Chapter 155 - 151: The Marketplace Outskirts
The second batch of Spirit Refining Talismans was completed two days before the deadline.
Forty of them.
Li Yuan divided the finished talismans into two stacks by quality, placed them in his storage pouch, and left his courtyard. He walked down a side alley to the front of Pill Refiner He’s residence.
The Token flashed. The ripple of Spiritual Power standing guard on the other side of the courtyard wall paused for a moment, then let him pass.
He pushed the door open and went inside.
Pill Refiner He was sitting behind the stone table in the same posture as last time, his hands resting on the tabletop. Before him lay several pieces of inscribed animal hide, as if he were organizing some kind of list.
Seeing Li Yuan come in, he set the animal hides aside.
Li Yuan placed the two stacks of Spirit Refining Talismans on the table.
"Forty of them."
Pill Refiner He reached for the first stack and flipped through it from top to bottom. He pressed his finger on the surface of each talisman, paused for a breath, and then moved on to the next.
After finishing the first stack, he picked up the second.
He went through this one faster than the first, without any pauses.
After inspecting them all, Pill Refiner He gathered the two stacks and nodded.
"Better than the last batch."
He stored the Talismans in a wooden box beneath the table, then straightened up to look at Li Yuan.
"I won’t need any more for the time being. I have to go away for a while. We can discuss it further upon my return."
He took out a porcelain vial from under the table, placed it down, and pushed it toward Li Yuan.
"Payment for this batch."
Li Yuan took the vial, uncorked it, and peeked inside. There was a single, pale golden pill. Its quality seemed slightly inferior to the Spirit Absorption Pill he’d received last time, but the fluctuations of Spiritual Power it emitted were no less potent.
’A shame there’s no entry this time.’
"A Gathering Essence Pill. It’s used to replenish Spiritual Power, and it’s twice as effective as a normal Qi Gathering Pill."
Having said his piece, Pill Refiner He lowered his head to continue organizing his animal hide lists, a clear gesture of dismissal.
Li Yuan secured the pill, cupped his fists in a farewell gesture, and left the courtyard.
Not long after Li Yuan returned to his residence, Wang Lu arrived.
He stood at the entrance to the courtyard without coming in, his hands tucked into his sleeves.
"Has Pill Refiner He put things on hold?"
"Yes."
"In that case, your next assignment is changing." Wang Lu pulled a hand from his sleeve and pointed south, toward the edge of the market city. "You’re going to the outskirts."
He brought his hand back.
"That group of marauding cultivators we’ve been investigating—all recent traces of their activity have been on the outskirts of the market city. The higher-ups believe they’re unlikely to be living in the city itself. It’s more probable they’re hiding in the Loose Cultivator settlements in the outer area."
He looked at Li Yuan.
"You’ll live on the outskirts for a while. Make your talismans, but keep an eye on things. It would be best if you can uncover a lead, but if you can’t, just consider it a change of scenery."
"Are the outskirts safe?"
"It’s worse than in the city, but not by much." Wang Lu’s tone was flat. "Yunyang Market is Primordial Yang Sect territory. Even though the outskirts are outside the city walls, the Sect’s patrols cover a thirty-li radius. The marauding cultivators wouldn’t dare get too reckless within that zone."
He tucked his hands back into his sleeves.
"Besides, these marauders aren’t like the ones you find out in the wilds. Those will kill for treasure. Most of the ones here just want your valuables, not your life. They grab what they can and run, afraid of attracting the Primordial Yang Sect. If they’re really determined to fight, they’ll lure their target much farther away before making a move."
Li Yuan grunted in acknowledgment.
"Find your own lodging. There are plenty of shacks and simple houses built by Loose Cultivators on the outskirts, and the rent is much cheaper than in the city."
With that, Wang Lu left.
That afternoon, Li Yuan packed up his courtyard, terminated his lease, and walked out of Yunyang Market’s south gate with his storage pouch.
The scene outside the city walls was completely different from within.
There were no bluestone-paved roads, only packed yellow earth underfoot. Instead of tidy storefronts, the path was lined with a disorderly mix of wooden sheds, thatched huts, and low walls crudely built from loose stones. Some sheds didn’t even have proper doors, using only a tattered cloth curtain for cover.
But it was crowded.
Loose Cultivators walked in twos and threes along the dirt road, their Cultivation levels mostly in the Early and Mid Stages of Qi Refining. Their attire was much more eclectic than in the city; some wore coarse-cloth shirts, others sported worn-out robes, and a few had clothes that were more patch than fabric.
The air was a mixture of smoke from cooking fires, the bitter scent of herbs, and the savory aroma of meat broth wafting from an unknown direction.
Li Yuan followed the dirt road for a stretch before stopping at a slightly more orderly section.
This area contained seven or eight wooden houses, much sturdier than the surrounding sheds. They were arranged in two rows with a narrow path between them. A wooden "For Rent" sign hung on the door of one of the houses.
Li Yuan walked over for a closer look. The house wasn’t large, consisting of a main room and a small courtyard. The courtyard wall, built from loose stones, was about waist-high. Inside the main room were a table and a bed; the tabletop was large enough to spread out three or four sheets of talisman paper.
"How much?"
A head poked out from the neighboring wooden house.
He was a man in his early thirties with a dark complexion. When he smiled, he revealed a set of uneven teeth. Qi Refining Third Level.
"One Spirit Stone for fifteen days. Payment is settled every thirty days."
"I’ll take it."
Li Yuan counted out two Spirit Stones.
The neighbor took the Spirit Stones, his smile growing even wider.
"My surname is Fang, but everyone calls me Fang Laosan. And you are?"
"Li Yuan."
"What do you do for a living?"
"I make talismans."
Fang Laosan’s eyes lit up.
"A Talisman Master?"
Li Yuan moved his belongings into the wooden house and got settled. He cleared the tabletop, placing his talisman brush on its stand and arranging the Spiritual Ink and cinnabar within arm’s reach.
Although the courtyard was small, there was enough open space to set up a simple stove.
Once he was fully settled, Li Yuan sat down at the table, spread out a sheet of talisman paper, and began his work.
He produced his usual batch of Fireball Talismans, Heart-lock Talismans, and Qi Gathering Talismans, interspersed with Rejuvenation Talismans, Vajra Talismans, and Blood Replenishing Talismans.
In the afternoon, Fang Laosan poked his head over again.
"Brother Li, are you selling those talismans you’re making?"
"I am."
Fang Laosan grinned.
"We’re desperate for Talismans out here on the outskirts. The shops in the city charge too much, so most of us can’t afford them. We have to rely on the occasional traveling merchant to get our hands on a few. If you start selling here, you’re guaranteed to do well."
He made a sweeping gesture with his hand toward the shantytown area of the outskirts.
"The people around here have low Cultivation, and they run into Demon Beasts all the time when they’re out hunting or gathering herbs. A few Fireball Talismans for self-defense could save a lot of lives."
Li Yuan thought for a moment.
"Just help me spread the word."
Fang Laosan slapped his chest.
"Leave it to me."
Early the next morning, Fang Laosan started running around everywhere.
It was unclear exactly how he spread the news, but by that afternoon, three Loose Cultivators had arrived. They squatted at the entrance to Li Yuan’s small courtyard and timidly asked how much the Talismans cost.
"Fireball Talismans are two Spirit Stones each. Cleaning Talismans are half a Spirit Stone for a stack of ten. Exorcism Talismans are three for one Spirit Stone."
The three Loose Cultivators glanced at one another, pooled their Spirit Stones, and each bought a few talismans.
As they left, they thanked him profusely, acting as if they’d stumbled upon an incredible bargain.
The price for Talismans on the outskirts was significantly lower than in the city, but for Li Yuan, the profit margin was still considerable. The materials, mostly talisman paper he crafted himself from herbs, had an extremely low cost.
After word got out, more and more people started coming.
Seven or eight people came on the third day, and a dozen or so on the fourth. By the fifth day, there was a near-constant stream of customers at Li Yuan’s gate from morning until night.
The most purchased were Fireball Talismans and Cleaning Talismans.
But the hottest seller was the Concealing Breath Talisman.
The Loose Cultivators of the outskirts had low Cultivation levels, and their greatest fear when venturing out was being targeted by Demon Beasts. A Concealing Breath Talisman, when worn, suppressed one’s aura, reducing the probability of attracting a Demon Beast’s attention.
At three Spirit Stones each—considerably cheaper than in the city—the Loose Cultivators scrambled to buy them.
Every day, a cheerful Fang Laosan would squat by Li Yuan’s gate, helping greet customers. He had practically become a part-time shop assistant.
"Come on, come all! Get your Talismans from Talisman Master Li! The quality is second to none! The only place you’ll find ’em on the outskirts. Miss this chance, and you’ll regret it!"
The title "Talisman Master Li" was coined by Fang Laosan, and as he kept repeating it, the other Loose Cultivators in the area soon picked it up.
"Talisman Master Li, any more Fireball Talismans?"
"Talisman Master Li, could you draw an Exorcism Talisman for me?"
"Talisman Master Li, next time you have Concealing Breath Talismans, save two for me."
Li Yuan spent his days drawing and selling talismans, and his nights practicing his cultivation and craft. The Spirit Stones flowed in, far faster than when he was collecting a monthly stipend with the city guard.
Fang Laosan benefited handsomely as well, as Li Yuan gave him a good number of Talismans.
Life here was even more comfortable than it had been in the city.
One afternoon, Li Yuan was seated at the table in his courtyard, drawing a Golden Blade Talisman.
Fang Laosan was squatting by the entrance of the house next door, gnawing on some dried meat and humming a tuneless little song.
A few scattered Loose Cultivators ambled along the dirt road outside, same as any other day.
A man appeared, walking from the far end of the dirt road.
His pace was steady, neither fast nor slow, and he was heading directly for Li Yuan’s small courtyard.
He was a man of about thirty, with an average build. He wore a short, grayish-brown robe, faded with washings. His face was plain, with no distinguishing features.
Qi Refining Fifth Level.
Li Yuan’s gaze swept over the man and was about to move on when it suddenly froze.
A Jade Pendant was hanging from the man’s waist.
It was made of dark-colored jade, its surface carved with fine Spirit Patterns. Its size, shape, and the arrangement of the patterns were nearly identical to the Concealing Breath Jade Pendant Li Yuan had confiscated before.
Not just similar—identical.
Li Yuan’s gaze lingered on the Jade Pendant for two full breaths.
Then he noticed a second detail.
On the outer side of the man’s left arm, between his cuff and the crook of his elbow, was an inconspicuous dark mark on his robe. It didn’t look like a stain, but rather like the edge of some pattern that was mostly, and deliberately, concealed by the fabric.
It was a grayish-black line, and its curve suggested it was part of a claw-shaped pattern.
The man had reached the gate to the courtyard. He peered inside and spoke.
"I heard there’s a Talisman Master here selling Concealing Breath Talismans?"