81: Mofu Pavilion

Walking downstairs and standing before the main entrance, Lu Ming fell into thought as he gazed at the empty plaque.

A moment later, Lu Ming took out a High Grade First-rank Spirit Wood and carved it into an appropriate size.

Then, he carved three large, elegant characters onto it.

'Ink Talisman Pavilion'

The shop's plaque was now considered done.

He then spent half an hour tidying up the shop, making it look brand new.

The counters all around were already filled with numerous Talismans of various types, ranging from Low Grade First-rank to High Grade First-rank.

All these Talismans were Lu Ming's own stock that he had drawn previously, and now they were all put on display.

As his combat methods gradually increased, Talismans were no longer quite satisfying his needs.

Keeping them would just let them gather dust, so it was perfect to sell them and not waste them.

Lu Ming also thoughtfully attached introductions and prices to each Talisman.

These prices were not set randomly; Lu Ming had researched the prices of Talismans within the Immortal City.

While there were some differences, they weren't significant, so Lu Ming took the average price of some of them.

Moreover, the quality of the Talismans Lu Ming drew was somewhat better than those from other shops.

When doing business, the main focus is good quality and reasonable prices.

It wasn't that Lu Ming hadn't considered going the high-end route; after all, the quality was there, making it difficult for competitors to imitate, and a price premium would be normal.

At the same time, separating the target market was also to prevent competitors from using underhanded tactics.

However, after careful consideration, he felt it was unnecessary.

Furthermore, there was another issue to consider: the Talismans would eventually sell out.

Then the problem of drawing Talismans would be before him. Although Lu Ming could continue drawing them, the time cost would be quite significant.

Unless the Clone did nothing else in the future but specialize in Talisman crafting and act as a shopkeeper.

But this was simply impossible; in that case, the purpose of the Clone's existence would not be significant.

Although the Clone cannot Cultivate to improve its cultivation, it needs to Cultivate Spells itself.

He hadn't forgotten the idea of ultra-long endurance, and the Bloodspring Cultivated by the Demonic Bloodspring Method couldn't just appear out of thin air.

The Clone cannot transfer side effects; it can only be done through the main body.

Therefore, he must Cultivate the Cultivation Technique to condense the Bloodspring through real slaughter.

Time was very tight, and he might not have that much time to draw Talismans and manage the shop.

"I still need to find some people to look after the shop and sell Talismans for me."

Lu Ming already had a candidate in mind.

That would be Old Zhou's family.

Lu Ming, being 'highly skilled and daring,' was not afraid of the Poisonous Dragon Gang and dared to walk openly in the Immortal City.

But Old Zhou and his family were miserable; they had been holed up for a month, with no source of income, and their Spirit Stones were dwindling.

Moreover, Zhou Kang's Dao Companion, Xu Li, was also a Talisman Master, and although she was only a Medium Grade First-rank, she could still help Lu Ming with some of the Talisman crafting work.

Thinking of this, Lu Ming took out a Talisman, which was a sound transmission Talisman he had exchanged with Old Zhou earlier.

Lu Ming spoke a few words into it, announcing that he was opening a shop and inviting their family to come.

'Whether you dare to come or not is up to you.'

Putting away the sound transmission Talisman, Lu Ming thought to himself.

If Old Zhou's family was scared, then Lu Ming wouldn't bother with them; wouldn't it be easy to find someone to look after the shop?

Fortunately, Old Zhou and his family knew how to seize the opportunity and accepted Lu Ming's invitation.

Not long after the message, they arrived at the shop's entrance.

Zhou Kang's eyes showed envy as he looked at the three-story pavilion.

Look at them, how comfortably they live; they even opened a shop, and you know that land in the Immortal City is as precious as gold.

Then he looked at himself, so down and out, hardly looking like a Cultivator.

For a moment, Zhou Kang felt that the gap between people was even greater than the gap between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment.

However, their family was still very grateful to Fellow Daoist Han; he was a benefactor who provided help in their time of need.

Lu Ming noticed the arrivals outside the door and walked out gracefully.

Then he almost burst out laughing.

The group now looked suspicious, dressed in black robes with straw hats and masks.

They were still secretly looking around in front of the shop, their behavior suspicious, not looking like good people.

They thought they could hide their identities this way, but they didn't know it made them even more conspicuous; Lu Ming even saw a few passersby occasionally glancing at them.

He didn't exchange pleasantries with them outside but led them inside.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Han! My family will forever remember your help this time."

Old Zhou and his family bowed to Lu Ming as soon as they entered.

Lu Ming did not feign politeness, gracefully acknowledging their thanks, and then said,

"The Poisonous Dragon Gang is currently preoccupied, so there's no need for you to be so cautious.

Moreover, since you are now employed by Ink Talisman Pavilion, I will also provide you with corresponding protection.

At least in my shop, no one dares to touch you!"

Lu Ming spoke very domineeringly, but he was indeed confident in saying so.

Furthermore, the Poisonous Dragon Gang was also his next target to deal with; one shouldn't wait for annoying flies to come knocking before trying to drive them away.

Seeing Lu Ming's confident demeanor, Zhou Kang and his family also relaxed considerably.

Although they didn't know how capable Fellow Daoist Han was, being able to open a shop in the Immortal City already spoke volumes.

After another round of continuous thanks, Lu Ming began to introduce them to the relevant matters of the shop.

At the same time, he also checked Xu Li's Talisman crafting skills.

It couldn't be called bad, only passable.

However, drawing Low Grade First-rank Talismans was more than enough; for Medium Grade and even High Grade ones, it would be better for Lu Ming to draw them himself.

Then he discussed their salary and benefits.

Old Zhou initially said he didn't want any money, just for Lu Ming to provide food.

But Lu Ming didn't want that; what's free is the most expensive, and if they worked for free, he would owe them a favor for nothing.

Lu Ming wasn't short on Spirit Stones, so paying their wages was not a problem.

Moreover, profit is the best way to maintain a relationship.

However, Lu Ming did not intend to give too much; he only set performance targets.

Performance would be settled at the end of the month, and if targets were met, they would receive ten percent of the monthly revenue as their salary.

The same applied to the Talisman Master Xu Li; she needed to complete a certain number of Talisman drawings each month.

And when the Talismans she drew were sold, she would receive twenty percent of the profit.

The shop, in turn, would provide Talisman paper, spiritual ink, accommodation, and a Cultivation place.

However, in Ink Talisman Pavilion, they were only allowed on the second floor; Lu Ming planned to keep the third-floor bedroom for himself.

Although Lu Ming wouldn't actually use it, rules still had to be in place.

Could it be that he, the shop owner, should sleep outside? Wouldn't that be a complete reversal of the Dao!

After giving instructions, he put the Zhou family in charge of the opening.

Lu Ming went upstairs to the second floor, planning to draw a new batch of Talismans in the next few days.

He would try his best to ensure that Medium Grade Talismans and High Grade Talismans would not run out of stock.

The reason for this urgency was that once these tasks were done, he would switch accounts and cause some trouble.