A Not-so-Small Matter
During dinner, Shen Ping was still thinking about moving. If he could not squeeze into a medium-sized courtyard in half a year and there were no empty houses in the market, he would have to show the ability of a high-grade Talisman Master. Only then would he be qualified to rent an even more expensive single-family courtyard.
Until now, there were very few high-grade Talisman Masters in the entire market. However, when the time came, he had to hide his identity. He could not let others know about his previous situation. He could not even go to the Spring Embroidery Pavilion again.
After all, the advancement of a Talisman Master required time. No one would believe that he didn’t have any secrets since he had advanced to High Grade so quickly. Although it was safe in the market, this did not mean that he could rest easy and recklessly expose his information.
At this moment, Bai Yuying suddenly said, “Husband, today…”
“Sister Ying’er, don’t!” Wang Yun said anxiously.
Shen Ping collected his thoughts and looked at his wife and concubine in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Wang Yun picked up a piece of meat for Shen Ping. “Husband, come and try this piece of meat.”
Shen Ping looked at Wang Yun calmly. His wife immediately lowered her head and turned to Bai Yuying. “Tell me, what’s the matter?”
Only then did Bai Yuying continue, “In the afternoon, Sister Yun’er and I were bathing in the Red Stone River and washing our silk scarves when the wind accidentally blew on a female cultivator senior. The other party slapped Sister Yun’er and even called her a piece of trash who could not cultivate. The scolding was really unpleasant.
“Fortunately, there was a female cultivator who visited you and persuaded her to restrain herself. Otherwise, Sister Yun’er’s meridians might have been crippled. That female cultivator used to be from Red Willow Alley, but she’s moved to Stonewood Alley now.”
When Shen Ping heard this, he roughly understood the reason.
Stonewood Alley was two peripheral alleys north of the Red Stone River. Because it was close to the wilderness, it was much less safe. However, the price of houses in Red Willow Alley had increased. Many cultivators at the bottom of the Qi Refinement Realm could not stay there and moved there.
Wang Yun was only a mortal, but she could still stay in Red Willow Alley. Therefore, the female cultivator was jealous and used the silk scarf as an excuse to vent.
“Husband, it’s all my fault for causing you trouble.” Wang Yun’s face was filled with apologies.
Shen Ping held his wife’s soft and weak hand and looked at her side profile. As expected, there were still palm prints and bruises there. He had been too focused on moving previously and had indeed not noticed. “Yun’er, you don’t have to blame yourself. It’s my fault for making you suffer. In the future, you have to carry amulets with you when you go out. I’ll give you a few later. Tell me when you’ve run out of them.”
He knew what Bai Yuying meant. She did not want him to stand up for her, but she was worried that the female cultivator would find an opportunity to take revenge. Even if the other party was a cultivator at the third level of Qi Refinement, she still had methods to make Wang Yun and Bai Yuying suffer.
“Thank you, husband.” Bai Yuying heaved a sigh of relief.
Wang Yun hesitated and said, “Husband, isn’t it too wasteful?”
Shen Ping smiled and said, “I’m a Talisman Master. What’s there to waste? Listen to me.”
Although this was a small matter, it was a big matter for his wife. If it was not handled well, it might cause a huge mistake.
Therefore, in the next few days, he specially took time to accompany his wife and concubine to the Red Stone River. This action made some female cultivators envious. They all thought that wives and concubines like Wang Yun and Bai Yuying were just tools for Shen Ping, the Talisman Master, to give birth to his descendants.
In the end, they did not expect the other party to value his wife and concubine so much. Especially when they saw the several amulets on the two women’s bodies, their eyes lit up. They wished he could replace them.
The amulet had already risen to 18 low-grade spirit stones. One amulet was equivalent to half a year’s rent in Red Willow Alley.
When the female cultivator who attacked them found out about this, she was so frightened that she did not dare to show her face in the Red Stone River for several months. After all, Shen Ping was not only a mid-grade Talisman Master, but also a cultivator in the mid-stage of Qi Refinement.
…
Days passed. In the blink of an eye, it was mid-October. A cold wave swept over from the depths of the swamp. The temperature of the market dropped sharply.
The fragrance lingered inside the warm brocade blanket at the end of the day.
[You have dual cultivated with your wife once. You have received +2 Experience in Dao of Talisman.]
[Current wife’s favorability: 100]
[Duo Cultivation Bonus: 4]
[Talisman Master: Level One High-grade (6,012/50,000)]
…
[You have dual cultivated with your Dao Companion once. You have obtained a metal-element spiritual root aptitude +2, wood-element spiritual root aptitude +2.]
[Current Dao Companion’s favorability: 90]
[Duo Cultivation Bonus: 3]
[Metal Spiritual Root: Mid-grade (4,052/10,000)]
[Wood Spiritual Root: Mid-grade (3,946/10,000)]
He looked at the flashing words on the virtual interface. Shen Ping sighed softly in his heart. A Talisman Master needed a lot of experience to break through to the High Grade. At the current speed of hard work every day, it would take four or five years to break through again.
He didn’t care about this. After all, when a high-grade Talisman Master made a breakthrough, he would be at the second level. His cultivation had to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm before he could continue to make it, and he was very far from the Foundation Establishment Realm.
However, according to his experience in the Dao of Talismans, it was very likely the same when one’s Spiritual Root reached the high-grade. Fortunately, ever since the silk scarf incident, Bai Yuying’s favorability with him had increased by five points, and the bonus had doubled.
When he noticed the changes, he sighed with emotion. He had to take good care of his wife and concubine. Otherwise, if he purely treated them as tools, the favorability would definitely make him cry to death.
“I have to go to the market tomorrow!” At the thought of this, Shen Ping could not help but feel a headache.
He had to go out again! In fact, he had consumed most of the spirit rice, meat, and ingredients to replenish his Qi and blood half a month ago. However, he gritted his teeth and endured for another half a month.
But now he had to go out. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even be able to withstand the Qi-sealing technique during sex.
The next day, the cold wind was bone-chilling. Drops of rain mixed with snowflakes fell. The streets and roads were covered in a thin layer of ice. Shen Ping walked out of the house and quickly walked next door while his wife and concubine were worried.
Knock, knock.
Soon, the door opened. Yu Yan’s hair was disheveled, and she only had a corset robe on her. Her rising and falling outline made Shen Ping take a few more glances. “Fellow Daoist Shen? What a rare guest. He actually took the initiative to knock on my door! Why? Can’t you satisfy your beautiful wife and concubine?” She leaned against the door frame and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her smile was sarcastic.
Shen Ping hurriedly said, “Fellow Daoist Yu, don’t misunderstand. I’m preparing to go to the market. Is Fellow Daoist Yu going out today?”
When Yu Yan heard this, she immediately lost her motivation. She turned around and entered the house. “Wait outside. With your guts, you won’t be able to find another person in the entire Cloud Mountain Parlour!”
Shen Ping cupped his hands, “Thank you, Fellow Daoist Yu!”
Yu Yan usually wouldn’t go out in today’s slightly bad weather. She only agreed because of her neighbors. After waiting for ten minutes, Yu Yan finished dressing up, her plain-colored robe made her face look more murderous and cold.
“Let’s go!”
The two of them walked quickly towards the market.
Although Yu Yan was only at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, she had fought for many years and her battle experience was not something Shen Ping could compare to. This kind of cultivator often had a unique temperament. Almost everyone could tell at a glance.
As for robber cultivators, they would usually only take action when their opponent’s cultivation realm was two levels lower than their own or when their numbers were three times higher than their prey.