Chapter 70: Even if I have to become your concubine, I am willing!

The façade of Jade Feast Pavilion looked ordinary, and its decor was fairly simple and unpretentious, unlike the Lu Family’s talisman shop.

However, business was still booming inside, even though it was not mealtime, the place was already more than half full.

After the two of them found a seat, Lu Miaoge ordered two dishes and two servings of spirit rice from the waiter.

Lu Changsheng saw this and smiled, saying, “Sister Miaoge, you don’t need to be so frugal with me. I’ve managed to save up some spirit stones over the years.”

In the past six months, his conditions had improved significantly.

As a result, he still had a good amount of spirit stones saved up.

Before leaving home, he counted a total of 306 spirit stones.

He left 30 spirit stones at home for household expenses and carried the rest with him.

Therefore, he could afford to treat Lu Miaoge to a meal without being overly cautious.

“Two dishes are enough for us. Any more would be wasteful,” Lu Miaoge said with a gentle smile.

Over the past six months, they had been learning talisman crafting together under the Fourth Elder, and their relationship had become quite close.

This gentle smile no longer carried the distant air from before; it was now a natural and friendly smile.

“Alright,” Lu Changsheng responded, not saying much more.

Soon, the waiter brought over a large water lily the size of a basin and placed it on the table.

The water lily buds opened automatically, revealing two dishes and two bowls of crystal clear spirit rice, steaming hot and overflowing with aroma.

“This ‘Carp Soup’ is their specialty dish, made with the red-blood carp from the Yu family of Green Lake Mountain. I order it every time I come here, you should try it,” Lu Miaoge pointed to a dish of flavorful fish soup.

“Red-blood carp from the Yu family of Green Lake Mountain? Could it be that this restaurant is owned by the Yu family of Green Lake Mountain?”

Lu Changsheng asked in surprise.

The Yu family of Green Lake Mountain was one of the major cultivation families under the jurisdiction of the Blue Cloud Sect.

The family had three Foundation Establishment cultivators, making them a level above the Lu Family of Qingzhu Mountain.

The red-blood carp was a specialty of Green Lake Mountain, similar to the Jade Bamboo Wine and Jade Spirit Rice from Qingzhu Mountain.

“The owner of this restaurant married a woman from the Yu family of Green Lake Mountain, so they are able to source a steady supply of red-blood carp from the Yu family every month,” Lu Miaoge explained softly.

“I see.”

Lu Changsheng nodded, not asking any more questions, and took a sip of the carp soup.

Instantly, he felt an intense yet not overpowering savory flavor spread from his mouth to his stomach, and then to his brain, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste.

“Delicious!”

Lu Changsheng couldn’t help but praise.

He thought he had grown accustomed to fine delicacies at the Lu Family, but this carp soup was remarkably fresh.

“The chef here must be a spirit chef, right?” Lu Changsheng asked.

Although the red-blood carp was a type of spirit fish, without a spirit chef, it would be impossible to bring out this kind of flavor.

“Yes, the chef here is the owner of this restaurant, and he is indeed a spirit chef. The prices here are also quite reasonable compared to other places, so business has always been good,” Lu Miaoge said softly.

She then pointed to another dish and said, “This is mole meat; the taste is also excellent and is one of the specialties here.”

Lu Changsheng picked up a piece of meat and tried it. The skin was crispy, the meat was tender, and the juices burst with flavor. He couldn’t help but pick up another piece.

He nodded in approval and said, “Delicious.”

At this moment, he noticed that Lu Miaoge hadn’t touched her chopsticks and was just watching him enjoy the food.

He couldn’t help but say, “Sister Miaoge, why aren’t you eating? Let’s eat together!”

“Okay.” Lu Miaoge nodded gently and picked up her chopsticks, taking a piece of mole meat.

She ate with graceful movements, yet her speed was surprisingly fast. Lu Changsheng had only taken two or three bites when she had already taken seven or eight.

By the time Lu Changsheng had eaten only half a bowl of rice, Lu Miaoge had already finished her meal.

“Uh…” Lu Changsheng was a bit surprised by this scene.

He couldn’t believe that someone as elegant as Lu Miaoge could eat so quickly.

“I usually eat quite fast,” Lu Miaoge said, realizing she might have been a bit impolite. Her stunningly beautiful face flushed with embarrassment.

“It’s fine, it’s fine, I’m just a slow eater,” Lu Changsheng chuckled, finding the young woman in front of him even more endearing.

As expected, there weren’t as many untouchable goddesses as one might think. The perceived distance between them made her seem unreachable, but that was just an illusion.

Once you become close to someone, they seem just like anyone else.

Lu Changsheng immediately called the waiter over to order two more dishes and more rice.

“No need, I’m full,” Lu Miaoge said.

Seeing this, Lu Miaoge spoke up and took out a handkerchief to gently wipe her mouth.

“Alright,” Lu Changsheng agreed and didn’t insist. He finished the remaining food and went to pay the bill.

The total cost for the two dishes and two servings of spirit rice came to four spirit stones. It was no wonder Lu Miaoge only ordered two dishes; the prices were indeed a bit high.

When Lu Changsheng first arrived at the Lu Family, his monthly salary was only two spirit stones.

Now, a single meal had cost him four spirit stones.

However, Lu Changsheng wasn’t too concerned about the cost.

He felt the price was reasonable, considering the carp soup and mole meat were spirit foods, and the rice was spirit rice.

Consuming them would provide nourishment for his body.

He could still feel the gentle flow of spiritual energy within his dantian and meridians.

Additionally, the experience of enjoying the delicious food brought satisfaction to both his body and mind.

Lu Changsheng found Lu Miaoge’s eating habits endearing and thought he might invite her out to eat more often to strengthen their relationship.

However, on second thought, he realized it might be too expensive for him at the moment.

He would have to wait until he could sell all his talismans and convert them into spirit stones.

“Sister Miaoge, is there a place in Jiulong Market where rogue cultivators set up stalls for trading?” Lu Changsheng asked Lu Miaoge.

The purpose of his trip was to sell his talismans and buy the heavenly treasures and earth essences he needed for practicing the Hundred Treasure Refinement Body Tempering Technique.

He thought he might start by exploring where the rogue cultivators set up their stalls.

“At the junction of the west and south districts, there are several streets dedicated to allowing people to set up stalls for free trading,” Lu Miaoge explained. “Although the items there are usually cheaper than in the shops, there are a lot of scams and tricks, with little chance of finding a bargain. If you want to buy something, I recommend going to a regular shop.”

Lu Miaoge seemed to have guessed Lu Changsheng’s intentions and offered him some advice.

“I was just curious about these stalls and wanted to take a look to broaden my horizons,” Lu Changsheng said with a smile.

He wasn’t expecting to find any great bargains or deals. After all, these rogue cultivators had to survive in the lower stages and were all quite shrewd.

Finding a real bargain from them would be difficult without some strategy.

As they talked, the two made their way back to the talisman shop.

“Auntie Lu!”

At that moment, a childish, sweet voice echoed. Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaoge both turned their heads in the direction of the sound.

They saw a dignified, elegantly dressed woman with a well-rounded figure holding a three or four-year-old girl and carrying a food box. The little girl waved her hand and called out to Lu Miaoge.

“Patroness,” the woman greeted Lu Miaoge. She quickened her pace and lowered her body slightly, her tone soft.

The woman’s face was not particularly beautiful but could be described as lovely, with arched eyebrows, full lips, and almond-shaped eyes. Her nose was slightly pointed, exuding a gentle, mature charm.

Her skin was remarkably fair, with her white face and smooth skin at her neckline both delicate and snow-white. Her skin had the consistency of freshly coagulated cream, and her well-rounded, ample figure gave her the appeal of a ripe, juicy peach.

“Mrs. Bai, Nan Nan, you came to bring lunch for Uncle Zhang,” Lu Miaoge greeted them with a soft smile, clearly familiar with the two.

She transmitted a voice to Lu Changsheng and explained, “This is Zhang Shan’s wife and daughter. They come by every day to bring food for Zhang Shan.”

Inside the talisman shop, Zhang Shan noticed his wife and daughter approaching and immediately got up and quickly walked outside. He bowed slightly towards Lu Miaoge and Lu Changsheng and then explained, “Second Owner, this is my humble wife. She is here to bring me my meal.”

“No problem,” Lu Changsheng said with a smile.

He understood that Zhang Shan was explaining the situation to him out of concern that he, the new owner, might have objections. However, Lu Changsheng had no such concerns and didn’t mind the arrangement at all.

He hadn’t expected Zhang Shan, who looked to be around fifty years old, to have such a young wife who was not only a cultivator but also appeared quite young. Their child was only three or four years old.

On reflection, this was quite normal in the world of cultivation. Most cultivators often waited until they were older to settle down and have children. Moreover, the woman exuded a gentle, mature charm and seemed to be around 28 or 29 years old, though her actual age could be different.

This was because many female cultivators tended to purchase beauty and anti-aging pills.

For instance, Lu Miaoge had clearly taken such pills.

She looked just as youthful as she did five years ago when Lu Changsheng first met her, maintaining the appearance of someone around 20 years old.

This made Lu Changsheng think he should consider purchasing an anti-aging pill for his wives and concubines as well.

He was practicing the Immortal Posture Technique, which not only enhanced his charm but also allowed him to maintain a youthful appearance indefinitely.

However, his wives and concubines couldn’t practice it, and only Lu Miaoyun and Qu Zhenzhen could cultivate, while the others were mortals who would gradually age.

Lu Changsheng thought about the cost of buying anti-aging pills as gifts.

If he were to give them to everyone, he would have to give out more than a dozen at once, so he decided to put that thought on hold for now.

Lu Miaoge didn’t engage in much small talk with Zhang Shan and simply nodded before leading Lu Changsheng to the third floor.

She usually spent her time on the third floor, either cultivating or crafting talismans, and seldom stayed on the first floor.

Now that Lu Changsheng was also present on the third floor, Lu Miaoge, being familiar with him, didn’t mind sharing the space with him.

At this point, Lu Miaoge also explained to Lu Changsheng that while Zhang Shan was a long-time employee at the shop, he shouldn’t get too close to him. Being too close could make management more difficult in the future.

Lu Changsheng understood this logic and nodded in agreement.

Then, Lu Miaoge went on to share some management tips and experiences regarding the shop with him.

Most of the advice was straightforward and easy to grasp, and Lu Changsheng was familiar with most of it.

After all, even if he hadn’t eaten pork, he had seen pigs run.

In his previous life, he had been exposed to big data, and he had a fair amount of knowledge regarding human management.

Of course, knowing something and putting it into practice were two different things.

“Sister Miaoge, I used to think you were a fairy who didn’t bother with worldly matters. I didn’t expect you to know so much. It feels like I’m getting to know you all over again.”

After hearing what Lu Miaoge had said, Lu Changsheng smiled playfully.

Today, he got to see a different side of Lu Miaoge, so he found the conversation more relaxed than before.

When Lu Changsheng made his playful remark, Lu Miaoge smiled, like a blooming fairy flower, captivating and enchanting.

“You’re making me wonder whether you’re praising me or poking fun at me,” she said with a gentle smile. “But I’ll take it as a compliment.”

Lu Miaoge then said, “Alright, I’m going to go craft some talismans. You can go to the lounge to rest or cultivate. There’s not much going on in the shop on a daily basis, but if anything comes up, Zhang Shan and the others will let you know.”

After saying that, she stood up and went to the talisman crafting room to focus on her work.

Lu Changsheng nodded and went to the lounge to rest. He needed a bit of sleep to recover his mental energy after a couple of days of travel. Although he wasn’t extremely tired, a short nap would help him refresh.

After a brief rest, Lu Changsheng found that Lu Miaoge was still in the talisman crafting room, so he got a little bored and decided to find something to do.

He went to the second floor to check on Li Shi and Wang Wu’s talisman crafting skills and planned to offer them some guidance.

He possessed the second-level talisman crafting skills granted by his system, making his foundational knowledge of talismans extremely solid—much more so than someone who learned and practiced on their own.

He could easily guide not only the two talisman apprentices but even his grandmother, the Lu Family’s fourth elder and a first-level talisman master.

“Second Patron!”

“Second Patron!”

In the workroom on the second floor, Li Shi and Wang Wu, who were working on crafting talisman paper, lit up with excitement when they saw Lu Changsheng approaching.

They stopped their work and greeted him enthusiastically, their voices softer than usual.

“I came to check on your talisman crafting skills and offer you some guidance,” Lu Changsheng said.

The two women in front of him were both quite attractive—perhaps not stunningly beautiful, but certainly graceful and elegant. As the offspring of cultivators, they naturally inherited good genes.

However, Lu Changsheng didn’t have any particular thoughts about the two women.

Although he did want to find a woman with a Spirit Root to have children with, he wasn’t immediately interested in pursuing that with them.

However, he didn’t think it was necessary to go around asking every woman to bear his child.

Besides, he had just arrived at the shop and hadn’t done anything yet. Making advances on the apprentices would leave a poor impression on Lu Miaoge and the Fourth Elder.

It would also tarnish the reputation he had just started to build at the Lu Family. It wasn’t worth it.

“Thank you, Second Patron.”

“Second Patron, please have a seat,” the two women said, speaking softly as they prepared a chair and served him tea.

“What talismans have you been learning recently?” Lu Changsheng asked, waving his hand dismissively.

The two women told him about the talismans they knew.

They had been working at the talisman shop for five or six years and could create around ten to twenty basic talismans.

This was necessary because, as apprentices, they needed to contribute to the shop’s profits by learning how to make various types of talismans.

Even though basic talismans didn’t earn much money, the talisman shop needed to have a diverse selection of talismans.

“Alright, show me the talismans you’ve been practicing recently,” Lu Changsheng said, nodding in approval.

The two women took out their talisman pens, paper, and spirit ink and began crafting talismans.

“Fwoosh!”

At that moment, Li Shi failed halfway through her drawing, causing the talisman paper to emit a puff of smoke. She immediately became flustered and stammered, “Second Patron, I’m sorry. I got a little nervous.”

Li Shi was usually cheerful, but in front of Lu Changsheng, she couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.

“What’s there to be nervous about? I’m not a fearsome beast, and I won’t eat you. If you fail, just keep going,” Lu Changsheng said with a smile, trying to reassure her.

Seeing Lu Changsheng’s comforting words and smile, Li Shi’s pretty face turned red. She found it hard to breathe, and her heart raced.

There were many handsome men in the world, but how many of them were also skilled, came from a good family, and were medium-grade talisman masters?

Li Shi rarely encountered such a person, so seeing Lu Changsheng smile at her made her heart flutter even more, making her even more nervous.

“Why are you blushing like a bubble tea kettle!”

Lu Changsheng couldn’t help but feel exasperated when he saw Li Shi blushing and acting all lovestruck.

He hadn’t even done anything, and yet she was reacting this way.

“Unknowingly, have I become this charming?”

Lu Changsheng thought to himself, slightly amused.

He suddenly realized that he was no longer the person he once was. He wasn’t just good-looking; he was also wealthy and had potential for a bright future.

Ah, the woes of being conventionally attractive!

Lu Changsheng adjusted his expression to become indifferent and spoke in a calm, neutral tone, “Continue.”

In that moment, he began to understand why Lu Miaoge didn’t smile much and always maintained an aloof and ethereal demeanor. This was the struggle of being so good-looking.

“Yes, Second Patron,”

Li Shi quickly nodded, focusing her attention and starting to draw talismans again.

Lu Changsheng could see that both women had a solid foundation in basic talismans. They were almost ready to start learning how to draw low-grade talismans.

However, he decided not to teach them how to draw low-grade talismans just yet. Once they started learning low-grade talismans, most of their time and energy would be spent on that, which could disrupt their current work.

It was better to let them continue building their foundation and only introduce low-grade talismans once their skills were thoroughly solidified.

With a neutral expression, Lu Changsheng provided guidance and advice on talisman crafting to the two apprentices. The two women found his teachings even clearer and more understandable than those of the First Patron, and they gained a lot from his guidance.

“Alright, practice more on your own,” Lu Changsheng said. “After some time, if you perform well, I’ll teach you how to craft low-grade talismans.”

Lu Changsheng left the second floor after giving the apprentices a goal to work towards.

He could sense that, despite his indifferent demeanor, the two women were still quite interested in him. It seemed that if he so much as beckoned, they would eagerly approach him.

However, he still had no intention of pursuing anything with them. As he had said before, it wasn’t worth it and didn’t bring enough benefits to justify the effort.

“Is this what they call romantic luck?” Lu Changsheng pondered to himself as he left the second floor.

“Thank you, Second Patron!”

“Thank you, Second Patron!”

The two apprentices were overjoyed upon hearing Lu Changsheng’s words. Their gazes towards him were filled with admiration and longing.

“He’s so handsome, from a good family, and a medium-grade talisman master—he’s my dream man,” Li Shi whispered longingly as she watched Lu Changsheng’s back disappear.

“Are you getting infatuated, little girl?” Wang Wu teased.

“How can you not like him? He’s so good-looking, speaks gently, and is a medium-grade talisman master,”

Li Shi joked to Wang Wu and said confidently.

“I like him, too, but so what? How could we possibly match him? Even if I became his concubine, I’d be content,” Wang Wu responded straightforwardly.

Li Shi felt a bit discouraged after hearing Wang Wu’s words. In the cultivation world, men often outnumbered women, making young female cultivators highly sought after.

Both Li Shi and Wang Wu were often pursued by suitors, with many people coming to propose marriage.

However, as they had a talent for talisman-making and potential to become recognized talisman masters in the future, they could choose a good match when it came time to marry.

Still, now that they were faced with the prospect of considering marriage to Lu Changsheng, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of inadequacy.