“Brother Ye Fan.”
Mu Jiuxiao invited Ye Fan and Li Shuo to sit down and served them tea.
“So it was you, Little Jiu, who drew the Water Cloud Talismans.”
Ye Fan accepted the tea and set it aside, appearing approachable and friendly. Mu Jiuxiao also gave a shy smile, took out the Water Cloud Talismans he had drawn, and handed one to Ye Fan.
“Can I test one?” Ye Fan asked as he took the talisman paper.
“Of course you can.”
Mu Jiuxiao nodded. This was a major customer; testing one was no problem.
Ye Fan channeled his Spiritual Qi into his fingertips, activating the Water Cloud Talisman. Instantly, clouds and mist gathered within the room, making it hazy.
Ye Fan waved his hand, and a gust of wind materialized out of thin air, sweeping away the mist in the room. Ye Fan looked at Mu Jiuxiao with satisfaction. “Good, this is exactly the Water Cloud Talisman I want.”
“As long as Brother Ye is satisfied.” Mu Jiuxiao still maintained the appearance of a shy youth.
“Little Jiu, when you went to the market to sell Water Cloud Talismans before, how much did you sell them for?” Ye Fan tapped the table lightly and looked up to ask him.
“The first time I sold them, I had no experience and sold five for one Spirit Stone. When I went home and calculated, I realized I had made a loss. The second time, sixteen Water Cloud Talismans sold for a total of five Spirit Stones,” Mu Jiuxiao answered honestly.
When dealing with someone like Ye Fan, it was best not to play mind games; the more honest, the better. After all, the child of Providence would certainly not treat him poorly.
“Did you sell them to the same person? Was that person named Qi Tuohai?” Ye Fan asked immediately.
“Yes,” Mu Jiuxiao nodded.
“Don’t sell to him anymore. Sell them all to me. I will buy them at the rate of three for one Spirit Stone, and I will take as many as you can draw!”
Hearing this, Mu Jiuxiao felt pleased and quickly said, “Brother Ye, I can draw four or five Water Cloud Talismans a day. Can you really use that many?”
“Not just four or five, I would take forty or fifty! But you must put in your utmost effort, and every single one must reach this quality. You must not buy inferior Water Cloud Talismans from outside to deceive me!” This story is hosted at novelping.com.
At the end, Ye Fan’s voice dropped, carrying a hint of warning. Mu Jiuxiao said solemnly, “Brother Ye, rest assured. Every single one is drawn by my own hand, and the talismans I sell to you will only get better!”
As Mu Jiuxiao spoke, he looked inward at himself. The Dao Body “Hard Work Makes Up for Clumsiness” quietly surfaced with information: Diligently drawing talismans, tirelessly striving, Water Cloud Talisman quality has increased by ten percent!
“Good, then it is settled. Every time I return from hunting, I will come to you. Remember not to sell these talismans to anyone else!” Ye Fan instructed.
“Brother Ye, I am currently penniless. If you go into the mountains to hunt and do not return for a long time, what should I do? How about we set a time limit? I can wait for Brother Ye for up to two months at most, alright?”
“How about three months?”
Ye Fan said, “If three months pass and I still haven’t returned, you may sell the talismans to Qi Tuohai. Remember, do not sell them cheaply again. Your talismans are of high quality and should sell for at least three per Spirit Stone, understood?”
“Thank you for the guidance, Brother Ye. This younger brother understands.”
Mu Jiuxiao knew that the Water Cloud Talismans he drew already possessed a slight effect of hindering Divine Sense, which was immensely useful for hunting in the deep mountains. Throwing one while fleeing could disrupt a Demon Beast’s pursuit. Of course, the main point was that they were cheap!
“How many Water Cloud Talismans do you have on you right now?” Ye Fan asked again.
Mu Jiuxiao retrieved all the Water Cloud Talismans from his bedside and handed them over. “I’ve made fifteen over the past few days. Brother Ye used one just now, so there are fourteen left.”
“That one counts as mine as well. I’ll give you five Spirit Stones. Within five days, can you draw another twenty-five Water Cloud Talismans?”
“Very well! Even if this younger brother has to forgo food and sleep, I will finish these talismans!” Mu Jiuxiao put on an enthusiastic and eager expression.
In reality, drawing talismans did not consume much of his energy. It was simply that his meridians could only accommodate a limited amount of Spiritual Qi. If he drew talismans continuously, it would delay his cultivation time.
He was only at the first layer of Qi Refining and lacked spiritual herbs to replenish his Spiritual Qi. Every time he emptied his reserves drawing talismans, he had to meditate for several full cycles to recover. It was inefficient.
The next day, Mu Jiuxiao went to the market, bought forty sheets of talisman paper, retrieved the Fireball Talismans he had previously left as collateral, and resumed his arduous daily routine.
Drawing talismans, cultivating, and practicing Earth Spirit Spike-his days were packed.
By now, his Earth Spirit Spike could be cast instantly in a volley of five. Its power was greater than before, but five was his limit because it completely emptied the Spiritual Qi in his Dantian.
Otherwise, he might even have managed six.
Though his low strength limited his combat power, he practiced diligently every day, waiting for the day when his accumulated effort would yield a breakthrough. This chapter was copied from NovelPing without permission.
Soon, five days passed. Ye Fan came to collect the Water Cloud Talismans, and Mu Jiuxiao received another eight Spirit Stones.
This time, with two bundles of talisman paper and two Meridian-Opening Pills left over, he finally had some provisions!
Clutching his Spirit Stones, he was eager to test the effects of cultivating with them. Without hesitation, he sat cross-legged, holding a Spirit Stone in his right hand.
The moment he circulated the Everlasting Spring Technique, the Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Stone surged into his body through the Three Fire Three Star acupoints.
It was the first time he had drawn in Spiritual Qi so rapidly. The enhanced efficiency of the Everlasting Spring Technique was fully displayed!
Normally, completing one major cycle took nearly an hour. Now, in just a quarter of an hour, the Spiritual Qi had circulated through his meridians once. There was still an abundance of excess Spiritual Qi, so without daring to pause, he continued his circulation.
Soon, a swelling pain arose in his meridians. He hurriedly swallowed a Meridian-Opening Pill, but it was not enough. Just as he finished another major cycle, his pain returned. Gritting his teeth, he consumed his final Meridian-Opening Pill.
With two Meridian-Opening Pills in his stomach, the swelling in his meridians gradually subsided. After circulating several more major cycles, Mu Jiuxiao felt the Spirit Stone in his hand cease to emit Spiritual Qi and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Completing one final major cycle, he slowly ended his session. Expecting a long time to have passed, he opened his eyes only to find it was still the dead of night.
Had he really only cultivated for a couple of hours? Asking Little Gray-Gray, he learned that only two hours had actually passed.
He checked his Dantian inwardly. Heavens! Two hours of cultivation like this equaled two full days of ordinary practice!
Spirit Stones were truly remarkable. If he could cultivate this way constantly, why worry about never ascending to immortality?
The favored sons of heaven in the Seven Stars Sect must cultivate in such spirit-rich environments. Even when resting, Spiritual Qi would imperceptibly nourish their bodies.
Cultivating in such a place must multiply their efficiency manifold!
Coupled with their extraordinary natural talent, even under identical conditions, they progressed dozens or hundreds of times faster than mere tenant farmers like him.
At this thought, a brief wave of discouragement flickered through Mu Jiuxiao’s mind, but he quickly rallied.
The path to immortality was not about who moved the fastest, but who walked most steadily and lived the longest!
As long as he kept advancing step by step, his situation would only improve. Compared to a month ago, he had already come a very long way.