Invitation

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you know how I, Zhang Mazi, do things—I always name a fixed price and never haggle. But your matter isn't entirely without room for discussion."

The Shopkeeper stroked his nonexistent beard and spoke slowly.

"What do you mean? Just say what you have to say. We haven't seen each other for only a few days—why are you acting so coy and bashful like a woman?"

Chen Lin was anxious at heart, so his tone was somewhat unpleasant.

The Shopkeeper remained unhurried. He shot Chen Lin a glare and said, "With that state of mind, no wonder your cultivation has been unable to advance an inch. What cultivators fear most is rushing for quick success and instant gain. No matter what you do, you must keep your heart calm and your mind at peace. Otherwise, it is easy to suffer cultivation deviation and fall into the demonic path!"

Chen Lin froze.

Then he cupped his hands and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang is absolutely right. I have been taught."

Whether the other man was looking at him askance or not, his words made perfect sense.

The Shopkeeper gave Chen Lin a look that said he was teachable, then finally drawled, "What is your success rate in refining these Fireball Talismans?"

Though he did not understand why the other man was asking, it was not something that could not be said. Chen Lin immediately replied, "Ten percent!"

"Only ten percent? That's a little low. But with your cultivation, being able to refine a first-tier mid-grade talisman beyond your level is already no easy feat. As your proficiency grows, it will improve."

The other man muttered to himself. Chen Lin did not know how to interject and could only wait silently for what came next.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, would you be interested in joining our Zhang Family?"

Suddenly, the other man raised his head and said something that left Chen Lin stunned.

"What do you mean? Could it be that some young lady of your Zhang Family has taken a fancy to me and wants me to marry into the family?"

Countless scenes immediately flashed through Chen Lin's mind.

The Zhang Family the other man spoke of was one of the Five Great Families—the Zhang Clan, a Cultivation Family that had just lost its Foundation Establishment expert.

Even without a Foundation Establishment expert, it was still one of the Five Great Families. Its foundations remained deep and powerful, beyond comparison with ordinary forces.

Most importantly, they possessed medicinal pills, the thing he lacked most right now. To escape this place, sacrificing himself a little was not out of the question.

"You certainly have a pretty imagination!"

The Shopkeeper was amused by Chen Lin's words.

Then he sneered at him from the corner of his eye. "How could a young lady of my Zhang Family be a match for a toad like you? If you are willing to marry a mortal without spiritual roots, though, I could play matchmaker for you."

Seeing that the Shopkeeper's tone was half-serious and half-joking, Chen Lin immediately shook his head.

"Forget mortals. We would have no common language. I'd rather stay single. Then what did Fellow Daoist Zhang mean earlier?"

The Shopkeeper's expression turned solemn. "You may have heard the rumors as well. Our Zhang Clan has encountered a bit of trouble recently and is recruiting skilled talents in great numbers. Since Fellow Daoist Chen can refine first-tier mid-grade talismans, you meet our recruitment requirements. If you are willing, I can report this to the clan and invite you to become our family's Exclusive Talisman Master."

Chen Lin was somewhat tempted. "What benefits are there to becoming an Exclusive Talisman Master?"

Whether marrying into the family or becoming an Exclusive Talisman Master, so long as he could obtain medicinal pills, that was enough.

"As for the benefits, naturally there are many. Not only will we provide more talisman-refining methods for free, you can also receive the corresponding Spirit Stones each month as a Monthly Stipend. Better still, you can receive instruction in the art of talisman crafting from our Zhang Family's Talisman Grandmaster. One could say the benefits are plentiful."

The Shopkeeper stroked his chin proudly.

"With so many benefits, I'm afraid they won't be so easy to receive. Are there any restrictions?"

There was no such thing as a free lunch. The more benefits one received, the greater the price one had to pay. Chen Lin was clear-headed about that.

The Shopkeeper sneered at him from the corner of his eye. "The terms are very lenient. You only need to swear a Heart Demon Oath and never betray the family for the rest of your life!"

Just as expected.

Chen Lin sneered inwardly.

Expecting these people to show kindness was impossible—nothing but a fool's dream.

What kind of recruitment for an Exclusive Talisman Master was this? They were plainly recruiting family slaves, making people sign contracts of sale!

The Heart Demon Oath was immensely binding upon cultivators. Once violated, one would suffer backlash from the heart demon.

"Forget it. I'm used to being free on my own and don't like being bound. Thank you for Fellow Daoist Zhang's kind intentions."

Chen Lin refused outright.

He could not even be bothered to ask whether they could provide a quota for purchasing medicinal pills.

There was no way he would swear a Heart Demon Oath. Once he did, it would become even more impossible for him to leave this place.

The Shopkeeper did not care about Chen Lin's attitude. Instead, he gave him a long, deep look and said, "Fellow Daoist Chen, Kaiyuan City is becoming more and more unsettled these days. I advise you to think it over carefully. If you do not attach yourself to Cultivation Families like ours, I'm afraid the days ahead will not be easy."

Chen Lin was taken aback.

Then he cupped his hands.

"Thank you for the reminder, Shopkeeper. Then I'll give it some more thought."

The Shopkeeper shook his head, looking as though Chen Lin did not know what was good for him.

After leaving Zhang's Business, Chen Lin wandered through several other shops and bought a large bundle of materials.

Only after he had spent nearly all his savings did he head back.

The snow was still falling heavily.

The snow on the ground was over a foot deep. Even cultivators found it difficult to walk through.

There was hardly anyone on the road. The occasional few he encountered were all Qi Refining Mid-stage or Late Qi Refining cultivators who had learned the Flying Technique.

Chen Lin was immensely envious of the Flying Technique. If he learned this spell, his ability to survive in the wilderness would increase dramatically.

Unfortunately, this spell required at least Qi Refining Mid-stage to learn, and it was said to be extremely difficult to master.

For now, improving his cultivation had to remain his priority.

Alchemy had to be put on the agenda immediately.

After returning home, Chen Lin lit a fire and cooked. Once he had eaten, he began crafting talismans.

He made Great Strength Talismans, First-Grade Lower talismans and one of the only two kinds of talismans the original owner knew how to make.

There was no profit in Fireball Talismans, and they also consumed far too much time, so they could only be set aside for now.

Great Strength Talismans, though cheap, had already been mastered by the original owner. His success rate could reach thirty percent; with his Ten Times Certain Hit talent, it came to a full forty percent. After deducting costs, every ten batches of materials could earn him around two Spirit Stones.

If he rose early and stayed up late, he could craft twenty batches of materials a day.

That meant four Spirit Stones in earnings!

He first had to use this craft to earn enough Spirit Stones to buy materials before he could begin trying alchemy.

Chen Lin hung a Do Not Disturb sign outside his door, then began crafting talismans day and night.

In the blink of an eye.

Ten days passed.

With two dark circles beneath his eyes, Chen Lin looked at the thick stack of talismans in his hands, filled with a sense of accomplishment.

The snow outside had grown much deeper, yet it showed no sign of stopping.

At this rate, he would not even be able to leave the house in a few more days.

Chen Lin pushed open the window and gazed worriedly at the snowflakes swirling through the sky. Only after a long while did he withdraw his gaze.

Still, the investigation he had been worrying about had not happened, which loosened the knot in his heart considerably.

After expending great effort to get the door open and briefly cleaning up the snow, Chen Lin trudged toward the Market.

Zhang's Business Branch.

The room was warm, but there was hardly anyone inside.

Chen Lin took out all of his Great Strength Talismans and placed them on the counter.

"You actually raised your Great Strength Talisman success rate to forty percent. You've improved!"

From the time it had taken to craft them, Shopkeeper Zhang Mazi immediately calculated his success rate.

He was greatly surprised.

No one would covet such low-grade talismans, so Chen Lin had not bothered concealing anything.

He nodded. "That's right. Ever since I crafted the Fireball Talisman, my understanding of Talisman Crafting has deepened somewhat."

Naturally, Zhang Mazi had no way of knowing that Chen Lin was no longer the original Chen Lin and had also gained the Ten Times Certain Hit talent. He only thought Chen Lin had suddenly seen the light and unearthed his potential.

As he handed Chen Lin the Spirit Stones for purchasing the Great Strength Talismans, he gave a sidelong sneer and stared at Chen Lin.

The stare made Chen Lin's skin crawl.

"What are you looking at? Don't tell me you're planning to rob me?"

Chen Lin stuffed the Spirit Stones into his pocket, held it tightly in his hand, and watched the other man warily.

Zhang Mazi gave a sidelong sneer. "Do you take me for a poor ghost like you? Is this little bit of Spirit Stones worth my making a move?"

Chen Lin knew that, given the other man's status, he could not possibly care about this small sum. He had only been trying to ease the atmosphere.

"Then why are you staring at me?"

Zhang Mazi stroked his nonexistent beard and said, "I have a Cousin who has been widowed for years. Though she's a little older, a little uglier, a little more stout, and has a little worse temper, she possesses Qi Refining Layer 4 cultivation. What's more, she has a Younger Brother who is in Late Qi Refining. If Fellow Daoist Chen is interested, I can introduce you."

Chen Lin's face darkened like the bottom of a pot.

Forcing down the urge to punch that pockmarked face, he coldly refused, "Thank you for your kindness, Shopkeeper, but I truly cannot reach so high as a young lady of the Zhang Family."

He could offer himself up to improve his cultivation, but not to that extent.

He had thought saying this would upset the other man. Unexpectedly, Zhang Mazi pondered for a moment, then revealed an expression of deep agreement.

With another sidelong sneer, he nodded. "Fellow Daoist Chen, you truly know your own limits. You're right—it was wishful thinking on my part. With your qualifications, my Cousin would certainly never take a liking to you. If I really introduced you, I'd likely get a scolding instead. Let us just pretend I never mentioned this."

Chen Lin opened his mouth.

Yet he was utterly speechless.

Inwardly, he cursed the man for looking down on people with dog eyes. He no longer even had the mood to buy materials here and turned around to leave.

Even after stepping outside, his chest still rose and fell with anger.

But when he remembered that these people were nothing more than Puppets on strings, much of his anger dissipated.