Chapter 95
He aimed the bottle's mouth at the palm of his left hand, and a凝元丹 (Ning Yuan Dan, a type of alchemical pill) rolled into his grasp.
This was what he had spent his entire fortune on today—comprising the wages given by Senior Sister Yuan and the earnings from selling talismans over the past few days.
If he hadn’t advanced to the second level of Qi Refinement, allowing him to draw two more talismans each day, he might not have saved up enough spirit stones.
This was also why he had asked Senior Sister Yuan to wait a few more days before introducing him to the disciples in the market—he wanted to first condense his second元符 (Yuan Fu, a type of talisman).
For his first Yuan Fu, he had chosen the正立无影符 (Zheng Li Wu Ying Fu, a talisman for safety), primarily to ensure his own security in the modern world.
However, the Zheng Li Wu Ying Fu was not particularly useful in the Xuan Wei Realm.
This time, Zheng Fa had a clear goal for his condensation—he wanted something powerful, preferably with a flashy effect.
Senior Sister Zhang had said he was a玄品符师 (Xuan Pin Fu Shi, a talisman master of the Xuan grade), equivalent to the Foundation Establishment stage, but Zheng Fa didn’t quite see it that way.
After all, anyone could buy talismans; could simply possessing a Xuan grade talisman make one a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Perhaps the disciples in the market wouldn’t recognize that—everyone admired the pay-to-win warriors, but on the other hand, some might look down on them a bit.
However, the《符道筑基法》(Fu Dao Zhu Ji Fa, Talisman Path Foundation Establishment Method) was different; it allowed Zheng Fa to transform talismans into spells.
Being able to instantly cast Foundation Establishment spells meant he could rightly claim to be half a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
According to Senior Sister Zhang’s classification, the Zheng Li Wu Ying Fu was categorized as阴性 (Yin, feminine) and土属 (Tu Shu, earth attribute).
Since earth gives birth to metal, the talisman he needed to choose had to be阴性 and金属 (Jin Shu, metal).
The options were actually quite limited.
Senior Sister Zhang had only experimented with a small portion of talisman designs, and the only Yuan Fu Zheng Fa could condense was the霜刃符 (Shuang Ren Fu, Frost Blade Talisman)—as Senior Sister Zhang had said, the designs were too complex, and one凝元丹 was not enough. Among the available Yuan Fu, the best choice he could find was the Frost Blade Talisman.
This talisman not only had great power and impressive lethality, but it could also freeze an enemy's body, slowing their movements.
It was quite popular among talisman masters.
Zheng Fa tilted his head back and swallowed the Ning Yuan Dan, effortlessly channeling the spiritual energy within him, condensing it into the Frost Blade Talisman’s Yuan Fu design in his dantian.
With his strong spirit and the fact that this wasn’t his first time condensing a Yuan Fu, this was no challenge for him.
However, while condensing the Frost Blade Talisman, he noticed that the medicinal potency of this Ning Yuan Dan seemed to be a bit weaker than the last one.
This was probably what Senior Sister Zhang referred to as耐药性 (nai yao xing, drug resistance).
Once the Frost Blade Talisman was successfully condensed, it landed right next to the Zheng Li Wu Ying Fu, the two appearing as if they were a perfect match, merging into a somewhat complex pattern.
Zheng Fa tested it out; after condensing the Frost Blade Talisman, he found that his absorption speed of spiritual energy during cultivation had increased a bit.
...
In the market.
Six disciples dressed in blue were patrolling the aisle created by the stalls.
The other five surrounded a slightly older senior brother, who seemed to be their leader.
The vendors on either side looked at these disciples with a hint of reverence, and even their calls for business quieted a bit as they passed by.
This showed how impressive these disciples were in the market.
However, this time, they didn’t seem to be in the mood to show off. As they walked, they quietly moved their lips, whispering to each other.
“Have you heard? That Zheng Fa.”
“It’s already spreading; he’s going to take charge of our market.”
“Only two months into Qi Refinement, and Senior Sister Zhang really dotes on him…”
The three were discussing Zheng Fa’s impending takeover of the market.
Senior Sister Zhang hadn’t intended to keep this a secret; not only these well-informed disciples but also the shopkeepers in the market had heard about it.
“...If you ask me, he has talent in talismans, but this promotion is a bit excessive.” A stout disciple muttered.
“This is Senior Sister Zhang’s decision.”
“Is everything Senior Sister Zhang does right?” the stout disciple retorted, “Let’s not even mention it—who can respect a Qi Refinement second level disciple?”
“If there’s chaos in the market, can he really keep things under control?”
“He’s a genius in talismans, so he should just focus on drawing talismans. But managing the market isn’t just about drawing a few talismans; he’s only been in for two months and hasn’t even grasped the basics of the Jiu Shan Sect. How can he manage the market?”
“...” The others exchanged glances, all feeling that the stout disciple had a point.
“If that’s the case, who would be better suited to manage it? Should it be you?”
The stout disciple glanced at the quiet senior brother among them and said, “If it were Senior Sister Yuan managing it, that would be one thing, but if not her, I think Senior Brother Yang would be the best.”
The others were taken aback and looked at Senior Brother Yang.
“Senior Brother Yang is at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and he’s been in the Jiu Shan Sect for decades, with years of experience in the market. Isn’t he much better than Zheng Fa?”
The others nodded in agreement.
On one hand, they felt the stout disciple had a valid point.
On the other hand, they had a good relationship with Senior Brother Yang; if he had a bright future, they would naturally benefit from it.
But Senior Brother Yang waved his hand, “I have no interest in power. Besides, since Senior Sister Zhang has spoken, we can only obey.”
“Senior Brother Yang, the amount of spirit stones that pass through the hands of the market manager each month is more than we’ve seen in our entire lives,” the stout disciple urged.
Senior Brother Yang fell silent for a moment, looking at him and said, “You make a good point. How about this: when you meet Zheng Fa in a couple of days, tell him this—don’t mention my name, but I support you in taking charge of the market!”
“...How could I dare oppose Senior Sister Zhang?”
“Do I dare?” Senior Brother Yang scoffed.
The others were at a loss for words.
Among the disciples in the market, many had objections to Zheng Fa taking charge, or rather, the vast majority did.
The reasons were complex.
As older disciples, they naturally felt disgruntled being overshadowed by a new disciple at the second level of Qi Refinement.
On the other hand, there was also a lack of trust in Zheng Fa’s abilities.
But more than that, it was about interests; they all wanted to take his place—this position represented too many spirit stones.
Yet no one dared to openly oppose Senior Sister Zhang, all hoping someone would step forward.
“Anyway, I’m not convinced, and Zheng Fa is too young,” the stout disciple gritted his teeth.
The others fell silent; Zheng Fa’s youth meant a very unfavorable reality for them—he could hold the position of market manager for a long time, leaving no opportunities for others. If it were someone like Senior Sister Yuan, a Golden Core cultivator, they wouldn’t dare voice any objections, but Zheng Fa’s cultivation was low.
“Why not go find Senior Sister Yuan and have her speak up?” Seeing the others silent, the stout disciple said through gritted teeth.
“Hmm?” Senior Brother Yang looked up at him.
“Senior Sister Yuan cares a lot about the market manager position,” the disciple analyzed. “Now that Senior Sister Zhang wants to let Zheng Fa take charge, isn’t the one most upset about it Senior Sister Yuan?”
“I heard Senior Sister Yuan and Zheng Fa have a good relationship?”
“Do you believe that?” the stout disciple countered. “With such a big profit at stake, even couples can turn against each other!”
“Besides, if their relationship were really good, why wouldn’t she just hand the position over to Zheng Fa?” The more he spoke, the more he felt he was making sense. “Is Zheng Fa foolish? Does he want another senior sister above him?”
“What do you mean?”
“Senior Sister Yuan is reluctant to give up this position, and Senior Sister Zhang can’t be too biased towards Zheng Fa, so she can only compromise like this. In the future, these two will surely clash, and that’s when we’ll have our chance.”
The stout disciple raised his chin, looking smug, as if he were about to fan himself with a handkerchief.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 109: Not Yet Tried
Zheng Fa arrived at Senior Sister Zhang’s house early in the morning.
“Is there something you need?”
Seeing Zheng Fa come to find her, Senior Sister Zhang looked a bit puzzled.
“Senior Sister, I’ve been looking over the past accounts these days, and the market’s income… has been declining significantly lately.”
Senior Sister Zhang thought for a moment, gestured to a chair beside her, and invited Zheng Fa to sit down.
“When I first took over the Shumu Pavilion, the market’s income was over two thousand spirit stones a month,” she said frankly. “But over the past century, both the rent and transaction taxes in the market have been decreasing.”
Zheng Fa was a bit surprised to hear this; the decline was quite substantial.
“This isn’t just a problem for our Jiu Shan Sect,” Senior Sister Zhang reassured him. “Just do your best.”
It was clear she thought Zheng Fa was worried about the income continuing to drop after taking over the market and facing punishment, which was why he had come to her.
By revealing her own shortcomings, she was also trying to comfort Zheng Fa.
After a moment of silence, Zheng Fa spoke up, “I’m not actually worried about that. I have an idea I’d like to discuss with you, Senior Sister, to see if it’s feasible.”
“An idea?”
Senior Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa and suddenly realized, “You’re worried that your cultivation can’t hold the ground, and you want to make some moves in managing the market?”
Zheng Fa smiled, “You’ve seen right through me. Since I don’t have the cultivation to command respect, I can only think of ways to handle these matters.”
It was a necessary strategy to stabilize his position.
Either he could be like Senior Sister Yuan, using her Golden Core cultivation to keep everyone in line.
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