Selling Talismans

Seeing that the room was furnished with everything one could need, I could not help sighing inwardly. A great Lineage truly was different.

After putting away my luggage and taking a shower, I sat cross-legged on the bed and began cultivating.

I had just closed my eyes and entered a meditative state when I heard someone knocking at the door.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

I had no idea who it was, so I put on my shoes and went to open the door.

The moment I opened it, I saw Jiang Yujie standing outside. I froze, wondering what he wanted from me.

I looked at Jiang Yujie. "What is it?"

Jiang Yujie rubbed his hands together. "Heh... um... can I come in and talk?"

I nodded to show that he could, then shifted slightly aside to let him enter.

He truly did not stand on ceremony. He swaggered into the room, found a sofa, and plopped down on it.

Before I could say anything, he asked, "Are you really the grandson of Golden Rainbow Ghost Sword Li Xuande?"

Somewhat helplessly, I said, "Didn't I already say so downstairs? How could that be faked?"

Jiang Yujie waved his hands. "No, no. I just heard Grandpa Yun say that your grandfather was a benefactor of our Jiang family.

That's why I came to ask whether you knew what happened."

I said I did not know. My grandfather had passed away when I was very young.

After saying that, I sat down on the sofa opposite him. Jiang Yujie nodded disappointedly upon hearing it.

Then his eyes rolled around, and he said with a smile,

"Then who taught you to cultivate? Or rather, who brought you into Underworld Practices? Is it convenient for you to tell me?"

A trace of vigilance surfaced in my eyes, and I rose from the sofa.

I stared hard at Jiang Yujie and asked, "What are you trying to do?"

It was not that I was making a mountain out of a molehill, because my martial uncle had once told me something.

When my martial uncle was young, he had taken in a disciple.

Later, my martial uncle's enemies came knocking to settle old scores. Relying on his profound cultivation, my martial uncle escaped.

Those people failed to find him, but someone somehow learned that he had a disciple.

However, my martial uncle's disciple lacked the cultivation to flee like my martial uncle had.

Then my martial uncle's disciple suffered terribly. Those people captured him and tortured him harshly, forcing him to reveal my martial uncle's whereabouts.

By the time my martial uncle found his disciple, the man was already a sight too horrible to behold.

Every tendon in his hands and feet had been severed, his cultivation had been crippled, and his body was a blur of blood and flesh. He had only a single breath left.

Because of that incident, my martial uncle's personality changed. That was also why he disliked going to crowded places.

Otherwise, my martial uncle could have started a family like my grandfather and lived surrounded by children and grandchildren.

My martial uncle told me that people in the outside world could stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Do not talk about "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust." When truly driven into a corner, people could even sell out their own fathers, much less anyone else.

That was why I had reacted so strongly when Jiang Yujie asked who had taught me to cultivate.

Jiang Yujie then said awkwardly, "Hey... hey, don't get angry. I was just asking.

I was thinking, your grandfather came from Maoshan, and I heard from the elders that he had attained great mastery in talismans.

Since you're his grandson, I wanted to ask whether you knew how to make Maoshan talismans."

Jiang Yujie paused. "Uh... because there are very few talismans for sale nowadays, not just outside, but even in Yun City. Especially Maoshan talismans."

When I heard that this was the reason, I finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Then I told him that I could make Maoshan talismans, but only some low-level ones. As for who my master was, I could not tell him.

Jiang Yujie was startled. He swiftly rose to his feet and grabbed both my shoulders.

His face flushed red as he said, "Really? You really know how to make them? Can you make offensive talismans?"

Without making it obvious, I removed his hands from my shoulders. "I can, but they're all low-level offensive talismans."

"That's great! Even the lowest-level Maoshan talismans are who knows how many times better than the ones on the market.

How about this? Name your price per talisman, and I'll buy them from you." Jiang Yujie said.

I was a little dazed. Back at the Bamboo Forest, my martial uncle had said that Maoshan talismans were highly sought after.

I had not expected them to be this sought after. For a moment, I did not know what to do.

Seeing me stand there blankly without saying anything for a long time, Jiang Yujie said, "Is it inconvenient for you to sell them, or do you not want to?

I know the rules of your Maoshan—private sales of talismans are forbidden."

"I didn't know that."

There was such a rule? But I'm not a Maoshan disciple. I've never even entered Maoshan.

Jiang Yujie looked somewhat disappointed. "Then forget it. It wouldn't be good if you were punished by the sect rules because of me." As he spoke, he lowered his head.

He even muttered to himself about how he had finally encountered someone from Maoshan, and a descendant of a famous figure at that.

Since Maoshan had such a rule, I thought it would be better not to sell any.

Besides, it seemed that the market truly valued Maoshan talismans greatly. If I let too many out at once, I would definitely attract attention.

Moreover, I was not particularly short on money at the moment. There was still more than twenty thousand in the bank card my father had given me.

It was nothing compared with what others had, but it was enough for my expenses.

Besides, even if I were to sell them, I could wait until I ran out of money. I was not afraid of Maoshan punishing me.

After all, I was not from Maoshan, and it seemed that I did not truly have a master either. My martial uncle had said that he was only teaching me cultivation, not taking me as a disciple.

Seeing Jiang Yujie sitting there wallowing in sorrow with a pained expression, I could not quite bear it. "I don't have many, but I should be able to spare one or two."

For one thing, he looked so pitiful. For another, I wanted to see just what price Maoshan talismans fetched on the market.

"Really?" Jiang Yujie lifted his head and looked at me excitedly.

"Really. Give me a price first. If it's suitable, I'll sell you two."

Jiang Yujie raised a hand and spread all five fingers. "How about fifty thousand?"

When he saw no reaction from me, he offered eighty thousand instead, saying that was already a very high price.

That was probably about right, I thought. I took out two talismans from my pocket and said that it was a deal.

In truth, all my talismans were in my small space. Reaching into my pocket was merely for show.

Taking the talismans, Jiang Yujie examined them carefully as though he had obtained precious treasures. Then he asked what kind of offensive talismans they were.

I told him that one was a Sword Talisman and the other an Explosion Talisman. Jiang Yujie burst into laughter upon hearing that.

Then he said that was perfect; those were precisely his two favorite talismans.

Next, he asked me for my card number and said the money would arrive tomorrow. After I gave it to him, he asked for my phone number as well.

We exchanged phone numbers, then sat on the sofas, each lost in our own thoughts.

Damn, Maoshan talismans are worth so much? Wouldn't I get rich if I sold a few more?

"Little brother, you must not do this again in the future," Nangong Yiyi said.

"Big sister, why not?"

Nangong Yiyi said, "If this goes on for a long time and more and more Maoshan talismans appear outside,

the people of Maoshan will sooner or later come looking for you. When that happens, trouble will be just around the corner.

And your grandfather seemed to be on bad terms with the current Maoshan Sect Master.

If they find out that you're privately selling talismans, they'll do everything in their power to ruin you."

Thinking it over, I realized she was right. I was too weak now and living under someone else's roof, so it was better not to draw attention to myself.

"I understand. Thank you, big sister. I won't do it again."

"Mhm... in any case, be careful in everything."

I answered that I would, then ended my conversation with Nangong Yiyi.