Completing the Mission

Zhao Ping was a rogue cultivator who had stumbled into the world of immortality by pure chance; to this day, he had only reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.

The life of a rogue cultivator was not easy, and aside from hunting demonic beasts, Zhao Ping possessed no other skills.

By a stroke of coincidence, Zhao Ping was saved by cultivators from the Chen Clan of Green Eel Island, and the Chen Clan expressed interest in recruiting Zhao Ping and his group.

The terms offered by the Chen Clan were quite favorable, and after consulting with his companions, Zhao Ping agreed to join them, turning his hunting team into an affiliate force of the Chen Clan.

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

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

To attract business, the Han Clan had introduced several discounts, snatching away quite a bit of the Chen Clan's trade.

Zhao Ping and his companions set a trap; they frequented the Spirit Talisman Pavilion to purchase talismans, slowly gaining the trust of the shopkeeper, Han Dao'an, before finding an excuse to lure him away and placing two massive orders.

They had scouted the situation beforehand and knew the Spirit Talisman Pavilion only had three talisman makers, making it nearly impossible for the Han Clan to fulfill two such large orders.

Theoretically, the Han Clan could go out and purchase talismans from elsewhere, but every shop had its own unique mark; if the quality turned out to be poor, it would be easy to trace the source.

The talismans sold by the Spirit Talisman Pavilion all had a gourd pattern on the back, and not just the talismans—the weapons sold by the Hundred Refinements Pavilion also bore a gourd mark, which was very difficult for outsiders to imitate.

Therefore, if the Han Clan went to the market to buy talismans to complete the order, and Zhao Ping exposed them in public for buying from other shops, the reputation of the Spirit Talisman Pavilion would be ruined.

Could they ask other talisman makers to help craft first-tier talismans? The Han Clan could do that, but the losses would be even greater.

If they failed to deliver the full order, the Han Clan would have to pay a hefty penalty for breach of contract; if they delivered the full order but the talismans weren't all crafted by the Spirit Talisman Pavilion, the shop's reputation would still be ruined.

The Spirit Talisman Pavilion only had three talisman makers, so even with some stock on hand, it was impossible for them to complete the task.

Of course, if the Han Clan did manage to complete the task, it wouldn't matter; the Chen Clan would still buy them at the full price. Since they were bought at a discount anyway, the Chen Clan could just keep them for their own use. The chances of the Spirit Talisman Pavilion completing the task were very low.

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

"Fellow Daoist Han, the time has come. Where are the goods we requested?"

Han Dao'an wore a troubled expression and said, "Two fellow daoists, could you grant us a few more days? One month was truly a bit tight."

Zhao Ping and Liu Sheng exchanged a glance, their faces revealing the smug grins of a conspiracy successfully executed.

"That won't do. It's written in black and white that delivery must be on time. If you can't deliver today, then pay up the spirit stones! Don't even think about welching on the debt, or we'll report you to the Market Management Office," Zhao Ping sneered, shaking the contract in his hand.

The Market Management Office was specifically tasked with handling disputes between merchants and customers. If the shops in the market were all selling fake goods, the reputation of the market would be ruined. However, the small stalls set up by rogue cultivators were not under the jurisdiction of the Market Management Office.

Han Dao'an let out a cold laugh and produced two storage bags, handing them to Zhao Ping and Liu Sheng.

"These are the goods you two requested. Please count them."

Zhao Ping and Liu Sheng looked at each other, their faces showing expressions of disbelief.

They poured the talismans out of the storage bags and counted them carefully.

The size, the mark, and the texture of the talisman paper were identical; clearly, this batch of talismans had all come from the hands of the Spirit Talisman Pavilion.

"Impossible. In just one month, how could you possibly have crafted all of these?"

"Hmph, the items are right in front of you; facts speak louder than words. Two fellow daoists, please pay the remaining balance! Fellow Daoist Zhao, you still owe three thousand spirit stones, and Fellow Daoist Liu, you still owe two thousand one hundred spirit stones."

Han Dao'an said with a smile, as several Han Clan cultivators appeared at the entrance.

"Fellow Daoist Han, we are old customers, after all. Can't you give us a few more days?" Zhao Ping said with a fawning smile.

Han Dao'an's expression turned cold, and he said bluntly, "No. Just a moment ago, I asked you for a grace period, and what did you say to me?"

A cold, masculine voice drifted down from upstairs: "Trying to set a trap to deal with our Spirit Talisman Pavilion? Hmph, you didn't even weigh your own worth. You can't come up with over five thousand spirit stones, can you? Bring out the mastermind behind this! Otherwise, you'll be crawling out of here today. Causing trouble at our Spirit Talisman Pavilion—you are digging your own graves."

Han Dehai walked down from upstairs, his face looking somewhat exhausted, with Han Changming and Han Changjiong following behind him.

The three of them had worked desperately to craft the talismans, and by combining them with the Spirit Talisman Pavilion's existing stock and the talismans they had personally stashed away, they had managed to complete the task perfectly.

Crafting talismans consumed not only spiritual power but also divine sense. Han Deling had managed to procure some Spirit Recovery Incense, which could accelerate the recovery of a cultivator's divine sense, though the effect was somewhat weaker for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If not for the help of the Spirit Recovery Incense, the three of them would never have been able to complete the task.

Zhao Ping's expression flickered between shades of gray and red as he took out a silver jade disc and gestured with it.

A quarter of an hour later, an old man in a green robe in his early fifties and an old woman in a white robe in her early sixties arrived at the Spirit Talisman Pavilion. They carefully inspected the quality of the talismans and found no abnormalities.

"Here are five thousand one hundred spirit stones. You two, come with us and stop making a fool of yourselves here."

Zhao Ping and Liu Sheng followed the two, slinking away from the Spirit Talisman Pavilion in defeat.

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

Han Dao'an waved his hand and said with a grin.

Over five thousand spirit stones was nearly the entire annual transaction volume of the Spirit Talisman Pavilion.

"Heh heh, just seeing the look on their faces makes me want to laugh. The quantity of this batch of talismans is not small; the Chen Clan can't put them on the market for sale and can only keep them for their own use. The Chen Clan has truly lifted a rock only to drop it on their own feet this time."

Han Changjiong said with a smug, joyful expression.

The Chen Clan and the Han Clan had clashed openly and covertly many times, and the Han Clan had suffered more often than not. It was rare to see the Chen Clan suffer a loss, so Han Changjiong was naturally pleased.

Han Dehai nodded with a smile and looked at Han Changming, saying, "Changming deserves the most credit for being able to complete the task this time. He handed over four hundred first-tier mid-grade talismans at once, and combined with the stock in the shop, that was the only way we could complete the task in full."

"Thirteenth Uncle is too kind. If I was able to complete the task, it was mainly because I had saved quite a few beforehand, and with the help of the Spirit Recovery Incense, getting through this hurdle was entirely due to everyone's efforts, not my own merit alone," Han Changming said modestly.

The four hundred first-tier mid-grade talismans were mostly crafted by Han Changming, with a small portion being the talismans he had privately stashed away. He was required to hand over one hundred and fifty talismans to the clan every month, but he could save a few dozen each time; over a long period, he had naturally accumulated quite a few. Han Dehai and Han Changjiong were the same; they had also privately stashed away some talismans.

Everyone has their own selfish motives; as long as it does not hinder the development of the clan, the clan will not hold it against them.

"Changming is right. We were just lucky this time. If the order had been any larger, we wouldn't have been able to complete the task. Uncle Nineteen, to finish this order, the three of us had to put aside our cultivation and refine talismans with everything we had. If another order like this came along, we might not be able to pull it off again."

Han Dao'an nodded and said, "I understand. This won't happen again in the future. You three have worked hard during this period. Go get some good rest for a few days; I will make sure this contribution is recorded for you."

Upon hearing this, Han Dehai, Han Changjiong, and Han Changming all wore expressions of delight.

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

Closing the door, Han Changming let out a long sigh of relief, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes.

Even with the help of the Spirit Recovery Incense, he was completely exhausted from this period of time.