173: Chapter 173 Installment Payment

"The expectation on your face froze instantly."

"One hundred and twenty?"

After your recent purchases, your Storage Pouch only had eighty-odd Spirit Stones left, and you originally intended to buy a Low Grade First-Tier Talisman brush.

But you wanted this brush so much. A Medium Grade First-Tier Talisman brush with intact spirit patterns and attributes that matched your own—it would cost at least one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones at any outside shop. One hundred and twenty was definitely a fair price. With it, your Talisman-making efficiency and success rate would increase significantly.

You bit your lower lip, softened your voice, and tested the waters with a slightly coquettish tone: "Young Patriarch, could you... make it a bit cheaper?"

Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan shook his head expressionlessly and spat out two words: "No."

Looking at his cold, ruthless face, you refused to give up, leaning in a little closer and blinking your eyes: "Not even a little? Just… forty Spirit Stones cheaper!"

The corners of Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan's mouth twitched slightly, his tone remaining devoid of warmth: "No."

You secretly snorted in your heart.

Hmph! Heartless man.

You gritted your teeth, reluctantly put down the Talisman brush, stood up, and turned to leave.

But after walking two steps, you turned back.

Watching you return, Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Fellow Daoist, is there something else? A price reduction is out of the question."

You squatted down again, placed your hands on your knees, and said seriously: "Young Patriarch, is an installment plan possible?"

Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan was stunned.

"What is… an installment plan?" He frowned slightly, his tone revealing a rare hint of confusion.

You immediately perked up, cleared your throat, and began to instill modern financial concepts into him: "It's very simple. This brush is one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones. Today, I'll pay you sixty Spirit Stones as a 'down payment' and take the brush. For the remaining sixty, every time the market opens, I'll pay you a fixed ten Spirit Stones until it's paid off in six installments."

Seeing him still digesting the concept, you continued to sweeten the deal: "Think about it, Young Patriarch. I'm a Guest Elder of the Family. I can run, but I can't hide. If I dare to welch on the debt, you can go to the Guest Elder area and take the brush back at any time. By then, the sixty Spirit Stones I paid wouldn't be refunded. You'd earn sixty Spirit Stones for free, and you'd still have the brush. You definitely wouldn't lose out on this deal!"

Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan fell completely silent.

He looked at your face, which was full of righteous indignation and even a hint of slyness, his mind racing.

This is possible too?

But thinking carefully, this method was actually airtight and flawless. This Talisman brush was the second one he had used when he Cultivated Talisman Dao in his early years. Later, after his Breakthrough to a High Grade Talisman Master, he had switched to a better one and it had been left idle ever since. He had just brought it to the stall casually; if someone bought it, fine, if not, it didn't matter.

The brush was just gathering dust with him. Giving it to her meant getting sixty Spirit Stones in hand now, and ten more every three months later. She was a Guest Elder of the Family, so she really couldn't run away. Even if she couldn't pay, he could take the brush back, and he wouldn't have to refund the sixty Spirit Stones.

No matter how he calculated it, he wouldn't lose.

It's just that… he didn't come to every market. This time, he had just finished his seclusion and came to set up a stall because he had nothing better to do.

He didn't really like this troublesome transaction method; in the past, his Talismans were all supplied directly to the Family.

Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan looked at you silently. You were squatting there, your cold and refined face showing a faint, barely noticeable tension, and those eyes, which should have been as distant as frost, were now harboring a hint of suppressed expectation.

For no reason, a string in his heart was gently plucked.

"...Fine." Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan lowered his eyelids, hiding the ripple in his eyes, "Take this Talisman brush."

Your eyes instantly erupted with amazing brightness.

"Many thanks, Young Patriarch! The Young Patriarch is so generous! May the Young Patriarch enjoy eternal blessings and live as long as the heavens!" You rattled off a string of flattery like a machine gun, quickly counted out sixty Spirit Stones from your Storage Pouch, and handed them over with both hands.

Watching you change your expression as fast as flipping a book, the corners of Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan's mouth twitched imperceptibly.

He nodded indifferently, took the Spirit Stones, and pushed the Red Flame Wolf-Hair Brush toward you.

Clutching your newly bought Talisman brush, you trotted all the way back to Courtyard C-37.

Closing the door, you couldn't wait to spread out the blank Talisman paper and grind the spirit ink.

You took a deep breath, mobilized the Qi in your body, gripped the Red Flame Wolf-Hair Brush, dipped the tip in ink, and set it to paper.

"Swish!"

Smooth.

Too smooth!

Compared to that previous defective product that shed hair and blocked Qi, this Medium Grade Talisman brush felt like it was growing out of your hand. The Qi flowed through the brush handle without a trace of stagnation, and the sketching of the formation patterns was like flowing clouds and moving water.

In less than half a stick of incense, as the last stroke fell, a red light flashed on the Talisman paper, and a Fireball Talisman with impressive Spiritual Qi was successfully refined.

You put down the brush and carefully calculated.

After switching to this brush, your Talisman-making speed increased by twenty percent. The situation of wasted Talismans caused by unstable Qi was greatly reduced, material consumption dropped by twenty percent, and most importantly, the success rate of the Talismans increased by ten percent!

Leaning back in your chair, you looked at the finished product on the table, the corner of your eye twitching slightly.

"What kind of miserable life was I living before?"

You shook your head, cast the distracting thoughts out of your mind, and continued to bury yourself in making Talismans.

——

The news of you becoming a Talisman master spread throughout the entire Guest Elder area the next day.

The ones with the biggest reaction were those few female Guest Elders who had mocked you at the Contribution Pavilion.

"It's fake, right? How could she, with an Inferior Spiritual Root, possibly become a Talisman master?" The female cultivator in the yellow skirt, Chen Wan'er, leaned against the door frame, her tone sharp. "I think it's just a gimmick to attract attention at the market, trying to catch the eyes of the Zhao Family disciples. These kinds of tactics, heh."

The short-haired female cultivator next to her chimed in: "Exactly. Just think about it, she spent so many years in the market, wasn't she just a counter girl selling Talismans? Who knows if the Talismans she drew are real or fake? Maybe she got them from somewhere else and is pretending she drew them herself."

"And did you notice?" another round-faced female cultivator lowered her voice. "Ever since she came to the Zhao Family, Elder Zhao Chengshan of the Spirit Beast Garden has been taking special care of her. Five contribution points every month—that's the highest tier for green tasks. What right does she have? Isn't it just because of that face? I think that old man Zhao Chengshan isn't very proper himself…"

Before she could finish, a cold voice came from behind.

"Say that again?"

The three of them stiffened and turned around abruptly.

A tall and sturdy young male cultivator was standing behind them. His face was livid, and he said word by word: "Elder Zhao Chengshan is my uncle. If you have the guts, say that sentence again."

The round-faced female cultivator's face turned pale instantly, and she waved her hands repeatedly: "Senior Brother Zhao, I didn't mean it like that, I was just speaking off the cuff…"

"Off the cuff?" Zhao Hong sneered. "It's one thing that you have no skills yourselves, but to badmouth others behind their backs and drag my uncle's reputation into it—you all have quite some nerve."

...

Thanks to Aili Xihuan Haiqin Yan for the 10 update-urging Talismans, Ke Ke Ai Ai Ne for the character summon, Aihe Hanjia Binghongcha De Xuanhuang for the inspiration capsule, Hao Ba! En Ne En Ne Bei for the update-urging Talisman, Molan Buxiang Bailan for the update-urging Talisman, Qianshu Qianxi for the update-urging Talisman, Feng Kao Biguo for the update-urging Talisman, Yue Gui for the update-urging Talisman, and everyone's support and five-star reviews. Rewarding you with a kiss from Sister Wan, mwah, three updates tomorrow too!