CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61 THREE SPIRIT TURTLES_1

"Green Silk Silkworm Eggs?"

Jia Ren took out the three bug eggs he had purchased from the youth’s stall and soaked them in Spiritual Liquid.

He hoped they wouldn’t disappoint him.

He didn’t return to the Market to set up his stall, instead staying put in his Cave to cultivate and craft Talismans. The Spiritual Energy inside the Cave was abundant. His cultivation speed was five times faster than normal meditation and even surpassed eating Green Bud Rice three times a day. With Spirit Rice combined with the Cave, it would be difficult for his cultivation speed to remain slow.

"No wonder the Sect Disciples and family cultivators improve their strength so rapidly."

There was a huge difference between Sect Disciples and Loose Cultivators. At the same age, a Sect Disciple might reach the Late Stage Qi-Refining, while a Loose Cultivator might not even be able to reach the Mid Stage of Qi Cultivation. It wasn’t just a gap in Spiritual Root Aptitude; the difference in resources was equally vast.

Jia Ren ran out of his small supply of Blank Talisman Paper, turning them all into Demon-Spotting Talismans. The success rate of Talisman Crafting remained steady at 60%, with both the quantity and quality of the Talismans showing noticeable improvements. The only drawback was that the Spirit Ink was ordinary, limiting the quality of the Demon-Spotting Talismans.

He thought of the Demon-transforming Spirit Ink and started to study it carefully.

Once he used up the common Talisman Ink, he could start using the new Spirit Ink.

"Brother Jia, this is the Spirit Stone revenue from selling the Demon-Spotting Talismans. I noticed the business for Demon-Spotting Talismans is booming, so I took the liberty of raising the price by Two Crystal Shards each.

"The quality of the Demon-Spotting Talismans is slightly inferior, but that doesn’t stop the Loose Cultivators from hunting demons. The business is thriving.

"If you buy a Demon-Spotting Talisman from a Talisman shop, it will cost you three Spirit Stones."

On the second day, Yang Shengwu found Jia Ren’s rented Cave and handed over the Spirit Stones earned from selling the Demon-Spotting Talismans. Jia Ren had supplied one hundred and ten Demon-Spotting Talismans, which had sold for a total of one hundred and thirty Spirit Stones.

"With a success rate of about 40% for the one hundred and ten Demon-Spotting Talismans, it consumed two hundred and eighty pieces of Blank Talisman Paper and twenty-eight boxes of common Spirit Ink, at a cost of fifty-six Spirit Stones. I promised to give you 30% of the profit. Adding the stall fee of Two Crystal Shards, your share should be twenty-two Spirit Stones and Four Fragmented Spirits."

The Talismans were all previously crafted, with the success rate still at 40%. Jia Ren, adopting an attitude of clear accounting even with close friends, took out twenty-two Spirit Stones and Four Fragmented Spirits to give to Yang Shengwu.

Yang Shengwu was reluctant to take the Spirit Stones. "I still owe you more than a hundred Spirit Stones. Consider this as repaying the debt."

Not repaying a debt left him feeling guilty.

Jia Ren said, "Life in the Inner City is expensive. We must first ensure survival."

Then he proposed, "How about this? You use half of this amount as partial repayment of your debt to me, and you keep the other half for yourself. We’ll continue this arrangement until the debt is fully paid off. Would that be acceptable?"

Jia Ren had thought of this compromise: Yang Shengwu would effectively first receive 15% of the total profit. Once the debt was repaid, this would revert to the full 30%, creating the illusion of a ’raise.’ He had seemingly offered 30% of the profit, but in reality, Yang Shengwu would receive less for now.

The Proficiency Level of crafting Demon-Spotting Talismans had advanced to Master Level, with the highest success rate at 60%. With the Proficiency Panel, reaching Master and Grandmaster Level would not be too far off. Not to mention a 100% success rate; maintaining a rate over 90% was not difficult. Jia Ren dared not disclose his true Talisman Crafting success rate. A secret that revealed such rapid improvement could bring trouble if leaked. He reported at most a 60% success rate. Wouldn’t the additional Demon-Spotting Talismans he crafted this way equate to pure profit for himself?

Jia Ren then took out one hundred and eleven Spirit Stones and Two Crystal Shards, handing them to Yang Shengwu. "Help me purchase five hundred pieces of Blank Talisman Paper and the corresponding amount of materials."

Since he was delegating the public-facing affairs to Yang Shengwu, he decided he would not personally go to purchase Talisman-Making Materials, wanting to keep a lower profile.

"Alas, I am already indebted for your father’s kindness. Now, how am I to repay this..." Yang Shengwu lamented.

He held the Spirit Stones; they felt like they were burning his hand. Every time he went out demon hunting, he thought of the anxious Yun Niang. Each departure could be their last goodbye. He couldn’t find a risk-free way to earn a large amount of Spirit Stones. He opened his mouth but found no words to decline Jia Ren’s request.

"Brother Yang, we must be cautious when we meet in the future and communicate mostly through Sound Transmission Talismans.

"I won’t be staying in the Inner City for many more days.

"You should rent a stone house in the Outer City. I will place the Talisman-Making Materials there, and I will also go there to pick up the Demon-Spotting Talismans you’ll sell for me."

Jia Ren hadn’t forgotten his primary reason for seeking out Yang Shengwu. It wasn’t to repay a favor but to... avoid risks. If they maintained close contact, how could they keep it a secret from those with ulterior motives?

"Is such caution really necessary?" Yang Shengwu asked. He hadn’t encountered any trouble while tending his stall; things had been going quite smoothly for him.

"Do not be overly optimistic," Jia Ren warned.

Jia Ren hadn’t forgotten something important. Elder Wu had mentioned selling Demon-Spotting Talismans in the Outer City but had conspicuously avoided any mention of the Inner City. This definitely hinted at some unknown secrets or unspoken rules. By using Yang Shengwu’s help to sell in the Inner City, it was possible they had inadvertently violated some unwritten rule; it was better to be safe than sorry. These lower-quality Demon-Spotting Talismans were selling so well, inevitably affecting established businesses like the Heavenly Talisman Shop. Bad money drives out good, but who ultimately suffers the damage? This was a direct conflict of interest.

Jia Ren simply stated the potential dangers. Yang Shengwu’s expression turned grave, and he nodded seriously. "I won’t reveal your information to outsiders."

Jia Ren added, "The Loose Cultivators of the Outer City are mostly dead now, so not many people know of our relationship anyway."

After watching Yang Shengwu leave, Jia Ren thought of another good friend. I wonder how Yang Bingzhi is doing? So far, there had been no news from him; his life or death was unknown.

He sent out a Sound Transmission Talisman. It didn’t fly erratically like a headless fly; instead, its firelight flew steadily into the distance, proving Yang Bingzhi was still alive. Not long after his Sound Transmission Talisman was sent, Yang Bingzhi’s reply arrived, much faster than expected.

"Daoist Jia, it’s good that you are alive! I am waiting for you at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion in the Inner City."

Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion?

Jia Ren left his Cave and headed straight for the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion. There were branches of the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion in both the Inner and Outer Cities, but the one in the Inner City was far more luxurious and prestigious.

Jia Ren didn’t see Yang Bingzhi at first. Instead, the first person he encountered was Ming Wu, the Cultivator from the Ming Family who had once purchased Corner Worm corpses from him. Jia Ren suspected Ming Wu harbored ill intentions, so he tried to keep his distance.

Ming Wu, however, recognized Jia Ren, and his face turned unsightly. He had never forgotten being swindled by Jia Ren. They had agreed on a deal for a Spirit Turtle, but Jia Ren had stood him up, forcing him to wait in agony at Five Heads Mountain for an entire day.

"I didn’t expect you to still be alive. I’ve got some old scores to settle with you!" Ming Wu snarled, not bothering to hide the murderous intent in his eyes.

"Settle accounts with whom?" a voice laden with killing intent suddenly interjected. Yang Bingzhi, clad in the Robe of an Inner Sect Disciple of the Five Elements Sect, glared at Ming Wu with undisguised hostility.

"Brother Yang... You misunderstand," Ming Wu stammered. "This is the Spirit Turtle you wanted!" He hurriedly took out three Spirit Turtles from his Spirit Beast Bag, offering them to Yang Bingzhi with an ingratiating smile.

Yang Bingzhi ignored the Spirit Turtles, his murderous intent still palpable. "Clarify what you just said."

Family disciples had always looked down on Spirit Farmers, and Ming Wu hadn’t bothered to thoroughly investigate the relationship between Jia Ren and Yang Bingzhi. However, since Yang Bingzhi became an Inner Sect Disciple of the Five Elements Sect, his rise had been meteoric, and his status was now entirely different. He had become someone Ming Wu himself needed to please. Yang Bingzhi’s purchase of the Spirit Turtles and his current protective attitude towards Jia Ren clearly demonstrated that the relationship between the two was far from ordinary.

"My words were nonsense, just nonsense! Please don’t take offense, Brother Yang!" Ming Wu babbled, then slapped himself hard twice across the face, leaving clear red palm prints on both cheeks.

"Get lost!" Yang Bingzhi commanded. He casually tossed a Storage Bag to Ming Wu. Forcing a smile, Ming Wu only dared to leave after Jia Ren and Yang Bingzhi had entered the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion.

Once they were inside a private room in the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, Yang Bingzhi began to explain, "Don’t blame me for not avenging you by dealing with him more harshly.

"Ming Wu has the Ming Family backing him. If you wound a tiger but don’t kill it, it will inevitably become a future menace.

"The Ming Family wouldn’t dare act against me, but they might target you, Daoist Jia. I can’t guarantee your complete safety in such a scenario."

"It’s a minor matter between Ming Wu and me, nothing serious," Jia Ren replied. With Yang Bingzhi’s clear warning, Ming Wu wouldn’t dare to provoke me again unless he was a complete fool.

"Daoist Jia, it really wasn’t easy to find you," Yang Bingzhi continued. "The Five Elements Sect had a major battle with Thousand Beasts Mountain, and I used my battle merits to obtain an exemption from participation for you, but I couldn’t contact you at the time."

Jia Ren wasn’t surprised. While he was in hiding, he had constantly been using the Turtle Breath Technique, which would have prevented any Sound Transmission Talisman from locating him. He silently acknowledged Yang Bingzhi’s thoughtfulness and effort.

"Knowing you’re still alive puts my mind at ease," Yang Bingzhi said, clearly moved upon seeing Jia Ren again.

Jia Ren observed his friend. Compared to the somewhat simple and honest Spirit Farmer aura he used to have, the current Yang Bingzhi exuded a calm, steady presence, and a sharp light flickered in his eyes. His Cultivation Level had also improved considerably, already reaching the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement—placing them both in the same Realm.

"I heard you were looking for Spirit Turtles," Yang Bingzhi continued. "When I found out the Ming Family still had a few, I leveraged my status as a Five Elements Sect Disciple to get them to sell the turtles to me."

He then handed a Spirit Beast Bag to Jia Ren.

Three Spirit Turtles! What a pleasant and unexpected surprise!