Early the next morning, Yunqi was meditating in his thatched hut when he heard someone shouting outside.
"Daoist Cheng!"
"Daoist Cheng!"
The white dog outside the hut began barking too. It sounded rather fierce, as though deeply displeased that someone was shouting for Yunqi.
Unsure what had happened, Yunqi hurried outside.
He took a closer look and remembered that this man had bought talismans from him yesterday. He asked what was wrong. Was there a problem with the talismans?
The man's face was alight with joy.
"Nothing wrong with them. They're wonderful!
"You wouldn't believe it, Daoist Cheng. Late last night, our group went to raid a demonic cult outpost, only to walk straight into a trap. We were about to be surrounded and slaughtered, so I flung out the fire talismans I'd bought from you yesterday-all five in a row!
"Guess what happened? Those five fire talismans blazed a trail, joining into a corridor of fire dozens of yards long! They tore right through the encirclement. We followed that corridor and escaped, just like that!"
Yunqi smiled after hearing him out. "That's good. That's good."
The man declared loudly,
"Daoist Cheng, please draw another fifty fire talismans for me. I've already reported this to my sect. Since your talismans are so good, and we need so many, our elders from Yellow Stone Stockade under Redwood Ridge have already gone to Azure Dragon Cave to discuss it with the Daoists there. So just keep drawing, young Daoist. Your payment will only increase, never decrease!"
Yunqi smiled and nodded.
"Hey, you from Yellow Stone Stockade! What, is yours the only stockade with money? Are you the only ones who can get a word in with Azure Dragon Cave? You order fifty in one go, and the rest of us are supposed to wait around?"
It was still early, and many people in the market were resting, but the sudden arrival of a loud-voiced complainer woke the whole market at once.
Some still had no idea what was happening, but others immediately explained that someone had broken out of an encirclement last night using Daoist Cheng's talismans. These Yangfire Demon-Breaking Talismans were extraordinarily effective at breaking through enemy lines!
But now that someone had tasted success, he wanted to order fifty from Daoist Cheng at once. How could that be allowed?!
It couldn't!
Naturally, everyone raised a fuss, surrounding the man from Yellow Stone Stockade and refusing to let him leave.
Seeing this, Yunqi said with a smile, "Everyone, I can draw at most twenty talismans a day. Decide how to divide them yourselves, and send just one person to collect them from my stall at sunset each day. There's no need to crowd around my stall."
Hearing this, they could only agree and disperse to discuss it among themselves.
Some of the quicker thinkers had already begun contacting their superiors to negotiate with Azure Dragon Cave. All their talking here probably wouldn't settle anything.
Meanwhile, dozens of miles away, Daoist Tian Fang, who had vouched for Yunqi at Azure Dragon Cave, soon learned that the various factions had come to discuss business.
He smiled and thought to himself, Just as expected of Three Pure Ones Mountain. When Wen Sukong and Chen Suxing first came to the southern Miao lands, they astonished everyone. Now their disciple isn't fighting on the battlefield, only drawing talismans and refining items in a market, yet he's still caused quite a stir in just two days.
By the fourth day after Yunqi settled into Seven-Mile River Market, he had completed both his talisman-drawing and Filth Refining assignments. He could now return to Azure Dragon Cave to collect his payment, or save up several rounds of work and collect it all together.
But Yunqi now had another idea. Seeing how well his business was doing, inspiration struck. He went into the woods to cut timber himself and built a small wooden shop. He hung up a wooden sign bearing a name:
Humble Caution Studio.
By now, there was always a queue outside Yunqi's stall. Someone saw the sign and asked,
"What does this mean, Daoist Cheng?"
Yunqi explained,
"Everyone, I'm a wandering Daoist lodging at Azure Dragon Cave. I draw talismans and perform Filth Refining for you under a commission token issued by Azure Dragon Cave.
"Now I'm opening a shop of my own. What I sell here will be my personal goods, unrelated to Azure Dragon Cave. If you trust me, you're welcome to buy them. If anything goes wrong, come straight to me. Don't blame Azure Dragon Cave unjustly."
Someone asked,
"Then what do you intend to sell yourself, Daoist Cheng?"
Yunqi smiled.
"Humble Caution Studio opens tomorrow. You'll find out then."
That night, he returned to Azure Dragon Cave to hand back his commission token.
When he reached the assignment office, it was brightly lit, and people were still queuing to report their completed work.
Fortunately, there weren't too many people at night, and Yunqi's turn soon came.
The counter for reporting completed work stood beside the one for accepting assignments. The female Daoist on duty at the latter was still the same woman, and she recognized Yunqi at once.
"Senior Sister, that's him. He's our fellow Daoist Cheng Qieqing."
The female Daoist handling completed assignments took the ledger Yunqi handed over and saw that every entry in the results column was marked "A."
She smiled and said, "Who would have thought Daoist Cheng possessed such abilities? You've made Azure Dragon Cave's name even more renowned among the stockades of the Miao Borderlands. These past few days, we've even overshadowed Redwood Ridge and Immortal's Cave."
Yunqi smiled and nodded. "As long as I haven't disgraced Azure Dragon Cave's illustrious name."
She continued, "Fellow Daoist Cheng, are you collecting payment for this round, or returning your commission token?"
Yunqi replied that he only wanted payment for this round. He would keep the token, since he was going back to Seven-Mile River Market.
The female Daoist breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "You performed this assignment exceptionally well, Fellow Daoist Cheng, so you qualify for the highest payment. We have several options here. You may choose any two."
As she spoke, she took out several items and placed them on the counter.
"Half a mace of miro star sand, one Sword-Grinding Stone, 'Shaking Light Moon-Piercing Rainbow Sword Manual-Moon-Piercing Chapter-Part Five,' 'Celestial Pivot Adaptive Body-Folding Footwork-Part One,' and 'Tortoise-and-Snake Intertwined Twin Harmony Seal Technique-Tortoise Seal Chapter-Part Three.'"
Yunqi chose the two jade slips containing the sword manual and footwork. He had accepted the commission token in the first place because he had seen a sword manual and footwork among the rewards, though he hadn't seen these two back then. From what the female Daoist said, the rewards laid out now must have been upgraded.
He left the assignment office and headed down the mountain. As he departed, screened by ancient trees and darkness, a bundle suddenly appeared on his back.
Under cover of night, Yunqi returned to Seven-Mile River Market. Everyone had only seen him leave empty-handed apart from his ledger, then return carrying a large bundle, so they assumed he had gone to Azure Dragon Cave specifically to fetch it.
Yunqi patted the white dog guarding the door, entered the newly opened Humble Caution Studio, and lowered the door curtain. He opened the bundle, revealing a large stack of unfinished Talisman Arrows.
He lit a lamp and drew talismans through the night.
The next day.
Many people waited outside Humble Caution Studio, eager to see what fine goods Daoist Cheng had to offer.
Yunqi lifted the door curtain, and everyone caught sight of his wares.
They lay casually arranged in rows on the table. Anyone who didn't know better might have taken them for twigs.
But the people in this market naturally knew what they were. Their eyes widened. Those were Talisman Arrows!
In these deep mountains and dense forests, amid hatred that would end only in death, Talisman Arrows were far more useful than talismans!
Having witnessed the power of Daoist Cheng's talismans, everyone naturally trusted these Talisman Arrows and clamored to buy them.
Then Yunqi said, "Everyone, the previous Filth Refining and talisman work was recorded on account, but these Talisman Arrows are my own goods. For these, payment and delivery must go hand in hand. Failing that, barter is also acceptable."
Only then did everyone recall what Daoist Cheng had said when opening Humble Caution Studio. Their loud voices subsided, and someone asked,
"Daoist Cheng, what would you accept in exchange?"
Before answering, Yunqi first introduced his Talisman Arrows.
"Everyone, the talisman within these arrows is called the Bright Light Blazing Flame Talisman. When an arrow bursts, it first releases boundless light. Anyone caught unprepared by that light won't be able to open their eyes for three to five breaths. Then masses of blazing fire explode outward. Their power is no lower than that of the Yangfire Demon-Breaking Talisman. As for the price, fifteen taels of snowflake silver. Gold essence, unusual stones, sword techniques, footwork, or Visualization Diagrams of equivalent value can also be exchanged for them, but each person may take no more than three."
Everyone fell silent. This price was several tenths higher than that of ordinary Talisman Arrows. Of course, Daoist Cheng's talisman arts were also many levels above the lower ranks of the first realm.
"Daoist Cheng, I have a sword manual called the 'Water Intent Four Aspects Sword Unraveling Manual,' seized from the demons. I don't understand swordsmanship. Could you see whether it's worth three Talisman Arrows? Er, two. No, one. One will do."
One man was the first to speak, but he grew increasingly embarrassed as he went on, and everyone began laughing at him.
They all primarily cultivated fire arts. This Daoist Cheng was so adept at fire talismans and using fire for Filth Refining that he surely had to be an expert in fire arts too, yet the man had offered him a water-intent sword technique.
"That's fine, but let me take a look first."
To everyone's surprise, Yunqi readily agreed. He was now famous for his fire arts only because he intended to open his Heart Mansion first. He would not neglect any of the five elements; it was merely a question of which came first.
The sword manual was written on paper rather than stored in a jade slip, so its value was easy enough to imagine. Yunqi skimmed the first two pages, found its underlying concept rather good, and accepted it, giving the man two Talisman Arrows.
To prevent any misunderstanding, Yunqi specifically added that no one needed to worry about elemental affiliation. When it came to cultivation, all five elements could illuminate one another!
Here is the second chapter.
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