Youth must be seized early; how can one remain young forever? Chapter Forty-Six: The Gravity Talisman

The trio walked leisurely down the streets of Shuiying Lane. People bustled back and forth, hawkers’ cries and playful laughter echoing from every direction, filling Ruan Xiuqi—who had not left the mountain for a long time—with excitement. He gazed curiously at everything.

Each of the three now had five low-grade spirit stones in their pockets, which gave them a certain confidence when eyeing the goods displayed along the street. After all, money in hand made one unafraid. The sudden acquisition of these five spirit stones was thanks to Zhang Zhiyan. Before they left, she felt it necessary to report their outing to the sect leader, so she went upstairs and found Li Yuyun drinking. Upon hearing their plan, Li Yuyun, slightly tipsy, waved his hand generously and handed each of them five low-grade spirit stones, telling them to enjoy themselves without restraint.

Ruan Xiuqi was in high spirits and asked, “Senior Sister Zhang, what do you want to buy?”

“With the competition approaching, it’s only natural to purchase talismans to enhance our combat power,” Zhang Zhiyan replied calmly.

This idea aligned with Bai Qingzhou’s thoughts. At crucial moments, the right talisman could yield unexpected results. Although a good weapon might be even more effective, a low-grade yellow-tier weapon cost ten spirit stones, which was out of their reach for now.

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Zhiyan said, “When I went to consult the sect leader, Senior Xuan Qiang recommended several shops, suggesting that we buy talismans from the ‘Original Talisman Pavilion.’”

“Well… let’s check it out first,” Ruan Xiuqi agreed. Though his competition was in the early Qi Refining stage, where talismans weren’t allowed, he wouldn’t refuse to accompany the others.

With their goal set, the three walked on, asking directions until they reached the entrance of the Original Talisman Pavilion.

The pavilion occupied a large area, with three shopfronts merged into one spacious hall. Its exterior was lavishly decorated, and crowds of cultivators came and went, most of them young.

Bai Qingzhou and Zhang Zhiyan exchanged a helpless glance. Clearly, the young cultivators entering and leaving were all competitors for tomorrow’s tournament. It seemed everyone had the same idea: to use talismans to boost their strength.

“You two go inside and pick out what you want. I’ll wait at the door,” Ruan Xiuqi said, losing any desire to join the lively crowd.

The other two nodded and followed the flow of people into the shop.

Bai Qingzhou’s aim was clear—he wanted a mid-tier yellow-grade Heavy Body Talisman the most.

First, he had studied this talisman extensively and found it matched his swordsmanship perfectly. He had even used it to defeat Senior Brother Gong Liquan in the sect. Second, after half a year of practice, Bai Qingzhou could now cast the Heavy Body Talisman instantly.

Mastery of talismans depended on familiarity—the more one used them or became adept at channeling spiritual energy, the better one could unleash their power.

After browsing for a while, Bai Qingzhou found the cabinet displaying the Heavy Body Talismans. But when he saw the price marked on the counter, he grew irritated.

The Heavy Body Talisman, a mid-tier yellow-grade talisman, usually sold for two spirit stones each. Now, however, it was priced at five stones for two.

The price had risen by nearly half, prompting Bai Qingzhou to silently curse, “Greedy merchants!”

He had been in the sect for nearly four years and received one spirit stone every three months. However, he often bought Qi Refining Pills to aid his cultivation, so he hadn’t saved up much—only six stones. With the five stones from the sect leader, he had a total of eleven.

“Hey, kid, are you buying or not?” the shop attendant behind the counter said impatiently. “Look at all the people behind you. If you’re not buying, move aside for the next customer!”

Unfazed by the rude tone, Bai Qingzhou stepped forward to negotiate. “Shopkeeper, isn’t your Heavy Body Talisman a bit overpriced? If it were two stones each, I’d buy two right away. How about it?”

The shopkeeper’s expression stiffened. “Don’t even think about it! This is the current price. After the tournament, I’ll lower it, but for now, this is what it is. No negotiations.”

He was clearly targeting anxious buyers, taking advantage of the tournament’s surge in demand.

Hearing this, Bai Qingzhou was momentarily speechless.

“Move along, don’t block the others!” the shopkeeper said, shooing him away.

Reluctantly, Bai Qingzhou withdrew, heading outside. The talisman shops’ price hikes were outrageous—an extra stone meant waiting three months to earn it. He refused to be taken advantage of.

Outside, he found Ruan Xiuqi and Zhang Zhiyan chatting casually in an open area.

“Brother Bai, what did you buy?” Ruan Xiuqi asked as Bai Qingzhou, looking disappointed, approached.

Zhang Zhiyan also looked at him with curiosity.

Bai Qingzhou spread his hands and smiled, “I bought nothing. I want to check out the rogue cultivator market.”

Rogue cultivators had neither sect nor family, having stumbled onto the path of cultivation and practiced alone. The rogue cultivator market was where these unaffiliated cultivators gathered to trade, much like the stalls in Luogu Lane.

Seeing Zhang Zhiyan’s gaze, Bai Qingzhou summoned his courage and asked quietly, “What did you buy, Senior Sister Zhang?”

She smiled gently. “I bought some Gold Blade Talismans, Fire Curse Talismans, and Heavenly Thunder Talismans.”

Her natural reply eased Bai Qingzhou’s concern. It seemed he had worried unnecessarily—Senior Sister Zhang hadn’t given it much thought.

“If Brother Bai doesn’t want to buy here, let’s head to the market,” Ruan Xiuqi suggested.

“Alright!”

Shaking off his nameless emotions, Bai Qingzhou led the way.

As they approached the stalls, the crowds thickened, and the clamor and bargaining grew louder.

The stalls offered everything imaginable, dazzling the trio with their variety. “Let’s split up and meet back here in two incense sticks’ time,” Zhang Zhiyan proposed.

The others agreed, and each headed in a different direction.

The market at Shuiying Lane was much larger than Luogu Lane, teeming with people like a mortal fair. The crowd pressed together in chaos.

Passing stall after stall, Bai Qingzhou saw every manner of item: from basic talismans to second-tier pills, beast materials, and all sorts of rare and strange objects, expanding his horizons.

He also spotted some valuable mortal jade stones. The prices weren’t high, requiring only ordinary gold, so he bought a few pieces.

After wandering for some time, Bai Qingzhou stopped at a burly, dark-faced man’s stall.

Several cultivators were haggling there, but the man responded coldly, lacking the enthusiasm of a typical merchant. Bai Qingzhou observed that the man likely possessed late-stage Qi Refining cultivation. His wares were diverse—not just sect goods, but beast materials, pills, talismans, and magical tools, all sorts of things. Clearly, he was a rogue cultivator.

“Fellow Daoist, how much for this longsword?” a male cultivator asked, pointing to a silver blade on the ground.

“Mid-tier yellow-grade Clear Cloud Saber. Thirty-eight spirit stones,” the man replied curtly.

Hearing this, the cultivator’s eyes flickered as he calculated, about to speak.

“Look here!” the burly man pointed to a small sign beside him.

The sign read: No haggling.

Seeing this, the cultivator’s expression fell. He said quietly, “Fellow Daoist, I only have twenty stones, but I feel a strong affinity with this sword. Would you accept other items?”

“Other items? Show me,” the man said, raising an eyebrow.

Without further ado, the cultivator produced seven or eight items from his robe: a few talismans, some refining materials, and a manual.

“How much do you think these are worth?” he asked hopefully.

The burly man glanced at them. “Those talismans are useless to me. The refining materials and the manual—I’ll give you ten stones.”

“That’s still eight stones short. Could you make an exception?” the cultivator asked, embarrassed.

The man grunted, pointing again to the sign.

No haggling.

The cultivator looked disappointed and prepared to put his things away, when a voice rang out:

“Fellow Daoist, I’ll give you eight stones for those talismans to help you buy the sword.”

Surprised, the cultivator turned to the speaker and asked, “Which talisman do you want?”

The speaker was Bai Qingzhou. He had spotted a familiar talisman and, not wanting to miss out, spoke up.

“The Gravity Talisman,” Bai Qingzhou said, pointing to the yellow talisman.

The Gravity Talisman was a top-tier yellow-grade talisman, a level above the Heavy Body Talisman, with effects several times stronger. Its usual price was around ten spirit stones.

Hearing Bai Qingzhou’s offer, the cultivator felt a pang of regret and was inclined to refuse. But he realized that if he walked away now, someone else might buy the Clear Cloud Saber, costing him a real loss.

After brief consideration, he gritted his teeth. “Alright, I’ll sell it to you.”

Bai Qingzhou was delighted and promptly took out spirit stones, exchanging them for the talisman in a straightforward transaction.