I picked up a good bargain, and with another batch of Spirit Wood, I can refine eight or nine Battle Puppets.
Li Mu was in a great mood and continued to wander around the Loose Cultivator market.
However, his good luck seemed to have run out, as Li Mu couldn't find any valuable bargains; even if there were any, they were low-profit spirit items not worth dealing in.
Li Mu gave up browsing the stalls and, at the market manager's office, paid a one lower Spirit Stone stall fee, found an empty spot, laid out his stall cloth, and began selling Spirit Talismans.
After spending over two months cultivating on the mountain, Li Mu had drawn a large number of High Grade and Peak Grade First-Order Spirit Talismans, all specifically tailored for the Spirit Talismans frequently used by Loose Cultivators in Qingping Town, such as Evil Expulsion Talismans, Fireball Amulets, Body Protection Talismans, and so on.
Qingping Town was built around a mineral vein, and most Loose Cultivators made a living by mining in the caves below, needing to deal with attacks from underground evil spirits and Yin spirits.
Therefore, most of them would prepare some Evil Expulsion and Body Protection Talismans.
As soon as Li Mu's stall was set up, it immediately attracted the attention of many people.
“Oh! They are all High Grade Spirit Talismans, and there are even Peak Grade Spirit Talismans! Boss! How many Spirit Stones for one of these Peak Grade Body Protection Talismans?”
“I want five Evil Expulsion Talismans and Fireball Amulets each, and two Body Protection Talismans.”
“Boss, do you offer a discount if I buy more Spirit Talismans?”
...
In front of Li Mu's stall, seven or eight customers gathered to buy Spirit Talismans, and more and more people arrived.
In the Qingping Town Loose Cultivator market, there were also stalls selling Spirit Talismans, but most were Medium Grade or Low Grade, with unsatisfactory effects, and it was rare for High Grade or Peak Grade Spirit Talismans to appear, as they were quickly bought up.
Now, a stall specializing in high-quality Spirit Talismans had appeared, and for a time, Li Mu's Spirit Talisman stall attracted many customers eager to buy.
“Fireball Amulets are 15 lower spirit stones each, Peak Grade Body Protection Talismans are 20 lower spirit stones, and if you buy ten Spirit Talismans, you get one High Grade Evil Expulsion Talisman for free.”
“Here are your Spirit Talismans, a total of 78 lower spirit stones, thank you!”
...
Li Mu handed out Talismans with one hand and collected Spirit Stones with the other, busy beyond belief.
On the street, five Xuan Wolf Gang members were patrolling the Loose Cultivator market.
“Boss, look at that stall, it’s so lively!” one of the younger brothers pointed to the Spirit Talisman stall surrounded by people, indicating to his boss.
“Let’s go take a look!” the leader, Cen Jinniu, waved his hand.
“Huh! Big Brother, do you hear that voice? Doesn’t it sound familiar!” Pang Chengxiong listened to the stall owner’s voice, looked at Pang Wenxiong beside him, and asked doubtfully.
“Hmm!” Pang Wenxiong frowned deeply, also feeling that the stall owner’s voice was inexplicably familiar.
After getting closer to the stall and seeing the young face of the Spirit Talisman stall owner, the two brothers exchanged glances, both recalling those unbearable days, filled with hatred, fear, and a sense of loss, remembering the days spent trapped in the illusion array with their deceased third brother… their feelings instantly became incredibly complex.
Li Mu was happily collecting Spirit Stones!
Suddenly, he noticed that the customers were all backing away, actively clearing a passage, and he immediately realized something was wrong.
Li Mu looked up, and what met his eyes were five Xuan Wolf Gang members dressed in uniform, and among them, two familiar figures.
Li Mu was slightly stunned, and his expression immediately became extremely vivid!
What a damn coincidence!
I was careless!
Li Mu felt a bit regretful; he had been soft-hearted back then, not killing them to silence them in the array, and now he had actually met them on their territory!
What to do now?
Explode and kill them?
Pack up and run?
Li Mu quickly stuffed the Spirit Stones in his hand into his Storage Pouch, releasing his Divine Sense to be ready for any changes.
“Oh-ho! The quality of these Spirit Talismans is quite good! Did you draw them?” Cen Jinniu examined the Spirit Talismans on the stall, completely unaware of the tense atmosphere, and asked Li Mu.
“Hmm! I drew them!” Li Mu glanced at the Pang brothers and admitted directly.
The Pang brothers’ faces turned dark as they looked at the talisman paper used for these Spirit Talismans, and their feelings immediately became even more complex!
This talisman paper was bought with their Spirit Stones!
Their third brother lost his life trying to buy talisman paper!
Both Pang brothers thought of unpleasant things, and their gazes towards Li Mu were filled with killing intent.
Li Mu frowned, sensing their killing intent, and reached for his Storage Pouch; if they made any move, he would definitely not sit idly by.
“Hmm? What’s wrong with you two?” Cen Jinniu immediately sensed that something was amiss and looked at the Pang brothers in confusion.
“Boss, this little brother and we had a previous grievance; he swindled us out of a large sum of money and even caused Shixiong’s death!” Pang Wenxiong explained to Cen Jinniu with a grim face.
“That’s right! Boss, you must uphold justice for us!” Pang Chengxiong chimed in.
“Kid! They aren’t wronging you, are they! If you don’t give us a satisfactory answer today, don’t even think about leaving Qingping Town!” Cen Jinniu’s Aura suddenly surged, and he turned to glare fiercely at Li Mu, questioning him.
Seeing the impending fight, the surrounding Loose Cultivators who were watching the commotion scattered like birds, and the nearby stall owners quickly packed up and fled.
Li Mu sighed, reached into his Storage Pouch, and took out two Second-Order Spirit Talismans, looking directly at Pang Wenxiong and Pang Chengxiong, and asked cautiously, “How did this grievance happen? Aren’t you going to explain? I kindly spared your lives, and this is how you repay me?”
As the two Second-Order Spirit Talismans appeared, the pupils of the five Xuan Wolf Gang members all constricted.
The Loose Cultivators waiting nearby to watch the show were startled, and with a ‘whoosh,’ they all retreated thirty to forty feet away, fearing they would be affected.
Tsk tsk!
High Grade Second-Order Spirit Talismans!
The Xuan Wolf Gang has hit a snag this time!
There’s a good show to watch!
The surrounding crowd discussed animatedly; they had suffered greatly from the Xuan Wolf Gang’s exploitation, and now seeing their misfortune, they were all overjoyed, as if it were a festival.
Feeling the terrifying Spiritual Pressure of the High Grade Second-Order Spirit Talismans at close range, Cen Jinniu was terrified, fearing that the other party would activate the Spirit Talismans and his life would be completely gone.
At such a close distance, Cen Jinniu didn't think he could escape the lock-on of the Second-Order Spirit Talismans.
“Fellow Daoist, don’t be nervous! Don’t be nervous! Let’s talk things out, there’s no need for a big fight. If it’s the Pang brothers’ fault, I, Cen, will definitely uphold justice for you.” Cen Jinniu no longer had his previous arrogant demeanor, and with a fawning smile, he tried to persuade him.
At this moment, the Pang brothers were filled with bitter regret; previously, when trapped in the illusion array, they had sworn in their hearts that if they could escape, they would never provoke such a troublesome person again, how could they have forgotten!
Now what!
How to end this!
High Grade Second-Order Spirit Talismans! At such a close distance, if this thing was activated, how could they survive?
“What are you two thinking, quickly explain the matter clearly! Don’t try to deceive me!” Cen Jinniu kicked Pang Wenxiong in a fit of exasperation.
“Yes, yes! It’s our fault, we were blinded by greed and accepted benefits from others to kill Fellow Daoist. Fellow Daoist trapped us, but in the end, still gave us our freedom. This matter was our mistake!” Pang Wenxiong said with a mournful face, quickly apologizing to Li Mu.
“Hmm! My brother’s death was caused by me?” Li Mu asked with a smile.
“No, no! It has nothing to do with Fellow Daoist, he was killed by an assassin from Listening Rain Pavilion, this cannot be blamed on you!” Pang Wenxiong quickly waved his hand, explaining.
“Then I swindled you out of a sum of Spirit Stones?” Li Mu chuckled, then asked.
“No, no! It was our compensation for Fellow Daoist’s losses, it was the fee for our freedom!” Pang Wenxiong quickly defended himself.
“So that’s how it is! Fellow Daoist, this matter is now clear. It was the Pang brothers who messed things up. I will punish them according to gang rules later. At the same time, I sincerely apologize to Fellow Daoist on their behalf. Let’s resolve this major conflict into minor ones, and turn hostility into friendship, how about it!” Cen Jinniu said with a look of sudden realization, looking at Li Mu sincerely.
“Tsk tsk! The Pang brothers are repaying kindness with enmity!”
“He even let them go, and they still dare to bully others by relying on their power, they really don’t know what’s good for them!”
“He spared them, and they still dare to cause trouble, such people are too low-class!”
“Tsk tsk tsk! No wonder the third brother died! I was still wondering!”
“It’s a good thing this young man can bring out Second-Order Spirit Talismans to steady the situation, otherwise, the Pang brothers would have truly succeeded.”
“…”
The onlookers, having heard the full story, immediately engaged in heated discussions and endless comments, scoffing at the Pang brothers’ character.
The Pang brothers lowered their heads, their faces alternating between green and white, as the voices of the passersby fell into their ears without missing a single word, making them too ashamed to face anyone.
Li Mu glanced at the two, then looked at Cen Jinniu’s awkward smile, accepted the step down offered by the other party, and stated to the Pang brothers, “Very well! I don’t want to cause more trouble. All past grievances are written off. I hope you won’t provoke me again, otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite!”
“Good, good! Fellow Daoist, you are busy, I won’t disturb your business!” Cen Jinniu felt as if he had been granted a great pardon, and quickly led his younger brothers away as if fleeing.
Watching their retreating figures, Li Mu then put away the Second-Order Spirit Talismans.
With a ‘whoosh,’ the crowd of Loose Cultivators who had been watching the commotion swarmed towards Li Mu’s stall.
“Boss! Do you sell High Grade Second-Order Spirit Talismans?”
“Boss! Those are Second-Order Metal-element Spirit Talismans, right! How many Spirit Stones for one!”
...