Chapter 139: Investment

Zheng Fa stared at the seal for a long time.

It was a stamp, entirely blood-red, square and solid, its golden-armored rune pattern somewhat faded.

"Li Nuo, why are you still standing? Please sit!" Seeing Li Nuo still watching him nervously, Zheng Fa said politely: "Tell me clearly—what exactly is this seal?"

Li Nuo blinked, seemingly surprised Zheng Fa was so interested in the seal.

He seemed to lose his voice, lips trembling for a long while without uttering a single word.

Zheng Fa, however, misunderstood. He spoke up: "This must be your family's secret technique—I've been too hasty."

"No, no!" Hearing this, Li Nuo waved his hands frantically: "What family secret? This thing… no one in Jiushan Sect even cares about it."

As he said this, his dejection was unmistakable.

Zheng Fa frowned slightly, studying the seal, puzzled: "Is there something wrong with this seal?"

Li Nuo nodded honestly and said, "Brother, how do you think this seal was made?"

Zheng Fa glanced at the seal's color, his tone uncertain: "Blood?"

"Yes," Li Nuo admitted frankly. "This seal is made by mixing spiritual beast blood. But each rune pattern requires a different ratio of spiritual beast blood types—if the proportions are off, the rune explodes when carved onto it."

"... hen how many runes can this one seal produce, and at what rank?" Zheng Fa pressed.

"A Qi Refining Level One cultivator can use it to produce thirty Yellow-grade Golden-Armored Runes per day."

Zheng Fa suddenly understood.

He had considered the problem of rune printing before.

But after thinking it through, he realized rune creation could never be separated from cultivators—runes required spiritual sense to capture the rune patterns in empty space, and spiritual power to draw them onto the paper.

From Zheng Fa's own experience, Qi Refining cultivators were usually limited by their spiritual power, and could only produce a finite number of runes per day.

For example, when Zheng Fa was at Qi Refining Level One, his daily spiritual power could only produce three runes.

"So this seal uses the spiritual energy in the beast blood to replace the cultivator's spiritual power?"

Zheng Fa asked.

Li Nuo nodded. "You've understood perfectly—exactly so."

Zheng Fa gently placed the seal on the table, his face inevitably showing disappointment—the seal's performance was far worse than he'd imagined.

Li Nuo watched him, his eyes filled with anxiety.

"Then let me ask—how many runes can one seal produce?" Zheng Fa asked another crucial question.

Li Nuo's expression grew even more miserable.

"According to my father's estimate, one such seal can print roughly a thousand Yellow-grade runes."

"What's the cost of this seal?"

"Six spirit stones."

Li Nuo's voice dropped even lower.

Zheng Fa calculated: Golden-Armored Runes were common in Jiushan Sect.

They weren't expensive—a thousand Yellow-grade Golden-Armored Runes might sell for about thirty-three spirit stones, maybe even less.

Accounting for the cost of rune paper and spirit ink, it would still run about thirty spirit stones.

The net profit would be less than three spirit stones…

This thing was pure loss.

Seeing Zheng Fa realize this, Li Nuo's face slowly filled with despair.

"Li Nuo, why did you come to me?"

"I…" Li Nuo's voice was barely audible: "I want you to lend me some money…"

"To study the seal?"

"Yes."

Li Nuo kept his head down, as if ashamed to ask.

"Brother, I don't need much—a month's ten spirit stones, no, five will do."

"If I can develop a new seal, maybe the cost will drop."

"Then, brother, you could use the seal to make… make money…"

Li Nuo couldn't continue.

He suddenly remembered Zheng Fa's current status—Sect Master's disciple, deeply trusted by Zhang Shijie, and a renowned genius rune artist within the sect.

How could he possibly care about such a paltry sum?

"Brother, let me think about this for a few days."

Hearing this, Li Nuo took it as Zheng Fa's polite refusal.

"Then I won't disturb you anymore." He rose without pleading, his voice heavy with sorrow.

"You've misunderstood me," Zheng Fa said. "I didn't mean I'd lend you money personally—I mean the Affairs Pavilion or the Rune Art Pavilion should fund this."

"Huh?" Li Nuo didn't grasp the difference, but he understood one thing: "Brother, you're agreeing to fund me?"

"I won't lend you money—I'll invest," Zheng Fa explained. "The sect provides the funds, you provide the seal technology. If it turns a profit, we'll discuss how to split it."

This left Li Nuo both confused and relieved.

He understood: in the marketplace, some shops did this—hiring a skilled cultivator, like a pill alchemist, and giving them a share of profits.

But he didn't understand: those skills were guaranteed to make money.

As for his own…

"What if we lose money?" he said, suddenly lacking confidence. "Will the sect agree?"

"Investment always carries risk," Zheng Fa smiled. "Let me be clear upfront—if we profit, the sect takes the vast majority. Your share will be negligible."

Zheng Fa's words didn't discourage Li Nuo at all.

"As long as you can get me the money to study the seal, I won't even ask for payment after!"

He spoke excitedly, his eyes nearly tearing up.

…

After seeing Li Nuo off, Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then headed toward Zhang Shijie's courtyard.

Only now did he realize that, aside from the day he became Rune Art Pavilion lecturer, he hadn't seen Zhang Shijie in days—and he felt strangely unused to it.

He wondered what she'd been busy with lately.

When he arrived at Zhang Shijie's home, he learned she hadn't been busy at all.

Well, not exactly—she'd been busy enjoying herself.

In the small pavilion behind her courtyard.

She and Yuan Shijie were slumped lazily against the railing.

On the stone table sat a lavish spread—vibrant spirit fruits, chewy dried meats, steaming buns, and small white ceramic jars of candied fruit.

The two women ate while whispering and laughing, like ordinary mortal girls enjoying a casual gathering—relaxed and carefree.

He'd seen Yuan Shijie like this before.

But Zhang Shijie like this… exceeded Zheng Fa's imagination.

Something felt off.

"Zhang Shijie… this…"

Seeing Zheng Fa enter, the two weren't surprised; Yuan Shijie even waved him over.

As soon as Zheng Fa stepped into the pavilion, Yuan Shijie shoved a spirit fruit into his hand.

"Tasty?"

Watching Zheng Fa swallow the fruit, Yuan Shijie smiled sweetly.

"Tasty," Zheng Fa nodded sincerely—the fruit wasn't just delicious; he could feel the flesh instantly dissolve into pure spiritual energy, thickening his dantian's spiritual power.

"That bite cost five spirit stones," Zhang Shijie suddenly said. "Remember to pay me back."

"..." Zheng Fa held the fruit, mouth open, staring at his stomach.

As if trying to vomit it back up.

Looking at Zhang Shijie, he saw her smiling—clearly, her earlier remark was a joke.

But…

Is this what a Jin Dan True Person's life is like?

He thought of Li Nuo, nearly kneeling for five spirit stones a month.

Zheng Fa's expression grew complicated.

"What are you thinking about?"

Zheng Fa didn't hide it—he'd come to discuss Li Nuo.

His idea was simple: funding Li Nuo's research was minor.

But a rule needed to be established—how to encourage Jiushan Sect disciples to research, who funds it, and how profits are split.

There should be a formal policy.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Shijie rejected him outright.

"Li Nuo won't work."

"Huh?" Zheng Fa blinked. "Is there bad blood between him and you…?"

"No, his father was once from our lineage—no old grudges. But the seal won't work."

Zheng Fa fell silent, watching Zhang Shijie—he knew she wouldn't refuse him without reason.

"I know about the seal—it uses spiritual beast blood," Zhang Shijie said bluntly. "Spiritual beast blood is getting more expensive by the day… it's cheaper to hire ten Qi Refining disciples."

Holy crap!

Spirit beast blood is expensive, but our Jiushan Sect disciples' blood and sweat aren't?

What kind of low-cost advantage is this, where humans are worth less than beasts?

But Zheng Fa knew that Zhang Shijie had a point.

"This younger brother has also thought about it—if the seal's efficiency stays this low, it's obviously unacceptable," Zheng Fa mused. "But technology always improves. I think the investment here is small; perhaps in the future it can lower costs and raise efficiency."

Zheng Fa's attitude was actually quite good.

He wanted to fund the seal research mainly because this kind of productivity-enhancing mindset was extremely rare in Xuanwei Realm—though he wasn't certain the project would succeed.

But research—how can anyone guarantee 100% success?

"If it's really as you say, then it's even worse," Zhang Shijie shook her head. "Li Nuo has terrible relations in the marketplace. Do you know why?"

"I don't know."

"Once the seals come out, what will the seal masters do for work?"

"..."

Zheng Fa finally understood why Zhang Shijie had been so unimpressed upon hearing Li Nuo's name.

Every new technology harms the interests of some group.

The ones hit hardest by the seals would be the Jiushan Sect's seal masters.

Especially since at least half of the sect's Qi Refining disciples rely on painting talismans to survive...

The spiritual materials for making talismans are limited, and demand in Xuanwei Realm isn't endless—so the emergence of the seals would almost certainly cause seal masters to lose their livelihoods.

"If it were someone else, I wouldn't object if you wanted to fund them," Zhang Shijie said. "But if it's Li Nuo... the General Affairs Pavilion won't spend a single spirit stone."

Zheng Fa nodded silently.

The General Affairs Pavilion had close ties with the seal masters—it had to consider their feelings.

Xuanwei Realm cultivators were, at heart, farmers or artisans.

That's why they inevitably held onto a "my broom is precious" mentality.

They didn't welcome new technologies the way Zheng Fa did.

Especially when... these people not only had the will to protect their own interests, but also the martial power to enforce them.

Even Zhang Shijie, who had crushed all her peers on the path upward and never feared anyone,

still urged Zheng Fa to think carefully.

Seeing Zheng Fa understood, Zhang Shijie added gently: "It's good you have this idea, but this matter..."

"I still want to try it."

Zheng Fa suddenly said.

"Hm?"

"Zhang Shijie, as Master Pang said... Xuanwei Realm is about to fall into chaos."

Zheng Fa explained.

Zhang Shijie's gaze deepened.

"Before, whether we had this or not made little difference—but once real fighting breaks out..." Zheng Fa continued, "a technology that can rapidly produce talismans might change the tide of battle."

"This thing? It can already produce Yellow-grade talismans..."

Yuan Shijie muttered.

"Maybe not yet—but as Zhang Shijie said, the old path is exhausted. We must find a new one... trying is fine."

Zhang Shijie fell silent for a moment, then still shook her head.

Zheng Fa felt a pang of disappointment—he understood Zhang Shijie's refusal.

Indeed... the seals' current problem wasn't cost—it was that they would offend nearly every seal master in Jiushan Sect, and likely yield no good outcome.

"Don't show your face. I'll do it."

"Huh?"

"Your cultivation base is still too low. Offending these disciples isn't wise," Zhang Shijie said softly. "I'll provide the spirit stones—they can only hold their tongues."

Yuan Shijie looked from Zheng Fa to Zhang Shijie, her mouth hanging open.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. "Sister, I have an idea too—but I'm short on spirit stones..."

Zhang Shijie just stared at her, saying nothing.

"..." Yuan Shijie picked up a dried fruit strip and silently stuffed it into her mouth.

Zheng Fa looked at Zhang Shijie, thinking that if things kept going like this—he'd have no choice but to weep and offer himself in sacrifice.