23: I'll tell you later

There were very few transactions that required Liu Xuan to handle personally; only the Talismans sold by a few Talisman apprentices and a bottle of Yao Beast Essence Blood for making Talisman ink required his inspection.

Ordinary business did not require Liu Xuan to step forward; the servants hired in the shop could handle it.

The shop's backyard.

Lin Anqi and Liu Xuan walked side by side, and she introduced the environment here.

A Cultivation Chamber, a quiet room capable of satisfying a First-Rank Mid-Grade Talisman Master for Talisman Drawing, a bedroom, a guest reception hall, and even a small spirit field where some Low Grade spirit plants could be planted.

Besides being a shop, this small building was also a well-equipped cultivation Immortal Cave.

From the perspective of enjoyment alone, this place was no worse than the Immortal Cave Liu Xuan had in the Inner Sect.

"A small courtyard of the same specifications in the city has a monthly rent of no less than ten Spirit Stones. Is Talisman Master Liu satisfied?"

Lin Anqi looked somewhat proud, because the conditions here were so good that the previous Talisman Master was reluctant to leave.

That female Talisman Master named Tang Wan had lived here for three years and had grown accustomed to it.

When Lin Tianyue sent someone to inform her that the contract had ended and asked her to leave, Tang Wan thought it was because they found her monthly salary too high, so she took the initiative to offer to lower it.

Only after hearing that it was because the Talisman Master Dao Companion chosen by Lin Tianyue for his daughter was coming, did she give up.

"Satisfied! Very satisfied!"

Liu Xuan smiled and nodded; the conditions here were indeed much better than he had imagined.

The small courtyard rent was ten Spirit Stones a month, and the shop dividends promised by Lin Tianyue were twenty Spirit Stones a month; even doing nothing was equivalent to thirty Spirit Stones per month.

This father-in-law, Lin Tianyue, was indeed kind-hearted. He had previously used his authority to give Liu Xuan one hundred Spirit Stones worth of Talisman Drawing Materials, and the status of Inner Sect Disciple was also given by him in advance.

'The grace of appreciation!'

'Must repay it well!'

Liu Xuan's strength was currently low, and he was unable to repay the dignified Outer Sect Hall Master of the Talisman Hall.

Since that was the case!

Then let's repay his daughter first!

...

The long night was slow, with no desire to sleep.

The bedroom in the backyard of the Talisman shop.

"Talisman Master Liu... Could the matter of us becoming Dao Companions be delayed for a while?"

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming increasingly strange, Lin Anqi made up her mind and spoke.

She felt that if she didn't speak now, she wouldn't have a chance later.

"Why?"

Liu Xuan was puzzled and asked: "Is the young lady unwilling?"

Liu Xuan was determined to have Lin Anqi, but he still asked.

He was, after all, a noble gentleman who had undergone nine years of compulsory education.

A gentleman does not force others...

"No!"

Lin Anqi immediately denied it, then said the excuse she had thought of in advance:

"It is not that I am unwilling, but I once swore an oath that my chosen Dao Companion must be a First-Rank Talisman Master."

She paused and looked at Liu Xuan embarrassedly: "I heard from my father that Talisman Master Liu has not yet passed the First-Rank Talisman Master assessment. How about... we officially become Dao Companions after you pass the assessment?"

If Lin Anqi really resisted this marriage, she wouldn't have done her best to receive Liu Xuan today; she was only doing this now to delay it.

Suddenly having an extra Dao Companion, without having a deep understanding of each other, she was not mentally prepared.

Liu Xuan stared at the gentle girl in front of him, and through the changes in her facial expressions, he could roughly guess her thoughts.

Lin Anqi wanted to take it slow, but Liu Xuan was unwilling to wait any longer.

The long night was slow, and he couldn't sleep!

"Miss Anqi, if I pass the assessment right now, will you be able to become my Dao Companion?"

"Pass the assessment right now?"

Lin Anqi's pretty Face was confused; she didn't understand what Liu Xuan meant.

According to her expectations, for a Talisman Genius like Liu Xuan, when she gave this reason, even if he was unwilling, he should have agreed for the sake of Face.

Liu Xuan didn't play coy; he took out the entire set of Talisman Drawing tools—Talisman paper, Talisman brush, and Talisman ink—from his sleeve.

"First-Rank Low-Grade Arrow Talisman! You be the examiner, and I will draw three of them on the spot. If they all succeed, consider it as me passing the assessment. How about that?"

Lin Anqi was stunned!

An on-site assessment, and she would be the examiner?

The condition for the First-Rank Talisman Master assessment was a 60% success rate; in reality, one could pass with 40-50% through luck.

Drawing First-Rank Low Grade Talismans three times in a row successfully would basically guarantee a 100% pass rate for the Talisman Master assessment.

Even a qualified Talisman Master with a 60% success rate in Talisman Drawing only had a little over a 20% chance of succeeding three times in a row.

Moreover, this was a bedroom, not a quiet room specifically for Talisman Drawing, so the success rate would be even lower.

'Is Liu Xuan trying to gamble? If he succeeds, he can make me look at him differently; if he fails, he doesn't lose anything?'

A good calculation indeed!

Lin Anqi thought she had figured out Liu Xuan's thoughts, but she was not prepared to refuse.

They were going to become Dao Companions anyway; it was just a matter of time. If Liu Xuan wanted to gamble, she was willing to accompany him.

If he won the bet, she could take the initiative in their future married life; if he lost, there was no loss. It was a win-win!

"Fine!"

Lin Anqi smiled: "Don't think about fooling me. Although I am not a Talisman Master, I can still identify whether it is a First-Rank Talisman or not."

Liu Xuan smiled, didn't explain much, spread out the Talisman paper, and started drawing the Talisman on an ordinary table.

Lin Anqi silently stepped back a little. There was no special Formation protection here; once the Talisman Drawing failed, the power of the energy explosion would not be small.

Although it was unlikely to cause much harm, it would inevitably leave one looking disheveled.

The scene of Liu Xuan being blown up with a bird's nest hairstyle appeared in her mind, and the corners of Lin Anqi's mouth curled into an arc, secretly laughing in her heart.

A quarter of an hour later.

Liu Xuan withdrew his brush, a flash of spiritual light appeared, and the First-Rank Low-Grade Arrow Talisman was done!

"The first one!"

Handing the Talisman to Lin Anqi beside him, Liu Xuan immediately began to draw the second one.

Lin Anqi picked up the Talisman and examined it carefully; it was undoubtedly a First-Rank Low-Grade Arrow Talisman.

Succeeding on the first one, Lin Anqi already acknowledged Liu Xuan's level of Talisman Drawing.

Even if the next two failed, it wouldn't affect Liu Xuan's reputation as a Talisman Genius.

Another quarter of an hour later.

"The second one!"

The second Arrow Talisman was a success without any surprises. This time, Liu Xuan did not immediately start drawing; instead, he stopped and took two pills.

One qi and blood pill, and one Spirit-Nourishing Pill.

His cultivation was still too low! With his newly promoted Qi Refining second-level cultivation, drawing three First-Rank Low Grade Talismans at once was still a bit of a stretch.

Usually, it would be fine, as he could slowly absorb Spiritual Qi to recover his mana, but Liu Xuan had big things to do later, so he had to take pills!

"The third one!"

Liu Xuan stopped his brush, looked at Lin Anqi, who was full of surprise and curiosity, and smiled: "How is it? Is the young lady satisfied?"

"You... how did you do it?"

"With such a high success rate, why didn't you participate in the Talisman Master assessment?"

"No! I remember my father saying that you had only successfully drawn your first First-Rank Talisman a few days ago."

...

Lin Anqi didn't expect Liu Xuan to actually succeed! Her heart was now full of confusion and questions.

Liu Xuan pulled Lin Anqi into his arms and asked softly: "Do you want to know?"

Feeling the scorching breath on Liu Xuan's body, Lin Anqi's heart was suddenly in chaos, and she nodded subconsciously: "I do!"

With softness and fragrance in his arms, feeling that plumpness and smoothness on his body, how could Liu Xuan still hold back?

"I'll tell you later!"