The Lord of Void and Real

54  Chapter 53 'Treasure-hunting Talisman Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Shen Luo shook his head, temporarily setting aside his rampant thoughts, and rose to order a meal at the door.

Shortly afterward, Xiao San came in with a tray topped with a meal of two kinds of meat and two kinds of vegetables.

Shen Luo, who was already hungry, immediately started eating, quickly finishing all the dishes.

When Shen Luo was done eating and Xiao San started to clear the dishes to leave, he was stopped by Shen Luo:

"Wait, young man, are you a local from Song Fan County? Are you familiar with the conditions in the city?"

"I am from the nearby Xu Family Village, but I often go into the city to make purchases. I am quite familiar with the city. Is there something you need, young master?" Xiao San asked respectfully.

"Do you know where I can buy yellow talisman paper and cinnabar in the city?" Shen Luo asked.

"Yellow talisman paper and cinnabar? We have both of these items in our store." Xiao San thought for a moment, then said.

"These two items are not commonly used, does the store really stock them?" Shen Luo asked with some disbelief.

"It's fortunate that just last month, our manager had invited a Daoist priest to perform a ceremony in our store for blessing and attracting wealth. There's a lot of leftover talisman paper and cinnabar piled up in the backyard. If the young master needs it, I can ask the manager for some?" Xiao San said with a smile.

"If that's the case, then I'll have to trouble you." Shen Luo said. He then took out a small piece of crushed silver to give to him as a reward.

"Thank you, young master. Besides talisman paper and cinnabar, is there anything else I can find for you? This small piece of silver is worth two to three taels, equivalent to my salary for three or four months." Xiao San replied with great joy.

"Had you not mentioned it, I would have forgotten. Could you also find me some fresh black dog blood and a set of writing materials like brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Oh, and some tung oil." Shen Luo said after a slight pause.

"There is a slaughterhouse in the town that provides dog blood. The nearby grocery store sells tung oil, and our store has writing materials. Please wait for a moment, I will bring these for you right away." Xiao San said and left in a hurry.

Half an hour later, he came back, holding a tray with Shen Luo's items.

Upon checking and confirming that the items were correct, Shen Luo dismissed Xiao San and immediately began trying to draw the Small Thunder Talisman, which had the "Treasure Hunting" ability.

He picked up the brush, dipped it in the talisman ink but didn't immediately start drawing as he appeared to be deep in thought.

Although he had mastered the method of drawing the Small Thunder Talisman, he had drawn it half-heartedly when he found it on the jade pillow. Now, trying to create it again was not easy.

He tried to remember the circumstances under which he drew the treasure hunting Small Thunder Talisman, but a lot of time had passed since then and many things had happened. He struggled to recall, but could only remember thirty to forty percent of the process.

Shen Luo went over this thirty to forty percent of the memory a few times and then started to try to draw it.

For the parts he couldn't remember, he tried his best to imitate the previous technique.

…

After an unknown length of time, a thick stack of "Small Thunder Talismans" appeared on the table in front of Shen Luo.

"This much should be enough. There should be at least one that works." Shen Luo murmured to himself.

He then began to soak each treasure hunting talisman in tung oil. The talismans were quickly soaked in the oil.

Shen Luo skimmed out the talismans one by one. After wiping off the surface oil stains and carefully drying them by the lamp flame, he made a stack of oiled talismans.

He then put one of the oil talismans into a basin full of clear water. The talisman did not become wet and soft, and the runes on it remained as vivid as before.

Shen Luo planned to go treasure hunting in the river the next day. To prevent the talisman from being damaged by water, he thought of this method.

When he was at home, he once saw a servant using tung oil to make waterproof paper. He imitated this method, and it turned out to be effective.

He took out the three Small Thunder Talismans he had on him and treated them in the same way.

Having completed his preparation, Shen Luo was extremely tired. He dozed off and was soon fast asleep.

When he woke up, the sky outside was already bright. Sunlight came in through the window, cutting golden lines in the room.

Shen Luo got up and opened the window. The sky was as blue and tranquil as a clear mirror, occasionally adorned with a few scattered, pure white clouds. It seemed that today would be a fine day.

After quickly freshening up, instead of setting off immediately, Shen Luo picked up his brush and began to write a letter.

A few days ago, he had received a letter from home at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. However, he had been too occupied with various matters recently and had forgotten to reply. The encounter with Liu Baichuan yesterday reminded him.

My dear father, upon receiving your letter:

I have been doing well at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. My cultivation is also quite smooth and my physical condition has greatly improved; I am no longer as weak as before.

How are things at home? How are Second Mother, Second Brother, and Little Sister?

In the previous letter from father, you mentioned about the epidemic in the Niu Yue town west of the city. It's most probably due to the flu. After careful deliberation over the past few days, based on the Lotus Flower Clearing Fever soup from ancient times, I came up with a prescription. A medicine made from lotus, ephedra, almond, patchouli, rhodiola, mint, and licorice should have some relieving effects. The specific dosages will be mentioned at the end of the letter.

Shen Luo then wrote about his experiences at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion but did not mention his current illness to prevent his family from worrying.

While writing, he detailed the formula of the "Lotus Flower Clearing Fever Soup," dried the ink, and put the letter away.

Since Shen Luo was eager to go treasure hunting, he got up and went to the inn lobby after finishing this task.

"Master Shen, are you planning to set off so early?" Manager Hou saw Shen Luo walking towards him with his bundle and immediately greeted him enthusiastically.

"Manager Hou, this was yesterday's room charge, and Doctor Liu's consultation fee. I forgot about it in a rush yesterday. Please help me pass it on to them." As Shen Luo was saying that, he took out two pieces of crushed silver and placed them on the counter.

"It's just one night's stay, it doesn't take that much." Hou, the inn manager, waved his hands repeatedly.

"I fell ill yesterday and it was thanks to you that I could quickly recover. The extra is a token of my gratitude." Shen Luo cupped his hands in a salute and walked swiftly towards the outside without waiting for Manager Hou's response.

Manager Hou raised his hand, seeming to want to say something, but upon seeing the slightly anxious expression on Shen Luo's face, he swallowed his words.

Outside the inn, Xiao San had already brought the horse over. Shen Luo swiftly mounted the horse and urged it to leave quickly.