Return the Spirit Stones

In the blink of an eye, over twenty days had passed.

Inside the room.

Zhao Huaian looked at all the blank talisman paper that had been transformed into Water Arrow Talismans, a hint of a smile appearing on his weary face: "Good, after more than a month of burning the midnight oil, I now have over six hundred Water Arrow Talismans. My talisman-making technique for Water Arrows has also been elevated to the Minor Mastery realm. An average daily output of twenty-five is no problem at all, and the quality has improved by a large margin."

Setting aside the earlier minor incident, Zhao Huaian had spent over a month refining more than six hundred Water Arrow Talismans, consuming all the materials he had purchased from the market.

With these six hundred-plus Water Arrow Talismans, most of which were of higher quality, Zhao Huaian felt confident and filled with a sense of security.

"No! I can't get complacent. The debt hasn't been repaid yet, and these Water Arrow Talismans haven't been sold. I must be vigilant in times of peace."

Zhao Huaian silently warned himself.

Glancing at the gray, overcast weather and confirming no one was outside the door, he slipped out without a sound.

After a series of twists and turns, having confirmed no one was following him, Zhao Huaian put on a Human Skin Mask and appeared in the market under his previous identity.

It was just at sunrise, with a hint of fish-belly white appearing in the sky.

In the morning sunlight, Zhao Huaian skillfully paid one Low-grade Spirit Stone and set up his stall in a spot not too far from the entrance and exit.

Although the location wasn't as good as before, with the reputation he had built up earlier, he figured business wouldn't be bad this time either.

That was what Zhao Huaian thought to himself.

Seeing that the foot traffic was still sparse, he quickly divided the Water Arrow Talismans in his bundle into three piles according to quality and laid them out on the black cloth.

One type was the same quality as before, still priced at three for one Low-grade Spirit Stone, or ten for three Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Another type was of the quality produced at the Mastery level, priced at five for two Low-grade Spirit Stones.

The last type was naturally the quality produced at the Minor Mastery level, with an overall power reaching the mid-stage of Qi Refining Layer Three.

As for the price, Zhao Huaian didn't raise it too much, setting it at two for one Low-grade Spirit Stone.

After arranging the display and pricing, and seeing the sparse crowd, Zhao Huaian immediately began loudly hawking his wares.

His current appearance was that of a scar-faced, black-clothed burly man, highly distinctive.

With his vigorous efforts to attract customers, as the foot traffic gradually increased, someone soon came to his stall.

This person Zhao Huaian vaguely remembered.

It was the young man who had made his very first sale.

"Oh, this Fellow Daoist has started marking clear prices now."

Looking at the clearly priced Water Arrow Talismans on the stall, the young man couldn't help but tease with a laugh.

"Well, my craft has made a breakthrough, so the price naturally goes up for higher quality. The previous quality is still at the same price."

Zhao Huaian replied with a smile.

"That's true! Your previous quality was already a bit better than others, and it helped me out quite a bit on my missions outside."

The young man nodded in agreement and carefully examined the items on the stall.

After a look, he pointed at the dozen or so highest-quality Water Arrow Talismans and asked, "About how powerful are these Spirit Talismans?"

"Roughly enough to reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining Layer Three. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to price them at two for one Low-grade Spirit Stone."

Zhao Huaian smiled and added, "You bought from me last time, Fellow Daoist, so you know the quality of my talismans. You don't need to worry about that."

"That's true. Seeing you set up shop today, I didn't bother browsing any other stalls and came straight here."

The young man laughed as well.

He thought it over briefly, recalling a mission with generous rewards, and finally gritted his teeth: "Then wrap up all these highest-quality Water Arrow Talismans for me."

"Coming right up! That's thirteen in total. Seeing how straightforward you are, Fellow Daoist, I'll make it six Low-grade Spirit Stones. Hope you'll come again next time."

Zhao Huaian's eyes lit up as he gathered all the highest-quality talismans, packed them, and handed them to the young man.

"Alright, the boss is generous. I'll be back!"

The young man laughed, readily took out six Low-grade Spirit Stones from his bosom.

Having made his first sale of the day, Zhao Huaian energetically called out to customers again after the young man left.

As the foot traffic increased, more and more customers visited Zhao Huaian's stall, including many repeat buyers.

With business booming, the number of Water Arrow Talismans Zhao Huaian sold grew rapidly.

However, he had brought out over six hundred in total this time. Even so, it wasn't until the sun was about to set that he sold every last one.

Out of a total of six hundred and thirteen Water Arrow Talismans, Zhao Huaian sold them for two hundred and twenty-five Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Feeling the over two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones in his bundle, Zhao Huaian was thrilled, his face unable to contain his joy.

This was the fruit of his hard work over the past month!

With these over two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, he could finally pay off the debt he owed, and the Giant Stone weighing on his heart had finally been lifted.

Quickly shouldering his bundle, Zhao Huaian spent twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones in the market.

He bought two bottles of Qi Boosting Pills, which were more effective for cultivation, and talisman-making materials worth ten Low-grade Spirit Stones.

After purchasing what he needed, he did not immediately return to the Residential Area but instead prepared to head to the Alchemy Hall.

Although it was not yet three months, over two months had already passed.

Rather than waiting for Chen Feiyu's men to come demanding repayment, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble and proactively go settle the debt early.

Pushing through the surging crowd, he left the Market.

Zhao Huaian glanced warily around, and sensing nothing unusual, he quickly changed into a different set of clothes in a secluded spot and removed the Human Skin Mask.

Once that was done, he immediately rushed without pause toward the Alchemy Hall.

Fortunately, with his identity now switched, no one paid him any attention along the way.

Following his previous memory and route, Zhao Huaian soon arrived at the Alchemy Hall.

"Senior, I'm here to see Senior Chen."

Looking at the heavily guarded Alchemy Hall, Zhao Huaian cupped his hands respectfully and offered a flattering smile beside the entrance.

"Mm, go on in!"

The gatekeeping disciple glanced at Zhao Huaian and nodded with an indifferent expression.

If Zhao Huaian had come looking for anyone else, he might have questioned him further.

But Zhao Huaian was here for Chen Feiyu—that Outer Sect disciple who specialized in lending money and finding test subjects for the Alchemy Hall.

He dared not block anyone coming to see that master; if he delayed Chen Feiyu's moneymaking, he wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.

Entering the Alchemy Hall without any obstruction, Zhao Huaian soon met Chen Feiyu.

"Senior Chen, over two months ago I borrowed a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones from you. Now that my business is done, I've come specifically to return the stones early."