Chapter 9: Getting Rich!

Next, the others were inspected one by one.

The soul-detecting bead artifact flickered to the same degree as it had for the old man in the green robe; these people had all used a secret technique once.

Soon, everyone had been checked, leaving only Chen Lin.

Lu Li’s expression had become extremely ugly.

A fierce light shone in his eyes, and it felt as if he might lash out and kill at any moment.

The atmosphere became exceptionally tense.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Lin observed that several talisman masters already had their hands inside their robes, presumably gripping their magic artifacts.

Others had formed hand seals, ready to cast spells at any time.

In short, none of them wanted to sit and wait for death.

With Lu Li’s keen perception, it was impossible for him not to notice this, yet he remained completely indifferent, clearly not regarding the strength of these people as a threat at all.

Seeing that the other party was already manipulating the bead to inspect him, Chen Lin hurriedly pulled the successfully refined Soul-Detention Talisman from his bosom.

"I have fortunately not failed the task, and by some stroke of luck, I succeeded once. I do not know if this meets Fellow Daoist Lu's requirements."

Having said that, he handed over the talisman.

He dared not let the other party inspect him; once it was discovered that he hadn't used any secret technique, it would be difficult to explain.

"Ah?"

Lu Li exclaimed in surprise.

He had long since abandoned hope, thinking only of whether he should go collect another batch of materials after the inspections were finished to have these people try refining again.

However, he also knew that since it hadn't succeeded this time, refining a few more times would likely be of no use.

After all, the talisman masters he had found were all rogue cultivators with low cultivation levels; their craftsmanship certainly wouldn't be very refined. But he couldn't force the talisman masters from the great families, and he didn't have enough bargaining chips to lure those types of masters with benefits.

Yet, he hadn't expected that just as his hope was about to be extinguished, this last talisman master, who only had a mere second-level Qi Refining cultivation, would actually produce a finished product!

Lu Li snatched it up and held it before his eyes to inspect it.

Then, he burst into hearty laughter.

"Haha, not bad, not bad! Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover. I never expected Fellow Daoist to have such exquisite talisman-making skills. You have given me a great surprise. May I ask your honorable name?"

Lu Li put the talisman away with satisfaction, his tone becoming much kinder.

The tense atmosphere in the hall eased instantly.

The others were stunned for a long while before they began to offer their congratulations.

Since the talisman had been refined, they no longer had to worry about Lu Li venting his anger by killing them, so they were genuinely happy.

Chen Lin cupped his hands, showing no trace of arrogance, and said, "I am Wang Tieniu, just a low-level talisman master who has just entered the field. Being able to refine this talisman was purely a matter of luck."

"Hehe, no need to be humble. Luck is also a part of strength."

Lu Li was all smiles, a completely different person from before.

After speaking, he beckoned to his cousin, who had been silent the whole time. She brought over a cloth bag and placed it heavily on the table in front of him with a loud *thud*.

"This is fifty medium-grade spirit stones. I, Lu, am a man of my word. Since Fellow Daoist Wang has refined the talisman, the reward will not be a single stone short!"

Fifty medium-grade spirit stones!

Chen Lin’s breathing became heavy.

He hadn't expected the other party to actually keep his promise and pay the reward.

It wasn't just him; the eyes of the others also gleamed, staring unblinkingly at the spirit stone bag.

This gave Chen Lin a sudden jolt of alarm.

If he walked out with these spirit stones, he would likely be robbed and killed before he got very far.

With his second-level Qi Refining cultivation, he couldn't beat any of the people here.

But it was impossible for him to abandon these spirit stones.

Thinking of this, he unceremoniously took the heavy bag of spirit stones into his hands and said to Lu Li, "Fellow Daoist Lu, may I take my leave first?"

Lu Li looked at him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile and nodded. "Very well, Fellow Daoist Wang, take care."

Having received permission, Chen Lin felt a slight weight lift from his heart. He grabbed the bag of spirit stones and walked out of the inn's door without looking back.

He hurried through the night.

He couldn't be sure how long Lu Li would keep those talisman masters, so he used all his strength, kicking up snow as he ran.

Soon, he arrived at the place where he had changed his appearance earlier. He looked left and right, and seeing no one around, he dove into a snowdrift.

A moment later, a young woman in a white dress emerged.

The woman’s face was somewhat pale, and there were snowflakes in her hair.

She looked around vigilantly, straightened the bundle on her shoulder, and moved quickly along a path that had been trampled into the snow.

After several turns, she stopped in front of a dilapidated courtyard gate.

She checked behind her once more to ensure she wasn't being followed, then pushed the door open, slipped inside, and closed it behind her.

High above in the distance, the figures of Lu Li and his cousin appeared out of thin air, floating silently.

Lu Li raised an eyebrow, looking at the courtyard gate with interest. "I didn't expect it to be a woman. Her disguise technique is quite good, and she is cautious enough."

"Cousin, should we catch her and bring her back?"

Lan Yuqing asked, puzzled, seeing that her cousin wasn't taking action.

"Why catch her? A mere fifty medium-grade spirit stones aren't enough to make me break my word. I just wanted to confirm this person's residence and identity; perhaps I can use them in the future."

Lu Li replied with a cold, sidelong sneer.

Lan Yuqing nodded and said nothing more.

Her cousin’s personality was a bit arrogant, but he always kept his word, which was one of the reasons she liked him.

"Alright, let's go back. We'll leave the city early tomorrow morning, so get some rest."

Lu Li glanced at the courtyard once more, then drove his magic artifact and departed side-by-side with Lan Yuqing.

Not long after the two had gone, the snowdrift behind the courtyard wall suddenly trembled, and a figure crawled out from within.

It was none other than Chen Lin.

He hadn't discovered the surveillance by Lu Li and his cousin, but out of caution, he looked around before channeling his magic power and quickly moving away.

This time, there were no complications, and he returned to his residence, quietly opening the door and slipping inside.

He bolted the door, calmed his nerves for a while, then took off his outer coat and pulled the bag of spirit stones from his waist.

He stroked it gently, then untied the bag and poured all the spirit stones inside out.

*Clatter.*

A shimmering pile filled the tabletop.

Chen Lin felt dizzy with excitement, his breathing growing heavy. He picked up one stone after another, touching every single one.

He was rich!

He was truly rich this time!

One medium-grade spirit stone was worth one hundred low-grade spirit stones; fifty of them meant five thousand low-grade spirit stones!

A massive fortune!

After being excited for a full half-hour, Chen Lin finally calmed down, put the spirit stones away, and pondered how to spend them.

At the same time, he recalled whether he had been followed.

Although he felt that with Lu Li’s status, he wouldn't secretly tail him for these spirit stones—otherwise, there would have been no need to let him go and allow him to leave first—his habitual caution still led him to change his identity twice more and use a safe house he had prepared earlier.

He had rented that dilapidated courtyard secretly under his female persona a month ago and had never used it, just to have a place to hide in case of danger. He had used it this time to ensure no loose ends remained.

However, Chen Lin felt it was worth it.

He was too weak right now; for the sake of safety, one could never be too careful.

That night, after observing the "Red Thread Filling the Sky" once more, Chen Lin couldn't sleep no matter what, so he simply got up to meditate and cultivate.

With his pockets full, he luxuriously used a medium-grade spirit stone. The effect was indeed much faster than normal cultivation, but the energy was impure and not explosive enough to help him break through.

Early the next morning, Chen Lin washed up and went to the Treasure Pavilion.

After purchasing ten sets of alchemy materials and a simple alchemy furnace, he hurried back.

Back home, he hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door and began to attempt alchemy.

Thanks to "Fish Under the Sky," "Fifty-Four Seals," and others for their tips, and thanks for the recommendation votes!

(End of chapter)