Selling Talismans

After making a round of the market, he had found no Moon-Gazing Rhino horns, black antelope thunder ox hide, weasel-hair brush tips, or other such materials.

These things were all rather rare and hard to obtain.

Xu Changshou felt a little discouraged.

"Ah... looks like I still have a heavy burden and a long road ahead before I can draw Thunderstorm Talismans."

Just then, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears. "Qi Gathering Pills! Come take a look at my Qi Gathering Pills! Cheap Qi Gathering Pills!"

Not far away stood a pill stall, where the stallholder, Huang Xiangui, was hawking his wares with all his might.

Last time, Xu Changshou had bought his pills from Huang Xiangui. The quality was good, and they were cheaper than the sect's.

"Hello, Senior Brother Huang."

Xu Changshou walked over and greeted him with a smile.

Huang Xiangui visibly froze, then scratched his head. "Junior Brother, what should I call you?"

Xu Changshou paused and let out an awkward "Uh." He had almost forgotten that he was in disguise. Of course Huang Xiangui wouldn't recognize him.

"My name is Wang Hai."

Xu Changshou cupped his hands in greeting. The Wang Hai he mentioned was Wang Yuanwai's name.

"So it's Junior Brother Wang! A pleasure, a pleasure. Looking to buy pills? I have the cheapest Qi Gathering Pills under heaven."

Beaming, Huang Xiangui stroked the tuft of hair over his chest and spoke as though they were old friends.

Xu Changshou curled his lip. "I don't want your inferior Qi Gathering Pills. Do you have any good-quality ones? I want the good ones."

Huang Xiangui looked at Xu Changshou, his expression puzzled. "So you're a returning customer. You must have bought my pills before. How could I have forgotten?"

Xu Changshou said sternly, "Enough chatter, Senior Brother Huang. Do you have good-quality Qi Gathering Pills? If you do, I'll take them."

"I do. Have a look, Junior Brother."

Huang Xiangui took an exquisite white porcelain bottle from his Storage Bag.

Xu Changshou took the bottle and opened it for a look. Yes, they were indeed the same pills as last time.

"How much?"

"One spirit stone for twelve Qi Gathering Pills."

"Too expensive. Give me fourteen, and I'll take them."

"Enough chatter. Twelve. No bargaining."

"Senior Brother Huang, give me fourteen, and I'll buy all my pills from you from now on."

"No. Last time, some brat bought seven Qi Gathering Pills from me for fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones, then tricked me by saying he'd introduce me to a senior sister with cultivator parents. I haven't seen hide nor hair of him since."

"Uh..."

Xu Changshou was speechless. He hadn't expected Huang Xiangui to still remember that.

"Senior Brother Huang, let's both give a little. Thirteen. How about it?"

"No. Twelve. Take it or leave it."

"How about this..."

Xu Changshou slapped his Storage Bag and took out a Yellow Talisman. "Senior Brother Huang, this is an Earth-Escape Talisman. If you encounter danger, you can use it to make a clean getaway through the earth. How about I give you this talisman, and you give me thirteen pills?"

An Earth-Escape Talisman?

Huang Xiangui took the Yellow Talisman and examined it with his spiritual sense. Discovering that it contained abundant earth energy, he immediately nodded. "All right. It really is an Earth-Escape Talisman. This is my first time seeing one."

Among all the treasures of cultivators, pills were the most expensive consumables, while talismans were the cheapest.

Since most talismans were like chicken ribs-little use, yet a pity to discard-their prices were set very low.

In truth, first-grade Windwalking Talismans, first-grade Earth-Escape Talismans, first-grade Qi Gathering Pills, and first-grade Qi-Replenishing Pills were all items of the same rank.

Their prices differed because their uses differed.

Those in immortal sects had always valued pills, so pills cost more than talismans.

Qi Gathering Pills could increase cultivation and were a necessity in the cultivation world, so their price was relatively high.

The sect sold a single first-grade Qi Gathering Pill for ten Fragmented Spirit Stones.

A single first-grade Qi-Replenishing Pill sold for three Fragmented Spirit Stones.

A Windwalking Talisman cost only one Fragmented Spirit Stone, even less than the cheapest Qi-Replenishing Pill.

Earth-Escape Talismans were different, however. The Green Immortal Sect had none, so their rarity made them valuable.

In a barter, Huang Xiangui was willing to exchange Qi Gathering Pills for Earth-Escape Talismans.

"Here. One spirit stone."

Xu Changshou took out his only spirit stone and handed it to Huang Xiangui. His heart ached terribly, and inwardly he cried out at how much money cultivation burned through. This was his entire monthly stipend.

"Certainly."

After accepting the spirit stone and Earth-Escape Talisman, Huang Xiangui gave Xu Changshou a white porcelain bottle containing exactly thirteen Qi Gathering Pills, no more and no less.

"Junior Brother Wang, do you have any more Earth-Escape Talismans? I can trade Qi Gathering Pills for them. One pill per talisman. How about it?"

Huang Xiangui looked at him expectantly.

"I have four more. Since you want them, Senior Brother Huang, let's trade."

Xu Changshou secretly rejoiced.

He could draw four Earth-Escape Talismans whenever he liked.

But four Qi Gathering Pills would cost him ten days' stipend. This trade was far too good to pass up.

"Good, good, good! If you get hold of anything like this again, come find me."

"All right."

Xu Changshou nodded slightly, an idea forming in his mind.

He could exchange some unusual talismans for Huang Xiangui's Qi Gathering Pills. That way, he wouldn't need to spend spirit stones on cultivation in the future.

He could save his spirit stones to buy other things.

Only after trading for another four Qi Gathering Pills did Xu Changshou leave Huang Xiangui's stall.

Then, in a corner of the market, Xu Changshou spread a red cloth on the ground and laid three kinds of talismans on it.

The three kinds were Fireball Talismans, Windwalking Talismans, and Sword Qi Talismans.

Yang Bailao had taught him all three. Yang Bailao had no intention of putting the talismans from the Bloodline Jade Talisman up for sale.

There was no harm in bringing out a few of those talismans occasionally, but selling them in bulk would likely attract the attention of watchful eyes.

Xu Changshou wanted to make money, certainly, but he valued his life even more.

After laying out the three kinds of talismans, Xu Changshou sat on a folding stool and waited quietly. Even after a long while, no one came.

So he stood up, folded his arms, and began calling out, "Talismans for sale! Talismans for sale! Windwalking Talismans that let you travel a thousand li a day!"

"Windwalking Talismans?"

"Let's take a look!"

"He really has Windwalking Talismans."

Sure enough, once he started hawking his wares, people took notice.

Although many talismans were like chicken ribs, Windwalking Talismans enjoyed great renown in the cultivation world.

Cultivators in the Qi Refining Period couldn't afford to use Magic Artifacts or buy Flying Boat Puppets.

At one Fragmented Spirit Stone each, Windwalking Talismans became indispensable travel aids for many cultivators. They were single-use, but their low price made them good value.

Since Green Ink Peak had few Servant Disciples with wind spiritual roots, the supply of Windwalking Talismans fell short of demand. They couldn't even produce enough for their own use.

Most of the Green Immortal Sect's Windwalking Talismans were purchased from other sects.

As a result, supplies of Windwalking Talismans often ran dry. They also almost never appeared in Cinnabar Glow Market, and even when they did, they sold out quickly.

Suddenly hearing that someone was selling Windwalking Talismans, many people were drawn over.

A handsome young man was the first to reach the stall. He casually picked up a Windwalking Talisman and examined it, then couldn't help looking delighted. "Good, good! It really is a Windwalking Talisman."

"Junior Brother, how much are your Windwalking Talismans?" the handsome young man asked eagerly.

Xu Changshou smiled. "One Fragmented Spirit Stone each."

The handsome young man frowned. "That's the same price as the sect's. Can you make it any cheaper?"

Xu Changshou shook his head. "Not even a little."

Resigned, the handsome young man took out five Fragmented Spirit Stones. "I'll take five Windwalking Talismans."

"Junior Brother, I'll take five Windwalking Talismans too."

"I'll take ten."

"Ten."

"I'll take twenty."