Early the next morning, Yun Qi was meditating in his thatched hut when he heard someone shouting outside.

"Daoist Cheng!"

The white dog outside the hut barked fiercely, clearly displeased with the disturbance.

Yun Qi, unsure of what was happening, quickly stepped out.

He recognized the man as someone who had bought talismans from him the day before and asked if there was an issue with the talismans.

The man, beaming with joy, replied, "The talismans are perfect! Last night, our group tried to ambush a demon sect outpost but fell into a trap. Just as we were about to be surrounded, I threw out the fire talismans I bought from you. Five in a row! You won't believe it—they created a fiery corridor dozens of yards long, breaking the encirclement. We followed the flames and escaped!"

Yun Qi smiled, "That's good to hear."

The man continued excitedly, "Daoist Cheng, I need fifty more fire talismans. I've already reported this to our sect. Our elders from Hongmu Ridge and Huangshi Village are heading to Qinglong Cave to discuss with the Daoist masters there. So, you just focus on drawing the talismans. The payment will be more than fair!"

Yun Qi nodded with a smile.

Just then, another voice chimed in, "Hey, Huangshi Village guy, do you think you're the only one with money? You think you can just order fifty talismans and leave us waiting?"

It was still early, and many people in the market were just waking up.

The loud complaint stirred the entire market.

Some were confused, but soon word spread about how someone had used Daoist Cheng's talismans to break through an encirclement.

The Yang Fire Demon-Suppressing Talismans were incredibly effective in battle!

But now, someone wanted to order fifty talismans at once? That wasn't fair!

The crowd quickly surrounded the man from Huangshi Village, refusing to let him leave.

Yun Qi chuckled and said, "Everyone, I can only draw twenty talismans a day. You can decide among yourselves how to distribute them. Just send one person to my stall at sunset to collect them. No need to crowd around."

The crowd reluctantly agreed and dispersed to discuss the distribution.

Some clever individuals started contacting their elders to negotiate with Qinglong Cave.

They knew that arguing among themselves wouldn't lead to any resolution.

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away, Tianfang Daoist, Yun Qi's guarantor at Qinglong Cave, quickly learned about the various families coming to discuss business with Qinglong Cave.

He smiled to himself, thinking, "As expected. When Wensu Kong and Chen Suxing first arrived in the Miao Nan region, they amazed everyone. Now, their disciple isn't fighting on the battlefield but is causing a stir in the market by drawing talismans and refining tools."

By the fourth day of Yun Qi's stay at Qili River Market, he had completed both his talisman-drawing and refining tasks.

He could now return to Qinglong Cave to collect his payment or save it for later.

However, Yun Qi had another idea.

Seeing how well his business was doing, he decided to build a small wooden hut in the forest.

He hung a wooden sign on it, inscribed with three characters: "Humble Caution Studio."

Now, there was always a line in front of Yun Qi's stall.

Someone asked, "Daoist Cheng, what does this mean?"

Yun Qi explained, "Everyone, I'm a wandering Daoist registered at Qinglong Cave. The talismans and refining I do for you are under Qinglong Cave's orders. But now, I'm opening my own shop. What I sell here is my own, unrelated to Qinglong Cave. If you trust me, you can buy from me. If anything goes wrong, come to me directly. Don't blame Qinglong Cave."

Someone asked, "What will you be selling, Daoist Cheng?"

Yun Qi smiled, "You'll find out tomorrow when the Humble Caution Studio opens."

That night, he returned to Qinglong Cave to return the order token.

He entered the duty hall, which was brightly lit, and joined the line to report his completed tasks.

The Daoist nun on duty recognized him immediately.

"Senior Sister, this is him, Daoist Cheng Qieqing."

The nun in charge of receiving the reports took the ledger Yun Qi handed over and saw that all his tasks were marked with the highest grade, "A."

She smiled, "I didn't expect Daoist Cheng to be so capable. You've really boosted Qinglong Cave's reputation among the Miao villages. These past few days, we've even surpassed Hongmu Ridge and Immortal Cave."

Yun Qi nodded, "As long as I haven't tarnished Qinglong Cave's name, it's all good."

The nun asked, "Daoist Cheng, do you want to collect your payment now, or will you keep the order token?"

Yun Qi replied that he would collect the payment this time but keep the token as he planned to return to Qili River Market.

The nun sighed in relief and said, "Daoist Cheng, you've done an excellent job. You can choose two rewards from these options."

She placed several items on the counter.

"Half a qian of Miluo Star Sand, a piece of Sword-Tempering Stone, 'Shaking Light Piercing Moon Rainbow Sword Scripture—Piercing Moon Chapter—Part Five,' 'Heavenly Pivot Agile Body Step Technique—Part One,' and 'Turtle-Snake Coiling Seal Technique—Turtle Seal Chapter—Part Three.'"

Yun Qi chose the two jade slips containing the sword scripture and the step technique.

He had initially taken the order because he saw these two techniques listed as rewards, though they weren't available at the time.

It seemed the rewards had been upgraded.

He left the duty hall and descended the mountain.

Under the cover of ancient trees and night, a large bundle suddenly appeared on his back.

Returning to Qili River Market under the cover of darkness, people saw Yun Qi leave with just a ledger but return with a large bundle, assuming he had gone to Qinglong Cave to fetch supplies.

Yun Qi patted the white dog at the entrance and entered his newly opened Humble Caution Studio.

He closed the curtain and opened the bundle, revealing a stack of talisman arrow blanks.

He lit a lamp and spent the night drawing talismans.

The next day, many people gathered outside the Humble Caution Studio, eager to see what Daoist Cheng had to offer.

Yun Qi lifted the curtain, and everyone saw the items laid out on the table.

To the untrained eye, they might look like branches, but the market-goers knew better—they were talisman arrows!

In these dense forests and amidst endless feuds, talisman arrows were far more useful than talismans.

Having witnessed the power of Daoist Cheng's talismans, the crowd immediately recognized the value of these arrows and clamored to get their hands on them.

Yun Qi spoke up, "Everyone, the refining and talisman-drawing were done on credit, but these talisman arrows are my own. We'll need to exchange goods for goods or pay in silver. No more credit."

The crowd remembered Yun Qi's earlier words and quieted down.

Someone asked, "Daoist Cheng, how do you want to trade?"

Before answering, Yun Qi introduced his talisman arrows, "These arrows contain the Bright Flame Talisman. When they explode, they first release a blinding light. Anyone caught off guard will be unable to see for several breaths. Then, a burst of intense flames follows, more powerful than the Yang Fire Demon-Suppressing Talismans. The price is fifteen taels of silver per arrow. Alternatively, you can trade equivalent amounts of gold essence, rare stones, sword techniques, step techniques, or meditation diagrams. But each person can only buy up to three arrows."

The crowd fell silent.

The price was higher than usual for talisman arrows, but Daoist Cheng's skills were far superior to the average first-tier talisman master.

"Daoist Cheng, I have a sword scripture called 'Water Intent Four Phases Sword Scripture,' captured from a demon. I don't practice sword techniques, so I don't know its value. Can I trade it for three arrows? No, two... or just one?"

A man spoke up, but as he continued, he grew more embarrassed, and the crowd began to laugh.

Most people here practiced fire techniques, and Daoist Cheng, being so skilled with fire talismans and refining, was clearly a fire expert.

Yet, this man offered a water-based sword scripture.

"Sure, but let me take a look first," Yun Qi unexpectedly agreed.

While he was known for his fire techniques, his true goal was to open his heart's mansion.

He didn't neglect the other elements; it was just a matter of sequence.

The sword scripture was written on paper, not a jade slip, indicating its lower value.

Yun Qi skimmed the first two pages and found the concepts interesting, so he accepted it and gave the man two arrows.

To avoid misunderstandings, Yun Qi added, "Don't worry about the elemental affinity. In cultivation, all five elements can complement each other!"

End of Chapter.

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