Chapter 19: A Sure Gain

Lu An's eyes narrowed. The people blocking their path were members of the Ding family, the same ones who had frequently bid against them for the Foundation Establishment Pills during the auction.

"Everyone, please stay. We mean no harm," said the man in black leading the group.

Li Ziyou stepped forward, blocking their way. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have had to pay such a high price for the Foundation Establishment Pills. And now you say you mean no harm?"

The man in black frowned slightly. "You interfered with several of our bids afterward, so I'd say we're even."

"Hmph, even? Sorry, but I've always had a distaste for the Ding family. Kindly move aside and stop blocking the way."

The man in black's expression darkened. "If you want to leave, I won't stop you. I actually want to make a deal with your friend here." He shifted his gaze to Lu An.

Lu An was taken aback. A deal? Why me? He briefly wondered if the man wanted to buy talismans from him, but that seemed unlikely. Though his reputation had recently grown, it was limited to the marketplace and hadn't reached as far as Qingfeng County, where the Ding family resided.

"What kind of deal are you proposing?" Lu An asked.

Li Ziyou, curious, decided not to intervene.

The man in black became serious. "I'd like to offer three hundred spirit stones to buy the 'Withered Tree Meeting Spring' diagram from you."

He had come to the auction specifically for that diagram. However, due to the high bids for the Foundation Establishment Pills, which had been aggravated by Li Ziyou's interference, he hadn't been able to compete for the diagram. He now hoped to negotiate directly with Lu An.

In his view, it was a good offer. Lu An had paid two hundred and fifty spirit stones for the diagram, and now he could make a fifty-spirit stone profit. It seemed like a straightforward deal.

However, Lu An was puzzled. The diagram had already been drained of its mystical properties. Now it was just an ordinary painting of a withered tree.

Of course, he didn't plan to mention this. He saw an opportunity and wasn't about to let it slip by.

Feigning interest, Lu An asked, "The 'Withered Tree Meeting Spring' diagram? May I ask what you need it for?"

Seeing that Lu An hadn't outright refused, the man in black thought he had a chance. "We want it for the cultivation of the younger generation in our clan. It's not of major importance."

Lu An didn't believe him but knew he wasn't likely to get any more information. He hesitated for a moment and said, "I see. However, I quite like the diagram myself and hadn't planned on selling it."

The man in black sneered inwardly. "Perhaps the price is too low? I understand." He spoke with more sincerity. "I'll increase my offer to four hundred spirit stones. That's the highest I can go. You'd make a profit of one hundred and fifty spirit stones, which is quite substantial."

Li Ziyou, hearing this, looked anxiously at Lu An, wanting to intervene but unsure what to say. The offer was beneficial, and he had no real reason to persuade Lu An against it.

Lu An smiled and shook his head. "You've misunderstood. I'm fairly well-off and don't need the spirit stones."

The man in black was taken aback. "Then what do you mean?"

"I'm focused on the path of talismans but have had difficulty finding true methods. I wonder if your clan possesses any?" Lu An asked directly.

The man in black thought for a moment. The Ding family did have a partial volume of true methods for talismans, said to be from a declining talisman family. However, it was extremely valuable, and he couldn't make the decision to trade it for the diagram.

Despite the diagram's long-term potential for increasing spiritual awareness, it had limited practical use for him. But the clan held the belief that the diagram was tied to an ancestral cultivation method and possibly linked to their ancestor's rise to the Core Formation stage. It was too important to lose.

After some deliberation, he replied, "This is a significant matter. Let me report to the clan before proceeding."

He moved to a quiet corner, took out a communication jade slip, and contacted the clan elders.

Taking this opportunity, Li Ziyou approached Lu An. "Brother Lu, are you really going to make a deal with him?"

Lu An patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Brother Li. No matter how this turns out, they'll be the ones losing."

Li Ziyou was confused and wanted to ask more, but Lu An merely smiled and shook his head. "I can't explain it."

Seeing this, Li Ziyou remained skeptical but let it drop.

After a while, the man in black returned, holding a jade slip. "The clan has agreed to the deal. Let's proceed."

The jade slip was titled Thirty-Six First-Order Talisman True Method – Volume 1. It contained the first half of the true method. Satisfied with the exchange, Lu An cupped his fists in thanks and left.

The man in black unrolled the diagram and found it exactly as it had appeared during the auction. He had no reason to suspect anything was amiss.

Meanwhile, Lu An smiled to himself. I got a true method for free. I wonder what expression those Ding family members will have when they discover the diagram's mystical properties are gone.

The auction had lasted all day, and it was now evening. Instead of rushing home to study the true method, Lu An decided to visit Uncle Zhao's house. He had borrowed eight hundred spirit stones from Uncle Zhao for the auction and had about four hundred left.

Though Uncle Zhao had said he could repay the debt anytime, Lu An didn't want to delay. He planned to return two hundred stones now and keep the rest for talisman materials, repaying the rest later.

Before heading to Uncle Zhao's, Lu An made a stop to buy some wine and dishes. He also visited a women's accessory shop to purchase a hairpin for Zhao Wenyiao. He had watched her grow up like a younger sister, and now that she was a young lady, he thought it was time to give her a proper gift.

With the packages in hand, Lu An soon arrived at Zhao Zhijiu's home.

"Knock, knock, knock."

No one answered.

Strange, he thought. Uncle Zhao usually took odd jobs but always returned early, and Aunt Zhao, who wove spiritual cloth, rarely left the house. It was unusual for no one to be home.

Frowning, Lu An gently pushed the door open.

"Cre-eak—"

The door wasn't locked.