บท 22: Chapter 22: The Shop
Lu An responded calmly, "It's just an ordinary healing pill. With your cultivation level of the third stage of Qi, you should recover in no time."
Bai Sheng, still in doubt, quickly examined his body. Indeed, a gentle medicinal force was slowly mending his injuries.
"What exactly do you intend to do?"
Lu An didn't rush to answer. Instead, he found a relatively clean spot to sit down and said, "As I mentioned, this matter began because of me, so it should end with me."
"However, I need to ask you something and hope you answer truthfully."
Bai Sheng remained silent, not quite understanding what Lu An was up to.
Lu An continued, "Is this 'One-Stage Thirty-Six Talisman True Method' passed down from your ancestors?"
Bai Sheng's heart swelled with pride. He looked up and said, "Naturally. My family's ancestors were masters of talismans. This True Method originally had a total of one hundred and eight talismans."
"Many of these were second-stage or even third-stage talismans. Unfortunately, later on, a servant stole them, and their whereabouts are unknown."
"Now, only this half of the thirty-six talismans remains."
Lu An was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Bai Sheng's ancestors to be so formidable.
Third-stage talismans required a strong consciousness, reaching the later stage of Foundation Building or even the Core Formation stage.
It was lamentable that such a family had declined so completely.
After thinking for a moment, Lu An asked, "Do you understand the way of talismans?"
Bai Sheng nodded, then showed a hint of bitterness.
"I know a bit. I can draw first-stage low-grade Lightning Talismans, but the materials for talismans are expensive and require high consciousness, so I haven't learned other talismans."
"However, if I had enough materials to practice, I believe I could draw other talismans without any problem."
Hearing this, Lu An spoke seriously, "We wandering cultivators don't have the funds to practice freely. However, I can offer you an opportunity to learn. It's up to you to decide."
Bai Sheng was confused and looked at Lu An with suspicion.
Lu An didn't keep him in suspense and continued, "Since you were harmed because of me, and I've benefited from your Talisman True Method, I offer you two choices."
"One, you can take a sum of spirit stones. However, I don't have many on hand right now and will need some time to pay you. But rest assured, it will be fair."
"Two, I can provide you with a job managing a shop that sells talismans. You can get some materials to practice with, but in this case, there will be no spirit stones."
Bai Sheng was intrigued. The idea of a job managing a shop made him wonder if Lu An was from the Divine Talisman Pavilion.
He wasn't sure whether to trust Lu An, but he felt this might be a chance he shouldn't miss. If he let it slip by, he might regret it for the rest of his life.
"What kind of shop are you talking about?"
Lu An smiled slightly, seeming unsurprised by his choice. "I have a stall in the market where I sell talismans. I'm currently in need of someone to help manage it."
Bai Sheng was puzzled. As far as he knew, there were no stalls selling talismans in the market. However, he hadn't been there for a while and wasn't certain.
"Is that true? You're not lying to me, are you?"
Lu An smiled and replied, "Do you think there's anything worth lying to you about?"
Bai Sheng considered this and realized that with his current state of poverty, there wasn't much Lu An would gain by deceiving him. At this point, he could only hope Lu An would keep his word.
"Alright. But I want to go to the market to see for myself tomorrow when my injuries are a bit better before making a decision."
Lu An nodded. "As you wish."
He had his own considerations. With his reputation growing, business in the market would only become more bustling. Accordingly, his time for cultivation would decrease.
Even though he could multitask, handling customers would inevitably take up time. It would be better to hire an assistant to handle these tasks, allowing him to focus on drawing talismans and cultivation.
The next day, Lu An went to the market.
The stalls on either side were empty. The Cheng couple was in seclusion, working on their Foundation Building, and it was unclear how they were progressing.
The shop opposite his stall was under renovation, with laborers coming and going, working busily.
It was curious to open a shop in such a desolate place. The rent for the shop opposite was not cheap, especially in such a quiet part of the market, so no one had rented it so far.
Lu An was curious about the owner and what business they were engaged in. With the market still quiet and no customers around, he approached a worker carrying wood and asked, "Hey, do you know what kind of business this shop will be?"
The worker was slightly annoyed by the interruption but didn't show it, noting that Lu An was at the mid-stage of Qi and was polite enough not to cause trouble.
"This place? I heard it's going to be a shop selling talismans, but I don't know the specifics."
The worker then shook the wood in his hand. "Friend, see for yourself..."
Lu An understood his meaning, released his hold on the man's arm, and clasped his fists.
"Please, go ahead with your business."
He returned to his stall, deep in thought.
A talisman shop was opening right across from him—what a coincidence! Could it be that this was intentional?
While he was pondering this, two familiar figures approached from a distance.
"How fortuitous to meet you here, Brother Lu. I didn't expect you to arrive so early."
"Mr. Lu."
The newcomers were Li Ziyou and Shen Mi. Li Ziyou was as familiar as ever, but Shen Mi had become much more reserved since his defeat in the match against Lu An, even addressing him as "Mr."
Lu An stood to greet them with a smile.
"What brings you two here today?"
Li Ziyou stepped forward, putting an arm around Lu An's shoulder with a mysterious air.
"Naturally, we've come to bring a gift for Brother Lu."
"A gift? What kind of gift?"
"Do you remember that after your match, I promised you a gift, but you asked me to waive your stall's rent?"
Lu An nodded slightly. Li Ziyou had indeed mentioned something like that, but he had taken it as a joke at the time.
"Oh? What kind of gift is Li Brother offering?"
Li Ziyou played it coy.
"It's far away but also right in front of you. Brother Lu, why don't you take a guess?"
Lu An glanced at the shop across the street that was under renovation and felt a slight stir in his heart. The market was managed by the Li family, so the shop's ownership was certainly in their hands. It seemed that the gift Li Ziyou mentioned was indeed this shop.
His expression became serious, and he shook his head.
"Li Brother, such a gift is too valuable. I can't accept it. Our relationship doesn't require such extravagance."
"Instead, why don't we find a tavern, have a couple of pounds of beef, and three pounds of fine wine, and enjoy ourselves?"
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