“Fellow Daoist Chen, you know my style, Zhang Mazi; I always have a fixed price and no bargaining, but there’s still room for discussion regarding your matter.”
The Shopkeeper stroked his non-existent beard and slowly began to speak.
“What do you mean? Just say it directly. Why are you still acting like a woman, so hesitant, after not seeing you for a few days?!”
Chen Lin was anxious, and his tone became a bit unpleasant.
The Shopkeeper remained unhurried, glaring at him and saying, “With your mindset, it’s no wonder your cultivation has been unable to advance. Cultivators most fear being overly eager for quick success. You must be calm and composed in everything you do, otherwise, it’s easy to suffer Qi Deviation and fall into the Demonic Path!”
Chen Lin was stunned.
Then he cupped his fists and said, “Zhang Zitong is absolutely right. I have learned a lot.”
Regardless of whether the other party was looking askance, what he said made perfect sense.
The Shopkeeper gave Chen Lin a look that said ‘teachable’ and then slowly opened his mouth, “What is your success rate in refining this Fireball Talisman?”
Not understanding why the other party asked this, but it wasn't something that couldn't be said, Chen Lin immediately replied, “Ten percent!”
“Only ten percent? That’s a bit low, but with your cultivation, being able to refine a first-grade Medium Grade Talisman across stages is already commendable. It will improve as your proficiency increases.”
The other party was talking to himself, and Chen Lin didn't know how to interject, so he could only remain silent and wait for the next part.
“Fellow Daoist Chen, I wonder if you are interested in joining our Zhang Family?”
Suddenly, the other party raised his head and said something that stunned Chen Lin.
“What do you mean? Is it that some Young Miss of your Zhang Family has taken a fancy to me and wants me to marry into the Family?”
Chen Lin immediately imagined countless scenarios.
The Zhang Family the other party spoke of referred to the Zhang Family, one of the Five Great Families, the Cultivator Family that had just lost a Foundation Establishment expert.
Even without a Foundation Establishment expert, it was still one of the Five Great Families, with a profound foundation that ordinary forces could not compare to.
Most importantly, the other party held Medicinal Pills, which were what he lacked most right now. To escape this place, sacrificing himself a bit was not out of the question.
“You’re dreaming!”
The Shopkeeper was amused by Chen Lin's words.
Then he sneered, “How could a Young Miss of my Zhang Family be matched with a toad like you? If you are willing to marry a Mortal without a Spiritual Root, I can certainly help you arrange it.”
Seeing the Shopkeeper’s half-serious, half-joking tone, Chen Lin immediately shook his head.
“Mortals are out of the question. We wouldn’t have common ground; it’s better to be single. So what did Zhang Zitong mean by his previous words?”
The Shopkeeper’s expression became serious, and he said, “You may have heard the rumors. Our Zhang Family has recently encountered some issues and is recruiting a large number of talented individuals with various skills. Since Fellow Daoist Chen can refine first-grade Medium Grade Talismans, you meet the recruitment criteria. If Fellow Daoist is interested, I can report to the Family and invite Fellow Daoist to become our Family’s exclusive Talisman Master.”
Chen Lin was somewhat moved, “What are the benefits of becoming an exclusive Talisman Master?”
Whether it was marrying in or becoming an exclusive Talisman Master, as long as he could get Medicinal Pills, it was fine.
“As for the benefits, there are naturally many. Not only can we provide more Talisman refining methods for free, but you can also receive corresponding Spirit Stones as monthly allowance, and even receive instruction in the Dao of Talismans from our Zhang Family’s Great Master of Talismans. It can be said that there are many advantages.”
The Shopkeeper stroked his chin proudly.
“With so many benefits, I’m afraid they aren’t so easy to obtain, right? Are there any restrictions?”
There’s no free lunch in the world; whatever benefits you get, you have to pay a corresponding price. Chen Lin was clear on this.
The Shopkeeper sneered, “The conditions are very lenient. You only need to sign a Heart Demon Oath, and you must never betray the Family for the rest of your life!”
As expected.
Chen Lin sneered inwardly.
It was impossible to expect these people to be benevolent; it was pure wishful thinking.
This was not recruiting an exclusive Talisman Master at all; it was simply recruiting Family servants and signing a deed of sale!
The Heart Demon Oath has a very strong binding force on Cultivators. Once violated, one will inevitably suffer a backlash from their Heart Demon.
“Forget it. I’m used to being free alone and don’t like being constrained. Thank you for Zhang Zitong’s kindness.”
Chen Lin directly refused.
He didn’t even bother to ask if they could provide a quota for purchasing Medicinal Pills.
He absolutely could not make the Heart Demon Oath; if he did, he would be even more unable to leave this place.
The Shopkeeper didn’t care about Chen Lin’s attitude, but looked at him deeply and said, “Fellow Daoist Chen, Kaiyuan City is becoming more and more unstable now. I advise you to seriously consider it. If you don’t rely on our Cultivator Families, I’m afraid your days ahead won’t be easy!”
Chen Lin was stunned for a moment.
Then he cupped his hands.
“Thank you for the Shopkeeper’s reminder. I will consider it again.”
The Shopkeeper shook his head, looking as if Chen Lin was unappreciative.
After leaving Zhang's Trading Company, Chen Lin wandered around other shops and bought a large bag of Materials.
He only started walking back after almost spending all his wealth.
The heavy snow was still falling.
The accumulated snow on the ground was more than a foot thick, making it difficult even for Cultivators to walk.
He hardly encountered anyone along the way; occasionally, there were a few Cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage or Late Stage who had learned flight Spells.
Chen Lin was very envious of flight Spells. If he learned this Spell, his survival ability in the wilderness would greatly increase.
Unfortunately, this Spell requires at least the Qi Refining Middle Stage to learn, and it is said to be very difficult to master.
Currently, the priority was still to improve his cultivation.
Alchemy must be put on the agenda immediately.
Back home, Chen Lin made a fire and cooked, and after eating, he began making Talismans.
He was making Strength Talismans, first-grade Low Grade, one of the only two Talismans the original owner knew how to make.
Fireball Talismans had no profit and wasted a lot of time, so they could only be temporarily put aside.
Although Strength Talismans were cheap, the original owner had already mastered them, and the success rate could reach thirty percent. With his ten-times sure-hit talent, the success rate was a full forty percent. After deducting costs, he could earn about two Spirit Stones for every ten sets of Materials.
Waking up early and staying up late, he could refine twenty sets of Materials a day.
That meant four Spirit Stones in his pocket!
He would first use this skill to earn enough Spirit Stones to buy Materials before he could start attempting Alchemy.
Chen Lin hung a “Do Not Disturb” sign outside his door, then began making Talismans day and night.
In a flash.
Ten days passed.
Chen Lin, with two dark circles under his eyes, looked at the thick stack of Talismans in his hand with a sense of accomplishment.
The snow outside had thickened considerably, and it showed no signs of stopping.
At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to leave the house in a few more days.
Chen Lin pushed open the window and looked at the swirling snowflakes in the sky with worry, only withdrawing his gaze after a long time.
However, the worrying matter of being investigated had not occurred, which greatly relieved his mind.
After a great deal of effort to open the door and simply clear away the accumulated snow, Chen Lin stumbled towards the market.
Zhang's Trading Company branch.
The room was warm, but there was hardly anyone inside.
Chen Lin took out all the Strength Talismans and placed them on the counter.
“You actually managed to increase the success rate of the Strength Talisman to forty percent. You’ve made progress!”
By observing the refining time, Shopkeeper Zhang Mazi immediately calculated his success rate.
He was astonished.
Such Low Grade Talismans could not possibly be coveted, so Chen Lin had not bothered to hide it.
He nodded and said, “Indeed. Since refining the Fireball Talisman, my understanding of Talisman making has deepened.”
Zhang Mazi naturally couldn’t know that Chen Lin was no longer the original Chen Lin, and also had the ten-times sure-hit talent. He only thought that Chen Lin had suddenly had an epiphany and his potential had been unearthed.
As he handed Chen Lin the Spirit Stones for the Strength Talismans, he sneered and then stared at Chen Lin.
Chen Lin felt a bit uneasy from his gaze.
“What are you looking at? You’re not trying to rob me, are you?”
Chen Lin put the Spirit Stones into his pocket and held them in his hand, looking at the other party warily.
Zhang Mazi sneered, “Do you think I’m a pauper like you? Is this little bit of Spirit Stones worth me making a move?”
Chen Lin also knew that given the other party’s status, he wouldn’t be interested in such a small amount of money; it was just to lighten the atmosphere.
“Then why are you looking at me?”
Zhang Mazi stroked his non-existent beard and said, “I have a cousin who has been widowed for many years. Although she is a bit old, a bit ugly, a bit fat, and has a bad temper, she has a cultivation of Qi Refining Fourth Stage, and also has a younger brother in the Qi Cultivation Late Stage. If Fellow Daoist Chen is interested, I can introduce you.”
…
Chen Lin’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
He suppressed the urge to punch the other party’s pockmarked face and coldly refused, “Thank you for the Shopkeeper’s kindness, but I truly cannot aspire to the Young Miss of your Zhang Family.”
He could sacrifice himself for the sake of improving his cultivation, but not to such an extent.
He thought the other party would be displeased by his words, but unexpectedly, Zhang Mazi pondered for a moment, then showed an expression of profound agreement.
He sneered and nodded, “Fellow Daoist Chen truly knows himself. You are right; I was taking it for granted. With your conditions, my cousin would certainly not be interested. If I really made the introduction, I would probably be reprimanded. So, let’s just pretend I never said it.”
Chen Lin opened his mouth.
He was speechless.
He cursed the other party inwardly for looking down on people, and he no longer had the mood to buy Materials there, so he turned and left directly.
Even after leaving the door, his chest was still heaving with anger.
However, when he thought that these people were just a bunch of puppets, his anger dissipated a lot.