Open a Clinic to Cultivate Myself Chapter 257 Your Tex

What was even more ridiculous was that, he was not met with shelves full of scriptures and scrolls, but rather, an old wooden chest placed in the center of the room, as well as a door directly across the room. Above the door was a signboard with the words “Scriptures & Scrolls Store II” clearly written on it.

Ning Tao was feeling queasy all of a sudden from the sight of that door and the signboard. Based on the clinic's way of things, if there were Scriptures & Scrolls Store II, then there would probably be a Scriptures & Scrolls Store III, Scriptures & Scrolls Store IV… Scriptures & Scrolls Store N, right?

When would it end at such a rate?

Ning Tao suddenly felt pity for the Meixiang Deity Zeng Ruxian and the Taoist Heavenly Hound Chen Pingdao. Who could stand being conned by that bloodsucker clinic!

However, no matter what, he could no longer back out after opening the door. Ning Tao suppressed his urge to burn down the entire clinic, walking towards the old wooden chest with heavy steps.

Luckily, the wooden chest was not locked. If it were locked and required payment to be unlocked, Ning Tao might have been driven crazy.

The chest was only about the size of a handcarry suitcase. Its wooden material looked dusty and dull. It did not have a paint coat. It looked as if it were a rotten wooden box abandoned in the wild for years, weathered by rain and shine. Cracks and holes were all over it.

Ning Tao suspected that the box might break and crumble into a pile of wooden debris just even with a light pat. He grabbed the lid carefully and lifted it up lightly. In fact, it was then when he was lifting the lid, he had been shocked by how oddly heavy that mere rotten chest was. The lid alone weighed at least tens of kilograms!

When he had finally opened the chest, a wet blanket was thrown over Ning Tao's excitement. His entire heart went cold.

Inside the chest was a frayed and tattered thread-bound book, its edges had been severely worn away. On its dirty cover wrote the words “Runes Handbook”. There was also a scroll made out of animal skin, which was very rough in texture. There were even strands of black hair on the leather. Both the thread-bound book and the leather scroll looked like they were inferior props from a locally produced Xianxia drama.

Suppressing the overwhelming disappointment inside him, Ning Tao picked up the Runes Handbook and flipped its cover page open.

On the first page was an illustration of a naked caveman, who was practically a bag of bones, and even had a small penis.

Ning Tao was stunned, then uncontrollably cursed. “What the fuck!”

The book's title is “Runes Handbook”, so why the hell did you draw a caveman? Even if you drew it, couldn't you cover it up with a leaf? Even if you really had to draw that thing, then you could have drawn a bigger one!

Just when Ning Tao was cursing away, the caveman on the first page suddenly began moving. He stood on his two legs with his arms wide open. All of a sudden, tens of runes appeared in the empty space beside him, along with corresponding annotations.

One of the runes which resembled the posture of the caveman was described as such: The character “male” is characterized by the solar, which is the sun, and it represents light and destruction. Its pronunciation is “chi” according to the primeval records on runes. It was often used in drawing combat runes for increasing power…

The other runes which followed were all different but they were more or less similar. It was not hard to tell that it was about the evolution of the runes. Below every rune was a detailed annotation of its pronunciations, its usage in paper talismans, and more. It was incredibly comprehensive.

With that, Ning Tao was silenced and stopped his scolding. The thing he was lacking the most was the knowledge of runes. That “Runes Handbook” was practically a manual to get him started!

The caveman changed his posture continuously, and the runes and annotations changed along with it.

In the next moment, Ning Tao flipped to the second page.

On the second page was an illustration of a cavewoman, who was also naked. The quality of the drawing was terrible. However, regardless of how poorly drawn it was, its content was still similarly enlightening, which had benefited Ning Tao greatly.

For example, the cavewoman was in a lying position. An annotation similar to the first rune was such as: The character “female” is characterized by the lunar, which is the moon, and it represents darkness and life. Its pronunciation is “en” according to the primeval records on runes. It was often used in drawing dark type runes…

On the third page was an illustration of a rock, and more runes were derived from the rock.

On the fourth page was an illustration of a tree, and more runes were derived from the tree.

On the fifth page was an illustration of a river, and more runes were derived from the river.

On the sixth page there was an illustration of a metal, and more runes were derived from the metal.

On the seventh page there was an illustration of fire, and more runes were derived from the fire.

There were seven pages in total. It was first a man and a woman, then followed by metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Even though it was new to Ning Tao, he could understand that such Rune Handbook had covered the content of the Yinyang and the Five Elements, which the runes of the world of cultivation had also been developed from. Once he had grasped the knowledge in that area, there wouldn't be any runes he could not read in that world! He would even be able to read the runes drawn by primitive practitioners from tens of thousands of years ago!

“Eh! There's still another page?” Ning Tao was already on the seventh page, which was followed by the back cover. However, upon rubbing it, he realized there was another page stuck to the seventh page.

Ning Tao carefully split the two pages apart. There was indeed an eight page.

On the eight page there was a talisman, which also came with its corresponding annotations: Plucking talisman. Ingredients required: a piece of medium paper of 3.3 inches in length and 2.2 inches in width. Using mouse blood mixed with incense ash, supplied with spiritual energy, to draw it. This talisman can remove acne, virus, bruises, arrows, and also has the effects of painkilling, soothing the mind, and improving joint movement and blood circulation. When used, stuff it into a bamboo cylinder then light it with spiritual fire.

This…

Damn!

Ning Tao was not able to use the talismans of ordinary practitioners. When he had finally attained a talisman which he could specially use to draw and use, little did he expect that it was a talisman for a cupping therapy.

He had been wishing for a type of incredible talisman which could allow him to throw thunderbolts and set his enemies ablaze, or perhaps the type of talisman which could make him invisible. Even at its worst, it should have been something like Tang Zixian's Soul Talisman of Yin Valley, being able to conceal one's own spiritual power, which could not be recognized by even the people closest to you. However, placed before him was a cupping therapy talisman instead.

After being disappointed for a while, Ning Tao said, “Alright, I'm a cultivating doctor, it should be my job to pay 5000 points of treatment fees for a cupping therapy talisman. I'll turn the clinic into Ning's Traditional Chinese Massage Center and provide the cupping therapy service, alright?”

His own voice echoed in the empty Scriptures & Scrolls Store. His own voice was all there was.

Ning Tao placed the “Runes Handbook” back into the wooden chest, then picked up the leather scroll. Even though he clearly knew about the clinic's way of things, and had guessed that the scroll would not contain anything impressive, he still could not suppress his curiosity.

What could possibly be on the scroll?

Ning Tao opened the scroll carefully, extending into a leather scroll which was a foot in width and two feet in length. He was instantly stunned.

The words “Your Text” were written on the scroll. Just those words, and nothing else.

“Your text? Does that mean… my text?” Ning Tao mumbled to himself while feeling disappointed and confused.

When Ning Tao said “your text”, the leather scroll did not react at all. Yet when he said “my text”, new content appeared on the leather scroll.

Ning Tao read it out loud, “I rest within the womb, listening to the sound of the Way.”

Dong!

Just once he was done reading the line, a sound of a bell being struck suddenly resounded in Ning Tao's head. It was as if the sound had come from a cosmos of an immeasurable distance away, faraway and mysterious. In that instant, his mind was at peace, entering a state which surpassed materialism.

Ning Tao then recited the second line, “When I was birthed into the world, my parents departed from me.”

Was that not referring to his life?

He was the inborn go-between of good and evil. His parents were destined to leave him when he was born.

Sadness overcame him, two tears rolled down his cheeks.

What was strange was, when he cried from sadness, new content stopped appearing on the leather scroll.

Ning Tao wiped away his tears and recited the first line again. “I rest within the womb, listening to the sound of the Way.”

Dong!

When the bell of the Way was struck, Ning Tao's body and mind were at ease again, surpassing the material state. He read the second line again. “When I was birthed into the world, my parents departed from me.”

The smiles and sounds of his father and mother surfaced on his mind beyond his control. He fell deep in sadness again. Tears fell against his will.

It had failed again.

After a few more attempts, Ning Tao was still unable to succeed. He was shocked. “It was already so difficult to read these two short lines. How difficult must it be to finish reading it?”

He still failed after trying a few more times. Ning Tao gave up. He picked up both the “Runes Handbook” and “Your Text”, then went before the door to Scriptures & Scrolls Store II, pushing it open.

The door did not budge.

Ning Tao opened the ledger of bamboo slips immediately. Indeed, it had indicated that ten thousand points worth of treatment fees was required to open it.

Ning Tao smiled bitterly. “Ten thousand? Why don't you go rob a bank instead?”

Nobody responded.

Ning Tao turned and walked out of the first door, thinking to himself, “The next time when I save another 5000 points, I'll go open the Elixirs & Equipment Store. I'll see for myself to what degree you can cheat me to!”

Even though he had put it that way, Ning Tao still understood deep down that both “Runes Handbook” and “Your Text” were useful treasures for him. The usage of the “Runes Handbook” was obvious, but he was confused with “Your Text”. No matter how he had tried reading the two lines, no new content appeared. It seemed like that “when I was birthed into the world, my parents departed from me” line was his main obstacle, as it would sadden him no matter how he recited it.

Just when he was thinking about that line, he was overwhelmed with sadness again. Ning Tao was stunned, then recited in his heart. “I rest within the womb, listening to the sound of the Way.”

Dong!

The bell of the Way inside his mind was struck once again. He was at ease again.

“Is this because I am carrying the 'Your Text' scroll?” Ning Tao pondered in his heart. He then placed “Your Text” back into the old wooden chest, then left the Scriptures & Scrolls Store, and read the second line of “when I was birthed into the world, my parents depart from me” once again.

Sadness filled his heart. Ning Tao teared up uncontrollably again.

Then he just stood there, frozen in the same position for some time.

How could the path of cultivation possibly be smooth-sailing?

Chapter end