39: The talisman brush is passed down through generations, and hidden currents are brewing.

Stepping into the shop, the layout was small, but it was kept tidy.

Behind the counter sat a woman who looked to be about forty or fifty years old, dressed in indigo-blue cultivation robes, her hair bun combed meticulously, and her eyes sharp.

She was the manager of this shop, Wu Zhilan, with a cultivation base of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

In Yunliao Prefecture, Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivators are considered the backbone of Foundation Establishment Families and typically do not stand guard here for long periods.

Manager Wu looked up, her gaze lingering on Su Wantang for a moment, showing a hint of familiarity.

Female Cultivators who mastered Talisman-making techniques were rare to begin with; this female Loose Cultivator calling herself "Han Gu," though having a coarse appearance, possessed an indelible air of elegance in her demeanor that left a deep impression.

"Fellow Daoist Han, it has been a while since we last met."

Wu Zhilan's voice was calm, and then her gaze fell upon Qi Xuanjin beside her. "This is?"

"My son."

Su Wantang replied, her voice slightly lowered.

"So it is your son."

Wu Zhilan nodded and asked no more, turning to business. "Has Fellow Daoist Han come this time to sell more Talismans?"

"Exactly."

Su Wantang took a common cloth pouch from her bosom and poured out over a dozen Talismans, placing them neatly on the counter.

Wu Zhilan picked up the Talismans and inspected them carefully one by one.

She saw that eight of them were "Water Mist Talismans," which, when activated, could form a dense mist to shroud one's figure and aura.

The other four were "Earth Thorn Talismans," which could instantly summon sharp stone spikes from the ground to injure enemies; they were the best-selling First-tier Low Grade Talismans.

She inspected them very slowly, her eyes gradually revealing a look of surprise.

She remembered that the last time this "Han Gu" came to sell, it was only basic, ungraded practice works like "Dust-Cleansing Talismans" or "Bright Light Talismans."

How long had it been since then?

Not only had she successfully drawn graded First-tier Low Grade Talismans, but they were also of two different attributes: water and earth!

This speed of progress was truly somewhat startling.

The Dao of Talismans is difficult, and every step forward requires a great deal of practice and insight. Could this woman have some extraordinary talent in the path of Talismans?

After finishing the inspection, Wu Zhilan had already made up her mind and spoke:

"I must congratulate Fellow Daoist Han on your improved skills.

These Water Mist Talismans and Earth Thorn Talismans are all First-tier Low Grade, and their quality is decent.

The market price is about eight Spirit Crystals for a Water Mist Talisman and one Spirit Stone for an Earth Thorn Talisman.

Since you are selling twelve at once, I can offer eleven Spirit Stones. How does that sound?"

Su Wantang pondered for a moment, knowing this price was fair and even included a slight premium, so she nodded in agreement:

"Agreed."

The transaction complete, and having stowed away the eight shimmering Spirit Stones, Su Wantang led Qi Xuanjin out of the Wu Clan Talisman Pavilion.

Seeing a trace of ease and satisfaction between her brows, Qi Xuanjin was somewhat puzzled.

Eleven Spirit Stones sounded like a lot, but thinking of the Communication Spirit Jades his father gave Concubine Su and himself, were they not worth more than a hundred Spirit Stones?

Not to mention the protective Talismans his father prepared for them; it was said that a single First-tier High-grade Talisman cost at least twenty Spirit Stones.

Drawing for so long with such hardship, only to get eleven Spirit Stones... Su Wantang caught his expression and immediately knew the young man's thoughts.

But Xuan Jin was not her own child, and she didn't want to say much. However, thinking that her husband had let Xuan Jin accompany her... she said gently:

"Jiner, do you feel that these few Spirit Stones are but a drop in the bucket for our Family?"

Her voice was soft yet serious.

"Your father naturally treats us very well and protects us with all his strength.

However, the path of immortal cultivation is long, and a Family's development cannot be sustained by one person's strength alone for long.

Since we enjoy the Family's support and our cultivation is growing, we should think of repaying it, each doing what we can.

Grains of sand build a pagoda, and by increasing income and reducing expenditure, only then can the Family's Foundation be stable and not waste away.

When you manage the household in the future, you should always remember this principle."

Qi Xuanjin fell into thought upon hearing this.

"Jiner, do you want to come shopping with your aunt?"

Su Wantang asked.

Qi Xuanjin thought for a moment:

"Aunt... I want to wander around this market city on my own."

After all, the young man had his own independent thoughts.

Su Wantang smiled slightly; she had also gone through that age and naturally understood that young people did not want to be restricted.

"Very well, go ahead and wander on your own, but don't get into arguments with others."

...On the other side, Qi Yuan had already settled the bill and left the restaurant.

He found a deserted corner, his joints making faint sounds as his face and body rippled like water, restoring his original appearance.

A Middle-aged Cultivator with a lean face and calm eyes.

He straightened his green cultivation robe and hung the Bronze Immortal Family Token representing the "Yunmeng Qi Clan" in a prominent place at his waist.

He then walked toward the core area of the market, where the Spiritual Qi was noticeably more abundant, at a steady pace.

If he showed the Immortal Clan Token bestowed by the Zhao Family, the nine Spirit Crystals for the three of them could be saved, but Qi Yuan was unwilling to do so.

He did not want his wife, concubines, and children to be placed under the focus of certain interested parties too early or too clearly.

Although it was no secret that the Qi Family had settled in Cloud Dream County and their children lived in Cuiyun Town, and anyone interested could find out with a little investigation.

But this active disclosure versus passive discovery carried different potential risks after all.

The core area and the outer area of the market seemed like two different worlds, with completely different concentrations of Spiritual Qi.

A very tall building built of massive blue-black stones appeared before him.

There was no plaque on the lintel, only a complex Convergence Formation pattern simply carved, faintly emitting heart-pounding fluctuations.

This was the true hub of Yunliao Market and the main node of that second-tier spirit vein.

Only with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator presiding, combined with a powerful Formation, could the safety of the market be ensured against outside intrusion.

The guards at the door were no longer those Early Stage Qi Refining Cultivators from the periphery, but two young Cultivators.

Looking at their faces, they were both under thirty, and their cultivation bases were both at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

Qi Yuan went straight forward, and before the other party could ask, he actively took off the Immortal Clan Token from his waist and injected a trace of dharmic power.

The ancient seal script character "Zhao" and the small characters "Yunmeng Qi Clan" on the token both lit up with a faint glow, emitting a unique aura of a legal contract.

The expressions of the two young Cultivators immediately became solemn. After carefully sensing that the aura of the token was correct, they both bowed with hands clasped and stepped aside to open the passage, their attitude respectful:

"Senior, please enter."

Holding the Immortal Clan Token bestowed by the Zhao Family meant their Family was already recorded in the Zhao Kingdom's immortal registry, and the Family head's cultivation must be in the Late Stage Qi Refining, making them worthy of respectful treatment.

After Qi Yuan's figure disappeared into the stone door, the two young Cultivators returned to their original standing posture.

One of them, who had thick eyebrows and was named Li Zhenshan, whispered to his companion:

"Lin Chengzhou, could that person just now be the head of the newly established Qi Family in Cloud Dream County?"

The one called Lin Chengzhou had a thin face. Hearing this, he glanced at Li Zhenshan with a look that seemed to say "why bother asking," but still replied in a low voice:

"Among the dozen or so Qi Refining families in Yunliao Prefecture, where else could a 'Qi Family' suddenly emerge from besides that long-vacant Cloud Dream County?"

These two seemed like gatekeepers, but in fact, they had special identities.

The one with thick eyebrows, a broad mouth, and a steady temperament was the direct son whom the head of the Li Family was focusing on cultivating, Patriarch Li Zhenyue.

And the one with a thin face and sharp eyes was the most outstanding disciple of the Lin Family's generation, Lin Chengzhou.

Arranging for them to stand guard here was by no means a slight; on the contrary, it was a necessary trial.

Yunliao Market was co-governed by three families, and the day of paying tributes was the time when the heads of all Qi Refining families in the prefecture would surely gather within these three years.

Here, they could personally see and get to know the representative figures of each Family, and for the heirs who would need to take charge of their families in the future, there was no place more suitable than this.

Patriarch Li Zhenyue chuckled:

"I didn't expect that such a remote place like Yunmeng could actually find a Spiritual Vein to settle in. In your opinion, what quality of Spiritual Vein would it be?"

Lin Chengzhou pondered:

"For a Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator to be willing to spend a significant price to establish a new immortal Family, it's likely a First-tier High Grade Spiritual Vein.

I heard his Family and children are all in Cuiyun Town, which shouldn't be hard to inquire about.

However, if there are no children with Mid-Grade Spiritual Roots, this Spiritual Vein Foundation will likely end up being a wedding dress for others."