Thanks to Sai Erniang's channel, Chen Ping's life had become much more stable.
Although the profit on each talisman had been squeezed down by more than half, at least he had a large, steady supply of business.
Chen Ping no longer had to get up at dawn and stay out until dusk every day to sell his wares at the Market. He devoted every bit of the time he saved to frenzied cultivation and Talisman Making.
Half a month passed in a flash.
Over those two weeks, Chen Ping had not only pushed his Everlasting Spring Technique progress bar forward a little; more importantly, after countless failures and exploded talismans, he had finally reached the threshold of the "Flicking Finger Talisman."
It was an offensive talisman that sealed the low-level spell "Flicking Finger Technique" inside talisman paper. Although it wasn't as explosive as the Fireball Talisman, it was exceptionally quick to activate and extremely discreet—just what Chen Ping wanted.
However, drawing a Flicking Finger Talisman required a material called Spirit Ink. Inferior Demon Blood Vermilion simply couldn't withstand the fluctuations of spiritual power in a spell.
The shops in Taihang Market did sell it, but the price was steep, and buyers had to register their identities.
To avoid leaving a trail, Chen Ping decided to visit the "Ghost Market," thirty li beyond the outskirts of the Market.
At dusk, the setting sun was blood-red.
Two figures walked one behind the other along a remote path overgrown with wild grass.
"Brother Chen, once we cross that dirt mound up ahead, you'll be able to see the Market's formation barrier."
The one walking ahead was a stooped old man carrying a large hemp sack on his back.
He wore a gray cloth robe patched all over, and his face was a