🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 2
Monthly Income: Five Spirit Stones
The next day at dawn.
Waking up early, Na Jin packed the pills on his worktable into five jade bottles, ten pills per bottle. After that, he put on his only decent low-grade dao robe and grabbed his flying dagger before rushing out the door, yawning as he went.
He had to enter the inner city quickly. Once daylight fully broke, better vendors would already have spread out their goods, leaving no space for him. Besides, yesterday’s heavy rain might have left the outer district roads muddy and difficult to walk through.
As he moved closer to the center of the outer city, the mixed stench of feces, urine, medicine herbs, humans, and demonic beasts grew stronger. The faint smell of wet earth only made it worse, creating an almost unbearable odor—but Na Jin was already used to it.
After an hour, he arrived at the city gate and stepped inside, instinctively taking a deep breath.
As expected, the air inside the inner city was much cleaner.
“So this is the inner city… I’ve heard it’s built on a first-grade spirit vein, which greatly benefits Qi Refining cultivators. Once I have enough money, I must buy a house here.”
Suppressing a sigh, Na Jin immediately headed toward the southwestern corner—where the wandering cultivator market stalls were located.
In front of a stone slab table, yellow talisman papers and processed beast hides were neatly laid out, while an elderly man moved busily behind them.
The old man noticed Na Jin approaching while arranging his goods and stretching.
“Daoist Na, you’re later than me this time.”
The old man’s name was Jin Xiuping, a sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator living in the Great River Market. He had lived here for decades, making talismans his livelihood, and he was also highly skilled in processing talisman hides.
With his income, he could actually afford to live in the inner city. However, being extremely frugal, he preferred paying one low-grade spirit stone per month for his wooden house in the outer district rather than spending ten times that amount for a stone house inside the inner city.
Even his stall arrangement was carefully calculated. Renting a stall in the market required one spirit stone per month, so by slightly narrowing his space and sharing it, he could cut costs in half—splitting the fee with Na Jin.
Na Jin didn’t lose out either; renting a full stall alone would cost him one spirit stone per month as well. Few cultivators were willing to share space, so this arrangement benefited both sides.
After a brief greeting, Na Jin placed out twenty bottles of Bigu Pills.
Seeing this, Jin Xiuping was slightly surprised.
“Daoist Na, your pill-making skills have improved again.”
His surprise was justified. Na Jin usually came once a week—about four or five times a month—and brought at most fifteen bottles each time. This time, however, he had brought twenty.
It was clear his production ability had improved significantly.
And it was true. Na Jin now spent one day per week purchasing materials, three days preparing them, and three days refining pills.
Previously, he had once desperately tried producing two cauldrons in a single day and only managed five bottles total, while wasting many materials.
But yesterday, after his Bigu Powder skill reached mastery progression, his final batch alone produced five bottles, and overall he managed twenty bottles with minimal waste.
“It’s nothing, really. I’ve just gotten more familiar with the process,” Na Jin said modestly, though his eyes betrayed a hint of pride. Reaching a higher mastery level allowed him to confidently present his skill.
Jin Xiuping shook his head.
“Even among pill sellers, no one else can produce twenty bottles in five days like you.”
Then he reached out and touched one of the bottles.
“You didn’t mix flour in it to increase quantity, did you? As an elder here, I have a duty to protect the reputation of our stall.”
Hearing this, Na Jin chuckled. He casually reached out and picked up a talisman covered in red spiritual markings.
“I heard someone once bought your Spirit Concealment Talisman, and it didn’t work at all—he ended up getting half his backside bitten off by a demonic beast. Should I take one to inspect it for you? After all, we can’t damage our stall’s reputation.”
Jin Xiuping panicked immediately and snatched the talisman back, ignoring the pills entirely.
“Five bottles of your Bigu Pills only cost one spirit stone—how dare you shamelessly try to take my Spirit Concealment Talismans, which I sell for three spirit stones each? Return it!”
Na Jin smiled faintly and watched as the old man carefully placed the talisman in a prominent spot.
The Spirit Concealment Talisman was Jin Xiuping’s signature product. Among low-grade talismans priced at one spirit stone each, it was considered a premium item, starting at three low-grade spirit stones.
It was actually quite valuable, especially for cultivators hunting demonic beasts in the mountains. A talisman that could suppress one’s aura for an hour could save a life in critical moments, making it no less valuable than many defensive talismans.
Sometimes Na Jin felt a little envious. One talisman earned at least one spirit stone, meaning the old man could make over a hundred spirit stones in monthly profit.
Unlike him.
Last month, after exhausting effort, Na Jin earned only twelve spirit stones. After deducting costs, only six or seven remained. Subtract rent, stall fees, and daily expenses, and he was left with just four or five.
He had only transmigrated here a year ago and still struggled to accumulate wealth. He could hardly imagine how the original owner survived before.
But envy was only momentary. Na Jin knew every cultivation trade had its own difficulties.
Pill refinement had high volume but required skill progression and risked destroying cauldrons. Talismans required precision and mental focus; even the smallest mistake meant total failure. Moreover, talisman masters rarely lived long for unknown reasons.
Even Jin Xiuping, who looked old, was only in his sixties—still relatively young for a Qi Refining cultivator expected to live 120–130 years. Yet he already looked aged beyond his years.
Na Jin felt pill-making was still the better path. At least his recently improved mastery in Bigu Powder production could steadily increase his income.
Even a monthly net profit of ten spirit stones would still be far from enough for immortality, but it was at least progress.
While he was thinking about the future, Jin Xiuping pulled his sleeve.
“Let’s begin business.”
A few cultivators in fitted dao robes were crouched around the stone table, examining the goods.
“Oh? Spirit Concealment Talismans. Good stuff. How much per piece?”
“Five spirit stones each. Essential for travel, hunting, or entering the mountains. With this, even a wolf with a keen nose won’t detect you.”
“That expensive?”
“Don’t buy it then!”
“Can you lower the price a bit? We need quite a few talismans for our trip.”
“Have you not heard of Jin Xiuping in the Great River Market? My talisman craftsmanship is top-tier. I can give a discount, but if a demonic beast bites you later, don’t blame me.”
After some bargaining:
“We’ll take one Spirit Concealment Talisman, plus three Earth Spike Talismans and six Fireball Talismans.”
“Four spirit stones! That’s the lowest I can go. I only make one of these per month.”
After discussion, they agreed to buy it.
Then they turned to the jade bottles nearby.
“Bigu Pills?”
Na Jin straightened.
“One pill keeps you full for a day. Ten pills prevent hunger for three days and nights. How many bottles do you need?”
“How much?”
“These are made from first-rank Yellow Ox meat, mixed with ginseng, angelica, and Hundred-Flower Fragrant Honey from the Alchemy Sect. High quality, low price.”
“Really?”
“Smell it. Look at the color. No flour adulteration. I guarantee no one else in the market makes them this well.”
The leading cultivator nodded.
“It does smell better than what we bought before.”
“I told you, brother. Maybe you were overcharged last time.”
“Then how much?”
“Four bottles for one spirit stone.”
“Too expensive.”
“You won’t find better after passing this stall.”
After more negotiation:
“Fine, ten bottles.”
Once payment was settled, Na Jin and Jin Xiuping politely sent them off.
“Wishing you a safe journey into the mountains and great harvests.”
After they left, the two looked at each other and smiled.
Then Jin Xiuping quietly placed another Spirit Concealment Talisman on the table.
Didn’t he say he only makes one per month?
