Chapter 29 — The Talisman Painter Who Guards the Village

Jealousy Behind the Glory

The morning dew was still lingering on the tiled roof of Cảnh Linh Đài when Diệp Sương received an unusual summons - not a familiar class reunion, but a private examination, announced just a day before, presided over by an elder she had never met in person.

"Elder Húc Bá Nguyên," Chung Nhã Trúc explained when she saw Diệp Sương's confused look, her voice was somewhat reserved. "The person in charge of the sect's regulations and periodic assessments. He is famous for being cautious, sometimes too cautious according to some people."

"What did he summon you for?" Diệp Sương asked, an uneasy premonition rising.

Cố Thanh Việt, sitting on a nearby stone, still holding the book he had just finished reading, looked up to interject. "Húc Bá Nguyên has been the leader in drafting examination standards for more than twenty years," he said, his voice low. "My father once mentioned him, saying that he was not a bad person, he just believed too much that everything needed a clear framework to be trustworthy. For a person like that, your way of drawing spells must be something difficult to accept."

"So how should I prepare?" Diệp Sương asked, turning to both of them.

"Just be yourself," Chung Nhã Trúc replied, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't try to conform to the stereotype to please him, and don't try to flaunt your differences to prove anything. You've proven enough, now just be honest with what you've done."

"Officially, this is a test to confirm Elder Tạ Vân Khê's promotion request," Chung Nhã Trúc replied, her voice low. "But I've heard rumors that some older elders are worried that promoting a disciple with an unorthodox drawing style too quickly will create a bad precedent, causing the sect's discipline to falter."

*

The examination hall was much smaller than the large hall where Diệp Sương had attended the emergency meeting, but the atmosphere was much heavier. Elder Húc Bá Nguyên sat in the middle, his figure was thin, his cold eyes swept over Diệp Sương as if he were measuring every centimeter of his posture. On both sides were several other elders, among whom Diệp Sương recognized Tạ Vân Khê sitting in the far corner, her face could not hide her worry.

Most surprisingly, standing next to the recording desk was an unfamiliar inner sect disciple, slim figure, brush in hand, eyes observing Diệp Sương with an unsympathetic look.

"This is Tất Bá Kỳ," Húc Bá Nguyên briefly introduced, "the inner sect disciple in charge of recording today's examination records, and is also assigned to monitor and report on cases where the method of drawing charms is different from the sect's standards," Diệp Sương nodded in greeting, but Tất Bá Kỳ's eyes responded coldly, without any warmth, making her immediately remember the attitude Wei Bá Tuân had shown during the first days of her initiation.

*

"Let's begin," Húc Bá Nguyên announced, his voice flat and emotionless. "Disciple Chu Diệp Sương, I want you to repeat, right here, the talisman drawing technique you used at Linh Căn temple - don't use standard spirit ink, just use what's available around you."

Diệp Sương paused. "Elder, that technique is only effective when many people are involved at the same time, and in truly dire circumstances. I'm afraid it cannot be accurately reproduced under normal testing conditions like this."

"So does that mean you admit that this technique is unstable and cannot be independently verified?" Húc Bá Nguyên asked immediately, his voice sharp, and Diệp Sương caught a glimpse of Tất Bá Kỳ taking notes much faster, as if waiting for this exact answer.

"It's not unstable," Diệp Sương replied, trying to stay calm even though her heart was beating fast. "It just depends on the situation. Like every other technique, it also has its own conditions to maximize its effectiveness. Even the most powerful talisman will be useless if the person drawing it is not calm enough when writing, right?"

A short silence enveloped the examination hall. Húc Bá Nguyên frowned, not satisfied but could not refute immediately.

*

"Then let's make a standard town talisman, according to the sect's teaching formula, right now," Húc Bá Nguyên continued, his voice still cold. "I want to confirm that you are not neglecting the fundamentals just because you are engrossed in pursuing unusual methods." Diệp Sương nodded and walked to the examination table, where standard uniforms and drawing paper were prepared. She took a deep breath, put all worries aside, and focused completely on each stroke of the pen, just as Nhiêu Bá Tường had taught her to practice during the special sessions after Vân Tiêu night.

Its drawing is slow, precise, without any deviation, and when completed, the talisman emits a stable, strong light, meeting the highest standards that an outer sect disciple can achieve.

Húc Bá Nguyên observed carefully, picked up the talisman and looked at it under the light, remained silent for a long time before putting it down. "Your basic technique is more solid than I thought," he admitted, his voice a little less sharp. "But I still maintain the view that early promotion needs to be considered more carefully, not just based on one or two times of outstanding merit in special circumstances."

*

"If I can intervene," Tạ Vân Khê spoke from the corner of the room, her voice calm but full of weight. "Elder Xu, I understand your caution, and I respect it. But if we only judge our disciples by their ability to accurately repeat what has been taught, without recognizing their ability to adapt to unprecedented situations, is the sect limiting itself to increasingly unpredictable dangers?"

Húc Bá Nguyên was silent for a long time, his eyes shifting from Tạ Vân Khê to the standard talisman Diệp Sương had just drawn, then finally sighed. "I will take note of both sides of the report," he said. "The final decision still needs to be voted on by the entire council of elders. It is not up to me or Elder Tạ alone to decide."

The examination ended in limbo, neither a failure nor a clear victory. As Diệp Sương left the hall, she met Tất Bá Kỳ's eyes one last time. They were no longer cold, but held an unreadable thoughtfulness, as if what he had witnessed did not fully match what he was expected to record.

*

That evening, Âu Bội Nhi brought Diệp Sương some unpleasant news, which she heard from a friend who worked in the sect's records office. "I heard," she whispered, "Elder Húc himself is close to the Wei Bá Tuân family, and received a favor from his father once in the past. There is no evidence that he intentionally made things difficult for you, but..."

"But it's enough to make people ask questions," Diệp Sương continued, her voice thoughtful. She didn't want to rush to any conclusions, remembering what Mrs. Chín Lài had once told her about not judging others too early, but she also couldn't deny the feeling that a network of relationships more complicated than she had imagined was starting to unfold right in the heart of the sect she once trusted absolutely.

"No matter what," Âu Bội Nhi said, holding her friend's hand tightly, "you have proven yourself before even the most demanding examination board. Don't let this slow you down." Diệp Sương nodded, but that night, as she lay in bed looking up at the familiar ceiling, she could not help thinking about what Elder Tạ Vân Khê had said after the Vân Tiêu incident—that what she had witnessed was just the beginning of something much bigger than what the sect had ever been prepared to face. Now, sitting amid admiring and inquiring eyes, she began to wonder whether that great threat lay only in the demon tides outside, or was hidden right in the familiar corridors she still walked through every day.

Before falling asleep, she heard a soft knock on the door. Cố Thanh Việt stood in the hallway, holding a warm rice cake, perhaps having just asked for it from the sect's kitchen, which was now closed to most other disciples.

"I think you haven't had a proper dinner after the exam," he said, a little awkwardly as he passed the cake through the crack in the door. "Don't be hungry and then stay up all night thinking." Diệp Sương laughed softly, accepting the cake, feeling the warmth spreading not only from the heat still lingering on the outer crust. “Thank you,” she said, “for always showing up at the right time.”

"It's just a coincidence," Thanh Việt replied, but his eyes, under the dim hallway light, didn't seem accidental at all. They both stood there for a long time, neither of them said anything more, just letting that silence fill itself with the things that neither of them had the courage to name.