Chapter 66: Encountering the True Method Again

The waiter contemplated for a moment, just about to speak, when a woman's voice suddenly came from within the restaurant.

"Settling the bill is one thing, but he insulted me, and I need an explanation."

Lu An looked towards the source of the voice and saw a graceful middle-aged woman slowly walking out. She was presumably the owner of Hundred Fragrant Building, and it was no wonder the old beggar had commented on her charm; she did have a certain attractiveness.

After a moment of thought, Lu An raised his head and asked:

"What kind of explanation does the owner want?"

The owner rolled up her sleeves and placed her hands on her hips.

"If the young master wants to settle the bill for him, I welcome that. But since he insulted me, just have him's tongue cut out so he can't speak any more foul language, and the matter will be settled."

Lu An frowned slightly. The woman was quite ruthless, wanting to cut out his tongue just for a verbal insult. Normally, he wouldn't involve himself in such trivial matters. However, since the old beggar had identified him as a cultivator and seemed to have some issues with his words and actions, Lu An decided to investigate further.

"If the owner does not want spirit stones, would you be interested in talismans? If you need, I can draw some talismans for you, and then this matter can be put aside. How about that?"

The owner looked at Lu An in surprise and said doubtfully:

"You are a talisman master?"

Lu An nodded.

The owner stared at him for a moment and suddenly chuckled.

"Trying to deceive me, are you? Don't tell me you're just a self-proclaimed talisman master."

Without wasting words, Lu An took out the talisman master certificate just issued to him and showed it to everyone.

"So you are indeed a talisman master."

The owner murmured and then, upon seeing the certificate, her eyes widened in shock.

"Second, second-grade?"

Lu An handed over the certificate and said:

"If you don't believe me, you can inspect it closely."

The owner hurriedly took the certificate, examined it carefully for a long time, and then returned it.

"I didn't expect such a young friend to have extraordinary skills in talismans."

"I apologize for my rudeness earlier; I hope you will not hold it against me."

"If you don't mind, please come inside and allow me to entertain you."

She had initially thought that Lu An's talisman master status, if true, would be at most a first-grade talisman master. She never expected him to be a second-grade.

What does this mean?

Elders of the Talisman Hall and the head of the Divine Talisman Pavilion are only second-grade talisman masters.

Could this person be from a prominent family in Yongning County?

The owner did not dare to delay and quickly invited Lu An into the restaurant.

Lu An, who intended to resolve the matter with the old beggar, naturally did not refuse.

But he did not head straight inside; instead, he asked the old beggar in front of him:

"Elder, have you had enough to eat? Why not join me for more drinks?"

The owner's lips twitched but she did not stop him.

The old beggar, planning to sneak away while the two were talking, seemed to have thought of something upon hearing Lu An was a talisman master, and decided to stay.

"Heh, you're quite considerate. As long as you serve me well, I'll look out for you in the future and ensure you live well."

Seeing his greedy attitude, Lu An couldn't help but smile. You're scamming for food and drink while getting beaten up; I don't want to get involved in this.

Lu An thought to himself.

The group entered the restaurant and, under the owner's lead, went to a private room on the third floor. This room was her private space and was never opened to the public, so most guests didn't even know it existed.

Soon, the table was filled with a variety of delicacies.

The old beggar's eyes gleamed. He grabbed a chicken leg with one hand and a bear paw with the other, eating heartily.

"This spirit-tail chicken is well-cooked; the chef has some skills. The bear paw is a bit greasy; adding some lime juice would make it better…"

He ate while giving detailed critiques, showing a deep knowledge of the ingredients.

The owner's face darkened, but she didn't look at him anymore and addressed Lu An:

"Friend, now that I know you are a talisman master, I actually have a favor to ask."

"If you help me with this matter, the old beggar's issue will be settled, and I will also offer you a small bag of spirit stones as a reward. What do you think?"

Lu An did not immediately agree but asked:

"First, tell me what you need."

The owner did not waste words. She stood up, went to a nearby cabinet, opened a drawer, and took out an ancient book.

"Please take a look."

Lu An took the book, which was wrapped in a piece of cowhide and well-preserved. However, the pages inside were yellowed, indicating it had been around for some time.

He opened the first page, revealing an extremely peculiar pattern. It resembled a talisman but was different from those he usually saw.

He was astonished; even with his current knowledge, he had never seen such a unique talisman before.

The old beggar glanced at the pattern and was immediately unsettled, dropping the food from his hands onto the table.

"Clang—"

The noise startled everyone, and they all looked at the old beggar. However, he had already put away his previous demeanor and was now pounding his chest and shouting:

"Bring me some wine quickly; I'm choking!"

After drinking a glass of wine, he sighed in relief and continued to eat and drink as if nothing had happened.

Lu An raised an eyebrow, refocused, and continued to examine the ancient book.

Auspicious Qi Talisman, Wealth Gathering Talisman, Feng Shui Talisman… various talismans appeared before him.

After finishing, his eyes were filled with intense shock.

This ancient book was actually a True Method for talismans.

Moreover, the recorded talismans were entirely different from the usual ones; they were all auxiliary-type talismans, with over twenty kinds.

He lowered his head in silence, while the owner continued:

"I asked you to come because I want you to draw this Wealth Gathering Talisman."

"Although the business of Hundred Fragrant Building is doing well, we still have a few competitors."

"If this Wealth Gathering Talisman can indeed be as miraculous as described, our business should improve even further."

She did not hide anything and immediately laid out her thoughts.

Lu An did not immediately agree but instead asked:

"May I ask where this True Method for talismans comes from? Can you tell me, Madam Owner?"

The owner was not surprised by his attitude. The True Method for talismans was of immense importance to a talisman master.

"There is nothing to hide. This True Method was passed down by my ancestors and has been around for seven or eight hundred years. Even though we have taken good care of it through generations, it is somewhat damaged now."

"Fortunately, the materials used in this ancient book are exceptional, which is why it has survived to this day."

Lu An nodded and was about to ask further when the old beggar suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"You're talking nonsense! Back then, I…"

His voice abruptly cut off. The old beggar realized he had misspoken and immediately stopped talking, focusing on his drinking instead.

The owner's anger flared up. The old beggar had provoked her multiple times. She had refrained from confronting him earlier due to Lu An's presence, but now she could not let it go and decided to teach him a lesson.

"You old beggar, you truly don't know what's good for you."

"Go outside and ask around; when has Yue Shuanghua ever lied?"

"Since you refuse to accept the good wine and only want to drink the punishment wine, don't blame me for being rude. Come in!"

The door to the private room crashed open, and a group of burly men in black rushed in.

The old beggar, however, paid no attention. His eyes widened, and he trembled as he pointed at the owner and asked:

"What, what is your surname?"