Chapter 11

The talismans were not uncommon in the market on the overpass. At least, as Ding Ning walked along, he saw three or four stalls selling talismans.

However, the things those people wrote were garbage in Ding Ning’s eyes. The characters on the talismans were scribbled and bizarre, mostly filled with phrases like "Grandmaster Laojun’s urgent command," which had no real effect at all.

But in terms of appearance, these talismans were much better than Ding Ning’s.

Ding Ning’s few talismans were written on ordinary yellow paper, with no embellishments or framing. They were simple and plain, just a single character each, and the people who gathered around to take a look quickly lost interest.

"Little fatty, are you selling talismans or calligraphy? Your handwriting is really good, but you should at least use some rice paper."

"Exactly, it’s the first time I’ve seen someone selling calligraphy on yellow paper. Haha!"

Ding Ning glanced around and coldly said, "I’m not selling calligraphy, I’m selling talismans."

"What? Selling talismans? I, Old Zhang, have lived for so many years, and today I’ve encountered something new. This ‘Quan’ character, this ‘Jing’ character, and this one? Haha, it’s a ‘Zhen’ character. What kind of talisman is this? How much for each? Can you tell us?"

"The ‘Quan’ character is three thousand each, the ‘Zhen’ character is six thousand, and the ‘Jing’ character is ten thousand."

Although Ding Ning was poor, he knew his talismans were worth the price. After all, they were genuine, and the other stalls were selling their worthless paper for hundreds.

"Ha ha ha! Three thousand to five thousand for a single character, you’re robbing us."

The person speaking was a middle-aged man with glasses, dressed rather formally, looking like he had some money, but his words were quite harsh.

Ding Ning glanced at him and thought, "Just a vulgar person. I’m a cultivator now, I won’t stoop to his level."

Seeing that Ding Ning ignored him and had no intention of forcing a sale, the middle-aged man didn’t have much to say. He muttered a few words and got up to leave.

People came and went, and at first, some asked Ding Ning questions, but after hearing his replies, they either left angrily or with a shake of their heads.

Some even said a few nasty things, but Ding Ning didn’t take it to heart. He was just annoyed by the constant harassment. In the end, he took a few pieces of paper, wrote down the prices of the three talismans, and then sat to one side, closing his eyes to rest.

By nightfall, no one had bought Ding Ning’s talismans.

Although Ding Ning didn’t seem to care, he was somewhat discouraged. There weren’t many people who understood the value here.

After tidying up and returning to the inn, he bought a set of fried pancakes and a bottle of mineral water, and his money was further depleted.

Now, every time Ding Ning spent money, it felt like he was bleeding, and the pain was very strong. This was probably a side effect of cultivating the path of the Wealth God.

Without selling any talismans, Ding Ning didn’t waste time. He spent most of the night writing more talismans, using up almost all of his internal energy before falling asleep.

Four hours of sleep wasn’t long, but Ding Ning had already developed the habit of waking up early. He got up to wash and clean himself before the sky was even light.

After tidying up, Ding Ning put on his only set of clean clothes, a blue tracksuit. It was his school uniform from middle school, which fit perfectly when he was in the third year, but now it was slightly loose, indicating that he had indeed lost some weight.

Stepping out of the inn, the surroundings were quiet, with only a distant early market showing some signs of activity. There were a few stalls selling pancakes and buns.

Ding Ning slowly walked out of the market on the overpass, crossed the pedestrian bridge, and arrived at the opposite Tianqiao Park.

Tianqiao Park was the same size as the market on the overpass, located at both ends of the bridge. In Haibin City, there were two major parks: Tianqiao Park and Haibin Park.

After entering the park, Ding Ning felt the air was much fresher, free from the muddiness of the market. His mood improved.

With his heart recovering, Ding Ning could now jog slowly. He ran along the park’s shaded paths, heading deeper into the park.

After about ten minutes, he reached a fitness square and stopped.

There were about twenty to thirty people in the square, mostly elderly, wearing loose white clothes, practicing either Tai Chi or Tai Chi sword.

The Tai Chi was traditional, and the sword was Tai Chi sword.

In a word, it was all about being slow!

After a casual look, Ding Ning found that these elderly people were just exercising, practicing only the surface level of Tai Chi, which could hardly be called anything substantial.

Ding Ning found a relatively quiet spot and began practicing his Tai Chi.

In front of him, a woman was also practicing Tai Chi, wearing a purple tracksuit, with a slender and graceful figure. Her long hair was tied up high, and she looked quite attractive, though her face was turned away from Ding Ning, so he couldn’t see her clearly.

After a starting gesture, Ding Ning began his practice.

Over the years with the old master, Ding Ning’s other martial arts were quite ordinary, but Tai Chi was different. The old master, with a fiery temper, had high hopes for Ding Ning. Since he couldn’t practice other martial arts, he had to excel in Tai Chi.

Under the old master’s strict supervision, by the age of fourteen, Ding Ning had already surpassed his teacher. Especially after his heart recovered and he began practicing fast Tai Chi, his skills improved even more.

This part of the park was usually frequented by regulars, and outsiders rarely came here to practice. The elderly people, seeing a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy practicing Tai Chi, initially shook their heads slightly.

Such a young boy practicing Tai Chi, could he really have the patience?

Only one elderly man, who looked to be in his sixties and was quite spirited, smiled and said, "A young man practicing Tai Chi, though it’s not very reliable, his spirit is commendable."

"Yes, this young man, though a bit chubby, is quite good-looking. If he could lose a bit of weight, Old Secretary, he might have a bit of your youthful charm."

An even older man nearby said something flattering.

The man called Old Secretary laughed, "Old Chen, you’re flattering me. I won’t be modest, but I wasn’t bad-looking in my youth. But compared to this young fatty... he seems to be lacking something... This child feels very spirited."

"Old Secretary, you’re being modest. Who doesn’t know you were a famous handsome man in your youth?"

The old man chuckled and continued, "Old Secretary, how long do you think this child will practice here?"

Old Secretary thought for a moment, "If he wasn’t practicing next to Xiao Yue, he might practice a bit longer. But with Xiao Yue here, if he really understands Tai Chi, he might not be able to continue for long."

"Yes, Xiao Yue’s Tai Chi is so good that even masters praise it. If she liked the limelight, she could have won awards in national competitions."

The two old men chatted for a while, and then Old Secretary suddenly stopped and said to the old man beside him, "Something’s not right. Look at this child’s movements... how... how smooth they are?"

The old man also stopped. Although their Tai Chi skills weren’t high, after so many years, they could tell the difference between good and bad.

Ding Ning didn’t know about the old men’s conversation. Once he started practicing, he was fully focused. After jogging, he felt refreshed, and his body was in its best state.

The old master, unable to teach Ding Ning other martial arts, had put a lot of effort into his Tai Chi, especially in the smooth transition between movements, which he insisted must be flawless.

Most Tai Chi practitioners might perform the movements well, but they often lacked smooth transitions, which were always a bit stiff.

Tai Chi emphasizes formlessness and naturalness, flowing like clouds and water, originating from the heart. This was Ding Ning’s advantage.

He practiced Tai Chi without rigid rules, doing whatever came to mind, everything from the heart. At first, it wasn’t noticeable, but as time went on, the two old men were completely amazed.

"So smooth?"

"This cloud hand is very well done, ah! He’s turning!"

"His flexibility is amazing, and it looks very powerful."

The two old men watched in amazement for a long time, and their steps involuntarily moved closer to Ding Ning.

Perhaps their voices were a bit loud, and the woman who had been practicing Tai Chi with her back to Ding Ning was also startled. She slowly stopped and turned around.