Starting as a Talisman Master

After leaving Bailian Pavilion, Lu Chi visited several large general stores in the market and even took a look at Yangyuan Residence.

Unfortunately, most of the seeds sold in these shops were of clearly defined grade and well-preserved. Although there were more than a dozen first-grade spiritual plants, there was none of the "bargain hunting" opportunity he wanted.

In the end, he bypassed the glamorous big shops and came to the most chaotic and remote area of ​​the market where the independent cultivators set up their stalls.

This place not only contains fragmented ancient artifacts unearthed from the soil, but also a lot of privately collected items from the Lingnong family. It's a mixed bag, but it's also the place where you can most easily get amazing results.

He used a straw hat to conceal himself and wandered aimlessly among the stalls. Since he was now walking around the market with an unfamiliar middle-aged face, he was not afraid of being recognized.

Suddenly, he stopped in front of a stall.

The stall owner was an old acquaintance, Zhou Jinyan.

The other party was guarding a small pile of spirit plants and spirit rice of decent quality, and in one corner of the stall was a small cage made of ironwood.

Inside the cage was a small, grayish-brown animal that looked like a mouse, with a pair of black beady eyes that darted around and looked quite cunning.

A wooden sign stood next to the stall, which read: "Earth-walking spirit rat for sale, thirty low-grade spirit stones."

"Thirty low-grade spirit stones?" Lu Chi chuckled to himself as he moved closer without making a sound.

The last time the two met was after he returned from the "Listening to the Tide Gathering". Zhou Jinyan made a special trip to visit him and asked for a trapping talisman before leaving.

It seems that the other party used that talisman to seize this "small opportunity"?

Lu Chi looked closely, and his brows furrowed slightly.

He had heard of the Earth-Walking Spirit Rat. This beast was proficient in earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magical ability) and often appeared deep in the spirit fields. Although it was somewhat harmful to spirit plants, if it could be tamed, it would be a good helper in finding spirit mines and loosening the soil. It was indeed in high demand in the market.

However, the little guy in Zhou Jinyan's cage, although he looked clever, was very different from the characteristics of the earth-walking spirit rat recorded in the classics, and instead gave off an indescribable strange feeling.

"Fellow Daoist, are you interested in this earth-walking spirit rat?"

Seeing that the "middle-aged man" in front of him was staring intently at the cage, Zhou Jinyan quickly and enthusiastically began to introduce it:

"It took me a lot of effort to catch this. The ley lines in my spirit field were disordered a while ago, and this was the culprit. I had to find a good trapping talisman and wait for it for three whole days before I finally caught it."

"Look at this fur! After buying it and training it, it'll be an excellent tool for managing the spirit fields!"

Lu Chi didn't reply, but just sighed inwardly.

If that trapping talisman had truly captured the earth-walking spirit rat, thirty spirit stones wouldn't have been too expensive. Unfortunately, Zhou Jinyan had clearly been fooled.

A Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator who overheard the conversation came over, glanced at the cage, and sneered disdainfully:

"Brother Zhou, what kind of earth-dwelling spirit rat is this? It's clearly a crossbreed of the rock rats that you can find anywhere in the mountains. Don't try to fool me with these excuses. If it were five spirit stones, I might buy it to keep as a toy for my spirit dog."

"Five spirit stones?" Zhou Jinyan's face darkened. He naturally realized that the other party was mocking him. He snorted coldly, "If you don't want to buy it, fine. Why spout nonsense here? This is a genuine spiritual item pulled from the depths of the spirit field. Take it or leave it!"

The cultivator, feeling rebuffed, gave a cold laugh and turned to leave.

Zhou Jinyan sighed, turned her head again, and looked at Lu Chi, who was in disguise, with some anticipation.

Lu Chi finally shook his head.

He was tending to precious spiritual plants like the Xuanbing Lotus at home. If he were to take in this little beast whose background he didn't know, and it were to act wildly at night and steal and gnaw on the spiritual plants, it would be a huge loss.

He simply picked out a few first-tier spirit plant seeds that he didn't yet have in his own spirit field, paid the market price in spirit stones, and then turned and left.

Watching the departing figure of the "middle-aged man," Zhou Jinyan sadly put away the spirit stones, turned back to look at the small beast in the iron cage, and sighed with a bitter smile:

"You wicked rat, what bad luck! Not a single person is interested. Oh well, since I can't sell you, I'll just have to keep you for now. Hopefully, you'll be of some use to me in the future..."

Upon hearing this, the little animal in the cage twitched its whiskers in the corner, and a hint of human-like liveliness flashed across its beady eyes for a fleeting moment.

……

……

After turning through two familiar narrow alleys, a refreshing, sweet, and subtly fragrant aroma wafted towards me on the warm afternoon breeze.

Lu Chi paused slightly, his nostrils flaring gently.

He was all too familiar with that smell.

He had passed by this place when he was kicked out of the Luo family's talisman shop and had only thirty taels of spirit sand left.

At that time, he could only smell the tempting aroma of the spirit rice, and because he was short of money, he secretly craved it. In the end, he had to suppress his craving and fled in panic in order to buy a few talismans and a broken bamboo pen.

At that time, a bowl of spirit rice was a "rich and noble taste" that was out of reach for him.

And now...

A faint, self-deprecating smile appeared on Lu Chi's lips before he strode toward the small stall shrouded in spiritual energy.

"Shopkeeper, how much is this spirit rice?" he asked in a rough voice, his tone revealing an air of arrogance and wealth.

The stall owner was a lean, wiry old man. Seeing that Lu Chi was a stranger, but his blue robe was of excellent quality and he walked with a steady and composed demeanor, clearly indicating that he was a wealthy man, he quickly put on a smiling face and greeted him.

"Oh my, you have excellent taste, sir! My 'Jade Golden Sprouts' are freshly cooked, simmered for two hours by a cultivator using magical fire, which is perfect for nourishing your Qi. It's not expensive, a large bowl only costs one low-grade spirit stone."

"One low-grade spirit stone for one bowl..."

Lu Chi shook his head inwardly, recalling how destitute he used to be, even having to carefully calculate how many dozen taels of spirit sand he could afford.

"Give me three bowls, and eat here." He casually pulled out five spirit stones and tossed them on the table with an air of nonchalance. "Also, bring up a few plates of the spirit meat and vegetables you've already picked out from your stall. You'll get your share of the spirit stones."

"Alright! Please have a seat, sir!" Seeing that he was too lazy to even ask for change, the stall owner quickly got to work.

Before long, three bowls of crystal-clear, glowing spirit rice were placed in front of Lu Chi.

Each grain of rice is plump and full, not only filling the stomach but also subtly conveying a warm feeling that nourishes the dantian.

Lu Chi swallowed the luxury item he had once dreamed of, feeling the warm spiritual energy slowly spreading through his body.

The exhilarating feeling of "lavish consumption" made him realize, far more than the breakthrough in his cultivation, that he was no longer the grain of sand struggling on the edge of the market.

After eating and drinking his fill, he asked the stall owner to pack several bushels of the finest, unhulled spirit rice. Carrying the heavy bags of spirit rice, he leisurely left amidst the envious gazes of the crowd.

Life is like the tide, ever-changing. The promise once made to "eat the sacred rice regularly and live in the cave forever" has already been half fulfilled amidst the rising smoke and fire.