On the street.
Feng Luan appeared in the medicinal materials shop once again. This time, Li Er looked delighted when he saw her and hurried over. “Miss, you’ve finally come.”
Feng Luan was somewhat puzzled. “Is there a problem with the talismans?”
Li Er hurriedly explained, “No. The elders of our family wish to meet you.”
The voice of Ye Chi came from within the token, resonating from her Sea of Consciousness. “Little Luan, I smell a different aura. There are other people in this shop.”
Feng Luan fell into thought. Her eyes carefully surveyed her surroundings before finally settling on the curtain in the inner hall.
“Three.”
She could sense that the three people held no ill intent. They were merely hidden somewhere behind the curtain.
It seemed they were the elders Li Er had mentioned.
Feng Luan knew what it meant for a tree to attract the wind. It seemed she would not be able to sell the pills today. She would have to make a trip to the auction house herself. After all, she did not know whether the Spirit Pavilion was friend or foe.
If they learned that she was both a talisman master and an alchemist, and failed to recruit her, would she not be in great danger?
After all, Feng Luan had no intention of submitting to anyone.
Feng Luan raised her eyes. “All right.”
Li Er was overjoyed. He said to Feng Luan, “miss, please wait a moment. I’ll go inform our elders right away.”
With that, he headed toward the inner hall.
Feng Luan stood in the main hall, looking around. As though she had thought of something, she asked through her Sea of Consciousness, “Ye Chi, are those three elders stronger or weaker than you?”
Ye Chi abandoned his usual carefree and irresponsible manner. “Two are seventh-rank spirit adepts, and the other is stronger than me. If they had not deliberately concealed their auras, I might not have been able to detect how many people were here at all.”
“If we fought, I’d probably have a thirty percent chance.”
Thirty percent?
That was far too dangerous. The Spirit Pavilion was one of the greatest factions in the Black Tortoise Kingdom. If she opposed them, things might indeed become extremely difficult. She would first determine whether they were friend or foe before making a decision.
It seemed she also needed to accelerate her cultivation. Although she had the Phoenix Token, she could not rely on the token at all times. She also needed to improve her own strength so that she could retreat safely when facing powerful opponents.
Feng Luan was calculating what she should do in the future and failed to notice someone entering through the door.
“Move aside.”
A domineering voice pulled Feng Luan back to reality. She did not give way, merely turning around to face the man who had spoken. Two attendants followed behind him.
The man was broad and fat, with several layers of flesh piled up on his face. His eyes were squeezed nearly shut, narrowed into slits. He wore blue grade brocade robes, whose expensive fabric was obvious at a glance, and a jade pendant hung from his belt.
“Didn’t you hear me tell you to move?”
Feng Luan raised an eyebrow. Her gaze fell upon the jade pendant at his waist, and she immediately recognized his identity.
The young master of the jin family, Jin Chuan.
In the Black Tortoise Kingdom, both he and Feng Luan were subjects of gossip after meals. Aside from his low cultivation, he was fat and ugly. Fortunately, he was protected by his family, so no one dared target him openly.
After all, the Jin Family was foremost among the four great families of the Black Tortoise Kingdom, and the Jin Family’s legitimate daughter was an imperial consort in the palace.
That being said, the Jin Family seemed to have been at odds with the Feng Family of the crown prince faction for many years.
Feng Luan immediately devised a plan. She shifted a step aside and made way for Jin Chuan. He was merely somewhat domineering from being spoiled, not unreasonable. Seeing that Feng Luan had moved aside, he said nothing more.
One of the attendants behind Jin Chuan shouted, “Where is everyone? Where is the shop assistant?”
Only then did Li Er hurry out. He glanced toward Feng Luan. “Miss, please wait a moment.”
Feng Luan nodded, indicating that it was fine.
Jin Chuan’s expression looked rather unpleasant. He took a note from one of his attendants and handed it to Li Er. “I want one thousand of each Medicinal Material listed here. Deliver them to the jin residence tomorrow at noon.”
Li Er accepted it and glanced at it. “Of course, young master jin. I’ll send someone to deliver the medicinal materials tomorrow at noon.”
Jin Chuan replied softly, “Mm.”
With that, he turned and left. His attendants followed him out.
“Miss, our elders will see you now.” Li Er folded the note and placed it inside his robe.
“All right.” She then asked casually, “Who was that young master just now? What kind of medicinal materials does he need so many of?”
Perhaps because he felt close to Feng Luan, Li Er sighed and lowered his voice. “Him? He’s the legitimate son of the Jin Family. The medicinal materials he buys are for losing weight. He’s been buying them for several months, but there still hasn’t been the slightest result.”
Feng Luan immediately understood.
“Was his obesity something he was born with?”
Li Er shook his head. “I don’t know about that. His reputation is just like Feng Luan of the Feng Family’s—both are good-for-nothings. But unlike Feng Luan, he has parents who love him. No one dares target him so excessively.”
With that, he sighed.
“Still, he seems to have been like this ever since childhood. He should count as someone who has been fat since birth.”
Ye Chi interrupted from within her Sea of Consciousness. “That boy wasn’t born obese. There’s something wrong with his meridians. It seems he was poisoned while still in his mother’s womb.”
“Little Luan, you can save him. He may be useful to you in the future.”
Feng Luan had intended to ask Ye Chi what use he meant, but she and Li Er had already reached the inner hall. Li Er pushed open the door, and the two entered together.
Inside a private room, three highly respected elders sat upright beside a tea table. Hearing the commotion, they all turned to look over.
Feng Luan could feel them scrutinizing her. She kept her back straight, maintaining an unassuming yet neither servile nor overbearing attitude.
Li Er bowed slightly. “Elders, this is the talisman master.”
The leading elder appeared extremely stern. Wearing a dark long robe, he narrowed his eyes at Feng Luan before breaking into a smile. “May I ask how we should address you, miss?”
Feng Luan had no intention of revealing her true identity, so she fabricated an answer. “This junior’s surname is Ye, and my given name is Chi.”
Ye Chi, within the token: “...”
Why was she impersonating him too?
Elder Qi naturally knew that this was not her real name, but he did not expose her. Instead, he stroked his beard. “Hahaha, Miss Ye, my surname is Qi. You may simply call me Elder Qi.”
He gestured toward the two elders beside him as he introduced them. “This is the grand elder of the Spirit Pavilion, and this is the second elder. We all became interested after seeing the talismans you made, so we wanted to meet you and see which promising junior possessed such remarkable talent. I hope you don’t take offense.”
Feng Luan lowered her eyes. “Not at all. It is this junior’s honor to meet the Three Elders of the Spirit Pavilion.”
The three exchanged glances and laughed heartily. The grand elder nodded in satisfaction. “Miss Ye is indeed different from ordinary people.”
Which talisman master was not arrogant, with their nostrils turned toward the sky? Moreover, others became exceedingly fawning whenever they met them. There were already very few juniors who could remain neither servile nor overbearing, calm and composed.
Feng Luan replied politely, “You flatter me, grand elder.”
Elder Qi waved his hand. “Let us dispense with pleasantries today. May this old man ask where you learned to make these talismans?”
Feng Luan knew he was testing her. Concealing the matter of the Talisman Codex, she lowered her eyes and slowly replied, “I once encountered a talisman master in the black market. He taught me.”
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