Chapter 8: Inventory of Gains
Zheng Qingqing raised her delicate eyebrows and re-examined Li Chang'an.
They hadn't seen each other in a long time since their last meeting.
Li Chang'an still had that cautious demeanor.
"I heard that the reason you were able to kill those two rogue Cultivators was because you ambushed them with Talismans, catching them off guard?"
"That's right."
Li Chang'an replied truthfully.
The entire process sounded normal.
But Zheng Qingqing knew very well.
Facing two vicious rogue Cultivators, not everyone had the courage to act.
Many Cultivators would only hide, even if their close friends were being attacked by rogue Cultivators, they wouldn't dare to intervene easily.
With Li Chang'an's cautious personality.
He must have been fully prepared before deciding to save someone.
In other words.
Li Chang'an's trump cards were far more than just two Mad Blade Talismans.
But where would an ordinary Loose Cultivator get the Spirit Stones to prepare so many trump cards?
Either he had a great Opportunity, or he had hidden some skill for earning Spirit Stones.
Zheng Qingqing's mind whirred, and she asked directly, "Li Chang'an, are you a Talisman Master?"
"Young Miss is exceptionally intelligent, I can't hide anything from you."
Li Chang'an flattered her, his tone very sincere.
Zheng Qingqing smiled sweetly, seemingly pleased, and her eyes showed a subtle change.
Originally, in her eyes, Li Chang'an was just an irrelevant passerby.
But now.
Li Chang'an, with his Talisman-drawing skill, was enough to make her look at him seriously.
"You want to terminate the Spirit Contract early and regain your freedom?"
Zheng Qingqing asked softly.
Li Chang'an nodded.
"Young Miss, is there any difficulty with this matter?"
"Don't worry, this is simple."
Zheng Qingqing summoned a maid and gave her a few instructions.
The maid hurried away.
Not long after, she returned with a Spirit Contract.
It was the Spirit Contract Li Chang'an had signed with the Zheng family back then!
This Spirit Contract greatly restricted Li Chang'an; once he violated the Zheng family's wishes, he would suffer a backlash.
Minor injuries would result in serious harm, and severe cases could lead to death!
He could not unilaterally terminate the Spirit Contract, but the Zheng family could.
Next.
Zheng Qingqing raised her fair hand, a faint glow flashing across her slender fingers, and gently wiped over the three characters "Li Chang'an" at the end of the Spirit Contract.
"Done!"
Zheng Qingqing smiled.
On the Spirit Contract.
Li Chang'an's name slowly disappeared, leaving only a blank space, as if it had never existed.
He immediately felt a lightness throughout his body.
It was as if some shackles had been broken, and he felt reborn, even his Soul was incredibly comfortable.
"Thank you, Young Miss!"
Li Chang'an was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude.
Zheng Qingqing pursed her lips and smiled, "You eliminated two rogue Cultivators for my Zheng family; this is what you deserve."
From then on.
Li Chang'an and the Zheng family were even.
He would now deal with the Zheng family as a Loose Cultivator Talisman Master.
After a while.
Li Chang'an and Chu Da Niu left the Baishi Hall.
Chu Da Niu did not terminate his Spirit Contract, as the rogue Cultivators were not killed by him, and he only received two bottles of Medicinal Pills for healing.
Even so, he was very grateful.
"Young Miss is truly a good person, so beautiful and kind, completely without the arrogance of a noble family member. I wonder who will be fortunate enough to marry her in the future."
Chu Da Niu held the Medicinal Pills, genuinely sighing.
In fact.
Many young Cultivators in the Qinghe Town secretly admired Zheng Qingqing.
After all, whether it was her status or her cultivation talent, she was enough to make most Loose Cultivators look up to her.
Li Chang'an smiled and glanced at Chu Da Niu.
"Daniu, take good care of your injuries, don't overthink it."
"Big Brother Li is right!"
Chu Da Niu scratched his head; he wouldn't dare to hope for anything extravagant.
Then.
The two parted ways, each returning to their rooms.
...
Li Chang'an closed the door and took out the Storage Pouches of the two rogue Cultivators.
"Finally, I can check the spoils of war!"
He smiled, feeling quite good.
This time's action.
Though somewhat risky, it was completely worth it.
"Before, I never had a Storage Pouch, which always made things inconvenient. Now, I don't have that trouble anymore."
Two Storage Pouches were enough for Li Chang'an to store essential items.
He spent some effort to break the Restrictions left by the two rogue Cultivators on their Storage Pouches.
After opening the pouches and seeing what was inside.
His mood improved even more!
"The Spirit Stones in both pouches combined amount to over a hundred."
"There are five bottles of Qi Nurturing Pills, three bottles of Qi Replenishing Pills, and some Medicinal Pills for healing and calming the mind."
Li Chang'an's lips curved into a smile as he identified the medicine bottles one by one.
Besides Medicinal Pills.
There were also various Low Grade Spirit Medicines, mostly for healing, and quite a few of them.
There were also two Magical Artifacts.
They were a meteor hammer and a large axe, both Low Grade Magical Artifacts.
"There are also more than ten Low Grade Talismans, and three Mid-Grade Talismans, all for self-defense."
Li Chang'an picked up a Talisman and secretly felt fortunate.
Fortunately, he directly ambushed them.
And succeeded in one blow.
The two rogue Cultivators had no chance to activate their Talismans.
"In the future, if I must act, I will try to ambush as much as possible, even when facing Cultivators with lower cultivation than mine."
Li Chang'an warned himself, then continued to take inventory.
Finally.
He roughly calculated.
The total value of the items in the Storage Pouches exceeded three hundred Spirit Stones!
In addition, each of these two Storage Pouches was also worth over a hundred Spirit Stones.
"As expected of rogue Cultivators, they have a substantial fortune!"
Li Chang'an sighed with emotion.
How could ordinary Early Stage Qi Refining Cultivators have so many Spirit Stones?
It made sense when he thought about it.
Murder and arson have always been very profitable!
"Although it's a quick way to earn money, the risks are extremely high, and it's too wicked. I'll just stick to drawing Talismans honestly."
Li Chang'an put away everything and took out the Legacy Jade Slip he had obtained from the fish's belly earlier.
He began to study the art of Mid-Grade Talismans.
...
That evening.
Manager Zheng Jinbao paid a visit.
"Chang'an, it's me, are you home?"
His voice, compared to last time, was more enthusiastic.
Li Chang'an got up to open the door.
He saw Zheng Jinbao standing outside, his face wreathed in smiles.
"Manager Zheng, is something the matter?"
Li Chang'an asked calmly, his expression normal.
Zheng Jinbao smiled, "Chang'an, you really keep things hidden deep! You became a Talisman Master without a sound. You know, drawing Talismans requires a lot of talent!"
He praised Li Chang'an's talent for a few sentences.
Then he stated his purpose.
"Young Miss asked me to tell you that although your Spirit Contract with my Zheng family has been terminated, the house you currently live in still belongs to you."
"Oh? No need to rent?"
Li Chang'an was slightly surprised.
The house he was currently living in was allocated to him by the Zheng family.
After all, according to the Spirit Contract signed at that time, the Zheng family had to provide them with a Spiritual Vein for cultivation.
Qinghe Town was built upon a second-order Spiritual Vein, and cultivation here was very effective.
But now.
Now that the Spirit Contract had been terminated.
Li Chang'an either had to rent a house with Spirit Stones, like other ordinary Loose Cultivators, or leave the Qinghe Town.
Of course.
He was already a Talisman Master, so he could afford the Spirit Stones to rent a house.
Zheng Jinbao smiled and shook his head.
"Chang'an, Young Miss said that you have worked for the Zheng family for so many years, you are considered half a family member. As long as you are in Qinghe Town, this house belongs to you."
"I see."
Li Chang'an mused that ordinary Cultivators probably wouldn't receive such good treatment.
He could receive special care probably because of his identity as a Talisman Master.
This was a good thing that came to him.
He did not refuse.
The path of cultivation cannot be without Spirit Stones, so saving a little is best!