Chapter Seventy-One: My Master Will Take Action (Part Three)

A small number of high-grade talismans could still be attributed to a stroke of luck during the process of crafting, an unexpected fortune. But surely, he couldn't always rely on such luck, could he? Fortunately, the number of high-grade talismans he had brought out this time wasn't too great—mixed into those set packages, it barely passed muster. However, if he were to sell them in large quantities, it would inevitably attract attention.

Of course, it wasn't impossible to sell high-grade talismans on a large scale, but only if one possessed the corresponding strength. Without the cultivation of at least a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator or above, it was all too easy to invite trouble by rashly offering so many top-tier talismans for sale.

Take his current situation, for example. He had just sold the last set of talismans when a cultivator, who looked to be in his thirties and bore a somewhat fierce expression, squatted down in front of him and casually cast a soundproofing spell.

"Business seems good, doesn't it?"

The man spoke in a deliberately low, slightly hoarse voice.

"And you are?"

Zhou Changwang looked up and recognized him—it was the same man who had earlier tried to seize his spot, only to sit down sullenly in the end. He seemed to be selling talismans as well?

A fellow tradesman?

"I'm from the Talisman Hall. You may call me Master Lu—a first-rank, entry-level talisman crafter, at best. May I ask which hall you belong to?" Master Lu smiled as he spoke.

"Hall?" Zhou Changwang narrowed his eyes, quickly understanding. The other must be from one of those minor factions, an informal group or hall formed for mutual support—a common occurrence in the cultivation world.

For rogue cultivators, life was hard. For those of lesser strength, it was even harder. So, inevitably, some would band together, forming small organizations or gangs. Though these lacked the might of cultivation clans or alliances with Foundation Establishment powerhouses, they were still enough to deter other low-level cultivators and provide a measure of self-preservation.

Just like during the chaos of the Night of Turmoil, those "Brother Qiang" and "Brother Yong" types who ran past his house were members of such an outer faction.

"And what advice might you have for me, fellow cultivator?" Zhou Changwang asked, his expression calm.

"So, you’re a lone cultivator, are you?" Master Lu raised an eyebrow. "Would you be interested in joining our hall? Our Talisman Hall is under the Rakshasa Gang, but you needn't concern yourself with internal affairs. You may focus solely on crafting talismans. The hall provides all materials and tools, and the talismans you draw will be sold collectively by the gang. You get thirty percent of the profits—far better than struggling alone, wouldn't you say..."

From Zhou Changwang's demeanor, Master Lu had already deduced that he was a rogue talisman crafter. Normally, he would have had no interest in an ordinary low-level crafter. But having seen not just one, but several high-grade talismans at Zhou's stall, and a wide variety at that, he surmised that Zhou was even more experienced than himself.

Moreover, the hall rewarded referrers with ten percent of the newcomer’s profit. Any thoughts of causing trouble were swiftly put aside; he focused instead on extending an earnest invitation.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Master Lu, but I have no desire to join any faction," Zhou Changwang declined without hesitation.

He had no intention of joining the Talisman Hall to be exploited. They claimed to provide paper, ink, and brushes, but seventy percent of his earnings would be taken. Such a sweatshop—he had already bowed his head for the sake of survival in his previous life; now that he was cultivating, why subject himself to such bullying?

"Fellow cultivator, I hope you’ll reconsider. Life as a lone cultivator is tough. How can you possibly compete with those protected by a group? Take this talisman business, for example—without the backing of a faction, things won't go so smoothly. Just having two of our men stand in front of your stall would be enough to ruin your business for the day."

This was a blatant threat. It was as if Master Lu had said directly: if Zhou Changwang refused to join, next time he set up his stall, two Rakshasa Gang members would stand in front of it, stopping anyone from buying his talismans.

"It doesn't matter. My master will handle it," Zhou Changwang replied with a faint smile, packing up his stall and striding away without another word.

"Master?" Master Lu was taken aback and dared not interfere further. The cultivation world was rife with hidden dangers. What if Zhou really did have a powerful background—a disciple of a mid- or high-grade talisman master? In that case, it would be Master Lu who suffered.

After all, a talisman crafter of mid-grade first rank already held a status comparable to, if not higher than, that of a high-level Qi Refining cultivator. The most skilled in their own hall were only at this level. Should one reach high-grade first rank, they would be welcomed as a guest by any cultivation clan in Phoenix Cry Market, like the Bai or Chen families. A few words from such a person could easily shake the Rakshasa Gang—and as the instigator, Master Lu would meet a miserable end.

Naturally, Zhou Changwang had no such master. He said so only to avoid further trouble. In truth, he was just a minor spirit farmer, a low-ranking rogue cultivator. The most powerful acquaintance he had was Chen Yushu, the spirit herb dealer. If the Rakshasa Gang really did set their sights on him, things would become very difficult.

Although the inner city of the market was safe enough, the Rakshasa Gang's presence there spoke of considerable influence.

"I was a bit too ostentatious. I shouldn't have brought out those high-grade talismans," Zhou Changwang reflected. It was hard to blame himself—he had simply noticed that other talisman stalls occasionally displayed high-grade works and had assumed that, while rare, a few would appear with enough practice. He had already been holding back, keeping many of his best talismans hidden. Who would have thought he'd still attract trouble?

Now, he'd have to avoid selling at the rogue cultivator market as much as possible. Fortunately, the established shops also bought talismans, sometimes at even better prices.

"Still, it all went fairly smoothly this time—I made a total of one hundred and fifty-four low-grade spirit stones," he mused, satisfied overall. If he had sold them individually, it would have taken ages to move his stock. But with the 'set packages,' it was a different story.

He knew well the power of 'live commerce' from his previous life. Even people with no intention of buying would be tempted by something cheap and useful, leading to impulse purchases. His 'clearance sale' strategy, combined with bundled deals and a series of sales pitches, was a powerful combination—an absolute trump card here.

If only he had more inventory, he could have achieved astonishing daily sales.

"One hundred and fifty-four stones, plus the twenty-five I already had, makes a hundred and seventy-nine. That should be just about enough to buy a suitable lightning technique. But before that, I need to purchase some talisman paper and ink. The paper I bought from Qian Xiaoyue has long since run out—if not for the stock left in that storage pouch, I wouldn't have managed. And I'm almost out of blood-ink, too, which I'll have to replenish... As for brushes, I'll make do for now; the good ones are expensive, so I'd better economize."

Muttering to himself, Zhou Changwang didn't immediately leave the market. He wandered about, but didn't see Qian Xiaoyue’s stall; he wasn't surprised. He knew she only made talisman paper at night, while helping in the Six Directions Pavilion’s pill room during the day, so she usually saved up for ten days or half a month before coming to sell her paper. Clearly, she hadn't come today.

Unwilling to seek her out at the pill hall, Zhou settled for a stall with decent quality paper, buying twenty stacks. The large purchase earned him a small discount—nineteen spirit stones in total—but it was still less straightforward and affordable than buying from an acquaintance. He decided that next time he needed talisman paper, he'd wait for her.

Talisman ink wasn’t cheap either—three catties cost him six spirit stones. After that, he didn’t dare spend lavishly. He bought a bag of spirit rice for five spirit stones, then left the market.

There were spell jades for sale in the market as well, at very low prices—but he didn't dare learn from them. Who knew if privately recorded spell jades would be complete or accurate? It wasn't as simple as mastering a technique and then recording it. First, one needed to reach the fourth layer of Qi Refining and develop spiritual sense to inscribe a jade slip at all. Moreover, the technique had to be mastered to at least the minor achievement level to ensure a flawless recording. Even with mere proficiency, errors and omissions were likely, resulting in incomplete spells.

Such incidents were common. He had often heard old Xu and others chatting about cases where some cultivator failed to master a spell after half a year because of a faulty jade slip.

He certainly didn't want that to happen to himself. Lightning techniques were notoriously difficult to learn and practice; buying one from the rogue market was out of the question. Only the large, reputable shops backed by major factions could be trusted.

Thus, after leaving the market, he headed straight for East Street. Of course, before departing, he took special care to check behind him, ensuring he wasn’t being followed before making his way to his destination. That Master Lu and the Rakshasa Gang still made him uneasy. Having previously been stalked and ambushed, he was especially vigilant about his safety.

As a lone cultivator, he had to be exceptionally cautious to survive in the perilous world of cultivation.

(End of this chapter)