180: Chapter 180 The Great Deal of Fifty Years

A faint voice came from the opposite side: "I know."

The smile that had just begun to curve Chu Linger's lips suddenly froze: "Ah."

Her eyes lowered slightly: "As expected, nothing can be hidden from your Liusu Chamber of Commerce."

Fairy Su shook her head slightly: "Fairy Chu, you misunderstand. I only guessed that there was someone else behind the scenes; I never said I knew who it was."

She took a gentle sip of tea: "While Fairy Chu's talisman-making skills are decent, they clearly haven't reached the second-rank level, let alone the ability to draw a Pseudo-Third Rank talisman."

"So that's how it is..."

Chu Linger's eyes flickered.

"If there is an opportunity, Fairy Chu might as well bring that Pseudo-Third Rank talisman master to the chamber. Our chamber offers special treatment for talisman masters of this rank, and their authority to exchange for spiritual items is very high."

Hearing this, Chu Linger's expression shifted: "You two actually thought of the same thing. To be honest, Fairy Su, I've already brought this friend along; he's currently dining outside."

"Then please, Fairy, invite him in for a talk."

"Mm."

A moment later.

Xu Changsheng entered the private room under the guidance of a maid.

The maid quietly withdrew and closed the door to the room.

He took a look at the surrounding environment.

The four walls were decorated with glazed palace lanterns that cast a warm glow, and in the corner, a bronze crane incense burner emitted thin wisps of agarwood smoke.

Beside the window stood a polished rosewood round table, and both beauties turned their gazes toward him.

Chu Linger, naturally, had already pulled a small square stool over for him, gesturing for him to sit.

But the identity of the other woman was beyond his expectations, because she was none other than Su Tinglan, whom he had met once at Ice Split Mountain several months ago.

At that time, Su Tinglan seemed to have left the Hundred Sects Trial early. He had thought their paths would never cross again, never expecting to see her here today.

Su Tinglan clearly hadn't expected the newcomer to be Xu Changsheng. Her originally ice-cold face thawed inch by inch, no longer wearing an expression that kept people a thousand miles away.

At this moment, their eyes met, and the atmosphere became somewhat ambiguous.

Chu Linger beckoned to him: "Fellow Daoist Xu, what's wrong? Seeing Fairy Su's beauty, you can't even move your legs?"

Taking the opportunity to follow her lead, Xu Changsheng gave a sheepish smile: "No, I just didn't expect Fairy Su to be a member of the Liusu Chamber of Commerce."

Chu Linger realized and said: "Oh, I forgot. Fairy Su is so famous in the Wu State's cultivation world that her portraits have even reached Yellow Ox Immortal City. Have you seen her portrait?"

He nodded slightly.

Seeing this.

Chu Linger looked at Su Tinglan's skin, which was as smooth as jade, and said with a hint of jealousy: "I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Xu to look so honest on the surface while secretly engaging in such sordid behavior."

"This..."

Hearing the intense jealousy in Chu Linger's words, Xu Changsheng for a moment didn't know how to respond.

Su Tinglan covered her mouth and chuckled: "Let's get back to business."

Seeing the usually frost-cold Su Tinglan actually laugh, Chu Linger's expression became even more suspicious.

...

An hour later.

Xu Changsheng walked out of the private room with a satisfied expression.

He had made a special deal with the Liusu Chamber of Commerce.

As long as he supplied two hundred Pseudo-Third Rank talismans to the Liusu Chamber of Commerce within fifty years, the chamber would provide him with a Jiejing Pill as a reward after he completed an assessment.

On the surface, this deal seemed like a huge loss for Xu Changsheng. Over fifty years, he not only had to refine a large number of Pseudo-Third Rank talismans but also had to pass an assessment to receive the reward.

In other words, if Xu Changsheng ultimately failed the chamber's assessment, his decades of effort would result in a total loss.

One must know that the price of a Pseudo-Third Rank talisman was extremely high. For an ordinary talisman master, the cost of failed refinements alone would be several hundred Spirit Stones, and the final product's selling price was as high as a thousand Spirit Stones.

If it weren't for Xu Changsheng's One Proof Eternal Proof talent—where once a refinement succeeded, it would never fail again—this would have been a losing business venture.

This was why Pseudo-Third Rank talismans were so scarce on the market, and once they appeared, they were often driven up to two thousand or even three thousand Spirit Stones each.

In other words, the two hundred Pseudo-Third Rank talismans Xu Changsheng would provide were worth at least four hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

Refining Pseudo-Third Rank talismans was not easy for the current Xu Changsheng either. His Qi was insufficient, requiring him to stop and recover midway, often taking ten days to intermittently produce a single one.

This also happened to be the supply limit for Pseudo-Third Rank Talisman Paper and Talisman Ink. These were all Chu Linger could get for him through her Immortal City channels; even if he refined them faster later, he could only maintain this speed.

Not to mention he also had to balance his Cultivate, Body Refining, and Beast Taming; drawing three talismans a month was already quite good.

With such a high cost, only a Heaven-Defying item like a Jiejing Pill would make him sign such an outrageous contract.

After all, this was a Jiejing Pill—a pill whose traces were difficult to find in the outside world.

A Jiejing Pill could increase the probability of Core Formation by a full thirty percent. Except for ancient Genius Cultivators, taking a Jiejing Pill for Core Formation was a necessary path for every Foundation Establishment Cultivator today.

Of course, Xu Changsheng was no fool; he wouldn't allow the chamber to simply paint a grand picture and trick him out of all his savings for the next several decades.

He had carefully examined the contents of the contract; any violation would cause a massive backlash to the chamber's Luck.

For a large-scale chamber like the Liusu Chamber of Commerce that spanned several cultivation worlds, the things they valued most were connections and Luck.

The cultivation world had its own metaphysics. Luck supported the basic operations of a chamber, much like a Cultivator making an oath. Once a chamber's Luck was damaged, it would produce a series of chain reactions.

Business would decline, the flow of people would dwindle, and it would eventually collapse.

...

Inside the private room.

Su Tinglan watched the departing figures of Xu Changsheng and Chu Linger, her willow-like brows slightly furrowed.

Her original intention was only to have Xu Changsheng refine about ten Pseudo-Third Rank talismans for her, just to bolster the chamber's prestige in Yellow Ox Immortal City.

She hadn't expected to end up signing such a massive deal.

Opposite her was a person-sized light screen with flowing deep blue light, displaying a white-haired, kind-looking old man.

She asked in confusion: "Elder Mo, why sign such a large contract with Fellow Daoist Xu?"

The old man on the light screen stroked his beard and smiled: "This old man should be asking Deacon Su that question. It was Deacon Su who used her once-a-year Long-Distance Transmission Token."

"This... Fellow Daoist Xu's request for a Jiejing Pill is no small matter. This Junior couldn't make the call, which is why I summoned Elder Mo."

"Whether it's a big matter, this old man will judge for himself. However, since Deacon Su took on the role of a Liusu Chamber of Commerce deacon, she hasn't used the transmission token for over ten years. I didn't expect the first time she used it would be for such an occasion."

Su Tinglan lowered her eyes slightly: "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Hehe, this old man just feels that Deacon Su seems to be quite concerned about that young friend Xu's affairs."

"No such thing."

Su Tinglan remained expressionless, but a small patch of crimson suddenly rose on her earlobes.

"This old man understands. I will notify the chamber headquarters about the contract."

Seeing this, the old man on the light screen said with a faint, knowing smile on his kind face.

"Thank you, Elder Mo."