indianbanksassociation Chapter 230 - 175: Buying Talismans at Tianzhuan
Chapter 230 - 175: Buying Talismans at Tianzhuan
Fang Qingyuan walked down a street in the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace with Jinbao right by his side. The man and his beast took up a great deal of space.
As the familiar clamor filled his ears, the surrounding Cultivators subconsciously made way, leaving Fang Qingyuan plenty of room to pass.
Looking at the buildings, the flow of people, and the merchants here, he compared them to his own Yuanling Square Marketplace. ’My own foundation is still quite lacking,’ he thought. Its only advantage was being closer to the Wilderness Forest, where novel things would sometimes appear, and one could occasionally find a hidden gem, like the Fish Dragon last time. But such opportunities were too rare, and Fang Qingyuan hadn’t encountered one in a long time.
Fang Qingyuan had just extricated himself from two funerals in the sect. The Head of Precepts Peak, Ling Ziqing, had led a team deep into the Black River to explore a Secret Mansion, but he had lost two Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the process. He was now being called back by Lechuan for a reprimand.
Speaking of which, the position of Head of Precepts Peak was not an easy one to hold. Ling Ziqing’s predecessor was Huo Hu, and Huo Hu’s own predecessor had died twenty years ago.
Thinking of Huo Hu, Fang Qingyuan couldn’t help but sigh. That man had thrown his lot in completely with the Wei Family. Even Huo Gan back then hadn’t been able to make him change his mind.
Back then, Huo Gan had ventured deep into the Wilderness Forest to hunt that Nascent Soul Demon Beast, only to return empty-handed. However, according to news from Lechuan, Huo Gan seemed to have discovered the tracks of a Human-faced Serpent—a Nascent Soul Demon Beast—in a land realm thousands of miles deep within the forest. For the past few years, Huo Gan had been plotting his moves deep within the Wilderness Forest and had rarely returned to Zongshan.
Huo Gan was Lechuan’s backer, and Huo Gan’s own backers were two Divinity Transformation masters from the Moon Peak lineage of the Beast Taming General Mountain: Moon Elder and her Companion Beast, a Divinity Transformation Jade Rabbit.
These secrets were things Lechuan had told Fang Qingyuan himself. Since Fang Qingyuan had accepted him as his master, Lechuan no longer kept these matters from him.
It was only then that Fang Qingyuan realized how solid his own foundation had become. Unfortunately, within this faction, he was nothing more than an insignificant pawn. Huo Gan was likely not even aware of his existence yet.
The depths of the Black River were now a total mess. That Secret Mansion had far-reaching implications, attracting all sorts of people to fight over it. The White Mountain Tribulation Cultivators were the most numerous, and it was under these circumstances that the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators from his own sect had been killed.
When it came to snatching treasures, no one cared if you were a disciple of Beast Taming Mountain. Even if the Heavenly King himself showed up, you’d still have to kill your opponent to make them submit.
From Lechuan’s demeanor, Fang Qingyuan could tell he wanted to send more people to get involved. So, after attending the funerals, he had quickly slipped away, afraid Lechuan would single him out and send him on the trip. ’A place like that Secret Mansion is somewhere I have absolutely no desire to get mixed up in.’
As Fang Qingyuan mulled over his troubles, his feet familiarly led him into a shop. He looked up at the three gilded words on the plaque above:
"Celestial Seal Society."
Unlike the Vast Collection Pavilion or the Treasure Pavilion, the Celestial Seal Society was a shop that specialized solely in talismans. Other businesses aimed for size and variety, but the Celestial Seal Society only sold items related to talismans.
Fang Qingyuan had been here before. This time, he wanted to buy a few special talismans to have on hand for emergencies.
Before Foundation Establishment, Fang Qingyuan had plenty of unused talismans. But after reaching Foundation Establishment, these talismans were no longer effective enough. Sometimes, a talisman he used would be less effective than one of his own spiritual arts. At that point, there was no meaning in using them anymore.
’The main points of using talismans are speed and conserving Magical Power. Beyond that, their true purpose is their immense power, which can inflict damage far beyond the limits of my own casting abilities. Otherwise, why would anyone spend a fortune in Spirit Stones on these single-use items? In my view, the spiritual arts I use daily are like pistols, and Magical Artifacts are like assault rifles. In that case, talismans are the various high-powered offensive grenades, smoke bombs, and flashbangs—also indispensable.’
’So, talismans for Foundation Establishment Cultivators are a must-buy. Even if I never end up using them, I can always resell them without taking a loss.’
The Celestial Seal Society’s shop in the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace was located on the busiest street, but its storefront was small. Business seemed to be just so-so. When one of the assistants saw Fang Qingyuan arrive, he hurried forward and said solicitously,
"This way, Senior, please come in!"
The assistant at the door looked to be an Early-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivator, but he was quick-witted. As Fang Qingyuan stepped through the door, the assistant glanced at the area above the doorframe. He saw the pointer of the Five-Colored Cloud Disc hanging there had stopped in the yellow zone, indicating an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. His smile grew even more humble.
"Senior, please head upstairs. Are you looking to..."
"I want to buy a few talismans for Foundation Establishment use. Do you accept custom orders for talismans?"
The assistant was taken aback for a moment, then replied,
"Of course, we do. It’s just that custom talismans are quite expensive, so very few people request them. They also require a Talisman Master of considerable skill, and our shop’s master probably won’t be free for a while."
The assistant was careful not to overpromise, which Fang Qingyuan found quite satisfactory. He disliked shops that made boastful claims.
Led by the assistant, Fang Qingyuan ascended to the upper floor. Here, it was no longer the assistant who attended to him. The Celestial Seal Society sent out a Steward whose smile was a bit more reserved, yet still seemed quite friendly. He got straight to the point in a brisk manner:
"You wish to order a custom talisman? What quality are you looking for?"
The grade of a talisman—from the lowest-grade Calming Talismans and Guiding Talismans, to the mid-grade Exorcism Talismans and Great Sun Talismans, and then to the high-grade Mist Flowing Shadow-dwelling Talismans and Dragon Abyss Sword Talismans—was determined by the number of apertures it possessed.
Talismans used by Foundation Establishment Cultivators were naturally of a higher grade. High-grade talismans were no longer sufficient; only "Nine Luminaries" level talismans could pose a threat to them.
Fang Qingyuan sat down and said,
"Bring out all the talismans you have that aren’t of the five elements for me to see. As for the custom order, I’ll decide after I’ve looked through these."
The Steward nodded in agreement, as this was a reasonable request. He summoned a serving girl to pour tea for Fang Qingyuan while he himself went to the storehouse in the back to retrieve their collection of prized talismans to present to him.
As one jade box after another was opened, talismans of all different properties were revealed before Fang Qingyuan’s eyes. The Steward began his explanations:
"This talisman is a Chasing Soul Star Fixing Talisman. As long as a person hasn’t completely stopped breathing, using this talisman will construct a rudimentary network of Spiritual Power meridians within their body. It’s enough to delay death for half a day and prevent their injuries from worsening.
This is a Void Divine Travel Talisman. It can hide one’s body in the void. For about forty-five minutes, Cultivators of the same realm will be completely unable to detect your presence. Of course, you can’t do anything that consumes too much Magical Power, or the talisman will fail.
And this Poison Breath Dragon Python Talisman is able to..."
As the Steward explained each one, Fang Qingyuan mentally ran simulations, picturing how each talisman would work in concert with his Five Elements Circulation Technique. He tried to get a clear idea of what combinations would produce what effects.
When the Steward finished his introductions, Fang Qingyuan spoke up:
"This one, this one, and those over there. I’ll take them all."
Seeing Fang Qingyuan point to one after another, the Steward’s face bloomed into a wide smile. He took out each of the selected talismans, placed them in front of Fang Qingyuan, and quickly quoted the price:
"The total is three top-grade Spirit Stones, plus forty-two mid-grade ones."
Hearing the price, Fang Qingyuan didn’t even frown as he took out the corresponding Spirit Stones.
For single-use items, spending this many Spirit Stones was quite extravagant of Fang Qingyuan. Any other Cultivator who had just reached Foundation Establishment would probably still be painstakingly saving up Spirit Stones to purchase their first primary Magical Artifact. Buying talismans was something they would only consider when they had an extreme surplus of funds.
With the sale complete, the Steward’s attitude became even more deferential. He asked Fang Qingyuan to rest for a moment while he went to the back to invite the Talisman Master out to personally discuss the custom talisman order with him.
But when the Talisman Master came out, Fang Qingyuan’s eyes widened in surprise as he exclaimed,
"It’s you?"
The person who had come out was none other than the shopkeeper Fang Qingyuan and Jiang Kui had met years ago when they went to Lianshui Immortal City to buy a Magical Artifact. At the time, Jiang Kui had taken a liking to a tier-two, top-grade Moon Shadow Profound Ice Sword, but had to give it up reluctantly due to a lack of funds.
He himself had tried to haggle with the shopkeeper back then, only to be flatly refused. The woman now before him, with her bright eyes and pearly teeth, looked exactly the same as she had back then.
Huang Xuejing looked at Fang Qingyuan, not recognizing him at first. After all, back then Fang Qingyuan had only been a Qi Cultivation Cultivator, and they had only met once. It was normal that she wouldn’t remember him.
It was only when she saw Jinbao behind Fang Qingyuan that Huang Xuejing dredged up the memory from years ago. As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator herself, her memory was naturally excellent.
Seeing Fang Qingyuan’s confusion, Huang Xuejing gave a self-deprecating smile and said,
"The shop closed down. I couldn’t make it in Lianshui City anymore, so I had to come here to make a living."
Huang Xuejing’s explanation was brief. Although Fang Qingyuan was curious, he knew it wasn’t his place to pry. ’Still,’ he estimated, ’given her personality, it’s quite impressive her shop only went out of business now.’
’But isn’t Huang Xuejing’s specialty Artifact Refining? Why has she switched to making talismans now?’
Seeing the doubt on Fang Qingyuan’s face, Huang Xuejing knew that if she didn’t say something to assuage his concerns, this deal might fall through. So, she offered a brief explanation:
"I ruined a Magical Treasure Embryo during refining and had to pay out a huge sum of Spirit Stones. My reputation in that field was destroyed, so now I can only make talismans to get by. But don’t worry, I’m an expert in talismans too. I haven’t besmirched my name in this line of work yet."
Hearing this only made Fang Qingyuan more worried. However, banking on the Celestial Seal Society’s reputation, he wasn’t afraid of being swindled, so he said,
"In that case, I trust Miss Huang’s craftsmanship. I’ll have to trouble you then, Miss Huang."
Seeing Fang Qingyuan agree to let her make the talismans, Huang Xuejing broke into a grin, a bright expression instantly appearing on her face. She said confidently,
"Please, Fellow Daoist, tell me what you need. I can make any talisman below the Twelve Celestial Lords level. Even for talismans above that level, if you’re willing to add more Spirit Stones, I’m willing to make a few attempts. If you’re still not confident, we can sign a contract. If I fail five times, I’ll give you a full refund."
After hearing all that, Fang Qingyuan finally understood why Huang Xuejing had ended up in her current situation.