I Live Forever With My Proficiency

Chapter 14: The Strange Cultivator

After bidding farewell to Ding Liu, Chen Ping continued to wander around the entire market, gaining a clearer understanding of the environment and layout of the market.

In his mind, he calculated:

"If there is danger, which path should I take to evacuate quickly?"

"If I encounter bandits, which area should I go to in order to easily lose them?"

"Which alley is the quietest?"

...

After sorting out these questions, Chen Ping began to focus on selling talisman skins.

He first found a deserted corner, used the "Bone-Shifting Technique" to change his appearance so that he wouldn't recognize himself, and then returned to the street where he set up his stall.

The busiest crossroads had already been occupied by others, so Chen Ping could only find a relatively good location with moderate foot traffic.

"It seems that I need to come even earlier next time to set up my stall."

After choosing a spot, Chen Ping laid a layer of animal skin on the ground and briefly greeted the neighboring stall owners.

Then he displayed the talisman skins, but to be safe, he only displayed 16 of them at a time.

Selling them in batches would be much safer.

He then patiently waited for customers to arrive.

"Fellow Daoist, how much are you selling these talisman skins for?" It didn't take long before an elderly cultivator with white hair squatted in front of his stall.

Chen Ping's heart was filled with joy.

This was his first time selling goods.

And it was the first time a cultivator came to inquire about the price.

The first time always made people excited.

Chen Ping restrained his emotions and calmly replied, "8 talisman skins for 1 Low Grade Spirit Stone, no gold or silver."

"Only 8? That's too expensive! Where can I find talisman skins this expensive?" The elderly cultivator was very dissatisfied and stood up to leave.

Chen Ping felt a bit disappointed, but he didn't try to stop him.

He had some confidence in his talisman skins.

Before setting up his stall, he didn't wander aimlessly in the market, but inquired about the prices of talisman skins from other stall owners.

Most of them were concentrated between 9 and 13 talisman skins for 1 Low Grade Spirit Stone.

Although Chen Ping's talisman skins were produced during the process of refining his liver, they were all carefully selected high-quality products. Moreover, his proficiency in talisman skins had reached "Talisman Skins (Mastery): 1/1000".

Even Master Qi might not be better than him at this level of "mastery".

Chen Ping carefully examined the talisman skins of other stall owners and found that the quality of his talisman skins was far superior.

It should be noted that the quality of talisman skins directly affects the success rate of drawing talismans, which is a very important raw material.

Good products don't need to be sold at a discount.

After a while, another cultivator approached.

"Fellow Daoist, how much are you selling these talisman skins for?... Oh, they are thin but not soft, with excellent quality in terms of medicinal infusion and craftsmanship. Fellow Daoist is extraordinary," the cultivator praised.

Chen Ping picked up a piece of skin and said, "Fellow Daoist has a good eye. These were obtained from a master. They are thin, evenly thick, and have the perfect balance of softness and hardness. How about it? Would Fellow Daoist like to buy? 8 talisman skins for 1 Low Grade Spirit Stone, and this is all I have."

The cultivator's expression showed that he understood, nodded, and then shook his head. "These are indeed good talisman skins, but they are a bit expensive. This cultivator can't draw high-level talismans for now. It's a pity, a pity."

Chen Ping: ...

...What's the point of talking if you're not going to buy?

...

This way, Chen Ping spent the entire morning at his stall and received many cultivators, but they all exclaimed that the talisman skins were too expensive.

In their eyes, good talisman skins were meant for high-level talismans, which they couldn't draw for the time being.

So, by the end of the morning, not a single talisman skin was sold.

This made Chen Ping doubt his life choices.

He was extremely confident before, but now he had to wonder if the prices he set were too outrageous.

Should he lower them?

While he was contemplating whether to lower the prices, another young cultivator approached his stall. This person casually glanced at Chen Ping's talisman skins and then squatted down.

Seeing this person's attitude, Chen Ping didn't hold much hope.

But unexpectedly, after this young cultivator saw the talisman skins, his eyes lit up and he was immediately attracted.

"I've been wandering around all morning, thinking I wouldn't find anything. I didn't expect to find the talisman skins I wanted here." The young cultivator couldn't contain his excitement and muttered to himself.

He looked up and asked, "Fellow Daoist, how much are these talisman skins?"

"8 talisman skins for 1 spirit stone, no bargaining, no gold or silver." Chen Ping smoothly replied. He had already answered this question countless times.

"Is this all you have? Only this much?" the young cultivator asked again.

Hmm?

Chen Ping was momentarily stunned.

Was this person going to buy?

Chen Ping couldn't help but size up the young cultivator in front of him. He looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, with rosy lips and white teeth. He didn't look like a cultivator, but more like a scholar.

To be safe, Chen Ping replied, "This is all I have, a total of sixteen talisman skins."

"Good quality goods, but it's too little..." The young cultivator looked regretful and shook his head. "I'll take these sixteen. Two Low Grade Spirit Stones, right? Here you go."

He bought them?

Chen Ping took the spirit stones and couldn't help but feel overjoyed.

This was the first time he had made a profit from selling goods in the past two months.

Although it was only two spirit stones, it represented a stable source of income, which was completely different from the temporary job of selling meat.

He looked up and saw that the young cultivators in front of him had become incredibly handsome.

After the young cultivators left, he wiped the shiny spirit stones and discreetly put them into the inner pocket of his lining, as if he was carrying a billion.

Excitement filled his heart!

After selling the first batch.

Next, sell the second batch.

Chen Ping found another hidden corner, changed his face, and reappeared in the market.

He changed his stall and began selling talisman skins as before.

This time, he displayed 24 of them.

At first, it was still quiet.

Or rather, there were many inquiries but few buyers.

"How much do you sell these talisman skins for?" a familiar voice came.

Chen Ping was taken aback and looked up.

Isn't this... the young cultivator from earlier?

He hadn't left yet.

Chen Ping changed his tone and impatiently said, "7 talisman skins for 1 Low Grade spirit stone, no bargaining. Do you want them or not? Hey, if you buy them, buy them. If you don't, don't touch them randomly. If you damage them, you'll have to compensate. Who are you, really?"

He deliberately quoted a different price and changed his character, trying to differentiate himself as much as possible from his previous self.

The young cultivator, who had originally been excited, furrowed his brows but didn't put down the talisman skins in his hand.

"Can't you speak nicely, cultivator? How could I damage them? As long as the talisman skins are good, I will naturally buy them. How many do you have in total?"

This left Chen Ping dumbfounded.

No bargaining?

Buying 7 talisman skins for just one spirit stone?

"In total, there are 21 talisman skins, 3 spirit stones. Do you want them?" Chen Ping said with a "pleasant surprise" while discreetly taking three of them while the young cultivator was examining the talisman skins in his hand.

He had originally displayed 24.

"...I'll take them all. If it weren't for the excellent quality of your talisman skins, I wouldn't have bought them. Really, who sells goods like this?" The young cultivator paid for the goods, feeling dissatisfied as he left.

Chen Ping remained calm.

This was the desired effect.

The pressure this young cultivator gave off wasn't strong. After observing him up close, Chen Ping felt that he wasn't a high-level cultivator who had concealed his cultivation. He probably didn't have the ability to make high-end talisman skins himself.

According to reason, he wouldn't buy high-end talisman skins without considering the cost.

Buying 7 talisman skins for just one spirit stone without even frowning.

Independent cultivators in the Eastern District shouldn't have such generous spending habits, and he hadn't seen anyone like this in the Western District either.

A stranger cultivator had to be on guard against.

After experiencing being ambushed by the group of stubble-faced meat sellers, Chen Ping realized that not only could his wealth be targeted, but valuable skills could be as well.

Wasn't his skilled talisman skin making technique just like that?

He had learned from his past mistakes and had to be more cautious.

Watching the young cultivator walk away, Chen Ping changed his face again and this time, changed his position to a spot in the opposite direction, and started setting up his stall again.

He displayed the remaining 25 talisman skins.

After a while of selling and sending away several cultivators, he finally had a buyer.

He sold 8 talisman skins for 1 spirit stone.

Half an hour later, he sold another 8.

When there were only 9 left, the original young cultivator came back.

Chen Ping: ...

After some communication, he tentatively asked about the other party's situation, but the other party clearly didn't want to talk much.

Chen Ping didn't ask further.

Among the cultivators who mingled in this market, who didn't wear a visible or invisible mask? Asking more was useless.

He just quoted a price:

"Originally, it was 8 talisman skins for 1 spirit stone, but this is the last batch. If you want to buy, I'll give you the last one as well."

The young cultivator hesitated and said, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist. You're generous. I won't hide it from you, I just bought talisman skins from another Fellow Daoist earlier. That Fellow Daoist really... made me so angry. I just wanted to buy talisman skins, but he wouldn't even let me touch them. Fellow Daoist, can you believe it? I'm so angry just thinking about it. If I could find him now, I would definitely teach him a lesson."

Chen Ping: ...

You...

You really hold grudges.

It's been so long, and you still want to teach me a lesson.

Chen Ping calmly agreed with a few words.

He even helped scold the other Fellow Daoist for a while.

That Fellow Daoist had a bad temper, but it had nothing to do with me, Chen Ping.

"I won't let you lose out. I'll give you 15 taels of gold for the extra talisman skin. This way, you won't lose, right?" The young cultivator said politely.

"Fellow Daoist is generous." Chen Ping saluted.

Such a person is rare in this market.

Completely someone who doesn't lack money.

After the exchange of money and goods, Chen Ping began to pack up. Today's sales task officially came to an end.

And across from his stall, a lively "teaching" dialogue was taking place.

"Did you see? That's the target."

(End of this chapter)