Chapter 4

The next morning, Ye Zhong arrived at the most bustling market in Jiangzhou City, where he put on a black robe that covered him from head to toe to avoid being recognized, which could affect his cultivation plans. He then found a corner in the market, sat on the ground, and spread out a piece of demon beast skin, which was leftover from drawing spirit talismans. He placed the only Clear Mind Talisman he had on the demon beast skin, and thus his stall was open for business.

This market was located in the most bustling area of Jiangzhou City. Whether it was the martial artists in the city or those who were training around the city, they all enjoyed coming here to buy or sell all sorts of peculiar items. The demon beast skin and demon beast essence blood that Ye Zhong had previously purchased were also bought here.

The market was filled with stalls of various sizes, mostly displaying all kinds of demon beast skins, essence blood, and spirits. In addition, there were many other miscellaneous items that were hard to identify, truly a mix of everything.

Despite this, Ye Zhong was the only one selling spirit talismans in the market! This was not because martial artists did not need spirit talismans, but because only spirit talisman masters could draw them, and it was uncertain whether there was even one spirit talisman master in Jiangzhou City.

"Hey!? Someone is selling spirit talismans here? Brother Daoist, is this spirit talisman real? How much do you want for it?" Not long after Ye Zhong set up his stall, a well-dressed man and woman approached him, their eyes lighting up at the sight of the spirit talisman. The man then asked.

Ye Zhong did not expect to have business right away. He had come with the idea of making a huge profit, so he replied calmly, "This is a Clear Mind Talisman, and I only have one. The price is ten thousand low-grade spirit stones, or ten medium-grade spirit stones."

Spirit stones were also graded, with one medium-grade spirit stone containing the spiritual energy equivalent to a thousand low-grade spirit stones.

"This... We don't even know if your spirit talisman is real! And you're asking for such a high price!" The two were taken aback by Ye Zhong's words. After a moment of hesitation, they left.

Seeing this, Ye Zhong felt nothing. This was a genuine Clear Mind Talisman, which was extremely useful for those trying to break through to the innate stage of martial arts or for those whose mental state had been affected during cultivation. The two people who had just left were clearly only at the first level of the Body Tempering stage, so it was normal that they did not recognize its value. If there were people who could recognize it, they would be able to see the faint spiritual energy on the Clear Mind Talisman, proving its authenticity.

After the man and woman left, the news of Ye Zhong selling spirit talismans quickly spread throughout the market. However, his Clear Mind Talisman did not sell, as his asking price of ten thousand low-grade spirit stones was enough to scare off any ordinary strong person.

Knowing that Ye Zhong dared to sell spirit talismans at such a high price, the other stall owners did not dare to underestimate him. Although they did not know if the spirit talisman sold by this mysterious black-robed man was real, they wisely said nothing.

By the afternoon, it was already evening. Many people came to see Ye Zhong's spirit talisman, including some students from the Feihong Martial Academy. However, these people clearly did not recognize the value of the Clear Mind Talisman, and by evening, it had not sold.

This scene made Ye Zhong a bit disheartened. From the memories of Little Ye Zhong, he knew that there were very few spirit talisman masters in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and even fewer people who could recognize spirit talismans. He had come today with the hope of getting lucky, but it seemed his luck was not good.

As the crowd that had gathered to watch gradually dispersed, Ye Zhong sighed and was about to pack up his stall when a voice caught his attention.

"Qingmeng, although this market is one of the largest in Jiangzhou City, it cannot compare to Yanjing. It's impossible to find a spirit talisman here. I think we should try our luck in Yanjing. The few spirit talisman masters in the Great Zhou Dynasty are all in Yanjing. If we can obtain a Clear Mind Talisman, your aunt will be saved!" The speaker was a man in a green robe, with several warm jade pendants hanging from his body and a long sword at his waist, looking graceful and dignified.

In front of him was a tall, slender woman in a green dress, about sixteen or seventeen years old. She had a cold and noble demeanor, with skin as smooth as congealed fat and a small, oval face with rosy lips. Her cold demeanor made her not just a beauty but an absolute top-tier beauty.

However, despite her cold demeanor, a trace of worry lingered on her face. The man's words only deepened her worry.

"Yang Tai, you don't have to come with me. Our Liu family is small and insignificant. The spirit talisman masters in Yanjing wouldn't even give us a second glance. I heard from a servant that someone is selling spirit talismans in the market, so I came to take a look. If you are impatient, please go ahead." The green-dressed woman, Liu Qingmeng, clearly lacked good feelings towards Yang Tai, and she spoke coldly.

Hearing this, a cold look flashed in Yang Tai's eyes, but he nodded with a smile, "Alright, I'll follow your lead."

Behind the two was a woman in a tight-fitting robe. She looked at Yang Tai, and seeing no further action from him, she quietly stood behind the two, clearly acting as Liu Qingmeng's bodyguard.

"Sir... Is this... a real spirit talisman?" Liu Qingmeng's gaze swept the market and quickly landed on Ye Zhong. She quickly walked over, looking at the spirit talisman on the ground with a trembling, disbelieving voice.

"Of course it's real. However, this is just a Clear Mind Talisman, which can help one focus and calm the mind during cultivation, or repair mental injuries caused by cultivation." Ye Zhong patiently explained, as he rarely had a customer who seemed to know what they were talking about.

"Clear Mind Talisman!?" Liu Qingmeng's voice trembled, "Then... would it be effective for someone who is unconscious due to external injuries?"

"What is the realm of the injured person? As long as their cultivation has not surpassed the ninth level of Body Tempering, this Clear Mind Talisman will be effective." After a moment of thought, Ye Zhong answered honestly. Although he was eager to sell the talisman and exchange it for spirit stones, he still spoke truthfully. He might need to come back to sell more spirit talismans in the future and couldn't ruin his reputation.

"Alright, I'll take the Clear Mind Talisman. How many spirit stones?" Liu Qingmeng quickly took out a spatial ring. Yang Tai also hurriedly took out his spatial ring, clearly eager to show off.

"Just ten thousand low-grade spirit stones. If you find it troublesome, ten medium-grade spirit stones will do." Ye Zhong did not even look at them as he spoke.

"What!? You want ten medium-grade spirit stones for a piece of talisman paper? Why don't you just rob us!?" Before Liu Qingmeng could respond, Yang Tai's face darkened, "Only ten low-grade spirit stones, take it or leave it!"

As he spoke, Yang Tai threw ten low-grade spirit stones and grabbed the Clear Mind Talisman in front of Ye Zhong.

Ye Zhong's eyebrows furrowed. He stood up, and in the next moment, his left hand shot out and grabbed Yang Tai's pulse point before he could react.

After slowly pulling back the Clear Mind Talisman, Ye Zhong said coolly, "Did your parents never teach you how to behave? If not, I'll teach you now!"

"Slap—"

As he spoke, Ye Zhong slapped Yang Tai's left cheek, causing his handsome face to swell like a pig's head. Yang Tai's behavior reminded Ye Zhong of Qiu Beihai from the past, making him feel a deep-seated disgust.

"You... You dare to hit me? Do you know who the Yang family of Jiangzhou is—"

"Slap—"

Ye Zhong casually slapped Yang Tai again, cutting off his words, and then kicked him to the ground, stomping on his head a few times before frowning and muttering to himself, "What thick skin, it hurts my hand."

This was a genuine sentiment. In terms of martial skills, Ye Zhong had experienced countless battles in the past, and Yang Tai's amateurish skills were nothing to him. However, at the moment, Ye Zhong was only at the first level of Body Tempering, while Yang Tai was likely at the second level, and his skin was unexpectedly tough.

Many of the onlookers were stunned. What kind of person was this? He hit someone and then complained about their thick skin? Did he know who he was stepping on? That was Yang Tai of the Yang family of Jiangzhou!

The bodyguard behind Liu Qingmeng watched Ye Zhong with a wary look. Despite the seemingly light-handed approach, Ye Zhong had made it impossible for Yang Tai, who was at the second level of Body Tempering, to even retaliate.

In Liu Qingmeng's stunned silence, Ye Zhong casually stomped a few more times before looking up at her and saying coolly, "Do you still want the Clear Mind Talisman?"

"Sir, although this person is with me, he does not represent my intentions. I will take the Clear Mind Talisman!" Liu Qingmeng quickly responded, her cold face showing a hint of apology. Ye Zhong's strength made her even more convinced that the Clear Mind Talisman was genuine.

"Qingmeng, this person... wearing a black robe, clearly not wanting to reveal his identity... don't be deceived. A fake spirit talisman is one thing, but..." Yang Tai, with extraordinary willpower, struggled to lift his head and said through gritted teeth.

"Thud—"

Ye Zhong stomped again, and this time Yang Tai bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"These are ten medium-grade spirit stones." Liu Qingmeng frowned but still took out ten medium-grade spirit stones from her spatial ring.

Seeing the high-quality spirit stones, Ye Zhong nodded and said, "The talisman is genuine. I'll sell it to you. When you get home, crush a low-grade spirit stone and activate the talisman."

Saying this, Ye Zhong handed the Clear Mind Talisman to Liu Qingmeng, took the medium-grade spirit stones, and turned to leave.

"Sir... I don't know how to address you. If you can come with me to see my mother, I'll pay ten more, no, twenty more medium-grade spirit stones!"

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