Confidentiality Contract

"Oh?"

Xu Changshou was taken aback, then smiled wryly. "You're joking, Senior Sister Ye. How could a lowly servant disciple like me help you?"

Indeed, he had never imagined that Ye Shanhua would ask him for a favor.

Ye Shanhua belonged to the Ye Family of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, a second-generation cultivator born with a golden key in her mouth. What could the Myriad Treasures Pavilion possibly lack? Why would she need his help?

Ye Shanhua smiled. "Junior Brother Xu, don't be so quick to belittle yourself. You really are the only person who can help with this."

"Go ahead. What is it?" Xu Changshou asked.

Ye Shanhua thought for a moment. "Our Myriad Treasures Pavilion wants to buy some talismans, mainly Windwalking Talismans. As you know, cultivators with a wind affinity are rather rare, so..."

"Buy Windwalking Talismans?"

"Yes."

Xu Changshou began turning the idea over in his mind. He could now draw eighteen Windwalking Talismans a day. Aside from those required for his sect assignments, there was no reason he couldn't draw a few extra to sell.

Ye Shanhua continued, "Junior Brother Xu, you're from Green Ink Peak, after all. Help me ask around. Anyone with spare Windwalking Talismans can bring them to me to trade."

Xu Changshou considered it, then smiled wryly. "I'm afraid that won't work, Senior Sister Ye. Our senior brothers at Green Ink Peak are usually very cautious about selling talismans. If the sect's higher-ups discovered that we'd sold a large quantity to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, we'd have no way to escape the blame."

Ye Shanhua smiled. "Junior Brother Xu, I can guarantee this: no matter who trades with our Myriad Treasures Pavilion, we will never reveal their identity. Free trade, with no questions asked about a treasure's origins-that is one of our principles.

"If you trade with me, only you and I will know. Even the people at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion will never know of your involvement."

"I see!"

Xu Changshou studied Ye Shanhua, seemingly weighing whether to trust her.

Ye Shanhua seemed to see through his thoughts and said frankly, "Junior Brother Xu, if you're still worried, I can sign a Confidentiality Contract with you."

"All right. Let's sign a Confidentiality Contract, then."

After saying that, Xu Changshou explained, "Senior Sister Ye, it's not that I don't trust you. I have to take responsibility for my senior brothers at Green Ink Peak."

Once cultivators signed a contract with one another, they had to abide by it.

Otherwise, the mildest consequence would be damage to their minds, leaving their cultivation unable to advance. In severe cases, they could awaken heart demons and suffer cultivation deviation.

Naturally, Xu Changshou had his own reasons for insisting on the contract.

He intended to sell some of his own talismans to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. These talismans were rather unusual, and he feared they might stir up trouble, so he had to sign a Confidentiality Contract with Ye Shanhua.

Of course, selling his talismans would carry some risk no matter how he went about it.

Unless he sold none at all.

But Xu Changshou needed money. Every future step in his cultivation would require a vast amount of resources.

Moreover, before reaching the Qi Refining Twelfth Layer, he needed to accumulate enough resources to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill or the ingredients to refine one.

Whether he could actually buy them or not, he first had to have the spirit stones ready.

Thus, taking a little risk was worthwhile if it meant buying a Foundation Establishment Pill, but he had to reduce that risk to the bare minimum.

Signing a Confidentiality Contract was one part of that.

The other was to sell talismans only in small quantities.

Xu Changshou planned to sell only Windwalking Talismans, and no other kinds whatsoever. If the sect's higher-ups found out someday, at worst, he could hand over his method for drawing Windwalking Talismans.

That way, his risk would be reduced to almost nothing.

"I understand!"

"Good!"

Xu Changshou took out some yellow hemp paper. The two swore heart-demon oaths, then wrote the contract on the paper. Only after they signed and affixed their marks was the contract complete.

"By the way, Junior Brother Xu, how are your talisman-drawing studies coming along?" Ye Shanhua asked curiously.

Xu Changshou smiled. "Pretty well. I've been drawing them for over a year now."

"Talisman drawing really is easier."

Ye Shanhua sighed. "I've been at Cinnabar Clouds Peak for almost two years, and I still haven't had any hands-on experience with actual pill refining. But it won't be long now. I've finished memorizing the Ten Thousand Medicines Chart, so I should be learning to refine pills soon."

Xu Changshou smiled. "Then I'll come to you whenever I need to buy pills, Senior Sister Ye."

Ye Shanhua patted her chest and assured him, "Don't worry. If you come to me for pills, I can't promise the lowest prices, but I can guarantee the best quality.

"The pills I can get are even better in quality than the sect's."

"Oh?"

Those words piqued Xu Changshou's interest.

In that case, going straight to Ye Shanhua for pills in the future would be ideal.

"Junior Brother Xu, I'll take my leave now. Help me ask around first, and I'll come back in a few days."

"Wait!"

Ye Shanhua was about to leave, but Xu Changshou stopped her.

He patted his Storage Bag, took out a Windwalking Talisman, and handed it to Ye Shanhua with a smile.

This was no ordinary Windwalking Talisman of the kind he handed over to the sect. It was a Three-Thousand-Li-a-Day Windwalking Talisman he had drawn himself.

"Is this... a Windwalking Talisman?"

Ye Shanhua seemed to recognize it, but her expression was puzzled.

Xu Changshou nodded. "It's a Windwalking Talisman, but not an ordinary one. It can take you three thousand li in a day."

"What?!"

Ye Shanhua's little mouth fell wide open.

Three thousand li a day-what did that mean?

She instinctively examined it with her spiritual sense and discovered that the spiritual energy within really was three times that of an ordinary Wind Spirit Talisman.

"Heavens, there's actually such an amazing Windwalking Talisman? How have I never seen one before?"

Ye Shanhua could no longer remain calm.

A speed of three thousand li a day was essentially comparable to the flying-sword speed of a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

Granted, it was a single-use consumable, and each talisman lasted only one day.

But Ye Shanhua saw its commercial value. It was simply too fast. Used to flee for one's life, it would make someone virtually untouchable by anyone below Foundation Establishment.

Xu Changshou spread his hands. "This talisman is one of Green Ink Peak's finest products. Making it is ten times harder than making an ordinary Windwalking Talisman. We keep these for our own use at Green Ink Peak. They generally aren't circulated outside."

His meaning was simple: since drawing this talisman was ten times harder than drawing an ordinary Windwalking Talisman, its price should also be ten times higher.

"How much does this talisman cost?" Ye Shanhua's eyes sparkled.

Xu Changshou said calmly, "That price isn't for me to decide, nor is it for you to decide.

"Let's do this. Take this talisman back and ask your family elders how many spirit stones they're willing to offer.

"Once you've settled on a price, let me know. Then I'll ask the senior brother who drew it whether he's willing to sell."

"Would your senior brother really sell such a fine talisman?" Ye Shanhua sounded uncertain.

"If the price is right, he'll certainly be willing to sell," Xu Changshou said. "He's at the Qi Refining Twelfth Layer now and needs crucial cultivation resources."

"I understand!"

Ye Shanhua understood immediately: that senior brother of Xu Changshou's probably wanted to buy medicinal ingredients for refining a Foundation Establishment Pill. That was why he was willing to sell such precious Windwalking Talismans.

"By the way, Senior Sister Ye, I have a small favor to ask of you too."