Chapter 153 - 12: The Golden-haired Bear’s Paw

Chapter 153: Chapter 12: The Golden-haired Bear’s PawAn Jing’s demeanor caught the Shopkeeper’s eye, and it was clear to anyone what this Dust Li young master was after. With a smile, he said, "This item is precious, coming from a hundred and fifty-year-old Golden-haired Bear. Its fur has already been purchased by the boss of Chongyi Building for several thousand silver." "If you, Young Master Xuan, wish to..." He intended to say that if An Jing wanted to buy this bear’s paw, the money from pawning the Treasure Mirror wouldn’t be enough—he would either have to outright sell the Treasure Mirror or bring out more valuable items from the Dust Li. But next, the Shopkeeper’s eyes widened. Because before he could finish speaking, An Jing had produced a stack of talismans. "Talismans of this quality?!" Seeing the small stack of talismans that An Jing had presented, both Li Zhen Shopkeeper and Steward Li drew in a sharp breath of cold air. Although the talismans An Jing brought out didn’t look particularly exquisite, likely just some common Skills, their style and the patterns on them unmistakably proved they were the work of a master! Clear talismanic characters, fluid strokes—these talismans were likely usable by anyone who had even slightly refined their Blood Qi! It’s important to know that the unique thing about talismans is that they are essentially completed Daoist arts; a sufficiently good talisman could be activated by a Martial Artist with Inner Breath as fine as silk, as long as they could slightly mobilize the Essence Qi within their body. But if the quality is poor, the amount of Essence Qi needed to infuse may even exceed the amount the creator used to release the Skill! The former is naturally a high-quality good, while the latter, although it could make up for a Martial Artist’s deficiencies, cannot be said to be useless, just lower in cost-effectiveness. And the truly expensive talismans are the ’superior talismans’ that don’t require a Martial Artist, only a person with Blood Qi to activate! In the Da Chen nation, not many people reach the Triple Nourishment of Inner Breath to truly become Martial Artists, but there are numerous martial disciples who can mobilize the Blood Qi in their bodies. They cannot use the true methods of Martial Arts, let alone Daoist arts, so talismans are their only way to perform wonders. The materials for talismans and the Spirit consumed in making them are substantial, and those who can craft them are mostly scholars aspiring for the imperial examination, or even simply officials with a public service position, hence various high-quality talismans are strategic resources, with not much circulating on the market. The talismans currently circulating in the market are mostly drawn by those who have completely given up on the imperial examination and just want to make money, or by some Daoist Priests outside of the mainstream, with questionable quality, and the Skills of the talismans they craft are rarely useful. But the stack of talismans in An Jing’s hands was very different. Firstly, the cloud patterns and Daoist characters on them were exceptionally clear and regular, showing clearly the profound expertise of the talisman’s creator, an absolute masterpiece, the best of superior talismans. Secondly, with Li Zhen Shopkeeper’s discerning eye, he vaguely made out that this stack of talismans was likely the ’Heart-cohering Talisman’! As is well known, whether practicing Martial Arts to manage Blood Qi or pondering to nourish the Spirit, one needs a calm and still mind. Those with high talent need only close their eyes to naturally enter the state and begin cultivating and introspecting. However, those with less talent, if they want to catch up, need to use incense, refined music, Cold Jade, and... the Heart-cohering Talisman. This auxiliary talisman aids in Cultivation, always in demand, a true hard currency—even those with exceptional talent could reduce many mistakes by using a Heart-cohering Talisman during battle, not to mention reducing the possibility of Deviation when breaking through. Talismans are typically grouped in fives and sets of nine, and An Jing held a set of nine, all superior, extremely valuable. "You..." At that moment, the Shopkeeper’s back bent slightly, and his tone became completely respectful, "Are you really willing to sell this set of Heart-cohering Talismans? This should have been prepared by the nobility for you to break through levels... It’s better not to delay Young Master Xuan’s progress in Cultivation!" "Of course, stop the nonsense; with my talent, I don’t need these talismans at all!" An Jing lifted his head, impatiently interrupting the Shopkeeper—but the latter wasn’t upset at all, and instead his face showed delight, "Indeed, indeed, it was my oversight. I will notify them right away!" "Please take a seat! Liu! Serve the tea! The best tea!" An Jing undoubtedly became a privileged customer of Li Zhen Pawnshop, and even Steward Li found himself drinking Cloud Mountain Mist Tea, a level of tea he couldn’t usually afford, looking quite uneasy. How could he imagine that a young Dust Li tycoon who seemed to just have some money could actually produce an entire set of useful superior talismans? Being able to casually offer such a set of superior talismans meant that behind ’Jing Xuan’, in that great Dust Li family, there definitely was a Talisman Master! Moreover, the standard was extremely high! "Ah, what a pity, if only I had insisted a little more earlier and waived that transaction, who knows, Jing Xuan might have settled the account with us using talismans!" Compared to An Jing’s previous spending spree, they had already conjured up many details about a hidden Dust Li noble family in their minds, realizing they had missed such an opportunity to establish good relations, Steward Li couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of regret. Not to mention, Li Zhen Shop had definitely notified the main house by now. The next time they came to deal with An Jing, it might not be the current Shopkeeper, but one of Li Zhen Shop’s Senior Stewards... that was a major commercial society that spanned across the three great domains of the Northern Border. If they made a move, An Jing’s backing Dust Li noble family would surely be willing to cooperate with them! Fortunately, it wasn’t too late now, he also represented Youde Garden, and after all, he had left an impression with An Jing, who knew if there might be opportunities for cooperation in the future? If An Jing knew what these people were thinking at the moment, he would certainly nod in satisfaction—everything had gone as he anticipated. The reputation of Li Zhen Pawnshop was indeed good, but An Jing wouldn’t pin his future on the kindness of others. He believed that as long as the benefits he brought were large enough, even the best reputation couldn’t withstand temptation. Thus, the items An Jing brought out, whether it was the Treasure Mirror or talismans, their value wasn’t too extraordinary, and they came with implications. The Treasure Mirror was certainly precious, but it was after all a mundane item. Provoking martial artists and the families behind them for it wasn’t worth it. It also suggested that An Jing’s family had a long-standing tradition and significant wealth. The talismans were useful, but talismans could be used up, and this talisman’s grade wasn’t high. The value lay in its high quality—hinting that his Dust Li family possessed excellent talisman crafting technology, and possibly even had masters overseeing it. Offending a talisman crafting noble family, a Great Talisman Master for a set of Heart-cohering Talismans was a choice not even a fool would make. Moreover, both the Treasure Mirror and the talisman were obviously not one-off deals—the Treasure Mirror itself was a family heirloom, highly valuable but not something that could be sold at will, yet ordinary Dust Li mirrors could fetch a good price in Da Chen. And talismans, what commercial society would refuse a talisman channel? Therefore, An Jing was confident that as long as he progressed step by step, revealing these resources, even the fiercest and craziest commercial society would return to the nature of peaceable money-making, waiting for the day in the future when they could cooperate with the Dust Li noble family behind An Jing. And An Jing didn’t think that day was far off. He had no intention of giving up this false Dust Li identity. If possible, he definitely planned to cooperate with some commercial societies with better reputations and those he was more familiar with, to stably sell talismans and Treasure Mirrors. As for the cost... Haha, that so-called Treasure Mirror is no more than a cheap man-made luminous gemstone combined with advanced mirror-making technology in Tianyuan Realm. And the talismans even more so—the art of talismans in Tianyuan Realm was also extremely strong. Ordinary Heart-cohering Talismans could already be industrially produced and widely distributed among countless households. Although they weren’t exactly cheap, they were only about ten Good Deeds per set, or sixteen Good Deeds for a complete set. Converted, it was less than a few dozen silver pieces. Tianyuan Realm was able to achieve the feat of having cultivators for everyone because of these foundational technologies. Of course, due to this overly advanced technology and widespread popularity, Heart-cohering Talismans in Tianyuan Realm had actually become akin to tobacco and other addictive substances. Many cultivators used Heart-cohering Talismans from a young age, accustomed to the clear state of mind it provided, and since their own mental cultivation wasn’t solid enough, they would feel uncomfortable all over after a period of not using them, even experiencing withdrawal symptoms. This might also be one of the ways big corporations in major cities of Tianyuan Realm controlled ordinary people, but that’s another topic. "Xuan, the Spiritual Objects you requested will soon be delivered to your room at the inn." Soon, the beaming Shopkeeper came out from the back room: "The head of the hunting team has an heir who is just about to break through, and agreed readily—he’s also willing to throw in a large tooth from a Golden-haired Bear as a bonus, to set a good deed in motion and make a friend." "Great!" With the unexpected bonus, An Jing genuinely felt delighted and laughed: "If given the chance, I must definitely get to know this grand hunting team capable of hunting Golden-haired Bears!" By now, everyone was pleased with the outcome—Youde Garden earned An Jing’s goodwill and referred business to their old partner, Li Zhen, who in turn gained both An Jing’s goodwill and business. An Jing got the Spiritual Objects he wanted without spending much money, and the hunting team obtained Heart-cohering Talismans they could never buy in the mountains. A win-win for all four! Soon, An Jing rode back to the inn he was staying at in the comfortable carriage provided by Li Zhen Pawnshop. Not long after, escorted by several guards wielding swords, a cooler was brought to An Jing’s room. The Spiritual Object, the Golden-haired Bear’s Paw, was in hand!