New Contract Terms!

"Lu Changsheng, you said you can draw First-Rank Talismans now?!"

In the reception room, Uncle Fu's expression filled with surprise and delight at Lu Changsheng's words.

"Yes, Uncle Fu, though I'm still not very practiced."

Lu Changsheng nodded, then took out a talisman. "This is a first-tier lower-grade talisman I drew-a Fire Bullet Talisman!"

This talisman was naturally different from the ones Lu Changsheng usually drew.

Its lines looked somewhat uneven and lacked fluidity, but it still counted as a success.

"It really is a First-Rank Talisman, a Fire Bullet Talisman!"

"Good, good, good! Go back and rest. I'll report this to the lineage head!"

"Rest assured, now that you're a First-Rank Talisman Master, our Lu Lineage certainly won't treat you poorly!"

Uncle Fu took the talisman and examined it. Once he confirmed it was genuine, he spoke with a delighted expression.

"Yes, thank you, Uncle Fu."

Lu Changsheng cupped his hands in farewell and returned home to await the outcome.

Lu Changsheng was playing with his children in the courtyard.

Several of the older children could already walk. Whenever they had nothing to do, they ran around the courtyard, brimming with energy.

Just then, the courtyard bell rang.

Someone had arrived.

He opened the courtyard gate and found three figures standing outside.

They were Uncle Fu, the Lu Lineage's head, Lu Yuanding, and its eldest young lady, Lu Miaoge.

The moment he saw them, Lu Changsheng knew why they had come.

It was about him becoming a First-Rank Talisman Master.

He had not expected the lineage head to come after only a day.

And to visit him in person, at that.

"Greetings, Lineage Head, Eldest Young Lady, Uncle Fu."

Lu Changsheng hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed, inviting the three inside and leading them to the main hall.

At the same time, he gestured for his wife to take the children into the back courtyard.

"These are all your children, aren't they? They can already walk."

Lu Yuanding, whose features were refined and handsome, spoke gently as he looked at the children in the courtyard.

"Yes, Lineage Head."

Lu Changsheng nodded.

"No need to be so formal, Changsheng. You've been with the lineage for over two years now, haven't you?"

Lu Yuanding now acted like an elder of the lineage, even changing how he addressed Lu Changsheng to simply Changsheng.

"Reporting to the lineage head, it's been almost two and a half years since I came to the Lu Lineage."

Lu Changsheng answered.

"Time really flies. More than two years have passed before we knew it."

"Have you settled in well over these past two years?"

Lu Yuanding continued.

Aside from paying some attention to the Immortal Seedlings at the beginning and visiting Green Bamboo Manor twice, he had hardly come here afterward.

"Thank you, Lineage Head. I've lived very well these past two years, and Uncle Fu has taken good care of me."

Lu Changsheng replied.

Inwardly, however, he could not help grumbling. I'm already twenty. Does he think I'm a three-year-old, playing this game with me?

Something tangible would be far better.

Just then, one of Lu Changsheng's wives brought spirit tea into the main hall, set it down, and left.

"Changsheng, Uncle Fu told me you can already draw first-tier lower-grade talismans."

Lu Yuanding accepted the tea, took a light sip, and finally came to the point.

"Yes, Lineage Head. After practicing continuously during this time, I can now draw Fire Bullet Talismans."

"My success rate is still low, though. Only ten or twenty percent."

Lu Changsheng explained.

"The first step is always the hardest. In just over a year, you've developed your Talisman Making skills this far and become a ranked talisman master. That's already very good. Show me what you can do."

"Miaoge happens to be here too, so she can take a look and give you some pointers."

Lu Yuanding spoke gently.

From the Fire Bullet Talisman Lu Changsheng had given Uncle Fu, he naturally knew that Lu Changsheng could draw First-Rank Talismans.

But with something like this, he still needed to see it in person and confirm it.

"Yes, Lineage Head."

"I'll fetch my talisman-making tools."

Lu Changsheng rose as he spoke.

"No need. I have some here."

Lu Miaoge rose beside him and took out a set of talisman-making tools.

Her voice was as gentle as water as ever, making those who heard it feel bathed in a spring breeze.

"Thank you, Eldest Young Lady."

Lu Changsheng accepted the tools from Lu Miaoge.

The talisman brush was still the same Golden Bamboo brush from last time.

He went to the table and laid the talisman paper flat. Seemingly nervous, Lu Changsheng took a deep breath, dipped the brush in ink, and began drawing a Fire Bullet Talisman.

When the first talisman was about halfway finished, a mistake caused the Talisman Paper to emit blue smoke, ending in failure.

Lu Yuanding and the others said nothing, merely indicating that Lu Changsheng should continue.

On his second attempt, although Lu Changsheng appeared somewhat clumsy, he succeeded.

"You're still a little nervous, but you've improved greatly since last time. Your control of spiritual power just isn't precise or natural enough yet."

Watching from beside him, Lu Miaoge lightly pressed her moist lips together and offered her assessment.

With Lu Changsheng's fully mastered second-tier Talisman Making skills, deceiving her could hardly have been easier.

"Thank you for your guidance, Eldest Young Lady. My progress is all thanks to the Essentials of Talismans you gave me."

Lu Changsheng cupped his hands as he spoke, sounding somewhat excited.

"Very good. I didn't expect you to successfully draw a Fire Bullet Talisman on your second attempt, Changsheng."

"It seems you were being far too modest when you said your chances were only ten or twenty percent."

Lu Yuanding also spoke with a smile.

Inwardly, he could not help marveling. He had nearly rejected Lu Changsheng because of his ninth-grade spiritual root, yet the young man actually possessed such astonishing talent for Talisman Making.

In a year and a half, he had gone from a novice to a ranked talisman master.

His talent was not merely equal to that of Lu Yuanding's daughter, Lu Miaoge; it surpassed hers by a considerable margin.

At his age, talent like this was more than enough for the Lu Lineage to extend an olive branch.

"It was just a fluke. I got lucky."

Like an honest, simple young man, Lu Changsheng spoke with some embarrassment.

"Young man, there's no need to be so modest."

Lu Yuanding waved a hand and continued, "I've seen how you've conducted yourself during these past two years in the Lu Lineage. I've long since regarded you as one of our own."

"Now that you've become a ranked talisman master, our Lu Lineage certainly won't shortchange one of our own."

"These are the new terms and benefits I've prepared for you. Take a look."

As he spoke, Lu Yuanding took a sheet of yellowish-brown parchment from his sleeve and handed it to Lu Changsheng.

It was a Spirit Contract, somewhat similar to the contracts from his previous life.

Lu Changsheng and the other Immortal Seedlings had signed this kind of contract when they first came to the Lu Lineage.

"Thank you, Lineage Head."

Looking overwhelmed by the favor, Lu Changsheng accepted the Spirit Contract and examined its contents.

The terms were simple and straightforward.

Unlike the densely packed, multipage contracts of his previous life, where one moment of carelessness could send you tumbling into a pitfall.

First, the previously signed contract would be voided.

Lu Changsheng would no longer be a live-in son-in-law who had married into the Lu Lineage.

Instead, he would be considered to have married his wives in the conventional manner, becoming a son-in-law of the Lu Lineage.

Thus, he would no longer have to father fifty children for the Lu Lineage over twenty years, or meet any quota for children with spiritual roots.

The children he fathered would also belong to him.

Second, he would enjoy the same benefits as the Lu Lineage's direct descendants.

He could move to Green Bamboo Valley, the core area of Green Bamboo Mountain, and make use of its second-rank spirit vein.

His monthly resources would also increase from five spirit stones to ten, along with a bottle of Yellow Dragon Pills.

In return, he would be obligated to produce a certain number of talismans for the Lu Lineage each month.

He would also need to practice making particular talismans according to the Lu Lineage's needs, and so on.

Of course, the Lu Lineage would provide these Talisman Making materials as part of its support for his training in the craft.

With Lu Changsheng's Second-Tier Talisman-Making Art, this obligation would naturally be pure profit for him.

The final clause, however, made Lu Changsheng frown slightly.

If he wished to leave the Lu Lineage, he would have to give twenty years' notice.

Otherwise, he would have to repay three times the resources the Lu Lineage had spent on him.

The preceding terms were indeed good. There was nothing to criticize.

But the final clause gave him pause.

To put it plainly, that last clause meant that staying in the Lu Lineage forever would be ideal, leaving everyone happy.

If he wanted to leave the Lu Lineage, he had two choices.

Either repay three times the resources the Lu Lineage had spent on him over the years, essentially buying his freedom.

Or inform the Lu Lineage in advance, then work for it for twenty years.

Deep down, Lu Changsheng had always intended to leave.

Once he got through the initial stage and gained sufficient strength, he would leave the Lu Lineage and establish his own cultivation lineage.

Although the Lu Lineage offered safety and protection, he was ultimately living under someone else's roof.

There were many things he could only do with his hands and feet tied by apprehension.

For instance, he had delayed revealing his First-Tier Talisman Making skills for a full year and a half.

He already had over four hundred First-Rank Talismans hidden in his room, almost five hundred.

If exchanged for spirit stones, they would amount to a small fortune!

Moreover, Lu Changsheng knew that his natural aptitude was poor.

If he wanted to continue along the path of cultivation and go far, he could only rely on the system. He had to father more children, especially children with spiritual roots.

Having children with spiritual roots through ordinary wives and concubines was difficult and troublesome.

He had to marry more "fairies" who possessed spiritual roots.

Even if the Lu Lineage was willing to marry women with spiritual roots to him, there would only be one or two at most.

There was no way it would let him marry nine at once, as it had with mortal women.

Even taking large numbers of mortal women as concubines to bear his children would leave him with some misgivings while he remained in the Lu Lineage.

"Changsheng, if you find anything unsuitable, or have any doubts or questions, feel free to raise them."

"I only drafted this contract today, so naturally there may be things I haven't fully considered."

Seeing Lu Changsheng's hesitant, conflicted expression, Lu Yuanding lifted his spirit tea and took a sip, still speaking in a gentle tone.