Chapter 36: The Zhou Family's Granddaughter
Chapter 36 The Zhou Family's Granddaughter
Mu Family Spirit Talisman Shop, second floor.
Lan Chang'an held his breath and focused his mind, gripping a violet bristle talisman brush as it danced across the premium talisman paper in an unbroken flow of inspiration.
After sustaining this for over a hundred breaths, the reddish-brown talisman patterns took shape on the paper, with a flash of light as they solidified successfully.
Whew!
Lan Chang'an exhaled deeply, the Evergreen mana in his body swiftly recovering.
Although his spiritual sense was strong, his cultivation level still limited him from drawing superior-grade talismans with complete ease.
Recently, the talisman shop's business had picked up. In addition to brisk sales of middle and low-grade talismans, there was considerable demand for superior-grade ones too.
The Bamboo Leaf Market Town's location was ideal, filling the market demands of several Foundation Establishment families, dozens of Qi-Refining families, and numerous wandering cultivators in the area.
For cultivation families, talismans were a convenient reserve of combat strength.
The superior-grade talismans in the shop were mainly used to quell the market, with a monthly purchase limit of five, sold at a loss.
Even Mu Xiuyun, the Mu Family's number one talisman master, could only barely manage not to make a loss, and this was still due to the fact that her cultivation had risen greatly recently, improving her success rate.
As a high-ranking member of the family, Mu Xiuyun had to juggle her cultivation, managing the shop, and drawing talismans, leaving her energy limited.
Drawing mid and low-grade talismans could earn a steady profit of spirit stones. But drawing superior-grade talismans consumed a lot of energy, so just breaking even was effectively a loss.
"When I refine ordinary superior-grade talismans, my success rate reaches ninety percent, so I'll just have to laugh at this extra material."
Lan Chang'an chuckled as he stored the completed superior-grade talisman into his storage pouch.
Lan Chang'an's public talisman skill was a notch below Mu Xiuyun's, resulting in a slight loss when refining superior-grade talismans.
Even so, Mu Xiuyun still required him to produce two or three each month.
These excess materials or talismans were essentially Lan Chang'an fleecing the Mu Family's sheep.
"Although there's a need for the shop to quell the buyers, for the young lady to be so willing to take a loss must mean she truly wants to nurture me." As Lan Chang'an fleeced the sheep, he felt a slight pang of guilt.
Ever since the incident with the traitor in the herb garden, Mu Xiuyun's attitude towards him had subtly changed.
She trusted and relied on him more, not minding the occasional casual male-female interaction in private.
...
"Uncle Lan Chang'an, the Frostwind Talismans in the shop have sold out, and that elder from the Zhou Family has come asking for more."
Just as Lan Chang'an finished adjusting his breath and was about to continue drawing talismans, Mu Ershun's slightly urgent voice came from the doorway.
Over this half year, under Lan Chang'an's guidance, Mu Ershun became an official apprentice able to handle talisman paper and practice basic entry-level talismans. In comparison, the other apprentice Mu Shan already had some foundation and was learning to draw low-grade talismans.
"Frostwind Talisman?" Lan Chang'an was a little surprised. The Frostwind Talisman was a relatively unpopular middle-grade talisman with a decent area of effect, but low lethality and few buyers.
Originally, this type of talisman was added by Mu Xiuyun to expand the shop's product range and increase competitiveness.
But unexpectedly, the few Frostwind Talismans that Lan Chang'an had displayed on the counter half a year ago without anyone inquiring about them were suddenly bought out in two days. Since it wasn't a hot item, Lan Chang'an hadn't replenished the stock in time.
Little did he expect that a customer would come urging for more today. Moreover, this customer was a late Qi-Refining elder from the Beast Taming Zhou Family, not someone to be neglected.
Mu Xiuyun wasn't at the shop today, so Lan Chang'an had to receive the guest himself.
"Ok, I'll go take a look." Lan Chang'an went downstairs to the shop and saw an elderly man from the Zhou Family dressed in plain clothes, slightly hunched with age, looking like an old servant.
"Are you the Talisman Master Lan who refines the Frostwind Talisman?" The plainly dressed elder was at the ninth layer of Qi-Refining, his eyes blazing as he spoke quite politely.
"Indeed, I am Lan Chang'an. May I ask how many more Frostwind Talismans the elder requires?" Lan Chang'an replied with neither arrogance nor humility.
"The more the better, preferably of premium quality ones," the plainly dressed elder said with full confidence, causing Lan Chang'an to pause slightly.
He didn't understand what the other party needed so many Frostwind Talismans for.
Of course, he didn't need to pry into the customer's purposes and secrets. After pondering, he said, "The difficulty of refining mid-grade Frostwind Talismans is rather high. I only have a few left in stock."
"I'll take them all," the plainly dressed elder said impatiently.
Lan Chang'an took out four Frostwind Talismans from his storage pouch, including one premium quality one.
The plainly dressed Zhou Family elder was also generous, directly paying thirty spirit stones, higher than the market price.
"I'm sorry to trouble Talisman Master Lan, there may be more demand in the future." the plainly dressed elder said before hurriedly leaving.
"What is that elder's status in the Zhou Family?" Lan Chang'an asked curiously.
At the ninth layer of Qi-Refining, he would be considered a high-ranking member in the Mu Family, but likely not a core member of the Zhou Family.
"Not sure." both Mu Shan and Mu Ershun shook their heads.
"Talisman Master Lan, you've had a fortuitous stroke of luck, being able to bask in the aura of a nobleman." The one who spoke was the next-door Rainbows and Silk Pavilion's Shopkeeper Xu, a well-dressed middle-aged man with a kind and friendly voice.
The Rainbows and Silk Pavilion mainly sold cultivator robes, including headdresses, accessories, and shoes.
This shopkeeper Xu was well-liked, he could chat with anyone and was well-informed. He was one of the few acquaintances Lan Chang'an had in the market.
"The one just now was the old servant of Zhou Qingxuan, the granddaughter of the Zhou Family patriarch. His purchase of talismans from you must be for the needs of that genius granddaughter of the Zhou Family."
"A ninth layer Qi-Refining cultivator as a servant?" Lan Chang'an was a little surprised.
Although the Zhou Family's old ancestor was a Fake-Dan Immortal, he had many children and grandchildren. Not to mention a great-granddaughter, even the number of granddaughters was unknown.
"Zhou Qingxuan is no ordinary granddaughter. Not only does she possess a high-grade spiritual root, but she also has an exceptional talent for taming spirit beasts. She is deeply favored by the old patriarch and considered a precious pearl in the Zhou Family that tames spirit beasts. Even the young master Huang has a bit of a soft spot for her."
The shopkeeper Xu from the Rainbows and Silk Pavilion explained.
"I see, thank you Shopkeeper Xu for the clarification," Lan Chang'an understood.
That servant's background of being the Zhou Family's precious granddaughter meant she was not someone to be offended.
The Zhou Family's old servant had already visited twice, so there was no telling if he would come again. Lan Chang'an had to remind his apprentices to be courteous when receiving him.
...
Two or three days later.
The Zhou Family's old servant came to the shop again, wearing a wry smile.
"Talisman Master Lan, I'll have to trouble you again. My young lady says the Frostwind Talisman isn't potent enough and wants to purchase the more potent Frost Descent Talisman instead."
"Frost Descent? But that's a first-rank superior-grade talisman, and a rather obscure one at that. I'm afraid I don't have that capability," Lan Chang'an couldn't help but lament, shaking his head.
The difficulty of refining Frost Descent was slightly higher than ordinary first-rank superior-grade talismans.
If he could casually refine it, he would be considered a solid first-rank superior-grade talisman master, surpassing even Mu Xiuyun's skill.
Although it was a chance to forge a good relationship with the genius Zhou Family granddaughter, Lan Chang'an didn't want to stick his neck out.
It would be more stable to wait until he reached the late Qi-Refining stage at over thirty years old before becoming a first-rank superior-grade talisman master.
"Alas, I thought as much too," the Zhou Family's old servant sighed, but he was quite affable as he hurriedly left.
"Lan Chang'an, are you really unable to refine Frost Descent? Even if the cost is higher?" Mu Xiuyun had returned to the shop that day, her starry eyes holding a glimmer of expectation.
Each talisman master was limited by their energy and could only refine a certain number of talisman types competently.
It wasn't that they couldn't refine other talismans, but they lacked the proficiency, resulting in a very low success rate, let alone something obscure like the Frost Descent talisman.
Mu Xiuyun and Lan Chang'an were both talisman masters of the Mu Family. In earlier years, Mu Xiuyun had Lan Chang'an practice a set of talismans that didn't overlap with her own.
The Frostwind Talisman was one of Lan Chang'an's choices.
Frost Descent could be considered an advanced version of the Frostwind Talisman. With the prerequisite foundation and proficiency, it would be relatively easier for him to practice the Frost Descent Talisman.
"I tried before, it was very difficult." Lan Chang'an replied impassively.
In fact, his storage pouch contained a few Frost Descent talismans, two of which were premium grade.
"Forget it then." Mu Xiuyun said with some regret.
If they could form a connection with the prestigious and talented Zhou Family granddaughter, it would be a good thing for the Mu Family.
...
Lan Chang'an thought the matter would end there.
But that afternoon, the Zhou Family's old servant returned again, this time accompanied by a charming young lady in a yellow dress with bright, lively eyes.
"Zhou Qingxuan! The Zhou Family's talented granddaughter!" The shopkeeper Xu from the neighboring Rainbows and Silk Pavilion couldn't help but gape, before a hint of schadenfreude appeared at the corners of his mouth.
"What instructions does Miss Zhou have for our humble shop?" Mu Xiuyun walked out gracefully.
"Bring out the talisman master who refines the Frostwind Talisman," the young lady in the yellow dress said flatly.
"What advice does Miss Zhou have for me?" The white-robed Lan Chang'an came out and politely asked.
Gazing at the calm and composed handsome youth before her, Zhou Qingxuan paused for a moment.
She couldn't help but ask, "How old are you?"
Asking about age when this wasn't even a courtship visit?
Lan Chang'an inwardly scoffed as he replied, "This Lan Chang'an will be thirty-four years old soon."
Zhou Qingxuan let out a "pffft" laugh, her pretty face lighting up brilliantly. "You're already in your thirties? I thought you were a once-in-a-century genius talisman master."
Lan Chang'an's apparent age made him seem around the same as her.
Lan Chang'an gave an awkward smile, his mind unperturbed.
"You surnamed Lan, this lady wants to capture the late first-rank Firebird that has appeared on Bamboo Leaf Mountain recently. I thought a few more Frostwind Talismans would be enough, but they still fell short. With the assistance of Frost Descent, this young lady would have a much greater chance of success."
Zhou Qingxuan was only seventeen years old, full of youthful arrogance, yet her cultivation was about the same as the thirty-something Lan Chang'an, already a fifth layer Qi-Refining cultivator.
"Miss Zhou, you should be well aware of the difficulty in refining the Frost Descent Talisman. This one has not truly become a first-rank superior-grade talisman master, how can I be sure of refining it?" Lan Chang'an looked helpless.
(End of chapter)