Burial Furnace

Zhang Yuan quickly cupped his hands and said sincerely, "Boss Li, please calm down. I had no intention of offending you. I only opened this crematorium to make a living, and I would never dare to compete with your business for profit. I am new here and do not know the rules. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me."

He paused, then added, "Now that I've embarked on the path of cultivation, I'll definitely be spending the spirit stones I earn at your shop. Talismans are necessities for cultivators, and I'll be relying on your shop quite often in the future."

He spoke these words with genuine emotion and humility.

Boss Li's expression softened slightly, but his tone remained cold: "But I've never seen you come to buy talismans."

Zhang Yuan smiled bitterly to himself.

He definitely didn't come.

The spirit stones he used for cultivation were all hard-earned, and he would rather split each one in half to spend. How could he bear to use them to buy talismans?

But given the current situation, he has no choice but to spend money to avoid further trouble.

"Well..." Zhang Yuan chuckled awkwardly, "The reason I came here today is actually to buy talismans."

"Oh?" Boss Li raised an eyebrow. "What kind of talismans do you want to buy? How many?"

"I'll buy three Concealing Breath Talismans," Zhang Yuan said through gritted teeth.

The Breath Concealing Talisman is one of the most basic auxiliary talismans. It can be used to conceal one's aura and block breathing and heartbeat, making it very useful when escaping or lying in wait.

The price isn't high either, 5 low-grade spirit stones per card.

Three cards equal 15 low-grade spirit stones.

For Zhang Yuan now, this is a considerable expense.

However, Boss Li was clearly not satisfied.

His face darkened again, and his voice turned cold: "Only three?"

Zhang Yuan's heart tightened, and he quickly explained, "Boss Li, you don't know this, but my shop is just starting out, business is slow, and I've earned very few spirit stones. Buying three Concealing Breath Talismans is already my limit. If I had enough spirit stones, I would like to buy some defensive or offensive talismans to truly save my life. Unfortunately... I'm short of money."

He pretended to be poor, destitute, and pitiful.

His shop has no business during the day, and very little business at night.

He wasn't worried that the other party would see through him.

"The Concealment Talisman is best used in conjunction with the Invisibility Talisman; that way, it can truly save your life in dangerous situations. You should buy three more Invisibility Talismans."

"Boss Li said coldly."

"I can't afford it. The most I can buy is one more invisibility charm."

Zhang Yuan said with a wry smile.

Invisibility talismans are very valuable; one costs 100 low-grade spirit stones.

Although he earned 10 mid-grade spirit stones last night, he had already used half of them for cultivation, and there weren't many left.

Boss Li looked at him coldly, as if judging the truthfulness of his words.

Finally, he waved his hand: "Alright. You can buy four talismans for now. But remember—every month from now on, you have to come to my shop and buy at least ten invisibility talismans. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Zhang Yuan cursed inwardly, but outwardly he could only nod repeatedly: "Yes, yes, I understand. Thank you for your magnanimity, Boss Li."

"Go ahead." Boss Li closed his eyes, leaned back in his rocking chair, and stopped looking at him.

Zhang Yuan left the room.

I went to the lobby and bought three Concealing Breath Talismans and one Invisibility Talisman before leaving the talisman shop.

"Damn it, that old fox is obviously trying to blackmail me."

He cursed inwardly, but felt mostly relieved.

Fortunately, I was able to leverage Liu Ruxue's prestigious reputation.

Otherwise, he would probably be in deep trouble today.

He glanced back at the imposing signboard of the Spirit Talisman Pavilion, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Strength...it all comes down to strength," he murmured. "Without strength, you can only be bullied by others."

He clenched his fists, a strong desire welling up inside him.

He wants to become stronger.

He was so powerful that no one dared to speak to him in such a condescending manner anymore.

He was so powerful that no one dared to look at him with such disdainful eyes anymore.

Zhang Yuan walked back along the bluestone path, curiously examining the Concealing Breath Talisman and the Invisibility Talisman in his hand.

The talisman paper is pale yellow, with a fine texture, and is about three fingers wide and a palm long.

The paper is covered with densely packed runes in vermilion ink, the lines are smooth and powerful, and the turns are rounded and natural, like a winding red snake coiled on the paper.

He didn't recognize any of the runes, but when he slowly channeled his true essence into his fingertips and gently touched the talisman paper, he could feel a strange power contained within the runes, like a sleeping beast that could be awakened at any moment.

The runes of the invisibility talisman are more complex and the lines are denser than those of the concealment talisman, resembling an intricate spider web.

"If I could draw talismans, wouldn't I be able to earn more spirit stones? Then I could break through my cultivation realm faster," Zhang Yuan muttered to himself, a hint of longing flashing in his eyes.

Once the idea popped into his head, it grew wildly in his mind like weeds.

He used to be an ordinary person, without true essence or strong spiritual power, so it was impossible for him to learn how to draw talismans.

But things are different now—he is a cultivator at the first level of Qi Refining. Although his cultivation level is low, he has at least stepped into the threshold of cultivation.

His shop can endlessly increase lifespan, making it possible for him to live for hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years.

With such a long time to spare, I must learn a few skills to rely on.

Running a shop while cultivating one's spiritual practice, drawing talismans and refining elixirs... life would definitely be much more comfortable.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yuan felt a surge of excitement.

He turned around and went back into the talisman shop. He pushed open the door to Boss Li's room, peeked inside, and put on a fawning smile.

"Mr. Li, um... I'd like to learn how to make talismans. Could you sell me some tools and ink for drawing talismans, as well as books on talisman making?"

Boss Li was sitting at his desk, holding a talisman pen in his hand, the tip of which hovered above the talisman paper, clearly drawing a talisman.

Upon hearing Zhang Yuan's words, he stopped writing, looked up, and stared at Zhang Yuan as if he were a fool.

"You want to learn how to draw talismans?"

"Yes."

Zhang Yuan nodded.

Boss Li chuckled, put down his talisman brush, leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and said slowly, "Your idea isn't bad. Drawing talismans is indeed a good skill. But do you think just anyone can learn to draw talismans?"

He extended a finger and pointed in the air: "Drawing talismans requires unparalleled talent, powerful mental strength, and a keen perception of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Those who can draw talismans at the first level of Qi Refining are one in ten thousand talisman geniuses. It's not that I look down on you—you old codger, you'll never become a talisman master in this lifetime."

Zhang Yuan's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly regained it: "Well... I still want to give it a try. Liu Ruxue also suggested that I learn to draw talismans, and she said she would teach me when she had time."

He brought up Liu Ruxue's name.

Boss Li's lips twitched: "Then let her teach you. We sell tools for drawing talismans in our shop, feel free to buy."

He said "welcome," but there was no warmth in his tone.

How much money can you make selling point tools?

He didn't care about such petty gains at all.

In his opinion, the old man would never learn to draw talismans and would never come back after buying the tools once.