Although selling talismans here is considered an act of promoting superstition, the government hasn’t strictly banned it. In Ninghai, there’s a large mixed market called the ‘Haibao Antique Trading Market’, also known as ‘Haibao Garden’. Here, not only are there vendors selling all kinds of antiques and rare treasures, but there are also people like Ethan Brooks selling talismans.

Ethan Brooks had looked at the talismans sold by these people; they were all ordinary yellow paper talismans without any spiritual energy, and naturally had no effect. However, they were sold very cheaply, just a dozen to a few dozen yuan each, rarely exceeding a hundred.

Of course, Ethan Brooks’s talismans couldn’t be sold that cheaply. If he really sold them at such low prices, he might as well go get a regular job.

To avoid being recognized, which could affect his peaceful cultivation life in the future—or even risk being caught and used as a guinea pig—Ethan Brooks wore large sunglasses and a hat with a low brim. He came to ‘Haibao Garden’, picked a corner like a fortune-teller, and set up a small stall. He laid a few talismans on a piece of black cloth, and thus opened for business.

Although there were many city management officers in Ninghai, there were none in ‘Haibao Garden’. So, no one came to lecture Ethan Brooks, which actually saved him a lot of trouble.

If other people’s yellow paper talismans relied on quantity to make money, Ethan Brooks knew his talismans could only be sold to those who truly recognized their value. If someone didn’t know what they were looking at, they would never buy his talismans.

“Hey, there’s even an ‘Evil-Repelling Talisman’. What’s this? Hey, boss, how much is your ‘Evil-Repelling Talisman’ per piece?” A man and a woman walked up to Ethan Brooks, and the man asked.

Ethan Brooks hadn’t expected that as soon as he set up his stall, someone would come to ask about the price. He immediately stood up happily and said, “All talismans are ten thousand each…”

“Crazy…” Before Ethan Brooks could finish, he was met with those three words and the sight of two people walking away without looking back.

Chapter Four: The First Customer

Ethan Brooks hadn’t even had the chance to say that the nearly first-grade ‘Clear Mind Talisman’ was twenty thousand yuan, before being called crazy. But he wasn’t too discouraged, after all, his talismans were only for those who truly recognized their worth—only such people could see that his talismans carried a faint trace of spiritual energy.

However, to Ethan Brooks’s disappointment, his stall had been set up for five days in a row, with plenty of people asking questions, but not a single sale. In fact, his talisman stall had already become famous in ‘Haibao Garden’, because he was selling a yellow paper talisman for ten thousand yuan.

Most people didn’t come to buy talismans, but to see what a ten-thousand-yuan yellow paper talisman looked like. Ethan Brooks’s stall had become a big joke in ‘Haibao Garden’. Other people’s talismans were half the size of an A4 sheet, while his were only palm-sized, with one even being just half a palm. The price was unprecedentedly high, over ten thousand, and he wouldn’t even bargain. It was hard not to become famous this way.

By the ninth day, Ethan Brooks was already feeling a bit discouraged. He was certain that no one here could recognize his goods. Only he knew that his talismans weren’t expensive even at ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand, but having a fine horse without a discerning buyer was pointless.

Ethan Brooks decided that today would be the last day. If no one showed interest in his talismans, he would go to the labor market to find a job, otherwise he wouldn’t even have food to eat.

The novelty only lasted a few days. Although many people had come to see his ten-thousand-yuan talismans, the curiosity had clearly faded, and there were very few visitors now.

Ethan Brooks was quite bored and was about to pack up his stall, when a conversation between a man and two women walking toward him caught his attention. Although they were far away, his hearing was far from ordinary, and he could hear them clearly.

“Emily, everyone here is selling snake oil. Only superstitious people come here. You’ve already bought plenty of magical items. In my opinion, you should just give it up. I’ve already contacted a famous neurology hospital in France. Why not transfer your mother there for treatment?” The speaker was a tall, handsome man—a real looker.

The woman was also tall, with a cold expression, noble temperament, and fair skin—an absolute beauty. Sarah from class was considered pretty, but compared to this woman, she was nothing. Ethan Brooks really couldn’t understand how his former self was so unambitious, to even be interested in someone like Sarah.

But this beauty looked very cold, with a hint of sorrow between her brows. After hearing the handsome man’s words, the woman called Emily frowned even more deeply. It wasn’t that she didn’t want her mother to go to the hospital. Over the past three years, she had taken her mother to six medically advanced countries and visited more than a dozen hospitals, but her mother’s condition had shown no improvement.

“David Turner, I didn’t ask you to come with me—you insisted on following. Haven’t I taken my mother to enough hospitals over the years? You’ve recommended five or six yourself, but my mother is still unconscious. If you’re impatient, feel free to leave.” Her tone was icy, clearly showing little affection for the handsome man beside her.