Wuzhu Yian wants to buy some special tools for painting talismans, although talisman painters do indeed make good money, the initial investment is also considerable.
Talisman pens, talisman inks, talisman inkstones, and talisman papers are just the most basic entry-level set. There are also more advanced and expensive tools later on, such as talisman knives, talisman stamps, talisman platters, talisman furnaces, and talisman boxes.
But even the most basic entry-level set is not cheap, as the tools used for drawing talismans not only need to be practical but also pay attention to the spiritual energy and Daoist spirit they contain.
There are a total of ten levels for talisman painters, from the first to the ninth level, and finally the celestial level. A Ninth-Level Grand Talisman Painter is already rare in the world, and a Celestial-Level Talisman Painter has not appeared on the continent of Shenzhou for tens of thousands of years.
A hundred years ago, when Wuzhu Yian died, he was an eighth-level talisman painter. He could use a talisman furnace to make tools for drawing talismans himself, which saved him a considerable expense and allowed him to auction it off.
Of course, she can earn money, and she can also spend it. So her money bag is always left with not many spirit stones.
Now, Wuzhu Yian has decided to return to her old trade, first buying a set of entry-level tools to make talismans and make money from them.
Having made up her mind, she began making preparations, first selecting two shape-changing talismans from a stack of talismans. After slightly modifying a few strokes, she cut them into several exquisite and plump little paper people with spiritual force.
Then she slightly modified the rest of the talisman paper, keeping the function unchanged but improving the effect.
Finally, she carefully examined the low-level magical artifacts, selecting two attack types and two defensive types from them. She then overlaid several layers of intricate and difficult-to-dismantle prohibitions on them, planning to leave them for Xiao Shiliu for self-defense.
Everything was prepared, Wuzhu Yian gathered all the things and left the house.
It's now noon, and she directly walked towards the canteen of Lingjiu Peak. The cooks in the fire kitchen had already prepared the dishes. Many disciples were having meals, and her task was to clean up the canteen and kitchen after they finished eating.
Although the people in the canteen knew that Elder Xue had found someone to help them, seeing Wuzhu Yian's slender and tiny figure, and that she was still a mere mortal who had not trained any spiritual energy, they couldn't help but feel worried: "Can she really do it?"
"So small, I'm worried she can't even lift a pot on the stove."
Hearing these whispered words, Wuzhu Yian, who was sitting next to her and eating, put down her chopsticks, rolled up her sleeves, and without blinking an eye, she took down the pot that was ten times bigger than herself. She patted her slender arms and smiled widely: "Don't worry. I have enough strength and skills."
The cooks all raised their thumbs in unison and praised, "Ah, that's good! The young girl is quite capable! We can rest easy then!"
After they left, Wuzhu Yian pulled out a few chubby little paper people from her bosom, lit them with spiritual energy, poked them with a finger, and laughed: "I'm going to go down the mountain for a trip. You guys take care of things here."
The little paper people in their mouths uttered "yongyong" sounds, holding hands, circling around her and huffing and puffing. Then they scattered and ran off, working together, two to lift the pot, two to carry water, and two to fetch towels. The whole process was orderly.
Wuzhu Yian left with great peace of mind.
Li Xiaolou's morning exercises had already ended, and she hadn't even had a chance to eat her meal when she ran to the Lingjiu Peak. Fortunately, Wuzhu Yian had left her a basket of fresh meat pies.
Body refinement requires constant refinement of the body, and after one practice session, hunger sets in quickly, and so does overeating.
Li Xiaolou hung the basket on her arm, ate as she spoke, and asked, "Little senior sister, what are you planning to see today?"
Wuzhu Yian answered very orderly: "First, I will go and take a look at the entry-level set for drawing talismans. Then, I will go to see the current prices of talismans. Finally, I will go to the dark market to inquire about the news of other people in our sect."
A hundred years have passed, and prices have certainly changed. She is not sure if the three thousand spirit stones she has can buy a set of tools for drawing talismans.
Li Xiaolou took a big bite and chewed with her cheeks puffed out, nodding her head in agreement.
After she finished eating, Wuzhu Yian took out a divine travel talisman that could ignore the constraints of distance. The more powerful the talisman, the farther it could reach. Back then, even tens of thousands of miles seemed like just a moment for her.
Now, although this talisman is not as powerful, it can cover a distance of over a hundred miles without any trouble.
Wuzhu Yian activated the divine travel talisman, and in a flash, the two of them appeared outside the city of Tianshui. Large cities like this have arrays set up, either to prevent unauthorized people from entering or because they must pay two spirit stones for the privilege of entering and leaving the city.
The two of them paid four spirit stones to enter the city. Li Xiaolou, who was born and raised in Tianshui, knew every nook and cranny of the city. The shops that sell talismans and incantations were all gathered on Zhujiao Street. The Qingluan Street, adjacent to Zhujiao Street, mainly sold herbs, elixirs, as well as seedlings for herbs.
Upon entering the city, Li Xiaolou led Wuzhu Yian straight to the most bustling Zhujiao Street. A glance revealed that the street was crowded with people, almost every shop had customers, and the one with the best business was Wanbao Pavilion, which was so packed that it could be said to be overflowing with people.
Wuzhu Yian looked around and didn't choose to go to Wanbao Pavilion, but instead picked a small shop with moderate number of customers.
The shop wasn't large in area, but it was well-organized inside, not crowded at all. As soon as she entered, she could see several cabinets arranged together. The sizes were all different, and the compartments were divided into multiple tiers. The magical weapons, talismans, and tools for drawing talismans were all classified and arranged neatly so that customers could easily spot what they wanted at a glance.
There were several assistants in the shop, most of whom were conversing with customers. Only two assistants stood by the side, one fat and the other thin.
The fat assistant leaned against the counter and glanced at Wuzhu Yian and Li Xiaolou, as if he was examining their clothing and accessories. Seeing that they didn't seem to be wealthy, he signaled the thin assistant beside him: "Tiezhui, customers have arrived. Hurry to entertain them."
Tiezhui was surprised that the fat assistant would let him entertain the customers, his face showed surprise as he greeted them enthusiastically. He looked young and obviously a newcomer, which made him a bit nervous. He smiled and greeted: "Good day, two guests. May I ask what you are looking for?"
Wuzhu Yian smiled at him and pointed to the counter on the left, which was against the wall, saying, "I want to take a look at talisman pens and talisman paper."
Tiezhui quickly led the two of them over to the counter on the left. Although he was a newcomer, it was clear that he had done his research. He introduced: "We have talisman paper for all levels up to five-tier, and our prices are very reasonable. One-tier paper costs three spirit stones per sheet, two-tier paper costs five spirit stones per sheet, three-tier paper costs seven spirit stones per sheet, four-tier paper costs ten spirit stones per sheet, and five-tier paper costs fifteen spirit stones per sheet. If you buy ten sheets of paper, we will give you one extra sheet free."
"Among the four-tier talisman paper, Yunwen, Tiancan, and Qinglian are the most popular ones,"
Talisman painters are divided by the sixth level as a watershed. Commonly, there are talisman painters up to the fifth level, and it becomes increasingly difficult and correspondingly stronger from the sixth level onwards. The tools required also become more expensive.
Tiezhui couldn't tell the level of cultivation of the two guests, so he had to observe their expressions carefully and continued asking: "For talisman pens, what level do you need?"
Wuzhu Yian didn't answer, but instead asked: "What is the highest level your shop sells?"
Tiezhui pondered over his answer and said, "Just by coincidence, the shopkeeper got a sixth-level talisman pen two days ago, but the price is rather high as well, needing seventy-five thousand spirit stones."
To be honest, the price of a sixth-level talisman pen is not expensive, but Wuzhu Yian's spirit stones are not even worth the head.
Li Xiaolou's eyelid twitched, and she turned to Wuzhu Yian and said, "Little senior sister, it seems that I'm also a poor guy."
Upon hearing this statement, Tiezhui felt a bit embarrassed and scratched his head, quickly changing the subject to introduce other talisman pens: "We have other talisman pens in the shop that the guests can take a look at. For example, this third-level talisman pen only costs five thousand spirit stones."
Wuzhu Yian waved her hand and said, "The talisman pen can wait for now. Please bring me some fifth-tier talisman paper."
Tiezhui originally thought that this transaction would fail, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but feel elated. He politely asked: "May I know how many sheets of fifth-tier talisman paper the guest needs? I'll help you pack them up."
Wuzhu Yian said in a very generous manner: "Three thousand seven hundred and fifty spirit stones worth."
Fifth-tier talisman paper costs fifteen spirit stones per sheet, and with three thousand seven hundred fifty spirit stones, it is two hundred fifty sheets. Adding the buy ten get one free promotion, it totals two hundred seventy-five sheets.
Tiezhui was somewhat surprised. In the cultivation world, it is a rarity to become a talisman painter, and even more so to become a high-level one. Generally speaking, only immortal families and major sects would purchase talisman paper in bulk—hundreds or even thousands of sheets at a time—to supply their disciples who practice and use talismans, and what they buy is mostly from first to fourth-tier levels.
It is quite rare for someone like Wuzhu Yian to purchase hundreds of fifth-tier talisman paper all at once.
Tiezhui didn't hesitate either, quickly nodded his head and enthusiastically said: "Please wait a moment, sir. I will inform the shopkeeper at once and help you point out the talisman paper."
The transaction of over three thousand spirit stones was quite considerable for their small shop, and he would also receive a commission proportional to the sale.
Seeing Tiezhui's joyful expression, the previously idle fat assistant had a suspicious look. He hesitated for a few seconds and walked over to greet them: "Greetings, two guests. Tiezhui is new here, and he may not be familiar with many things. If you have any needs, please let me introduce him to you."
Wuzhu Yian looked at him and asked, "We only have eight spirit stones. What good things can we buy with them?"
Indeed, after spending the three thousand seven hundred and fifty spirit stones, the two of them only had eight spirit stones left between them.
The fat assistant's expression stiffened, cursed in his heart at the "poor guy", and forced a smile, saying: "Please wait for Tiezhui to take good care of you."
But as soon as he turned around with a dismal expression, he saw Tiezhui leading the shopkeeper hurriedly over here.
The shopkeeper, upon seeing Tiezhui attract such a big customer, smiled so broadly that his mouth almost didn't close. Together with Tiezhui, they counted out the talisman paper Wuzhu Yian wanted. Seeing that the young man, though new, was efficient with his hands and feet, he couldn't help but look at him with a bit more favor.
The shopkeeper was very generous. Seeing Wuzhu Yian buying so much, he also gave her an additional five fifth-tier talisman paper, for a total of twenty-eighty sheets.
Of course, he had his own calculations. Knowing that the guest could buy so many fifth-tier talisman paper all at once, even though he didn't know if she was a talisman painter, she must not be simple. Talismen painters were objects of envy for many people, and he naturally wanted to make a good impression as well.
Wuzhu Yian put the items into her jade seedpod, thanked the shopkeeper with a smile, and asked, "Shopkeeper, do you accept talismans?"
"Of course, we accept them." Seeing that she was going to sell talismans, the shopkeeper's eyes brightened, and he made a "please" gesture: "Please follow me to the back for a talk."
Before leaving, he also patted Tiezhui's shoulder and complimented him: "Young man, you are quite good."
Tiezhui responded with a sincere and grateful smile.
On the other side, the fat assistant was filled with anger, almost biting his teeth. He had seen Wuzhu Yian and Li Xiaolou dressed in ordinary clothes and thought there would be no business, and he wanted to see Tiezhui, the new assistant, make a mistake. He had never expected that they would actually land such a big catch!
Unfortunately, now that the shopkeeper has a new perspective on Tiezhui, he won't have any opportunities to do anything.
Wuzhu Yian and Li Xiaolou followed the shopkeeper to the back hall, and Li Xiaolou whispered, "Little senior sister, are you buying all this talisman paper for something?"
Wuzhu Yian smiled and said, "Of course, it's for selling talismans."
Li Xiaolou leaned in closer, lowering her voice even more: "But you don't have talisman pens or talisman ink either, and we now only have eight spirit stones left."
Wuzhu Yian lightly tapped Li Xiaolou's forehead with her fingers, her smile confident and bright: "No money? Then we'll make some. I, your little senior sister, am a dignified eighth-level great talisman painter. Do I fear not making money?"
Li Xiaolou thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
Indeed, what her little senior sister said made perfect sense.
