Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

At this moment, both the man and the woman's attention was drawn to the overly familiar voice.

Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw an old man with a hunched back and a thin body, but whose cloudy eyes revealed a shrewdness, smiling at the two of them.

“Brother, you’re mistaken. My wife and I are locals.”

After a moment's thought, the honest-looking middle-aged man's eyes darted around, and he said in a deliberately shrewd manner.

"Hehe, you two fellow Daoists are not locals, you can't hide that from this old man."

The gaunt old man chuckled and said with certainty.

"How...how did you know!"

The middle-aged man was slightly taken aback, glanced at his wife beside him, and then asked with surprise and curiosity.

The elegantly dressed woman beside him was also looking at the gaunt old man opposite with great interest.

“Hehe, the local monks are often bothered by us guides, and they are not as polite as you two.”

“I am a native of Thousand Crane Immortal City. My friends here call me ‘Lord Marquis’ because they give me face. You two are new to this place and are unfamiliar with the local customs. If you are willing to spend some spirit stones, I can help you quickly understand the local customs and culture, and save you from taking unnecessary detours and spending unnecessary money.”

The gaunt old man introduced himself skillfully, while subtly sizing up the two of them.

"So you are the 'guide' of this place. Although my wife and I have come from afar, we have elders who live here year-round. We came here specifically to visit them."

Upon hearing the gaunt old man's explanation, the middle-aged man's honest face showed a moment of realization, but he still refused to speak.

"Have you two come from afar to visit your elders? Things haven't been very peaceful around Thousand Crane Immortal City lately."

The gaunt old man smiled slightly, then took out a handful of shimmering talismans from his robes and said in a low voice, "These days, there are often cultivators on the road who are prone to tribulation. Someone as beautiful as your wife is in great danger! I have some high-quality talismans here. I see that you two fellow Daoists look kind, so I'll sell some to you at a discount. What do you two think?"

As he spoke, the gaunt old man touched his lips with his finger and began counting the talismans in front of the two of them.

"This talisman of mine was made by 'Talisman Master Lin,' a renowned talisman maker in this immortal city. Its quality far surpasses other talismans of the same grade. Such a superior item is unique in the entire Thousand Crane Immortal City!"

"I might as well tell you, Master Lin and I are as close as brothers, we have a life-or-death friendship, and we have even been together... cough cough, such secret matters should not be spread."

The old man had a hint of pride on his face.

“Brother, if you’re trying to sell talismans, you’ve come to the wrong person. My husband doesn’t need any.”

The woman in elegant clothes covered her mouth and chuckled softly, glancing at her husband beside her with eyes full of pride and joy.

But the honest-looking middle-aged man's gaze was fixed on the talisman in the skinny monkey's hand, and surprise gradually appeared in his eyes.

"Brother, you're not being honest in your business dealings. These talismans are clearly not from the same person. But a few of them are indeed quite interesting."

When the topic of talismans came up, the honest-looking middle-aged man looked very serious and casually picked one out from the stack of talismans in the skinny monkey's hand.

"Husband, is there something wrong with this talisman?"

Seeing her husband's serious expression, the woman in fine clothes also came closer and couldn't help but ask with some curiosity.

"As a first-tier high-grade talisman master, I consider myself to have mastered the art of talisman making. However, compared to the owner who created this talisman, I am like a child. The depth of this person's talisman-making skills is unparalleled in my life. Indeed, there are always people more skilled than oneself. If I can visit this talisman master on this trip, I will definitely benefit greatly."

The middle-aged man's honest face showed a focused and persistent expression as he sighed.

“Brother, I am He Jincheng, a first-tier high-grade talisman master. If you can help introduce me to the owner who made this talisman, I will take all the defective talismans you have.”

The middle-aged man looked at the skinny monkey with expectant eyes.

"So you're also a talisman master!"

The skinny monkey was slightly surprised upon hearing this, but he hesitated and declined, saying, "I'm afraid... I'll have to disappoint Master He. My good brother, Master Lin, has been away on business recently and his return date is uncertain."

“If Master He is truly sincere in his desire to pay his respects, why not come with me to find a place to stay in the city and settle down? Once my brother returns, I will personally help with the introductions.”

Upon realizing that this honest-looking man was actually a talisman master, Skinny Monkey suddenly had an idea and couldn't help but suggest something.

Hearing what the skinny monkey said, He Jincheng was about to agree, and then took out a spirit stone to buy the magic talisman from the skinny monkey.

The elegantly dressed woman beside her reached out and pulled her husband back.

“Husband, since this ‘Master Lin’ is not here, let’s go visit your elder. If Uncle Lin finds out that we, as juniors, didn’t visit him first thing upon arriving here, it might displease him.”

Seeing that her husband was about to be swindled out of spirit stones, the woman in fine clothes changed the subject.

"Yes, speaking of talisman making, I had forgotten that I came here specifically to visit Uncle Lin."

He Jincheng suddenly realized what was going on. Under the expectant gaze of the skinny monkey, he put the storage bag back on his waist and then subconsciously asked, "Brother Skinny Monkey, do you know if there is a Taoist temple called 'Changchun Peak' around here?"

"Changchun Peak?!"

The skinny monkey widened his eyes and looked at the couple in front of him again.

Why are you asking about 'Changchun Peak'? Could it be that your elders' surname is 'Lin'?

The skinny monkey had a strange look on his face, his expression complicated.

The skinny monkey's reaction did not escape the notice of the elegantly dressed woman, who then seemed to be deep in thought.

"My husband and I came here specifically to visit 'Uncle Lin,' so naturally his surname is Lin."

He Jincheng looked at the skinny monkey with a puzzled expression on his honest face.

"May I ask... what is the name of Master He, that elder? And how should we address him?"

The skinny monkey hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

……

Outside the Changchun Peak Dojo.

"Brother He, look, this is the 'Changchun Peak' dojo where Master Lin is located."

"Hey, sister-in-law, watch out! There's a step ahead!"

At the foot of the mountain, the skinny monkey's concerned voice echoed.

"Oh, isn't this 'Lord Marquis'? What brings you here?"

A lighthearted, teasing male voice rang out, reaching everyone's ears.

Looking towards the sound, one could see a slightly overweight middle-aged man appearing at the foot of the mountain with a grin.

"Ahem, so it's Brother Tian Fu. I've come here on someone's behalf to bring a junior who calls himself 'Master Lin Fu' here."

Skinny Monkey chuckled sheepishly, quickly stepped aside, and pointed at He Jincheng and his wife.

"Uncle Lin's junior?"

Tian Fu looked at He Jincheng and the other person with curiosity.