Wind Bead

In his previous life, Chen Ganliu had never been cut out for business. Otherwise, he would not have scraped by selling talismans.

If one had the chance to start over, one could correct the choices one had made.

But even over a hundred lifetimes and a thousand ages, a person's nature was difficult to change.

Chen Ganliu sighed and thought, Whether it was low-end talismans, jade talismans for lighting, or even a cold-tea-and-dried-fruit business, no matter how prosperous the trade became, I fear I still wouldn't earn much.

I still have to work hard at cultivation. If only I had reached the perfection of Qi Condensation, I wouldn't be in such dire straits.

The only thing I can resent is my ordinary aptitude. Even if I worked ten times harder, it would still be difficult to advance to the Second Layer of Qi Condensation, Boiling Liquid into Qi, within three to five years!

To attract customers, Chen Ganliu had specially made more than a dozen broad chairs with high backs and wide armrests. He had also gathered some poultry feathers and stuffed dozens of plump cushions. Sitting in front of his little shop, he pondered his troubles while slowly breathing in and out, circulating the Azure Emperor Jia Yi Art.

Two young women passed by his little shop. They had never seen a store decorated so strangely and could not help taking a few extra glances. When one of them saw the two jade talismans inside, she immediately recognized them with her considerable cultivation: they were Blazing Fire Talismans, only heavily abridged until they had become vulgar objects usable solely for lighting.

She was about to walk past, but suddenly remembered something. Grabbing her junior sister's arm, she whispered, "Aren't you going home to visit your family in a few days?"

"You've prepared all the other gifts. Aren't you still wondering what to give your little brother?"

"Wouldn't those two Blazing Fire Jade Talismans be just right?"

"They can only be used for lighting and reading, and they possess quite a bit of immortal ingenuity. But you needn't worry about your brother using them to cause trouble."

The other young woman was examining the things inside Chen Ganliu's shop. She was particularly interested in the chairs with high backs and wide armrests, as well as the plump cushions. Her eyes lit up at her companion's words, and she walked up to Chen Ganliu. Her voice was as clear and sweet as an oriole emerging from a valley as she asked, "Are you the owner of this shop? How much are those two jade talismans?"

Chen Ganliu was overjoyed and called out, "Indeed, I am the owner of this little shop. These two jade talismans have some flaws in their crafting and are only fit for lighting. I'll charge you just the cost of the materials."

The young woman who had asked the price stepped forward and took the two jade talismans in her hands, turning them over for a moment. She immediately took a liking to them.

To make them easier to sell, Chen Ganliu had carved the two jade talismans with extraordinary beauty. Each depicted a landscape carved from mountains and chiseled rivers. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the cultivators of this world, such decoration had little use. The quality of a magical object was judged solely by the spells contained within.

The young woman thought for a moment and said, "How about fifty Talisman Coins?"

Chen Ganliu was delighted. The first Green Jade Stone he had bought had cost only thirty Talisman Coins. The second Green Jade Stone, which he had traded for from Chen Qing, might originally have been a little more expensive, but only by six or seven Talisman Coins. Chen Qing had found it as a bargain herself. He had assumed the two jade talismans made from inferior material would leave him with a small loss, but unexpectedly, he could still make a profit. He agreed at once.

The young woman paid the Talisman Coins and collected the two Blazing Fire Jade Talismans. Then she pointed at the chairs and cushions in front of Chen Ganliu's shop and said, "These chairs and cushions are quite exquisite as well. Name your price, shopkeeper, and sell them to me together."

Chen Ganliu hurriedly smiled. "These chairs were casually made by this humble cultivator. They're merely mundane objects—how could they be worth anything? Just consider them a gift with the two jade talismans."

The two young women laughed together. The first one to speak said, "Shopkeeper, you certainly know how to do business. Still, we can't take advantage of you."

She casually pulled out an object and tossed it to Chen Ganliu. "As it happens, the two of us sisters recently slew a Swallow Demon that had yet to fully mature. This Wind Bead is of no use to us, so consider it payment for the chairs."

Chen Ganliu was overjoyed. He had never expected that a mere few chairs could sell for more than the two Blazing Fire Jade Talismans.

As long as demons cultivated for long enough, an inner demon core would take shape within them. It was the source of all their demonic power and spells. Even a demon core of the lowest level, with only a few decades of cultivation, could be worth dozens of Talisman Coins.

Chen Ganliu repeatedly said, "How could a few chairs possibly be worth..." He tried to return the Wind Bead, but the two women would not accept it. Instead, they used magic to collect the chairs and cushions he had placed outside, then drifted away hand in hand.

Chen Ganliu put the Talisman Coins into his Beast Skin Pouch and was thoroughly satisfied. He thought, I never expected those two jade talismans to sell after all. But next time, I mustn't resort to such clever tricks again.

This world doesn't appreciate such ingenious little toys.

Luck like this comes once and cannot be repeated.

He touched the Wind Bead in his hand and felt a faint delight. This was an unexpected windfall.

After injecting a thread of Azure Emperor Jia Yi True Qi, Chen Ganliu was immediately somewhat astonished. The two young women had said it was a Swallow Demon that had yet to fully mature. He had assumed that the Swallow Demon possessed only a few decades of cultivation, a hundred years at most. But judging from this Wind Bead, that unlucky Swallow Demon had likely cultivated for at least two or three centuries.

Chen Ganliu thought, I didn't see it at all just now. It turns out these two young women's cultivation is so formidable. They killed a Swallow Demon with two or three hundred years of cultivation just like that, and even belittled it as not yet mature.

Demonic creatures also needed to be born with a spiritual meridian before they could embark on cultivation. Yet even if they possessed one from birth, a demon's body was far inferior to a human's. Demons also rarely inherited teachings and generally lacked orthodox cultivation methods. Relying solely on their natural gifts, they refined only a mouthful of turbid qi. Their demonic qi was foul, heavy, and murky, so a great demon of a hundred years often could not compare to a human cultivator who had entered the path ten years ago.

Even so, a Swallow Demon with two or three hundred years of cultivation could still slaughter dozens of Chen Ganlius.

When the disparity in cultivation was so vast, numbers alone could no longer easily make up the difference.

This Wind Bead had been condensed from the Swallow Demon's vital essence and blood. It was also the foundation of all its demonic arts. If it could be refined properly, it would certainly become a respectable magical treasure.

In terms of value, this object was worth at least two or three pieces of unrefined spirit stone ore. In a pressing situation, it could also be traded for two or three hundred Talisman Coins. If he encountered a suitable buyer, he might even sell it for more than five hundred Talisman Coins.

All of Chen Ganliu's cultivation arts came from the Immortal Encounter Sect...

Well, they had all been taught by his senior apprentice-sister. Although he was her Dao companion and had exploited a little loophole to learn the complete Azure Emperor Jia Yi Art, as well as the Immortal Encounter Sect's secret method for tempering spirit stones, his senior apprentice-sister had not dared teach him how to properly refine magical treasures.

Besides, even if she had taught him, his cultivation was too low for him to learn it.

Thus, although Chen Ganliu had obtained this Wind Bead, he did not know how to refine it. He considered seeking out Chen Qing, but after a slight hesitation, he abandoned the thought.

After all, the two of them were merely acquainted. They could not really be said to share any genuine friendship.

Chen Ganliu had nothing left to sell. Even the chairs he used every day had been bought up. Since there was nothing of value left in his little shop anyway, he tucked his hands into his sleeves and began wandering around the Immortal Market, hoping to stumble upon some luck.

Suddenly, thunderous explosions rang out from a certain direction, and several people shouted, "A Demonic Cultivator is running amok!"

Chen Ganliu was slightly alarmed. He looked over and saw what seemed to be people engaged in Magical Combat over there. He had no desire to go closer. With what little cultivation did he possess? If he became an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire, wouldn't that be a miserable injustice?