Easy to Borrow, Easy to Repay

Ji An spread the finished Talisman Paper across the table and counted the quantity.

Thanks to his mastery of Farming Spells, which rivaled that of many veteran Spirit Farmers, the Talisman Grass he grew was of rather good quality.

Though his Talisman Paper-making skills were not yet particularly advanced, this also made it easier for him to produce premium Talisman Paper.

Seventy-two sheets of Tier 1 Low-grade Talisman Paper, twenty-one sheets of Tier 1 Mid-grade Talisman Paper, and four bottles of Tier 1 Low-grade Talisman Ink—this was his entire harvest.

Making Talisman Paper and Talisman Ink earned more than Spiritual Grain Farming, but it also consumed far more time.

Now that he had advanced to Qi Condensation Layer 4, both the quantity and quality of the spiritual power within him had improved considerably. Next season, he should be able to plant four mu of Spirit Grain and one mu of Talisman Grass.

He swept a glance over the sparse furnishings in the room and sighed softly.

Although he had gained quite a lot over the past year, his expenses were too great and his debts too numerous. Moreover, the one-year deadline had arrived, and the Spirit Stones he owed Old Huang and the others had to be paid off.

Even if he wanted to borrow again, he would have to wait several months. Otherwise, repaying money only to borrow it again would make him seem unreliable.

After putting away the Talisman Paper and Talisman Ink, Ji An rummaged out the small Wooden Box hidden beneath his bed.

After setting aside enough Contribution Points to exchange for next season's grain seeds, as well as enough Yellow Bud Rice to eat for three months, the box contained all the crystals he had saved over the past half year: ten Spirit Stones and fifty-six Spirit Crystals.

However, the novice protection period for Spirit Farmers had ended. Starting next season, he would need to pay field rent and taxes, and his income each quarter would be much lower from then on.

Ji An left the bamboo lodge and rode a Talisman Bird toward Azure Water Market.

He landed at the fish market and strolled to an ordinary private room at Hundred Flavors Tower.

A few days ago, he had reserved a table of Spirit Food: two meat dishes, four vegetable dishes, a soup, and five bottles of spirit wine. It had cost one Spirit Stone and eighty Spirit Crystals, enough to make his heart ache.

Today, he had invited several creditors to gather here. He had to keep up appearances.

He needed to dress himself up a little, let people know he was doing well, so they could confidently lend him Spirit Stones again in the future.

At the beginning of the Snake Hour, Wei Songnian was the first to arrive in the private room.

"Ha ha, congratulations on advancing to Mid Qi Condensation, Junior Brother."

"Same to you, same to you." Ji An smiled and opened the cloth bundle on the table. "Please count this Talisman Paper and Talisman Ink, Senior Brother."

Wei Songnian patted the Talisman Paper, feeling its thickness, then nodded slightly.

"The success rate of your premium Talisman Paper isn't low, Junior Brother. It's comparable to those Spirit Farmers who have been growing Talisman Grass for several years."

He knew Ji An had planted only half a mu of Talisman Grass. Producing so much premium Talisman Paper was quite impressive.

After efficiently counting the Talisman Paper and inspecting the quality of the Talisman Ink, Wei Songnian quickly calculated.

"Seventy-two sheets of Tier 1 Low-grade Talisman Paper, one Spirit Crystal each, seventy-two Spirit Crystals in total;

Twenty-one sheets of Tier 1 Mid-grade Talisman Paper, eight Spirit Crystals each, one hundred sixty-eight Spirit Crystals in total;

Four bottles of Tier 1 Low-grade Talisman Ink, thirty-five Spirit Crystals each, one hundred forty Spirit Crystals in total.

That comes to three hundred eighty Spirit Crystals. Would you like to buy any more materials, Junior Brother? If not, I'll settle the crystals for you."

Of course he needed to buy something. Ji An took out a bottle of Yellow Bud Pills and said with a smile, "There's one bottle of the pills Senior Brother gave me last time that I haven't taken. I'm returning it to you.

"Mm, and give me another six bottles of Azure Jade Python blood essence, half a jin of cinnabar, and two jin of Agarwood Pine Incense."

Normally, purchased pills could not be returned. But Ji An and Wei Songnian had grown quite close, so returning them was possible.

The cinnabar, pine incense, and python blood were materials for mixing Talisman Ink. Taking time each day to slowly prepare it would also provide an income.

Wei Songnian accepted the jade bottle, poured some out to inspect their quality and quantity, then nodded.

"Mm, there are still twelve Yellow Bud Pills left.

"The usual price for Azure Jade Python blood essence is twenty Spirit Crystals per bottle. After the sect took control of Cliff Mountain, the price fell somewhat. I'll count it as eighteen Spirit Crystals per bottle for you, Junior Brother.

"Half a jin of cinnabar and two jin of pine incense will be thirty Spirit Crystals. I still owe you two hundred and two Spirit Crystals."

He paused, then sighed.

"Making one bottle of Talisman Ink takes quite a while, and the competition is fierce. The profit on low-grade Talisman Ink isn't high.

"If you want to earn crystals, you still need to develop Talisman Ink with a unique formula.

"I know a Junior Sister who obtained an incomplete Talisman Master inheritance while on an outside mission. It recorded several unique Talisman Ink formulas, and her life immediately became much more comfortable."

He paid only thirty-five Spirit Crystals for the low-grade Talisman Ink he bought, but Talisman Ink made with special formulas had a purchase price of over forty-five Spirit Crystals. Moreover, when selling materials to such Talismans Crafters, he had to offer them a generous discount as well.

"Easier said than done!"

Ji An shook his head. To develop a special formula, who knew how many experiments one would have to go through?

What materials to add, and the proportion of every single material—all of it had strict requirements.

He had neither the time nor the energy, nor did he possess the necessary accumulation of knowledge. He might as well earn a little hard-earned money.

"Senior Brother, how much are Azure Jade Pills?"

"Thirty Spirit Crystals each."

Ji An bared his teeth. So expensive. But Azure Corn, the main ingredient of Azure Jade Pills, had to be grown in a Spirit Field of at least Tier 1 Low-grade. Its high price had its reasons.

He calculated for a moment, then took out two Spirit Stones and said, "I'll buy ten Azure Jade Pills. Senior Brother, just give me eight. The other two will offset what I borrowed from you before.

"You don't need to give me change for the Spirit Stones either. I originally owed Senior Brother one Spirit Stone, so I'll repay that as well.

"Now I still owe Senior Brother the Spirit Stones for twenty-four Yellow Bud Pills. I'll repay them in a few months."

Easy to borrow, easy to repay; borrowing again would not be difficult.

"Why is Junior Brother in such a hurry to repay me?" Wei Songnian demurred, but when he saw Ji An's firm attitude, he finally accepted the Spirit Stones.

He took out ten Azure Jade Pills and two Spirit Crystals and handed them over.

A short while later, Old Huang, Zhao Mengyao, and Chu He arrived one after another, and the restaurant began serving the dishes.

Ji An introduced them to one another, then opened his small Wooden Box and began repaying his debts.

"Senior Brother Huang lent me one Spirit Stone a year ago."

"After entering the sect, Senior Brother Chu He lent me two Spirit Stones."

"Senior Sister Zhao lent me three Spirit Stones."

He gave a dry laugh and said, "Senior Sister Zhao, Senior Brother Chu, I still owe each of you three Spirit Stones. Please give your Junior Brother half a year.

"Fortunately, Senior Brother Zhang went to Cliff Mountain. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had a single Spirit Stone left today."

His wealth had now shrunk drastically, leaving him with only two Spirit Stones and fifty-seven Spirit Crystals. If Zhang Yuanshan had been present today, he would have had to pay out another two Spirit Stones.

Zhao Mengyao said, "There's no rush. Junior Brother, don't delay your cultivation just to repay Spirit Stones. That would be putting the cart before the horse."

Although the sect rules protected newly admitted Spiritual Farmer Disciples, she was still surprised that a new disciple could save up so many Spirit Stones in a single year.

People said that it was difficult for Spiritual Farmer Disciples to accumulate Spirit Stones, but that clearly did not apply to Ji An.

The fact that he had befriended two Late Qi Condensation disciples rather than attaching himself to them was a skill in itself.

Chu He nodded slightly, inwardly marveling that Ji An earned crystals far faster than ordinary disciples.

Old Huang sighed.

"Junior Brother, you accumulated so many Spirit Stones in just one year. Your path of cultivation will be smoother than that of most sect disciples in the future.

"At your current level, you are not far behind those veteran Spirit Farmers who have been planting for more than a decade."

This Junior Brother's starting point was far higher than that of ordinary Spiritual Farmer Disciples.

What was even rarer was that his cultivation had not fallen behind. In a single year, he had advanced from Qi Condensation Layer 1 to Mid Qi Condensation. Perhaps Foundation Establishment was not beyond his hopes in the future.

Ji An smiled. "Thank you for your help, Senior Brothers and Senior Sister. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today.

"Come, let us all drink this cup together."