6: Huang Quan

Leaving the market district, Lu Ming didn't stop, passing through the stalls on both sides until he reached an unoccupied open space.

He looked around again, confirmed his spot, then spread a mat on the ground and laid out the twenty-seven Fire Crow Talismans he had recently drawn.

He wasn't particular, sitting cross-legged on the ground and propping up a wooden sign beside him.

"Selling Fire Crow Talismans, five Spirit Crystals each!"

He had been Transmigrated for over two months and had a general understanding of the market and the prices of Talismans.

A Fire Crow Talisman was typically worth between four and six Spirit Crystals, with price variations based on the Talisman's quality.

His current Talisman drawing skill wasn't bad, but it wasn't excellent either, so five Spirit Crystals was a fair price.

So-called 'Spirit Crystals' were fragments of Spirit Stones; generally, ten Spirit Crystals could be exchanged for one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

However, almost no one was willing to trade that way unless they were willing to pay a higher price.

This damned exchange rate is problematic!

Muttering a complaint to himself, Lu Ming quietly waited for customers to arrive.

But after a quarter of an hour, no one had yet stopped by.

Lu Ming wasn't in a hurry; Fire Crow Talismans were very common, with supply exceeding demand, and most Talisman sellers in Green Bamboo Market had a few on display.

However, seeing many nearby stalls completing transactions, he couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Bored, Lu Ming began to look around.

To his left was a herbalist, an old man who looked like a farmer, smoking a dry tobacco pipe with a brass mouthpiece, wisps of smoke curling from the bowl.

Seeing Lu Ming look over, he showed a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Young man, do you want to buy Spirit Medicine?"

Lu Ming, realizing he was mistaken, quickly waved his hand.

"Is this your first time setting up a stall to sell Talismans?"

"Senior has a Wisdom Eye. This is my first time setting up a stall; do you have any insights?"

Lu Ming replied politely; he didn't pretend to be an old hand, as there was no need to fake something that was obvious at a glance.

The old man smiled and waved his hand.

"Don't call me Senior; I'm just older. My surname is Zhou; you can call me Old Zhou."

"Insights, I wouldn't say. I've been in Green Bamboo Market for most of my life and haven't amounted to much myself.

However, Talisman Cultivators like you, selling Talismans in the trading area, eventually have to hand over one or two-tenths of your earnings to the Talisman Cultivator Alliance; otherwise, you'll be suppressed by them."

Lu Ming naturally knew this rule.

The Talisman Cultivator Alliance's original intention was to unite Loose Cultivator Talisman Cultivators and protect their interests, but they had strayed further and further, gradually becoming monopolists and oppressors.

When his cheap father was alive, he disliked it, but he was ultimately a beneficiary.

However, times were different now; he was the one being oppressed.

As for joining the Talisman Cultivator Alliance, he wouldn't bother; there was no need to make things difficult for himself.

His cheap father had not been well-liked there, and he would only receive cold shoulders if he joined.

As Lu Ming was pondering, Old Zhou quietly whispered to him.

"Of course, you can also choose to sell Talismans at a shop; this way, you can avoid paying taxes, as the Talisman Cultivator Alliance can't completely control everything.

However, the price will be lower than selling at a stall, but the advantage is that they sell quickly. But this is also considered breaking the Talisman Cultivator Alliance's rules.

However, if you are a Late-Stage Qi Refinement Cultivator, then this will no longer be a problem, as the Talisman Cultivator Alliance Leader is also only Late-Stage Qi Refinement."

A shop... that is indeed a method. It's good for making quick money; I can try to look into it.

Lu Ming cupped his hands to Old Zhou in thanks.

"Thank you, Old Zhou, for the information!"

"Hey, aren't you afraid of offending the Talisman Cultivator Alliance!"

Old Zhou was a little anxious; he didn't want to cause trouble for this young man because of himself.

"Don't worry, Old Zhou, I understand; I have a grasp of the situation."

Lu Ming smiled; he did plan to check out those shops. He not only needed to sell Talismans but also to buy some Spirit Rice and Medicinal Pills.

Just then, a discordant voice sounded.

"Oh, a newcomer has arrived."

Lu Ming turned his head to see a thin, dark-clothed Cultivator with triangular eyes, whose cultivation had reached Middle Stage Qi Refinement, walking towards them.

As he looked over, the black-clothed Cultivator also clearly saw Lu Ming's face, couldn't help but be startled, and then a playful expression appeared on his face.

"Oh, isn't this Young Master Lu!"

Saying that, he walked to Lu Ming's stall. He bent down and picked up a Talisman from the mat to examine it.

"What, you're selling Talismans now? And are these drawn by you?"

Lu Ming's expression darkened, and he muttered 'unlucky' to himself.

He had thought Chang Yun was too tormented to go out, but he didn't expect his lackey, Huang Quan, to be here today too.

However, circumstances were against him, so Lu Ming immediately put on a simple, honest smile.

"Replying to Brother Huang, the Talismans were drawn by me."

Huang Quan was a little surprised to hear this. Wasn't it said that this kid had no talent for drawing Talismans? Had he been mistaken?

However, he didn't take it too seriously. How bad could the son of a Talisman Cultivator be?

"I'm sure you know the rules better than anyone, so I won't waste any more breath, right? Hand over one-tenth of your earnings today, don't make it difficult for your brother."

Huang Quan said with a threatening tone.

Lu Ming cupped his hands to him: "This junior just arrived today and hasn't sold any Talismans yet."

"So you mean you don't have to give anything?" Huang Quan sneered.

"How could that be, Brother Huang? Please accept this; it's my respect to you."

Saying that, he stepped forward and quietly handed over two Talismans.

Huang Quan was a little taken aback; when did this kid become so sensible?

However, something had happened to Chang Yun these past few days, and he hadn't left his house, instead sending him to collect the fees, which was a good opportunity for him to secretly make a fortune.

"Not bad, not bad, much more sensible than your dead father."

He patted Lu Ming's shoulder with a look of relief.

Taking things from someone made him indebted, so since Lu Ming was sensible, he no longer intended to make things difficult for Lu Ming.

Watching Huang Quan's retreating back, Lu Ming narrowed his eyes.

Although he had never met his cheap father, not just anyone could insult him.

In a place only he could see, a name appeared on the golden book in the Void Realm.

【Huang Quan】

"Huang Quan, is it? I'll send you to Yellow Springs later!"

...

Old Zhou watched the entire scene but didn't laugh at Lu Ming.

Having been in Green Bamboo Market for most of his life, he had seen all sorts of dirty dealings.

The Talisman Cultivator Alliance not collecting fees from him wasn't because they were merciful, but simply because the exploiters were different.

There was also a Shennong Gang in Green Bamboo Market, specifically responsible for Spirit Farmers like them.

He unhurriedly took a puff from his dry tobacco pipe, tapped the pipe pouch on the ground beside him, and slowly spoke.

"I thought that since Manager Chang hadn't appeared for a few days, you Loose Cultivator Talisman Cultivators would have good days, but I didn't expect today... Alas!"

"You're also unlucky, just happened to run into a change of personnel. If you had come two days earlier, you wouldn't have met him."

Lu Ming was silent; he didn't have the ability to foresee the future, so how could he know Huang Quan would come today? But in the future, it might be different...

For the next half an hour, Lu Ming and Old Zhou chatted while waiting for customers.

However, very few people were willing to stop, perhaps because he looked so young, they instinctively felt he was unreliable and shook their heads as they left.

Lu Ming didn't want to waste time like this. He noticed that Huang Quan had already left for other places.

He packed up the items on the ground, greeted Old Zhou, and left.