By noon, the sun had grown even more scorching.
Qingliu Ruins was a place that didn't get snow in winter, and its summers were unbearably hot. Consequently, even in early spring, the sun was strong enough to make one's skin burn.
By this time, Lü Zhong hadn't sold a single Cleaning Talisman.
'Strange, why isn't anyone buying them?'
Lü Zhong felt utterly dejected and couldn't help but recall what he knew about Cleaning Talismans.
According to his predecessor's memories, the Cleaning Talisman was practically an essential item for home and travel, with a great many uses.
As a type of basic Talisman, the Cleaning Talisman's effect was to remove filth from a target. This included visible dust and various invisible germs, and it even had some effect against things like Corpse Qi and sickness-inducing auras. Therefore, it was considered a very practical Talisman.
It was usually the first Talisman a Talisman Maker learned to create. Consequently, quite a few Talisman Makers could produce them. Even many cultivators who didn't specialize in Talisman Making for a living knew how to draw this simple Talisman.
Since they were in the sphere of influence of a Daoist Sect, most cultivators in Qingliu Ruins, as far as Lü Zhong knew, were fond of cleanliness. Besides their daily baths, they would typically slap a Cleaning Talisman on themselves to stay clean, or they would master a minor Magic Skill like the Cleaning Skill, which had the same effect.
Beyond personal hygiene, Cleaning Talismans were also used for tidying up one's home.
Slap a Cleaning Talisman on old furniture, and all the accumulated grime would be blasted away by Spiritual Light, making tables, chairs, and beds look brand new again. It was an absolute godsend for New Year's spring cleaning.
In addition to these daily uses, the Cleaning Talisman was also quite useful in the wilderness.
Cultivators who adventured in the wilds bought them in bulk. After all, safe places were scarce out there, and every wisp of Spiritual Power had to be carefully managed. It was unthinkable to waste it on something like staying clean.
The Cleaning Talisman's value became especially apparent when crossing mires or filthy subterranean caverns.
The Cleaning Talisman also had plenty of uses in combat.
When fighting a zombie, for instance, its corpse toxin was a major headache, not to mention the various bacteria and molds it had accumulated over years of lurking in dark, subterranean places. To surface dwellers, these things were akin to poison.
But if you could toss a dozen Cleaning Talismans onto the zombie before a fight, those problems would simply vanish.
There were even entire books dedicated to summarizing the uses of the Cleaning Talisman.
And yet, despite how useful they were, Lü Zhong had waited for ages and still hadn't sold a single one.
He could only blame it on the fact that he was a novice Talisman Maker.
Talismans drawn by an obvious novice like him usually had minor flaws. For that reason, very few cultivators would buy them at full price. If he didn't offer a discount to attract bargain-hunters, he probably wouldn't make a single sale in a week or two.
GRRRUMBLE...
Lü Zhong's stomach rumbled again.
He hadn't eaten breakfast that morning and was now famished.
Just then, a fair, slender arm reached over from beside him, holding a hard flatbread. It was the young girl who sold Talisman Grass, and she was offering it to him with a smile.
"Here. Take this to tide you over."
Lü Zhong felt a bit embarrassed, but his hunger was overwhelming. He swallowed his pride, thanked her, and accepted it.
The flatbread was made of wheat flour, baked to perfection, and gave off a rich, wheaty aroma.
Head bowed, he began to gnaw on it.
Seeing this, the neighboring stallholders burst out laughing again.
A woman who knew the girl started to tease her. "Erya, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to him, have you?"
"That's right, that's right! He has a Spirit Root! You should take him home as a prize husband. You'll be sure to have a big, healthy son next year!"
"Pah, pah! Don't talk nonsense!" The young girl was thin-skinned and couldn't handle such teasing. Her face flushed red as she hurriedly tried to explain, "I... I just saw he was a Talisman Maker, and I wanted to... to find a customer for my Talisman Grass, that's all."
"Hahaha!"
"Hahahaha..."
The crowd was just bored and looking for a bit of fun. They were all neighbors from the same street, so they knew not to take it too far. They stopped talking and just laughed.
Lü Zhong hadn't expected that accepting a piece of flatbread could cause such a stir.
Afraid the crowd might drag him into the conversation, he just sat silently on the bluestone curb, continuing to gnaw on the tooth-chippingly hard flatbread.
However, what the young girl had said reminded Lü Zhong of something. In the future, perhaps he didn't need to buy finished Talisman Paper. He could buy Talisman Grass and make it himself, which would save him another expense.
As the crowds on the street thinned, more and more cultivators began packing up their stalls to head home.
Life was hard, and the women all had their own duties to attend to. Those who couldn't afford mortal servants had to light their own fires and cook their own meals, feed their wailing children, and care for their elderly parents who could no longer get around.
The pillars of the family, the men, were just as busy.
Some had to tend to their Talisman Grass that lacked the protection of an Array, lest insects fly in and ruin it. Others had to go to their Spirit Fields to perform Casting; only by repeatedly using the Spirit Rain Mantra could they ensure their Spirit Rice grew well.
Life here was not easy; every aspect was a struggle for basic necessities.
As for Lü Zhong, seeing that his Cleaning Talismans still hadn't sold, he had no choice but to pack up and leave.
After saying goodbye to the young girl who was still sticking it out at her stall, he didn't head for his dilapidated hut at the end of the street. Instead, he decided to take advantage of the rare day the Ruins Market was open and go for a stroll through the somewhat bustling Qingliu Ruins.