Chapter 18: Talisman Alliance
Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Talisman Alliance
A pristine white sheet of paper lay flat on the desk. After a long hesitation, Li Ping slowly lowered his brush and began to write.
This letter was for Daoist Ji.
Because he suspected he had been caught up in a power struggle between the Immortal City and other factions, Li Ping had decided to lay low for a while and not venture beyond the range of the city’s protective Array.
His original plans—to return to the Jiang Kingdom to see his master one last time and to help Daoist Ji with some troubles—had to be abandoned.
And that was why he was writing this letter.
In the letter, Li Ping first informed Daoist Ji that he had successfully reached Foundation Establishment and was now a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He explained that his present achievements were inseparable from Daoist Ji’s past guidance onto the Immortal Dao, for which he remained deeply grateful.
He then explained his current predicament. For reasons he couldn’t disclose, he was unable to leave the Immortal City or return to the Jiang Kingdom, and he hoped Daoist Ji would understand.
Li Ping also asked Daoist Ji to visit his master and explain why he could not rush back for a final farewell, adding that he hoped his master would understand.
Finally, Li Ping stated that he had enclosed some gifts for Daoist Ji with the letter: several Tier One Upper Grade Spirit Talismans and some Pills suitable for advancing a Qi Refining Cultivator’s cultivation.
He also included some Pills for healing the injuries and illnesses of mortals, asking him to please pass them on to his master or his master’s relatives.
...
He slipped the letter into an envelope and placed it at the bottom of a wooden box. On top of the envelope, he carefully arranged a Jade Box containing the Spirit Talismans and several vials of Pills. Finally, he used a restriction seal to secure the box.
Once this was done, Li Ping went straight to Gumu Sheng’s sundry shop. He handed over the wooden box along with the delivery fee, asking Gumu Sheng to give it to a merchant caravan heading to the Jiang Kingdom so they could deliver it along their route.
Fenglan Immortal City was situated deep within the Cloud Mist Mountain Range and was a source of Demon Beast materials, as well as several types of Spiritual Materials unique to the mountains.
The major powers of the Western Wilderness all formed merchant caravans to travel to and from the Immortal City to conduct trade.
However, the schedules and departure dates of these caravans were irregular. To ensure a letter was delivered in a timely manner, one had to find a reliable caravan on the verge of departure, a matter about which Li Ping was clueless.
Gumu Sheng, on the other hand, was in the business of buying up Spiritual Materials and selling Low-Tier Dharma Artifacts, Spirit Talismans, and Pills, so he knew the ins and outs of the merchant caravans perfectly.
He was also an astute man, which made him the perfect person for the job.
...
As for Li Ping himself, he purchased Talisman Paper and Talisman Ink, returned to his small courtyard, and resumed diligently crafting Spirit Talismans.
He needed Spirit Stones to buy his Cultivation Technique and to provide the ’sustenance’ for the Legacy Tree’s Tier Two Middle Grade talisman-making technique. His demand for Spirit Stones... was immense!
It was worth noting that the Bai family’s Old Ancestor had congratulated him on his Foundation Establishment with a generous gift of 200 Spirit Stones, which eased some of his financial pressure.
...
For several months, Li Ping became a relentless talisman-making machine, crafting a staggering quantity of nearly five hundred assorted Tier One Upper Grade Spirit Talismans. After he released them all at once, he even briefly affected the price of Tier One Upper Grade Talismans in the Immortal City.
That month, the considerable number of Tier One Talisman Makers within the Immortal City learned what it felt like to be hit by a crushing, overwhelming force.
Normally, the market for Tier One Spirit Talismans in the Immortal City maintained a delicate balance of supply and demand.
But now, Li Ping’s frenzied sell-off had briefly become the fulcrum that upended prices, throwing the Tier One Spirit Talisman market into chaos.
Of course, the power of a single individual was limited. No matter how frantically he produced, he could only disrupt the market’s pricing for a short time. The market would inevitably return to normal in the long run.
For Li Ping, however, this was more than enough.
After deducting the costs, the nearly five hundred Tier One Upper Grade Spirit Talismans had earned him a profit of roughly 1,300 Spirit Stones.
Combined with the gift money from the Bai family for his Foundation Establishment, he had just barely scraped together enough ’sustenance’ for the Legacy Tree’s Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Maker inheritance.
...
Just as Li Ping was preparing to stop, an uninvited guest appeared at his door.
This was a long-faced, middle-aged man with a goatee. Judging by the aura he radiated, he was also a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Upon seeing Li Ping, the long-faced cultivator stood outside the door, offered a slight cupped-fist salute, and said with a smile, "I am Han Xingyan. Forgive my unannounced visit, Fellow Daoist Li!"
Although he didn’t recognize Han Xingyan, the man’s friendly attitude suggested he wasn’t there to cause trouble. Li Ping smiled and replied, "Nonsense, Fellow Daoist Han. Please, come in for some tea."
Han Xingyan did not refuse, stepping confidently into Li Ping’s small courtyard.
The two sat facing each other. Han Xingyan retrieved an exquisite gift box from his Storage Bag, pushed it across to Li Ping, and said, "I heard that Fellow Daoist Li successfully reached Foundation Establishment. On behalf of the Talisman Alliance, I am here to present you with a Tier Two Lower Grade Silver Wolf Brush as a token of our congratulations."
"The Talisman Alliance?" Li Ping asked, surprised. He did not rush to accept the Tier Two Lower Grade Silver Wolf Brush.
He knew the Talisman Alliance was a guild in the Inner City composed mainly of Talisman Makers. It boasted quite a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Tier Two Talisman Makers among its members.
However, he wasn’t a member of the Talisman Alliance and had never had any dealings with them. ’So why are they giving me such a generous gift for my Foundation Establishment?’
Noticing Li Ping’s expression, Han Xingyan smiled and explained the purpose of his visit. "As it happens, I am one of the Elders of the Talisman Alliance. We heard that you are also an exceptionally skilled Talisman Maker, Fellow Daoist Li, so the Alliance has specifically sent me to invite you to join us."
Hearing this, Li Ping shook his head. "I’m afraid I must disappoint you, Fellow Daoist Han. I dislike conflict and have no intention of joining any faction."
’He was about to become a Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Maker. With skills like that, he could thrive in the Cultivation Realm all on his own. There was no reason to join some faction and invite trouble.’
"You’ve misunderstood, Fellow Daoist Li," Han Xingyan said, shaking his head. "The Talisman Alliance places no restrictions on its members. We don’t require members to fight, nor do we force them to perform any tasks for the Alliance. Even joining and leaving are completely voluntary."
"Is that so?" Hearing this, Li Ping’s interest in the Talisman Alliance was finally piqued.
Seeing that Li Ping seemed interested, Han Xingyan continued, "After becoming a member of the Talisman Alliance, you would have no problem joining other factions. Take me, for example. In addition to being a member of the Talisman Alliance, I am also a High-tier Steward of the Ten Thousand Laws Tower. The other Elders in our Alliance all have other affiliations as well."
"Our primary goal in establishing the Talisman Alliance was to provide a platform for the Talisman Makers of the Immortal City to network and to protect our collective interests as a guild." Han Xingyan paused here, adding pointedly, "The prices of Talisman Paper, Talisman Ink, and finished Spirit Talismans directly affect the livelihood of us Talisman Makers. Normally, under the Alliance’s influence, those prices only fluctuate within a narrow range."
It finally dawned on Li Ping. His recent frenzy of talisman crafting had disrupted the Spirit Talisman market, which in turn had attracted the attention of the Talisman Alliance.
’Han Xingyan’s visit probably wasn’t primarily about inviting him to join the Alliance,’ he thought. ’It was more likely about this.’