The Lord of Void and Real

Chapter 217: Chapter 215: Materials for Drawing Amulets

“I apologize on behalf of my little brother for causing trouble,” Bai Xiaotian said to Manager Ma with a hint of helplessness on his face.

“Young Master, please don’t say that, you will embarrass me greatly. What brings you here today? Is there anything specific you wish to buy?” replied Manager Ma. After whispering a few words to his daughter and sending her towards the back hall, he waved his hand and asked.

“Actually, it’s not me who wants to buy something. I wanted to introduce my friend, Shen Luo. Manager Ma, this is Shen Luo.” Bai Xiaotian introduced the two to each other.

“So, it’s Master Shen. As a friend of the Young Master, just tell us if you need anything. Our shop only sells genuine items.” Manager Ma turned to Shen Luo and asked.

“I’m sorry for the trouble, but I don’t have a specific item in mind. I just wanted to see what spiritual materials you have in your shop, so that I’ll have an idea about it for future needs.” Shen Luo replied.

“Master, you’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for spiritual materials. Although our shop may look small, we are well-known in all of Jianye City for having a comprehensive collection of them. Everything available is listed on this Hundred Treasures Grid. You can check if there’s anything you are interested in.” Manager Ma said with a smile.

Up until that point, Shen Luo had been too focused on Bai Xiaoyun to notice the arrangement within the shop.

When he looked around, he noticed that the wall opposite him was lined with a densely packed Hundred Treasures Grid just like the medicine cabinet in his own apothecary. The grid was covered with small strips of paper, each marking the name of an item.

As his gaze swept across the top layer of the Hundred Treasures Grid, he noticed many items that he had seen in the “Immortal Divine Herb,” and was familiar with most of their medicinal properties.

“Manager, may I ask, how old is the ginseng listed on the Hundred Treasures Grid, and what is the selling price?” Shen Luo asked, intrigued.

“All ginseng sold in our shop are aged fifty years. We charge by weight. A qian (unit of weight) of ginseng costs a hundred taels of gold.” Manager Ma responded.

As he spoke, he drew out a long box from the Hundred Treasures Grid and placed it on the counter to open it.

Shen Luo leaned in to look. The ginseng, if you excluded the roots, was only as long as a pinkie finger. It didn’t even have a single iron-like streak. Compared to the thousand-year ginseng he’d dug up in the Hundred Herbs Valley on Mount Fangcun, the difference was extreme.

This ginseng looked like it weighed three or four qian, yet it was worth three or four hundred taels of gold. Shen Luo couldn’t help but marvel. If he could bring out that thousand-year ginseng, wouldn’t it be worth several million taels of gold?

“Indeed, it is a treasure.” Shen Luo marveled, gently pushing the long box back.

Seeing this, Manager Ma’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but the smile didn’t fade from his face. He took the box back.

Shen Luo’s gaze continued to wander. Suddenly, his eyes flashed. He spotted a name he was familiar with: Floating Shadow Jade.

This was one of the materials required for refining the talisman ink used in creating the Thunderfall Talisman.

With that, Shen Luo’s gaze moved again. He scanned the Hundred Treasures Grid and soon found “Blue Electrostone” and “Golden Shell.” His heart was filled with joy.

If he could acquire these materials, he could attempt to create a high-level Thunderfall Talisman again.

He clearly remembered the power released by the Thunderfall Talismans during the battle in Longevity Village. It was a sight that he could not forget.

“Manager, how much are Floating Shadow Jade, Blue Electrostone, and Golden Shell?” Shen Luo asked again.

“These items are often used for refining talisman ink. They are not expensive. Golden Shell and Blue Electrostone are ten taels of silver each, whereas Floating Shadow Jade is slightly more expensive, costing fifteen taels each.” Manager Ma explained.

“They are indeed not expensive . . .” Shen Luo muttered.

He quickly calculated. He did have some silver on him, but it wouldn’t amount to more than dozens of taels. Even if he used all of it to buy these items, it wouldn’t amount to much.

“Master Shen, are you interested in these items? Could it be that you are a talisman master?” Manager Ma seemed to have realized something and asked with his eyes sparkling.

Bai Xiaotian also cast a doubtful look at Shen Luo upon hearing this.

“Manager Ma, you overpraise me. I am nowhere near a talisman master. I am just doodling around, the success of which depends entirely on fate.” Shen Luo replied with a carefree smile.

“Master Shen, you’re being overly modest. To be straightforward, not only does our shop sell spiritual materials and talismanic instruments, but we also buy talismans and other magical items. We offer a fair price.” As Manager Ma gauged Shen Luo’s reaction, he continued.

“Hearing Manager Ma put it that way has piqued my interest. If I successfully create talismans in the future, I may come sell them here. I hope you won’t disdain them.” On hearing these words, Shen Luo’s eyes instantly lit up.

“Of course.” Manager Ma patted his chest and spoke.

Bai Xiaotian looked somewhat taken aback on the sidelines. His aim was to broaden Shen Luo’s horizons by bringing him here. How did their discussion turn into a potential business deal?

“In that case, I’ll take five pieces each of these three items,” Shen Luo said after a moment’s deliberation.

“Very well. I will package these for you right away.” Even before he finished speaking, Manager Ma turned to pack the items.

Shen Luo turned to Bai Xiaotian and sent him an “I need your help” look.

Bai Xiaotian was slightly surprised at first, but quickly understood what Shen Luo wanted. He said, “Manager Ma, please put whatever Shen Luo buys on my tab.”

“Alright.” Without turning around, Manager Ma replied.

“So generous . . . I’ll reimburse you once I get in touch with my family.” Shen Luo gave him a thumbs up and laughed.

“What’s this fuss about a small amount of money? Are you treating me as a friend or not?” Bai Xiaotian batted away Shen Luo’s thumbs up, laughed and playfully scolded.

“Master Shen, we also have high quality Green Frost Talisman Paper and Purple Cloud Talisman Paper in our shop. Would you be interested in taking a look?” Manager Ma placed the Floating Shadow Jade and other items in a package on the counter and asked tentatively.

“It would be my pleasure, Manager Ma,” Shen Luo said, his interest instantly piqued on hearing “Purple Cloud Talisman Paper”.

The jade slip he obtained from Mount Fangcun mentioned several high-level talismans. It was indicated explicitly that they required Purple Cloud Paper as talisman paper to manifest their full power.

The only exception was the Thunderfall Talisman, which could work with other types of talisman paper as a substitute.

Shen Luo, who was confused about the special properties of “Purple Cloud Talisman Paper”, now had the chance to clarify his doubts.

Quickly, Manager Ma took out two wooden boxes from the Hundred Treasures Grid, placed them on the counter. He was ten times more careful than before as he slowly opened the boxes.

Shen Luo peered inside. In the box on the left, there was a stack of green talisman papers about the size of a palm. The paper was fine and smooth, with not a hint of the grass skin markings commonly present on Yellow Talisman Paper. Instead, it faintly displayed some white specks, much like frost or snow.

In the right box was another stack of talisman papers of the same size, only slightly thicker. It was a dark purple color, and its surface faintly exhibited slightly darker auspicious cloud patterns.

“Manager Ma, may I ask the difference between these two types of talisman papers?” Shen Luo asked curiously.