The Lord of Void and Real

Chapter 229: Chapter 227: Buying Talisman Paper

“Far from it, today I’m already immensely grateful to Master Shen for coming to my aid,” Manager Ma said hastily, bowing in respect.

They conversed as they walked back into the shop.

“Manager Ma, I’ve come today to buy some more talisman paper and spiritual material.” Shen Luo stated his purpose after sitting down.

At this point, Ma Xiuxiu brought him a cup of exquisite fragrant tea. She then, with blushing cheeks, retreated back into the inner hall, only daring to steal a quick glance at Shen Luo with the corner of her eyes.

Shen Luo didn’t notice the subtle movements of this young woman; his gaze was constantly scanning the tags on the Hundred Treasures Grid.

“Master Shen, what kind of talisman paper and spiritual material do you want to buy today?” Manager Ma asked.

“The spiritual material is the same as last time, but for talisman paper… I want to buy some Green Frost Paper.” Shen Luo withdrew his gaze and replied.

“Strictly speaking, Master Shen has done us a great favor. Giving you items such as Floating Shadow Jade and Golden Shell for free would be completely justified. However, this Green Frost Paper… it needs to be purchased with Immortal Jade. Sadly, it’s not something I can personally gift,” Manager Ma responded, looking rather distressed.

“Where’s all this talk coming from, Manager Ma? Whether it’s spiritual materials or talisman paper, just charge me the original price.” After saying this, Shen Luo stood up, took out a gold ingot and an Immortal Jade, and placed them on the counter.

The sight of the gold ingot didn’t cause Manager Ma any surprise. However, upon sighting the Immortal Jade, his eyes lit up with excitement.

“What did the manager say last time? One Immortal Jade can buy ten pieces of Green Frost Rune Paper, right?” Shen Luo asked.

“Ten pieces? That’s the price for others. Since Master Shen can afford Immortal Jade, we can sell you twelve pieces,” Manager Ma immediately responded.

“Then, I must thank Manager Ma,” said Shen Luo, who was greatly pleased to hear this.

“Master Shen, you should keep this gold ingot. I will consider items like Floating Shadow Jade as add-ons to the talisman paper and gift them to you.” Manager Ma declared grandly, waving his hand.

Without waiting for Shen Luo to respond, he turned around, took some talisman paper and spiritual materials from the Hundred Treasures Grid, and handed them to Shen Luo.

Just then, Shen Luo remembered something and hurriedly took from his sleeve a piece of gold foil engraved with runes, placing it on the counter.

“Manager Ma, you’re knowledgeable and well-informed, can you help identify what exactly this item is?” Shen Luo asked.

“No problem, let me have a look,” Manager Ma said, smiling.

In the midst of their conversation, he stretched out his hand toward the gold foil. However, his movement suddenly halted just as he was about to pick up the gold foil.

“This is…” Manager Ma’s eyes flashed with disbelief and he hesitated.

“What’s wrong? Is there something off?” Shen Luo asked.

With a serious look on his face, Manager Ma went to the inner hall, washed his hands thoroughly, and then, using a clean piece of fabric, carefully picked up the gold foil.

He closely examined the runes on the gold foil from top to bottom, turned it over, and carefully checked the back of the gold foil. His expression grew increasingly excited.

“No mistake, these patterns, this texture, there’s no mistake, it must be…” Manager Ma murmured, his hand slightly trembling.

“Manager Ma, could you tell me first what this thing is?” Shen Luo looked puzzled at the side, but he knew that this gold foil must be something extraordinary.

“I’m sorry, Master Shen, for becoming excessively excited and losing my composure upon seeing this Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi,” Manager Ma stammered out, regaining his composure.

“Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi?” Shen Luo exclaimed in surprise.

“The Ruyi board is used by those who practice Daoist cultivation. When performing the Luo Heavenly Sacrifice or other Daoist ceremonies, they use it for Daoist rituals. It often carries words of prayer and sacrifice to communicate with Heaven. Because of the different functions, there are different types of Ruyi boards. This kind of Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi is very special. It’s cast from a special gold essence and is engraved with runes by a highly-skilled Daoist priest, specifically for suppressing evil spirits,” Manager Ma explained.

On hearing these words, Shen Luo recalled that, when he found the gold Ruyi, it was hanging on the corpse-storing bag. At present, it seemed to be used for suppressing the spirits of the dead bones.

“So this thing has such a background, but I didn’t know whether your shop would buy this.” Shen Luo nodded thoughtfully, asking.

“Master Shen, do you want to sell this?” At this, Manager Ma’s face brightened and he hastily asked.

“To sell or not to sell… that depends on its value,” Shen Luo added after a moment’s hesitation.

“To be frank with you, over the years, Lubao Hall has collected a lot of items. However, this Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi is my first encounter. Master Shen, you have shown us great kindness, and I cannot deceive you. This Gold Ruyi of yours is in excellent condition and the runes engraved on it seem to be out of the ordinary. They don’t quite match the common Soul-suppressing runes we normally see. But as for what exactly it is, I can’t really tell,” Manager Ma earnestly admitted.

“Hearing your honest words, what would you offer for this gold Ruyi?” Shen Luo asked, frowning slightly.

Upon listening, Manager Ma picked up the gold Ruyi once again and examined it closely for a long time. His face was increasingly conflicted as he studied it.

“Master Shen, I am temporarily unable to determine the value of this gold Ruyi. How about this? I will take it as a deposit for thirty Immortal Jades first. Afterwards, I will send a messenger to the real owner of Lubao Hall and let him determine the value. If the amount is lower, I will convince the owner to make up for it afterwards. If the amount is higher, consider it as repayment for the favor you’ve done us,” Manager Ma proposed thoughtfully after a moment.

“Thirty Immortal Jades?” When Shen Luo heard these words, he could hardly believe his own ears.

At the Bai Family, he could only receive one Immortal Jade every three months, a treatment not offered to any other low-ranking officials. This gold Ruyi–essentially found out of nowhere–could actually be exchanged for thirty Immortal Jades?

“That’s according to what Manager Ma said. Let’s make the exchange!” Shen Luo didn’t hesitate and immediately responded.

This Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi was of no use to him at the moment. He had already memorized the runes on it, so it was indeed the best choice to exchange it for the tangible Immortal Jades.

“Master Shen is really decisive!” Manager Ma also applauded and laughed.

“Manager Ma, this transaction has been settled. May I ask why this gold Ruyi is so valuable? Does it have any other special features?” Shen Luo asked, puzzled.

“Master Shen, I’ll tell you. The reason I’m willing to take this gamble is indeed because I noticed something different,” Manager Ma hesitated slightly before responding.

“I’m all ears,” replied Shen Luo.

“In fact, the Soul-suppressing Gold Ruyi is similar to the Soul-suppressing Talisman in terms of effectiveness, but it contains stronger spiritual power and lasts longer. However, since it’s a consumable item, it would be difficult for it to be used for ten years or so. And your gold Ruyi has obviously been used for some years, but its runes still have spirit and there are no signs of being tainted by evil spirits. So I guess that either the Ruyi itself is of excellent quality or the person who engraved the runes is of an extremely high cultivation level, which makes it extraordinary,” Manager Ma explained.

Upon hearing this, Shen Luo immediately understood.