Ji An spread the freshly made talisman papers across the table and counted them carefully.
Thanks to his mastery of planting spells, which now rivaled many veteran spirit farmers, the talisman grass he grew was of excellent quality.
Though his craftsmanship in producing talisman paper was not yet refined, the superior raw materials allowed him to turn out high-grade products more easily.
The results: 72 sheets of low-grade first-rank talisman paper, 21 sheets of mid-grade first-rank talisman paper, and 4 bottles of low-grade first-rank talisman ink. That was everything.
Making talisman paper and ink earned far more than planting spirit grain, but it also consumed more time.
Now that he had advanced to the fourth level of Qi Refining, his mana reserves and quality had grown significantly. Next season, he was confident he could cultivate four mu of spirit grain and one mu of talisman grass.
He glanced around his sparsely furnished room and sighed softly.
Although he had gained much over the past year, his expenses and debts were heavy. With the year's end upon him, it was time to settle what he owed Old Huang and the others.
Even if he needed to borrow again, he would have to wait a few months. Otherwise, paying back and borrowing immediately would make him look unreliable.
After storing the talisman paper and ink away, Ji An pulled out a small wooden box hidden under his bed.
He had already set aside enough contribution points to exchange for next season's grain seeds and enough Yellow Sprout Rice to feed himself for three months. Inside the box lay the savings he had scraped together over the last six months: 10 spirit stones and 56 spirit crystals.
But the novice protection period for spirit farmers had ended. From the next season onward, he would need to pay both rent and tax on his fields. His quarterly income would drop considerably.
Ji An left the bamboo loft, mounted his talisman bird, and flew toward Bishui Market.
He landed at the fisherman's dock, then walked to the Hundred Flavors Pavilion, where he had reserved a modest private room a few days earlier.
The spread of two meat dishes, four vegetable dishes, one soup, and five bottles of spirit wine had cost him one spirit stone and 80 crystals. The expense made his heart ache.
But today, he had invited several of his creditors. He needed to put on a show, let them see that he was doing well, so they'd still feel confident lending him spirit stones in the future.
At the start of the hour of Si (around 9 a.m.), Wei Songnian was the first to arrive.
"Haha, congratulations, Junior Brother, on advancing to mid-stage Qi Refining!"
"Congratulations to you as well," Ji An said with a smile, unwrapping the bundle on the table. "Here, these talisman papers and inks, please check them."
Wei Songnian pressed the talisman papers, feeling their thickness, then nodded approvingly.
"Junior Brother, your yield of high-grade talisman paper isn't low at all, on par with farmers who've been cultivating talisman grass for years."
He knew Ji An had only planted half a mu of talisman grass. To have produced this much quality stock was quite impressive.
Wei quickly counted and evaluated the goods, running the numbers in his head:
72 low-grade talisman papers at 1 crystal each = 72 crystals.
21 mid-grade talisman papers at 8 crystals each = 168 crystals.
4 bottles of low-grade talisman ink at 35 crystals each = 140 crystals.
Total: 380 spirit crystals.
"Junior Brother, do you want to use it to buy materials? If not, I'll pay you out in spirit stones."
"Of course I want materials," Ji An replied. He set a jade bottle on the table with a smile.
"One of the bottles of pills you gave me last time remains unused. I'll return it to you. In addition, I'll take six bottles of green python blood, half a jin of cinnabar, and two jin of pine resin from aged incense pines."
Normally, pills once purchased couldn't be returned. But since his relationship with Wei Songnian had grown close, it was acceptable.
The cinnabar, resin, and python blood were ingredients for talisman ink. By spending some time each day to refine them, he could make an additional income stream.
Wei Songnian opened the jade bottle, counted the pills, and nodded.
"Hmm. Twelve Yellow Sprout Pills left. As for the python blood, the usual price is 20 crystals a bottle. Since the sect seized Mo Cliff Mountain, the price has dropped, let's say 18 crystals a bottle.
Half a jin of cinnabar and two jin of resin, 30 crystals total. That leaves you owing 202 crystals."
He paused and sighed.
"Refining a single bottle of talisman ink takes no small effort, and with competition so fierce, profits from low-grade ink are slim.
If you want to earn real spirit stones, you'll need to develop a unique formula.
I know a junior sister who stumbled on a fragmentary inheritance during a mission. It contained a few exclusive recipes for talisman ink, and ever since, her life has been luxurious."
The talisman ink Ji An produced, Wei only paid 35 crystals for. But those special recipes fetched 45 crystals or more per bottle, and suppliers offered such talisman makers heavy discounts on raw materials.
"Easier said than done!"
Ji An shook his head. Developing a unique formula required endless trials, deciding what materials to add and in what proportions.
He had neither the time nor the expertise. Better to stick with the steady, honest earnings.
"By the way, Senior Brother, what's the price of a Jadegrain Pill?"
"Thirty crystals apiece," Wei Songnian replied.
Ji An bared his teeth in a wry grin. So expensive! But then again, the main ingredient of the Jadegrain Pill, Jadegrain Rice, had to be grown in at least a first-rank lower-grade spirit field. Expensive as it was, the price made sense.
He did a quick calculation, then pulled out two spirit stones.
"I'll buy ten Jadegrain Pills. Senior Brother, just give me eight of them, and the other two will count toward the debt I still owe you.
And you don't need to give me change for the spirit stones. I originally owed you one stone, so this clears that too.
Right now, I still owe you the equivalent of twenty-four Yellow Sprout Pills in spirit stones. I'll pay those back in a few months."
Good debts repaid make borrowing easier the next time.
"Junior Brother, there's no need to be in such a rush to repay!" Wei Songnian protested. But when he saw Ji An's firm stance, he finally accepted the stones.
He handed over ten Jadegrain Pills along with two spirit crystals.
A little while later, Old Huang, Zhao Mengyao, and Chu He arrived in turn, and the tavern servers brought out the dishes.
Ji An made introductions so they all knew one another, then opened his small wooden box to begin repaying his debts.
"Senior Brother Huang, one year ago, you lent me a spirit stone."
"After I joined the sect, Senior Brother Chu He lent me two."
"And Senior Sister Zhao lent me three."
He gave an awkward chuckle.
"Senior Sister Zhao, Senior Brother Chu, I still owe you three spirit stones each. Give me half a year.
Thankfully, Senior Brother Zhang went off to Mo Cliff Mountain; otherwise, I wouldn't have had even a single stone left today."
At this point, his wealth had shrunk sharply; only two spirit stones and fifty-seven crystals remained. If Zhang Yuanshan had been present, Ji An would've had to hand over another two stones on the spot.
Zhao Mengyao said gently,
"No hurry. Junior Brother, don't let repaying spirit stones delay your cultivation; that would not be worth it."
Though part of it was thanks to the sect's rules protecting new farmer-disciples, she was still surprised. For a new disciple to save up so many spirit stones in just one year was impressive.
Everyone said it was hard for spirit farmers to accumulate wealth, but clearly that didn't apply to Ji An.
And the fact that he could build good ties with two late-stage Qi Refining disciples without becoming their subordinate was a talent.
Chu He nodded slightly, inwardly marveling at how Ji An earned crystals far faster than ordinary disciples.
Old Huang sighed.
"For a junior brother to save this much in just one year, your cultivation path will be smoother than that of most sect disciples.
With your current ability, you're already close to those veteran spirit farmers who've been working for over a decade."
This junior's starting point was far higher than most farmer-disciples.
Even more remarkable was that his cultivation hadn't lagged. In one year, he had advanced from the first level of Qi Refining to the mid-stage. Perhaps, in the future, he even had hope of reaching Foundation Establishment.
Ji An raised his cup with a smile.
"Thank you all, senior brothers and sisters. Without your help, I wouldn't be where I am today.
Come, let us drink together!"