18: Collect money
After the Li Family left, the lively Family banquet gradually dispersed.
Chen Daoxuan and the other children still had to rush back to the Sect and couldn't stay long, so they bid farewell to Chen Xu one by one.
Chen Xu looked at the departing backs of his sons and daughters, his eyes filled with satisfaction.
This Family was growing robustly, exactly as he had hoped.
It was late, and his wife and children had all retired.
Chen Xu came to the backyard alone and sat in front of the stone chamber where he had been in seclusion.
He stretched out his hand, and a warm, liquid True Essence slowly circulated in his palm; the power it contained was more than ten times stronger than when he was in Qi Refining Stage.
Nine-layered Dao Platform, Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.
This brought him not only five hundred years of Lifespan and strength far surpassing those of the same stage, but also a brand new world.
But he had no complacency whatsoever.
Ninghai Town was too small, and Shangya Prefecture City was nothing more than a tiny place.
He knew very well that a Cultivator who had just achieved Foundation Establishment was nothing in this vast Cultivation world.
To truly support this Family and carve out a future, he still had a long way to go.
The most urgent task was to quickly transform this Foundation into tangible combat power.
Chen Xu silently pondered in his heart.
First was the Inverting Five Elements Array.
This Formation had rendered great service during his Foundation Establishment, but that was only by utilizing a superficial understanding of the Formation.
He hadn't even unleashed one-tenth of this grand Formation's true power.
If he could thoroughly master it, the Chen Family Courtyard would be as solid as a fortress, capable of withstanding any attack below the Golden Core Cultivator level.
Secondly, Talismans.
His current Talisman Dao level was still at Elementary.
It might be sufficient against Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators, but when facing genuinely powerful Foundation Establishment Cultivators, it would be inadequate.
He must quickly raise his Talisman crafting level to Intermediate.
He needed to refine Spirit Talismans that could pose a fatal threat to Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
Finally, offensive means.
When facing enemies now, he still only knew how to bombard them with Talismans, which was too crude.
The Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment method included a Divine Ability called the Azure Heaven Nine Revolutions Sword Art, which was extremely powerful and perfectly suited his style of not liking close-quarters combat.
Having clarified his thoughts, Chen Xu no longer delayed.
From the next day on, he locked himself in the study and the alchemy room.
During the day, he studied the Formation diagrams of the Inverting Five Elements Array, deducing the ever-changing combinations of Restrictions within it.
At night, he would attempt to refine Intermediate Spirit Talismans in the alchemy room.
Intermediate Spirit Talismans and Elementary Spirit Talismans were two completely different concepts.
The Talisman paper and Talisman ink used were more precious.
The requirements for control over spiritual power and the precision of Divine Sense were several levels higher.
The first Intermediate Low Grade Spirit Talisman Chen Xu chose to refine was named "Fire Phoenix Talisman."
Once activated, this Talisman could transform into a Fire Phoenix, which could not only track enemies.
Its flames were also incredibly domineering, specifically designed to break through a Cultivator's protective spiritual light.
He bought the High Grade Talisman paper with gold threads and Flaming Crystal Cinnabar needed to refine the Fire Phoenix Talisman at a high price from the market.
The first time he put pen to paper, his Divine Sense had just entered the Talisman paper.
The complex Talismanic structure made him dizzy, and the spiritual power under his pen instantly went out of control.
With a "puff," the Talisman paper, worth ten Spirit Stones, turned into a ball of flying ash.
Chen Xu's expression remained unchanged; he replaced it with a new Talisman paper and continued.
Failure.
Failure again.
For half a month straight, he consumed over a hundred sheets of Talisman paper, failing to even successfully draw the first basic Talismanic character of the Fire Phoenix Talisman.
If it were any other Cultivator, they would probably have long since vomited blood from distress and lost their Dao Heart.
But Chen Xu was neither anxious nor impatient.
He knew this was a necessary path.
He locked himself in the alchemy room, working tirelessly.
He repeatedly summarized his experiences, adjusted the frequency of spiritual power output, and pondered the depth of the Divine Sense imprints.
His Profound Grade Intermediate Aptitude played a huge role at this time.
Many critical points that ordinary people would take several months to understand, he could grasp in just a few days.
Time flew by in this monotonous practice.
In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
During these six months, the Chen Family Courtyard was peaceful and harmonious.
Chen Xu's eldest son, Chen Ping, had given him a grandson, increasing his Lifespan by five years.
His other sons also managed the Chen Family's industries in Ninghai Town in an orderly manner, and their business territory even expanded to several surrounding towns; the Chen Family's prestige and wealth grew daily.
On this day, the stone door of the alchemy room finally opened.
Chen Xu walked out; he looked a bit tired, but his eyes were astonishingly bright.
He called his three wives and Chen Qingqing to the main hall.
"It's done."
He placed a Talisman, flowing with a faint reddish glow, on the table.
Bu Yifan and Li Ling'er looked on curiously.
They could feel the terrifying energy contained within this Talisman.
Sun Xiaoyue, on the other hand, was full of pleasant surprise: "Brother Chen, you've refined an Intermediate Spirit Talisman?"
"Yes, Intermediate Low Grade, Fire Phoenix Talisman."
Chen Xu nodded.
"That's great!" All three women were genuinely happy for him.
Only Chen Qingqing, sitting in her wheelchair, stared intently at the Talisman, her pupils filled with shock.
Half a year.
It only took half a year to go from an Elementary Talisman Master.
To become an Intermediate Talisman Master capable of stably refining Intermediate Spirit Talismans?
This... how is this possible!
Back in the Sect, she had known a few Geniuses who specialized in Talisman Dao!
But even the most outstanding one took a full three years to go from Elementary to Intermediate!
And that was with the full guidance of Sect elders.
Yet Chen Xu, relying entirely on his own exploration, only took half a year?
How many Spirit Stones did he burn in these six months?
For the first time, a trace of awe for Chen Xu arose in Chen Qingqing's heart.
This awe had nothing to do with cultivation.
Rather, it was a submission to this almost abnormal Talent and perseverance.
"I calculated it..."
Chen Xu seemed to see through her thoughts and said calmly, "It probably cost over twenty thousand Spirit Stones."
"Hiss—"
Bu Yifan and Sun Xiaoyue both gasped.
Over twenty thousand Spirit Stones!
This amount of money was enough to bankrupt a small Cultivation Family.
Chen Qingqing became even more silent.
She suddenly felt that all her previous perceptions of this man were wrong.
Terribly wrong... Time flew by, and in a blink of an eye, another half year had passed.
"Master, someone claiming to be from the Li Family of Shangya Prefecture is requesting an audience outside the mansion."
On this day, Chen Xu had just finished drawing a Talisman when the butler rushed in to report.
The Li Family?
Chen Xu frowned; why were they suddenly visiting?
"Let them in."
A moment later, an old man with white hair and a worried expression, accompanied by a middle-aged man, was led in by the butler.
"This old man, Li Shichang, greets Fellow Daoist Chen."
As soon as the old man entered, he bowed deeply to Chen Xu, his posture extremely humble.
"Fellow Daoist Li is too polite, please sit."
Chen Xu raised his hand, gesturing for them to sit.
Li Shichang, however, did not sit, but said with a bitter smile, "Fellow Daoist Chen, this old man's abrupt visit today is truly for a matter I need help with; I hope Fellow Daoist can lend a hand."
"Oh?"
Chen Xu remained calm, "Speak freely."
Li Shichang sighed and recounted the entire story in detail.
It turned out that the Li Family had refined a batch of High Grade Magical Artifacts half a year ago.
They had planned to sell them through the Taiyi Merchant Alliance, the largest merchant association in the prefecture city.
To exchange them for the resources needed for the Family's Cultivation.
Unexpectedly, a young junior of the Li Family, while negotiating with the Merchant Alliance.
Somehow offended an Elder in the Merchant Alliance.
That Elder immediately became enraged, directly rejecting all of the Li Family's Magical Artifacts and declaring that the Taiyi Merchant Alliance would never accept anything from the Li Family again.
The Taiyi Merchant Alliance was the only formal large-scale merchant association within a thousand-li radius of Shangya Prefecture City, with extensive channels and a good reputation.
Being blacklisted by them meant that this batch of Magical Artifacts from the Li Family had almost no sales channels.
For the Li Family, which relied on Artifact Refining for their livelihood, this was undoubtedly a disaster.
"Everyone in my Li Family tried every method, pulled countless strings, but couldn't even see that Elder."
Li Shichang's face was full of helplessness and despair: "I heard that Fellow Daoist Chen has great Divine Abilities and gained widespread renown just after Foundation Establishment, so this old man truly has no other option but to shamelessly come and ask Fellow Daoist to mediate for my Li Family."
After listening, Chen Xu picked up his teacup and took a light sip.
He didn't immediately agree, but instead asked, "Does Fellow Daoist Li know that I recently also concluded a business deal with the Taiyi Merchant Alliance?"
Li Shichang was stunned.
Chen Xu put down his teacup and said calmly, "My Fire Phoenix Talismans will henceforth be exclusively sold by the Taiyi Merchant Alliance, and I will take seventy percent of the profit."
Seventy percent profit!
Li Shichang and the middle-aged man beside him nearly had their eyes pop out.
When their small Families cooperated with the Taiyi Merchant Alliance, getting fifty percent profit was already considered a favor from the Alliance.
Seventy percent! This was an incredible treatment!
This was enough to show that Chen Xu's standing in the eyes of the Taiyi Merchant Alliance was far beyond what they could compare to.
The look of hope on Li Shichang's face grew stronger, and he said excitedly, "In that case, Fellow Daoist Chen has a deep relationship with the Merchant Alliance, then this matter..."
"My relationship with the Merchant Alliance is built on mutual benefit."
Chen Xu interrupted him, "What good is it for me to help you? What harm is there for me to offend an Elder of the Merchant Alliance? I think Fellow Daoist Li understands these things better than I do."
Chen Xu's words were direct and realistic.
Li Shichang's excitement instantly froze, then turned into a bitter expression.
He knew there was no free lunch in the world.
He remained silent for a long time, seemingly making a difficult decision.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and gave a look to the middle-aged man behind him.
The middle-aged man immediately understood and took out two long, rectangular wooden boxes.
And a heavy leather pouch, respectfully placing them on the table in front of Chen Xu.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, this is a small token of my Li Family's sincerity." Li Shichang's voice carried a hint of pain, "I know these items may not catch Fellow Daoist's Dharma Eye. But these are the most sincere gifts my Li Family can offer."
Chen Xu's gaze swept over the two wooden boxes.
He didn't open them, but his Divine Sense had already probed inside.
Inside the wooden boxes were two identical Flying Swords, their blades dark gold, with restrained luster, and the sharpness almost bursting out of the boxes.
High Grade Magical Artifacts!
And they were High Grade Magical Artifacts that had been improved with special techniques.
Their quality was a notch higher than the goods circulating on the market.
More importantly, these two Flying Swords had interconnected auras, clearly forming a set.
Chen Xu's heart stirred slightly; wasn't this the best vessel he needed for Cultivating the Azure Heaven Nine Revolutions Sword Art?
His gaze then fell on the leather pouch.
Inside were a large number of second-tier Yao Beast Materials: fur, tendons, Yao Cores, everything imaginable.
These were all excellent Materials for refining Intermediate Talismans.
The Li Family had indeed made a significant investment.
A hint of a smile finally appeared on Chen Xu's face.
"Fellow Daoist Li is too polite."
He said, but his hand didn't pause at all, with a casual wave.
He put all three items on the table into his Storage Pouch.
Seeing Chen Xu accept the gifts, Li Shichang and the middle-aged man both breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
Receiving the gift meant there was room for negotiation.
"Now, you can tell me the name of the Elder you offended, can't you?"
Chen Xu leaned back in his chair and asked leisurely.
A hint of awkwardness appeared on Li Shichang's face; he hesitated for a moment before carefully saying, "That Elder, her surname is Xu, Xu Zhengyue."
Xu Zhengyue?
Chen Xu's eyebrows raised slightly.
When he had taken the Reversion Pills to the Taiyi Merchant Alliance for sale, it was this Elder Xu who had received him.
Later, the business deal for the Fire Phoenix Talismans was also facilitated by her.
It could be said that although they didn't have a deep friendship, their cooperation had always been pleasant.
Xu Zhengyue had left him with the impression of being shrewd and capable, but also reasonably fair.
How could the Li Family have offended her?
"Tell me, what exactly happened? Don't tell me you know nothing."
Chen Xu's gaze sharpened.
He had accepted the gift, so he could help.
But the premise was that he must know the full truth of the matter.
He didn't want to jeopardize his hard-won cooperative relationship with the Taiyi Merchant Alliance because of an irrelevant Li Family.