Ox-Head Mountain!

Several days later.

At Ruyi Tower.

"Brother Lu, I found out that there's a Rogue Cultivator Gathering Place at Ox-Head Mountain, three hundred li outside Ruyi Commandery. A Trade Gathering is underway there, and it should last another five or six days."

"If you want to attend, take this Communication Talisman and use it when you reach Ox-Head Mountain. Someone will open the formation and guide you inside."

Hong Yi knocked on Lu Changsheng's door and told him.

As he spoke, he took out a brownish-yellow talisman.

"Thank you, Brother Hong. This must have cost you something. I drew these talismans myself, so please accept them as a token of thanks."

Lu Changsheng took out three First-Tier Lower-Grade Talismans and handed them to Hong Yi as he spoke.

The Communication Talisman was a basic talisman and was not worth much.

But gathering the information and obtaining it for him must have taken some effort.

When it came to exchanging favors, he naturally would not let others lose out.

Besides, Hong Yi held considerable standing in the mortal world, and he was willing to maintain this connection.

Perhaps his children would settle in the mortal world someday and need Hong Yi's help.

The three talismans in Lu Changsheng's hand stirred a flicker of desire in Hong Yi's eyes.

Still, he waved his hand. "You're too kind, Brother Lu. This hardly cost anything. I couldn't possibly accept them."

"If you're going to be so polite, Brother Hong, how could I bring myself to ask for your help again?"

With that, Lu Changsheng placed the talismans in Hong Yi's hand.

"In that case, it would be rude of me to refuse!"

Seeing this, Hong Yi stopped declining and accepted the talismans.

Then Hong Yi cupped his hands. "Brother Lu, I do have a few connections here in Ruyi Commandery. If you ever need anything, just say the word."

Now that Lu Changsheng had become a talisman master and was so generous, Hong Yi was naturally eager to build a good relationship with him.

"All right. If anything comes up, I certainly won't stand on ceremony."

Lu Changsheng cupped his hands.

"By the way, Brother Lu, you should be careful when attending gatherings like this."

"These rogue cultivator gathering places are a jumble of fish and dragons, with no powerful cultivator overseeing them to keep everyone in line. Bandit cultivators often attack cultivators traveling alone."

"If you're going there to sell talismans, and you don't have too many, I could trade with you on behalf of the Ruyi Marquis Manor and buy them all."

Seeing Lu Changsheng hand over three talismans so readily, Hong Yi guessed that he must have quite a few on him and might be going there to sell them, so he made the offer.

Most people in the upper ranks of mortal society knew how to pursue cultivation and cultivated themselves.

The Ruyi Marquis Manor was no exception. He was not its only Immortal Cultivator.

However, they were all Chain Qi Stage cultivators, only slightly better off than ordinary rogue cultivators.

Naturally, they had a need for standard supplies such as talismans.

Still, if he wanted low-grade talismans, he could buy them elsewhere.

He was not buying from Lu Changsheng to get a bargain.

Rather, he wanted to use these dealings to deepen their relationship and have more contact.

Lu Changsheng was already a First-Rank Low-Grade Talisman Master.

Even if becoming a Second-Rank Talisman Master was out of reach, he still had a good chance of becoming a First-Rank High-Grade Talisman Master.

Once he could draw First-Tier Upper-Grade Talismans, things would be different.

Knowing a First-Rank High-Grade Talisman Master and having a steady supply of talismans would also help Hong Yi's standing within the Ruyi Marquis Manor.

If their relationship grew close enough for Lu Changsheng to let him handle large quantities of talismans at below-market prices, he could make a fortune.

Perhaps he could even contend for the position of heir to the Ruyi Marquis Manor.

"Thank you for your concern, Brother Hong. I'll be careful."

"I don't have many talismans either. They're mostly for my own protection. But if you need some, Brother Hong, I can sell you a few at a discount."

Lu Changsheng smiled and took out ten First-Tier Lower-Grade Talismans.

By the time he revealed his abilities as a First-Rank Talisman Master to the Lu Lineage, he had already stockpiled nearly five hundred talismans.

Over the past six months, with the Lu Lineage providing materials every month, he had stockpiled another five hundred or so.

In other words, he now had nearly a thousand talismans on him.

It was an astonishingly extravagant number.

About half of those talismans were low-grade, while the other half were mid-grade.

Converted into spirit stones, they would be worth two or three thousand.

But wealth was not something to flaunt, so he naturally would not reveal any of this.

If Hong Yi wanted some, he was willing to sell a few at a low price.

Lu Changsheng himself knew perfectly well that selling nearly a thousand talismans at a Rogue Cultivator Trade Gathering like this was impossible.

He would not dare do so, either.

"How could I accept that? The market price will do."

That was Hong Yi's reply.

He would not chase a petty bargain right from the outset.

"Take a look and see whether these talismans are useful to you, Brother Hong."

Lu Changsheng handed Hong Yi the talismans.

"To think you can already draw Spring-Recovery Talismans, Brother Lu! It looks like you'll have a chance of becoming a Mid-Grade Talisman Master before long!"

Hong Yi exclaimed in surprise when he saw one of the talismans.

Though he knew nothing about Talisman Making, he knew their prices.

First-Tier Lower-Grade Talismans cost one to two spirit stones, depending on their difficulty.

The Spring-Recovery Talisman was a low-grade talisman worth two spirit stones and was more difficult to draw.

"I only barely managed to draw a few."

Lu Changsheng waved his hand as he spoke.

Since he had been considering how to earn money, most of his First-Tier Lower-Grade Talismans were of the more difficult varieties.

"I'll take all of these. But I don't have that many spirit stones on me right now. I'll have to go back and ask my father for some before I can complete the trade."

Hong Yi spoke with some embarrassment.

Although he was the Ruyi Marquis's son, he did not have many spirit stones.

With his cultivation expenses, he could not save any Spirit Stones, either.

"There's no hurry. Take these talismans first, Brother Hong. I plan to ride to Ox-Head Mountain for the Trade Gathering, then stop by home."

"I'll leave my Spirit Steed with you for now, so I'll have to come back here anyway."

Lu Changsheng spoke with an air of generosity.

He was not worried that Hong Yi would sour their relationship over a few talismans.

If Hong Yi truly did so, he would consider the talismans the price of seeing someone's true colors.

"Thank you, Brother Lu. Rest assured, I'll have someone take good care of your Spirit Steed."

Hong Yi cupped his hands as he spoke.

Taking these talismans home without having paid for them would also make it easier for his father to believe that he had a close friendship with Lu Changsheng, a talisman master.

"Sorry for the trouble, Brother Hong."

Lu Changsheng cupped his hands slightly, then asked for a horse and rode toward Ox-Head Mountain in Southern Yu Prefecture.

He did not have a Spirit Beast Bag, and heading to Ox-Head Mountain, he did not know whether he could

ride his Spirit Steed inside.

To avoid such trouble, he simply rode an ordinary horse there. Even if it was lost, he would not feel the pinch.

After riding a Spirit Steed for so long and becoming an Immortal Cultivator, riding a horse posed no difficulty for him now.

The next day, the morning light held a faint chill.

Lu Changsheng rode his horse from Ruyi Commandery's city to Ox-Head Mountain.

First, he found a farmhouse at the foot of the mountain and left his horse there.

Then he went up the mountain alone, found a deserted spot, and took the human-skin mask he had bought beforehand from his Storage Bag and put it on.

In an instant, his handsome, refined face became that of a rather dull-looking young man with sallow skin.

Next, he took out a large black hooded cloak and draped it over himself.

Once he pulled up the hood, not only his entire body but also his face and hair were concealed, leaving his appearance impossible to make out.

Only after finishing all this did Lu Changsheng continue up the mountain, reaching a slope on the northern side of Ox-Head Mountain.

According to the villagers, this slope was shrouded in white mist year-round. But through the Spirit Eye Technique, Lu Changsheng saw faint fluctuations of spiritual energy and recognized at a glance that it was a formation.

"This should be the place."

Looking at the mist before him, Lu Changsheng knew he had reached his destination.

He took out the Communication Talisman Hong Yi had given him and activated it with spiritual power.

Immediately, the talisman flew from his hand, plunged into the mist over the small slope, and vanished.

Lu Changsheng waited quietly for the time it took to drink a cup of tea. Then the mist before him churned and parted, revealing a narrow woodland path whose end was nowhere in sight.

After studying the path for a moment, Lu Changsheng stepped inside.