Tianhe Realm occasionally taught Zhuo Ming how to make talismans, and let her use these two talisman brushes. After each use, she would clean them thoroughly with mountain spring water, cherishing them greatly.
“Without wasting hundreds of brush tips, one can’t become an outstanding Talisman Maker.”
Zhuang Jialan quoted a famous saying from the most famous talisman maker in the immortal world: there are no shortcuts to success, only the cycle of diligent study and practice.
Since Chen Mobai started learning to make talismans, he had only wasted one talisman brush, which was far from enough.
“I’ve learned my lesson, so what kind of talisman brush should I buy, in your opinion, Zhuang?
Zhuang Jialan unzipped the brush pouch hanging from her slender waist and took out the talisman brushes she used most often.
There were needle-tube brushes designed for fine lines, graphite pencils for sketching, colored pencils for simple coloring, as well as a rainbow brush filled with seven colors of ink, in addition, she had brushes made of wolf hair, goat hair, rabbit hair, purple hair, rat whiskers, and so on.
Chen Mobai’s eyes widened at the sight of Zhuang Jialan taking out a full eighteen different types of talisman brushes from her palm-sized brush pouch. He deeply felt that his attitude towards making talismans was flawed.
“In my dormitory, there are another fifty or sixty talisman brushes of different thicknesses and colors,. What I carry here are just the most common ones.”
After Zhuang Jialan finished introducing her talisman brush tools, Chen Mobai memorized them in his heart and then asked where he could buy such a complete set of tools.“The best ones are from the Heavenly Book Academy in Weiyu Dongtian, but their stuff is too expensive. A complete set of Rank-1 talisman brushes, encompassing a variety of lines and colors with a total of seventy-two brushes, would cost 108 million Good Deed Points. I only bought the seven most commonly used ones.”
Zhuang Jialan pointed to the seven rainbow brushes as she spoke. Due to her limited Good Deed Points, most of her other auxiliary talisman brushes were still cheap lower-grade Rank-1 talisman brushes, or unbranded ones with good reputations that were middle to high grade Rank-1.
“I see, I’ll order them right away.”
Chen Mobai nodded, looking serious.
He finally knew why his study of talisman engraving was so slow. The key was the lack of proper tools.
“Mom, is there still more than a million Good Deed Points in profits left in the company’s account?”
After sending Zhuang Jialan away, Chen Mobai immediately called Tang Panchui. She was the one managing the finances of Flying Sky Talisman Factory at the moment.
“Yes, why?”
“Please buy a set of auxiliary talisman brushes from the Heavenly Book Academy in the name of the company for me. I realized after consulting with a master today that the tools I use are too simple and have been negatively impacting my efficiency in learning to make talismans.”
“No problem. That money was originally intended for you anyway. Whether you buy it in the name of the company or not, it’s still for your use. This way, we not only avoid paying taxes, but can also get an invoice for tax deduction.”
If it were anyone else asking to spend Good Deed Points from the account of the Flying Sky Talisman Factory, Tang Panchui wouldn’t have agreed so readily.
Only for Chen Mobai, who, in order to take the Rank-2 Talisman Master Examination, needed to use up all the profits the factory made last year, was Tang Panchui generous, and even asked him if it was enough. After buying a set of auxiliary talisman brushes from the Heavenly Book Academy, there were still more than 50 million Good Deed Points left in the company account. Tang Panchui wanted to know if he wanted to buy more tools.
After hanging up the phone, Chen Mobai asked Zhuang Jialan if there were any other areas where he lacked in terms of tools.
Zhuang Jialan stated that other areas could be compensated by technique and practice but the area of talisman brushes could not be spared. The more wasted, the higher the technique.
“If you don’t have enough Good Deed Points, you can do like me and just buy the seven key colors first. These should be sufficient for making talismans.”
“Mm-hmm, I understand. Thank you, Committee Member Zhuang.”
After getting a definite answer, Chen Mobai immediately instructed the company’s finance department to place the order.
Under the personal supervision of Tang Panchui, the order was successfully placed that day at Heavenly Book Academy’s flagship store. Since the transfer of millions of Good Deed Points required a trip to the bank, she personally accompanied the accountant to complete the transaction before the end of the workday.
Three days later.
When Zhuang Jialan came to the student council to tutor Chen Mobai again, she was stunned to see a complete, brand-new Heavenly Book Talisman Brush Set on the table. She was so shocked that her rosy lips were agape.
“This is….”
She extended a hand excitedly, touching each one to confirm its authenticity. After confirming they were genuine, her pale cheeks turned rosy and were at a loss for words.
“Committee Member Zhuang, I don’t really know how to use these auxiliary talisman brushes. Could you teach me?”
“Alright, but I’ve only seen this on the Internet. In order to truly grasp it, I need hands-on experience to be able to teach you.”
Zhuang Jialan had finally calmed her emotions down a bit at this point.
She couldn’t help but touch the two talisman brushes that she had planned to save up for, which were currently tucked inside her Heavenly Book Collection. Her dainty eyes, framed by delicate glasses, looked at Chen Mobai, seated in his office chair, with a peculiar gleam.
Is he so rich even after Foundation Establishment because he’s the Student Council President?
As Zhuang Jialan thought of it, she asked. Having been classmates with Chen Mobai for seven years, she knew him well. He was a student with excellent behaviors and temperaments.
“You misunderstand, Miss Zhuang. Didn’t I make quite a name for myself last year in the Little Red Sky? A talisman factory from my hometown invited me to be their spokesperson. Due to local policy support…”
Chen Mobai explained everything about how he managed to get his household registration transferred and the opportunity with the Flying Talisman Factory. After hearing his story, Zhuang Jialan looked at him with envy.
She didn’t have Chen Mobai’s fame. Even if she transferred her household registration back to her hometown, the most she could hope for, she thought, was probably a piece of land, relevant policy support, and maybe a complete talisman factory, but she dared not even imagine it.
“What’s your family factory’s online store name? Will it be cheaper if I place an order there?”
“Absolutely! Just mention my name to the customer service, I will ensure you get a good deal.”
Chen Mobai patted his chest confidently, implying that he will take care of her talisman paper and talisman ink needs for the rest of her life.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jialan blushed again. She adjusted her round-framed glasses, her slender eyebrows and eyes flickered toward him. Combined with a smile that appeared on her dimpled cheek, it was a type of enchanting demeanor that Chen Mobai had never seen before.
“Then let’s forget it. I am just teaching you how to make talismans. There’s no need for such generous payback.”
Hearing this, Chen Mobai suddenly remembered he was looking for a new secretary candidate for the student council after Hua Zijing graduates. Would the person in front of him be suitable?
“Miss Zhuang, are you interested in joining the Student Council?”
Chen Mobai didn’t embarrass himself by asking her to help him manage trivial matters right from the start, but he asked her first.
“Are there any benefits?”
If she asked such a question, it means she was interested.
Chen Mobai quickly repeated the pitch that Zuo Qiushi initially used to woo him. Zhuang Jialan listened attentively, and her eyes lit up a bit when she heard that she could look at the Map of Treasures for free.
“If you join the Student Council, you’ll be my confidante, and you’re guaranteed a minimum of 5 credits per year.”
“The credits earned from the Map of Treasures, after giving half to the Daoist Academy, the rest is shared equally among the members of the Student Council. Last year, each person got 2.”
“I can’t promise much else, but as long as I’m the president, you can count on getting 7 additional credits per year.”
Zhuang Jialan was somewhat tempted by Chen Mobai’s words. After all, she understood the benefits of these credits very well.
For Chen Mobai, 7 credits were trivial, but for her, they were equivalent to nearly half of a year’s hard-earned results.
“It shouldn’t be too busy, right? I mainly want to improve my talisman-making skills.”
“Don’t worry, I personally invited you, so you are my confidante. Who would dare to assign work to you? All you need do is to help me manage some simple paperwork, just as a gesture.”
Chen Mobai wasn’t sure if Zhuang Jialan could take over the work of Hua Zijing, so he didn’t make it clear. His plan was to assign her some simple work after she joined the Student Council.
If she could handle it well, he would continue to train her.
If she was just average, then he would consider it as a reward for helping him with his studies, and let her be a little invisible presence in the Student Council.
“Let’s continue with the talisman-making first. I’ll think carefully about joining the Student Council when I go home.”
Although Zhuang Jialan was tempted, she didn’t let her mind wander.
Chen Mobai nodded, then he took out the True Void Talisman he failed to draw last night to humbly seek her advice.
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