41: Spring Breeze Tower

Zhao Deliang actually dared to line his pockets at a time like this, and he was doing it so blatantly; one had to admit he was quite bold.

However, Liu Xuan didn't want to get involved, nor could he; this was just his speculation, and he had no actual proof.

Moreover, was it Zhao Deliang lining his pockets, or was it Elder Zou behind him?

The water was too deep, and Liu Xuan didn't want to dig any further. When one's strength was low, knowing too much wasn't necessarily a good thing.

Anyway, Zhao Deliang hadn't assigned any actual tasks, and Liu Xuan didn't lack that bit of reward; staying out of it was the wise choice.

...

County Office Courtyard.

"Senior Brother Liu, this is the intelligence we collected."

Liu Xuan had just finished drawing a Talisman, and his team member Ye Xiaozhong handed over a stack of intelligence reports.

Ye Xiaozhong was the Cultivator with the highest cultivation level in Liu Xuan's surveillance team, having reached the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

Unfortunately, he had exceeded twenty-five years of age when he broke through to the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, so he didn't become an Inner Sect Disciple.

If he wanted to become an Inner Sect Disciple, he would have to wait until his cultivation broke through to the Late Qi Refining Stage.

Although Liu Xuan had decided to stay out of it, he still had to go through the motions. He had arranged for his ten team members to go out and investigate some trivial matters.

He picked up the intelligence on the table and flipped through it; it was about the corruption of some minor officials in the county.

After checking that there were no problems, Liu Xuan nodded and said, "Go down! I will go report it later."

"Yes!"

Ye Xiaozhong's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't, and he retreated helplessly.

He just couldn't understand why Liu Xuan would refuse such a good opportunity to make a contribution when it was laid out right in front of him.

'Forget it! Anyway, the credit wouldn't count towards me, so I'm happy to be relaxed.'

No matter how much merit the team achieved, the lion's share would count towards Liu Xuan. Since Liu Xuan wasn't doing anything big, he didn't have any complaints either.

After Ye Xiaozhong left, Liu Xuan organized the intelligence collected over these days and then carried it to the main hall of the County Office.

Ever since Zhao Deliang arrived, the main hall of the County Office had become his office, and the previous County Magistrate had become a second-tier staff member handling miscellaneous affairs.

After receiving the intelligence data presented by Liu Xuan, Zhao Deliang finished reading it, then a smile appeared on his fat face. He reached out and pointed at Liu Xuan, "You kid are quite smart!"

He put down the intelligence data and pondered for a moment, "Liu Xuan, right? Is your father-in-law Lin Tianyue?"

Liu Xuan nodded and said respectfully, "Replying to Senior, that is correct!"

Zhao Deliang was very satisfied with Liu Xuan's attitude. He thought for a moment and asked, "I remember you are a First-Rank Low-Grade Talisman Master. How is your success rate in Talisman Drawing?"

"My success rate for First-Rank Low-Grade Arrow Talismans is eighty percent; I can succeed in about eight per day," Liu Xuan replied.

"Eighty percent?!"

"You kid aren't lying to me, are you?"

A success rate of seventy percent for First-Rank Low Grade Talismans allows one to study First-Rank Mid-Grade Talismans. Many First-Rank Mid-Grade Talisman Masters only have a success rate of about seventy or eighty percent when drawing First-Rank Low Grade Talismans.

Zhao Deliang had never learned Talisman Drawing, but he still had this bit of common sense, so he didn't believe it.

"How would this Junior dare to lie to you? One can verify this with a simple test," Liu Xuan said calmly.

Zhao Deliang thought that was true; one couldn't lie about this, and Liu Xuan had no need to lie to him.

"Have you started learning First-Rank Mid-Grade Talismans?" he continued to ask.

"I started learning a few months ago, but this Junior's cultivation has not yet broken through to the Qi Refining Third Layer, so I cannot yet support the drawing of First-Rank Mid-Grade Talismans."

Zhao Deliang carefully recalled Liu Xuan's profile; he had been initiated for less than two years and was already about to become a First-Rank Mid-Grade Talisman Master!

'No wonder Lin Tianyue was in such a hurry to marry off his daughter!'

A First-Rank Mid-Grade Talisman Master's earning ability was quite exaggerated, and their status was equivalent to a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator.

"You say you can make eight First-Rank Arrow Talismans every day. It just so happens that the Sect is short on Talismans. I will give you eighty percent of the market price to purchase these Talismans. How about it?" Zhao Deliang said.

Liu Xuan was a First-Rank Talisman Master and had the Lin family background, so Zhao Deliang didn't want to force him to do things for him; focusing on drawing Talismans was enough.

"Many thanks, Senior!"

Liu Xuan cupped his hands and said happily.

The sales channel for the Talismans was just a small matter; using this to establish a connection with Zhao Deliang was the main point.

...

Since then, Liu Xuan focused on drawing Talismans and Cultivating every day, and whenever he gathered one hundred, he would send them to Zhao Deliang.

The market price for one hundred First-Rank Low-Grade Arrow Talismans was one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones, and Zhao Deliang gave Liu Xuan ninety-six Spirit Stones.

From the smile on Zhao Deliang's face every time he received the Talismans, Liu Xuan estimated that he could earn quite a bit through this operation.

Zhao Deliang could indeed earn quite a bit. By reselling these Talismans on the Sect's books, he instantly gained a twenty percent profit, twenty-four Spirit Stones at a time.

Liu Xuan sent them over once every ten days or so on average, so he earned over fifty Spirit Stones for nothing every month; naturally, he was very happy.

Liu Xuan was even happier. After deducting costs, he could have nearly one hundred and forty Spirit Stones in income per month, and he still had sixty Talismans left over.

With his Spirit Stone pouch bulging, Liu Xuan's mind began to stir again.

He didn't know how long he would have to stay in Yongning, so the tasks of taking a Dao Companion and having children could not be interrupted.

...

Chunfeng Pavilion.

A famous brothel in Yongning.

"Young Master, please come in!"

Liu Xuan had an extraordinary demeanor, and as soon as he reached the door, he was spotted by the sharp-eyed procuress.

Liu Xuan didn't stand on ceremony either and stepped inside. The procuress followed beside him and asked cautiously, "Young Master has an ethereal temperament; you must be a Cultivator, right?"

Most Cultivators were particular about being pure-hearted and having few desires, so the procuress didn't entertain many, but her eyes were sharp, and she could still tell whether someone was a Cultivator or not.

Liu Xuan nodded without denying it, and after entering the door, he curiously looked around.

This was his first time in a brothel, so he was quite curious about everything.

"Does the Young Master want to listen to music, or do you want to find a young lady to accompany you?" the procuress inquired.

"Neither!"

Liu Xuan turned his head and said, "Do you have any Qingguan here who haven't entertained guests yet? I want to redeem two as maids."

"This..."

"Yes, yes, Young Master, please wait a moment!"

The procuress invited Liu Xuan to a spacious room and ordered servants to serve tea, while she went to make arrangements for Liu Xuan.

Before long, the procuress brought seven or eight young girls in and ordered them all to stand in a row, "Young Master, are you satisfied?"

Liu Xuan examined them one by one. They were all quite good; their beauty was at least top-tier, and they were all young.

"Are there any others? Call them all for me; money is not an issue."

When conditions permitted, one naturally had to choose the best!

"Yes!"

The procuress left, and this time it took a while before she returned, accompanied by a dozen or so young ladies.

"Young Master, all those who meet the criteria are here."

There were over twenty young girls in total. Liu Xuan carefully selected them and finally chose three.

They were all clear and lovely, with graceful figures, and their beauty did not lose to the Da Shuang Xiao Shuang sisters.

Most importantly, the three of them had been trained by the brothel and were particularly well-behaved and obedient; they would do whatever they were told.

'There are as many beauties in the world as there are crucian carp crossing a river!'

Perhaps it was because of the Spiritual Qi in the Cultivation World, but both the quantity and quality of beauties were relatively high, Liu Xuan couldn't help but sigh.

"These are their deeds of sale, fifteen Spirit Stones in total." The procuress handed the three deeds of sale to Liu Xuan.

Liu Xuan paid the Spirit Stones, put away the deeds of sale, and led the three women out of the brothel.