Red Willow Alley.
Back at the cottage.
Shen Ping took out the spirit stones in his storage bag and counted that he had already accumulated eight medium-grade spirit stones. In the past month alone, the net profit had reached three spirit stones.
"I can't miss this opportunity! Furthermore, as long as the Golden Sun Sect continues to develop the Flame Gold Mine, the price of talismans and Poison Dispelling Pills will not decrease."
Although he had earned a lot, the price of the Poison Dispelling Pill had risen very rapidly. He predicted that when the results of the first batch of cultivators taking the risk to open up a path were out, the price of talismans and Poison Dispelling Pills would probably continue to rise.
Wang Yun, who was tidying up the house, saw that her husband had returned and went to the talisman-making cubicle again. She could not help but advise, "Husband, don't be too tired."
Shen Ping smiled and said, "It's fine. I'll add more meat when I cook later."
Wang Yun nodded and said, "Husband, I'm not far from first-rate martial arts. I'll be able to break through in two to three months."
Shen Ping could not help but reveal a look of joy when he heard this. Once Wang Yun had broken through to the first-rate level, their daily pleasures might increase once. "Yun'er, go for it!" He clenched his fists.
Wang Yun did not know what this meant at first, but after Shen Ping's explanation, she realized that it was meant to encourage her. "Husband, too." She returned the gesture with a clenched fist. Her fair and tender appearance, coupled with her actions, made her look rather cute.
Every time, Shen Ping had the urge to pinch her face.
At night, it was a huge meal.
There was a knock on the door. Ever since Shen Ping broke through to become a mid-grade Talisman Master, more and more cultivators came to visit him. In the past, it was normal not to see cultivators for a year.
"Fellow Daoist He?" Shen Ping revealed a trace of surprise. Apart from the first time he moved nearby and paid a visit, He Qin did not come again.
The other party was an alchemist. He had more connections than a Talisman Master like Shen Ping. However, He Qin looked a little disheveled today. He had lost his robe.
"Fellow Daoist Shen, can I borrow 20 low-grade spirit stones?" He Qin said awkwardly.
Shen Ping was quite surprised. "Fellow Daoist He, you're an alchemist. You don't have to borrow 20 low-grade spirit stones!"
He Qin sighed and looked around. Then, he lowered his voice and said, "Recently, I've been infatuated with a female cultivator from the Heavenly Sound Pavilion in the market. I've spent a lot of money. I had no choice but to borrow some spirit stones from you, Fellow Daoist Shen. I saw that you married such a young beautiful concubine. I think you're also a kindred spirit. Let me tell you, that female cultivator from the Heavenly Sound Pavilion is all beautiful. Especially in that aspect, she's simply, simply…"
He Qin smiled at the end of his sentence, looking a little wretched.
Shen Ping's face darkened. The Heavenly Sound Pavilion was a brothel. Most of the female cultivators inside had cultivated charm and sex techniques, and some of them were demonic cultivators.
However, the fact that it could open a shop in the market meant that its background was not small. And that kind of place had a high consumption rate. It was a famous money-squandering cave in the market.
Many cultivators who had no hope for the future would enjoy themselves. Soon, they would use up their savings. But that wasn't the point.
Most importantly, how did he become a kindred spirit!
Shallow!
He advised, "Fellow Daoist He, you should go to the Heavenly Sound Pavilion less. Here are 20 low-grade spirit stones. On account that we're neighbors, I'll lend them to you. It's just that my money is tight, so I don't have any more!"
When Fellow Daoist He saw the spirit stone, his eyes lit up. "Understood." He turned around and left.
As he looked at his back, Shen Ping shook his head slightly. For an alchemist to be in such a state, he had to admit that the female cultivator from the Heavenly Sound Pavilion was really powerful. "I wonder if I can gain experience in the Dao of Talisman by cultivating with these women?"
He could not help but have this thought. However, he quickly cut it off. Those female cultivators were knocking on his bones and sucking his marrow. If his will was not firm, he would not resist the temptation.
To him, Fellow Daoist He's matter was just a small interlude. After he closed the door, Shen Ping sat cross-legged and calmly absorbed the spiritual energy of the spirit stones to suppress the corrosion of the poison in his body.
However, to his surprise, He Qin came to borrow money again in less than two days. This time, Shen Ping firmly refused to lend it to him and blocked the other party outside the house. Not long after, He Qin left.
The female cultivator next door pushed open the door and looked in the direction He Qin had left. She said with disgust, "Fellow Daoist Shen, you shouldn't have lent money to a cultivator who is obsessed with the Heavenly Sound Pavilion. That's like a meat bun hitting a dog and never returning."
Shen Ping understood why this neighbor hated him. The other party's Dao Companion was a typical example. "Fellow Daoist Yu is right. At that time, I only lent it out on account that we're neighbors and because he was an alchemist. Sigh…"
They chatted for a while before he closed the door again.
...
Winter passed and spring came. Another year passed quietly. Shen Ping had already entered the age of 43. At this age, he was still at the third level of Qi Refinement. There was no hope of Foundation Establishment at all.
However, he had strong expectations for the future.
On this day, he came to the shop in the market that sold all kinds of cultivation techniques and spells.
Cultivation techniques and spells were the foundation of a cultivator. However, if one wanted to buy high-level items, not only did they need a huge amount of wealth, but they also needed connections. It was impossible to buy them in such a market.
He was not here to buy cultivation techniques.
"Shopkeeper, do you have any sex techniques?"
The shopkeeper smiled. "Yes, of course." Soon, he took out more than ten books and placed them on the counter. "All of these are it. If Fellow Daoist wants to buy dual cultivation techniques, I have them too. It's just that they're a little expensive."
Shen Ping shook his head. "Forget about dual cultivation. I can't afford it."
Even the lowest-level Dual Cultivation Technique was more expensive than a high-rank Poison Dispelling Pill. He flipped through it carefully. He chose a book called Pleasure in the Room. "I'll take this one!"
The shopkeeper immediately said, "Two mid-grade spirit stones."
"It's too expensive!" Shen Ping frowned.
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, I'm the only one selling this kind of book in the market. Every book is obtained through special channels. It's very risky. It's normal for it to be more expensive.
"Furthermore, the demand for these books is very high. If you don't buy them now, they will be gone in a few days. These books have all been processed before, so there's no way to copy them."
Shen Ping was speechless. However, he knew that the shopkeeper was telling the truth. There were indeed a lot of such needs.
Although cultivators could rely on various nourishing medicinal herbs and food to maintain their bodies, if it was too frequent, it would also cause their qi and blood to deplete and damage their foundation.
These books could not be compared to the Dual Cultivation Technique, but they could stop damage and seal blood when they were having fun.
Of course, it was not omnipotent and could only reduce deficits. In reality, even the high-grade dual cultivation techniques of demonic cultivators could not allow cultivators to have unlimited sex.
It was not that Shen Ping felt that he had accumulated too much money this time, but that his wife was not far from breaking through to the first-rate level of martial arts. In addition, Matchmaker Ceng had been urging him. He felt that it was time to develop his golden finger.
He gritted his teeth and bought a book.
He left the shop. He also bought a lot of supplementary medicinal herbs and meat, as well as spirit rice, spirit tea, and other necessities. In the past, he did not dare to consume these things continuously.
"Twelve med-grade spirit stones!"
Back home, he habitually checked his storage pouch. In the past two months, his net income had reached six mid-grade spirit stones. The price of mid-grade talismans in the marketplace had not decreased, but it had not increased again.
However, the price of the high-rank Poison Dispelling Pill was slowly increasing. Currently, it required 27 mid-grade spirit stones, and it was in demand. It could not be bought in the major shops that sold medicinal pills.
It was the same for the Spring Embroidery Pavilion.
It was already in a state of shortage.
According to Shopkeeper Chen, the main reason was that some of the ingredients for the Poison Dispelling Pill were in short supply. Currently, the Golden Sun Sect had already applied for dispatch from the main sect.
"I have to stay at home for a while. I can't sell talismans anymore!"
He had gone to the market a little too many times in the past two to three months. He had yet to discover any cultivators following him, but he could avoid some dangers.