Chapter 10 — The Talisman Painter Who Guards the Village

The Journey to the Mountain

The next morning, when the first sunlight just shone through the bamboo groves at the beginning of the village, Diệp Sương was already in her yard, standing in front of Mrs. Chín Lài, her hands clasped together to hide her trembling.

"I've decided," she said, her voice no longer shaking like last night, although her heart was still pounding in her chest. "I want to follow Elder Tạ Vân Khê to Vân Tiêu Peak."

Mrs. Chín Lài looked at her for a long time. Her eyes were somewhat red from the sleepless night, but she did not cry; she simply nodded slowly, as if trying to suppress everything that was rolling in her heart.

“I knew you would,” she said, her voice hoarse. "You are a child who loves others more than you love yourself. I just hope you don't let that compassion become a burden that will crush you in the future."

"I promise to be careful," Diệp Sương said, her throat tight.

"No, don't promise that," Mrs. Chín Lài shook her head, pulling him into a tight hug. "I don't need you to promise to be careful, because I know you will always rush in wherever you are needed, no matter the danger. I just want you to promise one other thing: no matter how many people you draw a spell to save, don't forget to take care of yourself. You are not just a person who draws a spell to save people, you are also a child, my grandchild, yourself." Diệp Sương nodded in her arms, tears finally rolling down and could no longer be held back. "I promise."

*

The news that Diệp Sương would leave the village to follow Tông Vân Các spread quickly throughout Tùng Lĩnh Village, and by noon, almost the whole village had gathered in Mrs. Chín Lài's yard to say goodbye, bringing all kinds of simple gifts - a few eggs, a bag of sticky rice, a few grilled rice cakes - as if wanting to put the whole heart of the small village in the luggage of the child about to leave.

"Remember to visit the village," the baker said, stuffing a warm packet of cakes into Diệp Sương's hand.

"If you go up there and become a talented person, don't forget we're here," another guy joked, although his voice was somewhat choked.

Chief Lý bowed to her, his expression solemn.

Mộc and Mận stood in the corner of the yard, not saying much, just looking at Diệp Sương with eyes that were both proud and sad.

"I will miss you so much," Cái Mận said, her voice choked, hugging her friend tightly. "Remember to write a letter and tell us the story up there."

"I don't know how to write many words yet," Diệp Sương smiled through her tears, "but I will try."

Mộc didn't hug him, he just reached out to shake his hand the way adults do, trying to appear strong, but his voice trembled as he said: "You're gone, who taught us how to draw beautiful pictures anymore? Remember to come home soon."

Although she was not sure what the road ahead would bring, Diệp Sương tightened her grip on the strap of her bag and followed the others toward the mountain road.

*

Mr. Tám Mực was the last person to step forward, holding something wrapped in an old piece of cloth. He didn't say anything for a moment, just looked at Diệp Sương, his old eyes contained so many things that couldn't be expressed in words.

"I have something for you," he finally said, opening the cloth, inside was the old inkstone he had used for many years, the stone surface was worn smooth from being sharpened over and over again countless times.

"Your inkstone..." Diệp Sương was stunned, not daring to accept. "This is something I'll use for the rest of my life. You can't take it away."

"It's because it's something I'll use all my life that I want you to keep it," he said, placing the inkstone in her hands, his voice trembling with emotion. "This stone has no material value, but it remembers your hand from the first strokes you drew in life. Wherever you draw, no matter how high you study, don't forget how your hand started—don't forget that you learned to draw charms not to become someone great, but to save people, starting with a sleeping cat and a talisman to soothe children to sleep."

Diệp Sương hugged the inkstone tightly in her arms, unable to hold back any longer, burst into tears in front of the whole village, no longer maintaining the strong appearance she had been trying to show since morning.

"Thank you," she sobbed. "Thank you for believing in me from day one."

Mr. Tám Mực rubbed her head one last time, his voice unable to hide his emotion. "Thank you for letting an old paper maker like me see my unfinished dream and finally find someone worthy to continue it."

*

"I will send someone down to paint a new talisman at the village gate as soon as possible," she said, her voice decisive as an official commitment. "Tùng Lĩnh Village has proven itself worthy of more attention from the sect, not only because it has a gifted child, but because of the way the whole village has treated her over the years." Chief Lý Đoài bowed his head in thanks, and Mrs. Chín Lài, standing nearby, just nodded slightly, feeling both relieved because the village would be better protected and bitter because the price of that care was her only granddaughter.

When it was time to depart, one of the two disciples following Tạ Vân Khê - a young man, his face was still young but his eyes were somewhat mature - led a horse for Diệp Sương, gently guiding it on how to climb into the saddle and how to maintain balance for someone who had never ridden a horse before.

"Don't be afraid," he said, his voice warm and reassuring. "This horse is very gentle, it won't let you fall." Diệp Sương nodded, her hands still shaking as she grabbed the reins, looking back at Mrs. Chín Lài one last time before the group officially departed.

*

When the sun rose, Diệp Sương and Tạ Vân Khê left Tùng Lĩnh Village, heading toward the trail leading to Vân Tiêu Peak. She rode on the same horse as one of the two disciples following Tạ Vân Khê, still clutching a small luggage bag that contained Mr. Tám Mực's inkstone, a few clothes that Mrs. Chín Lài had quickly sewn during the night, and the amulet she had drawn herself, still retaining its familiar warmth.

When the group reached the last bend before the village road completely disappeared behind the mountains, Diệp Sương turned around and looked back one last time.

The whole village was still standing there, the silhouettes of people getting smaller with distance but still no one refused to leave, waving their hands incessantly. Mrs. Chín Lài stood in the front row, one hand covering her eyes as if she were looking at the bright sunlight, but Diệp Sương knew clearly that it was a gesture to hide the tears that were rolling down. Next to her was Mr. Tám Mực, a skinny figure trembling leaning on a stick, and Mộc and Mận standing close together, both waving their hands until Diệp Sương's figure was completely hidden behind the mountains.

Diệp Sương turned her face to the front, letting the last tears fall without anyone seeing, then took a deep breath, fixed her gaze towards the towering Vân Tiêu Peak ahead, where white clouds still lazily crossed the mountainside as they had for hundreds of years.

She did not know where the road ahead would lead her or what was waiting behind the great gate of Tông Vân Các. She knew only one thing for sure: no matter what, she would carry with her the roots that Mr. Tám Mực and Mrs. Chín Lài had worked hard to cultivate—drawing spells from compassion, saving people, then saving them again—and keep them intact, no matter how difficult the road ahead was.

The group continued to move forward, their small silhouettes gradually disappearing into the dark green trees surrounding the foot of the mountain, towards Vân Tiêu Peak where a new chapter of Diệp Sương's life was about to open, forever closing the most peaceful childhood days she had ever known.

The trail leading up the mountain winds between hillsides covered with green pine trees. The higher you go, the fresher and cooler the air becomes, different from the sweltering heat of the plain below Tùng Lĩnh Village. Occasionally, the group stopped to rest next to small streams flowing through the rocks, and in those rare moments of rest, Tạ Vân Khê took the opportunity to tell Diệp Sương a few things about where she was going.

"Tông Vân Các is not just a big building as you can imagine," she said, sitting down on a stone on the side of the road, giving Diệp Sương a gourd of water. "It is a large complex spread across the mountainside, with a training ground, a library, a medicinal garden, and an observatory on the highest peak, where people monitor the fluctuations of Linh Mạch throughout the region."

"Will I study there?" Diệp Sương asked, her eyes shining with curiosity mixed with worry.

"You will start as an outer disciple, like the hundreds of other children accepted each year," Tạ Vân Khê replied. "You won't get special treatment just because of what you've done in your village. That's the sect's rules, and I think it's a good thing for you — you need to learn from the basics, you need to understand where you stand before you can go further." Diệp Sương nodded, remembering every word, both excited and a little confused at the completely new world that was waiting ahead - a world where she would no longer be the only special child who knew how to draw spells in the village, but just one of countless other children, all with their own dreams and talents, finding their way together through the great gate of Tông Vân Các.