Chapter 172 (2/2)
Master Yan Se laughed as he looked at Ning Que and shook his head. He said, ”Everyone wishes to cultivate taoism via pursuing taoism, via sword skills, via killing and via love. Even the West-Hill Divine Palace was guilty of such thinking, what's more if it's you? What is taoism if what everyone does is equivalent to what ants do in their empire? Yet taoism is something that is intangible, and how does one go about searching for it? Talisman Taoism is actually very simple. Talisman is taoism.”
Talisman is taoism? Ning Que was wondering what it meant, yet he could not understand.
”What is talisman? Taliman is inscription, lines and marks.”
The smile on Master Yan Se's face gradually dissolved, as he looked at Ning Que sternly, ”The mark left by a snake that glided over the sand is a talisman. The veins on a dried leaf is a talisman. The muddy marks left by carriages on the street is a talisman. The veins within the beast's body is a talisman. The mark left by water movement is a talisman. The mark left by wind movement is a talisman.The cracks left on the dehydrated ground is a talisman. The clouds in the blue sky is also a talisman.”
Using the easiest way to explain it in the clearest manner, Ning Que was speechless. According to the way Master Yan Se had explained, all the marks on earth are talismans. This idea was way beyond his own logical state of mind!
After a long silence, he asked slowly, ”Master, does this mean that one just needs to copy all the marks in nature to draw talismans?”
Master Yan Se was slightly taken aback, as he looked at him and laughed, ”That's a painter, not a Talisman Master.”
A few leaves fell as the wind blew, and before they could touch the ground, the wind blew again as they gently flew to the top of the pavilion. They finally landed on the tiles that were drenched by the rainwater, where soft tapping noise was heard.
”The veins with the beasts are talismans, but they can only maintain their lives; the marks left by water movement are talismans, but they can only follow Haotian's order to move from a higher ground to a lower ground. The veins on dry leaves are talismans, but they can only, as what they had always been doing, absorbing nutrients and water for the leaves.”
Master Yan Se calmly added, ”These talismans are known as nature talismans. They are born from nature and disappeared in nature. They coexist with the Qi of Heaven and Earth, just like what every human on this earth is doing right now.”
”Nevertheless, whether humans are pursuing or researching on Talisman Taoism, they have already gone beyond the nature order, which also means that they have gone beyond what is needed to survive. Hence, the true meaning of Talisman Taoism is certainly originated from nature, but it must go higher than nature.”
Ning Que listened quietly. He faintly felt that though the Master was explaining about Talisman Taoism, there were many worthy ideas behind his explanation.
Master Yan Se drank finish the remaining tea in his cup as he looked at him and continued, ”A talisman that originates from nature yet is higher than nature must first go through several stages: Copying, understanding, inducing, simplifying, purifying, and lastly, charming. Talismans are actually lines and marks that humans have learned and extracted from nature talismans for numerous years.”
Ning Que helped the Master to fill the tea to the brim of his cup again before he sat back and inquired, ”Then what is taoism?”
”Taoism is to know.”
”To let who know?”
”To let Qi of Heaven and Earth know.”
Ning Que felt shocked and confused. He asked, ”To let Qi of Heaven and Earth know about what?”
Master Yan Se stared at him and smiled gently as he said, ”To let Qi of Heaven and Earth know what we wish to do?”
”Humans cultivation will never leave the control in Qi of Heaven and Earth. In swordsmans.h.i.+p, psyche power is used to control Qi of Heaven and Earth to remotely control the flying sword, but it is rather indirect. Though a Psyche Master can directly control Qi of Heaven and Earth to attack the enemy, but it is too simple that it can only attack the opponent's pool of knowledge.”
”Only talisman taoism that is in between the two, yet its state is much higher than both. That's because the ultimate goal in talisman taoism is to let Qi of Heaven and Earth know what you want to do, so that Qi of Heaven and Earth can help you to achieve it.”
”Qi of Heaven and Earth has no eyes nor ears, so it will never know what kind of weird thinkings you have on your mind. It will never possibly know that you wish to freeze the raindrops into millions of sharp knives, then how do you let it know what you want?”
”Talisman then comes into play as a bridge between human psych power and Qi of Heaven and Earth. A Talisman Master will use the psych power to freeze the Qi of Heaven and Earth within the lines n marks. With a shot, it will react with the surrounding Qi of Heaven and Earth, which allows one to control the surrounding nature.”
Ning Que indistinctly captured the essence of the question.
Yan Se watched the expression on his face and asked, ”You seem to have understood something.”
”I've heard from a friend in the past that the Ocean of Qi and Mountain of Snow within a human body is like an instrument. The psyche power is like the air. Only when the air is blown into the instrument, will there be beautiful melody. That's when Qi of Heaven and Earth can listen and understand.”
Ning Que stared at Master Yan Se and added, ”Listening to Master's explanation makes me wonder. Since Talisman Taoism is about using talisman to tell Qi of Heaven and Earth what you want, then can we say that talisman is equivalent to the Ocean of Qi and Mountain of Snow in our body?”
”Your friend's state is very high, for his way of describing is very special.”
Master Yan Se gazed at Ning Que as he smiled and said, ”Of course, you are teachable as well. The acupoints for your Ocean of Qi and Mountain of Snow are too little in your body, so no matter it's swordsmans.h.i.+p cultivation or others, it would be very troublesome for you. Talisman Taoism is different. As long as you can perceive Qi of Heaven and Earth, be aware of the small differences in your surrounding, and using talisman to write down and understand it, you will be successful.”
Ning Que was puzzled. He questioned, ”Since for thousands of years, Talisman Masters have been continuously learning how to record the nature talismans, then isn't there a readily-made talisman? If there is, then does this mean that without perceiving the movement in Qi of Heaven and Earth, one can still practice Talisman Taoism?”
Master Yan Se started smiling as he gently brushed his beard and asked, ”Are there any two completely identical leaves in this world?”
Ning Que thought in his heart, if you ask me about egg, I will really suspect if I am Da Vinci. He then replied, ”No.”
”Then are there any two completed identical humans in this world?”
”Of course not.”
”If that's the case, you can never be me. Your psych power can never be identical to my psych power. Then why would writing two identical talismans enables the Qi of Heaven and Earth to know they mean the same?”
Ning Que completely did not understand.
Master Yan Se looked at him and said calmly, ”For Talisman Masters, our psych powers are like endless different vocabularies and talismans are the ways these vocabularies are grouped. The difference is that I am someone from Chang'an who speaks formally, whereas you are someone from Northern Sea who speaks Martians language. Even if we put our own vocabularies into the same grouping, it is still impossible to create two completely identical essays.”
”There are more than ten different types of languages in the world, and every Talisman Master's psych power is in a completely different language. I did a composition and the Qi of Heaven and Earth can understand the generosity and agitated feelings in it. You, too, did a composition, yet the Qi of Heaven and Earth was lost and unable to understand it. It will start to wonder why the beginning contradicted with the back, and what exactly does the person wish to say?”
Ning Que finally understood what he meant as he bowed towards Master Yan Se to express his deep grat.i.tude.
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