One sheet, two sheets, three sheets... A stack of failed talismans had already piled up on one side of the table, and beads of sweat were forming on Henry Foster's forehead. Drawing talismans was truly exhausting, both physically and mentally. After just a short while, he already felt a bit drained.

"Did I overlook something?"

Henry Foster recalled the introduction to talismans in his mind: Talismans are vessels that gather spiritual energy; the one who draws talismans is the transmitter of that energy.

"Transmitter of spiritual energy..." Henry Foster muttered this phrase to himself. As a Chinese literature student, these classical texts were no challenge for him, but what exactly was this "spirit"?

Legend had it that objects consecrated by Buddhist rituals were filled with spiritual energy, capable of dispelling evil and warding off misfortune. This spiritual energy was said to be infused by eminent monks, but where did the monks' spiritual energy come from?

This time, Henry Foster carefully searched through the Zhuge Internal Classic in his mind. The book was over ten thousand pages thick and had no table of contents, so he could only flip through it page by page, hoping to find any record related to spiritual energy.

"Found it!"

After a full half hour, Henry Foster finally found an introduction about spiritual energy.

"Spirit is the energy of heaven and earth, existing within the universe..."

After reading this page, a spark flashed in Henry Foster's starry eyes. The so-called "spirit" was actually the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and talismans were a means of gathering this energy into the talisman through special patterns, thereby achieving the effect of warding off evil.

Some accomplished monks and Taoists had special cultivation methods to guide spiritual energy, much like the Buddhist concept of "Buddha's light shining everywhere," which was actually a way of utilizing spiritual energy.

The Zhuge Internal Classic also contained methods for gathering spiritual energy through incantations. Henry Foster memorized the incantation, picked up the wolf-hair brush again, and recited:

"Let wandering thoughts not run wild,

The Pure Land returns to true enlightenment,

Never forget the present, always circulate within,

All depends on deep cleansing and cultivation."

As soon as he finished the incantation, Henry Foster felt a refreshing energy flow through his body, finally gathering in his arm and streaming into the tip of the wolf-hair brush.

Not daring to delay, Henry Foster took a deep breath and drew in one stroke. The brushwork danced like dragons and phoenixes, and a faint yellow glow, visible to the naked eye, moved across the paper with the tip of the brush.

"It's done!"

As Henry Foster finished the final stroke, the entire yellow talisman flashed with light, but then quickly returned to normal. A special pattern had formed on the yellow paper, exactly matching the warding talisman in Henry Foster's mind.

Having completed the warding talisman, Henry Foster looked up out the window and realized that night had already fallen. It seemed that drawing this talisman had taken quite a bit of time.

"Better put it away for now. I'll find a chance to talk to Second Uncle about it when we put up the beam tonight!"

...

Dinner was lively. Most of his mother's relatives had come, everyone chatting together. Some young children ran around the house, chasing and playing, occasionally accompanied by a stern shout from an adult.

After dinner, no one left. Most of the younger generation stayed, waiting for the beam-raising ceremony. In the countryside, people valued choosing an auspicious day for the beam-raising of a new house, usually starting at midnight.

The weather in March was still a bit chilly and damp. Most of the elderly and children went home to sleep, while the younger ones gathered around the brazier, joking with each other.

The charcoal fire cast a rosy glow on everyone's faces. Laughter and warmth filled the air, a sense of family everywhere.

"You young folks, does anyone know where the custom of raising the beam comes from?"

Third Uncle James Bolton walked over, looking at the circle of young people and asked.

"Uncle, that's not a hard question for us!"

The speaker was a woman, the eldest uncle's daughter Sarah Bolton, who had been married for over five years and was now a teacher at the town's elementary school.

Chapter 7: Night Talk on Customs

Sarah Bolton's bright eyes sparkled as she said, "Raising the beam is one of the five major ceremonies in building a new house. These five are: first, the 'An Fu Master' ceremony for the house site; second, the 'Water Laying' (burying the drainage ditch under the main hall) ceremony; third, the main door installation ceremony; fourth, the beam-raising ceremony; and fifth, the 'Moving into the New House' ceremony. To make the beam-raising more grand and spectacular, wealthier families often combine the beam-raising and moving-in ceremonies."

"Don't play word games. What you mentioned are the ceremonies. I'm asking where the custom of raising the beam comes from."

"Uncle, why are you in such a hurry!"

Sarah Bolton glanced elsewhere, giving Henry Foster a look as he sat to the side, then grinned at her uncle and said, "Let's have our family's great scholar answer this one!"

Sarah Bolton knew about these ceremonies because her own family had gone through them when building their new house, but if she had to explain the origins, that would be difficult for her.

"Uh, then I'll give it a try. If I get anything wrong, Uncle, don't laugh at me," Henry Foster said, catching his cousin's look and joining in.

"Xiaoyu, go ahead. If you miss anything, I'll fill in the gaps!" James Bolton encouraged.

"Actually, the custom of raising the beam has existed since ancient times. As the saying goes: 'With a beam on the roof, the family has grain; without a beam, the livestock won't thrive.' People believed that if the beam was set straight, set firmly, and set with celebration, the family would prosper. In ancient times, there were strict requirements for the beam wood—it had to be straight and round, not crooked. Only such wood could be used for the beam..."