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

Yu Yan wasn't really keen on giving this old man Qin any face.

He had only just met this person; they didn't know each other before. What face did he have to give him?

but--

He originally thought that fifty low-grade spirit stones were indeed a bit expensive, so he set the highest price from the beginning to leave room for negotiation.

Do you really think you can buy a talisman that can prevent demonic possession for just thirty low-grade spirit stones?

That's impossible, don't even think about it.

But forty-five yuan is not out of the question.

After all, in business, everything is negotiable.

On the surface, however, Yu Yan looked troubled, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he was seriously considering Elder Qin's suggestion.

After a moment, he sighed, gritted his teeth, as if he had made a great decision:

"Since Elder Qin has spoken, I shouldn't refuse. However..."

He paused, a troubled look on his face.

"I have put in a great deal of effort just to draw this talisman."

Old Qin looked at him with a smile, without saying a word.

Yu Yan continued:

"Forty-five low-grade spirit stones, I suppose."

He pointed to the nine talismans on the ground.

"Don't be fooled by how easily I drew these talismans before. These talismans don't just consume spiritual energy; they also consume the artist's mental energy. I poured my heart and soul into them for three days and only managed to draw these nine talismans. To draw more, I'll need at least a month of rest."

He shook his head as he spoke:

"This price really isn't much cheaper."

The four cultivators with milder symptoms looked at each other, their faces showing hesitation.

Forty-five low-grade spirit stones.

It's still expensive.

But it's a little less than fifty dollars.

Wang Xuan opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed his words. He looked at Wang Li, who shook her head slightly, signaling him not to speak.

The pale-faced Fellow Daoist Liu hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked:

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, how about forty yuan?"

Yu Yan shook his head, his attitude resolute:

"no."

Fellow Daoist Liu opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.

Silence fell over the dark alley.

Ha, this is practically a life-saving talisman, yet they're still being stingy. Ultimately, it's because they only have one talisman to solve the problem, which makes them feel that resolving the spiritual energy disorder is very simple, and they're unwilling to pay the price.

"Anyway, I'm not the one in a hurry; it's up to you."

Yu Yan glanced at the crowd still hesitating and sneered inwardly.

He shook his head, a look of regret on his face, and bent down to pick up the talisman from the ground:

"It seems this business deal is off. Farewell, fellow Daoists."

Yu Yan took a step, preparing to leave, silently counting the numbers in his mind.

"one."

"two."

"three."

"Wait a minute!"

Before I could even count to four, a hurried shout came from behind me.

Yu Yan paused, a slight smile curving his lips.

In the short time it took to turn around, he had already regained his calm expression.

"Is there anything else, Fellow Daoist Liu?"

The one who called out to him was Liu, the fellow Daoist with a sallow complexion.

He glanced at the people around him, gritted his teeth, and pulled a storage bag from his pocket:

"I'll buy it."

Yu Yan looked at him without saying a word.

Fellow Daoist Liu counted out forty-five spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them to Yu Yan:

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, here are forty-five pieces. Count them."

Yu Yan accepted the spirit stone, scanned it with his divine sense, and nodded.

He handed a Yin-Yang Unifying Talisman to Liu Daoyou:

"Fellow Daoist Liu, please accept this."

Fellow Daoist Liu took the talisman, his hands trembling slightly. He looked down at the bright red talisman, his eyes reddening slightly.

Seeing this, the others no longer hesitated.

"I'll buy it."

"I'll buy it too."

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, this is my forty-five pieces."

In a short while, Yu Yan had a pile of spirit stones in his hand.

Forty-five yuan a piece, four people, a total of one hundred and eighty yuan.

In addition to Old Qin's picture—

Yu Yan looked at Elder Qin.

With a smile, Old Qin took out a storage bag from his robes, took out forty-five spirit stones, and handed them over:

"Young friend, this is for this old man."

Yu Yan took it and silently did some calculations in his mind.

Five people, 225 low-grade spirit stones.

Adding the dozen or so spirit stones he had left, he now has nearly 240 spirit stones in his hand.

With just this one transaction, Yu Yan recouped his investment immediately, and the amount exceeded several times the original amount of spirit stones.

This is outrageous profit!

All his previous preparations were worthwhile.

Yu Yan carefully put away the spirit stones and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to the group:

"Rest assured, everyone, these talismans are the culmination of my hard work; there won't be any problems. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

He paused, then added:

"If you are not comfortable with this, you can use it here. I will protect you here."

The group exchanged glances and didn't stand on ceremony.

Fellow Daoist Liu was the first to step forward.

He found a relatively clean place to sit down, placed the talisman on his dantian, closed his eyes, and began to circulate his spiritual energy.

Wang Xuan and Wang Li stood on his left and right, protecting him.

The others also dispersed and formed a circle, watching the direction of the alley entrance warily.

Yu Yan leaned against the wall, watching quietly.

A moment later, a faint golden light emanated from Fellow Daoist Liu's body.

The golden light spread from his dantian, rippled like water, and quickly enveloped his entire body. His body trembled slightly, and the sallow complexion on his face faded at a visible speed, replaced by a healthy rosy glow.

After another incense stick's time, he opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

The murky air contained a faint trace of grayish-black impurities.

"alright!"

Fellow Daoist Liu stood up, trembling with excitement.

"Alright! My spiritual power has returned to normal!"

The others' eyes lit up when they saw this.

"I'll do it!"

"I'll go first!"

"Don't rush, don't rush, one at a time!"

Over the next hour, the remaining three took turns using the talismans.

The results were naturally surprisingly good.

Everyone who used the talisman seemed to have been reborn; the sickly look on their faces faded, and their breathing became steady and smooth. They surrounded Yu Yan, addressing him as "Fellow Daoist Zhou" repeatedly, their gratitude overflowing.

Whether they truly believed that this talisman was worth forty-five low-grade spirit stones remains unknown.

Overall, the transaction went relatively smoothly.

Old Qin looked at Yu Yan with a complex mix of emotions in his eyes.

"Young friend, I am convinced."

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"This talisman is worth the price."

Yu Yan smiled but didn't say anything.

An hour later, the seven prepared to leave.

They bowed to Yu Yan in farewell, their faces beaming with smiles, their steps light and quick, a stark contrast to their sickly appearance when they arrived.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, farewell!"

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, until we meet again!"

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, if you ever need any help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask!"

Yu Yan returned their greetings one by one and watched them walk towards the alley entrance.

Just as the Wang couple were about to step out of the dark alley, Yu Yan suddenly spoke:

"Fellow Daoist Wang, Madam Wang, please wait a moment."

Wang Xuan and Wang Li paused and turned around.

"Is there anything else, Fellow Daoist Zhou?"

Yu Yan didn't speak immediately, but watched the other four disappear into the alley before turning his gaze to Wang Xuan:

"Fellow Daoist Wang, thank you both for making the connection."

As he spoke, he took out twenty spirit stones and threw them over.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, what's going on?"

Yu Yan smiled.

"It was a pleasure working together. This is my reward for this project. We'll keep things going and there will be more to come in the future."