One Qi Chaoyang

Chapter 198 197: A Small Talisman Shop in the Market

On the fourth day, Zhao Fuyun went to say goodbye to Taoist Master Buxu.

Taoist Master Bu Xu just asked him if he wanted to go back to Tiandu Mountain. Zhao Fuyun naturally denied it. Bu Xu was silent for a while and said, "Under the circumstances, it is best not to go back. Where are you going, brother?"

"I don't know. The world is so big, so I might as well travel around." Zhao Fuyun said.

"It's good to see the world and all living beings." Bu Xu nodded.

Zhao Fuyun then said goodbye to Tingshan.

Tingshan accompanied Zhao Fuyun all the way to the foot of the mountain, and watched Zhao Fuyun's figure disappear at the bend of the mountain road before returning to report.

When Tingshan returned to his master Buxu, he asked, "Master, why did you let him leave?"

Bu Xu stood by the window and looked down the mountain. From here he could just see the mountain path that Zhao Fuyun had taken when he left.

"He's just a minor character. Last night, I felt that he was performing a ritual in the room. I don't know who he contacted. In order not to alert the enemy, let him go." Bu Xu explained.

"Perhaps when the day comes when we take over Tiandu Mountain, we will still be fellow disciples?" Tingshan said.

"It's possible." Bu Xu said lightly.
-
Zhao Fuyun left the mountain. Although the oppressive feeling still did not dissipate, the feeling of chill on his back did. He was sure that there was something wrong with Bu Xu on Baoling Mountain.

He thought in his heart that Xun Lanyin asked him not to go back to the mountain, and also thought about why she asked him to go to Mount Li before. Did she want him to stay in Mount Li to practice?

But he quickly shook these thoughts off, because they were all in the past.

He walked aimlessly. Since he had no goal, it was impossible for others to find him.

As we walked, the weather became colder.

It has been more than two months since we left Baoling Mountain.

He happened to pass by a market town, smoothed his face, and walked in.

He happened to see a small talisman shop for sublease in this market, so he rented it and paid one hundred spirit stones for the sublease.

The shop is not big, but it is quite deep. The front part is where the counter is placed to receive customers, and the back part can be used as a kitchen or a storage room. Of course, you can use it in either way and transform it by yourself. The upstairs is the bedroom.

This market town was very prosperous, because it was one of the largest markets in the Great Zhou Kingdom, and every inch of land there was worth a lot of money. The location of the shop he rented was not very good, but the rent was ten spirit stones per month, which was not cheap.

He changed the original "Zou's Talisman Shop" to "Cloud Pattern Talisman Shop".

He spent some more money and had the house cleaned inside and out, then moved in. The previous family had not left any talismans, so he had to draw all of them himself.

The store on the left sells talisman ink, the one on the right sells talisman paper, and the one next door sells talisman pens.

He first bought a rabbit-hair talisman pen, and then went on to buy three dozen talisman papers, a piece of cinnabar ink, and an inkstone.

There were ninety pieces of talisman paper in total in the three dozen, and the other party gave him ten more, making a total of one hundred. So Zhao Fuyun went back to the shop, closed the door and started drawing talismans.

He drew thirty ordinary fire talismans, thirty divine fire talismans, thirty red flame divine fire talismans, and the last ten, five invisibility talismans and five demon-suppressing talismans respectively, and none of them was broken.

However, when he took it out to sell, he only took out half of it each time.

When putting the talismans on the counter, he bought a few boxes from a nearby gift box shop and put the talismans in the boxes. Then he wrote the name of the talisman and its effect on each box on a piece of white paper.

By the way, this white paper was also bought.

Everything here needs to be bought with spirit stones, including the cup for drinking water, the stove and charcoal for making tea, the teapot, and tea leaves.

After buying all of them, it cost me nearly a hundred spirit stones.

He found that if he couldn't sell his talismans and had no savings, it would not be easy for him to live here permanently.

It opened today and it happened to snow.

He had just arrived and had no connections with anyone, so he opened his shop quietly.

The shopkeeper and boss of the talisman paper shop next door came to the door and gave a dozen yellow talisman papers as a gift.

The shopkeeper and owner of the Huang's Talisman Paper Shop in Bashan was naturally surnamed Huang. He looked to be in his fifties, with a fair complexion. He wore a black cotton suit and had a kind smile on his face.

At this time, Zhao Fuyun was wearing an ordinary sky blue Taoist robe and sitting by the fire reading a book.

When Shopkeeper Huang came in, Zhao Fuyun naturally stood up. He looked at Huang Donglai with some surprise on his face and said, "Shopkeeper Huang!"

"Congratulations to Taoist Master Fuyun on the opening of his new store. I wish you a prosperous business and lots of money." Huang Donglai said with a smile.

This was the first time that Zhao Fuyun had experienced this. He had killed many people before and had never been afraid of fighting, but it was the first time that someone congratulated him, so he hurried to make tea for them. Fortunately, he bought tea sets, but there was no chair for them to sit on. The only chair was the one under him, and the table was the cabinet table.

Huang Donglai naturally saw this situation at a glance, so he immediately said that there was no need to make tea, as everyone was a neighbor and there was no need to be polite.

So Zhao Fuyun thought about it, since he said he didn't need it and it was really inconvenient for him to do so, he didn't make tea.

Afterwards, the ink shop owner next door saw Huang Donglai coming out of Zhao Fuyun's talisman shop. After thinking for a while, he went to the inner room and asked a young woman, "Boss, the talisman shop next door is opening today. Should we go and congratulate them?"

The young woman thought for a moment and said, "Congratulations are a normal exchange of favors."

The shopkeeper continued, "Yes, but the talisman shop next door has been opened and closed four times in the past three years. I don't know if it can survive three months this time."

"There are too many talisman shops now, and every cultivator can draw some talismans. This year, stalls are allowed on the West Square in front on the fifth and fifteenth day of every month. If you don't have really good talisman skills, I'm afraid it will be difficult to keep the business going."

The shopkeeper's words made the young woman ponder again. She had seen the young owner of the talisman shop next door. He looked ordinary, wore an ordinary Taoist robe, and had no magical instruments or accessories on his body.

But he looks very good, like a man who has attained enlightenment.

She thought for a moment and said, "It is fate that we meet. I will give him a piece of cinnabar ink to congratulate him."

So the shopkeeper packed a medium-sized piece of cinnabar ink and sent it over, and it came back after a while.

The woman asked, "How?"

"What else can I do? With just a few talismans, I'm afraid they won't last more than three months. There aren't even any extra chairs inside, nowhere to sit. To avoid embarrassment, I returned without saying a few words."

The woman just smiled and said, "Everything is difficult at the beginning, especially for independent cultivators. It is even more difficult to open a shop and make a living. What he knows, disciples from noble families and sects all know it, and they know more than him. But, Uncle Qiu, have you asked about his background?"

The shopkeeper, who was called Uncle Qiu, glanced at his boss and said, "I didn't ask around. They are just casual cultivators or descendants of declining small sects or declining families."

The woman did not ask, and said, "It's probably like this."
-
Zhao Fuyun was thinking whether he should prepare a few stools here, but there were containers and a counter against the wall in front, and his own chair in the middle, and a stove, so there was no extra space.

After thinking about it, he felt that it was unnecessary as there would probably not be many people coming to his place.

The snow was falling heavier and heavier, and there was no wind.

People kept walking past the door, and he could hear that the businesses selling talisman paper and ink on both sides of the house were doing good business.

Although their shop is small, the place where they make talisman paper and ink is definitely not here, but there are corresponding workshops.

Logically speaking, the talisman shop between these two should have some business, but it did not. After a day, only one person came in, took a look, and then left.

Because of fasting, he sat here the whole day without going out. In the evening, Huang Donglai from next door walked in with a teapot in his hand.

His teapot looked like a toy, but it was obviously a magical instrument.

He looked at Zhao Fuyun sitting in the chair, then looked at the plain furnishings on the counter, shook his head and said, "Master Fuyun, how is business today?"

Zhao Fuyun shook his head and said, "Only one person came in, took a look and then left."

He tells the truth.

"You can't do this. This is not how business is done." Huang Donglai stood there, took a sip of tea from his teapot, and looked at Zhao Fuyun, obviously waiting for Zhao Fuyun to ask him.

"Please give me some advice. What should I do?" Zhao Fuyun asked humbly.

"Look, when I came in, your talismans were placed on the shelf inside and I couldn't see them at all. The counter was also clean and there was nothing on it. You were sitting here reading a book, so of course people who came in had to leave. They don't even know what kind of talismans you sell here." Huang Donglai said.

Zhao Fuyun thought about it and realized that it was true. He couldn't help but say, "Then I should put the talisman on this counter."

"That's not necessary, but you should at least let people know what kind of talismans you are selling, or you can directly write the talismans you sell on a sign and put it outside for passers-by to see." Huang Donglai instructed.

Zhao Fuyun thought about it and thought that maybe this was the right approach, so he continued to listen to what the other party said.

"Another thing, you are selling talismans. What do people buy your talismans for? Of course, they use them for fighting or saving lives, so you have to make people feel that your talismans are different and better than others. So when people enter your shop, they think that the talismans you draw are very good."

Huang Donglai paused for a moment and continued, "Speaking of which, selling talismans is actually secondary. The real key is whether your talismans are really good."

He had never seen Zhao Fuyun's talismans and didn't know what they were like, but he thought he had some ability to appreciate them.

When Zhao Fuyun heard this, he put the book aside. Because he had not put it away properly, he closed the book again. He saw the words "Zuo Gong's Commentary on the Unbeginning Dao Sutra" written on the cover of the book.

He knew that this was a commentary on the "Taoism of the Beginningless" by Zuo Yi, a great master who had achieved the state of transformation into a spirit. It was also his own understanding of the Taoism of the Beginningless.

This book is very famous and has been read a lot. He himself has read it, but he put it in the bookshelf at home to collect dust before reading more than three pages.

(End of this chapter)