Starting as a Talisman Master

After changing into a worn-out gray-white Taoist robe, letting the medicinal scent linger on his sleeves, Lu Chi walked out of the dense forest at a leisurely pace, and headed confidently towards the main gate of Qingque Mountain Market along the flat road.

At the entrance of the market, several disciples from the three families who were on patrol today were chatting together.

Upon seeing a composed middle-aged cultivator stride towards them, emanating the spiritual pressure of a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator, the guards immediately stepped forward with a slightly solemn expression.

At the sixth level of Qi Refining, they are already considered a backbone force among independent cultivators, so they have no choice but to treat them with respect.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait."

The leading member of the Shen family cupped his hands in greeting, sized Lu Chi up and down, and asked in a rather polite tone, "I see you are a stranger here, fellow Daoist. May I ask where you are from? And what brings you to my Qingque Mountain market?"

Lu Chi remained calm, returned the greeting slightly, and slowly spun in a slightly hoarse voice:

"My name is Chen, and I am a wandering alchemist. Lately, I have been feeling restless and have heard that the market town of Qingque Mountain is rich in natural treasures and spiritual herbs, so I have come here to rest for a while. Firstly, I want to see if I can find some rare spiritual materials for alchemy, and secondly, I also want to find a quiet place to start my furnace and earn some travel expenses."

"A wandering alchemist?!"

Upon hearing this, the patrolling disciples' eyes lit up immediately, and their attitude instantly changed from polite to genuinely respectful.

Alchemists are already highly respected and rare talents in the cultivation world, and they are treated like money trees wherever they go.

Moreover, he is a Qi Refining Level 6 alchemist who can travel around the world, so his alchemy skills must be excellent!

"So it's Master Chen Dan! My apologies for not recognizing you!"

The leading Shen family disciple's smile grew even brighter. He lowered his posture considerably, quickly stepping aside to make way, and warmly introduced the disciple:

"Master Chen, you've come to the right place at Qingque Mountain! Our market town is jointly managed by the Han, Shen, and Luo families, and we've always been strict and fair to all, young and old. We're especially friendly and courteous to fellow Daoists from all directions, and to masters of various arts like yourself who possess extraordinary skills!"

"Very friendly, very courteous... but I didn't feel it at all." Lu Chi sneered inwardly.

As the disciple spoke, he led Lu Chi inside: "Our market not only has various spirit medicine shops, but also has specially set up high-quality earth fire chambers for alchemists to rent. If you have any refined pills that you want to sell, the various shops in the market will definitely offer you a price that satisfies you."

"Very well, thank you for your clarification, fellow Daoist." Lu Chi listened patiently to the other party's self-praise, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face at the right time.

He casually tossed out two low-grade spirit stones as a "fee for asking for directions." The disciple happily accepted the spirit stones, thanked him repeatedly, and respectfully welcomed this disguised "Alchemist Chen" into the market.

The two chatted as they walked, and before long they arrived at the most bustling East Street in the market.

Not far ahead, a group of people were bustling in front of an elegantly decorated three-story pavilion. A constant stream of independent cultivators were coming and going to make purchases, and even a long queue had formed outside the door, indicating that business was booming.

The plaque above the door bears three large characters written in a vigorous and elegant style: "Moon Hidden Pavilion".

Seeing this bustling scene of making a fortune every day, the patrolling disciple who had been all smiles and enthusiastically leading the way suddenly turned pale, and a hint of undisguised jealousy flashed in his eyes.

"Master Chen, you are new here. You should be careful to see the true nature of some places in this market."

The disciple moved closer, his gaze fixed on the Moon Concealment Pavilion ahead, and gave a sinister sneer. "See that shop over there? It looks impressive, but it's actually quite shady inside. A proper master of all arts wouldn't stoop to associating with them."

Lu Chi stopped and followed his gaze to Moonshadow Pavilion, feigning curiosity as he stroked his goatee. "Oh? That's strange. Judging by the flow of customers, they seem to be selling talismans? Could this shop be selling counterfeit goods?"

"It's not that they sell counterfeit goods, but the way they made their fortune is truly despicable."

The disciple curled his lip, his tone full of disdain and contempt: "This Moon Hidden Pavilion is a property owned by a third-rate Qi Refining sect called 'Qixia Sect' outside the market. The current head of Qixia Sect is nothing more than a widow who lost her Daoist partner, the widow of the former sect leader!"

He snorted coldly and continued to embellish his story, saying, "This woman is quite ambitious. After the old sect leader died, she used her connections to usurp the position and became the acting sect leader. But how could a woman like her manage to build such a large talisman business in the market controlled by our three families?"

The disciple looked around, lowered his voice even further, and said in an increasingly filthy and vulgar tone, "Isn't it all thanks to that vixen's seductive tricks? I heard that the beautiful widow used some underhanded methods to bewitch several amateur talisman masters, making them infatuated and willingly drawing high-level talismans for her day and night. If it weren't for that, with the Qixia Sect's meager resources, how could it have reached its current scale?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chi paused slightly as he stroked his beard.

However, on second thought, the fact that the three major families spread such vile rumors is consistent with their despicable practice of suppressing competitors.

The more this is the case, the more it shows that Yueying Pavilion's recent business has truly pierced the foundation of the Luo family's talisman business.

"So that's how it is. Such absurd things actually happen in this world. Thank you for your guidance, fellow Daoist." Lu Chi shook his head, looking as if he had just realized something, seemingly quite disgusted by such behavior.

Don't get lost while following the book; bookmark it and read "Starting Cultivation as a Talisman Master" anytime.

Seeing that this "Alchemist Chen" had taken his words to heart, the disciple was greatly pleased, put on a smiling face again, and warmly cupped his hands in greeting:

"It's good that Senior Chen understands. If you wish to rent the Earth Fire Chamber for alchemy, simply walk north along this street. That's the 'Flame' section of our market, specially designated for alchemists. The stewards there will certainly provide you with excellent service. I still have to patrol the streets, so I won't see you off any further."

Lu Chi nodded slightly, watched the other person leave, and then strode straight into the bustling Moon Hidden Pavilion.

The store was extremely busy, with several female disciples of the Qixia Sect shuttling between the counters, dealing with a constant stream of customers.

Lu Chi's gaze swept across the crowd, and finding an opening, he subtly condensed a wisp of divine sense into a thin thread, transmitting his voice to one of the inner disciples who looked quite familiar:

"I want to see Sect Leader Qin."

The female disciple, who was checking the accounts with her head down, suddenly stiffened and looked up in surprise, glancing around.

She was surrounded by unfamiliar faces and did not see the familiar figure in the blue robe, but she was certain that she recognized the calm and steady voice.

She quickly lowered her head, concealing the shock in her eyes, and respectfully replied telepathically:

"Is it Master Lu? Senior, please forgive me, but the Sect Master has returned to the Qixia Sect's mountain gate to handle important matters and is not currently in the pavilion. If you have urgent business, I will find a way to send a message..."

"Not here?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chi immediately cut off the telepathic communication, said no more, and turned to disappear into the crowd outside the door.

He had originally planned to take this opportunity to meet with Qin Suniang and discuss whether he could get an advance on or exchange for the "Concentration Fruit" and "Earth Vein Mystic Ginseng".

These two elixirs would greatly benefit his cultivation. Since Qin Suniang was not in the market, he could only wait until things calmed down before making a trip to the Qixia Sect's mountain gate to ask her in person.

Leaving East Street, Lu Chi wandered aimlessly through the market. Unconsciously, he turned a corner and found himself on a very familiar street.

Not far ahead was the wide facade of Luo's Talisman Shop.

Compared to the bustling scene at Yueyin Pavilion just now, the Luo Family Talisman Shop in front of us is much quieter.

With his hands behind his back, Lu Chi, with the gaunt and weathered face of "Master Chen," slowly stepped across the threshold where he had once been kicked out.

Deep inside the shop, the shopkeeper, Luo Wenshan, who was resting with his eyes closed and slumped in a grand chair, suddenly sensed an undisguised spiritual pressure from a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator stepping into the shop.

His brows twitched slightly, and he slowly opened his cloudy yet piercing old eyes.

A Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator, comparable to his own level, was definitely considered a core fighting force in this market. Moreover, his opponent was a complete stranger, so he couldn't help but be on his guard.

Luo Wenshan stood up from the armchair.

Although his own shop has been suffering from poor business due to the suppression by the Moon Shadow Pavilion, he is still the powerful manager of the Luo family and has the backing of one of the three major families. Naturally, he doesn't have to bow and scrape like an ordinary waiter.

He simply straightened his robes, stepped forward, maintaining the decorum and politeness expected of a steward of a large family, and greeted him with a gesture of respect befitting an equal:

"This fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar; you must be new to Qingque Mountain. I am Luo Wenshan, and I am the manager of the Luo Clan Talisman Shop. May I ask what talismans you need? Whether for offense, defense, or support, the Luo Clan's resources will surely allow you to find something to your liking."

Lu Chi stood quietly in place, his gaze fixed on the old man before him, his expression remaining completely unchanged, displaying only the demeanor of a mature and composed wandering alchemist.

He stroked his greyish-white goatee, his voice hoarse and flat, his gaze casually sweeping over the shelves where high-end inventory was clearly missing, and slowly began to speak:

"My name is Chen, and I am merely a wandering alchemist. I've heard of the renowned Luo family talisman shop on Qingque Mountain, so I've come to take a look. However... Manager Luo, the talismans in your shop seem rather old. Do you have any top-grade talismans that would meet my standards?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Wenshan's previously polite and composed face stiffened slightly, and a hint of embarrassment flashed in his eyes.

As a renowned talisman-making family with a century-long tradition, the Luo family naturally possessed top-grade talismans.

However, such rare items with astonishing power, capable of turning the tide of battle and saving lives at critical moments, have always been regarded by the family as strategic resources that cannot be easily touched. They are all strictly sealed in the inner treasury and are reserved for the use of the family elders and core direct descendants for self-defense.

Let alone ordinary rogue cultivators, even if the patriarchs of small families in the market came to visit in person, the Luo family would never openly put them out for sale.

The old Taoist priest who called himself a "wandering alchemist" didn't even glance at the ordinary talismans when he entered the room. Instead, he immediately and accurately hit the sore spot of Luo's Talisman Shop, exposing its shortcomings to its face at this quiet moment.

"This person... could he be someone sent by some family to deliberately cause trouble and make a fool of the Luo family?!"

Luo Wenshan gritted his teeth inwardly, and even began to suspect that the other party might be a shill hired by the Moon Shadow Pavilion to kick someone when they were down.

However, he was a seasoned veteran who had been navigating the market for many years, and the other party was a formidable Qi Refining Level 6 "Alchemist," so he didn't dare to lash out on the spot.

Luo Wenshan suppressed the surging anger within him, forcing out a dry, forced smile, and retorted in a tone that was neither soft nor hard:

"Master Chen is joking. The creation of top-grade talismans is extremely demanding, and even in those great immortal cities, they have always been rare items with a price but no market. Although my Luo family is based on talismans, such treasures are the foundation of our family and have always been used only for internal needs, never sold to outsiders."