Chapter 4: Invitation

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you know my style, Zhang Mazi. I always offer a flat price with no room for bargaining. However, your situation isn't entirely without room for consideration."

The shopkeeper stroked his non-existent beard and spoke slowly.

"What do you mean? Just say what you have to say. Why are you acting all coy like a woman after not seeing each other for a few days?"

Chen Lin was feeling anxious, so his tone was a bit sharp.

The shopkeeper remained unhurried. He glared at him and said, "With that mindset of yours, it’s no wonder your cultivation has never made any progress. The greatest taboo for a cultivator is to be eager for quick success. You must be calm and composed in everything you do, otherwise, you’re prone to becoming obsessed and falling into the demonic path!"

Chen Lin was taken aback.

He then cupped his hands and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang is absolutely right. I have been taught."

Regardless of whether the other party was squinting or not, these words were very reasonable.

The shopkeeper gave Chen Lin a look that suggested he was a teachable student, then slowly continued, "What is your success rate for crafting these Fireball Talismans?"

Chen Lin didn't understand why the other party asked this, but it wasn't something he couldn't disclose, so he immediately replied, "Ten percent!"

"Only ten percent? That’s a bit low. But for someone with your cultivation level to be able to craft a first-grade mid-tier talisman above your rank is already commendable. It will improve as your proficiency increases."

The other party was talking to himself, and Chen Lin didn't know how to interject, so he could only remain silent and wait for what came next.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, I wonder if you have any interest in joining our Zhang family?"

Suddenly, the other party looked up and said something that stunned Chen Lin.

"What do you mean? Could it be that some young lady of your Zhang family has taken a fancy to me and wants me to marry into the family?"

Chen Lin immediately conjured up countless images in his mind.

The Zhang family the other party spoke of was one of the five great families—the Zhang cultivation clan, the very one that had just lost its Foundation Establishment powerhouse.

Even without a Foundation Establishment expert, they were still one of the five great families, and their foundation remained deep, incomparable to ordinary forces.

Most importantly, they held pills in their hands, which were exactly what he lacked most right now. To escape this place, sacrificing himself a little wasn't entirely out of the question.

"You certainly have a high opinion of yourself!"

The shopkeeper was amused by Chen Lin's words.

He then squinted and sneered, "A young lady of my Zhang family is not someone a toad like you could ever match. If you are willing to marry a mortal without spiritual roots, I could help you arrange that."

Seeing the shopkeeper's tone, which was half-serious and half-joking, Chen Lin immediately shook his head.

"Forget about mortals. We wouldn't have a common language; I'd rather stay single. So, what did you mean by your previous words, Fellow Daoist Zhang?"

The shopkeeper’s expression turned serious. "You may have heard the rumors. Our Zhang family has had some trouble recently and is recruiting a large number of talented people with various skills. Since you, Fellow Daoist Chen, can craft first-grade mid-tier talismans, you meet the requirements for recruitment. If you are interested, I can report it to the family and invite you to become our family's exclusive talisman master."

Chen Lin was somewhat tempted. "What are the benefits of becoming an exclusive talisman master?"

Whether it was marrying into the family or becoming an exclusive talisman master, as long as he could get his hands on pills, it would suffice.

"As for the benefits, there are naturally many. Not only will you be provided with more talisman-crafting methods for free, but you will also receive a monthly stipend of spirit stones. Furthermore, you can receive instruction in the way of talisman-making from our Zhang family's master talisman crafter. You could say the benefits are numerous."

The shopkeeper stroked his chin proudly.

"With so many benefits, I'm afraid they aren't so easy to take. Are there any restrictions?"

There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Chen Lin was clear that one must pay a price for whatever benefits they receive.

The shopkeeper squinted and sneered, "The conditions are very loose. You only need to sign a Heart Demon Oath, swearing never to betray the family for the rest of your life!"

As expected.

Chen Lin sneered inwardly.

Expecting these people to be kind-hearted was impossible; it was pure wishful thinking.

This wasn't recruiting an exclusive talisman master at all; it was basically recruiting a house slave and signing a deed of indenture!

The Heart Demon Oath had a very powerful binding force on cultivators. Once violated, one would be backlashed by their own heart demons.

"Forget it. I'm used to being free and don't like being restricted. Many thanks for your kind offer, Fellow Daoist Zhang."

Chen Lin refused directly.

He didn't even bother to ask if they could provide a quota for purchasing pills.

He absolutely could not take a Heart Demon Oath; if he did, he would never be able to leave this place.

The shopkeeper didn't mind Chen Lin's attitude. Instead, he looked at him deeply and said, "Fellow Daoist Chen, Kaiyuan City is becoming increasingly unstable. I advise you to think it over carefully. If you don't attach yourself to one of us cultivation families, I'm afraid the days ahead won't be very easy!"

Chen Lin was stunned for a moment.

Then he cupped his hands.

"Thank you for the reminder, Shopkeeper. I will consider it further."

The shopkeeper shook his head, looking at him as if he were an ungrateful brat.

After leaving the Zhang family firm, Chen Lin wandered around other shops and bought a large bag of materials.

He headed back only after spending almost all of his savings.

The heavy snow continued to fall.

The snow on the ground was over a foot deep, making it difficult even for cultivators to walk.

He barely encountered anyone on the way, and the few he did see were all mid-to-late Qi Refining stage cultivators who had learned the Flight Technique.

Chen Lin envied the Flight Technique greatly. If he could learn this spell, his survival ability in the wild would increase significantly.

Unfortunately, this spell required at least the mid-Qi Refining stage to learn, and it was said to be very difficult to master.

For now, he had to focus on improving his cultivation.

Alchemy had to be put on the agenda immediately.

Back home, Chen Lin started a fire to cook. After eating, he began crafting talismans.

He was making Strength Talismans, a first-grade low-tier talisman, one of the only two types the original owner knew how to make.

The Fireball Talisman wasn't profitable and wasted too much time, so it had to be shelved for now.

Although the Strength Talismans were cheap, the original owner had mastered them, achieving a success rate of thirty percent. Combined with his "Ten-Time Guaranteed Success" talent, he had a forty percent success rate. After deducting costs, he could earn about two spirit stones for every ten sets of materials.

By getting up early and staying up late, he could process twenty sets of materials a day.

That meant four spirit stones in his pocket!

He would use this skill to earn enough spirit stones to buy materials before he could start attempting alchemy.

Chen Lin hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign outside his door and began crafting talismans day and night.

In a flash, ten days passed.

Chen Lin, with dark circles under his eyes, looked at the thick stack of talismans in his hand with a sense of accomplishment.

The snow outside had grown even thicker, and it showed no signs of stopping.

At this rate, he wouldn't be able to leave the house in a few more days.

Chen Lin pushed open the window and looked worriedly at the snowflakes dancing in the sky, withdrawing his gaze only after a long while.

However, the investigation he had been worried about never happened, which made him feel much more relaxed.

It took a great deal of effort to open the door. After clearing away some of the snow, Chen Lin trudged toward the marketplace.

The Zhang family firm branch.

The room was warm, but there was no one around.

Chen Lin took out all his Strength Talismans and placed them on the counter.

"You actually pushed the success rate of the Strength Talisman to forty percent? You've made progress!"

Based on the time it took to craft them, the shopkeeper, Zhang Mazi, immediately deduced his success rate.

He was quite surprised.

Such low-level talismans were not worth coveting, so Chen Lin hadn't bothered to hide anything.

He nodded and said, "That's right. Ever since I crafted the Fireball Talisman, my understanding of talisman-making has deepened."

Zhang Mazi naturally couldn't know that Chen Lin was no longer the original Chen Lin and possessed the "Ten-Time Guaranteed Success" talent. He simply thought Chen Lin had suddenly had a breakthrough and his potential had been tapped.

As he handed the spirit stones for the Strength Talismans to Chen Lin, he squinted, sneered, and stared at him.

It made Chen Lin feel a bit uneasy.

"What are you looking at? You aren't planning to rob me, are you?"

Chen Lin put the spirit stones into his pocket, holding them in his hand, and looked at the other party vigilantly.

Zhang Mazi squinted and sneered, "Do you think I'm a pauper like you? Is this pittance of spirit stones worth me getting my hands dirty?"

Chen Lin knew that with the other party's status, he wouldn't care about this little bit of money; he was just trying to ease the atmosphere.

"Then what are you looking at me for?"

Zhang Mazi stroked his non-existent beard and said, "I have a cousin who has been a widow for many years. Although she is a bit older, a bit uglier, and a bit on the plump side, and has a bit of a bad temper, she has a cultivation level of the fourth level of Qi Refining, and she has a younger brother in the late Qi Refining stage. If you are interested, Fellow Daoist Chen, I can introduce you."

...

Chen Lin's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Suppressing the urge to punch the other party's pockmarked face, he coldly refused, "Many thanks for the shopkeeper's kindness, but I really cannot climb high enough to reach a young lady of your Zhang family."

He could sacrifice himself to improve his cultivation, but not to that extent.

He thought the other party would be unhappy, but unexpectedly, Zhang Mazi pondered for a moment and then showed an expression of deep agreement.

He squinted, sneered, and nodded, saying, "Fellow Daoist Chen, you certainly have self-awareness. You're right; it was my assumption. With your conditions, my cousin would definitely not take a fancy to you. If I really opened my mouth to introduce you, I'd probably be scolded for it. Let's just pretend I never said anything."

Chen Lin opened his mouth.

He was speechless.

He cursed the other party inwardly for being snobbish. He didn't even have the mood to buy materials here anymore and turned to leave.

Even after stepping outside, his chest was still heaving with anger.

However, once he thought about how these people were just a bunch of puppets, his anger dissipated quite a bit.