Chapter 35: Shadows Over the Marketplace
Zhou Family's scandal could no longer be concealed.
In less than a day, the entire marketplace knew the full story.
The Wang Family.
"Ha! That old Zhou ghost—truly devious!"
Upon learning of this, the Wang Family’s chief elder was both shocked and delighted. He was shocked that the Zhou Family had actually concealed a Wind Spiritual Root and nearly succeeded in forging an alliance with a foundation-establishment family from Xuan Yin Pavilion.
He was delighted at Zhou Family’s failure: they lost not only the foundation-establishment pills and the arranged marriage, but also the prodigy with the Wind Spiritual Root.
"Heh, old Zhou ghost, I guess your family was never destined to enjoy good fortune."
The elder’s sinister smile revealed his satisfaction. The alliance between the Wang and Zhou families had been forged under external pressure; but now, the Zhou Family had tried to play dirty, leaving the Wang Family to handle the fallout alone.
He now wanted to see how the Zhou Family would weather this storm.
...
Inside the Zhou estate.
“Father, what about Feng’er?”
Zhou Renmao, patriarch of the Zhou Family, wore a face full of sorrow. This was his most promising son—the prodigy the entire family had invested in—and he had just vanished from the spotlight.
“Demonic cultivator robbers—they’ve gone too far.”
The Zhou Family’s elder, already advanced in years, turned pale with anger at the shocking turn of events.
“Father!”
This blow cut deep: the talent with the Wind Spiritual Root was gone, the foundation-establishment pills vanished, and even the external alliance they had painstakingly arranged collapsed.
“It’s not over yet. As head of the family, you must stabilize the morale of our clan.”
The elder snorted coldly. Yet the deathly look in his eyes filled Zhou Renmao with deep worry.
“While my old bones can still last another twenty or thirty years, we must maintain relations with Xuan Yin Pavilion. Immediately allocate family resources and bring along those two second-rank Black Wind Wolf cubs.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Renmao drew a deep breath, fought back the pain, and resolutely replied,
“Yes, Father. With those two second-rank spirit beast cubs and our family’s resources, obtaining two foundation-establishment pills from Xuan Yin Pavilion is not difficult. Even without Feng’er, the Zhou Family still has Tie Shan!”
Zhou Tieshan, the Zhou Family’s strongest young generation member, was under forty and had already perfected the Qi Refining Stage.
Their previous plan had been to marry off the Wind Spiritual Root prodigy into the daughter of a foundation-establishment lineage of Xuan Yin Pavilion. The two families would ally through marriage, and then they would prepare a foundation-establishment breakthrough for Zhou Tieshan. With success, the Zhou Family would rise rapidly.
But now, that plan lay in ruins.
“Let’s hope Tieshan can establish his foundation smoothly.”
The elder’s expression was grave. Now only Zhou Tieshan could carry the family’s hopes.
If it had been the Wind Spiritual Root prodigy, one pill would have almost guaranteed success. But Tieshan only had a high-grade Spiritual Root, and the success rate was only fifty percent.
“Father, rest assured. With Tieshan’s aptitude, perhaps just one pill will suffice.”
Zhou Renmao comforted him. Even with their family’s deep reserves, pulling three foundation-establishment pills at once would be a significant strain.
Moreover, the current unrest had driven up the cost of cultivation materials.
“Let’s hope so. From today onward, prepare Tieshan within the family grounds.”
“Yes.”
One accident had occurred—there must never be a second.
...
Beneath the surface unrest of the marketplace, Lin Chang’an hid at home, seizing every moment to practice drawing talismans.
[Golden Light Talisman +1 (Grandmaster 183/5000)]
When he completed a complex, exquisite pale-gold talisman on his desk, Lin Chang’an smiled with satisfaction.
“As expected of a first-grade superior talisman—though more intricate, the Spirit Stone earnings are considerably higher.”
Thanks to the recent unrest in the marketplace, demand for his defensive talismans had surged. What once sold for 40 Spirit Stones now fetched 45 on the open market.
“A defensive Golden Light Talisman for 45 Spirit Stones— even a big-clan cultivator wouldn’t manufacture it casually.”
Lin Chang’an sighed with melancholy. Though the rise in talisman prices was a good thing, it also signaled that the situation was becoming increasingly dire.
Still, it was thanks to this craft that he was earning a considerable amount of Spirit Stones every month, allowing him to maintain his rapid cultivation pace.
And that was even without him going all out.
“What a pity—guarding a mountain of treasure in vain.”
Lin Chang’an quietly sighed. He could only secretly sell a few of the first-grade superior talismans to avoid drawing attention.
In fact, most of what he sold were first-grade medium-grade talismans. Though the quantity was high, after someone had used a talisman worth dozens of Spirit Stones, it was hard to accept one worth only a few Spirit Stones.
Such disparity left him a little frustrated.
“At this stage, I really need to develop another first-grade superior talisman.”
Lin Chang’an frowned. Superior-grade first-grade talismans were not easy to obtain, as they were typically found within sects and large families.
“Better to stay steady for now. Perhaps once I break through to the late stage of Qi Refining, I can consider it.”
Erring on the side of caution, he chose not to be too greedy just yet.
After all, some things could be gained but not enjoyed—such a loss would be immense.
...
“Brother Lin, a big incident happened in the family this time.”
Half a month later, Li Erniu appeared with a helpless expression, recounting the Zhou Family’s recent troubles. He already seemed to consider himself part of the Zhou Family.
This sight made Lin Chang’an sigh inwardly. No wonder the Zhou Family had chosen the honest Erniu over the rest of them.
It was about temperament.
Erniu’s naïve and ambitionless nature—focused solely on living a peaceful life—was the perfect choice.
“Erniu, don’t worry. The Zhou Family is at least an established foundation-establishment clan with deep roots.”
At Lin Chang’an’s comforting words, Li Erniu forced a weak smile and nodded.
“Sigh, lately the family’s already started preparing resources for Foundation Establishment Pills. Many in the marketplace are watching them closely. I just hope everything goes smoothly.”
Seeing Erniu, Lin Chang’an shook his head and then retrieved a talisman from his storage pouch.
“Erniu, it’s a turbulent time—take this talisman for protection.”
“Brother Lin, this is too valuable!”
Li Erniu’s expression changed as he hurriedly raised his hand to refuse. A first-grade superior talisman went for forty Spirit Stones in the market—he couldn’t afford it even if he emptied everything he owned.
At the same time, he looked at Lin Chang’an with some envy.
“A first-grade superior talisman master—Brother Lin, you’ll definitely become a high-stage Qi Refining cultivator in the future.”
Even Li Erniu knew that a first-grade superior talisman master’s earnings could easily push Lin Chang’an’s cultivation forward.
“Let’s just say I’m lending it to you.”
Lin Chang’an shook his head. The second half of his sentence, “You wouldn’t want your wife and child to worry,” went unspoken, but Li Erniu awkwardly accepted the talisman.
That first-grade superior talisman in his hand felt like a scalding hot iron, making him incredibly uneasy.
“Erniu, the Zhou Family has done me a favor too. From now on, I’ll trade more talismans with their shop.”
Lin Chang’an shifted the topic and chatted with Li Erniu.
At the same time, he sighed inwardly—reputation, what was it really worth?
When you needed it, it was useful. When you didn’t, it meant nothing.
Just like Yun Yao—if she always looked down on everyone coldly, no one would have invested in her during her Foundation Establishment preparations.
Likewise, Lin Chang’an’s actions, though seemingly minor to the Zhou Family, would leave a good impression among many in the marketplace once word spread.
Small gestures sometimes became great leverage.
To put it plainly—when cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining sought out talismans, who would they choose?
Even when he visited the Zhou Family’s shop to buy cultivation resources, even if they didn’t offer discounts, at the very least he’d get top-quality goods.
Reputation—it couldn’t be seen or touched, but it existed in people’s hearts.
“Brother Lin, I’ll take my leave first. You be careful—there’ve already been several conflicts between disciples of Lihuo Palace and Shensword Sect.”
Before leaving, Li Erniu carefully warned him, and Lin Chang’an nodded gravely.