I am the butcher's knife and chopping block.

Qin Huali had no way to inquire directly, so he could only probe gently. “Master Zhao’s passing was so sudden. In my mind, he was like an immortal, yet he left us without the slightest warning. It’s truly hard to accept. Mr. Xiao, you’re so young and already able to inherit Master Zhao’s legacy, mastering all his skills in such a short time. You must be a genius among men—truly admirable and enviable.”

Though Qin Huali’s probing was extremely tactful, how could Xiao Yao fail to understand? “As you said, Chairman Qin, my master was like an immortal. Naturally, his methods of imparting skills to his disciples were extraordinary. There was no need for years of painstaking instruction—one night was enough.”

Since obtaining a peace talisman from Qin Huali would require a considerable price and was a matter of life and death, it was only natural for him to be cautious. Xiao Yao understood this and felt a simple explanation was necessary.

“So Master Zhao used a Buddhist method akin to a direct enlightenment for the secret transmission—truly the means of an immortal!” Qin Huali was deeply moved.

“Whether by written or spoken word, transmission of knowledge is never perfect. Only by passing on consciousness itself can everything be conveyed without omission. That’s how my master was able to impart all his knowledge to me in a single night. Otherwise, with the brief time we had together, I couldn’t have managed to learn even the basics.” Xiao Yao had changed so much that he didn’t mind others knowing he had received such an enlightenment.

Qin Huali now largely believed in Xiao Yao’s abilities. Master Zhao had agreed to his request before his death; as long as he could offer a price that satisfied Xiao Yao, he believed his wish could be fulfilled.

“Master Zhao once said that crafting a peace talisman is extremely difficult. Even for him, it required a tremendous price. Now that you have inherited his legacy, you are no longer an ordinary man, and worldly things surely hold little value for you. Yet I am but a common man, and can only offer what I have to show my gratitude.”

Having laid the groundwork, Qin Huali asked, “I wonder if there is anything in particular Mr. Xiao needs? If I possess it, I will spare no effort to procure it for you.”

Over the generations, true practitioners of the Way had become exceedingly rare, though some lesser legacies had survived, though with great difficulty. Even those who managed to master a mere fragment of these teachings were few and far between.

If Xiao Yao were an ordinary cultivator, there would be much he desired—precious elixirs to enhance cultivation, rare materials to assist in Daoist arts, and so on; all would be welcome in abundance.

But he was not an ordinary cultivator. While common practitioners would never tire of rare elixirs and precious materials, Xiao Yao’s Soul Ring held an endless supply of the finest such treasures. Compared to its inventory, anything Qin Huali could offer was insignificant, not worthy of his attention.

“Chairman Qin, you may not know that my master left me everything he accumulated in his lifetime. He lacked for nothing in his cultivation, and so do I. To be honest, there’s really nothing I particularly need. Since my master promised you this before his passing, there’s no need to trouble yourself. As long as it’s a fair exchange, that will suffice,” Xiao Yao replied casually.

Qin Huali was a little disappointed; Xiao Yao, it seemed, was as difficult to deal with as his master.

If Xiao Yao had named a few specific items, even if it meant a long-term supply, it would have been troublesome but would have cost him much less. This indifferent attitude, however, was the hardest to deal with—when the other party desired nothing, a so-called fair exchange was impossible. He, who was the supplicant, could only be at their mercy.

After a moment’s contemplation, Qin Huali said, “In that case, I wonder if I could simply pay you in cash?”

After all, Xiao Yao was not Master Zhao. Though Qin Huali had a request to make, he did not feel the same awe toward Xiao Yao, hoping to obtain a peace talisman for the lowest possible price.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yao regarded him with a hint of scorn.

No wonder Pan Wu had never liked dealing with him; every time Qin Huali made a request, Master Zhao would insist on the highest price.

To bargain with a cultivator, treating a one-sided request as a business negotiation—if Qin Huali had been dealing with ordinary practitioners, perhaps he could have succeeded with this tactic. But he was facing Pan Wu and Xiao Yao, two genuine immortals in the mortal world who wanted for nothing. Such bargaining was distasteful; even if his wish were granted, it would cost him dearly.

This alone marked the difference between Qin Huali and the Tang family.

At first, both families had doubted Xiao Yao’s abilities, but once convinced, their approaches diverged. The Tang family courted him at any cost, while Qin Huali still sought to exploit an advantage.

Xiao Yao’s expression immediately darkened. “Your Qin family may have money, but that means nothing to my master. Others might not know his wealth, but your family surely knows a little. You have no idea what it costs to make a peace talisman. Even if you piled all your family’s cash before my master, he wouldn’t spare it a glance.”

“And neither would I,” Xiao Yao added coldly, abandoning his previous courtesy. “If you think you can buy a peace talisman with money, then there’s no need to talk further. I don’t need money, and I have no intention of selling peace talismans.”

“I have other business to attend to; let’s end things here for today.” He turned to Steward Lu. “Steward Lu, please see Chairman Qin out.”

Qin Huali was deeply embarrassed. He had not expected Xiao Yao to have such a temper—completely unlike Master Zhao’s serene indifference. He had only probed the issue a little, and with one wrong word, Xiao Yao immediately turned hostile. It was humiliating, but as an old fox and a man with a request, he couldn’t simply leave.

He composed himself and apologized sincerely, “Mr. Xiao, I truly apologize for my rudeness. I was desperate and spoke out of turn. I’m just an ordinary man—I value money and assumed others did too. But my sincerity is real. Please, calm your anger and give me another chance. I will surely offer something to your satisfaction.”

PS: Many thanks to Sen Yi for the continued generous support!