# Chapter 8: The Postnatal Jade Talisman
Ding Hao shook his head. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Miss Min, but I have no such plans for now." To himself, he thought: *Why would I need to learn? I can guide anyone into perfect tranquil meditation anytime, anywhere! I'm already a Grandmaster Guide!*
He would never say these words aloud, so he continued, "Actually, Miss Min, there's something you don't know. The immortal root I wish to awaken will cost a great deal, so I want to use this method—helping people enter tranquil meditation—to earn some silver."
"I see." Min Qingqiu nodded.
"I'm sure plenty of people would be willing to pay for tranquil meditation!" Boss Shang, quite the shrewd businessman, hastily added, "From what I know, many families with eight-year-old sons who haven't awakened are anxious and need someone to help them enter meditation. Besides, there are also some Innate experts who have already awakened their immortal roots and would need such services as well..."
"I don't serve Innate experts." Ding Hao waved his hand. Innate experts had all cultivated martial techniques. These people were cunning of mind and possessed strength—a risk that they might do him harm could not be ruled out.
Ding Hao was a rather cautious person.
"Only serving the unawakened works too," Boss Shang nodded. "Twenty taels per person for low-level meditation, one hundred taels per person for mid-level—very profitable!"
"One hundred taels!" Ding Hao's eyes went wide. Keep in mind, the Ding family's national stipend was only fifty taels a month. If helping someone meditate earned one hundred taels per session, he would be rich!
Boss Shang nodded. "One hundred taels is nothing. Everyone hopes their children will become dragons and phoenixes. Take me, for example—if you help my son Xiaohai enter meditation, never mind one hundred taels, I'd willingly pay even more! If he could break open his immortal aperture and awaken his immortal root, I'd have no regrets even if it meant losing everything I own!"
"Well said!"
Ding Hao was overjoyed, thinking to himself, *Old Ancestor, oh Old Ancestor—thank goodness you left me this black stone, otherwise life in this world would truly be difficult!*
Watching Ding Hao and Boss Shang talk endlessly about money, Min Qingqiu stood to the side, silent and unable to get a word in. Of course, she felt some disdain in her heart—at the Nine Provinces Academy, everyone talked about cultivation, unlike Ding Hao, who couldn't go three sentences without mentioning silver.
Half an hour later, Xiaohai awoke, and Boss Shang went inside to ask after his son.
Only then did Ding Hao remember he had been neglecting Min Qingqiu. He smiled bitterly. "Miss Min, you may find us a bit vulgar, always going on about silver. But you chosen children of heaven—how could you know the hardships of us little people? Perhaps silver is no problem for you, but for us, eating requires silver, drinking requires silver, pills require silver, cultivation requires silver—and a cultivator like me needs even more silver!"
Min Qingqiu was kind-hearted and considerate of others. She nodded. "It's fine, I understand you. If I'm not mistaken, you must be deliberately avoiding your awakening, planning to use this time to strengthen your body, meridians, and spirit, so that when you awaken, you'll gain a high-grade immortal root?"
This woman was truly brilliant as ice and snow—she had guessed Ding Hao's intention in one stroke.
Ding Hao nodded. "You're exactly right, Miss Min. That's why I need large quantities of pills, and those pills all require silver to purchase!"
"Looks like I guessed right!" Min Qingqiu was quite pleased as well. She continued, "Then after your immortal root awakens, will it reach fourth grade or above? If it reaches fourth grade or above, you must participate in the year-end joint examination! Pass the examination, and you'll earn the opportunity to study at the Nine Provinces Academy—and you'll also receive the Ascension Steps bestowed by Heaven's Will!"
"Study at the Nine Provinces Academy, and receive the Ascension Steps too!" Ding Hao's eyes lit up. "What are the Ascension Steps?"
Min Qingqiu said, "Some things, you'll naturally learn when you reach that point."
With that, she also took out her pouch, drew a piece of paper from within, and said, "I can see you need money. Here's a banknote—I hope you succeed soon."
To Min Qingqiu's surprise, Ding Hao pushed the banknote back. "A gentleman loves wealth, but gains it in the right way! I appreciate your kindness, Miss Min, but now that I have a means of making a living, I won't take money for nothing." Ding Hao thought to himself, *Taking a woman's money? I'm no pretty boy kept by a lady! If I accepted her money, I'm afraid I'd be one notch lower in her eyes!*
"You..." Min Qingqiu looked curiously at this young man. Clearly in desperate need of money, yet refusing her kindness—it was truly surprising.
Ding Hao thought to himself, *That's exactly the effect I wanted!*
He then said, "If Miss Min wishes to help me, then there is actually something I'd like to ask for."
Having been refused, Min Qingqiu felt this young man had real backbone, and her fondness for him grew several degrees. She asked, "Brother Ding, whatever you need, just speak up."
Young Master Ding had become Brother Ding—clearly they were on more familiar terms now. Ding Hao knew his refusal of the banknote had been the right move.
"Well then, Sister Qingqiu—" this fellow Ding Hao was a master at climbing the pole when the snake extended, immediately calling her "sister"—he continued, "When I help people meditate, there's no way to tell what level they've reached. But your jade talisman is quite miraculous, so if it's convenient, Sister Qingqiu, I'd like that jade talisman."
"Oh, this? Sure." Min Qingqiu agreed without a moment's hesitation.
In truth, this jade talisman was genuinely a good item. At the Nine Provinces Academy, only certified Guides could receive one—it couldn't be bought with money on the outside market!
Ding Hao had refused a thousand-tael banknote, gained an incredibly valuable jade talisman, and earned Min Qingqiu's appreciation—an enormously profitable deal.
This was precisely the principle of *she de*: only by giving up can one gain.
Min Qingqiu took out the jade talisman. "Brother Ding, let me explain how to use it. This is a Postnatal Testing Jade Talisman, specifically for testing those with Postnatal cultivation. It can not only measure the depth of your tranquil meditation, but also test the strength of your body, meridians, and spirit! Generally speaking, red is the lowest, pink slightly better, yellow above average. When it reaches green, that's already the limit of this testing talisman—to test any higher would require an Innate Testing Jade Talisman."
"So that's how it is—this talisman is truly useful to me! Sister Qingqiu, thank you!"
Being able to test the strength of his body, meridians, and spirit—Ding Hao was delighted.
At this moment, Boss Shang and Xiaohai walked out side by side. After just a short mid-level meditation, Xiaohai's irritable temperament had grown much calmer. He cupped his fists. "Big Brother Ding, thank you! This is the first time in my life I've entered meditation so deeply. I feel wonderful."
Ding Hao felt both Boss Shang and his son were decent people. He nodded. "Xiaohai, starting tomorrow, come here every day. Gradually your restlessness will be suppressed and your temperament will grow calm. In a few days, with your own improvement combined with my guidance, we'll make a push for high-level meditation!"
"High-level meditation!" A strange light shot from Boss Shang's eyes. "If he enters high-level meditation, Xiaohai will absolutely have a chance to awaken his immortal root! Young Master Ding, this is all your credit! I'll properly reward you again later!"
Ding Hao smiled. "No great reward is necessary—just help spread my name."
"Of course, rest assured!"
"Brother Ding, we'll take our leave now."
As soon as Boss Shang and the others left, Ding Hao hurried back to his room, eager to test the levels of his body, meridians, and spirit.
*Body* referred to the strength of the physical form.
Different parts of a person's body had different strengths. Someone who used their legs often would have legs stronger than the average person; someone who used their arms frequently would have arm muscles stronger than most.
So Ding Hao removed his outer garment and pressed the jade talisman against his thigh.
"Dark red—the very worst!"
On his arm: "Dark red—the very worst!"
Chest muscles: "Dark red—the very worst!"
Abdominal muscles: "Dark red..."
"Damn it!" Ding Hao thought, *This body really is useless. Never mind others looking down on it—even I look down on it!*
His entire body was second-rate goods. But Ding Hao wasn't quite ready to give up. He pulled down his shorts and placed the jade talisman on a certain spot...
Oh? This part was actually quite strong. Young Master Ding's "little brother," without any enhancement whatsoever, actually reached yellow—at last, he had found a shred of confidence.
"Can't say I'm completely worthless after all." After saying this, Ding Hao put his clothes back on and began testing his meridians.
Testing meridian strength was even simpler—blow a forceful breath at the talisman.
"Just as expected—red again. Though not dark red, it's not much better."
The last test was spiritual power. This was Ding Hao's strong suit—it actually surpassed yellow, reaching yellow-green! It was quickly approaching the highest level, green!
"To think my spiritual power is about to reach its peak. Clearly, this is the result of achieving perfect tranquil meditation every night these past few days!"
"It's fine. Even though my constitution and meridians are both terrible, if spiritual power can be improved, why can't constitution and meridians be improved as well? I can definitely do it!"
After finishing these tests, Ding Hao took out the small pouch Boss Shang had given him. Opening it, he found, sure enough, a thousand-tael banknote.
The banknotes of this world were no ordinary things. Each note carried a wisp of spiritual power stamped by Heaven's Will—forging one was absolutely impossible.
Ding Hao could clearly sense that black stone stirring eagerly again, wanting him to absorb that spiritual power.
But Ding Hao wasn't so foolish. To void a thousand-tael banknote for such a tiny bit of spiritual power—what a terrible loss.
Unexpectedly, Boss Shang proved true to his word. That very afternoon he brought two friends along. Both of them had juniors in their families who couldn't awaken and had difficulty entering meditation, so they brought them along.
One hundred taels per person—two hundred taels collected from the two of them. Ding Hao earned it in a delightful mood.
A day passed. Ding Hao held the twelve-hundred-tael banknote in his pouch, and his heart settled considerably. With enough silver, his constitution and meridians would quickly improve, and then he could open his very own immortal root!
In the still of night, a dark shadow flashed—Big Yellow squeezed in through the door crack.
This beast was quite clever. After several sessions of tranquil meditation, it had sensed the benefits, and now every night, right on schedule, it came of its own accord.
Ding Hao tested Big Yellow with the jade talisman and discovered that Big Yellow's constitution was far better than his own. He couldn't help cursing himself as a piece of trash once more.