Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Neighbors Are Dao Companions?
Lu An returned to the stall where he had previously inquired about materials. The place had a good selection of talisman materials, making it an ideal spot for transactions.
"Friend, how much for the essence of Pure Water Turtle?"
The vendor, seeing Lu An return, showed a hint of pleasure.
"Have you rented a stall?"
"Indeed."
"Which one?"
"D13."
The vendor frowned slightly, showing a hint of oddity.
"Why rent in the 'D' sector? Visitors there are scarce."
"It's fine. I prefer a quieter place."
Seeing that Lu An was aware of the situation, the vendor stopped insisting and began introducing his goods.
"My essence of Pure Water Turtle is freshly delivered this morning. Are you considering a long-term purchase from me?"
"If the price is right, I certainly can."
"You're aware of the market price. I'll give you a discount of one spirit stone: fourteen spirit stones per bottle."
Lu An smiled slightly.
"Twelve."
"Are you joking? At twelve spirit stones, I wouldn't make a profit."
Lu An remained calm and said:
"Don't try to deceive me. I know the cost price. If it's too high, I'll have to check other sources."
The vendor thought for a moment and shook his head.
"Add one more spirit stone, and I'll give it to you. Consider it making a friend."
The materials here were of good quality, and Lu An recognized that. Paying one more spirit stone was acceptable.
"Fine, thirteen spirit stones. Also, give me a stack of regular talisman paper."
Afterward, Lu An returned home contentedly.
Having secured a location for future material purchases, he saved a lot of trouble.
He sat cross-legged and began drawing talismans in his mind's eye.
His spiritual sense wasn't fully restored yet, but it didn't hinder his practice.
[You have drawn a Clear Heart Talisman with a completion rate of 64%. The talisman is a first-grade lower-grade talisman. Spiritual sense has been returned.]
[You have drawn a Clear Heart Talisman with a completion rate of 63%. The talisman is a first-grade lower-grade talisman. Spiritual sense has been returned.]
...
Days passed quickly. During these days, Lu An practiced talisman drawing in his mind during the day and cultivated Changchun Gong at night.
The bottleneck at the third level of Qi Refining was loosening, and it seemed he would soon advance to the mid-Qi Refining stage.
The consumed spiritual sense had long since been restored, but Lu An had continued to practice in his mind rather than starting actual talisman creation.
[You have drawn a Clear Heart Talisman with a completion rate of 69%. The talisman is a first-grade lower-grade talisman. Spiritual sense has been returned.]
[You have drawn a Clear Heart Talisman with a completion rate of 69%. The talisman is a first-grade lower-grade talisman. Spiritual sense has been returned.]
[You have drawn a Clear Heart Talisman with a completion rate of 70%. The talisman is a first-grade mid-grade talisman. Spiritual sense has been returned.]
Lu An experienced a moment of enlightenment, and his understanding of the Clear Heart Talisman deepened further. Looking back at his previous creations, he saw flaws everywhere and found them lacking.
"First-grade mid-grade!"
The reason he hadn't rushed to create and sell talismans was that he was waiting for the Clear Heart Talisman to reach mid-grade. Now, it was finally achieved.
After practicing for a while longer, once the completion rate stabilized at over 70%, he stopped.
It was time to create the talismans!
He went to his desk, laid out the newly purchased talisman paper, and poured the Pure Water Turtle essence into the inkstone. He began writing vigorously.
As the saying goes, "Reading thousands of books and writing thousands of words makes one proficient." The ancients were not wrong.
Lu An sighed with relief. After several days of practice, his talisman-making skills had improved significantly, and the process was going smoothly.
Among the nine mid-grade Clear Heart Talismans he had created, only one was not well-made, resulting in a lower-grade talisman.
Looking at his results, Lu An couldn't help but smile.
There were no stalls selling talismans in the market. Those who had obtained a first-grade talisman master certificate were all recruited by large families. Most who didn't have the certificate also lacked the ability to continuously produce talismans.
So, to buy talismans, one had to go to places like the Divine Talisman Pavilion or Juyuan Studio.
Now, Lu An would be the only one in the market selling them, so his business was likely to do well.
The only remaining question was how to set the prices.
Thinking about it, Lu An pondered.
Juyuan Studio bought lower-grade Clear Heart Talismans at five spirit stones each and resold them for seven spirit stones.
The Divine Talisman Pavilion, having a higher reputation, sold them for eight spirit stones each.
As for mid-grade talismans, there were very few in the market, and he didn't have enough for himself, let alone selling them.
Lu An's reputation couldn't compare to theirs, so he could only rely on the quality of his talismans.
After a while, he had made up his mind.
The next day, Lu An arrived at his stall early with the ten talismans he had created.
Possibly because it was too early, the neighboring stalls were still empty.
He arranged the talismans and took out two wooden signs, carving the prices and hanging them in their respective places.
Lower-grade Clear Heart Talismans were priced at three spirit stones each. With the cost removed, the profit was actually very low.
Mid-grade Clear Heart Talismans were priced with a large "Twenty" on the sign.
This price was quite high. Mid-grade first-grade talismans in the market occasionally sold for around fifteen spirit stones, far below this price.
Lu An had a different idea. The lower-grade Clear Heart Talismans were generally aimed at casual cultivators. The low price was not meant to make money but to attract customers and build a reputation.
As for the mid-grade talismans, selling them to large families at a higher price was acceptable.
Soon, the neighboring stall owners arrived.
Lu An's immediate neighbors, a couple, also walked over.
"Do these two have some connection?" Lu An wondered and greeted them.
Seeing that the long-empty stalls had finally been occupied, the couple returned the greeting and introduced themselves.
The woman selling books was named Fang Ling, and the bearded man was named Ying Chang. To Lu An's surprise, they were actually a married couple.
This surprised Lu An. If they were married, why not place their stalls next to each other and leave him in between, making him the odd one out?
Then he realized that when they rented the stalls, they probably weren't connected, so they chose these spots.
"Do you want to switch?" Lu An thought for a moment but then shook his head. The market didn't allow such changes.
The couple didn't know what he was thinking and were curious about what he was selling.
"Lu, what are you selling? I'd like to see."
Fang Ling came over to examine Lu An's stall and was surprised to see talismans.
"Are you a talisman master, Lu?"
Lu An smiled slightly and said:
"I haven't obtained the certificate, so I'm not a talisman master. I just make some talismans."
Fang Ling nodded. Given Lu An's young age, if he were a talisman master, he wouldn't need to set up a stall here.
"These Clear Heart Talismans are quite good."
She picked up one and examined it, then looked at the price on the wooden sign.
"Three spirit stones! Why is it so cheap?"
Ying Chang, curious, also came over.
"Clear Heart Talismans? Is there a quality issue?"
He picked up a talisman and examined it carefully but found no defects. The quality was even comparable to those in the stores.
After thinking for a moment, he said:
"I'll take this Clear Heart Talisman."
He immediately prepared to pay, fearing someone else might grab it.
Lu An quickly waved his hand, helplessly saying:
"Brother Ying, please don't. I only made one lower-grade Clear Heart Talisman to attract customers."
"If you want it, I'll create a few more and give them to you."
Hearing this, Ying Chang reluctantly put the talisman back.
Fang Ling, however, noticed the mid-grade Clear Heart Talismans on the side and asked in confusion:
"These are also Clear Heart Talismans. Why is there only one?"
Her eyes moved to the wooden sign on the edge of the table, and she was stunned.
"Twenty spirit stones each?"
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