"Ping'er, your bone structure is mediocre, and I'm afraid you have no hope of Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. The clan's resources are limited and cannot supply every family member. After a decision by the clan elders, we are going to send you to follow the Jinyang Sect in clearing the wasteland at Yunshan Marsh. Perhaps once you get there, you will encounter your own immortal destiny."
Inside the dim and damp wooden house.
The oil lamp was like a bean.
Shen Ping slumped over the table, looking at the half-ruined talisman, and let out a deep sigh.
The Jinyang Sect's wasteland reclamation required a massive labor force of cultivators. With his mixed four-element Spiritual Root and mediocre aptitude, the family was using him in exchange for resources. This was a completely normal occurrence within cultivation families.
Yet twenty years had passed.
Not only had he failed to encounter any so-called immortal destiny, but because of the wasteland reclamation, he had been contaminated with demonic beast venom, leaving him with a chronic illness that required spiritual power every single day to suppress the toxicity. His already sluggish cultivation had come to a complete standstill.
Now in his forties, he was still at the 3rd Layer of Qi Refining.
It was utterly agonizing.
As a proper transmigrator, he was a textbook example of a negative role model.
But there was nothing he could be done.
Without a Goldfinger, his twenty-odd years of cultivation had been like walking on thin ice, making him deeply aware of the hardships of low-level immortal cultivation.
Rumble—
Accompanied by a streak of lightning, rolling thunder shook the firmament.
Shen Ping stood up, walked over to the wooden window, and pushed it open. The pattering sound of rain washed into his ears. Looking at the purple lightning across the horizon, he said with self-derision, "Who knows which mighty figure is undergoing Tribulation Transcendence? What a pity, I'm afraid my life will never see such an opportunity."
"Enough. Twenty wasted years—it's time to accept my fate!"
As a transmigrator.
He had always firmly believed that his fate was up to him, not the heavens.
Even with a mixed four-element Spiritual Root, he had never given up the idea of striving in his cultivation. After all, there were countless successful examples of seniors with even more useless aptitudes.
Although he lacked a Goldfinger, since he could be fortunate enough to transmigrate into a transcendent world, his luck shouldn't be too low. Yet things turned out contrary to his wishes; the cruel reality had taught him an unforgettable lesson.
No matter how hard he tried.
No matter how diligent he was.
Without aptitude and without fortuitous encounters, everything was ultimately in vain, with not a shred of hope in sight.
He closed the wooden window.
That night.
Shen Ping did not painstakingly draw talismans; instead, he got a relaxed night's sleep in both body and mind.
The next day.
The rain stopped.
The roads outside were muddy, and rainwater gathered into small streams flowing continuously along eroded gullies. Stepping through the puddles, he traversed seven or eight winding alleys and arrived at the bluestone-paved main thoroughfare. Cultivators were numerous here, and both sides of the street were lined with rows of vendors, making it appear very lively.
Following the main road, he quickly walked into a storefront.
"Oh, if it isn't Fellow Daoist Shen! What a rare visitor, what a rare visitor!"
The heavily made-up female cultivator in the shop had sagging skin and layers of facial powder, and waves of fragrant wind drifted into Shen Ping's nostrils.
"Fellow Daoist Zeng, I'd like to ask a favor..."
Before he could finish speaking.
The female cultivator interrupted with a chuckle, "Rest assured, I'll definitely find you a pretty, tender young girl. Everyone who comes to me is looking to take a wife, aren't they? Fellow Daoist Shen, I advised you long ago—since Foundation Establishment is out of the question, you should put your heart into cultivating the next generation. If you'd come to your senses earlier, who knows, by now your children might have already reached Foundation Establishment!"
Shen Ping sighed, "Fellow Daoist Zeng makes complete sense!"
As he spoke, he handed Matchmaker Zeng a cloth pouch, which felt heavy.
Matchmaker Zeng opened it, glanced inside, and her smile grew even brighter. "Fellow Daoist Shen truly lives up to his name as a Talisman Master; you're certainly generous when you make a move."
Ten spiritual stones were definitely not a cheap price for matchmaking.
It hadn't been easy for Shen Ping to accumulate his wealth. Now that he had accepted his fate, he wanted to find a wife to his liking—preferably one with Spiritual Root aptitude, as any offspring would then have a high probability of possessing Spiritual Roots.
He stated his conditions.
Matchmaker Zeng hesitated for a moment before saying, "Fellow Daoist Shen, someone with Spiritual Root aptitude will be difficult. Even the lowest grade of impure Spiritual Roots is in high demand, and the cultivation partners they choose are all at the Mid Qi Refining stage. Those with even a sliver of attractiveness need to be at least at Late Qi Refining."
Shen Ping knew very well that finding a cultivation partner with Spiritual Root aptitude would be difficult. His own strength was too low, and though he knew how to make talismans, his talisman-making techniques were quite crude; to this day he was merely a low-grade Talisman Master, and his conditions were simply too poor.
"Fellow Daoist Zeng, just do your best. If you truly can't find one, I'll just have to settle for second best and find a mortal woman."Matchmaker Zeng smiled and said, "Here in Yunshan Bazaar, we might not have much else, but mortal women with slender figures and gorgeous looks—even if they lack Spiritual Roots and aptitude—are as numerous as the hairs on a cow. You can pick to your heart's content, Fellow Daoist Shen. Rest assured, I will definitely find you a woman who is more likely to give birth to offspring with Spiritual Roots!"
Shen Ping cupped his fists and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Fellow Daoist Zeng!"
He left the shop.
Without lingering, he returned straight home.
Yunshan Bazaar was established by the Jinyang Sect to develop the frontier. After twenty years, security was somewhat guaranteed. However, the area where he lived belonged to the outer perimeter of the bazaar, where incidents of people being murdered for their treasures happened frequently. Because he was relatively poor, possessed no good Dharma Artifacts, and was naturally extremely cautious in his daily life, he had managed to remain relatively safe and sound all these years.
Dozens of days passed.
Matchmaker Zeng brought news.
He visited her shop once again.
Entering the room on the second floor of the shop, the moment he stepped inside, he saw a delicate young girl anxiously twisting the hem of her dress. She was around sixteen, with skin as white and tender as water. Though her appearance could not be called stunning, she was pretty and refined.
Matchmaker Zeng smiled and said, "What do you think? Her looks and figure are quite good, right? Her name is Wang Yun. Her father was a cultivator at the 5th Layer of Qi Refining. Not long ago, he was targeted while going out and perished, leaving her behind with no one to look after her. Although she has no Spiritual Root, her body can sense spiritual qi. If she practices mortal martial arts, she can easily break through to the Xiantian realm... and most importantly, she is very well-behaved."
Hearing that very last sentence, Shen Ping instantly made up his mind. "I'll take her!"
Matchmaker Zeng beamed with joy. "Splendid! Five spiritual stones, and she is yours, Fellow Daoist Shen. When you hold the wedding banquet tomorrow, you must invite me over for a few cups!"
Shen Ping produced another five Low-Grade Spiritual Stones and left the shop with the young girl.
Two days later, they held a wedding banquet.
He sent out invitations to the neighbors in the street.
Most of the people living around his house were at the lower and middle layers of Qi Refining, and out of respect for his status as a Talisman Master, they all gave him face and came to partake in the open-air feast on the day of the wedding.
...
In the evening.
A few extra candles were lit inside the house, making it much brighter than usual.
Although the bazaar had specialized luminous crystal lamps for sale, they were quite expensive. Shen Ping had saved every penny he could over the years and never dared to indulge in buying one.
Wang Yun sat on the edge of the bed, her body tense beneath the red gauze bridal veil. With her father dead and no Spiritual Root or cultivation, she had no freedom to speak of in Yunshan Bazaar. Now, she only hoped this cultivator would treat her well.
Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, she grew even more nervous.
When the red veil was lifted, she lowered her head in bashfulness, not daring to look up at her husband.
Shen Ping could not help feeling a bit nervous himself. Although in his past life he had watched countless videos, those were limited to theory, and he had never actually engaged in real combat. Fortunately, in this life, being a cultivator—even of meager strength—meant marrying a wife posed no problem at all.
"Yun'er, it's time for us to rest."
He reached out and placed his hand on Wang Yun's shoulder.
"Husband, please be gentle..."
Hoo.
A gust of wind blew past.
The candles went out.
Soon, Shen Ping finally shed the awkwardness in his heart and became a true man.
The next day.
At break of day.
Shen Ping awoke from a sound sleep. Feeling the tender wife curled up in his arms like a small cat, a trace of melancholy involuntarily appeared on his face.
From today on, he would completely cast aside unrealistic expectations and honestly accumulate resources for his descendants. If his descendants had no Spiritual Roots, he would simply live out this ordinary life.
[You diligently practiced Dual Cultivation with your wife for a night, obtaining Talisman-making experience +10]
[Current wife's affection: 60]
[Bonus: 0]
[Talisman Master: Rank One Low-Grade (1005/1000) ready to breakthrough]
Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly noticed a virtual panel abruptly appearing at the bottom corner of his vision, bearing four lines of golden text.
Shen Ping could not help rubbing his eyes. Seeing that the virtual panel was still there, he confirmed that he was not hallucinating from overexhaustion.
"Could this be a Goldfinger?"
Excitement gradually stirred within his heart, but he did not show it on his surface. Instead, he asked his wife beside him, "Yun'er, do you see anything in front of your eyes?"
"No!"
Wang Yun replied, and then shyly said, "Husband, your concubine was fond of sleeping, I'll get up right now to cook for you."
However, Shen Ping rolled over instead.
"It's still early, let's sleep a little longer."
He had no time to spare for pampering his wife; he needed to confirm whether this was indeed a Goldfinger.