"Okay."
Seeing the sincere eyes of the two, Zhou Shu nodded slightly.
When Yan Yue mentioned the elixir, he was already impressed.
His top priority was to restore his Qi Sea and Qi Channels, and he was having trouble finding a way. Joining the Heyin Sect, which specialized in elixirs, was a good choice. If he stayed in the market, he could only rely on occasional auctions or Ruyi Tower to achieve his goal, but it would probably take years to earn enough spirit stones to buy elixirs, and he couldn't wait.
There should be more opportunities in the sect.
"Great!"
Yang Mei jumped up immediately, overjoyed.
Yan Yue also had a happy face, and looked at Zhou Shu with satisfaction, his mind full of thoughts.
"Don't get too excited, I will probably go, but it also depends on whether I can finish the things at hand within these three months." Zhou Shu smiled and said slowly.
"Junior brother, is there anything I can help you with?" Yan Yue asked softly.
Yangmei also came over. "I can help, too."
Zhou Shu shook his head calmly. "These are things I can only do myself. You can help me..." He glanced at Yangmei and smiled. "We're free today, let's go get some good spiritual food together."
Yangmei's eyes sparkled. "Okay! I didn't get to eat it last time. This time, I want a double portion, no, a triple portion!"
The two looked at her and smiled knowingly.
After spending a lot of money at Deyue Tower, Yangmei was overjoyed and left happily with Yan Yue.
Zhou Shu thought for a moment and walked towards Sanyuanzhai.
Entering the back hall, Hua Ruoan's face darkened. He looked Zhou Shu up and down. "Brother Zhou, you're doing well. You've reached the third level of Qi Refining and moved into the pavilion area. But where's the Swamp Talisman you promised me? It's been over two months, and there's no sign of it. Don't blame me if the deadline passes."
He was furious. He had invested a large sum of money upfront and even given away the jade slips containing the instructions for drawing the Swamp Talisman, but so far, he hadn't received anything.
Zhou Shu said calmly, "Don't be angry, Manager Hua. I came here today to get the talisman materials."
"Oh, he's finally willing to do it?" Hua Ruoan asked grimly.
Zhou Shu nodded. "That senior's whereabouts are unpredictable, and I have no other options. He informed me today that the talisman materials could be prepared, and I immediately came to inform Manager Hua."
"How much talisman materials do you plan to extort from me?"
The gloom on Hua Ruoan's face gradually faded.
Zhou Shu said without hesitation, "Twenty bottles of talisman ink, two hundred sheets of high-quality gray crystal rock talisman paper."
"So much?"
Hua Ruoan was very surprised, but then a hint of joy appeared on his face. "Are you sure you can do that?"
"I can't fathom what you're thinking, senior. Since he wants so much, he must have his reasons." Zhou Shu smiled faintly, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
He wants so much, and it depends on whether you give it to him or not.
"The cost isn't cheap..."
Hua Ruoan stood there, pondering for a moment, seemingly muttering to himself. "Talisman ink costs two hundred mid-grade spirit stones, and talisman paper costs fifty mid-grade spirit stones. Even though the Swamp Talisman is incredibly rare and expensive among second-tier talismans, it can only fetch five mid-grade spirit stones. In other words, a 30% success rate is required to make a profit, which is quite difficult."
Zhou Shu smiled. "Shopkeeper Hua is truly astute, but that senior talisman master can actually draw a mid-grade talisman..."
"Mid-grade! A second-tier, mid-grade!"
Hua Ruoan was stunned, his eyes widening. "A mid-grade Swamp Talisman can fetch at least twenty or so mid-grade spirit stones, equivalent to four or five lower-grade ones. That's enough, that's enough, and it's easy to sell. It'll also attract customers, so there's profit."
As he calculated the price, his businessman's greed was undisguised.
"But are you sure he can draw a second-tier, mid-grade talisman?" He looked at Zhou Shu with suspicion.
Zhou Shu nodded seriously, "I have 100% confidence in the level of the senior. At least one out of the five can be good, right?"
"One-fifth, so high?"
Hua Ruoan was a little stunned. He couldn't believe it. It was not surprising that one-half of the first-level talismans could be of medium quality, but second-level talismans were much more difficult. An average talisman master might not be able to produce one medium-quality talisman after drawing ten talismans.
He closed his eyes slightly, then opened them quickly, brushed his sleeves vigorously, and said with determination, "Okay, I trust you again! However, with so many talisman materials, it may take several days to gather them."
Zhou Shu frowned, "It's better to be quick. If the senior leaves, I will have no way."
Hua Ruoan thought for a while and said firmly, "Tomorrow, come and get it tomorrow."
"Okay, it's settled. I'll be there on time tomorrow." Zhou Shu cupped his hands.
Hua Ruoan nodded, his expression serious and somewhat menacing. "Well, I've invested a lot this time, so please don't mess it up."
Zhou Shu smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, Manager Hua. I'll take my leave."
Leaving Sanyuanzhai, he headed straight back to No. 70, Yizi.
He wasn't worried about Hua Ruoan sending someone to follow him. When they had a vested interest, Hua Ruoan was a consummate businessman who knew the rules.
He had already figured out how to draw the Swamp Talisman. He had
spent almost two months of his spiritual energy on it. The Swamp Talisman was more difficult than he had imagined. The fusion of the water and earth elements alone was extremely complex and took up a considerable amount of his time.
But fortunately, the results were good.
He estimated that using the Cuiyan Brush properly, it would take about a hundred breaths to draw a Swamp Talisman, and his spiritual energy was barely enough to sustain it, after which he would need to rest for about a quarter of an hour.
Drawing the talisman required a considerable amount of spiritual energy, and maintaining it also consumed a considerable amount of spiritual energy.
A day later, Zhou Shu obtained the talisman materials as he had hoped.
"I bought this from somewhere else at a high price. You must not let me lose money."
"Don't worry, shopkeeper. I will definitely inform you and guarantee the success rate."
Seeing Hua Ruoan's pained expression, Zhou Shu assured him with a reassuring assurance, secretly delighted.
With so many talisman materials, it was more than enough to fulfill Hua Ruoan's expectations.
His success rate for talisman drawing was usually around 50%, with very little variation.
Whenever he purchased talisman materials from Sanyuanzhai, he deliberately overordered them, making Hua Ruoan believe the talisman master's success rate was 30-40%. Normal talisman masters typically had a 20-30% success rate, but he deliberately overordered to make Hua Ruoan think the master was a master without being too outrageous.
This time, the amount of talisman materials provided was fixed, so there would naturally be a lot more in proportion. These extra materials would effectively be his own.
Furthermore, his chances of drawing a mid-level talisman were far higher than Hua Ruoan had imagined.
For a first-level talisman, as long as the materials were in good condition, with his computer-like control of his spiritual energy, he could guarantee a 90% success rate.
He estimated that even for a second-level talisman, the odds wouldn't change much.
This was terrifying.
If Hua Ruoan took the 20% he requested, based on the talisman materials he was given, he would only need a small portion to achieve his desired goal. The talismans created with the remaining talisman materials would all be his own.
A huge profit.
Zhou Shu smiled and said goodbye, but Hua Ruoan walked Zhou Shu out the door before leaving with a heavy heart.