Chapter 333

Chapter 333: Blowing Up the Courtyard

Talismans were precious. Other than Lin Jing Xuan, whom Yu Zhi Yi had told him to take special care of, he wasn’t as generous with his other children. He had four children; he gave each of them five Heavenly Thunder Talismans and five Purification Talismans. As for Protective Talismans, since Jiang Liu Bin already had the Defensive Jade Pendant from Yu Zhi Yi, he didn’t get one; the other three each got one.

After finishing the distribution, Jiang Yu Wei put the rest of the talismans into a Spatial Talisman and felt a wave of safety. He wasn’t going to hog them-he just wanted to keep the kids from wasting them before he could plan a proper allocation.

What a good niece, he thought. He’d doubted her and looked down on her before. Shame on him.

Unlike their father’s sighs of emotion, Jiang Liu Ting and Jiang Si Ying thought he had lost his mind. Heavenly Thunder Talisman? Purification Talisman? Protective Talisman? Even a Spatial Talisman? None of it sounded believable. Yet Jiang Liu Shuang and Jiang Liu Bin looked like their brains had been scooped out-they just grinned at the talismans in their hands.

Disapproving, Jiang Liu Ting decided to teach his two foolish brothers a lesson. He randomly pulled out one talisman-he remembered this was called a Purification Talisman, right? It was a bleak winter day, and fallen leaves piled up daily. Without saying he didn’t trust the talismans, he merely said in a calm voice: “I’ve never seen anything this magical. Since everyone’s here, let’s test a Purification Talisman.”

The brothers laughed and said, “All right!” They’d seen their second sister’s skills, but they hadn’t used talismans themselves. They had a few in hand, but talismans were precious! Since big brother was willing to use one to show them, why refuse?

Studying the talisman in his fingers, Jiang Liu Ting carefully recalled his father’s instructions. Pinching it between two fingers, he flicked it forward.

From the corner of his eye, Jiang Liu Bin caught the pattern near the edge of the charm. His face changed and he shouted, “Everyone, back! Back, now!”

Startled by his sudden cry, and trained in martial arts, they all used Lightness Skill and floated back several dozen meters by reflex.

Almost the instant their feet touched down, a terrible sound split the air.

Crack!

Boom-rumble-rumble-

Thick smoke rolled out with the roar. When it cleared, the scene stunned them speechless. The spot where they’d been standing was Jiang Liu Ting’s courtyard-pavilions, walkways, all the trimmings. Now, only ruins remained. The houses, the archway, the corridors-all blasted to bits.

Jiang Liu Ting’s pupils shrank. He couldn’t tell whether he felt more heartache or fear.

Oblivious to his brother’s pain, Jiang Liu Bin was thrilled and said, “As expected of second sister! This Heavenly Thunder Talisman is too strong! If it hit a person, there’d be no chance to live, right?”

Jiang Liu Shuang swallowed hard and said, “Terrifying.”

Jiang Si Ying’s eyes were wide with fear-then relief. She was grateful that, though she’d felt uncomfortable, she’d never schemed against her second sister. Otherwise, if second sister wanted her dead, she wouldn’t even have to stab her. She could just toss a talisman into her room in the middle of the night, and that would be the end. [It’s a good thing I kept my head.]

Stiffly, Jiang Liu Ting looked at Jiang Liu Bin and asked, “What talisman did you say that was?”

“Heavenly Thunder Talisman,” Jiang Liu Bin answered, all innocence.

Jiang Liu Ting pulled out another talisman and asked, “You’re sure this one is a Heavenly Thunder Talisman?”

“Not that one,” Jiang Liu Bin said, firm now.

“?”

“The one you used just now was a Heavenly Thunder Talisman, but the one in your hand now is a Protective Talisman.”

“???” Jiang Liu Ting stared. “These charms all look the same. How can you tell?”

“Who says they’re the same?” Jiang Liu Bin replied, even more confused that they were confused. “Look-here, here, and here. They’re different from the others. And check the Purification Talisman-the strokes are squarer inside.”

Following where he pointed, the others did see tiny differences. But they were small.

When Yu Zhi Yi learned that Jiang Liu Bin could easily tell different talismanic seals apart, she was very surprised. People often joked “like a ghost’s scrawl” about talismans, which showed how strange they looked. Many charms seemed almost the same at first glance, and normal people could hardly tell them apart. That was why, when she handed talismans out, she stored each person’s separately-to prevent mix-ups. She hadn’t expected the most steady, mature-looking one, Jiang Liu Ting, to confuse them, while the seemingly unreliable Jiang Liu Bin was actually very sharp with talismans.

She gave Jiang Liu Bin a long, thoughtful look.

Being stared at like that made Jiang Liu Bin’s scalp tingle. Getting second sister’s attention was nice, sure, but anyone would get nervous if someone looked straight at them for that long. He asked, “Second sister, w-what is it?”

Yu Zhi Yi pressed a brush into his hand, drew a simple, squiggle-like figure on a blank sheet, and said, “Try drawing this.”

Blankly, he took the brush and studied her figure. After a good while, he copied while peeking at her sample. Then he set the brush down and placed his hands on his knees like a well-behaved student, saying, “Second sister, I’m done.”

Yu Zhi Yi looked at the symbol and lifted a brow.

Jiang Liu Bin tensed up at once and asked, “What is it? Is it bad?”

Yu Zhi Yi shook her head and said, “On the contrary-you drew it very well.”

Talismanic Seals and written characters had a lot in common. The difference was that talismanic seals had to be done in one go, and the drawer had to have abundant Spiritual Energy and fine control, so each stroke carried an even flow of power. Regular writing could pause and restart. Still, like characters, talismans were built from components-“radicals,” you could say-but in this world those parts weren’t easy to pick out by eye. Because talismans must be drawn in one continuous motion, their “radicals” often blur together.

What Yu Zhi Yi had him draw was the simplest of those components. Copying the shape wasn’t hard; the hard part was control-keeping every stroke even in force so the Spiritual Energy running through them stayed even too. On that point, Jiang Liu Bin did very well.

She sighed.

Puzzled, Jiang Liu Bin asked, “If I did well, why sigh?”

He’d been happy to hear her praise, thinking maybe he could learn strong skills like hers. But before he could enjoy it, he felt a bucket of cold water dumped over him. A sigh rarely meant good news.

Yu Zhi Yi said, “You have talent for drawing talismans. It’s a pity you’re not from my Mystic Sect. Talismans must rely on Spiritual Energy to work; otherwise, they’re just pieces of paper.”