Inside Aksai's farmhouse, three individuals were seated around a worn-out wooden desk.
On one side sat a man in his mid-60s, while the other side was occupied by two Spirit cultivators—a young man in his late teens and an elderly woman in her early 50s.
"What?" Aunt Reta exclaimed in shock upon hearing Reman's response. Her initial surprise quickly transformed into controlled anger.
"What is the meaning of this, fellow practitioner Reman? I... I thought we had an agreement," she said, her voice trembling with frustration. It was evident that Reman's words had provoked her.
"I meant what I said, Madam Reta," Reman replied, sighing as he glanced at Aksai seated across from him beside Aunt Reta.
"Aksai has no future. He is weak and timid, with no remarkable accomplishments as a Spirit cultivator. His prospects are bound to be limited, especially since we are all rental farming on the Lakir estate.
Moreover, with his parents deceased, he is practically an orphan who was fortunate enough to survive into adulthood.
What if he belongs to a family of rogue cultivators? What if his father was a criminal?
Though it's rare, such cases do exist. And without his parents to confirm his origins, there's no way for us to verify his lineage. How can I agree to wed my daughter to him without knowledge of his family and parents?"
Reman's polite tone belied the scathing nature of his remarks about Aksai's family background, leaving Aksai somewhat taken aback. He had expected Reman to finalize the discussions with Aunt Reta, not back out of their previous agreement.
Before Aunt Reta could intervene, Reman calmly took a sip of his Spirit tea and continued.
"Don't misunderstand me; I appreciate the boy's respectful demeanor toward his elders. However, it's clear that he is not a suitable match for my daughter," Reman explained calmly, meeting Aunt Reta's glare with composure.
"You…." Aunt Reta was practically fuming with anger at Reman's words. She pointed a shaky finger at him, her voice filled with rage.
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting, Reman? Did you come here to insult me and the boy? Take back your words this instant. Otherwise… let's just say, I have enough influence in the neighborhood to make you regret every word you uttered against us," she threatened, her fists clenched in fury.
"Why are you going to such lengths for this boy, Madam Reta?" Reman's expression turned solemn as he listened to Aunt Reta's words.
"I don't believe I spoke ill of you or your family. Why are you defending the boy so fiercely? Is it about some kind of promise you made to the boy's late father? I can find a mortal girl suitable for him if that's what you prefer," he stated in a serious tone.
"Who do you think you are?" Aunt Reta's voice grew cold.
"Are you performing some sort of charity by offering a mortal girl to marry my Aksai?
If you wish to retract from our previous arrangement, just say it plainly. As for finding another bride for Aksai—I can handle that myself. I'll find a better match for him than that vixen of yours," she declared, her fists slamming onto the wooden table.
"Get the hell out of my sight. But… before you leave, return the high-grade Barrier-bypass talisman I gave you earlier. It was offered to you as a sign of goodwill after our agreement. But since you're backing out, you no longer have the right to keep it," she demanded with authority.
'A high-grade Barrier-bypass talisman? Is it 1st-order? It can't be a 2nd-order one right? Damn. you should have given that sweet thing to me, Aunt.'
Aksai was stunned by Aunt Reta's revelation. He turned to look at her, his expression filled with a mix of gratitude and sadness.
On one hand, he felt grateful that Aunt Reta had gone to such lengths, offering a significant dowry to arrange his marriage with Jasmine. On the other hand, he felt a pang of regret knowing that the item he needed most had been given away freely.
If Aksai had known Aunt Reta possessed a barrier-bypass talisman, he would have simply asked to borrow it. With such a talisman, he could have bypassed the 1st-order barrier surrounding the Enchanted Everwood farm, saving him considerable time, effort, and expense.
He realized he could have obtained it directly from her instead of relying on chance encounters during his upcoming trip to Wilben City.
***
Aksai speculated that the barrier-bypass talisman was likely part of her late husband's inheritance to her.
The 1st-order variant could fetch anywhere from 300 to 400 spirit stones depending on its quality. Still, it was difficult to put a price tag on such talismans because of how rare they were and how useful they could be in the hands of varying cultivators.
If it happened to be a 2nd-order talisman, its appearance would cause quite a stir in the market. 2nd-order barrier-bypass talismans were exceedingly rare commodities, even if a 2nd-order talisman maker were to craft one with all their expertise.
Barrier-bypass talismans were particularly valuable for exploring inheritance grounds. If Aunt Reta had chosen to auction it, she could have earned even more than its market value due to the current unrest in Wuyum and Ragui Counties.
Aksai knew Reman was among the Spirit farmers who participated in exploration teams sent into inheritance grounds by the Lakir Family a couple of times. He seemed driven to make a big score with a stroke of luck. It was likely he intended to use the barrier-bypass talisman himself during his next visit to the inheritance ground.
Inheritance grounds contained numerous Spirit fields and isolated zones that required collective efforts from multiple Spirit cultivators to breach. Deeper zones within the grounds had even more formidable barriers, promising greater rewards if teams managed to overcome them with their combined strength.
Possession of a barrier-bypass talisman allowed one to enter and exit such zones a few times before its power waned. Without the need for teams, the bearer could clandestinely access these zones and claim all the resources within, without alerting anyone else.
In essence, Aunt Reta had effectively handed Reman a key to success with the barrier-bypass talisman.
If he used it wisely, he had the potential to amass enough cultivation resources to significantly improve his daughter's chances of advancing into the 2nd Spirit cultivation realm.
Keep grindin', keep shinin', and never let anyone dim your light. Your hustle, your flow – they're the keys to unlocking the next level in this game called life.
Reman Linoyi's expression turned solemn when he heard Aunt Reta's request for him to return the barrier-bypass talisman.
Though he had anticipated this turn of events, he had hoped to avoid a falling out with Aunt Reta, who held sway within the Spirit farmers' community.
"Madam Reta, please don't be angered," Reman took a deep breath, carefully choosing his words to quell Aunt Reta's ire.
"I agree that the talisman was given to my family as a pre-wedding gift, so naturally, I wouldn't just keep it without offering you something now that Jasmine and Aksai won't be marrying.
How… how about I offer you 100 spirit stones in exchange for the barrier-type talisman?"
"You—" Aunt Reta's fists clenched tighter, ready to unleash her fury on Reman Linoyi.
However, before she could speak, Aksai placed his palm over Aunt Reta's clenched fist, gently pressing it, and urging her to remain silent. When she turned to him, she saw Aksai's smile, speaking volumes to her.
Aunt Reta's anger subsided slightly upon seeing Aksai's calm demeanor. She took a deep breath before nodding at him, signaling for him to take charge of the conversation.
After all, it was his potential marriage the two elders were discussing. He had as much right to speak on the matter as her if not more.
"Uncle Reman, may I ask you a few questions?" Aksai looked directly at Reman, who sat across from him. Reman was momentarily taken aback by Aksai's composed demeanor, seeing him in a favorable light despite their differences.
Reman's remarks about Aksai's family were merely a pretext to back out of the agreement he had previously made with Aunt Reta. While he may not marry his daughter off to Aksai, he didn't wish to sour his relationship with him either.
"Go ahead, lad," Reman replied promptly, snapping out of his reverie.
"You mentioned not knowing about my lineage as a reason for not marrying your daughter to me," Aksai's tone was neither submissive nor confrontational.
"I understand the dynamics of arranged marriages, so I won't fault your reasoning. Though you could have inquired about my lineage if truly interested, I won't dwell on that now.
It seems you're determined to annul the marriage. And that's all fine by me.
Still, your sudden change of heart intrigues me. When you initially agreed to my aunt's proposal, you knew as much about me as you do now. Nothing has changed since then.
This suggests an external factor influenced your decision. I wonder what that might be?" Aksai asked, his gaze fixed on Reman with genuine curiosity.
Aunt Reta widened her eyes in surprise at Aksai's words. In her anger, she had failed to approach the situation with the same composure as Aksai. Even Reman was slightly taken aback by the boy's analysis.
After a moment of hesitation, he decided to speak the truth. After all, the aunt and nephew were soon to learn about Jasmine's potential marriage with the outer disciple of the Purple River Sect, so there was no point in concealing the matter.
In fact, now that it had come to this, he decided to borrow his future son-in-law's influence to sort out the matter.
"Well," Reman glanced at Aunt Reta, offering a wry smile before speaking in an awkward tone.
"The truth is, Madam Reta, I've found a better match for my daughter recently. This young man has become an outer disciple of the Purple River Sect and shows great promise in Spirit cultivation.
He… He has already reached the late-stage Spirit Refining realm before the age of 20. Now, tell me, how could I refuse such a match and choose Aksai over him?"
Reman explained, supposedly sighing with a sense of resignation. Yet, beneath his words, one could detect a hint of pride as he spoke about his future son-in-law's accomplishments.
Aunt Reta's expression became complicated upon hearing Reman's real reason for canceling the potential marriage between Aksai and Jasmine.
On one hand, she felt the urge to knock the man's head against the worn-out table and break both it and his nose in the process.
On the other hand, she was struck by the impressive background of Reman's future son-in-law. His status as an outer disciple of the Purple River Sect far surpassed her own standing as a mere 1st-order mid-grade talisman maker.
While she wanted to fight for Aksai as much as possible, she also felt truly powerless when faced with Jasmine's choice of such an influential and talented suitor. There was no way for her to defend Aksai's honor in their current situation.
"So that's how it is," Aksai nodded at Reman before speaking up.
"In that case, there's no need for us to hold your daughter back from the bright future ahead of her. We wish you and your daughter all the best for the future," Aksai smiled and spoke in a tone that conveyed he harbored no hard feelings.
"About the barrier-bypass talisman," Aksai's voice trailed off as he looked at Aunt Reta. She nodded at him, tacitly giving him full authority to decide on the matter. Aksai pondered for a moment before speaking up, his voice decisive and his tone serious.
"I suggest you offer 300 spirit stones for the barrier-type talisman. Either that, or you hand us the barrier-type talisman itself."
"This… 300 spirit stones is a bit too much," Reman's expression darkened as he spoke.
"Lad, it's a 1st-order high-grade talisman. You wouldn't be able to get more than 200 spirit stones even if you were to sell them at Lakir City's market these days."
Although Aunt Reta had the option of putting such a rare talisman up for auction, she might not be able to handle the risks that came with it. Even if she were to sell it in Lakir City, the Lakir clan might pressure her into selling it for relatively fewer spirit stones than its actual market worth.
In essence, Reman's point about the talisman wasn't entirely unfounded. He had initially suggested 100 spirit stones as a starting point for negotiations. He had decided to buy the talisman for about 200 spirit stones so that he would be able to close the matter for good while avoiding a fallout with Aunt Reta.
Reman hadn't anticipated that Aksai would raise that amount by an additional 200 spirit stones in a single go.
Life's like Wi-Fi – sometimes you gotta search for the signal in the chaos. But once you find that connection, you'll be streaming success 24/7. Stay plugged in and keep leveling up!