Ning Shiyue looked at the talisman brush the attendant handed her, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She even felt like trying it out right then and there.
“Would you like some talisman ink as well?” the attendant asked at just the right moment.
“Bring it over!” Ning Shiyue’s eyes gleamed brightly, her brows curving like crescent moons, radiating a lively charm.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll go get it right away.” The attendant spoke with utmost respect.
Ning Shiyue said with a beaming smile, “Little Junior Sister, even something as precious as talisman ink is sold here in the black market. No wonder those people still come here despite knowing how dangerous it is!”
Normally, when talisman masters drew talismans, they didn’t use talisman ink at all. Instead, they gathered spiritual power onto the brush and formed the talisman naturally. Being able to use talisman ink was an extremely luxurious treat for any talisman master. When using it, the spiritual energy consumption was greatly reduced.
Given Ning Shiyue’s damaged spiritual sense, using talisman ink was her best option.
“Fifth Senior Sister, how do the talisman papers look?” Feng Qingran’s eyes flickered with a sharp gleam.
“Not a single fake one. It’s truly amazing.” Ning Shiyue’s eyes were filled with delight. “Little Junior Sister, maybe this shop isn’t a shady one after all.”
Feng Qingran didn’t respond. The attendant had been overly enthusiastic with her Fifth Senior Sister, and everything he’d prepared seemed tailor-made to suit her tastes. That wasn’t necessarily a good sign.
Before long, the attendant returned with the talisman ink.
The quality of the ink was excellent—lustrous like fine jade, emanating a rich, potent spiritual aura. He also brought over an inkstone and began to grind the ink. “Please feel free to try it out, honored guest. Our talisman ink here is top-grade. You can form talismans even without using your spiritual sense.”
“How many spirit stones for one piece?” Ning Shiyue eyed the ink with longing, a hint of frustration flashing in her eyes.
Adding up all the spirit stones she had on her, she could barely afford the talisman papers alone… She probably couldn’t afford this ink at all.
“Miss, if you truly want it, I can give you a discount—one hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones. How does that sound?” The attendant asked, almost as if he was worried she wouldn’t buy it.
Ning Shiyue’s eyes went wide. “If you sell it to me at that price, will I even make it out of here alive?”
A single piece of talisman ink was priceless on the outside market. At an auction, it could easily fetch several hundred million top-grade spirit stones. And this was the black market—shouldn’t it be even more expensive?
“Rest assured, honored guest. We are a legitimate establishment.” The attendant’s eyelid twitched.
“Can you go a little lower? How about selling it all to me for fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones?” Ning Shiyue deliberately tested him.
“Deal.” The attendant nodded seriously.
Ning Shiyue and Feng Qingran exchanged glances, both catching the surprise in each other’s eyes.
Something was off about this attendant.
If he kept doing business like this, he’d go bankrupt!
Operating on the principle that passing up a good deal was plain foolish, Ning Shiyue pointed at the talisman papers and asked, “Can I have this whole pile for fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones, and throw in a talisman brush for free?”
Now it was the attendant’s turn to be shocked!
You really dare to ask for that!
But in less than a moment, he regained his composure and didn’t forget his mission. “That’s fine. However, could you gift me a few high-grade talismans in return?”
Ning Shiyue rubbed her nose. The attendant had agreed way too quickly—she felt like there was a trap somewhere…
“How did you know she’s a talisman master?” Feng Qingran asked coldly.
“The way this young lady holds her brush—she’s definitely a talisman master,” the attendant explained.
“Are you sure I can take all of this for just one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones?” Ning Shiyue was clearly more concerned about getting a good deal.
“Absolutely certain. Buying and selling are both voluntary,” the attendant said with conviction.
Ning Shiyue inspected the talisman papers, the brush, and the ink once more and confirmed that everything was genuine.
Worth billions of spirit stones, and she was getting it all for a hundred thousand low-grade ones.
Even if pies fell from the sky, they couldn’t get any sweeter than this!
“Alright, I’ll take all of it. And I’ll draw you a few talismans as part of the deal.” With a grand wave of her hand, Ning Shiyue produced a hundred thousand spirit stones before the attendant.
Feng Qingran’s brow twitched slightly. One dares to sell, and the other dares to buy!
Ning Shiyue added emphatically, “This is a voluntary transaction. I didn’t force you into anything.”
The attendant probably hadn’t met anyone quite like Ning Shiyue before. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke. “We’re engaging in a free trade.”
Internally, though, he was quite frustrated. Lord Yunhai—that notoriously stingy man—had actually taken a liking to this greedy little girl?
Ning Shiyue happily packed up her haul, leaving a few sheets of talisman paper behind.
She blinked her bright eyes at Feng Qingran. “Little Junior Sister, now that I have talisman ink, can I start drawing talismans?”
Feng Qingran waved a hand. “Go ahead.”
Ning Shiyue raised her hand and moved with fluid grace. In less than fifteen minutes, she had drawn ten seventh-grade talismans.
The attendant craned his neck to watch, even rubbing his eyes in disbelief midway through.
Ning Shiyue handed the talismans to him and explained, “These three are Spirit-Attachment Talismans. Stick them on your body during battle, and they’ll keep your spiritual power at full strength for half an hour.”
“These three are Spirit-Merger Talismans. They allow two people’s spiritual power to be concentrated into one person.”
“The remaining four are Spirit-Concealment Talismans. They can make you invisible for up to three hours. As long as you don’t use any spiritual power while invisible, anyone below the Fusion stage won’t be able to detect your presence.”
The attendant stared at the talismans in his hands, utterly dumbfounded. Can a human even draw things like these?
These weren’t just talismans—they were practically extra lives!
He held them with the utmost reverence, not daring to show the slightest negligence. “Honored guests, is there anything else you’d like to purchase?”
“What other treasures do you have here?” Ning Shiyue asked casually.
The attendant lowered his voice. “We do have one more crown jewel item, but it’s a bit expensive.”
“How expensive?” Ning Shiyue pressed.
“One hundred million top-grade spirit stones,” the attendant said bluntly.
