A Broken Heart Still Beats.

Chapter XIX

"Paint the final line there," Shen Yuan instructed, hovering over Shang Qinghua's shoulder as he glided his hand over the side of the talisman. Ci Liang had taught him how to identify talismans recently, and it had made his attempts at making a xianxia-style audiobook all that much easier! "It should work now!"

Shang Qinghua grabbed one of the books they kept nearby. It was an old one, not something anyone would miss if it happened to have a fate similar to that of the others. It was likely for the best that they had decided to do this outside. They likely would have set fire to the greeting hall if they had done it indoors, seeing as the fate the other...test subjects had met was rather explosive. 

Scorched or blown up...may the fallen brothers rest in peace.

Shang Qinghua placed the talisman on the book cover before the two scrambled away from it. They'd learned their lesson. Always back away from something potentially explosive! The two listened and watched from a distance, instinctively holding onto each other just in case this test subject became like their second attempt. A makeshift firework.

However, their hesitance quickly became excitement as the words of the book literally began to sing off of its pages. It was an old poetry book, one Shen Yuan had read before in his past life, but to hear it again, from an albeit low and rather flat voice was incredibly thrilling and satisfying. 

"It worked!" He jumped forward, grabbing the book off of the ground as he traced the dried ink, listening to the poetry read out to him smoothly. He peeled the talisman off, and the poetry halted, placing it back on once again, it began to speak once again. "Qinghua! It finally worked!"

Shang Qinghua laughed at the rare sight of his old friend's pure excitement, coming up next to him as he memorized the lines of the characters and markings on the talismans. He'd have to make copies; this would make his work so much easier! "It only took us getting blown up in the face by books a few times."

"Worth it."

"Oh, absolutely worth it."

"Yuan-shidi!" Xia Cheng ran over to them, smiling brighter when she heard the flat voice reading out the poetry of the book. "Oh my! You got it to work!"

Shang Qinghua nodded; Xia Cheng was rather welcoming and kind to anyone she met, so she was never one to try and shoo Shang Qinghua away. She actually seemed to always be rather happy to have him around. Perhaps it was a Ling Shou thing? They did seem to have some heavy Omega solidarity here among their own. 

"That's good that you are finished. Because Shizun said that you–."

"Xia Cheng, may this Shizun share the good news?" An aura of winter, yet with the voice of summer, Shen Yuan had noticed his Shizun's presence, but her voice always seemed to catch him off guard. She truly was like a winter spirit that snuck up on those who weren't careful enough to keep their guard up. 

Shang Qinghua shrieked from fright, however, not having noticed the peak lord's presence until she was right behind them. Shen Yuan held his shoulder, keeping him from falling on his ass as he laughed awkwardly and bowed curtly as a greeting. 

Hu Lieling laughed good-naturedly, nodding to him while Shen Yuan stepped forward to address his Shizun. "Shizun, was there something this one needed to be aware of?"

Hu Lieling hummed affirmatively, stepping forward until she overshadowed Shen Yuan. She was rather tall, much like a forest spirit. Lithe and graceful, one could associate her movements with the wind as her billowing sleeves, which reached to her calves, fluttered around her powerful hands, revealing skin the color of honey as she traced the talisman on the poetry book.