My Lady Always Lacks Ambition
Chapter 124 - 125: Drawing Talismans like Writing in Cursive

Chapter 124: Chapter 125: Drawing Talismans like Writing in Cursive

"Mother, big sister is here." Qin Mingbao, seeing Qin Liuxi, first called out into the room then rapidly ran to Qin Liuxi, placing her little hands on her waist and bowed, cooingly saying, "Bao’er greets big sister."

Qin Liuxi smiled and gently ruffled her hair bun, saying, "No need for formalities, why are you here, and not with grandmother?"

"I went to greet grandmother early this morning, came back after asking her well-being; mother said big sister would definitely come, and she didn’t deceive me," Qin Mingbao, looking up at Qin Liuxi, exclaimed, "Big sister is so tall, Bao’er can’t reach you."

Qin Liuxi then bent down and picked her up: "Now you can reach."

Qin Mingbao let out a giggle, shyly laughing, and then sneakily glanced at her, saying, "Big sister is so pretty, and smells nice."

"Your little mouth must be smeared with honey; why is it so sweet?" Qin Liuxi said, holding her and walking inside.

The wet nurse Mrs. Zhou and Ju’er came forward and successively paid their respects to Qin Liuxi, whereas Mrs. Gu, with her head covered, followed behind them, revealing a smile upon seeing Qin Liuxi.

"Third Aunt." Qin Liuxi put down Qin Mingbao and greeted Mrs. Gu, asking, "Why are you up?"

"Now that I have gotten better, I will be able to leave the confinement in a few more days, so I’m walking a bit inside the room; it’s no trouble," Mrs. Gu said and then looking at her daughter, scolded, "You girl, why are you clinging to your big sister and making her hold you, not afraid of tiring your big sister?"

"Do not blame her; I wanted to hold her, and she’s not heavy," Qin Liuxi responded, "I came here to take your pulse."

Mrs. Gu nodded with a smile and sat down by the table, Ju’er also taking a handkerchief and folding it beneath her wrist.

Qin Liuxi placed two fingers on it, carefully feeling the pulse, and after a while, switched to the other hand, saying, "Third Aunt’s pulse is much stronger now, it seems you have taken my advice seriously, and you have maintained your health well."

"You said it yourself, if I didn’t listen, then I would be truly heedless," Mrs. Gu replied.

Qin Liuxi withdrew her hand, saying, "While you’ve maintained yourself well, your stomach qi is still insufficient, leading to deficient qi and blood, more yin than yang. Even though you are about to finish confinement, you should still nourish yourself for another month. After all, giving birth earlier and encountering difficulty shouldn’t be taken lightly."

"Big sister, what does ’more yin than yang’ mean? And what is yang?" Qin Mingbao curiously asked from the side.

Qin Liuxi replied, "Yang refers to the stomach’s yang, meaning the combined qi of the stomach as well as the stomach’s own qi."

Seeing the little girl’s clueless face which was endearing, Qin Liuxi couldn’t help but pinch her little cheek, explaining, "Yang is related to the stomach, the stomach meridian of Foot Yangming, which is the most vigorous meridian of yang."

Pointing at Qin Mingbao’s stomach area, she explained further: "We have a yang qi here, which is the stomach qi. Those with sufficient qi and blood show clear stomach qi, and conversely, those with a weakened body and insufficient qi and blood will have deficient stomach qi. If yang is deficient, the extremities will be cold and there will be fear of chilliness, especially for women who do not recover well after childbirth; in the future, they will suffer greatly. If this stomach qi is lost, the person’s health will deteriorate. Third Aunt is currently in a state of more yin than yang."

Qin Mingbao somewhat understood, touched her own hand, then compared it with Mrs. Gu’s, noticing that her own was warmer.

She got it then, her mother hadn’t fully recovered, and nervously said: "Mother, then you must listen to big sister and continue to recuperate well. My hand is even warmer than yours."

"Alright," Mrs. Gu replied with a tender gaze.

"Bring paper and brush, I will prescribe you a different formula."

Qin Mingbao immediately ran over to the vanity, took the paper and brush, and respectfully handed it over to her.

Qin Liuxi, however, saw a few words written on the paper, and looked at Mrs. Gu.

Mrs. Gu, following her gaze, felt her face heat up and took the paper: "I was still thinking of writing another letter to your Third Uncle, and had just written the beginning. Bao’er, quickly go get a new piece of paper."

Qin Liuxi noticed her staring into space as she looked at the small script on the paper and said, "Is Third Aunt missing Third Uncle?"

Mrs. Gu’s eyes turned slightly red as she nodded and then smiled saying, "How could I not miss him? I sent a letter shortly after giving birth, hoping he would be comforted to know of the children’s birth. I’m not sure if they received it, since there’s been no reply yet, so I thought I’d write another one."

"Although the weather is getting colder, it has not yet reached the true depths of winter. The roads are not too snow-laden and are relatively easy to travel. Third Uncle should have received the family letters by now," Qin Liuxi reassured with a smile, taking the piece of paper Qin Mingbao passed over and swiftly wrote a new prescription.

Mrs. Gu praised after looking at it, "Is this your thin gold script writing? The strokes are slender and strong, appearing quite free-spirited and elegant, unlike the small script commonly favored by women. Is this the best script style you write?"

"That’s not it, the one I am best at writing would be cursive," Qin Liuxi handed over the prescription.

Mrs. Gu gasped in surprise, "Cursive?"

A woman writing in cursive?

"I am accustomed to drawing talismans!"

Mrs. Gu: "..."

Qin Mingbao chuckled, "Big sister, can you really draw talismans? What are they like?"

"Do you wish to see?" Qin Liuxi said, "Then go get another piece of paper."

Qin Mingbao immediately ran to fetch a sheet of Xuan paper, and she was clever enough to also bring a box of red ink paste.

Qin Liuxi raised her eyebrows, and without using a brush, she dipped her slender fingers into the ink paste, drawing upon the slightly yellowish paper.

Her method of drawing talismans was unlike that of the usual Taoist who would burn incense and pray to the heavens. Her hands flowed with her heart, and as the runes fell from her fingertips onto the paper, spiritual energy infused within them. It seemed as if a glint of golden light flashed by, and in just two or three breaths, a Peace Talisman was completed.

The rune script was like heavenly writing, utterly unfathomable, but like cursive, it was fluent and unpredictable, filled with sharp and decisive strokes.

Mrs. Gu was speechless and said, "This, indeed, is quite cursive."

Qin Liuxi smiled and adeptly folded the Peace Talisman into a light yellow butterfly, passing it to Qin Mingbao, "This Peace Talisman is for you. Wrap it in a wallet and wear it close to your body."

"For me? This butterfly is so beautifully folded, thank you, big sister." Qin Mingbao held the butterfly with both hands, her face beaming with joy.

Mrs. Gu’s heart was moved, and she asked, "Xixi, aren’t peace charms usually drawn with yellow paper and vermillion? Can this paper be used as well?"

"This box of ink paste itself contains vermillion, and as for the paper, this is Masha Paper which is yellowish, so it is acceptable," Qin Liuxi proudly said. "In fact, the paper and vermillion are secondary. What’s most important is whether the runes possess spiritual power. If the runes are imbued with spirit, then it constitutes a useful Spirit Talisman; otherwise, even with the best vermillion and yellow paper, it would be pointless."

With a flicker of spiritual light, a talisman is born. I am but a mere mortal, yet I can do it, regardless of whether I have vermillion or yellow paper at hand.

Of course, yellow paper is naturally better than ordinary paper, but as long as the Spirit Talisman holds spiritual energy, the effect is the same.

Qin Mingbao looked up in admiration, "Does that mean all the talismans Big Sister draws are Spiritual Talismans?"

Mrs. Gu spoke with some reverence, "The things you’ve learned over the years are indeed different from your sisters at home."

Qin Liuxi’s expression remained faint, "My destiny differs from theirs."

With different destinies come different learnings.