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Chapter 80: Tier 2 Talisman Master
Chapter 80: Tier 2 Talisman Master
It was only natural that Chu Ning's business caught the attention of more than just people from the Qingxi Sect.
As the foot traffic gradually increased at Chu Ning's stall, in a shop on the neighboring street that displayed the sign of the Wind Canyon Talisman House, a servant rushed in and reported to a yellow-robed cultivator in his thirties:
"Master, it turns out the rumors are true. Qingxi Talisman House did get a new talisman maker. He looks to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, and I heard someone say he's only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining. And yes, he did put up a sign for a 'buy five, get one free' promotion on his first day of business."
The yellow-robed cultivator glanced at the servant before speaking slowly, "I'm not concerned about that. What interests me is the rumor that the talismans he creates are supposedly better than ours. Is that true?"
Instead of answering directly, the servant pulled out a talisman from his pocket and said, "I don't understand these things, but I bought one to bring back to you, Master."
The yellow-robed cultivator took the talisman and examined it briefly before his expression changed slightly. "Impossible! The quality of this talisman is exceptionally high. Even I, a Tier 2 talisman master, couldn't create something like this."
He looked up at the servant and asked, "Are you sure he's just sixteen or seventeen years old and only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining?"
The servant nodded hesitantly and replied, "Yes, it was just him alone. I heard he's also in charge of the Spirit Talisman Pavilion and the Spirit Plant House of the Qingxi Sect, managing two shops. As for whether he's at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, I can't tell."
"You stay here. I'm going to go take a look myself," the yellow-robed cultivator said as he walked out.
After about half an incense stick's worth of time, he returned, his face filled with confusion. "Impossible. How could a Qi Refining cultivator at the fourth layer create talismans of this quality? They must be from his sect, but even then, he couldn't have many."
Muttering to himself, the yellow-robed cultivator continued, "I was originally planning to release a few of these low-grade middle-tier talismans every now and then to drive up the price. Now it seems I'll have to put out more."
Turning to the servant, he instructed, "Go hang a sign at the entrance. Announce that our talisman house will have a large number of low-grade middle-tier offensive talismans and a small number of low-grade middle-tier defensive talismans for sale on our next opening day. I refuse to believe that he can bring out such a large quantity of middle-tier talismans himself."
The idea that Chu Ning could create low-grade middle-tier talismans didn't even cross the yellow-robed cultivator's mind.
...
Chu Ning was unaware that a cultivator from Wind Canyon had come by to observe him earlier. As his talisman business picked up, he became a bit busy managing the two shops. Apart from selling talismans, he also had to handle the acquisition and sale of spirit plants.
At first, customers only came to buy talismans, but as more people from cultivator families showed up, they began to inquire about spirit plant transactions as well.
For a while, Chu Ning became the busiest among his peers.
Finally, as the peak hours of the market passed and closing time drew near, the crowd thinned out.
Chu Ning looked up and saw that his neighbors—Luo Yiping from the Spirit Beast House, Gu Xiaqing from the Pill Refining Hall, and Shen Zhengquan from the Artifact Refining Hall—were also packing up for the day.
Gu Xiaqing, having finished organizing her medicinal pills, was now free. Seeing Chu Ning look over, she called out with a smile from a distance, "Chu Ning, your talisman business seems to be doing quite well today."
As soon as Gu Xiaqing's words left her mouth, Luo Yiping and Shen Zhengquan's movements froze momentarily. After all, it was hard to miss what was happening right on the same street.
However, the fact that Chu Ning's talismans were more popular than those from Wind Canyon's talisman shop was something that no one had expected.
Coupled with Chu Ning's promotional offer of buying five and getting one free, his thriving business seemed only natural.
Earlier, the two had predicted that Chu Ning would hold the sect back, but on this first day, he was actually the one bringing the most honor to the Qingxi Sect.
Maintaining his usual low-key demeanor, Chu Ning humbly replied, "I only gained an advantage by having two businesses running simultaneously. If we're talking about a single business, I don't have more customers than Senior Sister Gu."
"Hmph, don't get too carried away," Luo Yiping coldly interjected. "Do you think the people from Wind Canyon are just idling around? They have a Tier 2 talisman master there. Many people just said that Wind Canyon plans to release a large number of low-grade middle-tier talismans for sale."
Luo Yiping's words were filled with ridicule, causing Gu Xiaqing, who was standing nearby, to frown slightly in displeasure.
After all, regardless of anything else, Chu Ning was still a member of the same sect.
Previously, Luo Yiping had been targeting Chu Ning under the pretext of upholding the sect's honor.
Now that Chu Ning had brought recognition to the sect on his first day, Luo Yiping's words sounded even more sarcastic.
Even Shen Zhengquan found it hard to listen to, and he gently coughed to express his discomfort.
Sensing the dissatisfaction of the two, Luo Yiping refrained from speaking further, but the look in his eyes as he glanced at Chu Ning still conveyed a hint of schadenfreude.
Noticing this, Chu Ning felt a twinge of annoyance, but it wasn't his style to directly argue back.
Just then, another cultivator approached the stall, giving him a convenient excuse to remain silent.
The cultivator looked like a spiritual farmer from some cultivation family. He was in his forties, dressed in coarse cloth, and had a square face. Carrying two bags of spirit rice, he asked Chu Ning if he would buy them.
Chu Ning opened the bags to inspect the contents before quoting a price to the middle-aged man with the square face, "The quality of your spirit rice is medium. I can offer 65 spirit stones per 130 pounds."
"Shop owner, can you raise the price a little? How about 60 spirit stones per 130 pounds?" The square-faced man looked at Chu Ning, his eyes hopeful.
Chu Ning shook his head. "The quality of your spirit rice is only medium. I can't sell it for a higher price here, or else I would have wasted my efforts."
In business, Chu Ning could tell that this spiritual farmer seemed to be struggling.
However, he didn't let his sympathy get the better of him.
The cultivation world could be cruel, and he was well aware of that.
The spiritual farmer sighed softly and finally placed the two bags of spirit rice in front of Chu Ning. "Here's 260 pounds of spirit rice. I'll take one spirit stone and three small spirit stones..."
Chu Ning weighed the rice and then hesitated slightly before saying, "Fellow cultivator, today is my first day of business, and I don't have any small spirit stones prepared at the moment."
Indeed, Chu Ning hadn't prepared any small spirit stones. Ever since he learned how to make talisman paper, his transactions had always been in whole spirit stones, and he didn't carry small spirit stones with him.
Upon hearing this, the spiritual farmer hesitated for a moment before asking, "Then, shop owner, can you help me with these three small spirit stones to activate some seeds?"
Chu Ning was amenable to this request. "Take them out and let me see what kind of seeds they are."
The spiritual farmer took out a cloth bag from his bosom, opened it, and revealed a handful of seeds with a purplish-black hue.
Chu Ning was slightly surprised by this. "You want to plant this Qingling Fruit? This thing isn't that easy to cultivate."
(End of Chapter)
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