Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an’s response was very simple: “If I had talismans of that caliber, I would be keeping them for myself rather than selling them.”

The old man turned his gaze to the remaining two piles of talismans, then asked, “If I’m not mistaken, those are Barrier-Shattering Talismans, right?”

Chen Ping’an nodded as he replied, “They were taught to me by a talisman master, and I had to study diligently under them for many years to master these two types of talismans. Even then, I can only ensure a 50% to 60% success rate, and you won’t find them anywhere else. I’ve had to waste countless pieces of talisman paper to master them, and it would be a great disservice to the talisman master who taught me if I were to sell them for cheap.”

The old man turned his gaze to Chen Ping’an, then hesitated momentarily before asking, “Would you be able to tell me the names of these two types of talismans?”

This question confirmed to Chen Ping’an that the old man was indeed an expert, and he replied, “The names of talismans often reveal certain things about them, so they are secrets in themselves. Let me ask you this: if a pair of martial artists were to engage in a battle against each other, would they openly declare the names of their attacks for their opponents to hear?”

“Of course not,” the old man replied with a smile.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Chen Ping’an negotiated. “If you buy the talismans, even if it’s just one of each, then I can tell you their names.”

The old man had to suppress an amused smile as he shook his head and said, “Even for shops that specialize in selling talismans, they would gladly reveal some of the secrets of their talismans in order to sell them, let alone a traveling salesman like yourself.”

“I know how much my talismans are worth, and I’m not worried that there won’t be any takers,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “Having said that, I can tell that you’re quite an expert when it comes to talismans, so I’ll give you a good deal. I’ll tell you the names of both talismans as long as you buy just one of them.”

The eyes of the boy standing beside the old man widened in shock.

He had never seen someone so shameless before.

To his surprise, his grandfather nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll buy this talisman.”

The old man pointed at the stack of Sword Qi Bridge Crossing Talismans as he spoke.

“You’re not going to ask the price first?” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile.

“I’m sure you’ll give me a good price,” the old man said. “Everyone knows the importance of good beginnings, especially for business. I can see that you’ve only just set up your stall, which means that I’m your first customer. Surely you should give me a good discount for that, wouldn’t you agree?”

Chen Ping’an nodded as he replied, “I was going to charge fifteen snowflake coins per talisman, but seeing as you’ve put it that way, I’ll sell it to you for ten.”

The Sword Qi Bridge Crossing Talisman were naturally far more advanced than the Celestial Lightning Talisman, the Vast Flowing River Talisman, and the Earth Pinch Talisman, but when it came to treasures and talismans in the cultivation world, those of the offensive variety were always priced much higher than their defensive counterparts.

Furthermore, Barrier-Shattering Talismans were considered to be elementary talismans in the talisman branch, so it was very difficult for them to fetch a good price, and they were generally sold at high quantities to make up for the thin profit margins. Generally, offensive treasures and talismans were more popular among vagrant cultivators, while official immortals were more willing to pay for things like Barrier-Shattering Talismans.

This was because official immortals often had many people to look after, and the number of Barrier-Shattering Talismans required to cater to everyone added up very quickly.

The old man pulled a money pouch out of his sleeve, then fished out ten snowflake coins before handing them to Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an accepted the money, and he was just about to pick up a Sword Qi Bridge Crossing Talisman to give to the old man in return when the latter reached out to grab a talisman for himself before slipping it up his sleeve.

The particular talisman that he had chosen was the latest one that Chen Ping’an had inscribed, and it was the best one of the bunch.

Chen Ping’an took a glance up and down the street out of the corner of his eye, then informed the old man through his mind’s lake, “The talisman that you just purchased is called the Sword Qi Bridge Crossing Talisman.

“It’s a powerful Barrier-Shattering Talisman imbued with sword intent, allowing it to simultaneously break through illusions while also intimidating the enemy. As for these talismans, they are called Guidance Talismans.”

Chen Ping’an intentionally omitted the Bai Ze prefix when revealing the name of the second type of talismans.

This was because Qi Jinglong had also refrained from mentioning the words Bai Ze when teaching him this talisman, explaining that he did so out of respect. The only times that he laid out the full name of the talisman were when he wrote down the name onto paper.

This was a very minor and trivial detail because everyone knew that Bai Ze had already been collectively trapped in one of the Majestic World’s nine Mighty Suppressing Pagodas by the Confucian sages. Hence, even if someone were to directly invoke Bai Ze’s ten thousand times a day, it would not be a matter of taboo at all, and it was completely different from casually referring to the Confucian sages directly by name.

However, the reason why Chen Ping’an was able to become friends with Qi Jinglong was precisely because they saw eye to eye on these trivial details that no one else cared about.

Chen Ping’an used his finger as a brush, writing down the words “Bai Ze Guidance Talisman” in the air.

The old man nodded as he said, “I can tell that you’ve been very sincere and candid with me, so I’m going to buy a Guidance Talisman as well.”

“The Guidance Talismans also cost fifteen snowflake coins each, but I’ll treat this as an extension of your first purchase and keep the price at ten snowflake coins,” Chen Ping’an said.

The old man immediately handed over another ten snowflake coins without any hesitation.

“Ten snowflake coins is way too expensive for a Barrier-Shattering Talisman!” the child complained in a quiet voice as he tugged on his grandfather’s sleeve.

“Snowflake coins will come and go, but fine talismans are a very rare sight,” the old man said with a smile. “These two exceptional Barrier-Shattering Talismans are very much worth their price, even just as collector’s items.”

“You truly have a very keen eye, Senior,” Chen Ping’an praised in earnest. “How about you purchase these ten lightning talismans as well? I know these lightning talismans would be in good hands in your possession.”

The old man’s grandson was a very well-disciplined child, but even he couldn’t help but turn away and roll his eyes in exasperation at Chen Ping’an’s shameless sales tactics.

The old man considered the offer for a moment, then smiled as he decided, “I’ll purchase five more of each of these five types of talismans. These two types of Barrier-Shattering Talismans are truly fine talismans that have caught my fancy, so I’ll pay the full price of fifteen snowflake coins for them.

“For the ten talismans, that’ll amount to 150 snowflake coins. As for the lightning, water, and earth talismans, they’re not the best, so I’m only willing to give you 120 snowflake coins for them in total.”

Chen Ping’an’s brows furrowed slightly as he protested, “That averages out to only eight snowflake coins a talisman!”

“I’ve already purchased two talismans from you, and I’m offering to purchase twenty-five more. A sale of twenty-seven talismans is not a small sale, and the entire street is watching, so I’m helping you attract more business, isn’t that right?” the old man countered.

“I disagree!” Chen Ping’an declared with a justified expression. “At this point, I’m guessing most of the customers on this street are already convinced that we’re working together to put on an act! Hence, not only are you not attracting any business for me, you may have given everyone a negative impression of me as an unscrupulous salesman, so you’re only hindering my business!”

The boy was becoming more and more exasperated and astonished each time Chen Ping’an opened his mouth.

The old man burst into laughter as he acquiesced, “Fine. In that case, I’ll throw in ten extra snowflake coins for the remaining three types of talismans.”

“Your expertise in talismans is matched only by your generosity, Senior,” Chen Ping’an praised.

The old man shook his head as he threatened with a stern expression, “If you keep mocking me like this, I’m not going to purchase even a single more talisman from you.”

“Alright, I won’t bore you with more of my ramblings!” Chen Ping’an chuckled. “You’ve been very forthright and generous with me, so I’m going to make an exception here and return the favor. There’s no need for you to throw in those additional ten snowflake coins. Instead, I’ll only charge 270 snowflake coins for the twenty-five talismans!”

The boy didn’t trust Chen Ping’an at all, and he immediately raised both his hands, counting off his fingers as he calculated the price, worried that this shameless salesman was trying to screw his grandfather over.

Thankfully, it was the correct amount.

The boy was still of the opinion that it was too expensive, but his grandfather was clearly very fond of these talismans, so he didn’t bother to try and barter with the stall owner in his grandfather’s stead.

The old man pulled three lesser heat coins out of his money pouch, which was thirty snowflake coins over the total. Instead of asking for change, he made a couple of additional purchases, namely a divine maiden mural replica portrait and that small jar of tea leaves that Chen Ping’an had received from the shopkeeper of the teahouse at the

The old man then selected five more of each talisman, and Chen Ping’an allowed him to take whichever ones he pleased.

However, the old man’s selections came as a bit of a surprise to him, and he asked through his mind’s lake, “Why have you intentionally refrained from picking out the best talismans of the bunch? Surely you possess more than enough expertise to identify them.”

The old man seemed rather puzzled, and he chuckled, “I must say, you conduct business in a very unusual fashion.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t say anything further as there was no need for more words to be exchanged on this matter.

There were countless strange and exotic things in this world, but humans remained the most unpredictable of the lot.

As soon as the old man left, more people came to take his place in front of Chen Ping’an’s stall, and many people had taken an interest in seeing what he had to sell, but he was still yet to make any further sales.

Meanwhile, the old man and his grandson had already disappeared into the distance.

Chen Ping’an squatted on the ground with his hands clasped up their opposite sleeves, and he was gently massaging the three lesser heat coins that he had just received with his fingers. These lesser heat coins in particular had the phrases “a handsome man often finds himself envied” and “poems skilled masters reads like artworks” engraved onto their two sides.

The interesting thing about lesser heat coins was that they carried a diverse range of inscriptions, but generally, they were four-character inscriptions, and seven-character inscriptions like the ones on these lesser heat coins were extremely rare.

While Chen Ping’an was naturally very pleased to have earned this unexpected haul of three lesser heat coins, he was also very happy to be able to add a new inscription to his collection of lesser heat coins.

On top of that, three lesser heat coins were worth slightly more than three hundred snowflake coins to begin with, and the rare inscriptions only further increased their value.

Generally speaking, talismans inscribed on yellow paper would already be considered expensive even if they were sold at one snowflake coin per talisman. Hence, by charging these prices, Chen Ping’an was already prepared for the possibility that he could be spending a snowflake coin here for no return.

As a result of this mindset, he was very much pleasantly surprised to have earned these three lesser heat coins.

The first step was always the most difficult one to take, and with the old man setting such a fine example, it didn’t take long before Chen Ping’an was able to sell two more lightning talismans.

There was no interest in the water, earth, and Barrier-Shattering Talismans. In fact, many customers almost cussed out loud after only hearing their prices.

There was a rather rugged-looking man who spent five snowflake coins to purchase one of the items that Chen Ping’an had obtained from the Verdant Bamboo Lake dragon palace. It was a very feminine item, so he most likely intended to gift it to a woman. The man cussed under his breath after hearing the price of five snowflake coins, but still handed over the money.

After that, he pointed at the eye-catching stack of Celestial Lightning Talismans and asked for their price.

“That’ll be twelve snowflake coins per talisman,” Chen Ping’an declared with a smile.

“You think your customers are idiots?!” the man exclaimed.

Even with Chen Ping’an’s complete lack of shame, he was temporarily left at a loss for how to respond, and the nearby bystanders erupted into laughter.

The man quickly realized that he had spoken inappropriately. Not only was he insulting Chen Ping’an, he had also insulted himself. He was left scratching his head with a conflicted look on his face. He really did require an offensive lightning talisman to use on a great demon, but at the same time, he didn’t want to take the risk with his limited funds.

If he could successfully take down the great demon, then he would be sure to turn a profit, but if he were to fail, then it would be a waste of twelve snowflake coins. In the end, he decided against the purchase and sheepishly departed.

Chen Ping’an didn’t try to keep him.

After walking for some distance, the man couldn’t help but turn around to take a glance back at the stall, only to see the young stall owner flashing him a smile. This annoyed him even more, and he quickly departed, not wishing to torment himself any longer.

Chen Ping’an continued to run his stall, and his job was much easier than that of his fellow stall owners because the prices of all of his items were set.

Having already earned three lesser heat coins and some spare change, he felt no pressure at all to make any sales.

In any case, he had only been here for less than two hours, and there was still a lot of time until the ship was scheduled to depart.

His original plan was to run his stall while simultaneously nurturing his fist intent and cultivating his mind’s lake, but for some reason, he was really enjoying this moment of peace to himself and decided not to work on his cultivation for now.

Instead, he was carefully examining the people walking along the streets while his mind wandered far and wide, thinking of certain people and things.

Given his close proximity to Cloudtop City, he thought of the Recite Atop Clouds Scripture.

Strictly speaking, the first traveling salesman that Chen Ping’an had ever met in his life was A’Liang. They had met on Go Table Mountain, which Wei Bo had been the mountain lord of at the time. The only difference between A’Liang and a traditional traveling salesman was that he didn’t take any money.

At the time, A’Liang had been squatting on his haunches with the long wooden box laid out in front of him, and he was calling for people to pick out treasures that caught their eye.

Zhu He and Zhu Lu had also been present.

Lin Shouyi was the first to arrive on the scene, and he immediately chose the Five Lightning Righteous Technique.

Li Huai was extremely cunning, and after deciding what he wanted, he began urging Lin Shouyi and Li Baoping to choose the Auspicious Talisman saber. As soon as Li Baoping picked up the saber, he immediately pounced on the painted puppet, while Zhu He picked out a book and a pill together with Zhu Lu.

At the time, Chen Ping’an still didn’t know just how significant that tiny pill called the Hero’s Gall Pill was to a pure martial artist. Even after traveling so far, he still hadn’t seen another Hero’s Gall Pill or anything similar, and even the likes of Lu Tai and Qi Jinglong weren’t aware that it was possible to refine the heroic spirit of the martial artists of the world into an actual physical pill.

Chen Ping’an was to last to make his selection, and the choice had already been made for him at the time, given that the golden lotus flower seed was the only thing left in the wooden box.

Someday, Chen Ping’an hoped that he could also replicate A’Liang and give out some of the fine items in his possession to worthy children. Not only would it not pain him in the slightest to part with those things, he would instead only be filled with excitement and anticipation to see what would become of those children.

There were always some words and actions that would be passed down for generations in a subtle fashion, and they weren’t tangible inheritances, but they were similar in nature.