Li Ziyou was anxious and quickly said,
"Don't be like that. The shop may look sizable, but it doesn't cost many spirit stones. Such a desolate location can't attract tenants. It's a waste to leave it empty. It's better to give it to Brother Lu."
Lu An understood his goodwill and didn't want to refuse outright. After considering it, he said,
"How about this: I'll rent the shop, but you give me a discount?"
Seeing Lu An's firm attitude, Li Ziyou showed a touch of helplessness and nodded.
"Alright, since Brother Lu insists, then fifty spirit stones per month will be fine."
Lu An nodded. His small stall cost thirty spirit stones per month, so the price for this shop was relatively cheap.
After settling the matter, Li Ziyou took him to see the shop and explained its interior layout.
At this moment, Bai Sheng had arrived.
"Number thirteen, this must be the place."
He looked around but saw no one at the stalls, not even at the neighboring ones.
Bai Sheng was puzzled. Had he been deceived? If someone was trying to trick him, there had to be a reason. Could it be just to toy with him?
Shaking his head, he decided to ask someone.
Seeing the shop across the street was under renovation, he approached a worker carrying wood and asked,
"Do you know where the owner of the shop across is?"
The worker, annoyed by the interruption, glared at Bai Sheng. Seeing his tattered clothes and pale complexion, which indicated he was injured, the worker's attitude was even colder.
"I don't know. If you disturb me again, don't blame me for being rude."
With that, the worker shot Bai Sheng a harsh look and continued his work.
Bai Sheng frowned. The worker was quite rude. Was asking for directions really so offensive?
But with his mind on more important matters, he didn't argue with the worker.
Just as he was unsure of what to do next, a voice came from the shop.
"Bai Sheng, come over here."
Looking up, he saw Lu An waving at him from the shop across the street.
He was delighted and quickly ran over.
Lu An introduced him to Li Ziyou and Shen Mi.
"This is my new assistant. He will help me with selling talismans from now on."
Li Ziyou and Shen Mi didn't mind his appearance and introduced themselves.
However, Lu An frowned and said,
"Coming to work here, you can't continue like this. I'll give you some spirit stones to buy new clothes."
To his surprise, Bai Sheng didn't respond immediately. Instead, he asked,
"I see you don't have any talismans displayed. Do you really know how to draw talismans?"
Lu An remained calm. His talismans had been sold out, and he had been too busy to restock. He had intended to draw some today but had feared missing Bai Sheng, so he hadn't had time to buy materials.
Li Ziyou laughed at Bai Sheng's comment.
"This new assistant of ours is quite interesting. How can you question your employer before even starting work?"
"I'll tell you that Brother Lu's talisman-making skills are extraordinary. Even without a talisman master certificate, he is superior to many first-stage talisman masters."
Upon hearing that Lu An lacked a certificate, Bai Sheng became more skeptical.
"Do you take me for a fool? How can someone without a certificate surpass a first-stage talisman master?"
He was somewhat angry, feeling that the others were taking advantage of his youth and questioning his common sense.
At this moment, Shen Mi stepped forward and stood in front of Bai Sheng.
"Do you recognize this robe?"
Bai Sheng, who had been focused on Lu An and Li Ziyou, hadn't noticed Shen Mi's attire. Seeing it now, he was astonished.
"You're from the Divine Talisman Pavilion!"
Disciples of the Divine Talisman Pavilion wore white robes with a yellow talisman embroidered on the chest, making them easy to identify.
Shen Mi ignored his exclamation and continued,
"I have been a first-stage talisman master for two years and consider myself quite accomplished in talismanry. However, I recently lost to Mr. Lu."
Lu An was surprised by this revelation. He hadn't expected Shen Mi to reveal such information.
Bai Sheng remained doubtful. How could someone without a certificate be stronger than a first-stage talisman master?
He himself didn't have a certificate, having failed the exam last year. The exam required drawing a Concealment Talisman, one of the most difficult first-stage talismans, and he hadn't managed to complete it in time.
In contrast, first-stage talisman masters could draw such talismans within a short period, with the top performers even producing high-quality versions.
The gap was simply too vast for him to believe.
Li Ziyou, growing impatient, said to Lu An:
"There's no need to explain all this to him. If you need an assistant, my Li family has plenty. I'll send a few over tomorrow for you to choose from."
Lu An shook his head. At present, he was quite satisfied with Bai Sheng. It wasn't just because he had the True Method of talismans, but because Bai Sheng was young and yet discerning, with his own way of doing things.
He pondered for a moment and then smiled at Bai Sheng.
"Fine, I was planning to draw some talismans today. If you don't believe me, you can come and see for yourself."
"If you want to leave afterward, I won't stop you."
Upon hearing this, Bai Sheng hesitated, but Shen Mi's eyes lit up.
"Brother Lu is going to draw talismans? I definitely want to learn from this."
Lu An smiled and shook his head, slightly helpless.
"That's fine. I still need to buy some materials for drawing talismans, so you'll have to wait a bit."
Li Ziyou, upon hearing this, stepped forward and waved his hand.
"Don't worry about that. I'll have someone bring the materials to you."
Lu An considered this and agreed.
"Alright, that will save some time. But I will pay the full price for the materials."
Li Ziyou knew Lu An's character and didn't argue. After confirming the materials Lu An needed, he took out a jade slip from his pocket and sent a message.
Soon, a plump man arrived, carrying the talisman materials. With each step, the flesh on his body wobbled.
Lu An recognized him as the man who had rented the stall to him.
"Second Young Master, here are the materials you requested."
He handed over the materials and secretly observed Lu An's companions.
"Mm?"
Seeing Lu An, he felt he had seen him somewhere before but couldn't recall where.
Li Ziyou, unaware of his thoughts, handed the materials to Lu An and eagerly said:
"Brother Lu, the materials you need are here. Please start."
Shen Mi also perked up, waiting for Lu An to draw the talismans.
Lu An found a table in the room and arranged the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
"Good. Since the match and acquiring the True Method of talismans, I've gained a deeper understanding of the Concealment Talisman. Why don't I draw this talisman today?"
Li Ziyou and Shen Mi had no objections. Last time, Lu An's talisman reached the top-grade level, and he was only a step away from the supreme quality. They were curious to see if he would break through this time.
However, Bai Sheng was stunned and then exclaimed:
"You're going to draw the Concealment Talisman?"