I have a composite mirror

Chapter 47 Sales Channels

Gu Shenyan nodded: "Of course I went."

"she……"

Zhou Mingxuan hesitated for a moment, then finally shook his head:

"Never mind, let's not talk about her."

"Brother Shenyan, now that you've learned how to draw talismans, would you be so kind as to show us?"

Li Wenyuan chimed in, "Yes, we have never seen how real talismans are drawn."

Just as Gu Shenyan was about to speak, the class bell rang.

"Let's wait until break time."

He smiled:

"I'll draw it for you then."

Upon hearing this, the two looked on with anticipation.

The first class in the morning was Chinese literature, taught by the same teacher, Mr. Xia, from last time.

Master Xia walked up to the podium, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the students:

"Today, we will continue our discussion of the Zuo Zhuan."

Turn to the chapter titled "Duke Zheng defeats Duan at Yan".

The students opened their textbooks one after another.

Gu Shenyan also turned to the corresponding page, but his mind was not on the book.

In his mind, he was still recalling the details of drawing the talisman.

How exactly should one grasp the "gentleness" of the water-repelling talisman?

How should the rhythm of spiritual energy infusion be adjusted?

Furthermore, what is the difference between the "fierce" energy required for the exorcising talisman and the "suppressive" energy of the water-stabilizing talisman?

"Be careful what you say."

Master Xia suddenly spoke.

Gu Shenyan snapped out of his daze and quickly stood up: "Master."

"Tell me, what is the meaning of the word '克' in '郑伯克段于鄢'?"

Master Xia looked at him, his words carrying a hint of testing.

"Reporting to the Master."

Gu Shenyan cupped his hands and said:

The character '克' here means 'to overcome'.

"But this article contains a satirical tone."

"Duke Zheng and his brother Gongshu Duan were originally brothers, but they turned against each other in battle."

"The Spring and Autumn Annals is usually very rigorous in its writing style, but it uses the word '克' (kè, meaning 'to overcome' or 'to defeat') to record this event, which is a satire of Duke Zheng for not cherishing brotherly affection and treating his brother as an enemy."

He thought for a moment, then added:

"Therefore, later generations said: 'The style of writing in the Spring and Autumn Annals contains profound meaning in concise words.'"

"The single word '克' reveals to the world Zheng Bo's cold-heartedness and lack of loyalty."

Upon hearing this, Master Xia stroked his beard with satisfaction.

"Excellent, very good!"

"Your insight is quite profound."

"Be careful what you say, sit down."

………………

The bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class.

Master Xia put away his books, turned around, and left the classroom.

As soon as he left, Zhou Mingxuan and Li Wenyuan surrounded him.

"Brother Shenyan, quickly show us how to draw the talisman!"

Several other students nearby also gathered around.

Looking at the expectant gazes of the crowd, Gu Shenyan smiled inwardly; his opportunity had arrived.

He took out the talisman materials from his bag—spirit yellow paper, spirit sand, and a wolf-hair brush.

Then he took out a small dish and poured the spirit sand into it.

"Drawing talismans is actually not complicated."

As he spoke, he spread the paper on the table:

"The key lies in the control of spiritual energy and the understanding of runes."

Zhou Mingxuan and the others listened intently.

Gu Shenyan picked up his brush and dipped it in some spirit sand.

"Today, I will demonstrate to you how to draw a 'water-stabilizing talisman'."

He activated the water-elemental spiritual energy within his body.

That power flows along the meridians, gathers at the fingertips, and then flows along the pen shaft, into the pen tip.

Let's begin!

The pen tip dances across the paper, and the vermilion, guided by the spiritual energy, slowly spreads.

The surrounding students held their breath, afraid of missing any details.

The first stroke is like a dragon emerging from the water.

The second stroke resembles a snake moving.

The third stroke...

Gu Shenyan's movements were fluid and graceful, each stroke steady and powerful.

The experience gained from last night's practice has now become muscle memory.

As the last stroke was made, the rune lit up!

The light, though not intense, was stable enough.

"It's done!"

Zhou Mingxuan exclaimed in surprise.

Other students also crowded around, wanting to get a better look.

"This is the Water-Stabilizing Talisman."

Gu Shenyan held up the talisman so that everyone could see it clearly:

"This talisman can temporarily freeze water. Although its effect is limited, it can be very useful in certain situations."

"For example, when crossing a river, if there is no bridge, this talisman can be used to freeze the water flow, making it as if walking on flat ground."

"For example, if you encounter a water demon, this talisman can also block water attacks."

He spoke casually, but the students around him listened with rapt attention.

"Brother Shenyan, can this talisman... be sold?"

Suddenly, someone in the crowd spoke up.

Gu Shenyan looked in the direction of the voice and saw a boy in the class who usually didn't talk much.

The young man's surname was Sun, and his given name was Sun Chengzhi. His family ran several cloth shops.

Although not as illustrious as those truly prominent families, they were still quite well-off and wealthy.

"Of course it can be sold," Gu Shenyan smiled. "It's just that the quality of this talisman is average, and the price..."

"Three silver dollars!" Sun Chengzhi exclaimed eagerly, "I'll offer three silver dollars for this water-stabilizing talisman!"

This "Water Stabilizing Talisman" was, after all, drawn by Gu Shenyan, a beginner.

But the three oceans have already reached the market price.

Sun Chengzhi, however, took it very seriously:

"Brother Shenyan, my family started out by relying on waterways."

"Although we have opened a cloth shop in the city, a lot of goods still need to be transported by water."

A few years ago, one of my family's cargo ships encountered flooding on the river.

"The boatman said it was caused by a water ghost."

"If it weren't for the old Taoist priest who happened to be on the boat at the time, and who took out a talisman to suppress the evil spirits, the entire crew would probably have perished at the bottom of the river."

As he said this, a hint of lingering fear appeared on his face:

"From then on, my father instructed me that if I encountered a Taoist practitioner who could draw talismans, I must befriend them."

"These talismans can save lives in a pinch!"

Sun Chengzhi is a sensible man.

"In that case, I'll sell this talisman to Brother Sun."

He handed over the water-fixing talisman.

Sun Chengzhi quickly took it and pulled out three silver dollars from his pocket:

"Thank you very much, Brother Shenyan!"

The surrounding students watched this scene with a mix of emotions: some were envious, some were jealous, and some seemed lost in thought.

Zhou Mingxuan tugged at Gu Shenyan's sleeve and whispered:

"Brother Shenyan, are you... deliberately showing off your talisman-drawing skills to sell talismans?"

"That's right." Gu Shenyan didn't hide anything: "The path of cultivation requires money everywhere."

"Although I have learned how to draw talismans, if I can't make them into something, it's just a hobby in the end."

He spoke frankly, but Zhou Mingxuan seemed a little embarrassed:

"Then... Brother Shenyan, may I also buy one?"

"Although my family doesn't have a water-related business, it's always good to be prepared."

Gu Shenyan smiled and said, "Of course."

He took out another piece of spirit yellow paper and redrawn a water-fixing talisman.

This time, his movements were more skillful than before.

In no time, the second water-fixing talisman was drawn.

Zhou Mingxuan took the talisman and also took out three silver dollars.

"Thank you, Brother Shenyan."

Seeing this, the other students also gathered around.

"Brother Shenyan, I'd like to buy one too!"

"And me!"

Gu Shenyan looked at the expectant gazes of the crowd, but secretly he was making plans in his heart.

His demonstration of the talisman today was precisely to open up sales channels.

All the students in the class come from well-off families and have plenty of spare money.

If we can establish a foothold with them, the talisman business will be much easier to conduct in the future.

"Please calm down, everyone." He raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

"Drawing talismans is extremely mentally taxing."

"My skill level is still shallow, and I can only paint less than ten pictures a day."

"Time is limited today, so I can only draw one more."

"If any of you are interested, you can register first, and I will notify you when I have finished drawing it."

The students were somewhat disappointed upon hearing this, but they understood.

After all, practitioners of magic and Taoist arts are rare, and those who can draw talismans are even rarer.

It was already a huge favor that Gu Shenyan was willing to take the time to draw talismans and sell them to them.

Two more students came forward to place orders, and Gu Shenyan accepted their deposits.

By the time the bell rang for the second class, he already had ten silver dollars in his pocket.

This is much more than he used to earn ghostwriting for those spoiled brats.

Zhou Mingxuan watched him accept the money, his tone full of envy: "Brother Shenyan, you're about to make a fortune."

Gu Shenyan smiled but did not reply.

I wouldn't say I'd make a fortune, but I'd certainly make a small fortune, enough to solve my immediate problems.

After school in the afternoon, Gu Shenyan walked to the entrance of the Academic Affairs Office and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in."

He pushed open the door and entered; inside sat the school's academic director.

"Director Li," Gu Shenyan bowed respectfully, "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Oh? You must be that kid from the Gu family. He seems to be quite famous at school lately?"

Director Li looked up at him and said, "What is it? Please speak freely."

"The student wants to take a leave of absence," Gu Shenyan stated bluntly.

"I've recently encountered some bottlenecks in my spiritual practice and need to go into seclusion for a while."

"I'm afraid we can't take care of the school anymore."

Upon hearing this, Director Li frowned slightly.

"Take a leave of absence from school? That's no small matter."

"According to the school rules, if you want to take a leave of absence, you need the consent of more than half of the subject teachers."

"You..." He looked Gu Shenyan up and down, "Are you confident?"

"The students are willing to give it a try," Gu Shenyan said confidently.

Director Li pondered for a moment, then nodded:

"Fine."

"Since you have this idea, I'll give you a chance."

"Tomorrow afternoon, I will gather all the subject teachers."

"At that time, you will demonstrate your academic level to the public."

"If we can satisfy half of the teachers, then the matter of taking a leave of absence will be considered settled."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shenyan bowed respectfully:

"Thank you, Director Li."