Junior sister, I really need to control you

Li Yinsheng sat cross-legged on the futon, meditating. Mu Xiaoyu leaned forward and asked, "Senior brother, besides steamed buns and pickled bamboo shoots, is there anything else to eat in the dining hall?"

"There are also two side dishes and a lot of dry food," Li Yinsheng said.

"Aren't we supposed to be cultivators? Why is our food so meager? We don't even have enough for four dishes and a soup..."

Mu Xiaoyu outwardly showed some grievance and disdain, but secretly swallowed hard.

There weren't many dishes, but the pickled bamboo shoots were absolutely delicious. She had never tasted such fresh bamboo shoots, whether in the Prince's mansion or in the best restaurants in her own county.

The other two side dishes should be pretty good too, right?

"After a cultivator achieves success in their cultivation, although they cannot live on dew and drink without food, the amount of ordinary grains they need will decrease as their cultivation progresses."

“From eating once a day to eating once every two or three days, then to eating once every four or five days, and even once a month. Therefore, the vegetarian rooms in various Taoist temples are all simplified,” Li Yinsheng said.

Of course, in those Taoist temples with many disciples, there are still quite a few people in the dining room every day, and there are even cultivators who are specifically responsible for cooking.

"Where did the food in the dining room come from? Did you make it, senior brother? Or did the other senior brothers and sisters make it?" Mu Xiaoyu asked curiously.

"Other senior brothers and sisters?" Li Yinsheng smirked. "Junior sister, you've been here for two days now. Have you met any of the other senior brothers and sisters?"

"No." Mu Xiaoyu shook her head, then puffed out her cheeks and said, "Whether it was yesterday or today, Senior Brother, you've been dragging me to cultivate. I haven't had time to wander around the temple. How am I supposed to see the other senior brothers and sisters?"

"I forgot about that." Li Yinsheng slapped his forehead, showing no remorse.

“Junior sister, right now, in terms of disciples, there are only the two of us in the temple. If we include the elders, there is also a senior uncle. However, the senior uncle is recuperating from her injuries. I will take you to pay your respects when she is feeling better.”

"What about the other senior brothers and sisters? Aren't they in the temple now?" Mu Xiaoyu tilted her head, somewhat curious, but then quickly swallowed and changed the subject.

"Let's not talk about that now, senior brother. If the food in our dormitory isn't made by anyone, then where does it come from? Last night... last night that jar of pickled bamboo shoots was really delicious, I finished it all, is there any left?"

Li Yinsheng spread his hands and said, "That's all. My master is a True Person... He used to be a True Person, so he doesn't eat grains. I usually eat very little, so the temple has very little food stored in it."

"As for where it came from... my Xuanzhen Temple belongs to the Zhengyang lineage, which also has dozens of other Taoist temples, one of which is called 'Baoguang Temple'..."

"Baoguang Temple?" Mu Xiaoyu interrupted, "Sounds like it sells treasures?"

Li Yinsheng gently tapped Mu Xiaoyu's head, making a "thump" sound, signaling her not to interrupt: "It sells treasures, but it's not just about selling treasures."

"Under the Zhengyang lineage, many Taoist temples have their own specialties. Some are good at alchemy, some are good at crafting magical artifacts, some are good at drawing talismans, making incantations, taming spirit beasts, cultivating spiritual herbs, and some are even good at dual... cough cough..."

"In short, many Taoist temples have a special skill that allows them to sell their products and earn money through talismans..."

"Oh, this so-called talisman money is money issued by the Taihao Immortal Sect for cultivators. You can think of it as ordinary silver notes. The entire Zhengyang lineage and even other lineages use it."

"What does that have to do with the food in the vegetarian room? Was that food bought with talisman money?" Mu Xiaoyu's goal was very clear, and she continued to ask.

“That’s right.” Li Yinsheng nodded. “Those Taoist temples that sell their own specialties will definitely only sell the good stuff within their own temples. People from other temples will have to come and ask for it in person if they want it.”

"For example, if you want good magical artifacts, you have to go to the Forging Furnace Temple and the Edge-Breaking Temple; if you want good elixirs, you have to go to the Cultivation Smoke Temple and the Lead Water Temple; and if you want yellow talismans and precious talismans, you have to go to the Guardian Temple..."

“But the Taoist temples under the Zhengyang lineage are scattered. If it is to obtain superior treasures, then it is no big deal to make a trip. But if you have to go to several temples no matter what you want to buy, it is really inconvenient.”

“Coincidentally, Baoguang Temple has the most special location among all the Taoist temples under the Zhengyang lineage. It is located in the very center and is relatively close to all other Taoist temples.”

"Therefore, those Taoist temples would bring their ordinary ritual implements, elixirs, talismans, and other items to Baoguang Temple to set up a shop for easy sales."

"Cultivators who want to buy ordinary things will go to Baoguang Temple. Only those who want superior items will go to the Taoist temple that makes these things."

"Oh... so Baoguang Temple is a market? So it sells everything, including food?" Mu Xiaoyu suddenly realized.

“That’s right. Other Taoist temples in Baoguang Temple rent shops where cultivators who want to sell their practice works or other things set up stalls. It’s a mixed bag.”

Li Yinsheng said, "So they not only sell low-level magic weapons and pills, but also various side dishes, snacks, and even cosmetics."

“Of course, these things that have nothing to do with spiritual practice are all very cheap,” he added.

"Do you still have snacks and treats? Are they cheap?" Mu Xiaoyu's eyes lit up.

Li Yinsheng thought for a moment and said, "Do you remember the Nourishing Yuan Pill you took last night? One Nourishing Yuan Pill costs about three or four talisman coins, which is already considered extremely cheap among pills."

"But a jar of those bamboo shoots from last night only costs one talisman coin. The amount of Nourishing Yuan Pills you ate last night could buy dozens of jars of pickled bamboo shoots."

"Wild honey is more expensive because it's sometimes used to make low-quality honey pills. A jar of honey should sell for three or four talisman coins..."

"Wow! So cheap?" Mu Xiaoyu exclaimed in surprise. "That jar of bamboo shoots, if sold in my family mansion, would fetch at least tens of taels of silver per jar. My mother would buy honey for hundreds of taels. Talisman coins are really valuable..."

She immediately became excited: "Senior brother, when are we going to Baoguang Temple? How about we buy some snacks and treats? The side dishes are so delicious, the snacks and treats must be just as good, right?"

“The delicacies sold at Baoguang Temple are indeed rare delicacies for ordinary people, and very cheap for cultivators, but…” Li Yinsheng looked at her with a smile, “Junior Sister, how many talisman coins do you have?”

Mu Xiaoyu froze.

For the first time in her life, she was shocked to realize that people can indeed lack money.

"I...I don't have a single talisman coin..." Mu Xiaoyu lowered her head, but immediately looked up again, her watery eyes wide open, clutching the hem of Li Yinsheng's clothes.

"Senior brother... um... could you... could you give me some talisman money? I don't need much, ten... no, five! Just five will do! Please, senior brother..."

“Heh…” Li Yinsheng chuckled and took out a pale yellow talisman, no bigger than a thumb. “This is the talisman money. This one represents one hundred talisman money. It’s for you.”

"Next time we go shopping at Baoguang Temple, I'll take you with me. You can buy whatever you want."

Although Xuanzhen Temple had declined, he was not completely penniless. Every now and then, he would go into the mountains to look for medicinal herbs or other valuable items.

Moreover, when other Taoist temples don't have enough disciples, they also hire people to do odd jobs, such as cultivating medicinal fields, herding spirit beasts, and tending the furnace. He was also a veteran worker.

Over the years, he has saved every penny, and in addition to buying himself some personal belongings, he has also accumulated a fortune of more than 20,000 talismans, making him relatively wealthy among his peers.

Therefore, giving his junior sister a hundred talismans as pocket money was nothing to him.

Moreover, with the thirty years of cultivation brought by his junior sister, it will be much easier for him to earn talisman money in the future.

If he hadn't been worried that giving his junior sister too much talisman money might lead to her being scammed by unscrupulous vendors at Baoguang Temple, and if she didn't currently have any other expenses besides buying snacks, he wouldn't have only given her one hundred.

"My senior brother is the best person in the world!"

Mu Xiaoyu cheered. In her eyes, Li Yinsheng, who had been repulsive and looked like a monster, suddenly became incomparably handsome, otherworldly, elegant, and dashing.

But the moment Mu Xiaoyu accepted the talisman with both hands, the resounding sound of a great bell that he had heard yesterday suddenly echoed in Li Yinsheng's mind, and the scroll unfolded before his eyes, revealing new pale gold characters.

Lord of the Cave Heaven: Mu Xiaoyu

The will to cultivate oneself: The four essentials of cultivation are "Dharma, wealth, companion, and place," with "wealth" being of paramount importance!

However, as the saying goes, "With money, you can go anywhere in the world; without money, you can't even take a step." This principle also applies to the world of cultivation.

The master of the grotto-heaven has just begun his cultivation. At this time, his food, clothing, shelter, and cultivation pills are all provided by the Taoist temple, and he spends very little on himself. This is a good time to save money, and he should accumulate talisman money as soon as possible.

Please do everything in your power to accumulate as much talisman money as possible within one year. This cultivation journey will only last for one year, after which it will be closed.

The standard for measuring the cultivation ambition this time is the current amount of talisman coins possessed by the cave master, but each reward can only be claimed once, and repeated claims are not allowed.

Cultivation Rewards:

Receive 1,000 talismans and be rewarded with one year of cultivation.

Receive 3,000 talisman coins and a reward of three years of cultivation.

Receive 10,000 talismans and be rewarded with ten years of cultivation.

Receive 30,000 talisman coins and a reward of 20 years of cultivation;

Receive 100,000 talisman coins and be rewarded with 30 years of cultivation.

Receive 300,000 talisman coins and a reward of 50 years of cultivation.

Current savings in talisman coins: 100 coins

Li Yinsheng stared at the pale gold characters in front of him, his mind racing.

This task is time-limited to one year, and the requirement is savings—meaning that if you earn the money but spend it, you have to save it all up again.

However, a cultivator who has just begun their practice has very little magical power, and may not even be able to master a practical spell in a year.

As Jin Zi said, new disciples who are just starting out in cultivation only need to focus on cultivation for the first year, or even the first two or three years, and do not need to worry about things that cost money, such as magic tools and talismans, so their expenses are extremely low.

However, correspondingly, new disciples usually have no means of obtaining talisman money.

For a novice disciple to go into the Hundred Thousand Mountains to search for something of value is tantamount to suicide, and no one would hire them to work at other Taoist temples.

In this way, one can basically only rely on the small amount of pocket money that one's own Taoist temple distributes each month—some temples can give hundreds of coins, but most only give forty or fifty coins per month.

A cultivator who has been cultivating for just over a year is already doing very well if he has a few hundred talisman coins in his entire possessions, which is not even enough to reach the first tier.

This is quite normal. Who would start thinking about making money in their first year of cultivation? That's as absurd as asking a baby who has just learned to talk and walk to work for money.

But... what does it have to do with Li Yinsheng, who has been saving money for more than ten years, that his junior sister, who has just started cultivating, doesn't have the ability to earn money?

Li Yinsheng recalled his savings.

Unfortunately, he was still a little short of 30,000, so he could only help his junior sister reach the goal of 10,000 talismans first and receive the corresponding reward.

Each target's reward can be claimed once. If I give my junior sister 10,000 talismans first, the rewards for the first three targets combined would be...

Fourteen years!

Chapter 6: Art of Manipulating Objects, Art of Burning Wind

With a thought, the golden characters before him faded away, and Li Yinsheng looked at Mu Xiaoyu.

She was sitting on the ground, holding the pale yellow talisman that represented one hundred coins in her hands and grinning foolishly.

"Hehe...hehehe..."

This tiny talisman was already a mountain of delicious food in her eyes; she was already imagining what snacks she could buy at the market called Baoguang Temple—

Candied hawthorn berries, knotweed candy, jade cake, sweet dew cake, crispy jade leaves, candied crabapple, perilla drink, deer cake...

"Junior Sister." Li Yinsheng's voice brought Mu Xiaoyu back to her senses.

"Senior brother!" Mu Xiaoyu looked at Li Yinsheng with a sweet expression, holding the talisman coins in her hands.

"Would you like to ask for more money?" Li Yinsheng asked.

Mu Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment, then nodded vigorously—who wouldn't want to buy more food?

"Would you like to make a bet with me?" Li Yinsheng said leisurely.

"It's currently the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), and there are still five hours until Zi (11 PM-1 AM). We'll bet on whether you can cultivate continuously without resting until Zi (11 PM-1 AM). If you lose, you'll have to return the hundred talismans to me."

"If you win, I'll give you more talisman money. But you have to promise me that you won't use this money for anything other than snacks, and you must ask me before using it."

Mu Xiaoyu's eyes widened, completely ignoring the additional conditions of the bet, and she cried out in terror, "Won't I die? I'll definitely be exhausted to death! Senior brother, are you going to give me talisman money or paper money?!"

“No,” Li Yinsheng shook his head. “The first level of the Qingxuan True Scripture is all about solidifying the foundation. It only cultivates vital energy and not magical power. So at this time, you cannot be considered a true cultivator. You are still a mortal.”