Chapter 19: Promise
Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Promise
According to Han Xingyan, the Talisman Alliance was purely a platform for Talisman Makers to communicate, with no restrictions whatsoever on its members.
However, his final suggestive words proved that this was, in fact, just empty talk.
Li Ping had always believed that whether in his past life or in the Cultivation Realm, any organization, regardless of its nature, was formed because of shared interests or the need to protect the interests of its members.
The Talisman Alliance was no different. Its structure was loose, somewhat similar to the ’Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ from Li Ping’s past life.
It also had few restrictions on its members and seemed harmless on the surface.
But once their interests were threatened, they would immediately bare their fangs.
Take the Talisman Alliance, for instance. They used their technical advantage to control the supply of Talismans on the market. Upstream, they suppressed the price of raw materials like Talisman Paper and Talisman Ink. Downstream, they maintained the price of Talismans within a certain range of fluctuation.
In this way, they could pocket the juiciest profits from the entire Talisman-making industry chain.
By selling large quantities of Talismans, Li Ping had affected the price of Tier One Spirit Talismans, which undoubtedly harmed the interests of the Talisman Alliance.
Cutting off someone’s source of wealth is like killing their parents.
If he were merely a Qi Refining Cultivator, he probably would have already been hit hard by the Talisman Alliance.
But he was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, his strength sufficient to contend with the Talisman Alliance. That was why the Alliance had sent Han Xingyan to visit him, using the pretext of congratulating him on his Foundation Establishment to offer courtesy before resorting to force.
Of course, if they could take the opportunity to win Li Ping over and have him join the Talisman Alliance, that would be for the best.
As long as Li Ping also became a member, his long-term interests would align with the Alliance’s. Without any need for persuasion, he would proactively side with the other members to protect the Talisman Alliance’s interests.
’Rely on our technical advantage, and the profits will flow steadily for a long time.’
’Isn’t it better to squeeze the upstream suppliers of talisman-making materials and harvest the downstream Cultivators who buy Spirit Talismans together?’
’Why the internal competition?’
...
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Li Ping saw through the true nature of the Talisman Alliance. He no longer had the slightest interest in joining.
It wasn’t that he felt morally superior; it was simply that the Talisman Alliance offered him no benefits.
Soon, he would become a Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Maker and would only be crafting Tier Two Talismans from then on.
He was taking the high-end route; there was no need to get mixed up with these guys from the Talisman Alliance.
Thinking of this, Li Ping smiled and asked, "I know that Fairy Meng Qingyi of Cyan Dragon Mountain is a Tier Two Talisman Maker. Is she also a member of the Talisman Alliance?"
"We have invited Fairy Meng." Han Xingyan shook his head regretfully. "But unfortunately, Fairy Meng did not agree to join."
Li Ping nodded and reached for the exquisite wooden box on the table in front of him, which contained the Tier Two Lower Grade ’Silver Wolf Brush’.
Seeing him willing to accept the congratulatory gift, a smile appeared in Han Xingyan’s eyes. It was clear that the purpose of his trip was nearly accomplished.
But Li Ping’s next words left him stunned. Li Ping put the wooden box into his Storage Bag and then spoke solemnly, "I’ll accept your gift, Fellow Daoist Han. However, as for joining the Talisman Alliance, I can only apologize. I wish to focus solely on my cultivation and not be disturbed by worldly affairs."
Hearing this, Han Xingyan’s composure finally broke.
’Seriously, man? The Talisman Alliance’s gift is nominally to congratulate you on your Foundation Establishment, but what the hell does your Foundation Establishment have to do with the Talisman Alliance? This is actually an invitation to join, your signing bonus!’
’You took the gift, but now you refuse to join the Alliance? What kind of person does that?’
Fortunately, Li Ping spoke again quickly. "However, rest assured, Fellow Daoist Han. Although I will not join the Talisman Alliance, I strongly agree with its principles. Only by suppressing the price of raw materials upstream and raising the price of finished Spirit Talismans downstream can we Talisman Makers live comfortably."
He said solemnly, "I can guarantee to you, Fellow Daoist Han, that from now on, I will stand on the same front as the Talisman Alliance and will never again sell Spirit Talismans at a low price."
Hearing Li Ping’s promise, Han Xingyan finally breathed a sigh of relief internally.
Before he came to invite Li Ping to join the Talisman Alliance, the Alliance had already prepared a contingency plan.
If Li Ping agreed to join, it would be a joyous occasion for everyone.
But if Li Ping was unwilling to join, they were to explain the stakes and stop him from continuing to dump large quantities of Spirit Talismans, which was disrupting the Spirit Talisman market in the Immortal City.
Now, with Li Ping’s guarantee, he had, for the most part, achieved his goal for this trip.
Thinking of this, he smiled and cupped his hands. "Fellow Daoist Li speaks wisely. This is something that benefits everyone."
...
Han Xingyan took his leave, and Li Ping sat alone in the courtyard, toying with the Talisman Brush gifted by the Talisman Alliance.
Even before Han Xingyan’s visit, he had already decided to stop crafting large quantities of Tier One Talismans. So, Han Xingyan had essentially made the trip for nothing.
His gaze fell upon the Talisman Brush in his hand. It was a well-crafted brush with a black handle and a silver tip.
A Tier Two Lower Grade item was worth between 100 and 200 Spirit Stones. To be honest, with Li Ping’s current net worth, he didn’t really care that much.
The reason he accepted the gift was to manage his public image.
To outsiders, the cause of this whole affair was that he had been mass-producing Spirit Talismans, disrupting the Talisman market price in the Immortal City.
This led the Talisman Alliance, acting in its own interest, to send Han Xingyan to his door to negotiate and apply pressure.
If the moment someone from the Talisman Alliance showed up, Li Ping had obediently stopped crafting Talismans without even accepting the gift, then in the eyes of the uninformed, it might seem as if Li Ping lacked confidence, feared the Alliance, and didn’t even dare to accept their gift.
They might label him as ’a pushover,’ ’easy to talk to,’ or ’weak and easy to bully’... which would affect his future interactions with Cultivators of the same tier.
Li Ping wanted to be a ’Gou Cultivator,’ not a ’Cowardly Cultivator,’ and naturally, he didn’t want this to happen.
On the contrary, by accepting the gift from the Talisman Alliance and reaching a win-win deal, he handled the situation reasonably and courteously, satisfying both parties. This sent a signal to the outside world.
Namely, that Li Ping was someone who could weigh interests and resolve conflicts through negotiation, not just a ’Reckless Cultivator’ who only knew how to fight and kill.
Establishing such an image had many benefits.
For example, in the future, if someone wanted something from him, they would most likely choose to barter or trade for it rather than resort to direct violence.
Dharma Artifacts have no eyes, and Magic is merciless.
With the Purple Qi Space as his cheat, Li Ping’s future path to immortality was a smooth one.
He did not wish to engage in frequent Magical Combat with other Cultivators. If problems could be solved without fighting, he could accept it, even if it meant taking a small loss.
...
Putting the Talisman Brush into his Storage Bag, Li Ping stood up, pushed open the courtyard gate, and headed towards the Inner City.
With Fairy Meng’s ’Original Flavor Talisman Brush’ in hand and enough Spirit Stones, he was now on his way to buy Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Ink and Tier Two Middle Grade Spirit Wood.
If everything went smoothly, he would soon become a Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Maker.
By then, a whole new world would open up before him.