Chapter 5
Grasped
It was Matchmaker Ceng.
After more than half a year, she came to visit again. Her face was filled with a standard enthusiastic smile, and her body was filled with a unique smell of rouge. All the cultivators at the bottom of the nearby alley knew Matchmaker Ceng.
“So it’s Fellow Daoist Ceng. Please come in.” Shen Ping greeted her warmly. It was all thanks to her that he was able to activate the golden finger.
Matchmaker Ceng sashayed into the hut. She saw w.a.n.g Yun sitting on the edge of the bed and said with a smile, “It seems that Sister Yun’er is doing well here with Fellow Daoist Shen.”
w.a.n.g Yun quickly stood up and poured spirit tea for Matchmaker Ceng. She said respectfully, “Senior Ceng, please have some tea.”
Matchmaker Ceng took the spirit tea and sat on a wooden chair at the side. She sized up w.a.n.g Yun. “Fellow Daoist Shen, Sister Yun’er has been married to you for more than half a year. She doesn’t seem to be pregnant. You have to work hard and give birth to more bloodlines to continue the family.”
w.a.n.g Yun subconsciously touched her stomach and looked a little dejected. After working hard every day for so long, under normal circ.u.mstances, she should have been pregnant. But there was no sign of it. Although she did not say it, she was still anxious. If she could not give birth to a bloodline for her husband, then her existence would be worthless.
Shen Ping smiled and said, “It’s only half a year. It’s still early. There’s no hurry.”
Matchmaker Ceng shook her head repeatedly. “Fellow Daoist Shen, you’re wrong. The earlier you have a bloodline, the earlier you can nurture it. Otherwise, when you are old, even if your descendants are outstanding, it will be very difficult for you to enjoy the afterglow.”
Shen Ping was speechless, but he understood the purpose of Matchmaker Ceng’s visit. “Fellow Daoist Ceng, if you have something to say, just say it.”
Matchmaker Ceng didn’t beat around the bush. She smiled and said, “Recently, there have been many cultivators who want to adventure in Cloud Mountain Swamp. There have also been more killings and battles. Many cultivators are afraid that they will die, so they asked me to take care of their descendants. The best way for women is to find a cultivator they can rely on to protect them.
“Now that Fellow Cultivator Shen has broken through to become a mid-grade Talisman Master, your status is naturally different. How about it? Do you want to consider marrying another one? This time, I guarantee that I can find a Dao companion with spiritual roots for you, Fellow Daoist Shen!”
w.a.n.g Yun’s face instantly turned pale. If her husband had a Dao companion, how would she, a mortal, get along?
Shen Ping did not immediately refuse. In fact, it was not that he had not considered this question for more than half a year. After all, the golden finger was related to dual cultivation. The more people he dual-cultivated with, the more experience he could obtain in the Dao of Talismans.
However, his Dao of Talisman had improved too quickly, so he needed to settle down and hide it. That was why he had endured it.
Seeing that her husband didn’t say anything, w.a.n.g Yun’s heart was filled with sorrow. Over the past six months, her husband had been caring and taking care of her meticulously. She had treated her husband as her only support and emotional sustenance.
However, cultivators and mortals were ultimately two different worlds.
“Husband, Senior Ceng’s suggestion is not unreasonable. If you can have a Dao companion with a spiritual root, the chances of you producing a child with a spiritual root in the future will also be high.” She spoke against her will.
Matchmaker Ceng quickly praised her, “Sister Yun’er is so open-minded. You can see so far ahead.” As she spoke, she looked at Shen Ping and said, “Fellow Daoist Shen, girls with spiritual root apt.i.tude are very popular. Now, I can find a girl as obedient and sensible as Sister Yun’er for Fellow Daoist Shen, but it might not be the case in the future!”
Matchmaker Ceng emphasized the word ‘obedient’.
Shen Ping coughed a few times. “Fellow Daoist Ceng, I’ve been rather busy recently and need to speed up the production of talismans. I really don’t have time. Let’s talk about it in a few days.”
He was afraid that talking about marrying a dao companion in front of his wife would reduce his good impression of her.
When Matchmaker Ceng heard this, she knew that there was a chance. She stood up and chuckled. “Alright, I won’t disturb Fellow Daoist Shen anymore.” He sent her out. Matchmaker Ceng lowered her voice and said, “Fellow Daoist Shen, don’t worry. I’ll leave you an obedient and sensible one!”
After saying that, she walked towards the next family.
Shen Ping’s mouth twitched. He turned around and saw his wife’s resentful gaze.
“Yun’er, I…”
w.a.n.g Yun said softly, “Husband, I understand. I only hope that you will have a Dao companion in the future. Don’t forget Yun’er’s service these days.”
Shen Ping quickly opened the virtual interface. Seeing that her favorable impression of him did not decrease, he heaved a sigh of relief. He closed the door and walked to his wife. He said gently, “Yun’er, don’t worry. Even if I have a Dao Companion, I will still treat Yun’er as usual. Moreover, you are my first woman and my wife.”
Hearing this, a smile appeared on w.a.n.g Yun’s face again. Whether it was true or not, at least it meant that her husband still had her in his heart.
A moment later, two hot bodies swayed on the bed. Shen Ping used his actions to prove himself.
After the pleasure, his wife curled up in his arms docilely like a kitten.
Shen Ping looked at the experience in the Dao of Talisman on the virtual interface and thought to himself that at this speed, he would be able to break through to become an high-grade Talisman Master in half a year.
Mid-grade Talisman Masters were more commonly seen in the marketplace. However, high-grade ones were much rarer. The lowest price of a high-grade Level One talisman was more than three mid-grade spirit stones.
“Now that the price of talismans is rising, I have to make the best use of my time to earn spirit stones. I’ll try to buy a high-grade Poison Dispelling Pill within a year.”
The poison in his body had been contaminated for too long. He needed a bottle to get rid of the poison in his body. As long as he got rid of it, he could take a pill to increase his spiritual energy.
Another dozens of days pa.s.sed. The first batch of cultivators recruited by the Golden Sun Sect set off for the Cloudy Mountain Swamp. They followed the main road to the edge of the market. More than 1,000 cultivators could be seen stepping on dharma artifacts and turning into rainbows that disappeared into the sky.
Most of these cultivators were freelance cultivators in the marketplace. The lowest was at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement. But who knew how many of them would be able to return after entering the Cloud Mountain Swamp.
Back then, although Shen Ping had been corroded by the venom of the demonic beasts, his luck was still considered good. He did not encounter the demonic beasts directly. Otherwise, he would have become a pile of fertilizer in the Cloud Mountain Swamp.
He returned to the market.
Shen Ping walked straight into the Spring Embroidery Pavilion. The materials he bought last time were all used up. Other than the ones he sold to Fellow Daoist Gong, he still had twelve amulets, six fire talismans, and three light body talismans.
Shopkeeper Chen welcomed him warmly. Now that the price of mid-grade talismans had increased, a Talisman Master like Shen Ping was also quite popular. Moreover, Shen Ping’s production efficiency was higher than other mid-grade Talisman Masters.
“Fellow Daoist Shen, here are the remaining 134 low-grade spirit stones from the last time you deposited the talismans.”
The price of the amulets and fire talisman had both doubled. This was the amount he had left after deducting the cost of materials.
Shen Ping took out a mid-grade talisman from his storage bag. Shopkeeper Chen did not know how much he had traded with Fellow Daoist Gong, so he was not worried that the other party would see through his success rate.
Besides, he could also go to other shops to buy materials.
When he saw the talismans, the smile on Shopkeeper Chen’s face grew wider. All the stores in the market had long since sold out. Whoever had a talisman would be swarmed in by the cultivators.
Although one batch had just left, the Golden Sun Sect had just started recruiting the next batch. The main focus of this recruitment was the cultivation clans. They even recruited from the main sects. After all, although large-scale flame gold mines weren’t spirit stone mines, they were still very precious.
Dharma artifacts and dharma treasure materials had always been expensive. If the Golden Sun Sect could mine as much as they wanted, the entire sect’s financial resources would increase greatly.