I have a panel that reduces proficiency.

Chapter 5 Array Cultivation Business

Three days later.

As dawn broke, a bell rang from the Sanpan Temple, its echoes reverberating down the mountain.

The little monkey boy suddenly opened his eyes and scrambled up from the base of the wall.

He huddled in a corner of a house's courtyard wall, meditating by taking advantage of the spiritual energy escaping from the spirit-locking array at night—it was an old habit of his.

It was just getting light, and the people inside were barely awake; it was the perfect time to slip away unnoticed.

Just as he was about to slip away, he suddenly heard a creak behind him, and the door opened.

"You little monkey!"

Wu Tong shrank back, forcing a smile, and said, "Master Zhao, Master Zhao, please calm down. I was just passing by, just passing by..."

The homeowner's surname was Zhao, and his given name was Hu. He was a hunter who sold animal hides at the west end of Panshi. He was tall and burly, and had a cultivation level of the second level of Qi Refining.

He glared at Wu Tong and sneered, "Just passing by? My Spirit-Locking Array keeps failing every few days, and it's always you, you monkey, squatting by the wall. Do you think I'm blind? Go, go and call that Li Daoyuan to repair the array, or I'll break your legs!"

Wu Tong nodded hurriedly, grinning, "Alright, alright, Master Zhao, don't be angry, I'll go right away, I'll go right away!"

Before he finished speaking, he dashed out of the alley.

At this moment, the entire town of Qiyuan seemed to awaken, with people carrying loads, leading animals, carrying medicine baskets, and driving livestock, swarming into the market like ants rushing to their nest.

Wu Tong weaved through the crowd, running fast yet cautiously.

As he ran, he looked around, and whenever he saw a rogue cultivator with an unfriendly expression, he would walk around or avoid them.

As a rootless and unruly child, he was the lowest of the low in Qiyuan Town. Any rogue cultivator who disliked him could beat him up for nothing.

Before long, he arrived at the quiet alley where Li Daoyuan's house was located.

From afar, he saw two people standing in front of the vermilion gate.

One of them was Li Daoyuan, who was bowing deeply with a smile on his face, repeatedly cupping his hands in greeting to the other person.

The other person was about twenty years old, wearing a turban and an apricot-yellow Taoist robe, with a gold sash around his waist, just like a disciple of the Sanpan Temple.

The man had an arrogant expression. After saying a few words, Li Daoyuan nodded repeatedly and bowed.

After saying that, the disciple of Sanpan Temple turned and left. Li Daoyuan also straightened his clothes and followed closely behind, disappearing around the street corner in an instant.

Wu Tong huddled behind the locust tree at the alley entrance, watching helplessly as Li Daoyuan walked away.

How could he dare to approach and strike up a conversation at this juncture?

The matter of the Three Plates Temple must be a matter for God.

Wu Tong could only sigh and grit his teeth as he ran back.

He returned to Zhao Hu's door and knocked.

"Knock knock knock—"

The door opened, and Zhao Hu poked his head out. Seeing that he had returned alone, his face darkened: "Where's Li Daoyuan?"

Wu Tong rubbed his hands together awkwardly and said, "Master Zhao, Master Li... he went out on business and isn't home."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hu cursed, "You little monkey! You can't even get one person to come, what good are you!"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Wu Tong.

Wu Tong was prepared. He ducked down, slipped under Zhao Hu's arm, and ran away.

Zhao Hu cursed, "Run? Where do you think you're going!"

He took big strides and chased after them.

Logically speaking, Zhao Hu was at the second level of Qi Refining, while Wu Tong was only at the first level. Their magical power was vastly different, so if they really used their magical power to chase and capture him, they could be caught in an instant.

But Zhao Hu couldn't bear to part with it.

It's not worth damaging your meridians over something so trivial.

Even so, Zhao Hu had long legs and a long stride, one step of his was equivalent to two steps of Wu Tong's, and his physical strength far surpassed that of the frail child.

At this rate, it won't be long before we catch up.

Wu Tong panicked and wandered aimlessly through the alleys, until suddenly a familiar courtyard gate appeared before him.

He lunged forward, pounding on the door with his fists: "Brother Fang! Brother Fang! Open the door! Help!"

The door was not sturdy to begin with, and Fang Shi had only hastily repaired it a few days ago. How could it withstand such forceful knocking?

With a loud bang, the latch slipped off, and the two doors swung open.

Inside the courtyard, Fang Shizheng stood in the center, performing the "Seven Steps to Invite the Spirit".

Hearing the noise, she slightly opened her eyes, glanced at Wu Tong panting at the door, her expression unchanged, then slowly closed them again, continuing to take the last step, completely undisturbed.

At this moment, Zhao Hu also caught up.

Stepping through the courtyard gate, he bent down and lifted Wu Tong up like a chick, cursing, "You rascal! I told you to invite Li Daoyuan, and you couldn't, yet you dare to run away! Today I'll break both your legs, and see if you dare to steal my spiritual energy again!"

Wu Tong was hoisted into the air, his legs kicking wildly. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brother Fang! Business is here!"

Fang Shi slowly brought his hands together, drawing the spiritual energy from his palms into his dantian.

Upon hearing the word "business," he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning, and shot towards Wu Tong.

Zhao Hu caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye and said, "Fellow Daoist Fang, don't meddle in other people's business. This monkey is stealing the spiritual energy from my house. I'm just catching him and teaching him a lesson. It's none of your concern."

Wu Tong said urgently, "Brother Fang, Master Li isn't home! You know how to repair spirit-locking arrays, business is booming!"

Fang Shi carefully channeled the last wisp of spiritual energy into his dantian, and the spiritual light around his body dissipated.

[Seven Steps to Summon Spirits Proficiency +1]

【Seven Steps to Invoking Spirits (Beginner): 58/100】

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, so you're worried about that Spirit-Locking Array. Unfortunately, Fellow Daoist Li has gone out on business and probably won't be back for a while. Could I take a look? If I can fix it, I'll do it for you."

Zhao Hu looked Fang Shi up and down, his brows furrowing slightly.

He had seen Fang Shi selling talismans at the market and recognized his face, but he had never heard that Fang Shi could also perform array formations.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, aren't you a specialist in talismans? How come you also know how to cultivate arrays?"

Fang Shi smiled slightly and said, "What Fellow Daoist Zhao said is true—you don't specialize in array cultivation either, but if your Spirit Locking Array is just a minor problem, I'm afraid you'd be willing to fix it yourself, right? We rogue cultivators all need to know a little bit of everything, it's just that we're not as proficient as Fellow Daoist Li."

Zhao Hu said, "If I could repair it myself, why would I need to ask Li Daoyuan? If I'm going to ask someone, I'll naturally ask someone who specializes in it. You're just a talisman drawer; if word gets out that I need you to repair the array, won't people laugh at me?"

Fang Shi said, "That's not how it works. Fellow Daoist Li isn't here, and you're just waiting anyway, so why not let me give it a try? What if it works? I won't charge you much, just one shattered spirit."

Zhao Hu said, "What if I break it during the repair? You've made my spirit-locking array even worse, who am I supposed to complain to then?"

Fang Shi said, "That's easy. If I mess it up, I'll compensate you. I've been selling talismans in Qiyuan Town for years, and I value my reputation above all else. If you don't believe me, you can go around spreading the word—saying that I, Fang Shi, took your broken spirit, messed up your array, and then refused to admit it. If that gets out, will I still be able to sell my talismans?"

Zhao Hu pondered for a moment, considering his options.

The monkey went to invite Li Daoyuan, but failed. This is probably true.

Li Daoyuan is a big shot, has a lot of work to do, and is often away from home every few days.

If we wait for him to return on his own, who knows how much spiritual energy will have been lost.

Although Fang Shi is only a talisman drawer, there are many capable people among the independent cultivators, and he might actually have some skills.

The price of a broken spirit is such that if it's repaired, you make a profit; if it's damaged, someone will compensate you. No matter how you look at it, you're not losing money.

Zhao Hu said, "Alright. But let me make this clear from the start—if you damage it, you can't skimp on the repair costs, not even a single grain of spirit fragment will be spared."

Fang vowed, "It's a deal."