DIV Chapter 20: Marriage into the Zheng Family?

Inside the room, Li Chang'an wiped away the prohibitions on the stone statue's surface, then shattered it with a palm strike.

A small, exquisite bag appeared among the rubble.

"So this is a spirit beast bag?" Li Chang'an picked up the bag and examined it carefully, immediately showing surprise on his face.

The space inside this bag was much larger than he had expected, nearly ten cubic zhang!

One must know that each of the several storage bags he had obtained only had about one cubic zhang of space.

"Quite spacious. Big Yellow shouldn't feel cramped."

Of course, normally Big Yellow would still be active underground, diligently digging tunnels. Only when Li Chang'an went out would he store Big Yellow in the spirit beast bag to carry with him.

After testing the spirit beast bag's functions, Li Chang'an fell into thought.

"Although the struggle between the three major families hasn't affected the market yet, it's hard to say what will happen in the future. I should stockpile more resources early."

He had stockpiled a large quantity of high-quality talismans. Previously, it hadn't been appropriate to sell them, but now the timing was about right.

In the evening, Li Chang'an came to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

He took out a high-quality Spirit Shield Talisman and handed it to Shopkeeper Qian behind the counter.

"Shopkeeper Qian, please see how much this talisman is worth."

"Alright, let me take a look," Shopkeeper Qian said with a calm expression, not paying much attention.

After all, Li Chang'an had come many times before, and each time he sold only the most ordinary low-grade talismans.

However, this time, as soon as he took the talisman, a flash of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Eh?" Shopkeeper Qian raised an eyebrow.

He carefully examined it for a moment, then used the shop's instruments to measure it.

"A high-quality talisman!" Shopkeeper Qian said in surprise, glancing at Li Chang'an.

"Fellow Daoist Li, your talisman skills have broken through so quickly?"

"Just luck," Li Chang'an said with a smile, his tone very modest.

He repeated the same explanation he had given Liu Yue, saying he had been drawing talismans for many years but had never been able to produce high-quality talismans.

That was precisely why he had purchased that mid-grade talisman brush some time ago.

"Thanks to the help of that mid-grade talisman brush, I finally managed to draw high-quality talismans with some difficulty," Li Chang'an sighed, as if it had been quite challenging.

Shopkeeper Qian smiled and raised his hand in congratulation.

"Regardless, Fellow Daoist Li has finally distinguished himself among low-grade talisman masters!"

Being able to draw high-quality talismans naturally placed one's status above ordinary low-grade talisman masters.

The two then conversed for a few more exchanges, chatting and laughing. Shopkeeper Qian's attitude was clearly much warmer than before.

Just then, a woman's voice suddenly sounded from outside the door.

"What's making everyone so happy?"

This voice was extremely pleasant, like a gentle mountain breeze, soft and moving, drifting to Li Chang'an's ears.

Hearing the voice, he knew who it was. Li Chang'an immediately turned around and cupped his hands, saying, "Greetings to the young miss!"

The newcomer was indeed the Zheng family's eldest daughter, Zheng Qingqing!

She wore a blue-green long dress, her bearing light and graceful, as she entered the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

"Fellow Daoist Li, we meet again," she said, looking at Li Chang'an with a cheerful smile.

"I've said this twice already, there's no need to be formal. We're both seekers of the Dao, so we can address each other as fellow cultivators."

"Yes," Li Chang'an showed a respectful expression.

Behind the counter, Shopkeeper Qian smiled broadly and handed over a dusty account book.

"Young miss, this month's accounts are all here."

"Good, thank you for your trouble, Shopkeeper Qian," Zheng Qingqing nodded slightly and took the account book.

This scene surprised Li Chang'an somewhat. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion was actually a Zheng family enterprise?

Shopkeeper Qian seemed to notice his thoughts and immediately clarified for him.

"Fellow Daoist Li, my dao companion is from the Zheng family, so I'm also considered a son-in-law of the Zheng family."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"Over these years, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion has weathered many storms. Without the Zheng family's support, it would have collapsed long ago."

"I see," Li Chang'an understood.

It would be impossible for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to reach such a scale without backing forces. In Qinghe Market, the Zheng family was the best patron.

Then Shopkeeper Qian said to Zheng Qingqing, "Young miss, the reason Fellow Daoist Li and I were so happy just now is because Fellow Daoist Li's talisman skills have broken through, which is worth celebrating."

"Oh? Fellow Daoist Li, you can draw high-quality talismans now?" Zheng Qingqing looked at Li Chang'an, a trace of surprise appearing on her pretty face.

To break through so quickly, could he be a genius?

Li Chang'an felt helpless and had to repeat the same explanation once again.

After listening, Zheng Qingqing nodded slightly.

"So that's how it is, you've been drawing talismans for many years already."

Zheng Qingqing's mind turned, and she suddenly recalled the scene when Li Chang'an had previously sought help at their door, causing her to smile.

"Fellow Daoist Li, it's good to keep some things in reserve, but you shouldn't hide too deeply. If you had revealed your identity as a talisman master earlier, Zheng Jinbao naturally wouldn't have dared assign you to mining."

"Indeed," Li Chang'an sighed, seeming to completely agree with this assessment.

At this moment, Zheng Qingqing seemed to think of something. Her eyes moved as she carefully examined Li Chang'an from top to bottom.

It had to be said that Li Chang'an's appearance was quite good. He had clear, bright eyes, a gentle and refined bearing, like a young scholar well-versed in literature.

Moreover, being able to draw high-quality talismans already made him a rare talent.

"Fellow Daoist Li, I wonder if you have someone you fancy?" Zheng Qingqing suddenly asked.

Li Chang'an was startled. Why was she asking this?

"No," he shook his head, strange thoughts rising in his mind.

Zheng Qingqing smiled with her eyes and explained, "My Zheng family has quite a few unmarried women, each one well-educated and understanding."

"This..." Li Chang'an looked completely stunned, not knowing what to say.

Was she trying to recruit him as a son-in-law?

"Young miss, I'm currently devoted entirely to cultivation and really have no other thoughts," he hurriedly refused.

Having finally escaped the Zheng family, how could he easily go back? Even in peaceful times, he wouldn't agree, let alone now.

The Zheng family was in constant conflict with the other two major Foundation Establishment families, with heavy casualties among family disciples.

"Fellow Daoist Li, there's no need to refuse hastily. The Zheng family wouldn't place too many constraints on you," Zheng Qingqing said gently.

Beside them, Shopkeeper Qian also spoke up.

"Fellow Daoist Li, how difficult is the path of a rogue cultivator? Don't you want to have backing?"

He spoke with sincere expression, trying to persuade Li Chang'an.

"Within a Foundation Establishment family, the cultivation resources you can access far exceed what you can imagine! Not to mention other things, just speaking of talisman inheritance..."

Although the Zheng family was a pill-refining clan, this didn't mean they lacked other cultivation arts.

In fact, the Zheng family had collected numerous cultivation techniques. While these arts hadn't reached the second tier, most had first-tier superior grade, such as talisman inheritance!

"Fellow Daoist Li, as long as you join the Zheng family and perform excellently in the talisman path, you wouldn't need to worry about subsequent talisman inheritance at all!"

It had to be said that for ordinary low-grade talisman masters, these words indeed held great attraction.

After all, most of them couldn't even obtain first-tier mid-grade talisman inheritance, let alone superior-grade inheritance.

But Li Chang'an had made up his mind and wouldn't be swayed no matter what was said.

"Shopkeeper Qian, there's no need to persuade me further."

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