Why are the Talismans I Drawn Banned Again?!

Chapter 179: Chapter 175 Oh Mighty Snake, Please Grant Me Inspiration!

At Jade Lake Ming’an, Jiang Cheng unusually did not enter his cultivation state.

Instead, he sat on the sofa in a daze.

The emergence of the Plant Empowerment Talisman completely disrupted Jiang Cheng’s original plan.

In his original plan, he would use the Plant Autonomy Talisman to help Tongbao Pavilion lower the cost of Blood Orange Fruits, thereby helping them secure an order for Qi Blood Pills.

Once Tongbao Pavilion secured an order for Qi Blood Pills, they could then purchase Plant Autonomy Talismans from him in bulk.

This would create a win-win-win situation where he would earn money selling talismans, Tongbao Pavilion would secure orders, and the Weapon Department would receive high-quality Qi Blood Pills.

However, with the appearance of the Plant Empowerment Talisman, Miaodan Workshop outcompeted Tongbao Pavilion and secured the Qi Blood Pill order. Consequently, Tongbao Pavilion, without any orders, could not purchase Plant Autonomy Talismans.

But these were not the key issues, the key was Miaodan Workshop’s Self-Enhancement Talismans had issues.

Although the main culprits Shen Mi and Wang Xiaoqiu could not escape death, based on Jiang Cheng’s previous symbol drawing experience, talismans that caused trouble were difficult to be released again by the court and the Immortal Sect.

There was a 99.9% chance they would be banned.

Autonomy Talismans, which were exactly like the Self-Enhancement Talismans, likely wouldn’t escape unscathed and would probably be banned as well.

As a result, the Huayuan Road Store of Tongbao Pavilion, without Autonomy Talismans or Qi Blood Pills, returned to the initial situation—no business and on the verge of closing down.

Through communication with He,

Jiang Cheng learned the main reasons why Tongbao Pavilion had no business.

First, the store location was poor, with low customer traffic around it.

Second, the store’s product channels did not have a cost advantage, leading to low cost-performance ratio.

The first reason was unchangeable because the store location was managed by the Outer Sect.

Therefore, if Jiang Cheng wanted to resolve Tongbao Pavilion’s difficulties, he could only start from the second reason, the angle of the products.

To increase the cost-performance ratio of a product, there were generally two approaches.

The first was to lower the price.

The second was to improve the quality.

Pricing down was clearly not an option, because if Tongbao Pavilion could afford to drop their prices, they would have done so long ago, instead of waiting till they were about to go under without doing that.

Thereby, the only path left before Jiang Cheng was to draw a new talisman to help Tongbao Pavilion increase product quality or performance.

Taking talismans as an example, the simplest way to enhance a talisman’s performance was to “upgrade” it.

A second-tier talisman’s performance could overwhelmingly beat a first-tier talisman, but correspondingly, its price could also overwhelmingly beat a first-tier talisman’s.

In this way, not only did the cost-performance ratio of Tongbao Pavilion’s talismans not improve, but it actually got worse. Stronger but more expensive was not the result that Jiang Cheng wanted.

Therefore, Jiang Cheng had to find a way to enhance the performance of talismans without changing their tier.

But how could this be achieved?

Common methods must have already been tried by countless predecessors in the path of immortality.

If Jiang Cheng wanted to improve the performance of Tongbao Pavilion’s products to a visibly significant extent, he had to blaze a new trail and not follow the worn paths of his predecessors.

However, blazing a new trail is easier said than done—it is extremely challenging.

The current Jiang Cheng, let alone doing, didn’t even have an idea for designing a new talisman.

What should he do now?

Time and again, Jiang Cheng found himself without inspiration in talisman drawing.

At such times, his eyes would involuntarily look towards the balcony.

Although Dora Aqing couldn’t provide him with inspiration for drawing talismans every time, at least six or seven out of ten times, his inspiration came from her.

The most typical talismans, such as the Animal Encouragement Talisman and the Plant Autonomy Talisman, without exception, all originated from Snake.

All-powerful Snake, please grant me inspiration!

Jiang Cheng silently cried out.

Seemingly sensing a familiar scent and noticing a familiar gaze, Liu Qing turned over on her lounge chair and her clear, beautiful eyes locked with Jiang Cheng’s for two seconds before she consciously got down from the lounge chair and took a seat on the sofa, closer to Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng continued to watch Liu Qing, trying to awaken the storm of inspiration deep within him through Snake.

Liu Qing blinked. She felt that Jiang Cheng was inviting her to come closer. But uncertain, she could only cautiously shuffle on the sofa.

Jiang Cheng did not react.

After sensing that Jiang Cheng didn’t reject her approach, Liu Qing continued to shift her buttocks slightly.

Jiang Cheng frowned.

Thereupon, Liu Qing immediately ceased her movements.

Jiang Cheng’s brows smoothed.

Liu Qing continued to shift covertly.

Ten minutes later, Liu Qing finally arrived just three centimeters away from Jiang Cheng’s thigh.

Just as she was about to move closer, she heard Jiang Cheng say helplessly, “Liu Qing, that’s too close.”

“What?”

“You’re too close to me.”

“That’s not true.”

“Wait, don’t move yet.”

Jiang Cheng immediately stopped Liu Qing from moving any closer.

Although Liu Qing indeed didn’t move any closer, her tranquil eyes fixated on Jiang Cheng without wavering.

It was as if she was demanding a reasonable explanation from him.

Why couldn’t she move closer?

Jiang Cheng said with a slight embarrassment, “You are a female cultivator, and I am a male cultivator, men and women should not touch each other; that’s one aspect. On the other hand… I am actually a healthy male cultivator without any dysfunction. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Liu Qing shook her head, clearly not understanding.

To her, Jiang Cheng was a friend, and she didn’t dislike him. Just being a bit closer, why was that not allowed?

She naturally liked to cling to things she was fond of.

Jiang Cheng sighed and explained in a way that even a snake could understand, “It’s just that if you are too close to me, I might lose control and emit a sort of smelly scent unique to male animals.”

“In heat?” Liu Qing said.

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and admitted, “Very blunt, but more or less the same meaning.”

Liu Qing gently sniffed.

Among the countless scents in the air, she swiftly pinpointed Jiang Cheng’s.

At the moment, although Jiang Cheng still had the clean and fresh scent she liked, it was also mingled with a trace of the aggressive scent characteristic of male animals.

Jiang Cheng had always been perceived by Liu Qing as gentle, polite, easy to talk to, and reasonable.

Liu Qing had a very pleasant relationship with Jiang Cheng, which caused her to often forget the fact that their genders were different.

Today, she finally realized that Jiang Cheng was not a saint without desires or needs.

He, too, could release those pheromones that she hated, the ones associated with male creatures.

However, the difference between Jiang Cheng and other males was that Jiang Cheng had always been very self-controlled and maintained a respectful and polite distance from her.

This was entirely out of respect for her, not because Jiang Cheng disliked her.

Because from the pheromones that Jiang Cheng emitted, it was clear that, deep inside, he actually didn’t mind physical contact with her.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes, mouth, and brain might deceive a snake, but his scent would not.

“Just sit here, and I’ll take a look around to find some inspiration for drawing talismans,” said Jiang Cheng.

Liu Qing nodded and made no other moves.

Neither of them spoke, sitting silently with three centimeters of safe distance between them.

Half an hour later, Jiang Cheng scratched his head and said, “It’s finished, I might have developed resistance from looking at you for inspiration every time before. Now it’s no longer effective.”

Liu Qing didn’t speak and listened silently.

Jiang Cheng without inspiration to draw talismans was a very serious matter.

Without new talismans from Jiang Cheng, there would be no income for the household.

Consequently, she would have no work, only able to sunbathe every day, freeloading off Jiang Cheng for food, shelter, and salary.

“If there’s resistance, what should we do?” she asked.

Jiang Cheng analyzed rationally, “The simplest method is to increase the dosage, that is, use something stronger to stimulate the brain.”

Stimulate the brain?

He used to look at me just to stimulate his brain?

So what could provide a stronger stimulus?

Recalling past events, Liu Qing silently stretched out her hand.