Song Ciwan bought ten taels of silver worth of Talisman Paper from Ma the Fourth, then asked about the prices of the finished Talismans on the side.

For common Level One Talismans like the Light Body Talisman and Exorcism Talisman, Ma the Fourth announced with a grin, "Light Body Talismans are one tael of silver each, and Exorcism Talismans are two for three taels. If you buy ten or more, little brother, I’ll even throw in an extra one for free."

As he stated his prices, Song Ciwan put on the facade of a simple-minded youth and smiled, all while rapidly doing the math in her head.

’Blank Talisman Paper costs one tael for twelve sheets, but a single Low Level Light Body Talisman costs a whole tael of silver! The price difference is more than tenfold!’

’From the looks of it, the craft of Talisman Making has a lot of potential. Knowledge and skill truly are the primary means of production. That’s a truth that holds in any world!’

’The City God Temple’s House Protection Talismans used to sell for one tael of silver each, but lately, they’re only one hundred cents. They must really be running a charity.’ 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Her Heaven and Earth Scale now also held these two types of Low Level Talismans—the Light Body Talisman and the Exorcism Talisman—which she had obtained by trading kites and Peach Wood Hairpins.

One hundred Peach Wood Hairpins could be traded for an Exorcism Talisman, and one hundred kites could be traded for a Light Body Talisman. Peach Wood Hairpins could be bought from a street stall for six cents apiece, while kites cost ten cents each.

’By that math, she could get an Exorcism Talisman for six hundred cents, but it would take a whole tael of silver to get a Light Body Talisman...’

’There was no profit margin on the Light Body Talisman, but the Exorcism Talisman was clearly a huge win!’

As Song Ciwan’s mind raced with calculations, her gaze fell upon a row of books displayed on the other side of the stall.

There wasn’t a wide selection, but the titles were all rather impressive.

Titles like *Mixed Element Skill*, *Tiger Ferocity Fist*, *Chasing Flowers and Willow Step*, *Hundred Herbs Manual*, *Basic Talisman Collection*, and *Great Zhou Chronicles*. Song Ciwan paid no mind to the ones that looked like Cultivation Techniques, but the *Great Zhou Chronicles* particularly caught her eye.

The moment her gaze lingered on the book, Ma the Fourth eagerly picked it up and handed it to her. "You’ve got a good eye, little brother," he said with a laugh. "This volume even includes the latest issue of the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List in the appendix! It’s yours for just ten taels of silver. Have a look, have a look! It’s got everything. You won’t find a better deal!"

Song Ciwan took the book and gave it a quick flip-through. Its contents were indeed rich, with sections on Humans, ghosts, and Demon Fiends, as well as descriptions of the land’s magnificent mountains and rivers.

Though the entries were brief and not exhaustive, it was exactly what Song Ciwan desperately needed: a window into this world.

Suppressing her excitement, she asked for the price of the *Basic Talisman Collection* next to it.

This one was much more expensive than the *Great Zhou Chronicles*. Ma the Fourth’s opening price was fifty taels of silver. Putting on her "simple youth" persona, Song Ciwan began to haggle, and the two went back and forth for quite some time.

Finally, Ma the Fourth relented with a sigh. "Alright, alright! I guess it’s fate that we’ve met. How about this? If you pay with silver, take both books for fifty-five taels. But if you pay with a Strengthening Pill... I’ll give you both books for just one pill."

Strengthening Pills were a hot commodity, essentially hard currency. Song Ciwan still had thirteen pills on hand, but her silver had dwindled to just over one hundred and twenty taels.

In the end, Song Ciwan traded one Strengthening Pill for the two books, and even managed to get Ma the Fourth to throw in a low-grade Wolf Hair Talisman Brush.

Ma the Fourth sucked in a sharp breath, acting as if he’d taken a massive loss. "Brother, I’m making a real friend in you today. Don’t forget to come back and give your old brother here some more business, you hear?"

Despite his words, when Song Ciwan paid with the Strengthening Pill, his hand shot out faster than anyone’s.

As they completed the transaction, their fingers brushed for an instant. In that very moment, the Heaven and Earth Scale manifested!

Song Ciwan was stunned. A mass of qi had appeared on the Heaven and Earth Scale: [Red Dust Refining Dao, entering the Dao through commerce. A Curios Pavilion disciple’s tinge of mercenary spirit. Weight: One tael and two mace. Tradable.]

’A Curios Pavilion disciple!’

Song Ciwan had no idea what the Curios Pavilion was, but judging by the Heaven and Earth Scale’s description, the man’s origins had to be extraordinary.

’Who would have guessed that this merchant, who seemed like a jolly Loose Cultivator, had such an impressive background?’

’Truly, the mortal world is full of hidden Hermits!’

Looking at all the people on the street, it was truly difficult to tell just by appearance who was a Cultivator and who was a mortal, whose realm was high and whose was low.

’What Song Ciwan lacked was a pair of Spiritual Eyes that could see through it all!’

Without a change in expression, she dismissed the Heaven and Earth Scale and stuffed her new purchases into her satchel. Then, with a bulging bag, she left City God Temple Street.

She took a winding route through the city, habitually found a secluded spot to change her clothes, then altered her face to that of an unfamiliar young boy before finally hurrying home.

Throughout this process, her A Grain of Sand in the Sea ability remained active, causing the pedestrians around her to subconsciously ignore her.

As usual, Song Ciwan scaled the back wall to get home. She didn’t even startle the Big White Goose, moving like a wisp of wind in the shadows and drifting silently back into her room.

Once the door was closed, the first thing she did was sell the mass of qi she had just obtained.

[You have sold a Curios Pavilion disciple’s tinge of mercenary spirit, weighing one tael and two mace. You have obtained the Side Door Taoist Skill: Measurement System (First Layer).]

Side Door Taoist Skill—Measurement System: This technique is, in essence, the art of weighing. Casting it allows for the rapid observation of a target’s Cultivation Level, making it possible to judge their relative strength.

Note: If the target’s Cultivation Level is significantly higher than the Caster’s, the technique may fail. Failure may result in a backlash.

’This... this was the perfect solution falling right into my lap. It’s not the Spiritual Eye Technique, but it’s just as good!’

Song Ciwan took the shortest time possible to memorize and grasp the basics of the Measurement System Strange Technique. She then immediately took out blank Talisman Paper and began trying to fold Paper Cranes.

There were two key components to casting the Paper Crane Tracking Technique: the Paper Crane itself, and an aura connected to the target.

Making the Paper Crane was actually quite difficult. At each critical fold, she had to inject True Qi according to a special Dharma Gate. After several consecutive failures, Song Ciwan finally managed to succeed, but not until her seventh sheet of Talisman Paper.

Just as she was about to fold a couple more Paper Cranes for backup, the Paper Soul Puppet she had placed near Aunt Zhou was suddenly triggered!

Song Ciwan hastily stuffed a handful of blank Talisman Paper into the satchel at her waist, tucked the finished Paper Crane inside her robes, and immediately shot to her feet. Following the direction indicated by the puppet’s mark, she activated Escape into the Night and rushed off.

This was her first time using Escape into the Night during the day. Her speed was noticeably reduced compared to at night, but its stealth capabilities were just as effective.

Wherever there is light, there are shadows. Song Ciwan darted between them, heading ever westward.

’What’s to the west?’

Between the streets and alleys, she could faintly smell the cloying fragrance of cosmetics and perfume. Occasionally, the decadent sound of string and bamboo music drifted by.

It was like the sigh of a young woman, a faint, sorrowful sound, its source and destination unknown.

The alley ahead turned, and the space suddenly opened up.

A vast expanse of turquoise water stretched out to meet the sky, dotted with a line of painted pleasure boats, their colorful flags fluttering in the breeze.

Weeping willows swayed on the bank, and the shore was thronged with people.

A group of preening young masters with slicked-back hair and powdered faces had surrounded a haggard, elderly woman, shoving and mocking her.