Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 35 Long-Term Solo and Independence (Seeking continued reading, monthly votes, and recommendations)

That day, after finishing his afternoon classes, Zhou Ling went to the Lu family workshop on Xiyun Street and handed over the three Thunderfire Pearls he had drawn to Master Lu.

Upon seeing the three Thunderfire Pearls, Master Lu finally breathed a sigh of relief; tomorrow was the delivery date.

If he can't give the customer the Thunderfire Pearl, he'll have to pay a lot of spirit stones.

After carefully checking and confirming there were no problems, he praised Zhou Ling, "Master Ling, your inscription skills are getting better and better!"

His tone towards Zhou Ling became more respectful and friendly.

Although he wasn't an inscription master, he had dealt with inscription masters for many years, so he could usually tell the quality of an inscription at a glance.

The inscription on the Thunderfire Seal drawn by Zhou Ling this time looks thicker and heavier than the inscription on the Fire-Repelling Pearl last time.

There has been clear progress.

And this was only ten days ago, which shows that Zhou Ling has a great talent for inscription.

"These lightning and fire type inscriptions are the most energy-consuming of all inscriptions. For someone your age and with your cultivation level, this is truly remarkable!"

From these interactions, Zhou Ling also saw that Master Lu was extremely strict with his disciples and the tools in the workshop.

They usually have a stern face, with an expression that says "keep away."

He's all smiles now, which shows he's in a great mood.

However, Zhou Ling didn't take it to heart and asked, "Master Lu, do you have any other Thunderfire Pearl tools?"

Now that his proficiency with the Thunderfire Inscription was almost there, Zhou Ling wondered if he could buy some tools from the workshop to refine more Thunderfire Beads for his father.

Master Lu shook his head. "This is a custom-made ritual artifact for the client. The materials I bought last time were only enough to make six Thunderfire Bead artifact bodies."

Zhou Ling thought for a moment and asked, "I would like to buy a few Thunderfire Pearl artifact cores. How many spirit stones does one cost?"

"This awful weather, it's unbearably hot!" Master Lu wiped the sweat from his face with a towel and then gulped down several large mouthfuls of tea.

Then he continued, "If you want it, I'll give you the cheapest price: two for five low-grade spirit stones."

Zhou Ling nodded, "Okay, then I'll order three."

How long will it take to pick up the goods?

"You need to pay a deposit of three spirit stones first, and pick up the goods in three days!" Master Lu replied.

Then, he took out four spirit stones and handed them to Zhou Ling, saying, "This is your reward for refining the Thunderfire Pearl this time, excluding the three spirit stones as a deposit."

Zhou Ling nodded repeatedly as he accepted the spirit stone.

"I currently have an order for a batch of Golden Hair Spirit Brushes from Duobao Pavilion. Master Ling, are you interested?"

"If you're going to take on this project, make sure the quality and stability of the inscription are guaranteed."

"This is a regular order; we typically need ten to twenty Golden Hair Spirit Brushes a month."

"You can earn one and a half spirit stones for each spirit pen you use."

Master Lu glanced at Zhou Ling and then said.

“I’ll take it, but do you have any patterns inscribed with the gold brush?” Zhou Ling asked without hesitation.

Now, he needs to earn more spirit stones to buy Fire Cloud Grass and save some to build a brewing furnace for his mother.

As long as it's within his current capabilities, he naturally wants as many orders as possible.

"Here, this is the spirit-condensing imprint used to forge the Golden-Haired Spirit Brush. Take a look for yourself!"

Master Lu took out a scroll from his storage bag and handed it to Zhou Ling.

At the same time, he shouted loudly into the inner room, "Liu Zi, bring over the golden brush holder."

"Alright, Master!"

Soon, a dark-skinned boy walked over carrying a plate in both hands.

The boy looked to be thirteen or fourteen years old, with bright, piercing eyes. He was shirtless, and although he wasn't very strong, his muscles were clearly defined.

On the plate in his hand were ten spirit brushes, their handles blue and their bristles shimmering with golden light.

"This is the Golden Hair Brush. The handle is made of Green Pattern Bamboo, and the bristles are made from the tail hair of a first-tier spirit beast, the Golden-Tailed Sheep. As long as it is fused with the Spirit Condensation Inscription, it can draw runes, inscriptions, array patterns, and so on."

Master Lu took out a brush holder and introduced it to Zhou Ling. Zhou Ling was opening the scroll and examining the spirit-condensing inscription drawn on it.

There shouldn't be any problems with the seven-character inscription!
"How many days will it take to deliver?" Zhou Ling asked.

"Delivery is due every two weeks, but the gold-tipped brush requires a production rate of no less than 60%."

As Master Lu spoke, he took out a yellow brocade box from his storage bag and handed it to Liu Zi.

Liu Zi carefully placed the ten gold-tipped brushes into the brocade box, arranging them neatly one by one, before handing the box to Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling nodded as he accepted the brocade box.

"Sixth son, this is Master Zhou Ling, an inscription master."

"Master Ling, this is my disciple, Lu Liu'an."

Master Lu introduced them to the two.

Zhou Ling smiled and bowed to Lu Liuan.

Lu Liuan hurriedly returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute.

Zhou Ling then left the workshop.

On the way home, I bought another jar of spirit wine and nine pieces of spirit cake.

Back home, Li Ru had already prepared a sumptuous dinner.

Because her father is going into the mountains tomorrow, Li Ru took half a day off today to prepare food and other supplies for Zhou Shan.

Zhou Shan was also delighted to see the spirit wine that Zhou Ling had brought.

But soon, he glanced at Li Ru and said with a serious expression, "Ling'er, this dark rice wine has a rather strong taste!"

"Dad doesn't like it, so don't buy it for him anymore!"

As he spoke, he opened the seal, poured a bowl for Li Ru first, and then poured one for himself.

Zhou Ling was taken aback. It seemed like the last jar was finished in just two days.

It was easy to understand; Zhou Shan was afraid he would squander the spirit stones.

I felt a mix of amusement and helplessness.

"Ling'er, the academy will be holding an entrance exam for those who wish to stay in the academy the year after next. If you are able to become an outer disciple, you will need a considerable amount of money as a gift to become a disciple."

"In the future, if you have spirit stones, you should spend them sparingly."

Li Ru ladled a full bowl of meat soup for Zhou Ling and said earnestly.

"Mother, I signed a long-term contract with the Lu family workshop. From now on, I'll be able to earn more than ten low-grade spirit stones every month. I'm so happy today, let's buy a jar of wine to celebrate!"

"From now on, this amount of spirit stones will be enough for the expenses of my academy and for my cultivation. You don't need to prepare any more spirit stones for me."

Zhou Ling said with a smile.

Then he told the two about the golden brush, and fearing they wouldn't believe him, he even took out the brush's mold to show them.

"Can you really earn so many spirit stones?" Li Ru touched Zhou Ling's face, still somewhat incredulous. "Ling'er has grown up!"

It feels like my son has suddenly grown up overnight!
Zhou Shan also said excitedly, "Ling'er is so accomplished, we really should celebrate!"

The couple didn't have high expectations for Zhou Ling, as long as he could cultivate well.

I hope that in the future I can live a stable life, without having to take such risks and be so busy as they are.

But Zhou Ling is only eight years old, yet he has already earned more spirit stones than they have.

This excited them greatly.

"It's time to celebrate properly! Mom will cook two more dishes for you!"

Li Ru got up and walked to the kitchen. As she turned around, she gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Mom, there are so many dishes, how can we finish them all!" Zhou Ling couldn't help but say.

"Your mother is happy, so make more and eat slowly!" Zhou Shan said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)