150: Chapter 150 Niu Ma Wan Returns Online

"Hmm." You nodded. "It won't be coming back."

Zhou Nianan's lips pressed into a thin line. His eyes turned red, but he didn't cry.

He lowered his head, his fingers gripping the edge of the doorframe tightly.

After a long while, he said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "Is it… because of me?"

You were stunned.

"Before, when Sister wouldn't let me see Dabai… was it because I made Dabai sick?"

Your heart gave a small twinge.

You crouched down and reached out to ruffle his hair. "It has nothing to do with you. Dabai fell ill with a very serious sickness on its own; no one could save it."

Zhou Nianan looked up at you with red eyes, as if confirming whether you were lying to him.

"Really?"

"Really."

He sniffled and nodded forcefully, but he still couldn't hold it back, raising his hand to wipe the corner of his eye with his sleeve.

At this moment, footsteps came from inside the room.

Then, the wooden door of the main room creaked open.

Zhou Qingyu walked out of the room, rubbing his hands together with a gentle smile on his face. "Fellow Daoist Lin, why are you standing in the courtyard? Come inside and sit."

You took the opportunity to walk into the room and sat down.

Zhou Qingyu poured a cup of coarse tea and pushed it in front of you. He didn't ask about your intentions but sighed and asked, "Fellow Daoist Lin, I heard a few days ago that your Spirit Beast had contracted a strange illness. How is it doing now?"

Your hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and you were silent for a moment.

Then, you lowered your eyes, your tone tinged with just the right amount of sorrow. "Thank you for your concern, Elder Zhou. Xiao Wang… it didn't pull through. It stopped breathing last night. This morning, I went out of the market, found a sunny hillside, and laid it to rest."

The room fell silent instantly.

Zhou Nianan lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Zhou Qingyu was also taken aback, a flash of surprise in his eyes, which quickly turned into deep sympathy. He sighed and stroked his white beard. "Sigh, life and death are fated, and it is the same for Spirit Beasts. Fellow Daoist Lin, please grieve in moderation; do not harm your foundation of cultivation."

You nodded and sighed, taking the opportunity to steer the conversation to the main point. "Life, aging, sickness, and death—I have come to terms with it. It's just that in order to treat Xiao Wang, I spent almost all of my savings."

As you spoke, you took out the remaining three Low-Grade Spirit Stones from your sleeve and placed them gently on the rough wooden table.

"Elder Zhou, I have come to you today with a thick face to ask for your guidance." You looked at him with sincere eyes. "I wonder if you could help me find a job? A shop related to the Talisman Dao would be best. If there really isn't one, other businesses will do too, as long as I can earn some Spirit Stones to maintain my Cultivation."

Zhou Qingyu looked at those pitiful three Spirit Stones on the table, his brows furrowed slightly. He tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought.

A moment later, he spoke slowly. "Talisman Dao… there aren't actually many shops in the market that deal in Talismans. There are only two that are truly reputable."

"One is 'Tianfu Pavilion,' operated by the Zhao Family. However, that is a Family industry. From the manager to the apprentices, they all use peripheral members of the Zhao Family or signed Guest Elders. They don't recruit Loose Cultivators at all."

"As for the other one, it's called 'Xuanmo Workshop,' opened by a First-Grade High Grade Loose Cultivator Talisman Maker. That place does occasionally hire people for odd jobs or as sales clerks."

Zhou Qingyu paused, pushed the three Spirit Stones back to you, and waved his hand. "Take these Spirit Stones back; you need them more than I do right now. As for Xuanmo Workshop, I have a young acquaintance who is an apprentice there. I will go ask about it for you tomorrow. Whether it succeeds or not will depend on the manager's decision."

"Thank you, Elder Zhou." You didn't feign modesty, put the Spirit Stones back into your sleeve, stood up, and bowed solemnly.

The next morning, before the thin mist had dissipated, your courtyard door was knocked upon.

Standing outside the door was Zhou Qingyu. The old man had a smile on his face. "Fellow Daoist Lin, there is progress on the matter."

You welcomed him into the courtyard. "Elder Zhou, is there a reply from Xuanmo Workshop?"

"Indeed." Zhou Qingyu nodded. "Xuanmo Workshop happens to be missing a sales clerk, but the conditions are a bit harsh—no food or housing provided, and no base salary."

You raised an eyebrow. "Work for free?"

"That's not the case." Zhou Qingyu lowered his voice. "It's a commission based on sales. You get a one percent commission on the Talismans and Materials you sell. If you encounter a generous customer, the income won't be small."

You quickly calculated in your mind. A one percent commission—you'd have to sell one hundred Spirit Stones worth of goods to earn one. It sounded stingy, but among bottom-tier Loose Cultivators, this was already considered a job where one could scrape by some profit.

"I'll take this job." You agreed decisively.

Zhou Qingyu stroked his beard and smiled, then lowered his voice, rubbing his fingers subtly. "However, the young man who will introduce you will inevitably need some… grease."

You understood immediately. "I know the rules."

Back inside the room, you sat in front of the bronze mirror, removed your veil, and looked at the cold, Peerless Elegance face in the mirror, falling into deep thought.

To be a salesperson, should you use the Thousand-Face Faceless Art to disguise yourself, or show your true face?

Your fingertips tapped gently on the table.

If you used your true appearance, added with the bonus of "Peerless Elegance," you could guarantee that you would be the gold-medal salesperson at Xuanmo Workshop. Cultivators are people too; who wouldn't want to look at a pleasing face while buying things? The more you sell, the more you naturally earn.

But the risks were also present. In the Cultivation World, the weak are prey to the strong. You, a bottom-tier female Cultivator with no background and only Aperture Opening third-layer cultivation, wearing such a face that could bring ruin to nations, were definitely a piece of walking fat.

You closed your eyes, and the "Three Iron Laws of the Zhao Family" you heard about when you first entered Qingyue Market surfaced in your mind.

First: Private fighting is strictly prohibited within the market. Violators will have their cultivation crippled and be expelled from the market.

Second: Forced buying and selling, or robbery by force, is strictly prohibited. Violators will be executed without mercy.

Third: After the night curfew, those without a Zhao Family token are not allowed to linger on the streets.

The reason the Zhao Family could run the market so successfully under the nose of the Luoyun Sect was because of these ironclad rules. The last rogue Cultivator who dared to rely on his cultivation to forcibly seize a female Cultivator in the market—the grass on his grave was likely as tall as you by now.

As long as you didn't leave Qingyue Market, those male Cultivators who coveted your beauty would at most engage in verbal teasing or pestering. If they really dared to use force, the Zhao Family's law enforcement team was not to be trifled with.

Even if you took a step back, even if there really was some blind desperado who wanted to harm you…

A cold smile curled at the corners of your lips.

"If you really push me, I'll just play my 'Purple Mansion Reincarnation' trump card and let you bumpkins see what it means to be taught a lesson by a Purple Mansion Cultivator."

After weighing the pros and cons, you decided not to disguise yourself anymore. You were already dirt poor, so why hide your talent? Making money was the top priority.