“This is impossible!”

  Jin Yuanbao slammed the table so hard that his round body trembled as he stood up, his pudgy finger jabbing toward Liu Jiu’s nose. His voice thundered with anger, “You’ve already cultivated the Blood Banquet Technique! According to the sect’s iron rules, there’s absolutely no way I can hand over the Three Talents Formula to you!”

  “You’re dreaming! At worst, this deal is off. Leave now if you want but don’t even think about me giving you the Three Talents Formula! It’s not happening!”

  His words were firm and final, leaving no room for discussion.

  Yet, Liu Jiu remained perfectly calm before the man’s fury.

  He dragged over a chair, sat down with one leg casually crossed, and said evenly, “Not me someone else.”

  Jin Yuanbao froze for a moment.

  Liu Jiu continued, “I have a friend. He’s never cultivated any mountain sect’s techniques. If needed, he could even just be an ordinary man no spiritual energy in his body whatsoever. So… would that be acceptable?”

  A flicker of suspicion passed through the narrow eyes buried in Jin Yuanbao’s fat cheeks.

  He slowly sat back down, frowning, and said cautiously, “Even if he’s abolished his cultivation, that won’t work. The Pavilion Master has sharp eyes—he’d see through it immediately.”

  “Of course,” Liu Jiu replied smoothly, his expression confident. “I can guarantee he’s never practiced a single technique. He fits your requirements perfectly.”

  Jin Yuanbao’s brows remained furrowed, but a faint, almost imperceptible relaxation showed in his expression. “In that case… it does fit the rules. I can introduce him to the Pavilion’s shopkeeper. If you can persuade the shopkeeper, your friend can serve as a steward in the upper floors.”

  “But,” he added, his tone turning sharp with warning, “don’t think being a steward is easy. Competition in the Pavilion is fierce. If the shopkeeper gets the slightest dissatisfaction, your friend could be replaced. And you know what ‘replaced’ means, don’t you?”

  “No problem,” Liu Jiu answered without hesitation, his face calm. “As long as he obtains the Three Talents Formula, what happens afterward has nothing to do with me.”

  At that, a sly smile crept across Jin Yuanbao’s lips. “You’re not planning to have your friend secretly learn the Three Talents Formula and then pass it on to you, are you?”

  He chuckled maliciously. “I’d drop that idea if I were you. Once your friend signs the contract with the shopkeeper, he becomes one of theirs. He’ll be branded with a restriction he won’t be able to reveal a single word of the formula to you. In fact, he won’t even be able to think about it.”

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  Hearing this, Liu Jiu sneered inwardly.

  That was exactly his plan. But he didn’t need his “friend” to tell him anything because they shared the same consciousness.

  By then, even if he didn’t want to know the Three Talents Formula, he couldn’t help but learn it.

  Seeing Liu Jiu fall silent, Jin Yuanbao assumed he had accepted the warning. Smirking, he moved on.

  “Since we’re in agreement, sign the contract. Once you do, you’ll be an official member of the Three Talents Workshop.”

  He pulled a prewritten contract from a drawer and pushed it toward Liu Jiu.

  Liu Jiu pretended to examine it carefully. The document was long and full of clauses: he would voluntarily join the Workshop as an exclusive talisman crafter, receive monthly wages, and obey all orders from the stewards. Unauthorized departures would lead to pursuit and punishment by the sect’s disciplinary hall.

  He couldn’t actually see any issue in it but he still pushed the document back with a cold sneer.

  “Do I look like someone who’s easy to fool? You think I can’t see through this kind of contract?”

  Jin Yuanbao’s friendly smile froze. “Fellow Daoist, what are you talking about? This is the standard contract issued by the sect. There’s no problem at all. If you don’t want to cooperate, just say so why make excuses?”

  Liu Jiu frowned inwardly. Could I have misread the situation?

  He was about to back down and pretend it was a misunderstanding—but then, on second thought, he decided to press further.

  “It’s you who doesn’t want to cooperate, isn’t it? Stop pretending. Hand over the real contract, or I’ll walk out right now. Let’s see how you explain that.”

  Jin Yuanbao’s face twitched in alarm.

  With a nervous chuckle, he actually retrieved the contract and stammered, “Y-You… how did you know?”

  Liu Jiu snorted coldly. “Everyone knows how your Workshop operates. I may not be a full disciple yet, but I’ve been around long enough not to be fooled by your tricks. You’d better not play games with me or you’ll regret it.”

  Perhaps Liu Jiu’s confidence was too convincing, for Jin Yuanbao actually believed him. He broke into an awkward smile. “Heh, fine, fine! No tricks this time, I promise.”

  From another drawer, he produced a second contract.

  Liu Jiu took it, studying it carefully. It looked nearly identical to the first except for one small but crucial difference.

  This one included an additional clause: Upon officially joining the Three Talents Workshop, Liu Jiu shall be granted the cultivation method known as the “Art of Treasure Forging.”

  Before Liu Jiu could ask, Jin Yuanbao grinned. “I see. You’re here for the Art of Treasure Forging, aren’t you?”

  Liu Jiu, though puzzled, nodded along.

  If this technique could be handed out so casually, it probably wasn’t one of the sect’s core methods.

  Whatever it was, he’d study it once he got his hands on it.

  He still couldn’t tell if this new contract had any hidden traps—but that didn’t matter. He could afford to take risks.

  After all, he had countless disposable clones. Even if this Liu Jiu body fell into a trap, it wouldn’t truly harm him.

  Perhaps once he officially joined the Workshop, the truth behind the contract would reveal itself.

  With that thought, he no longer hesitated. Forcing out a drop of essence blood, he pressed his fingerprint onto the parchment.

  Jin Yuanbao’s face lit up with glee. He quickly pulled out a stack of talisman papers and spiritual ink from his pouch and placed them before Liu Jiu.

  “Fellow Daoist, no time to waste please, begin crafting right away.”

  Liu Jiu nodded in agreement, picking up the materials. But just as he was about to begin, his movements suddenly paused.

  It wasn’t hesitation.

  It was because his other clone Liu Ba had just arrived at the Mission Hall.

  And the reason for his sudden pause…

  Was the task that awaited him there.

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