Though he had the brush, the brushwork itself remained a battlefield.
Every evening, Sheung sat in his study, yellow FU papers spread out before him, a dozen failed attempts curled and discarded on the floor. Elder Hua had tasked him with memorising the most basic FUs in the sect, and he couldn't even get the top part of them right, let alone the rest of the FU going downwards. He felt like he was in kindergarten and couldn't even colour inside the lines, making a complete mess.
The lines had to flow—precise, not mechanical. Energetic, yet steady. But Sheung's brush wobbled at every curve, his chi flaring unevenly, his strokes breaking like wind-snapped reeds.
"You're forcing it again," Longyin's voice chimed from beside him. She hung upside down in mid-air, as though reclining across invisible rafters.
Sheung groaned, dropping the brush. "I don't get it! Every time I start the strokes, it all twists out of shape. How am I supposed to remember all these sigils and formations?"
Longyin righted herself and floated beside him, inspecting his latest attempt. She didn't laugh.
"Alright. Heart Palace, Now!" she commanded.
Sheung went to his bed and did the breathing technique she had taught him to connect with his Heart Palace. In a few seconds he was there with Longyin, at the table under the peach blossom tree. She was wearing a teacher's black robe and glasses and had manifested a large screen standing next to the table across from Sheung.
"Most Taoists just blindly copy the FUs designed by masters like your grandfather. They don't know much more than you do now about how the strokes they draw actually work. And they don't care. As long as they do the job, which in most cases they do. However, I'm not going to let you be one of those ignorant copycats." She emphasised the word YOU whilst pointing her long ruler at Sheung. "Each component of the FU has a purpose, which clarifies exactly the intent and function of the FU itself."
Longyin materialised a yellow papered FU talisman in large on the screen. It was the first one in his grandad's Book of FUs. "Look at this talisman. The symbol on the top is the signature of the god called to oversee the whole operation of the FU. In the case of your grandad's FUs, this is always the sigil of the Great Dragon. It is called the FU Head. Other FU masters use different gods to oversee. Underneath that is the FU Head of the particular god being called on. Below that are symbols that say whether it is an internal FU, to effect something inside something else, or an external FU designed to effect outside. In this case it is an external FU asking the god of war for protection."
Sheung stared intently at the FU as Longyin spoke. The different components of the FU talisman were suddenly starting to make some sense.
Longyin continued "…below that is the actual title of the FU itself." She pointed the ruler at the vertical line of characters that went down the centre of the FU. "Here these are not sigils but Chinese words that say "Protect holder of this FU." The FU bands are the lines that go down each side of the FU." She pointed to two long lines that went down vertically on either side of the FU. "These can vary depending upon which element is being used or type of FU being made. In this case they are just straight lines. The left one instructs the god being called on to "Listen and understand." The right one asks the god to "Go and make it happen!"
Longyin paused for a moment. "Are you following?" she asked.
Sheung nodded quickly. As she was speaking some kind of invisible threads of understanding were forming inside him. The logic behind each part. Each time she talked about a new part, it was like a jigsaw puzzle was coming together in his mind.
"Now. All of this," she said, circling the whole FU, "is just like information on a ticket. Important but very simple, like the writing down the centre which just gives the title of the FU. The soul of the FU is here," she said, pointing vigorously at the big dot at the bottom of the FU. "This is called the FU Darm. When you paint it you mentally program detailed instructions into the FU. This can be something you visualise like a golden shield of light surrounding the holder, or a set of swords that stand guard. Or it can be verbal instructions such as 'follow this person at all times and kill all evils that come near.' All of this helps create a comprehensive and clear request to the god, and tells it exactly what it is being asked to do, to whom, why and for how long."
Something clicked inside Sheung and he gasped in awe and understanding. Longyin had just outlined the reasoning behind each of the sigils and characters Sheung had been struggling to draw.
"So most of the FU sigils are like the template, that would be the same for everyone that draws them. But the FU Darm is where the unique intention of the FU writer is anchored."
"Yes!" cried Longyin. "Exactly."
Longyin looked sternly at Sheung. "Learn the structure and the reasoning behind the structure well…so that you can use it when you need it to design your own FUs in the future. Your homework for now is to copy and learn to write the first 10 FUs in your grandad's book. They are more powerful than the ones Elder Hua has you learning, and are connected to your Dragon Bloodline. They will cover you for most general things you'll need for the time being. Ten times each, per FU, per day! Starting now!"
Longyin materialised a stack of one hundred blank yellow FU papers on the stone table. Ink wasn't necessary whilst in the Heart Palace as the brush magically generated the "ink" as the brush painted the red strokes on each one.
For each new FU he started, Longyin repeated the structure and purpose, and showed him what order to draw the strokes and lines. She hovered over his shoulder, correcting any mistakes he made with a kind but stern manner.
Each night from then on he had his homework to do, before any other topics were discussed.