"I'm planning to sell some talisman papers. Do you buy them?"
Chen Mu thought for a moment. He had made the talisman papers himself, so others probably couldn't fool him. If they offered a higher price, there was no harm in selling to them.
The plump young man laughed. "We do! But I'll have to take a look first. I only buy the best; I don't want anything of poor quality."
Chen Mu rummaged inside his clothes and took out a stack of seven or eight talisman papers, all of which he had planned to sell this time.
Guards were stationed nearby, so Chen Mu wasn't afraid the man would rob him. He handed the whole stack to the plump young man.
"Here! These are the ones. Take a look and give me an appraisal."
"All right, sorry to trouble you, but please wait a moment."
The plump young man took the talisman papers over to a lantern and examined them carefully for a while, even rubbing them gently between his fingers.
Strange!
He frowned, his face full of puzzlement.
He could tell that the maker of these talisman papers was exceptionally skilled. Even an ordinary five-mark talisman master might not have been this good. Yet the material was terrible, so the papers only had the effects of roughly three-mark talismans.
Why would a talisman master of five marks or above use such poor materials?
He nodded without betraying his thoughts. "Hmm... Not bad, not bad. These are among the best three-mark talisman papers. How do you want to sell them?"
Chen Mu had never sold talisman papers before and didn't know their market value, so he replied vaguely, "You name a price!"
The plump young man guessed a few things from Chen Mu's expression and laughed. "How about this? I'll pay twenty percent more than the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. What do you say?"
"Twenty percent? How much is that?"
"The Myriad Treasures Pavilion pays 40 for this protective talisman; I'll pay 48. For that Immobilization Talisman, they pay 76; I'll pay 92... The Myriad Treasures Pavilion would give you 450 at most for all of these, but I'll give you 540!"
The price was ninety Wilderness Coins higher, nearly a first-grade spirit stone. Chen Mu was sorely tempted, but after a moment's hesitation, he took back the talisman papers. "I'll go back and think about it. Will you still be here tomorrow during the day?"
The plump young man kept smiling, but shook his head. "I only set up my stall here at night. But if you don't mind the trouble, you can come find me at my shop tomorrow."
"Where's your shop?" Chen Mu asked.
The plump young man had clearly come prepared. He took a slip of paper from his pocket.
"My surname is Hou, and my given name is Sailei. This is my shop here. If you can't find me there, someone else will attend to you."
After taking the note, Chen Mu cupped his hands. "Boss Hou!"
Hou Sailei laughed. "Little brother, to be honest, I'm more interested in the talisman master who made these papers than in the papers themselves. I wonder if you could introduce me?"
"Why do you want to see him?"
"Well, just from this batch of talisman papers, I can tell he must be a master of talisman runes. So I'd like to discuss the possibility of a long-term partnership with him."
"Oh..." Chen Mu hadn't expected the man to think so highly of him. After a moment's thought, he said, "My master made all these talisman papers. He said I could take full charge of any transactions, so you can deal directly with me."
"Oh? I didn't expect you to be a talisman master too, little brother, at such a young age." Hou Sailei was somewhat surprised.
Chen Mu smiled modestly. "I've only just stepped out of my thatched hut. Please don't laugh at me..."
Hou Sailei immediately thought more highly of Chen Mu. In his mind, he pictured a clever child who had received guidance from a reclusive expert.
"Good! In that case, if you can supply more than ten at a time, or provide higher-level talisman papers, I'll pay thirty percent above the Myriad Treasures Pavilion's buying price and work with you long-term. What do you think?"
Delighted, Chen Mu grinned. "All right, I'll go back and ask my master! Thank you, boss. I'll come see you tomorrow."
With that, he eagerly went to find Chen Zihu at a nearby stall and pulled him along as he left.
"Granduncle Xiong, are you asleep?"
After returning to the inn, Chen Mu hurried to find Chen Shanxiong.
Chen Shanxiong had made a bed on the floor. He had just fallen asleep when Chen Mu woke him with a start, and he grumbled irritably, "What is it? If you hadn't called me, I'd already be asleep!"
"Do you have any money left on you? Could you lend it to me first?"
Chen Shanxiong looked Chen Mu over, forcibly suppressing his anger. "What? Did that brat Zihu send you to ask? What do you need money for?"
Chen Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He hurriedly explained, "I just met someone who buys talisman papers, and he offered a very good price. So I want to buy some more talisman-making materials and make a few more tonight. I promise! Once I sell the talisman papers tomorrow, I'll pay you back in full."
Chen Shanxiong understood at once. He picked up his bundle from beneath his pillow and stood up. "All right, then. Let's go! I'll go with you."
Chen Mu had no objection and went out with Chen Shanxiong.
The next morning.
Chen Tian and the other two went to wait outside the Myriad Treasures Pavilion's side entrance early in the morning. Many people had gathered there, all tribespeople looking to sell things to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
After the Myriad Treasures Pavilion opened, staff were assigned to receive them, and everything was arranged in an orderly fashion. It truly deserved its reputation as the largest trading house here.
Chen Shanxiong had brought many things with him, all gathered by the villagers of Chen Village over the past six months. They were of little use in Chen Village, but valuable to outsiders, which was why they had been brought here to trade.
Chen Mu also brought out his talisman papers to ask for a price. As it turned out, it matched what Hou Sailei had told him the night before.
After more than two hours of running around, the three finally left the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
Chen Shanxiong was in a good mood. He had sold almost everything the village chief had asked him to sell, and the prices were within his expectations.
If they left the market too late, the road would be unsafe. None of them wanted to waste time, so they decided to split up.
Chen Shanxiong and Chen Zihu went to buy supplies for the village, while Chen Mu went on his own to trade his talisman papers at the stalls.
Chen Shanxiong had gradually grown accustomed to Chen Mu's mature, seasoned manner. There was no danger in the market either, so he felt at ease letting Chen Mu handle the business himself.
It was just nine in the morning, and the sun wasn't too fierce. Following the note Hou Sailei had given him the night before, Chen Mu found his destination.
It turned out to be a bookshop, with several shelves full of books. The entrance was swept spotless, but unfortunately, few people came and went.
"Hello, I'm looking for Boss Hou. Is he here?"
There was only an old man reading in the bookshop, so Chen Mu had to ask him.
"Oh! You're looking for Fat Monkey? Wait a moment; I'll go get him."
The old man rose leisurely and turned to enter the bookshop's back room.
Bored with waiting, Chen Mu began looking through the books on a nearby shelf.
There were more books here than there had been the night before, including many more specialized ones. Chen Mu found several more books that would be of great help to him, and planned to buy them all later.
After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Hou Sailei finally came out and greeted Chen Mu with a smile.
The discussion that followed went smoothly. Chen Mu had rushed to make four talisman papers overnight, choosing Immobilization Talismans because they sold for a higher price. This time, he sold twelve talisman papers altogether.
"Little brother, I'm paying thirty percent above the Myriad Treasures Pavilion's buying price for this batch of talisman papers, for a total of 907 Wilderness Coins. Is that right?"
"That's right!"
"Good. Would it be all right if I exchanged nine hundred Wilderness Coins for spirit stones for you?"
"That works!"
It was exactly what Chen Mu wanted. A hundred Wilderness Coins could be exchanged for one first-grade spirit stone, which would be much more convenient to carry.
"Oh! Wait a moment! I'd like to buy some more books."
As he spoke, Chen Mu hurried to the shelves and picked out all the books he had just taken a fancy to. However, the books here were much more detailed than those sold at the stalls the night before, so they would probably cost much more too.
"That's all. Sorry to trouble you, but could you add up the price for me?"
He actually wanted to buy more, but he would have to climb many mountain paths on the way back to the village, so carrying too many books wouldn't be practical.
The old man who had been minding the shop hadn't come out, so Hou Sailei totaled the price for Chen Mu himself.
"These... come to 278 Wilderness Coins in total. Are you sure that's all?"
Chen Mu was startled by the price. "That expensive? I only have five books here!"
Hou Sailei laughed. "Little brother, the other books aren't so bad, but this Fundamentals of Spirit Studies was brought over from Central Land. It was published by the Heavenly Secret Tower, and no one under heaven dares make copies of it, so naturally it costs much more. That book alone is 200 Wilderness Coins."
Chen Mu clicked his tongue inwardly, but he had just examined the book carefully, and it was indeed very useful. In the end, he gritted his teeth and bought it.