Completed the Task

Zhao Ping was a Rogue Cultivator. By a fortunate twist of fate, he had entered the world of cultivation, and by now, he had reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Life as a Rogue Cultivator wasn't easy. Aside from hunting demonic beasts, Zhao Ping knew no other skills.

By chance, Zhao Ping had been rescued by cultivators from the Chen Clan of Green Eel Island. The Chen Clan wanted to recruit Zhao Ping and his companions.

The Chen Clan offered excellent terms. After discussing it with his companions, Zhao Ping joined the Chen Clan, and his Monster Hunting Squad became an affiliated force of the clan.

A month ago, Chen Hongguang of the Chen Clan had instructed Zhao Ping and the others to cause trouble for the Spirit Talisman Pavilion.

The Spirit Talisman Pavilion was a talisman shop run by the Han Clan, and the Chen Clan's talisman shop was nearby.

To attract customers, the Han Clan had introduced some discounts and taken away a lot of the Chen Clan's business.

Zhao Ping and his companions had set a trap. They frequently bought talismans from the Spirit Talisman Pavilion, gradually earning shopkeeper Han Dao'an's trust. Then, they found an excuse to get Han Dao'an away and placed two large orders in quick succession.

They had investigated beforehand. The Spirit Talisman Pavilion had only three talisman makers, so it would be difficult for the Han Clan to fill two large orders.

In theory, the Han Clan could buy talismans elsewhere. However, every shop had its own unique mark, making it easier to pursue compensation if the quality proved unsatisfactory.

The talismans sold by the Spirit Talisman Pavilion all bore a gourd design on the back. The weapons sold by the Hundred Refinements Pavilion also had a gourd mark, and outsiders would have a hard time imitating it.

Thus, if the Han Clan bought talismans on the market to fulfill the orders, and Zhao Ping publicly exposed the fact that they had bought them from other talisman shops, the Spirit Talisman Pavilion's reputation would be ruined.

Could they ask other talisman makers to produce first-grade talismans? The Han Clan could do that, but it would suffer even greater losses.

If they failed to deliver the full order, the Han Clan would have to pay a hefty penalty. If they delivered the full order with talismans not all made by the Spirit Talisman Pavilion, its reputation would be ruined.

The Spirit Talisman Pavilion had only three talisman makers. Even with some stock on hand, they couldn't possibly complete the orders.

Of course, even if the Han Clan completed the orders, it wouldn't matter. The Chen Clan would still buy everything at the agreed discounted price and keep the talismans for its own use. The odds of the Spirit Talisman Pavilion completing the orders were slim.

That day, Zhao Ping and his companion Liu Sheng arrived at the Spirit Talisman Pavilion early.

"Fellow Daoist Han, the deadline's here. Where are the goods we ordered?"

Han Dao'an looked troubled. "Fellow Daoists, could you give us a few more days? A month really isn't enough time."

Zhao Ping and Liu Sheng exchanged a glance, grinning as their scheme seemed to succeed.

"No. It's there in black and white: you agreed to deliver on time. If you can't deliver today, you'll have to pay us in spirit stones! Don't even think about going back on your word, or we'll report you to the Market Management Office." Zhao Ping waved the written agreement in his hand and sneered.

The Market Management Office specifically handled disputes between businesses and customers. If all the shops in the marketplace sold counterfeit goods, its reputation would be ruined. However, the roadside stalls set up by Rogue Cultivators were outside the office's jurisdiction.

Han Dao'an gave a cold laugh, took out two Storage Bags, and handed them to Zhao Ping and Liu Sheng.

"Here are the goods you ordered. Count them yourselves!"

Zhao Ping and Liu Sheng exchanged a glance, their faces filled with disbelief.

They poured the talismans out of the Storage Bags and counted them carefully.

The talismans were identical in size, markings, and the feel of the talisman paper. Clearly, every one of them had come from the Spirit Talisman Pavilion.

"Impossible! How could you have made them in just one month?"

"Hmph. The goods are right in front of you. Seeing is believing. Now, Fellow Daoists, pay the rest of what you owe! Fellow Daoist Zhao, you still owe three thousand spirit stones. Fellow Daoist Liu, you still owe two thousand one hundred."

Han Dao'an spoke with a beaming smile. Several Han Clan cultivators appeared in the doorway.

"Fellow Daoist Han, we're regular customers. Could you give us a few more days?" Zhao Ping said with an ingratiating smile.

Han Dao'an's expression turned cold. He replied bluntly, "No. When I asked you for more time just now, what did you say to me?"

A cold male voice came from upstairs. "You think you can set a trap for our Spirit Talisman Pavilion? Hmph, you should've considered whether you had what it takes. You can't cough up more than five thousand spirit stones, can you? Bring out the person pulling your strings! Otherwise, you'll be crawling out of here today. You came to cause trouble at our Spirit Talisman Pavilion. You're digging your own graves."

Han Dehai came downstairs, looking somewhat exhausted, with Han Changming and Han Changjiong following behind him.

The three of them had worked themselves to the bone making talismans. Together with the Spirit Talisman Pavilion's stock and the talismans they had privately set aside, they had completed the orders in full.

Making talismans consumed not only magical power but also spiritual sense. Han Deling had brought them some Spirit Recovery Incense, which helped cultivators recover their spiritual sense faster. Its effects were somewhat weaker for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Without the help of the Spirit Recovery Incense, the three of them wouldn't have been able to complete the orders.

Zhao Ping's expression shifted repeatedly. He took out a silver disc and fiddled with it.

An hour later, a blue-robed old man in his early fifties and a white-robed old woman in her early sixties arrived at the Spirit Talisman Pavilion. They carefully examined the talismans' quality and found nothing amiss.

"Here are five thousand one hundred spirit stones. You two, come with us. Don't make fools of yourselves here."

Zhao Ping and Liu Sheng followed the two away from the Spirit Talisman Pavilion, their tails between their legs.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, Fellow Daoist Liu, come again next time!"

Han Dao'an waved at them with a beaming smile.

More than five thousand spirit stones was almost a year's worth of business for the Spirit Talisman Pavilion.

"Heh, seeing the look on their faces makes me want to laugh. There are quite a lot of talismans in this batch. The Chen Clan can't sell them on the market, so they'll have to keep them for their own use. This time, the Chen Clan picked up a rock only to drop it on its own foot."

Han Changjiong spoke smugly, his face beaming with delight.

The Chen and Han Clans had fought openly and covertly many times, and the Han Clan had usually been the one to suffer. It was rare to see the Chen Clan take a loss, so Han Changjiong was naturally pleased.

Han Dehai smiled and nodded, then looked at Han Changming. "We owe a great deal of this success to Changming. He turned in four hundred first-grade mid-quality talismans all at once. With those and the shop's stock, we were able to complete the orders in full."

"Thirteenth Uncle, you flatter me. I was able to do it mainly because I'd saved quite a few beforehand, and because of the Spirit Recovery Incense. Everyone worked hard to get us through this; it wasn't my achievement alone." Han Changming replied modestly.

Of the four hundred first-grade mid-quality talismans, Han Changming had made most of them himself and privately set aside the rest. He had to hand over one hundred and fifty talismans to the clan each month, but could save dozens. Over time, he had naturally built up quite a stash. Han Dehai and Han Changjiong had done the same, privately setting aside some talismans of their own.

Everyone had their own selfish motives. As long as they didn't hinder the clan's development, the clan wouldn't pursue the matter.

"Changming's right. We were lucky this time. If the order had been any larger, we wouldn't have been able to fill it. Nineteenth Uncle, the three of us put our cultivation aside and worked ourselves to the bone making talismans. That was the only way we completed the orders. If it happened again, we might not be able to manage it."

Han Dao'an nodded. "I understand. This won't happen again. The three of you have worked hard lately. Take a few days to rest. I'll make sure you're credited for this."

Han Dehai, Han Changjiong, and Han Changming all wore delighted expressions at his words.

After chatting for a while, the three of them went upstairs to rest.

Once he'd closed the door, Han Changming let out a long breath, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes.

Even with the help of the Spirit Recovery Incense, he was utterly exhausted after all the work he'd done lately.