Cultivating Immortality Through a Hundred Lifetimes: I Possess the Heavenly Book of Merit

Wang Xuan quickly returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you're too kind. We've arrived too early."

As he spoke, he stepped aside and began to introduce the people behind him to Yu Yan.

"This is Fellow Daoist Liu, at the fourth level of Qi Refining. After taking that Spirit Restoration Pill, his spiritual energy became disordered, and he hasn't been able to cultivate normally for more than half a month."

The middle-aged male cultivator with a sallow complexion nodded to Yu Yan, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"This is Fellow Daoist Chen, at the fifth level of Qi Refining. His condition is slightly better than Fellow Daoist Liu's, but still..."

Wang Xuan introduced them one by one, and the four cultivators with milder symptoms bowed to Yu Yan with respect.

Yu Yan nodded in response to each of them, his gaze finally settling on the white-haired old man.

Wang Xuan's tone became serious:

"This is Elder Qin."

He paused, seemingly considering his words.

"At first, many people were unwilling to believe it. Fortunately, Elder Qin stepped forward first and tried out Fellow Daoist Zhou's talisman in front of everyone."

"The fact that we were able to contact all of you fellow Daoists this time is also thanks to Elder Qin's mediation."

"He came here for two reasons. First, to pay Fellow Daoist Zhou with spirit stones for the talisman. Second, he is very curious about the cultivator who can draw such talismans and wants to come and see for himself."

curious?

Yu Yan's gaze shifted slightly.

It's not that simple.

This old man Qin's spiritual energy fluctuations are obvious, and he cannot fully control his own spiritual energy. Instead of taking advantage of his recent recovery to adjust his breathing, he is curious about me, a mere Qi Refining cultivator.

Besides, even if it's a return of spirit stones, I won't let anyone else take them.

Judging from everyone's attitude towards this Elder Qin, they wouldn't possibly embezzle his spirit stones, would they?

Seeing that Yu Yan didn't speak, Wang Xuan quickly added:

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, please don't misunderstand. Elder Qin didn't mean anything by it. He just... he just..."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Old Qin.

Hey, hey, hey, that's too obvious.

Yu Yan pretended not to see it, but instead turned his gaze to Elder Qin and bowed to him.

"So it was a senior figure in person. I'm sorry you had to witness this."

Old Qin patted Wang Xuan on the shoulder, his cloudy eyes looking at Yu Yan, a kind smile appearing on his face:

"Young friend, please don't be offended. I am a few years older than you and have some knowledge of talismans. Seeing such exquisite talismans, I really couldn't resist taking a look."

Yu Yan looked at him but didn't say anything.

What's there to be curious about? What's there to look at?

To put it bluntly, they're here to inspect the goods.

They were afraid that the talisman he sold was different from the one they had given to Wang Xuan before, that he was setting a trap, or that he was deceiving people.

learn from mistakes.

Having been fooled once by that black-robed stall owner, these people will probably live with that wariness for the rest of their lives.

Thinking this to himself, Yu Yan didn't feel offended.

Being cautious is never a bad thing.

After all, it was their first transaction, and neither party knew each other well. They were worried that they were cheating, and they were also worried that the other party was setting a trap.

It's normal for people to test each other and be wary of each other.

and--

He glanced at Old Qin's weathered face, then inadvertently glanced at his exposed hands, and a thought stirred within him.

Judging from the calluses on his hands, this old man Qin is probably not just someone who "knows a little about talismans".

Not all independent cultivators are without lineage.

Some people are adopted by rogue cultivators and start cultivating immortality from a young age, learning various skills. Even if their cultivation level is not high, their mastery of various skills is definitely not low.

But it's okay.

He's a good person, how could he do something like deceiving customers?

Therefore, they are not afraid of being investigated at all.

"Please come in, everyone."

Yu Yan stepped aside and gestured for him to proceed.

Wang Xuan hesitated for a moment, then looked at Elder Qin. Elder Qin nodded and took the lead, stepping into the dark alley. Seeing this, the others followed suit.

The alley was deep and narrow, and it suddenly felt crowded when seven people walked in.

Yu Yan walked at the back, and only after everyone had entered the alley did he take out the nine Yin-Yang Tonghui Talismans from his pocket.

"Please take a look, everyone."

Although he addressed everyone as "everyone," he simply placed the talisman on the ground, making it impossible for those behind him to see clearly. Only Elder Qin could see the whole thing.

Old Qin squatted down, squinted, and carefully examined each one.

The alley was quiet, with only the faint sounds of vendors shouting coming from afar.

The four cultivators with milder symptoms held their breath, tapped their toes, and stared intently at the talisman in Elder Qin's hand.

Wang Xuan and Wang Li also stood to the side, looking nervous.

Only Yu Yan remained calm, leaning against the wall, quietly watching Elder Qin verify the talisman.

Old Qin read very slowly.

He would examine each talisman for a long time, sometimes even extending two fingers to place on it and infuse it with a trace of spiritual energy.

While watching, he made "tsk tsk" sounds.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed.

After Qin Lao finished reading all nine talismans, he raised his head and looked at Yu Yan.

Those eyes were now gleaming with undisguised amazement.

"Young friend..."

His voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a hint of indescribable complexity.

"Young friend, your mastery of talismans is unparalleled in my life."

Yu Yan smiled but didn't say anything.

Old Qin continued:

"I have studied the art of talismans for over sixty years and have seen countless talismans. But a talisman like yours is simply unheard of."

He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, pausing for a moment before continuing:

"The Harmony of Yin and Yang, what a fine name! I truly never imagined that such a talisman would originate from..."

He paused, his gaze lingering on Yu Yan's face for a moment, then sighed:

"If it weren't for my advanced age and thin skin, I would really like to kneel down on the spot and become your disciple, young friend, to learn the art of talismans properly."

Yu Yan looked at him, his smile unchanged, and remained silent.

Becoming an apprentice?

That old fellow certainly knows how to talk.

Unfortunately, I'm not the kind of young person who gets carried away by a few compliments.

Having lived for so many years, what kind of situation haven't I seen?

Want to learn?

I'm sorry, this is a unique skill that I will not pass on to outsiders, and I do not accept apprenticeships.

Just take Qin Lao's flattery with a grain of salt.

If you take it seriously, you'll lose.

"You flatter me, Mr. Qin."

Yu Yan spoke calmly.

"The talisman is fine, right?"

Seeing that he had no intention of responding, Old Qin was not embarrassed at all, as if those words had not come from his own mouth.

He turned around and nodded to Wang Xuan and the others.

The four cultivators with milder symptoms immediately brightened up, their faces showing barely suppressed joy.

Wang Xuan also breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in greeting to Yu Yan:

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, please name your price."

Yu Yan didn't mince words either, directly holding up five fingers and saying:

"Fifty low-grade spirit stones."

"Fifty!"

Wang Xuan involuntarily raised his voice, then realized his lapse and quickly lowered it.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, isn't this too expensive?"

"Everyone here is here sincerely to buy; at this point, let's not joke around."

Yu Yan remained unmoved.

"Fifty spirit stones, can you find a way to cure your demonic possession?"

His words completely silenced everyone who wanted to haggle.

However, fifty spirit stones for such a talisman is far too expensive.

It's not that I can't afford it, it's just that I always feel like I'm losing out.

With the two sides deadlocked, Elder Qin spoke up:

"How about this? In my opinion, both sides should give me face and compromise: thirty spirit stones, how about that?"

Your face?

I just met you, I didn't know you before, so where did you get the face from?