Chapter 17: The New Contract Terms!_1

"Lu Changsheng, you say you can draw First Grade Talismans now!?"

In the living room, Uncle Fu's face lit up with surprise and joy upon hearing Lu Changsheng's words.

"Yes, Uncle Fu, it's just that I'm not quite proficient yet."

Lu Changsheng nodded, then took out a talisman and said, "This is a First Grade lower-tier talisman I've made—the Fire Bullet Talisman!"

This talisman naturally differed from those Lu Changsheng usually drew.

The rune lines looked a bit rough and not very smooth, but he'd managed to succeed all the same.

"It really is a First Grade Talisman, a Fire Bullet Talisman!"

"Very good, very good. You go back and rest first, I'll report this to the Family Head!"

"Rest assured, now that you've become an Elementary Talisman Master, our Lu Family will definitely not treat you unfairly!"

Uncle Fu took the talisman, examined it for a moment to confirm it was correct, and then joyfully said.

"Yes, thank you, Uncle Fu."

Lu Changsheng bowed slightly to take his leave and went to await the results.

...

Lu Changsheng was playing with his children in the courtyard.

The older kids could now walk and were running around the yard, full of life and energy.

At that moment, the courtyard bell chimed.

Someone had arrived.

Opening the courtyard door, he saw three figures standing there.

They were Uncle Fu, along with the Patriarch of the Lu Family, Lu Yuanding, and the young Miss Lu Miaoge.

Seeing the three of them, Lu Changsheng immediately understood their purpose.

It was regarding his ascension to the rank of Elementary Talisman Master.

He hadn't expected that just one day would pass before the Family Head came to visit.

And to personally come to his doorstep, no less.

"I pay my respects to the Family Head, the young Miss, and Uncle Fu."

Lu Changsheng hurriedly bowed and gestured for the three to enter, leading them to the main hall.

He signaled for his wife to take the children to the back courtyard.

"These are all your children, right? They can walk already."

Lu Yuanding, who was handsome with an air of scholarly elegance, said warmly upon seeing the kids in the courtyard.

"Yes, Family Head."

Lu Changsheng replied with a nod.

"No need to be so formal, Changsheng. You've been with the family for over two years now, haven't you?"

Lu Yuanding now spoke like an elder of the family, calling Lu Changsheng by his given name, Changsheng.

"To respond to the Family Head, I have been with the Lu Family for almost two and a half years."

Lu Changsheng replied.

"How time flies—it's been over two years just like that."

"I hope you've been adjusting well over these past two years."

Lu Yuanding continued.

Apart from the beginning when he took some time to check on the Immortal Seedlings and made a couple of trips to Qingzhu Villa, he hadn't visited much thereafter.

"Thank you, Family Head. I have been doing very well these two years, and Uncle Fu has taken good care of me,"

Lu Changsheng said.

Yet, in his heart, he couldn't help but think to himself that he was already twenty years old, not some three-year-old child to be played with like this.

Some actual benefits would be the real deal.

At that moment, one of Lu Changsheng's wives brought in some Spiritual Tea to the main hall, then left after setting it down.

"Changsheng, Uncle Fu told me that you can now draw First Grade lower-tier Talismans."

Lu Yuanding then took a sip of the tea and got straight to the point.

"Yes, Family Head, after continuously practicing for this period of time, I've managed to draw the Fire Bullet Talisman."

"It's just that the success rate isn't high right now, only about one or two chances in ten,"

Lu Changsheng explained.

"All beginnings are difficult. In just over a year, you've honed your Talisman-Making Skill to this level and become an Elementary Talisman Master, which is very impressive. Show me what you can do,"

"It's perfect that Miaoge is here too—she can take a look and give you some guidance."

Lu Yuanding said in a gentle tone.

Having seen the Fire Bullet Talisman Lu Changsheng gave Uncle Fu, he naturally knew that Lu Changsheng could draw a First Grade Talisman.

But such matters certainly required another direct observation for confirmation.

"Yes, Family Head."

"I'll go get the talisman-making tools."

Lu Changsheng stood up and said.

"No need, I have them here."

Lu Miaoge, who was sitting nearby, stood up and said. She took out a set of talisman-making tools.

Her voice remained soft and gentle as flowing water, making one feel as if they were basking in the spring breeze.

"Thank you, young Miss."

Lu Changsheng took the tools from Lu Miaoge's hands.

The talisman brush was still the 'Golden Bamboo' brush from the last time.

Approaching the table, he spread out the talisman paper, and took a deep breath as if slightly nervous. He dipped the brush in ink and began to draw the Fire Bullet Talisman.

The first talisman was about halfway completed when a mistake led to the paper emitting blue smoke and the talisman being ruined.

Lu Yuanding and the others didn't say much and gestured for Lu Changsheng to continue.

In the second attempt at drawing, Lu Changsheng, despite being somewhat clumsy, still succeeded.

"You were still a bit nervous, but you've improved greatly compared to the last time. It's just that the application of your Spiritual Power is not yet precise and natural enough,"

said Lu Miaoge, gently pursing her moist lips as she offered her critique from the side.

With Lu Changsheng's Second Rank peak-level Talisman-Making Skill, deceiving her was naturally an easy feat.

"Thank you for your guidance, Young Miss. My progress is largely due to the 'Essentials of Talismans' you gifted me,"

Lu Changsheng said, bowing with hands folded, his voice filled with excitement.

"Very well, I didn't expect you, Changsheng, to successfully depict the Fireball Talisman on your second try,"

"It seems your earlier claim of only having ten to twenty percent confidence was a bit too modest,"

Lu Yuanding also chimed in with a laugh from the side.

Internally he couldn't help but feel impressed; he had never thought that Lu Changsheng, once nearly discarded due to his Ninth Grade Spiritual Root, would possess such astonishing talent in Talisman Making.

In just a year and a half, he had gone from a novice to an Elementary Talisman Master.

This talent was not only on par with his daughter Lu Miaoge but even surpassed her by quite a bit.

With such age and talent, he was indeed worthy of the Lu Family extending an olive branch.

"This time it was just luck, good fortune,"

Lu Changsheng said, somewhat shyly, like a simple young man.

"Young man, there's no need to be too modest,"

Lu Yuanding waved his hand, continuing, "I've been watching your performance in the Lu Family for the past two years. I've long regarded you as one of our own."

"Now that you've become an Elementary Talisman Master, our Lu Family cannot possibly underappreciate our own people."

"This is the revised offer I have for you, have a look,"

as he spoke, Lu Yuanding took out a parchment of brownish-yellow sheepskin from his sleeve and handed it to Lu Changsheng.

This was a Spiritual Contract, somewhat similar to modern contracts from his previous life.

Upon Lu Changsheng and other Immortal Seedlings' arrival at the Lu Family, they had signed such a contract.

"Thank you, Family Head,"

Lu Changsheng said, visibly overwhelmed as he took the Spiritual Contract and began to read through its contents.

The terms laid out were quite straightforward and simple.

Not like modern contracts that were densely packed through several pages, where one could miss a trap if not careful.

Firstly, the previous contract was voided.

Lu Changsheng was no longer an upstart son-in-law or a live-in son-in-law of the Lu Family.

Instead, he was formally married into the Family as a son-in-law.

Therefore, he no longer needed to provide the Lu Family with fifty offspring within twenty years, nor was he confined to how many children with a Spiritual Root he must have.

The children would be his own.

Second, he would enjoy the same treatment as the direct descendants of the Lu Family.

He could move to the core area of Qingzhu Valley, live in Qingzhu Valley, and have access to a Second Grade Spirit Vein.

Moreover, the monthly resources he received were increased from five Spirit Stones to ten, along with one bottle of Yellow Dragon Elixir.

In return, his obligation was to help the Lu Family refine a certain quantity of Talismans every month.

And, depending on the Family's needs, practice making the appropriate Talismans, among other things.

Of course, these Talisman materials would naturally be provided by the Lu Family, as part of the cultivation investment from the Lu Family's side in Talisman Making.

With Lu Changsheng's Second Rank Talisman-Making Skill, these obligations were essentially all profit.

However, the final clause caused Lu Changsheng to frown slightly.

Should he decide to leave the Lu Family, he would need to give a twenty-year notice in advance.

Otherwise, he would have to repay threefold the resources that the Lu Family had invested in him.

The initial terms were indeed favorable, no doubt about it.

But the last clause gave him slight hesitation.

In essence, the last clause meant that staying with the Lu Family was naturally for the best, a reason for everyone to rejoice.

If he ever wanted to leave, there were two options available:

Either repay three times the resources the Lu Family had invested in him over the years, essentially buying his freedom,

or give the Lu Family a heads up, then work for them for twenty years.

Deep within, Lu Changsheng had always harbored thoughts of leaving.

Once he overcame the initial phase and gained sufficient strength, he would choose to leave the Lu Family and establish his own Cultivation clan.

While the Lu Family offered safety and protection, in the end, he was under another's roof.

Many things and actions were fraught with trepidation.

For example, in the area of Talisman Making, he had delayed showing off his First Grade Talisman-Making Skill for a whole year and a half.

In his room, hidden away, were over four hundred, nearly five hundred First Grade Talismans.

If converted to Spirit Stones, it amounted to a huge sum of money!

Moreover, Lu Changsheng knew his talent was not great.

To continue on the path of cultivation and for a long haul, he could only rely on the system and had to have many kids, especially those with a Spiritual Root.

Having offspring with a Spiritual Root from ordinary wives was difficult and troublesome.

He had to marry many 'fairies' with a Spiritual Root.

Even if the Lu Family was willing to marry women with a Spiritual Root to him, it would only be one or two at most.

They couldn't be like how it was in ordinary society, where he could readily marry nine women.

Even the idea of taking in numerous common folk women to bear children caused him a degree of concern while in the Lu Family,

"Changsheng, if you think there's something inappropriate or have any doubts or questions, feel free to raise them,"

"This contract was only something I thought of today, and naturally, there might be some aspects that haven't been thoroughly considered,"

Seeing Lu Changsheng's hesitant and conflicted expression, Lu Yuanding took a sip of his Spiritual Tea, still speaking in a gentle tone.