them for Zhang Gan personally."
Cai Rugin was surprised and said, "Who makes talismans is not important, why do you have to make them yourself, Master Chen?"
Chen Yun smiled slightly, "Friends are precious. It's better to make the parting gifts personally, showing my sincerity."
Cai Rugin thought about it and realized that Chen Yun was right. However, he soon frowned, "I apologize for being impertinent, but I have noticed that Master Chen does not possess true qi. It may be difficult for you to make talismans."
Chen Yun asked humbly, "What do you mean by that?"
Cai Rugin explained, "You may not know this, but after drawing talismans, they need to be infused with true qi to be effective. Otherwise, they can only be activated by dripping blood during usage, but blood is precious. Who would waste it on talismans? Moreover, the more powerful the talismans are, the more qi they require. For example, the Zhong Kui talisman requires even more qi than human blood to summon the figure of Zhong Kui. As you have not yet cultivated true qi, it is very difficult for you to make talismans."
Oh, so it requires true qi to be infused.
Chen Yun finally understood how talismans would become effective after they were drawn.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "How much true qi does it take to make a calming talisman?"
"It takes a relatively small amount of true qi to make a calming talisman," Cai Rugin recalled carefully for a moment, "I can't describe the exact amount, but it's roughly equivalent to a ninth-level wizard using up all their true qi."
Before, Chen Yun had heard Wang Laoshi talk about different levels of cultivation. He roughly understood what a ninth-level wizard meant.
Some Taoists enter the world and serve in the government as officials. The emperor grants official positions based on the depth of their cultivation.
Generally speaking, the lower-level wizards hold offices of the seventh and sixth ranks, while the middle-level wizards hold the fifth and fourth ranks. The higher-level wizards hold offices of the third rank, and the high-ranking priests hold offices of the second rank. The headmaster is conferred a first-rank title.
Of course, this refers to the stage of refining essence into qi, or to Taoists with equal strength.
However, the ninth level is not included.
It's clear that even the lowest-level wizard realm has not been reached.
Chen Yun estimated that a ninth-level wizard should have just begun to cultivate true qi.
He roughly had an idea of the answer, and asked again, "What about talismans like Disaster-Preventing and Evil-Dispelling Talisman, Health-Restoring and Spring-Returning Talisman, and Safeguarding and Disaster-Removing Talisman?"
Cai Rugin said, "The Disaster-Preventing and Evil-Dispelling Talisman, Safeguarding and Disaster-Removing Talisman, can also be made by a ninth-level wizard in a day. If it's the Health-Restoring and Spring-Returning Talisman… It will probably take an eighth-level wizard."
Chen Yun asked carefully, "About how much true qi is needed to become a ninth-level or eighth-level wizard?"
Cai Rugin smiled and said, "For a normal person, it takes about three months to become a ninth-level wizard and half a year to reach the eighth level. Master Chen, with your excellent aptitude, if your cultivation of refining essence into qi goes smoothly, you may reach the ninth level in a month or so. It takes two to three months to reach the eighth level. As for whether you have reached this level, you can use spiritual vision to see for yourself."
This is the second time Chen Yun has heard of spiritual vision.
The first time was when Wang Laoshi discussed it when he bought it.
He blinked his eyes and said, "How should I practice spiritual vision?"
"It's actually quite simple, but you still need to cultivate true qi," Cai Rugin said helplessly, "Master Chen, why don't you wait until you cultivate true qi before coming to me? At that time, I will give you the secret of spiritual vision?"
Indeed, since he had not yet cultivated true qi, it was all talk.
Chen Yun nodded and said, "Thank you, Cai Uncle. I appreciate your help today."
Cai Rugin said, "No problem. As your uncle, I will share everything I know with you."
After a few more casual conversations, Chen Yun then took his leave from Cai Rugin.
On the way back to the inner courtyard, Chen Yun secretly made up his mind to make sure he quickly understood the cultivation method of refining essence into qi from "The Song of Clarifying Misconceptions" and then raise his cultivation to an eighth-level wizard before Zhang Gan left the mountains, so that he could make him some good talismans.
