The Tie Household Talisman Shop
"I heard that Brother Kang still has a good shop in Chongming Market that hasn't been rented out yet. I wonder if I could come and rent it?" Tie Xishan asked with a smile. Seeing Kang Dabao's hesitant expression, he then explained, "Brother, you're here to rent it for the Pingrong Tie Household, not for Hemu Dao."
Kang Dabao breathed a sigh of relief, then asked curiously, "Brother, why are you interested in my little business?"
The number of cultivators from the Pingrong Tie Household was quite large, totaling fifty or sixty people.
However, the cultivation levels of the Tie Household cultivators are generally low, and there are no leaders among them who can be considered outstanding figures. Therefore, they cannot be considered a first-class force in Pingrong County, and they are not as powerful as the Iron Sword Sect, which was recently overthrown.
However, his family does have a rather good lineage; during its heyday, his family produced Second Tier talisman master.
The talismans drawn by his family's talisman master were unlike the defective products drawn by Rogue Cultivator masters without any lineage, which were most popular in Pingrong County.
The latter's power is 20% lower than that of the same-level Law Technique "Rough Understanding".
The talismans made by the Tie Household's talisman masters are barely at the level of minor mastery of Law Technique of the same rank.
Thanks to this craft, and with the help of his distant relative Tie Liuyun who makes tiger skins, his family has always lived a comfortable life. I don't know why they suddenly decided to do business in Chongming Market.
"Your market is right next to the Cold Crow Mountain Range. With that good shop, you can buy high-grade animal hides and blood much cheaper. My family can save a lot on material purchases, and who knows, we might even be able to train a few more talisman masters."
Tie Xishan was frank, but what he said wasn't anything worth hiding. With the shrewdness of Sect Leader Kang Da, after a while, he could figure out most of it.
"Thank you for your kind words, brother. Now that this matter is settled, I'd like to take you to the market in a few days so we can discuss things in detail and you can also inspect the shop." Kang Dabao thought about it for a while and decided that this was a good thing. After all, the shop had been vacant for so long, and renting it out would bring in some more Spirit Stone.
Furthermore, given the current actions of the Two Instruments Sect and the Immortal Dynasty, it's possible that after some time, the ten-year business license that Sect Leader Kang Da painstakingly obtained from the Han City Yue Household will become nothing more than a worthless piece of paper.
The Pingrong Tie Household wasn't too weak; they certainly had some influence over Tie Liuyun, a Foundation True Cultivator Foundation Establishment who served as a commander.
If his family can really open a shop in the market, it will add another layer of security to the stability of Chongming Market.
"Brother, what are you saying? There's nothing to do here. Under Magistrate Luo's rule, the county is now a prosperous place where no one picks up lost items and everyone is well-off. What need is there for us ordinary folks to do anything?"
Tie Xishan, seemingly not taking Luo Heng seriously at all, patted Kang Dabao on the shoulder, then greeted Sun Bingdou, and the two walked out of the county government office together.
Sun Bingdou didn't react much; he was still eager to get to that "funny" little courtyard, and didn't care what these two not-so-familiar colleagues were doing.
Kang Dabao was dragged out of the county government office by Tie Xishan. Next to the stone lions at the entrance of the government office, twelve soldiers from the Demon Correction Office Division, who had been borrowed to make an appearance, stood in neat rows.
These soldiers were all at least at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, and their cultivation was even higher than that of Tie Xishan, the clerk, yet they were only assigned to stand guard at the gate.
Well, how should I put it?
In any small world, whether or not one can become an official is mostly determined at the time of birth.
Fearing that something might happen to the Black Blood Colt it was with him, Sect Leader Kang Da specially switched his mount back to the old donkey before leaving.
Tie Xishan rode on a mid- First-Tier Middle-Grade Wind-Chasing Colt. Many Late Qi Refinement Rogue Cultivator in the late Qi Refining stage in Pingrong County could not afford such a mount, but Tie Xishan was able to own one, which shows how wealthy the Tie Household was.
The speed of this Wind-Chasing Colt was naturally much greater than that of Kang Dabao riding the old donkey. Fortunately, the two were not in a hurry to travel, so Tie Xishan slowed down and rode alongside Kang Dabao.
After traveling for half a day, the two were a little tired, so they found a crowded tavern where ordinary people would eat and drink.
Their lavish spending quickly attracted a father and daughter who could sing.
The father played the erhu, wore a green turban, and had an honest appearance; the daughter, on the other hand, was quite beautiful, pleasing to the eye.
Kang Dabao and his companion felt that drinking and eating meat lacked some enjoyment, so Tie Xishan rewarded them with a few Golden Leaf and a few pieces of tea.
The father's piano skills were mediocre, and the daughter's voice wasn't very good either, but the way she put her buttocks on Tie Xishan's thighs was quite skillful.
Neither of them was surprised to see this. In this day and age, it was a rare sight to see a somewhat attractive but frail woman struggling to support her elderly father by singing for a living.
After the song ended, Tie Xishan smiled, withdrew his hand from the woman's clothes, savored the milky scent in his hand for a moment, then took out a large ingot of gold and asked in the hall, "Who is the master of this father and daughter?"
A tall, burly man with bulging temples suddenly appeared from behind the shopkeeper. He was quite perceptive and immediately bowed, saying, "Greetings, esteemed guest."
Tie Xishan only slightly revealed his skills, which intimidated the big man. He then told him to take the father and daughter to a place where they would wait for him to come, as there would be benefits to be had. He then left the tavern with Kang Dabao.
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, brother." As soon as he mounted his horse, Tie Xishan bowed to Kang Dabao in apology.
"Brother, what brings you to this?" Kang Dabao glanced at the chopstick holder he had just taken from the table, carefully placed it down, and then gave a casual reply.
This was a bad habit he developed after acquiring the Primordial Gourd; he always thought that he might be able to pick up another bargain from the mortal eatery.
Sect Leader Kang Da was aware of Tie Xishan's predicament. Tie Xishan's acceptance of this woman was not entirely due to lust, but rather for the sake of his Dao Path. This was because Tie Xishan, like Mo'er, possessed the aptitude of the Five Spirit Roots.
Regardless of size, cultivation Lineage don't place much hope on members with this kind of aptitude, and naturally, they won't provide them with much in the way of cultivation resources.
Some opportunistic Lineage don't even give these members the opportunity to cultivate, instead turning them into breeding boars.
Although the Pingrong Tie Household is relatively well-off and wouldn't do things so badly, if Tie Xishan wants to obtain the same cultivation resources as other members of the clan, he will have to spend a lot of time fulfilling the clan's quota for marriage and childbirth.
When doing certain things out of personal interest, one naturally has endless motivation;
But if it's done out of coercion or when one has no choice but to do it, then that purity will gradually be lost.
Although Tie Xishan was a cultivator with Five Spirit Roots, he also aspired to the Dao Path.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to join the Hemu Dao. If he had just stayed at home and lived a life of luxury in the Tie Household's mortal city, he could have made a good living.
He's only just turned forty this year, yet his cultivation level is already at the Third Layer of Qi Refinement. This cultivation speed is quite fast for a cultivator with Five Spirit Roots, which shows his sincere dedication to cultivation.
Marrying and having many children would inevitably consume a lot of his energy, which is not a good thing for his spiritual practice.
Every family has its own troubles, and this old bachelor Sect Leader Kang Da has no right to feel sorry for him. He might even be pitying him behind his back.
After walking and stopping frequently, winding through mountains and wading through streams, the two finally arrived at Chongming Market.
"Brother, your calligraphy in the market is quite good." Tie Xishan entered the market's magic array and found it so small that he could see the whole thing at a glance. He couldn't help but praise the somewhat shabby archway of Chongming Market.
Kang Dabao smiled wryly upon hearing this, and took Tie Xishan to look at the empty little building in the center of the market. The latter was satisfied after a few glances, and then suggested that he take a stroll around the market himself.
Sect Leader Kang Da naturally had no objection; what was the point of keeping a big, burly man company? He was happy to have some peace and quiet.
Turning his head, he saw He Degong greeting customers in the shop. Kang Dabao didn't intend to go up and say hello; he was still angry with this brother.
Across from the He Household's shop was the Chongming Small Pavilion, and there was no reason for Sect Leader Kang Da not to take a look, so he headed towards his own shop.
Chongming Market was so small that even a fart from one person on one side could be smelled by the person at the other end of the street. As soon as Kang Dabao entered the market, Zhou Xinran and Jin Shilun knew that he would definitely come to the Chongming Small Pavilion for a look, so they waited at the door early.
The Ye Pinglin siblings also received the news and rushed over.
Sect Leader Kang Da could even exchange pleasantries and a few words with his close juniors, Tie Xishan had already finished browsing the market and came to Kang Dabao to sign the contract.
Tie Xishan was a rare, straightforward person; he quickly signed the contract with Kang Dabao.
The deal was struck, and everyone was happy. Tie Xishan had fulfilled the clan's request, and Sect Leader Kang Da was also delighted. From then on, Chongming Market would have one more Tie Household Talisman Shop, a more upscale business.
"Phew, at least there are always bad things happening in this world."
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