Chapter 64 – My young master wants to see you
Chapter 64 – My young master wants to see you
Yang Lingrui glanced at the person before him, then raised his hand and said, "Yang Lingrui of the Pine Mountain Yang Clan, greetings, fellow cultivator."
The cultivator was momentarily stunned, then slapped his forehead and apologized, "My apologies, my apologies, this is my first time attending the conference, and I forgot the protocol. Please forgive me, fellow cultivator."
"Xu Jian'an from the Clear Wind Cave of North Wu."
The rule at the Hundred Arts Hall was that one must first introduce themselves.
The Clear Wind Cave mentioned by Xu Jian'an was a small sect in the North Wu region.
Within the dynasty, aside from family powers, the other main group of cultivators was the sects.
Not every sect was as large as the Myriad Transformation Sect or Lone Moon Mountain, with Spirit Connection cultivators overseeing them.
Sects that were slightly more renowned and had a status similar to prominent families were often founded by Core Formation Realm cultivators.
Below that were sects like the Clear Wind Cave, where the cave master's realm had just reached perfection, and most disciples were in the early to mid Qi Condensation stages.
Xu Jian'an appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and being at the Qi Condensation Fifth Layer was considered quite accomplished.
"So, you're from North Wu, fellow cultivator. It's a long journey, truly commendable."
"Ah, it's just a bit of extra travel. The Golden Scale Conference is not to be missed!"
Xu Jian'an said, "Just now, I was mesmerized by City Lord Song's demonstration. It truly felt like 'hearing a wise man's words is better than studying for ten years'!"
After exchanging pleasantries, Yang Lingrui stated the price of the talismans.
"The high-quality Calm Mind Talisman and Evil-expelling Talisman are both two Spirit Crystals each. You can take a look, fellow cultivator."
"Alright."
Xu Jian'an picked up the two talismans to examine them and soon showed a look of admiration.
"Fellow cultivator, the quality of your talismans is truly impeccable!"
After confirming the quality of the talismans, Xu Jian'an said, "I'll take ten of each high-quality Calm Mind and Evil-expelling Talismans. Can you give me a discount?"
Yang Lingrui smiled upon hearing this, "Fellow cultivator, crafting a talisman at the early Qi Condensation stage costs between one to two Spirit Crystals just for the materials. Our price only earns us a small profit, so I really can't lower it."
"Hmm... really can't?"
"Really can't. Perhaps you should check other stalls, fellow cultivator."
"Ah, no, no, I'll take them!"
Xu Jian'an had already checked many stalls, both personal, family, and sect ones.
In terms of quality and price, Yang Lingrui's stall had the best value for money.
He took out forty Spirit Crystals, and the two completed the transaction with one hand exchanging money and the other exchanging goods.
"May your business flourish, fellow cultivator. I'll take my leave now."
"May fortune favor you, fellow cultivator."
After sending off Xu Jian'an, Yang Lingrui touched the warm Spirit Crystals he had just earned, feeling deeply moved.
Because Chen Yang was skilled in talisman crafting, the cost to make these two talismans was only one Spirit Crystal each, so this transaction alone netted a profit of twenty Spirit Crystals!
Thinking back a few years, when the Yang Clan had just established itself, Elder Yu went to the Fish Ridge River Market to gather funds for setting up formations, and the Yang Clan could barely scrape together a little over thirty Spirit Crystals.
The difference between then and now was incomparable.
This showed how important having a Hundred Arts heritage was for a power. With it, there was a stable and efficient source of Spirit Crystals to support cultivators.
However, the Yang Clan's success was largely due to Chen Yang's presence.
For other cultivators, even if they had a talent for crafting talismans, they couldn't match his efficiency.
After Xu Jian'an, several more cultivators came by.
A family cultivator from Windridge Town bought five inferior Fire Talismans for forty Spirit Crystals, netting a profit of twenty-five.
A masked female cultivator from Yellow Flower Valley in the Desert Sea bought four inferior Swift Talismans for thirty-two Spirit Crystals, netting a profit of twenty.
An elder claiming to be a rogue cultivator from Moonwatch City, named Pei Xuejian, looked at the stall for a long time but only bought one inferior Swift Talisman, netting a profit of five.
Apart from these three, others just browsed and left.
After all, it was a personal stall, and the variety of talismans wasn't extensive, so not landing big orders was normal.
Later, until the closing time of the Hundred Arts Hall today, Yang Lingrui didn't sell anything else.
However, earning seventy Spirit Crystals on this trip already completed the task Yang Lingqing gave him, which wasn't bad. He would try again tomorrow.
"Fellow cultivator Lingrui, please wait."
Yang Lingrui was putting away the talismans and preparing to leave when he heard someone calling him from behind.
Turning around, he saw it was Pei Xuejian, who had previously bought an inferior Swift Talisman.
"What is it, fellow cultivator?"
"My young master would like to invite you for a visit."
"Your young master?"
Yang Lingrui showed a hint of caution, stepping back half a step.
He distinctly remembered this person claiming to be a rogue cultivator earlier.
What kind of background dared to falsely report their origins at the Hundred Arts Hall?
Aren't they afraid of being pursued by the Immortal Patrol?
Moreover, if his cultivation was already at the Qi Condensation Sixth Layer, then his young master must be...
Just then, Li Cheng, having finished his own stall work, arrived and saw the two.
"Lingrui, how did it go today? How much did you sell..."
Li Cheng approached Yang Lingrui, but his words trailed off halfway.
Because he saw the elder's face, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
"Young Master Li, is this fellow cultivator Lingrui your friend?" Pei Xuejian asked.
"Li Cheng greets Fellow Daoist Pei. Lingrui and I are acquainted. May I ask why you are looking for him?" Li Cheng asked respectfully.
It was the first time Yang Lingrui had heard Li Cheng speak in such a tone, making him even more curious about the elder's identity.
"Today at the Hundred Arts Hall, I saw Fellow Daoist Lingrui selling talismans. The Swift Talisman was of excellent quality, so I bought one."
Pei Xuejian smiled and said, "My young master was very interested after seeing the talisman and would like to invite Fellow Daoist Lingrui to the pavilion for a chat."
"This..."
Li Cheng was genuinely surprised that the talismans crafted by the Yang Clan had attracted such attention.
"Young Master Li, which family is his?" Yang Lingrui asked in a low voice.
Li Cheng composed himself and turned his head, "The Su family of Frightening Cloud Peak!"
After a slight pause, he added, "A prominent family!"
Li Cheng had some understanding of the Su family because two elders in his family secretly sought to attach themselves to them.
If the Li family ever faced any changes, they would willingly submit to the Su family, serving them loyally.
Hearing this, Yang Lingrui raised an eyebrow, showing surprise, and his heart raced.
He wasn't nervous because of the prominent family's name but worried that the other party might see through the talismans.
The Yang Clan's public explanation was that these four talismans were derived from a fragmented heritage and crafted by Elder Yu.
Elder Yu's previous sect had been destroyed and wasn't a native sect of the Deer Dynasty, so it was said he had studied talisman crafting in the sect and now used the fragments to craft these talismans.
For this reason, when Chen Yang crafted the Fire and Swift Talismans for sale, he intentionally left some flaws.
"The Spirit Stone Immortal has already made arrangements, so it shouldn't be seen through," Yang Lingrui thought, maintaining a calm exterior, though still somewhat uncertain inside.
Seeing their concern, Pei Xuejian spoke again, "No need to worry, my young master doesn't intend any harm. It's just that the Swift Talisman you sold might complement our family's talisman heritage, so he wishes to meet and discuss."
Hearing this, both Li Cheng and Yang Lingrui breathed a sigh of relief.
The former thought the other party was interested in the Yang Clan's talisman heritage, while the latter feared his talismans might be scrutinized.
"I see, I was overthinking."
Li Cheng turned and said, "Lingrui, you should go with Fellow Daoist Pei. The Su family is a reputable prominent family and wouldn't resort to forceful tactics."
He emphasized the words "reputable prominent family," clearly meant for Pei Xuejian to hear.
Yang Lingrui nodded, "Please lead the way, fellow cultivator."
Pei Xuejian also promised, "Rest assured, Young Master Li, I will ensure Fellow Daoist Lingrui returns safely."
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