Cautiously Cultivating Immortality in a Strange World

Chapter 4: Invitation

"Friend Chen, you know my style. I usually give a take-it-or-leave-it price, but your case isn't without room for discussion."

The shopkeeper stroked his non-existent beard and spoke slowly.

"What do you mean? Spit it out. Why are you being so coy after not seeing me for a few days? Are you turning into a woman?" Chen Lin asked impatiently, his tone turning a little sharp.

The shopkeeper remained unhurried and shot him a glare. "With that attitude, no wonder your cultivation hasn't progressed. Cultivators should avoid being greedy for quick success and instant benefit. You must approach everything with a calm mind and peace. Otherwise, you risk veering off the path and falling into the demonic path!"

Chen Lin was taken aback for a moment, then bowed and said, "Friend Zhang's words are reasonable. I appreciate the lesson."

Regardless of the shopkeeper's constant sneering, what he said made sense.

The shopkeeper gave Chen Lin a look that seemed to say, "You have much to learn, young one," before continuing slowly, "What's the success rate for your Fireball Talismans?"

Chen Lin didn't understand why the shopkeeper was asking this, but he answered honestly, "One in ten."

"Only one in ten? That's a bit low. But it's commendable that you, with your cultivation level, can refine a mid-grade talisman of a higher level. As you become more proficient, your success rate will improve."

"Friend Chen, I wonder if you're interested in joining our Zhang family."

Suddenly, the shopkeeper looked up and said something that surprised Chen Lin.

"What do you mean? Does one of the young ladies of the Zhang family have her eyes on me, wanting me to marry into the family?" Chen Lin immediately imagined countless scenarios.

The Zhang family the shopkeeper referred to was one of the five great cultivator families, the one that had recently lost its Foundation Establishment stage expert.

Even without a Foundation Establishment stage expert, the Zhang family was still one of the five great families, with a deep foundation that ordinary forces couldn't compare to.

Most importantly, they had access to pills, which were exactly what Chen Lin needed to escape this place. He was willing to do whatever it took, even if it meant marrying into the family.

"You're dreaming!"

The shopkeeper was amused by Chen Lin's words and burst into laughter.

Then, with a mocking smile, he said, "How could my Zhang family's young ladies deign to look at a toad like you? If you're willing to marry a mortal without spiritual roots, I could arrange something for you."

Seeing the shopkeeper's half-joking, half-serious expression, Chen Lin quickly shook his head.

"No thanks, I'd rather stay single than be with someone with whom I have nothing in common. So, what did you mean by your previous statement?"

The shopkeeper's expression turned serious. "You may have heard the news. Our Zhang family has encountered some troubles recently and is actively recruiting people with various talents. Since you can refine mid-grade talismans, you meet our recruitment criteria. If you're interested, I can report to the family and invite you to become our exclusive talisman master."

Chen Lin was intrigued. "What benefits come with being an exclusive talisman master?"

Whether it was marrying into the family or becoming an exclusive talisman master, as long as he could get his hands on pills, he was willing to consider it.

"There are many benefits, of course. Not only will you have free access to more talisman-making techniques, but you'll also receive a monthly allowance of spirit stones. Moreover, you'll have the opportunity to learn from our Zhang family's master talisman makers. It's a very attractive offer."

The shopkeeper stroked his chin proudly.

"With so many benefits, there must be some strings attached, right?" Chen Lin was clear-headed; he knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch. The greater the benefits, the greater the cost.

The shopkeeper gave him a mocking smile. "The conditions are quite lenient. All you need to do is sign an Oath of the Heart Devil and never betray the family for the rest of your life!"

Just as he expected.

Chen Lin sneered inwardly.

It was impossible to expect these people to act out of goodwill; that would be pure wishful thinking.

This wasn't a recruitment for an exclusive talisman master; it was more like they were recruiting a slave and asking him to sign a contract of indentured servitude!

The Oath of the Heart Devil was a powerful constraint on cultivators. If one broke the oath, they would be devoured by the heart devil.

"Never mind, I'm used to being free and unconstrained. Thank you for your kindness, Friend Zhang, but I'll have to decline." Chen Lin refused outright.

He didn't even bother to ask if they could provide him with the opportunity to purchase pills.

There was no way he would take the Oath of the Heart Devil; doing so would make it even harder for him to leave this place.

The shopkeeper didn't seem to mind Chen Lin's refusal. Instead, he gave him a meaningful look and said, "Friend Chen, things are getting less peaceful in Kaiyuan City by the day. I advise you to think carefully. If you don't affiliate yourself with one of us cultivator families, your days ahead might not be so pleasant."

Chen Lin was taken aback for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Friend Zhang. I'll think about it some more."

The shopkeeper shook his head, giving Chen Lin a look that seemed to say, "You ungrateful brat."

After leaving the Zhang family's shop, Chen Lin wandered around some other stores and bought a large bag of materials, spending almost all his wealth.

It was only after he had spent almost all his wealth that Chen Lin started making his way back.

The snowfall was still heavy, and the snow on the ground was more than a foot deep, making it difficult even for cultivators to walk.

Along the way, he hardly encountered anyone, and the few he did meet were all mid-to-late Qi Refining stage cultivators who had learned the Flight Technique.

Chen Lin envied those who had mastered the Flight Technique. If he could learn that spell, his chances of survival in the wild would increase significantly.

Unfortunately, the Flight Technique required at least the mid Qi Refining stage to learn, and it was said to be extremely difficult.

For now, his priority was to improve his cultivation level.

He had to start refining pills as soon as possible.

When he returned home, Chen Lin lit a fire to cook a meal. After eating, he began to make talismans.

He was making Strength-Boosting Talismans, a first-grade low-quality talisman, one of the two types that the original owner knew how to make.

The Fireball Talismans were not profitable and required a lot of time, so he had to put them aside for now.

Although the Strength-Boosting Talismans were cheap, the original owner had mastered them, and with his "Hit Every Ten Times" talent, he had a forty percent success rate. After deducting the cost of materials, he could make a profit of about two spirit stones for every ten sets of materials.

By getting up early and staying up late, he could refine twenty sets of materials a day.

That meant a profit of four spirit stones per day!

He planned to use this skill to earn enough spirit stones to buy the materials for pill refining. Only then could he start attempting pill refining.

Chen Lin hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign outside his door and then began to make talismans day and night.

In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.

Chen Lin, with two dark circles under his eyes, looked at the thick stack of talismans in his hand with a sense of accomplishment.

The snow outside had continued to pile up, showing no signs of stopping.

At this rate, he wouldn't be able to leave his house in a few days.

Chen Lin pushed open the window, worriedly watching the snowflakes dancing in the sky for a long time before withdrawing his gaze.

Fortunately, the feared investigation due to the abnormality in his aura hadn't happened, which eased his tension considerably.

After exerting a lot of effort to open the door and clearing some of the snow, Chen Lin trudged toward the marketplace.

Zhang Family Branch Store.

The room was warm, but there weren't many customers.

Chen Lin placed all the Strength-Boosting Talismans on the counter.

"You've actually increased the success rate of the Strength-Boosting Talismans to forty percent. Good progress!"

Through the refining time, Shopkeeper Zhang Mazi had immediately calculated his success rate.

He was astonished.

These low-level talismans were not desirable, so Chen Lin hadn't bothered to conceal his success rate.

He nodded and said, "Yes, ever since I refined the Fireball Talisman, my understanding of talisman making has deepened."

Zhang Mazi had no way of knowing that Chen Lin was no longer the original Chen Lin and had gained the "Hit Every Ten Times" talent. He simply thought that Chen Lin had suddenly had a breakthrough and his potential had been unlocked.

While handing over the spirit stones for the Strength-Boosting Talismans to Chen Lin, Zhang Mazi gave him a mocking smile and then stared at him intently.

Chen Lin felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze.

"What are you looking at? Are you planning to rob me?" Chen Lin put the spirit stones into his pocket and held them in his hand, eyeing the other man warily.

Zhang Mazi gave him a mocking smile. "Do you think I'm as poor as you? These few spirit stones aren't worth my effort."

Chen Lin knew that with the other man's status, he wouldn't be interested in such a small amount of money. He was probably just trying to ease the atmosphere.

"Then why are you staring at me?"

Zhang Mazi stroked his non-existent beard and said, "I have a widowed older cousin. Although she's a bit older, less attractive, a bit plump, and has a bad temper, she has a cultivation at the fourth stage of Qi Refining. She also has a younger brother at the late Qi Refining stage. If you're interested, Friend Chen, I can introduce you to her."

…

Chen Lin's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Resisting the urge to punch the other man's pockmarked face, he coldly refused, "Thank you for your kindness, Friend Zhang, but your cousin is too good for me."

He was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of improving his cultivation, but not to that extent.

He thought that Zhang Mazi would be displeased, but to his surprise, the man nodded thoughtfully, giving him a mocking smile. "Friend Chen, you're indeed self-aware. You're right, I was being presumptuous. With your status, my cousin would definitely look down on you. If I really made the introduction, I'd probably be scolded. Forget I ever mentioned it."

Chen Lin opened his mouth, at a loss for words.

He cursed the other man inwardly for looking down on him, and his mood was so ruined that he didn't even feel like buying materials anymore. He turned around and left.

Even after stepping out of the shop, he was still so angry that his chest heaved.

However, the thought that these people were just like puppets on strings helped him calm down a lot.