136: Chapter 136 New Talisman

On Sunday morning, Chen Zhen was woken up by a series of urgent knocks at the door.

He opened his eyes; it wasn't fully bright yet.

The knocking continued, rapid and dense, as if someone were pounding the door with their fists.

He walked over and opened the door.

Zhou Rui was standing at the doorway, his hair messy, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, but he was in high spirits, as if he hadn't slept all night.

"Master, I drew another new talisman last night."

He held up a piece of talisman paper in his hand; the edges were a bit crumpled, as if it had been repeatedly kneaded.

Chen Zhen stepped aside to let him in.

Zhou Rui walked to the workbench, spread out the talisman paper, and pointed at the runes on it.

"Look here, I merged the structure of the Heart-Clearing Talisman and the Calming Talisman."

His finger moved along the patterns of the runes.

"Originally, the two talismans were separate, and you had to use two when applying them. I combined them into one; the effect hasn't diminished, and it even has an extra function."

Chen Zhen looked down at the talisman.

The structure of the runes was indeed complex. The core was the foundation of the Heart-Clearing Talisman, with the patterns of the Calming Talisman nested on the periphery. The flow of spiritual energy from the two talismans intertwined, forming a new cycle.

"What function?"

Zhou Rui took a deep breath.

"It can record the user's state. After being applied, the talisman paper will change color according to the user's emotional changes. It is blue when calm, red when anxious, and green when asleep."

He took his phone out of his pocket and pulled up a photo.

In the photo was the same talisman, stuck to the headboard of a bed, with a light green color.

"This is the one I stuck on my mom's headboard. I took the photo after she fell asleep last night."

Chen Zhen stared at the photo for a few seconds.

"Does your mom know you're researching this?"

Zhou Rui froze for a moment, then scratched his head.

"She doesn't. I told her it was a sleep aid patch I bought online."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

Zhou Rui waited for two seconds, then tentatively asked: "Master, can this be used for anything else? For example, for those with a sensitive Physique. If their emotions are unstable, we can know through the color of the talisman paper and go help in time."

Chen Zhen looked at the talisman.

This kid was thinking of more than just drawing talismans now.

"You can try. Make a batch first and find people to test it."

Zhou Rui's eyes lit up.

"Okay!"

He turned and ran, stopped at the door, and looked back at Chen Zhen.

"Master, thank you."

Then he pushed the door open and ran off.

At nine in the morning, Chen Zhen went out.

He didn't go to the Secret Base or school today.

He went to the east side of the city.

Where Li Xiuying lived.

It was an old residential complex without an elevator. The hallway was very narrow, and the walls were plastered with small advertisements.

He climbed to the sixth floor and knocked on the door.

After waiting for a while, the door opened.

The old lady stood at the doorway, wearing an old cotton-padded jacket, her hair pinned up with clips, and she was holding a bunch of celery in her hand.

She was stunned when she saw Chen Zhen.

"It's you?"

"Grandma Li, I've come to see you."

The old lady stared at him for a few seconds, then stepped aside to let him in.

The apartment wasn't big, a two-bedroom unit. The furniture was very old but kept very clean.

On the coffee table sat a fruit plate with a few apples and an orange inside.

On the wall hung a black-and-white photo of a young couple wearing old-style Zhongshan suits and Lenin suits.

"That's me and my husband," the old lady said, following his gaze. "He's been gone for twenty years."

She sat down on the sofa and continued picking the celery.

"What did you come to see me for?"

Chen Zhen sat down opposite her.

"Can you still see those things lately?"

The old lady's hand paused.

"Less. I used to see them every day, they were all over the room. Now I occasionally see one or two, standing far away, not coming over."

She looked up at Chen Zhen.

"That talisman of yours is useful."

Chen Zhen took a few new talismans out of his pocket and placed them on the coffee table.

"These are new. The effect is better than the previous ones. Try them."

The old lady put down the celery and picked up a talisman.

The talisman paper glowed faintly in her hand, a pale blue color.

"What does this color mean?" she asked.

"Calm."

The old lady nodded and put the talisman into her pocket.

She continued picking the celery.

After picking for a while, she suddenly spoke.

"Young man, what's your name?"

"Chen Zhen."

"Chen Zhen," she repeated. "I'll remember it."

She paused.

"I've lived for eighty-seven years, seen many strange things, and seen many good people. You are a good person."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

The old lady put the picked celery into a basket and stood up.

"Stay for dinner. I'm making dumplings."

Chen Zhen shook his head. "No, I have something else to do."

The old lady looked at him and didn't insist.

"Then come next time. I'll make them for you."

Chen Zhen nodded.

It was nearly eleven o'clock when he left Li Xiuying's place.

The sun was nice, shining warmly on him.

He was walking on the street when his phone vibrated.

Shen Nian's message: "The Mutant Seedling has changed again. Come take a look."

He quickened his pace.

At one in the afternoon, at the Secret Base.

Chen Zhen pushed the door open.

Shen Nian was crouching in front of the Mutant Seedling, holding a magnifying glass in his hand, his whole body almost pressed against the leaves.

Hearing the movement, he looked up, his expression very complicated.

"Look at this."

Chen Zhen walked over.

On the leaves of the seedling, those golden patterns were no longer disordered lines, nor were they fixed runes.

They were flowing.

Like a river.

Flowing from the base of the leaf to the tip, and back from the tip to the base.

Every leaf was like this; the patterns connected between the leaves, forming a complete cycle.

The entire plant was like a small ecosystem.

Shen Nian pointed to the back of the leaves.

"Here, and here, something new has grown."

Chen Zhen leaned in to look.

On the leaf veins, there were some tiny bumps, like nodules, but they were golden in color.

Very small, impossible to see without looking carefully.

"What is this?" Shen Nian asked.

Chen Zhen stared at the bumps for a long time.

"Flower buds."

Shen Nian froze for a moment.

"Flower buds? Isn't it not fully grown yet?"

Chen Zhen didn't answer.

The growth patterns of this seedling could no longer be judged by common sense.

It was drawing talismans on itself, establishing cycles between its leaves, and now it had grown flower buds prematurely.

It was in a rush.

Why?

He stood up.

"Don't touch it. Let it grow on its own."

Shen Nian nodded and recorded it in his notebook.

"Flower buds appearing. Location: intersection of leaf veins on the back of the leaf. Quantity: about twenty. Status: immature."

After he finished writing, he looked up at Chen Zhen.

"Chen Zhen, is it waiting for something?"

Chen Zhen looked at the seedling.

The golden patterns on the leaves flowed slowly under the light, like some kind of ancient timer.

It was waiting.

Waiting for the seed to wake up.

He looked down at his chest.

The seed was still spinning.

That pattern was still glowing.

He was waiting.

It was waiting too.

At six in the evening, Chen Zhen returned home.

His mother was cooking in the kitchen, and his father was watching the news in the living room.

He changed his shoes, entered the house, and walked to the kitchen doorway.

"Mom, I'll do it."

His mother looked back at him and smiled.

"Okay, you do it. I'll take a break."

She untied her apron, handed it to him, and went to the living room to sit down.

Chen Zhen washed his hands and started chopping vegetables.

Potatoes shredded, green peppers chopped into pieces, tomatoes sliced.

His knife skills were steady, his speed fast, and every cut was just right.

His father poked his head in from the living room.

"When did you learn to chop vegetables?"

"Practiced it myself."

His father didn't ask further and continued watching the news.

When stir-frying, the oil in the pan heated up, and he added scallions, ginger, and garlic to sauté until fragrant.

The aroma filled the entire kitchen.

His mother sniffed in the living room.

"So fragrant."

His father also sniffed.

"Better than what your mom makes."

His mother patted him.

Chen Zhen didn't speak and continued stir-frying.

The shredded potatoes were stir-fried until cooked, added vinegar and salt, and served.

Stir-fried pork with green peppers, the pork slices tender and smooth, the green peppers crisp.

Stir-fried eggs with tomatoes, the egg fluffy, the sauce rich.

Three dishes and one soup were served on the table.

The family sat around and ate.

His father picked up a chopstick of shredded potatoes and chewed.

"Crispy."

His mother also picked up a chopstick.

"Delicious."

Chen Zhen ate with his head down.

Halfway through the meal, his father suddenly spoke.

"Zhenzhen, have you been doing something lately?"

Chen Zhen looked up at him.

His father picked up a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

"Your mom says you're always not home lately. And you run out on weekends."

His mother chimed in from the side, "I'm not telling tales. I'm just worried."

Chen Zhen put down his chopsticks.

"I'm helping a teacher with some things."

"What things?"

"Organizing materials. He's old, his eyes aren't good, and he needs someone to help."

His father stared at him for a few seconds.

"What materials?"

"About ancient architecture. He used to be a professor in the architecture department."

His father nodded and didn't ask again.

His mother put a piece of meat in his bowl.

"Then take care of yourself. Don't be too tired."

"Hmm."

After dinner, Chen Zhen volunteered to wash the dishes.

His father sat in the living room continuing to watch the news, and his mother was knitting a sweater nearby.

Everything was the same as usual.

But he knew that many things were no longer the same.