177: Chapter 177 Zhan Yuan, you're really amazing.

You found a clean stone step and sat down, supporting your chin with both hands, watching the passing Cultivators with boredom. A gentle breeze swept by, lifting the strands of hair at your temples, and your peerless face, which had not been disguised, appeared exceptionally gentle under the setting sun.

You thought about it. Since you had decided to fleece Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan, you still needed this bit of patience. Fishing, after all, most feared impatience and restlessness.

An hour later.

Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan finally arrived fashionably late. He did not walk like ordinary Cultivators, but instead directly landed on the outer periphery of the market on his flying sword, the sword light receding.

Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan was wearing a moon-white robe, his pace looking slightly hurried as he walked into the market.

Today, the Family council hall had argued endlessly over the ownership of several mineral veins on the outer periphery of Qingyue Market. As the young Clan Chief, he had to be present to listen in, and by the time the discussion ended, well over half of the market had already begun.

He originally did not plan to come. After all, given his identity, he did not lack those ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones at all, and collecting them whenever was the same.

But for some reason, when he walked out of the council hall, the cold figure of you bargaining when buying the Talisman brush flashed across his mind. He thought to himself, if he did not go, would that woman foolishly wait there the whole time?

Once this thought popped up, it could no longer be suppressed. In the end, he inexplicably changed his direction and headed towards the market.

When he walked up to his remote stall, his footsteps suddenly paused.

In a corner not far away, you were obediently sitting there. You were not wearing a veil, and that face capable of making heaven and earth lose their color was unreservedly exposed to the air. You tilted your small head, your eyes as clear as autumn water looking left and right, seeming to search for something in the crowd.

A gentle breeze swept by, lifting a wisp of dark hair beside your ear. That serene yet somewhat expectant appearance was indescribably beautiful and carried a trace of unspeakable cuteness.

At that moment, Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan's heartbeat uncontrollably skipped a beat. He froze in place, a flash of astonishment and a fluttering sensation that even he himself hadn't noticed passing through his deep eyes.

Right at this moment, your gaze swept over and met his eyes.

The expectation in your eyes instantly turned into pleasant surprise. You immediately stood up, patted the dust off the hem of your magic robe, and trotted over to greet him.

"Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan, you're finally here!" Your voice was crisp and pleasant, carrying a trace of undisguised elation.

Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan quickly reined in his mind, forcefully suppressing that trace of inexplicable fluttering in his heart, and resumed his usual cold and aloof appearance.

"Mhm, I'm here." He responded indifferently, his gaze avoiding your line of sight and falling on the bluestone slab beside them. "Apologies, some tedious matters in the Family delayed me today. From now on, if I don't arrive on time, you don't need to wait. Giving it to me at the next market is the same."

You tilted your head up slightly, looking at his sharply-contoured profile, the corners of your mouth hooking into a gentle smile: "It's fine. Cultivating is what I do whether I go back anyway, and sitting in meditation is the same here; waiting a bit doesn't hurt."

As you spoke, you neatly took out ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones from the Storage Pouch, holding them up with both hands and handing them before him, "Here, these are this month's Spirit Stones. Count them."

Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan did not say much, reaching out to take the Spirit Stones. When your fingertips brushed against the back of his hand during the handover, that slightly cool touch caused his movements to stiffen imperceptibly. He quickly put the Spirit Stones into the Storage Pouch, then turned around to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Seeing that he was about to leave, you quickly called out to stop him.

Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan stopped in his tracks, turning back to look at you: "Something else?"

You blinked your eyes and asked curiously: "Are you not setting up a stall today?"

"Not setting it up." Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan said indifferently, "I still have some matters to deal with today."

Hearing this, you stepped slightly forward, closing the distance between you and him. A faint, lingering fragrance crept into Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan's nasal cavity, causing him to involuntarily hold his breath.

You bit your lower lip and asked in a low voice: "Then... I have some questions regarding the Talisman Dao, could I ask for your guidance? It will only delay you for a tiny moment."

Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan looked at your cautious yet thirst-for-knowledge appearance, and thought of how long you had waited for him.

The words of refusal reached the tip of his tongue, but no matter what he couldn't bring himself to say them.

After falling silent for two seconds, he sighed: "Ask."

You instantly put away that pitiful appearance, your gaze turning serious.

You threw out the real difficult problems you encountered while drawing Talismans over the past few months: "I've recently been trying to draw the First-Grade Medium Grade 'Fire Serpent Talisman', but every time the cinnabar and demon blood are mixed and I outline the third spiritual power node, spiritual power conflicts always occur and cause the Talisman paper to spontaneously combust. Is it because the demon blood I used is of insufficient age, or because the cinnabar was not ground finely enough?"

Hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed in Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan's eyes. For a Loose Cultivator with an Inferior Spiritual Root to be able to touch the threshold of a First-Grade Medium Grade Talisman in such a short time—this Comprehension Ability was truly astonishing.

Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan lowered his head to look at the discarded Talisman in your hand, his gaze instantly becoming focused and sharp. As a First-Grade Top-Tier Talisman Master, whenever the topic turned to his professional Domain, his aloofness transformed into absolute confidence.

"Neither." He merely glanced at it before pointing out the crux of the issue: "Your spiritual power control is very meticulous, and the ratio of demon blood to cinnabar also has no problems. The issue lies in your brush-dropping habit."

"Fire-attribute Spiritual Qi is violent. When you outline this node, you overly pursue stability, which instead suppresses the fire Qi. The correct approach..."

Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan explained endlessly, his voice low and magnetic, clear in logic and pointing straight to the core.

You listened with rapt attention, nodding from time to time, and your gaze looking at him grew increasingly bright, with your adoration overflowing in words: "So that's how it is... I've always been using brute force to suppress it before, no wonder I kept failing. Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan, you are truly amazing, a problem that troubled me for several days was seen through by you at a single glance."

Being stared at by you with such an admiring gaze, and listening to your soft, sweet praise, Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan's earlobes grew somewhat warm. He gave a light cough and averted his gaze: "This is just the most basic Talisman principle. If you read more Talisman Dao classics, you will naturally understand as well."

Seizing the opportunity to push further, you leaned forward by half a step, and a faint, elusive fragrance drifted into Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan's nasal tip. You blinked your eyes and said with a hint of coquetting: "But how can reading books compare to you explaining it clearly? There is another transition here, and I can never master the force properly. Can you... personally teach me?"

As you spoke, you handed over the Talisman brush in your hand, your eyes filled with anticipation.