103: Rumors spread

Lu Ming controlled the Puppet to leave the Yunding Tower, not rushing to rendezvous with his main body, but first went to the Ink Talisman Pavilion.

Upon arriving at the shop, Lu Ming could clearly sense the decrease in foot traffic.

Compared to a month ago, customer flow had almost halved, and there were only a few Cultivators sparsely scattered inside the shop.

Seeing him enter, Zhou Kang and a few others quickly came to greet him, but all of them wore worried expressions.

“Shopkeeper, you’re here!”

“What happened?” Lu Ming inquired.

Although he didn't visit the shop often, the situation wasn't this dire the last time he came.

Lu Ming knew that the price reduction storm had caused the Ink Talisman Pavilion to be targeted, and while its business was affected, it was still acceptable.

“Recently, there have been some rumors in the Outer City targeting our Ink Talisman Pavilion, saying that the reason we offer discounts and price reductions is actually because the Talismans are of poor quality.

And this matter has gradually spread, causing our Talisman business to plummet.”

Zhou Kang explained.

“Who would believe such nonsense? Those Loose Cultivators aren’t fools; don’t those who have bought Talismans know their quality?”

Lu Ming was full of questions. The reason Ink Talisman Pavilion had such a good reputation among Loose Cultivators was built on affordable prices and high-quality Talismans.

Moreover, in business warfare, it’s normal to sling mud at each other, but someone has to believe what’s being said!

“Shopkeeper, you don’t know. According to the information we investigated, some of these rumors were spread by our returning customers.”

“Some people said that using our Flame Burst Talismans caused them to be injured, and others said that our Geng Metal Sword Talismans were not powerful enough to break through the defense of even a Low Grade Yao Beast.

But how is that possible! Xu Li inspects every Talisman, and we never sell defective products.

Yet, they speak with such conviction, as if it truly happened, which has caused many Loose Cultivators to be suspicious and afraid to come to our shop.

After all, it concerns their own safety; it’s better to believe it than not.”

Zhou Kang rattled off a lot, looking flustered. Seeing his appearance, he was clearly very anxious.

Not only was he worried about business, but some of the Talismans were drawn by his Dao Companion, and now that there was a problem, Zhou Kang was worried the shopkeeper would blame her.

Lu Ming, however, didn't think so much. He knew Xu Li's Talisman crafting skill.

Although not as good as his own, she would never draw defective products.

Moreover, such obvious slander and defamation, he was not so unable to judge and vent his anger on others.

‘I originally wanted to do business peacefully, but if you seek death, don’t blame me.’

If it were before, Lu Ming might have just let it go.

Such rumors would not last too long, and Loose Cultivators would not be led by the nose.

Although some customers would be lost afterwards, it would be considered him making a concession.

But he had just spent a large amount of Spirit Stones and now urgently needed to quickly replenish his wallet.

“Do you know who instructed those Cultivators to spread the rumors?”

Those returning customers were undoubtedly being used as pawns, and the mastermind behind it certainly wasn't them.

Lu Ming was too lazy to trouble these people; anyway, those who harbored ill will would definitely be on the golden book.

They might inexplicably die during one of his main body’s Cultivation sessions.

To solve the problem, it was better to directly solve the source of the problem.

But Zhou Kang looked a bit awkward upon hearing this. He shook his head.

“I don’t know. We haven’t been in the Immortal City for long and don’t have reliable connections. We even spent some Spirit Stones just to investigate who started the rumors…”

“Then just tell me a few names you know! And where do they live?”

Lu Ming was a bit impatient, waving his hand to interrupt Zhou Kang’s subsequent words.

Seeing the shopkeeper a bit angry, Zhou Kang quickly gave a few names and their locations.

…

Wang Shi, of medium build, plain appearance, and a Qi Refining sixth-layer Cultivation, was one of many in the Immortal City.

Up until now, he hadn't learned any alchemy, artifact refining, Talismans, or formations; he had never dabbled in any of the hundred arts of Cultivation.

His ability to earn resources and survive in the Immortal City was due to his own way of making money.

He was a broker, constantly bringing customers to several Talisman shops in the Outer City, introducing deals, and earning commissions from them.

From the moment he stepped onto the Dao of Cultivation, he had been treading on thin ice.

So he had a good sense of self-awareness, knowing that his strength was not great, and therefore would not actively provoke Cultivators with high Cultivation or deep backgrounds.

Although his speed of earning Spirit Stones was extremely slow, he also wouldn't offend anyone, and his life was quite comfortable.

However, recently he had received tasks from several Talisman shops.

They required him to spread rumors and defame the newly opened Talisman shop.

Although Ink Talisman Pavilion's business was booming, which made him a little envious, Wang Shi actually didn't want to agree.

It wasn't out of fear; the Cultivators in Ink Talisman Pavilion were only so-so in Cultivation, not much higher than his, and his investigation showed they had no major background.

He just greatly admired Ink Talisman Pavilion. Their discount strategy had started a trend, causing large and small businesses and shops in the Immortal City to also begin offering discounts.

This benefited many Loose Cultivators.

He himself was a Loose Cultivator, and he knew better than anyone how difficult his journey had been, so he felt even more empathy.

Deep down, he didn't want to go against such a conscientious business.

However, he couldn't refuse the demands of the owners of several Talisman shops; if he didn't agree, he might not have a good outcome.

Moreover.

What they offered was simply… too much!

So he took on the task against his conscience.

He began to pose as a customer to buy Talismans, befriended many people, gained their trust, and left a deep impression.

Then, he self-directed a play, claiming to have gone out of the city to hunt Yao Beasts.

He returned to the Immortal City looking very disheveled and began to widely spread rumors that Ink Talisman Pavilion’s Talismans were of poor quality.

Originally, he was still a bit worried that Ink Talisman Pavilion would come looking for trouble, but he found that he wasn't the only Cultivator slandering Ink Talisman Pavilion.

He didn't even need to think to know that this was the work of those few Talisman shops, which immediately put his mind at ease.

With so many ‘fellow travelers’ sharing the hatred, what did he have to worry about?

Moreover, because of this deal, Wang Shi had a few comfortable days.

Today, he still went to the tavern as usual for a Spirit Dish meal, had a small glass of Spirit Wine, and then walked contentedly towards his residence.

Humming a tune, he swayed back to his small courtyard.

As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw a dark figure standing silently in the shadows.

Instantly, the slight tipsiness of the wine completely sobered him up.

“Who’s there!”

Wang Shi roared and was about to circulate his magic power to generate a protective shield.

But suddenly, an intense pain spread throughout his body, and an extreme sense of weakness emerged.

The Qi and blood in his body began to wither, as if being devoured by an unknown creature.

His skin began to wrinkle, and his magic power immediately stagnated.

Wang Shi stumbled and fell to the ground.

He watched the changes in his body with horror.

“Who instructed you to slander and defame Ink Talisman Pavilion?”

At this moment, the dark figure in the room spoke faintly, his voice betraying no emotion.