Chapter 132
Han Qi said, a hint of pride on his face, “Although Junior Brother Zheng has dual spiritual roots, I’ve heard that his progress is the fastest among the new disciples, rivaling even those with single roots.”
Li Shixiong nodded, but his expression grew more anxious.
Zheng Fa was a genius.
The more he thought about it, the more he worried whether Zheng Fa would even notice him.
Years of cold shoulders at Jiu Shan Sect had nearly drained his confidence.
Noticing Li Shixiong’s expression, Han Qi seemed to understand his thoughts and suddenly asked, “Did you buy a new outfit today, Shixiong?”
Li Shixiong smiled shyly and replied, “There was a special sale on Huang Ya Mi (yellow sprout rice) at the market today. I saved a bit of money and thought I’d dress nicely, so Junior Brother Zheng wouldn’t think I’m disrespectful…”
“That Huang Ya Mi is actually what Junior Brother Zheng bought for us disciples to eat.”
“Ah?”
Han Qi smiled at Li Shixiong, “I don’t know if Junior Brother Zheng will take a liking to your talismans, but he’s not someone who looks down on us.”
Li Shixiong glanced at his new clothes, fell silent for a moment, and finally smiled, a bit of reassurance returning to his face.
…
“Junior Brother Zheng, this is Li Nuo, Li Shixiong.”
Han Qi brought Li Shixiong before Zheng Fa and introduced him.
“Li Shixiong, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Seeing Li Shixiong’s somewhat awkward expression, Zheng Fa took the initiative to bow.
Li Shixiong was taken aback, hurriedly returning the gesture, as if it had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him like that.
“Han Shixiong, did you bring Li Shixiong here because…”
Han Qi glanced at Li Shixiong and said, “Let Li Shixiong explain himself.”
“I… I’d like to ask Junior Brother Zheng to lend me some spirit stones.” After a long pause, Li Shixiong finally spoke.
Borrowing money?
Zheng Fa blinked, looking at Han Qi in confusion—was this guy a relative of his?
“…” Han Qi was also at a loss for words. “Junior Brother Zheng, please understand, Li Shixiong isn’t borrowing for himself; it’s for research.”
“Research?”
Zheng Fa’s interest was piqued; not many in Jiu Shan Sect were into research.
Looking at Li Shixiong, who seemed at a loss for words, Zheng Fa asked, “What kind of research?”
“Talismans.”
Li Shixiong pulled out a blood-red square from his robe, which was engraved with a pattern of the Golden Armor Talisman.
“Talismans?”
Is this about talisman printing?
Zheng Fa took the square, looking at Li Shixiong, his eyes glimmering with curiosity. “Just this one?”
“Only this one succeeded; the others… exploded.”
Zheng Fa’s hand trembled. Why didn’t you say that earlier?
Li Nuo said sadly, “My father died in an explosion while researching talismans.”
“…Li Shixiong, do you have any characters?”
“Xiao Zishi Cheng.” Li Nuo replied, a bit dazed.
Thank goodness, it’s not Zi Bei.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 139: Investment
Zheng Fa examined the talisman for a long time.
It was a stamp, entirely blood-red and square, with the pattern of the Golden Armor Talisman somewhat faded.
“Li Shixiong, why are you still standing? Please, have a seat!” Noticing Li Nuo’s anxious demeanor, Zheng Fa said politely, “Tell me more about this talisman.”
Li Nuo was taken aback, seemingly surprised by Zheng Fa’s interest in the talisman.
He seemed at a loss for words, his lips moving but no sound coming out.
Zheng Fa misunderstood and said, “This must be a family secret of yours; I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, no!” Hearing this, Li Nuo waved his hands repeatedly. “It’s not a family secret; no one in Jiu Shan Sect cares about this.”
As he spoke, his disappointment was evident.
Zheng Fa frowned slightly, looking at the talisman, puzzled. “Is there something wrong with this talisman?”
Li Shixiong nodded honestly and said, “Junior Brother, do you see how this talisman is made?”
Zheng Fa glanced at the color of the talisman, uncertain in his tone, “Blood?”
“Correct. This talisman is actually made from a mixture of spirit beast blood,” Li Nuo admitted candidly. “But each talisman pattern requires a different type and ratio of spirit beast blood. If there’s any mistake, it can explode when inscribing the pattern.”
“…So, how many patterns and what quality can this talisman produce?” Zheng Fa pressed on.
“A Qi Refinement Stage cultivator can use it to draw thirty yellow-grade Golden Armor Talismans in a day.”
Zheng Fa was taken aback.
He had considered the issue of talisman printing.
But after thinking it through, he realized that drawing talismans was inherently tied to the cultivator—spirit talismans required spiritual awareness to capture the patterns in the void and spirit power to inscribe them on talisman paper.
From Zheng Fa’s perspective, Qi Refinement Stage cultivators were often limited by their spirit power, and the number of talisman patterns they could draw in a day was finite.
For example, when Zheng Fa was at the Qi Refinement Stage, he could only draw three talismans a day with his spirit power.
“So, this talisman uses the spirit energy from the spirit beast blood to replace the cultivator’s spirit power?”
Zheng Fa asked.
Li Nuo nodded, saying, “You’ve understood correctly; that’s exactly it.”
Zheng Fa gently placed the talisman on the table, feeling a bit disappointed—this talisman’s effectiveness was far below his expectations.
Li Nuo watched him, his eyes filled with anxiety.
“Then I’d like to ask, how many spirit talismans can one talisman produce?” Zheng Fa asked another crucial question.
Li Nuo’s expression grew even more troubled.
“According to my father’s estimate, this talisman can produce about a thousand yellow-grade talismans.”
“What’s the cost of this talisman?”
“Six spirit stones.”
Li Nuo’s voice dropped even lower.
Zheng Fa calculated; the Golden Armor Talisman was quite common in Jiu Shan Sect.
It wasn’t expensive; a thousand yellow-grade Golden Armor Talismans could sell for around thirty-three spirit stones, maybe even less.
If you factor in the cost of talisman paper and spirit ink, it would still be about thirty spirit stones.
The net profit would barely be three spirit stones…
This thing is a total loss!
Seeing Zheng Fa come to this realization, despair slowly crept onto Li Nuo’s face.
“Li Shixiong, what exactly do you want from me?”
“I…” Li Nuo’s voice was barely audible. “I’d like to ask you to lend me some money…”
“For researching talismans?”
“Yes.”
Li Nuo kept his head down, as if finding it hard to speak.
“Junior Brother, I don’t need much—just ten spirit stones a month. No, five spirit stones would be enough.”
“If I can get a new talisman, maybe the costs can go down.”
“Then, Junior Brother, with the talisman, you could earn… earn money…”
Li Nuo trailed off.
It seemed he suddenly remembered Zheng Fa’s current status—he was the sect leader’s disciple, trusted by Senior Sister Zhang, and a well-known genius talisman master in the sect.
How could he possibly care about such a small amount?
“Shixiong, let me think this over for a few days.”
Li Nuo felt that this was Zheng Fa’s polite refusal.
“Then I won’t disturb you any longer.” He stood up, looking dejected.
“Shixiong, you might have misunderstood me.” Zheng Fa said, “I mean, it’s not appropriate for me to lend you money personally, but it would be better if the Sect’s Bureau or the Talisman Hall funded it.”
“Ah?” Li Nuo didn’t quite understand the difference, but he grasped one thing: “So, Junior Brother, you’re willing to lend me money?”
“Not exactly lending, but investing.” Zheng Fa clarified, “The sect provides the funds, you provide the talisman technology, and if it makes money, we can discuss how to split it later.”
This left Li Nuo both enlightened and confused.
He understood that some shops in the market operated this way—hiring a skilled cultivator, like an alchemist, and then sharing the profits.
But he didn’t understand that their skills were guaranteed to make money.
As for his own…
“What if it fails?” he asked, lacking confidence. “Would the sect be willing?”
“Investment always carries risks.” Zheng Fa smiled. “Let me be clear: if we make money, the sect will take the lion’s share, and you’ll get a fraction.”
Zheng Fa’s words didn’t discourage Li Nuo at all.
“As long as you can get me the funds to research the talisman, I won’t even need any money in the future!”
He said excitedly, his eyes slightly red.
…
After sending Li Nuo off, Zheng Fa pondered for a moment and headed toward Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard.
It suddenly struck him that aside from the day he became a lecturer at the Talisman Hall, he hadn’t seen Senior Sister Zhang in quite a while, and it felt a bit strange.
He wondered what she had been busy with lately.
Upon arriving at Senior Sister Zhang’s home, he discovered that she hadn’t been busy at all.
Well, not exactly—she was busy enjoying herself.
In the small pavilion of the back courtyard, she and Senior Sister Yuan were leaning against the railing, relaxed and carefree.
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