As the battle of bargains began in earnest, Lan Rui finally unleashed his trump card, a ruthless negotiating trick he had been saving.
Yet, to his surprise, the man standing before him proved far more formidable than expected.
After the time it would take to drink a cup of tea, Lei Tiewu finally relented.
"Alright brat, as the first customer of the day, I'll yield a little. Nine hundred spirit stones," he offered, his voice steady.
Lan Rui scoffed. "Hmph. You call that yielding? Seven hundred fifty."
Lei Tiewu's face darkened. "You brat, that's way too low. Final offer, eight hundred fifty spirit stones."
"Seven hundred fifty," Lan Rui repeated without flinching. "If not, I might just head to another store. I hear the Li Family sells talisman brushes too. As a regular customer, I'm sure they'd give me a discount."
Lei Tiewu glared at him, then sighed heavily. "Alright, brat. You win. Take it and hand over my spirit stones."
He pushed the black box toward Lan Rui and gestured firmly.
"What are you doing? I already paid," Lan Rui said nonchalantly as he pocketed the box.
"You little rascal! Don't go too far. When did you pay? I may be old, but I'm not blind!"
Lan Rui grinned, then pointed toward the broken saber on the counter.
"Old man, do you remember the saber I sold you earlier? You never gave me the spirit stones for that."
Lei Tiewu paused, his brows furrowing deeply.
"You're really something else… cunning beyond your age." he muttered with a helpless sigh.
Lan Rui chuckled.
After a brief chat with Lei Tiewu, he took his leave. A few breaths later, Lei Ruoxi approached her uncle, still frowning.
"Uncle, why did you sell that talisman brush at the base price? It won't even cover the labor cost," she asked, puzzled.
Lei Tiewu chuckled and patted her head gently.
"Xi'er, sometimes taking a loss brings greater profit in the long run. Business isn't about a single transaction, it's about building lasting relationships. That boy… he's got potential."
He paused thoughtfully, eyes narrowing slightly.
"At such a young age, he's already a First Rank High Grade Talisman Master. Reaching Late Stage Qi Refining is just a matter of time. He might even step into the Foundation Establishment Realm in the future."
.....
After acquiring the new talisman brush, Lan Rui made his way straight to the Li Family Talisman Shop. He needed to purchase materials for his craft.
"Good afternoon, sir. How may I assist you?" a shopkeeper greeted him politely as he entered.
"I'd like to inquire about First Rank Spirit Bamboo," Lan Rui said.
This wasn't just ordinary talisman paper he sought, but a special medium suited for more refined talismans.
Like talisman brushes, talisman paper came in many varieties. Upon reaching the Second Rank in talisman crafting, basic paper would no longer suffice.
Beyond ordinary talisman paper, cultivators could use spirit tree bark, jade slips, ores, spirit bamboo and many more.
He even had heard that exotic materials like the rare Spiritual Ice Shards found in the Northern reaches of the Eastern Continent. Though such items were virtually non-existent in the Eastern Wilderness.
"Would you like the raw material, or the processed kind?" the shopkeeper asked.
"The processed one. Also, prepare thirty bundles of talisman paper," Lan Rui replied.
His current talismans were only mid-grade, and even if he attempted a high-grade one, ordinary paper would still suffice.
However, for crafting a sword talisman, it was a different story. During his secluded time training in the cave, Lan Rui had thoroughly studied the requirements for sword talismans.
Aside from needing to master a sword technique to the point of producing sword qi, the medium for drawing such a talisman had to be sturdy enough to store sword qi infused in it.
Ordinary talisman paper was far too fragile. That's why he needed First Rank Spirit Bamboo.
After a short wait, the shopkeeper returned with the requested items, thirty bundles of talisman paper and ten pieces of dark green bamboo, laid out neatly on the table.
"These are the goods you asked for," the shopkeeper began. "You're already familiar with the talisman paper, so let me introduce the bamboo."
He gestured to the rectangular bamboo slips.
"This is Jade Spirit Bamboo, a specialty product of our Li Family. Each piece is carefully hand-cut and processed to ensure consistency and quality."
Though Lan Rui was already familiar with it, he listened patiently.
Jade Spirit Bamboo was one of the Li Family's signature products. They cultivated an entire forest of this bamboo around their estate.
Most were of the First Rank, but the Li Family also cultivated several hundred Second Rank stalks deep within their territory. There were even rumors of one or two reaching the Third Rank, though Lan Rui wasn't sure if that was true.
As he listened, something the shopkeeper said caught him off guard. His expression turned serious.
"What did you just say?" he asked, brows knitting.
"The price," the shopkeeper repeated. "One spirit stone per piece of Jade Spirit Bamboo."
Lan Rui stood silent for a moment.
He had always purchased talisman paper in bundles of ten, each bundle costing one spirit stone. Now, each piece of Spirit Bamboo cost the same as an entire bundle of paper, ten times more expensive per use.
He pondered briefly. "If I buy a large quantity, do I get a discount?"
"Of course," the shopkeeper said with a polite smile, "but it depends on how much you're buying."
Lan Rui hesitated. Even if he bought one hundred pieces, which would cost one hundred spirit stones, it wouldn't be a large enough purchase to move a shop of this scale. They even sell Second Rank materials here. His small transaction barely registered.
"…Never mind the discount. Get me a hundred pieces of this," he said with a sigh, pointing at the bamboo.
The shopkeeper nodded and went to retrieve the rest of the order.
"Shopkeeper, do you have any other materials besides Jade Spirit Bamboo?" Lan Rui asked curiously.
"Certainly. We also carry Maple Spirit Leaf and wood processed from ordinary First Rank Spirit Trees. However, both are more expensive than the Jade Spirit Bamboo."
"The Maple Spirit Leaf is imported by our family from other markets. It goes for three spirit stones per piece."
"As for Spirit Tree wood, it's hard to come by. Most cultivators prefer to let Spirit Trees mature for decades and reach the Second Rank before harvesting. That makes First Rank Spirit Tree wood quite rare and costly."
Lan Rui nodded, quietly absorbing the information. He continued to ask several more questions about talisman materials and brush compatibility.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he completed the transaction and stepped out of the shop, heading back to his residence.
.....
I'm sorry for the last three days of no updates. I caught a fever. I will try to compensate with more chapters if I can. Thanks for always supporting me guys...❤️