Outside, heavy snow whirled through the air.
Inside, charcoal burned in a bronze brazier, warm as spring.
Wang Chen sat at the table, tallying the earnings from his stall over the past two days.
Having been too absorbed in practicing his swordsmanship, he had only gone to Yunyang City three days after the Tianyun Immortal Gathering opened.
He had set up a stall and sold a batch of talismans he had personally refined.
Though they were all standard talismans like Exorcism Talismans, Protection Talismans, and Meteor Fire Talismans, their excellent quality and fair prices had made Wang Chen's business quite good.
Every talisman he had brought out to sell had been snapped up.
He had recouped a sum of Spirit Stones.
Wang Chen had just calculated that the Spirit Stones and Shattered Spirit pieces together had brought in a total of seven hundred and twenty-six Lower Spirit.
But that was not pure profit.
After deducting the cost of Talisman Paper, brushes, and ink, he had not actually earned much.
The real bulk of the money had all gone into the pockets of the merchants who controlled the talisman-making materials!
Wang Chen silently cursed those black-hearted merchants, then put the Spirit Stones back into his Storage Bag.
"Eek, eek."
Just then, Yuan Yuan, crouching nearby, called out to him twice.
The little fellow's eyes sparkled brightly.
Wang Chen reached out and stroked it.
Ever since receiving the Vermilion Fruit gifted by the Black Tortoise, Yuan Yuan's growth had been quite gratifying. After several months, it was no longer the tiny little thing it had once been.
It felt better to the touch, too.
Moreover, its intelligence had clearly grown along with it—it was simply livelier and more restless than before.
It never disturbed Wang Chen's cultivation.
And aside from mealtimes and