## AST 416 - Golden Pages "Heavenly Talisman", Saving Lin Zhanhan

Late in the morning, two beast carriages sent everyone from Qing Clan together with the new year goods back towards Qing Village. This time around, Qing He was left to take care of the place in Hundred Miles City.

In the late afternoon, they arrived at Qing Village. While Qing Village was only over a hundred miles away from Hundred Miles City, it was hard to travel on the mountainous paths. In addition, they were not in a rush, therefore they walked and chatted, eventually taking about 6 hours.

Qing Village was still like how it was back then. Qing Village could hear the children's voices from afar, and the faint smell of gunpowder after the firecrackers had gone off. This made Qing Shui thought of how the countryside seemed to celebrate the new year more, as well as earlier and longer.

When he saw Qing Clan from afar, Qing Shui could already see his Grandpa and "Grandpa Lin" playing chess at the stone slab at Qing Clan's entrance. The sunset casted very long shadows.

Hearing motions, when the two old elders saw that it was the members of the Qing Clan, they happily kept their chessboard away.

Many of the young kids from the village also ran towards them.

Qing Yi took out a bag of candies from the goods and distributed to them.

The children who got the candies ran away happily. Those who were more polite even managed to say, "Thank you, aunty."

Qing Clan's members headed towards Qing Village together with Qing Luo and Lin Zhanhan, all of them with smiles on their faces. Lin Zhanhan's gaze kept landing on Qing Clan as a satisfied smile hung up on his face.

The older one got, the more one did not feel much about celebrating the new year. After paying respects to the gods and to the ancestors, the events were mostly over. Qing Shui even planned to head back to Heavenly Palace.

Qing Shui had already passed Qingqing the martial techniques, as well as the medicinal pills he had prepared for her. However, when he had bidden farewell to his Grandpa, Qing Luo told him to go look for Lin Zhanhan.

Qing Shui nodded and headed towards Lin Zhanhan's residence. Qing Shui felt that his Grandpa's expression seemed to be a little weird, but he did not say anything.

Since he was young, Qing Clan had felt that this "Grandpa Lin" from Qing Clan's library had a distinguished spirit to him. No matter how he was dressed, and no matter how much he tried to act like an old man from the countryside, in Qing Shui's eyes, there was an arrogance coming from deep within his bones.

Bang bang bang!

"Come in!" Lin Zhanhan's familiar voice came from inside the room.

Qing Shui pushed in the door and entered.

"Grandpa Lin!"

Everyone from Qing Clan's three generations liked this kind-looking old man. Lin Zhanhan appeared closer to the members from Qing Clan's three generations, even more so than Qing Luo.

"Qing Shui, you've come!" Lin Zhanhan said happily after he saw Qing Shui.

"Grandpa Lin, I'm leaving Qing Clan and will be heading back to the Heavenly Palace. I'm here to bid you farewell." Qing Shui smiled and said.

"Mmm, it's time to go back. Heavenly Palace is considered a top notch sect in Greencloud Continent. It's a pity that they can only save their own skin now. If it carries on like this, they'd probably be wiped out by others. But your appearance has changed Heavenly Palace's future." Lin Zhanhan smiled and said casually.

But when Qing Shui heard these words, he had a different feeling to them. Qing Shui felt that the chances that "Grandpa Lin" was no ordinary character was even higher now.

Qing Shui did not say anything. He knew that Grandpa Lin will continue with his words.

"Qing Shui, the world of the nine continents is very vast. While Greencloud Continent is one of the nine continents, not only is it far away from the rest, but it’s also located on the most barren land. Most importantly, the strongest few sects and clans in Greencloud Continent would not be considered much if placed in the bigger world out there." Lin Zhanhan smiled and said as he looked at Qing Shui.

"Grandpa Lin, is it true that Greencloud Continent really has no Martial Saint level cultivators? Are there Martial Saint level cultivators in the sects outside?" Qing Shui asked doubtfully.

"Qing Shui, sometimes, the things that are placed on the surface are not the best. A bottle full of water will not ring, a bottle half filled with water will shake. What is revealed is not the scariest, it's what is hidden which is the scariest. Sometimes, your cultivation level is not the absolute. But of course, it's a different story if one really can be number one." Lin Zhanhan smiled and looked at Qing Shui.

Qing Shui seemed to have thought of something and did not continue.

"In other continents, while there are not many Martial Saint level cultivators, they are not much lesser that Greencloud Continent's cultivators who are at the pinnacle of Martial King. Almost all top notch sects in each continent has a Martial Saint level cultivator, but most of them are at the elementary level of Martial Saint level. After entering the Martial Saint level, each increasing level, from the elementary level to the first level and from the first level to the second level, is as tough as it is to scale to the heavens. The difference in just one level is just like the difference between a Xiantian and a Houtian cultivator. There's almost no possibility to challenge someone of a higher level." Lin Zhanhan smiled and looked at Qing Shui.

"Thank you, Grandpa Lin, for telling me all these." Qing Shui knew a little of the level of the strong warriors out there. It seemed that Greencloud Continent was truly the weakest amongst all the nine continents.

"Qing Shui, you'll be leaving soon, I'll gift you some things. I'm old, there's no use for me to keep them with me." Lin Zhanhan turned and headed for the room inside.

He came out holding a golden colored book with golden pages. Just one look and Qing Shui fell into a daze. It was because the value of this Golden Pages would definitely not lose out to that Silver Pages with the nameless Duo Cultivation technique.

There were two words written on it!

Heavenly Talisman!

"I'll give you this. As for whether you can succeed in cultivating it will be dependent on your affinity with it. This is the most valuable manual of Westeria Continent's "Heavenly Talisman Lin Clan". It's a pity that everything is now history. Forget it..." Lin Zhanhan seemed to want to say something, but eventually did not speak up.

"Grandpa Lin, is there something you need me to do? Just feel free to let me know." Qing Shui looked at the elder's troubled look and it made him recall the fact that Grandpa Lin's surname was also Lin.

Lin Zhanhan had on a troubled and pained look. He gradually said, "You're still too weak now. Twenty years, maybe you'll have the chance after twenty years. We'll talk about it if I'm still alive then."

...

Qing Shui walked out of Lin Zhanhan's room, his mind occupied with Lin Zhanhan's depressed expression. That pained expression was even stronger than the one his mother had previously, and it was comparable to Yiye Jiange's.

"Heavenly Talisman Lin Clan? Becoming history?"

"Was his clan also like Yiye's, and had been..."

"Hmmm? Why did I not use my Heavenly Vision Technique to take a look at Grandpa Lin's body? By right his level of cultivation should not be that weak?" Qing Shui thought about it and felt that he needed to go back and take a look. If Grandpa Lin was a high level martial arts cultivator, then he would be more at ease when he's away.

"Grandpa Lin!"

Qing Shui called out from the door!

Squeak!

The door opened. Lin Zhanhan had regained his composure as he smiled at Qing Shui and asked, "What's the matter? Is it that there's anything about that Heavenly Talisman which you don't understand…?"

Qing Shui was currently using his Heavenly Vision Technique to look at Lin Zhanhan's Dantian and meridian channels. He understood everything.

Exhausted Dantian, the meridian channels were almost broken off...

"Old Master, can I check your pulse?" Qing Shui asked, smiling as he shook his head.

Hearing Qing Shui's words, Lin Zhanhan was stunned for a moment before he shook his head and smiled bitterly. "I'm aware that you're skilled in certain medical practices, but I'm fine. I know best about my own condition. There's no hope at all."

"Since you don't hold any hopes, then how about just let me take your pulse? Maybe I'll really be able to heal you." Qing Shui obstinately looked towards Lin Zhanhan.

Lin Zhanhan hesitated for a moment before breaking out into a smile. "Come into the room. Since you have such great confidence, what problem would there be to let you take my pulse?"

The two of them sat opposite each other at a study desk. Lin Zhanhan put out his arms and Qing Shui took his pulse. To speak the truth, Qing Shui was already clear about his condition, but he just wanted to put up an act. No matter how accurate pulse reading was, it would not be as good as his Heavenly Vision Technique.

Qing Shui frowned!

"Grandpa Lin, can you tell me what was your level of cultivation before you got injured? This is very important." Qing Shui Lin Zhanhan and asked.

Lin Zhanhan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Pinnacle of Martial King!"

Qing Shui smiled, "Don't worry, Grandpa Lin, I can heal you. But it's a pity that I'm still short of one medicine. But now, I can raise your level of cultivation to the level of a Xiantian cultivator. When the other medicine is found, I'd be able to let you fully recover."

"You're able to let me recover to the Xiantian level immediately?" Lin Zhanhan asked with surprise. He was in great disbelief. After all, he knew that there was no hope for his injuries to be healed. His Dantian was exhausted and his meridian channels were almost broken. He had just been depending on medicinal pills to keep himself alive.

If he could recover to Xiantian, then he would be able to absorb the energy from the air. Once he takes in the Qi of Xiantian into his body, he would be able to regain a lifespan of 500 years.

"If you can let me regain to Xiantian level, then I'll be able to draw talismans. If so, you should stay around for a bit longer. If you have the talent, then you can stay longer. If not, then we''ll see how the other members in Qing Clan fares. The most important condition for talisman drawing is to have Xiantian’s true Qi."

“Talisman Drawing?”

Qing Shui recalled the a TV drama series from the memories of his previous life, and recalled that weird looking Talisman Arts!

"Grandpa, I think I will help you recover your level of cultivation before you teach me how to draw talismans!" Qing Shui smiled and released Lin Zhanhan's pulse.

"Alright, alright!" Lin Zhanhan's voice shook a little when he said these two words. Decades ago, his clan was eradicated and he had managed to survive with a stroke of luck. However, his cultivation were basically crippled. After he escaped to Greencloud Continent's Cang Lang Country, even his ride had died. He had fumbled and found his way to the area around Qing Village and had been forced to his wits end by a grade 2 desolate wolf. Thankfully, he met Qing Village. It was also because of this that he remained in Qing Clan.

Lin Zhanhan sat cross-legged on the bed wearing only a pair of shorts. Meanwhile, Qing Shui took out the forty-nine silver needles and the nine Gold Needles!

He activated his Saintly Hands!

Very quickly, Qing Shui's hands turned sparkling like jade and was a bit translucent. He then started to slap the acupuncture points on Lin Zhanhan's chest, abdomen, and back... Each time he slapped, there would be a golden light the size of a rice grain entering Lin Zhanhan's body and meridian channels.

...

Qing Shui slapped Lin Zhanhan no less than 9000 times. His chest, abdomen, back, and Dantian had all been slapped multiple times.

Under Qing Shui's Heavenly Vision Technique's observation, the golden drops which entered Lin Zhanhan's body were all evenly distributed across his meridian channels. At that moment, Qing Shui took out a silver needle and insert into his Da Heng acupoiint.

He then took another silver needed and insert into the Bu Lang acupoint !

...

After inserting 6 silver needles, Qing Shui took out one Gold Needle and insert into Lin Zhanhan's Tian Zhu acupoint.

...

Qing Shui then finally insert the last Gold Needle into Lin Zhanhan's Qi Hai acupoint!

Under the observation of Qing Shui's Heavenly Vision Technique, when the last needle was inserted, Lin Zhanhan's body's meridian channels and Dantian were all trembling at a speed which could be seen by the naked eye.