I Worked as a Middleman Between Two Worlds

"Two sheets of premium talisman paper."

Chen Zhuo stood before the talisman-paper stall and spoke without expression.

Every word was precious.

In the Ancient Immortal Realm, Chen Zhuo always kept a cold face and said as little as possible.

After all, his accent was still noticeably different. Though he had done his utmost to imitate the locals, habits ingrained over years were hard to correct in a short time.

Since that was the case, he would speak as little as possible.

Seeing that Chen Zhuo knew exactly what he wanted, the stall owner did not try to sell him anything else. He deftly took out two sheets of talisman paper made from century-old Spirit Bamboo and smiled. "Two Spirit Stones. Thank you for your business!"

Chen Zhuo said nothing. He inspected the Talisman Paper, paid only after finding nothing wrong with it, then turned and left.

Chen Zhuo walked toward the edge of the Shantytown. Only after leaving it completely did he pat his Storage Bag and release the Mystic-Arts Reconnaissance Drone.

"Set altitude to three hundred meters. Stop patrolling and hold position!"

Chen Zhuo gave the Mystic-Arts Reconnaissance Drone its new orders, making sure it could watch over the entirety of this return point.

If anyone had come out to follow him, the drone would have caught them.

In the Ancient Immortal Realm, one could never be too careful of others!

Especially since he had just flashed his wealth in the Shantytown.

It wasn't about buying Talisman Paper. It was that he had sold Li Changqing a Qi Condensation Pill cheaply in that rundown corner.

That was the real taboo.

Granted, Li Changqing was unlikely to tell anyone. He had a younger sister to care for, which made him all the more cautious.

But one had to guard against that one chance in ten thousand.

Caution came first!

"If Li Changqing really dares sell me out..."

Killing intent flashed through Chen Zhuo's eyes.

The rest went without saying.

Chen Zhuo then activated the World-Breaking Pearl.

The next moment, black light enveloped him, and he vanished amid the green waters and verdant mountains.

The Immortal Estate, Chen Zhuo's Cave Abode in Taiqing City.

Black light flashed, and Chen Zhuo returned to the Immortal Estate.

"Whew."

After a long exhale, Chen Zhuo changed out of his old-fashioned clothes, took out the Talisman Paper, and inspected it again.

The paper was yellowish, but it brimmed with Spiritual Qi. Compared with the Immortal Estate's Talisman Paper made from Spirit Bamboo forced to mature in two or three years—or even six months—it was incomparably better!

Its craftsmanship really was poor, though. Being handmade by traditional methods dragged down the overall quality.

How could traditional handiwork compete with machine processing?

But that had nothing to do with Chen Zhuo. He was not the one drawing talismans.

For now, he would give these a try.

With that thought, Chen Zhuo opened his Spirit Message Jade Slip and sent a message: "Good day, fellow student! May your immortal path be smooth! Sorry to bother you again. Are you there?"

It was not long before the other party replied.

[Convincing Someone to Make Talismans Is Asking to Be Struck by Lightning]: Here, here! Looking to buy more Talisman, dear? I'm out of stock for now. I haven't finished drawing this batch yet, and I have a feeling I might finally hit the guaranteed minimum this time. They might not all fail inspection...

Chen Zhuo could not help smiling at the message.

There's a guaranteed minimum?

She really knows how to comfort herself.

Still, this student clearly had it rough.

In the Ancient Immortal Realm, she could become a first- or second-tier talisman maker without the slightest trouble and rake in money hand over fist.

But in the Immortal Estate, she was just another student worrying about her next exam.

Ah, this wretched Immortal Estate!

Chen Zhuo sighed deeply and sent a message: "You misunderstand. I'm not buying talismans. I went back to my hometown this time and found two ancestral sheets of talisman paper. They're quite good. I wanted to ask if you need them—or if you'd like to take a look."

After he sent the message, the other party fell noticeably silent.

A moment later, Chen Zhuo received a reply.

[Convincing Someone to Make Talismans Is Asking to Be Struck by Lightning]: Ancestral Talisman Paper? Whoa. Tell me more.

Chen Zhuo knew he had hooked her.

"These two Zhang of Talisman Paper have quite a history. Supposedly, they were made from three-hundred-year-old Spirit Bamboo. Back then..."

Chen Zhuo made up a story, then continued typing: "I urgently need money, so I'm hoping to trade them for some Spirit Coins to tide me over."

A classic little antique-seller's tale.

With the right story, you could convince someone an induction cooker had a matching piece in the Palace Museum!

Three-hundred-year-old Spirit Bamboo Talisman Paper!

The message made [Convincing Someone to Make Talismans Is Asking to Be Struck by Lightning]'s eyes light up.

As a fourth-stage student at the Talisman-Making College, she knew all too well how much the quality of Talisman Paper affected the success rate of finished Talismans!

Spiritual Qi had grown scarce in the Immortal Estate. Most Spirit Bamboo Talisman Paper suitable for talisman-making came from bamboo only a few years old. Its Spiritual Qi content was mediocre, and the energy was often unevenly distributed when one drew on it.

That made failure all too easy.

But Talisman Paper made from three-hundred-year-old Spirit Bamboo was a different matter. The bamboo had matured fully, and its Spiritual Qi was abundant and evenly distributed. Her success rate would rise by at least thirty percent!

If it really was ancestral Talisman Paper, it would be charcoal delivered in a snowstorm.

For her final exam, she had to draw a supreme-grade first-tier Fire Serpent Talisman on her own. If she could use paper of that age, her chances of passing would rise dramatically!

She had already failed a course once. She could not fail again!

She really did not want to retake it.

With that thought, [Convincing Someone to Make Talismans Is Asking to Be Struck by Lightning] immediately replied.

[Convincing Someone to Make Talismans Is Asking to Be Struck by Lightning]: Tomorrow at three in the afternoon. Southeast corner of the Public Cultivation Plaza in University Town. We'll trade in person!

She would not even use a courier.

Seeing that, Chen Zhuo replied: "Got it."

With the conversation over, Chen Zhuo put away his Spirit Message Jade Slip.

If this deal went smoothly, he could not only pocket the price difference but also establish a connection with the Talisman-Making College, paving the way for his future middleman business.

After all, making talismans required plenty of materials. If he could supply them reliably, it would become a steady, long-term source of income!

Woohoo, he was taking off!

At that thought, Chen Zhuo immediately opened his Spirit Message Jade Slip and began checking the prices of basic materials in the Immortal Estate.

A middleman had to know market prices!

Starting today, he would track prices seriously!

The next day, three in the afternoon.

Public Cultivation Plaza, University Town, Taiqing City.

The plaza lay at the center of Taiqing City's Seven Universities—or rather, the seven universities had been built around University Town. Talented people gathered here like dragons and tigers amid clouds. It was close to Taiqing City Alchemy Vocational and Technical College and Taiqing City Talisman-Making Vocational and Technical College.

Yes, Junior College was still a university.

Of course, in the eyes of schools such as Taiqing Pharmaceutical University and Taiqing Sword Cultivation Academy, calling a vocational college a university was ridiculous!

But vocational college students insisted that Junior College was a university too. The Immortal Estate officially recognized it as such. They received university-student discounts and interest-free loans. Anyone who said Junior College students were not university students was opposing the Immortal Estate—and the Spirit Transformation Divine Lords!

That was Chen Zhuo's stance, anyway.

If he became a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and successfully completed a Junior College-to-University Transfer someday, he might change his tune.

A man must not forget his roots, but he could forget his vocational college.

Chen Zhuo sat on a bench before the park fountain, holding his breath and focusing his mind. Selling Spirit Stones is the safest option, but the price really isn't high. One Spirit Stone only sells for about thirteen or fourteen Spirit Coins. That's a profit of just three or four Spirit Stones.

This premium talisman paper costs one Spirit Stone a sheet, but it can sell for over twenty Spirit Coins. The profit is enormous. If I keep hauling it across worlds, paying off my debt won't be hard... But I'll deal with the debt when it's nearly overdue.

First, I'll make a few hundred Spirit Coins and buy a few Needles. Slow and steady.

Chen Zhuo nodded slightly, then suddenly sensed someone watching him.

By now, Chen Zhuo was extremely sensitive to being watched.

He immediately followed the gaze and saw a female cultivator in casual clothes staring at him.

She looked rather disheveled. Her hair had barely been tended to and was somewhat yellowed, with split ends. Her eyes were full of fatigue, and the dark circles beneath them were impossible to miss.

Perhaps she's even more exhausted than I am.

Chen Zhuo nodded slightly. Yet the Spiritual Qi radiating from her had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refinement—perhaps even far beyond it!

Before Chen Zhuo could speak, she came up to him and said, "You're 'Default User 9527,' right? Where's the Talisman Paper? Let me see it. I'm short on time. My advisor only gave me two hours off."

Huh?

Didn't you go to Junior College? Does Junior College have advisors too?

Chen Zhuo froze.