Starting as a Talisman Master

Deacon Shen's amiable expression could no longer be maintained; his face twitched slightly, revealing an undisguised embarrassment.

He coughed lightly, avoiding Lu Chi's gaze, and forced a way out: "Master Lu, please don't be offended... Back in Shenfan City, Elder Yuan Heng truly wanted to make your acquaintance."

"However... after the elders returned to the clan to report, the patriarch and several elders considered that the clan's expenses had been quite tight in recent years, so they... rejected the proposal to overpay by 10%."

A sense of sarcasm welled up in Lu Chi's heart.

After all that fuss, it turns out that all the grand recruitment and generous offers made in Shenfan City that day were just empty promises.

An elder, who makes grand pronouncements and sets rules outside the clan, can have those rules easily dismissed by the clan itself.

It seems that Elder Shen Yuanheng has no say in the power struggles at the core of the Shen family, and cannot even make this small contribution.

They can't even keep their own promises, yet they still have the nerve to send a steward to their door, brazenly demanding that he do hard labor under the pretext of charging 20% ​​less than the base price. Their behavior is truly despicable.

Seeing Lu Chi's displeasure, Deacon Shen quickly changed the subject, forcibly adding with some warmth, "Master Lu, please don't harbor any resentment. My Shen family has absolutely goodwill towards you."

"Look, not to mention anything else, just this little courtyard you're currently cultivating in seclusion, isn't it a property registered under my Shen family's name?"

Lu Chi's heart stirred slightly, and the scene of moving here flashed through his mind. The middleman who rented this secluded courtyard to him seemed to be surnamed Shen.

But so what?

"It is indeed good that I have this quiet room to stay in. However, I have paid the rent for this courtyard in spirit stones every month without fail, not even half a tael of spirit sand."

Lu Chi's tone remained calm and indifferent, showing no intention of taking advantage of the situation to curry favor.

One thing at a time, this matter of exchanging spirit stones seems to have nothing to do with this courtyard.

He casually handed the silk back to the other person, saying indifferently:

"The silk scrolls are covered with numerous inscriptions, and the need is urgent. My cultivation is low and my magical power is limited; I simply cannot draw these talismans. Given the severe wind and snow, you should return as soon as possible and find someone more capable."

Deacon Shen hurriedly caught the silk, the pretense in his eyes finally vanishing completely: "Master Lu, do you really intend to do this?"

Lu Chi found it utterly absurd; the other party's explanation made it seem as if he was the one in the wrong.

"I am but a rogue cultivator, making a living by earning a few spirit stones with my skills. I cannot afford to support such a great family as the Shen family. As for this courtyard, if the Shen family finds it an eyesore to rent it to me, they can return the spirit stones according to the contract, and I can vacate the place at any time."

That's all I have to say. Goodbye.

Before he could finish speaking, the courtyard gate slammed shut with a loud bang.

"Great! Excellent!"

Deacon Shen was given a firm refusal to enter, and stood frozen in place, his chest heaving violently. He angrily flicked his sleeve and left, stepping through the snow of varying depths.

Just as I reached the corner of this quiet alley, two figures walked towards me through the wind and snow.

The newcomers were a man and a woman. The man was dressed in an exquisite brocade robe and held an oil-paper umbrella painted with plum blossoms, carefully sheltering his wife, who had a cool and aloof appearance, under the umbrella.

It was Han Jingxing and his wife, who were chatting and laughing, who happened to be visiting Lu Chi.

Deacon Shen stopped abruptly, and upon seeing who it was, his already gloomy face darkened even further.

In the marketplace, everyone knows that the Han and Shen families have a long-standing feud. Lately, their conflicts have intensified, and they have already crossed paths with each other.

Han Jingxing was slightly taken aback. His gaze passed over Deacon Shen's shoulder, glanced at the tightly closed courtyard, and then looked at the other party's exasperated appearance. He immediately understood.

"Oh, isn't this a fellow Daoist from the Shen family?"

Having already suffered a setback at Lu Chi's hands, Deacon Shen's anger finally boiled over upon encountering the Han family: "The Han family, are they also here looking for Lu Chi?"

"Fellow Daoist, I don't quite understand what you're saying," Han Jingxing said, tilting the paper umbrella in his hand towards his wife and smilingly practicing Tai Chi.

"My wife has a sweet tooth. She heard that a hermit's 'Snowflake Spirit Rice Cake' made by a hermit in this alley was freshly baked today, so she insisted that I come and queue up in this snowy weather."

"My wife and I just came to buy some hot food. What, Fellow Daoist Shen, are you interrogating me now, even about me accompanying my wife shopping for cakes?"

"Hmph! Eloquent words! We'll see!" With a flick of his sleeve, Deacon Shen simply rode the wind and disappeared into the snowstorm.

Watching his furious figure disappear into the distance, the mockery on Han Jingxing and his wife's faces gradually subsided. They exchanged a glance and shook their heads with knowing smiles.

The Han and Shen families have always been at odds, and seeing Lu Chi's falling out with the Shen family, the two families were secretly pleased, and even felt a little happy.

Arriving at the small courtyard made of bluestone, Han Jingxing stepped forward and tentatively knocked on the door three times.

Another person is coming?

Inside the courtyard, Lu Chi recognized the couple, and the coldness in his eyes softened slightly.

"Brother Han, sister-in-law. The snow is falling heavily, please come inside."

The three entered, sat down, and were served tea.

Han Jingxing held the hot tea to ward off the chill, and tactfully refrained from asking about Lu Chi's connection with the Shen family. He straightened his expression and got straight to the point: "To be honest, Brother Lu, my wife and I have come to your door today in the snow because we have something to ask of you."

"With the year-end approaching, my Han family would like to ask Brother Lu for some talismans, which will be priced at 10% higher than the market price."

Lu Chi raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly.

This kind of fair business is unlike the Shen family's ugly way of making money. Since he wants to cultivate in this market, he will accept all comers.

However, a sliver of doubt lingered in my heart.

The steward from the Shen family came to our door just now, also using the excuse that "the end of the year is approaching".

Why are both of these companies on high alert right now, scrambling to buy talismans?

Su Jin, who was quietly sipping tea, noticed something amiss from his extremely subtle pause: "Husband, Fellow Daoist Lu usually lives a secluded life, focusing on the Dao of Talismans. He is probably unaware of the changes that have occurred in Jingzhao Kingdom at the end of this year."

"It was my oversight," Han Jingxing said, slightly taken aback. He rubbed his forehead and smiled wryly, his expression becoming more serious as he earnestly explained:

"Brother Lu, you may not know this. For ordinary people, the end of the year is just a time to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, but for a few families in our Dongyue County, it is a perilous journey that we have no choice but to undertake."

"Our Jingzhao Kingdom's major cultivation sect, Xuandu Sect, opens its gates every ten years during the winter season to select suitable young immortals with clean backgrounds from all over Jingzhao Kingdom to join the sect."

"The journey to Xuandu Gate is long and arduous. With heavy snow blocking the mountains, the desolate wilderness is extremely dangerous. Not only do ravenous demonic beasts roam the mountains, but also bloodthirsty cultivators lurk on the only road to the sect, waiting to plunder and seize treasures at the end of the year."

"The descendants of the clan are the foundation of the family's inheritance. In order to ensure that their descendants can safely knock on the gate of immortality, each family will naturally use as many means of protection as possible along the way. My Han family's journey of protection cannot be interrupted by the loss of this life-saving force halfway through."