The entry for cultivating immortality states that after dying a hundred times, I attained immortalit

The next day.

Jiang Bai finished his night of cultivation and opened his eyes.

The poisonous spiritual energy in his palm was even stronger than last night.

He had refined all four bottles of snake venom, and his cultivation level remained steadily at the mid-stage of the first level of Qi Refining.

Looking at the spiritual energy in his palm, Jiang Bai said somewhat unwillingly, "It's still not enough."

However, being able to embark on a spiritual journey has brought a certain sense of security.

He must find out the origin of the needle found at yesterday's market and who is behind it.

After getting ready, Jiang Bai went out again and went to the market.

He went directly to the west side of the market.

Simply because Li's blacksmith shop was located there.

Their shop sign is very eye-catching.

On the black plaque with gold lettering, three striking wave-shaped water patterns are engraved.

The shop is small, but the storefront is extremely tidy.

Behind the counter stood a lean, middle-aged man wearing a gray cloth jacket, his arm muscles clearly defined, wiping a newly forged short knife with a soft cloth.

He is Mr. Li, the owner of this store.

Seeing Jiang Bai enter, Boss Li looked up and asked, "What does the guest need? Weapons or farm tools?"

Jiang Bai walked to the counter, took out a cloth bag from his bosom, unfolded it, revealing the fine needles inside.

"Boss, I'd like to ask if this needle came from your shop?"

Mr. Li suddenly stopped what he was doing.

He put down the dagger, took the cloth bag, and picked up the thin needle to examine it carefully.

Jiang Bai noticed that the other person frowned slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes.

"This needle..."

Boss Li put the fine needle back into the cloth bag and pushed it back to Jiang Bai, saying in a calm tone, "The material is black scale iron, and it's quenched with the venom of a blue scorpion's tail. The polishing technique on the needle's tail is indeed a unique skill of my Li family."

Jiang Bai felt a chill run down his spine; it was just as he had guessed.

"Black scale iron? Is this material very rare?" he asked, feigning curiosity.

"It's not too rare, but it's extremely time-consuming to extract."

Boss Li picked up the cloth again to wipe the short knife. "Black scale iron comes from the Tianhen Mountain vein. It has more impurities and less toughness than iron ore. It needs to be repeatedly forged and quenched more than nine times to meet the standards of a hidden weapon. In the entire Ping'an County, there are no more than three shops that can process this kind of material."

"Then the only company that can make such fine needles is Li's?" Jiang Bai pressed.

Boss Li paused in wiping the knife, then looked up at him: "The customer is asking such detailed questions, are you planning to order a batch?"

"That's definitely the idea."

Jiang Bai remained unfazed. "I recently took on a job escorting goods. The roads are quite dangerous, so I wanted to prepare some self-defense items. These fine needles are highly concealed, and their potency is considerable after being poisoned, making them perfect for my needs."

"Customization is no problem."

Boss Li put down the soft cloth. "But black scale iron is difficult to refine, with a high failure rate. The production time will be at least a month, and the price is not cheap. Fifty needles will cost ten low-grade spirit stones, and a 30% deposit is required upfront."

"So expensive?" Jiang Bai frowned.

"The materials are rare, and the labor costs are high. Moreover, we only accept orders for these needles from regular customers. If a new customer orders, we need to check their background first to avoid getting into trouble."

"Only accepting regular customers?"

Jiang Bai obtained another crucial piece of information: "Who were the people who ordered these needles before?"

Boss Li's eyes sharpened.

"Guest, asking about this is a bit inappropriate."

Jiang Bai's heart tightened; he knew he couldn't ask any more questions.

He smiled and packed up the cloth bag: "I was being presumptuous. Here's what I'll do: I'll go back and think about it. If I decide to order, I'll come back to see you, boss."

Take care.

Boss Li nodded, then lowered his head to wipe the dagger again, no longer looking at him.

Jiang Bai turned and walked out of the blacksmith shop.

Standing on the street, he glanced back at the Li Ji signboard, his eyes darkening.

Mr. Li's reaction has already explained a lot.

This needle is definitely related to Li's blacksmith shop, and behind the blacksmith shop stands the Li family.

If this needle truly belonged to the Li family, then yesterday's attack at the market might not have been an internal family struggle, but rather involved external forces.

But Mr. Li's statement, "We only accept regular customers," made Jiang Bai sense something else.

Regular customer.

What kind of person qualifies as a regular customer of Li's Iron Shop?

Are they cultivators who regularly order weapons? Or are they from a family that does business with the Li family?

still is……

The exploration can only go so far.

Boss Li is tight-lipped; asking any more questions will only alert him.

If you want to know more, you'll have to find another way.

It was late at night, past midnight.

Jiang Bai changed into a dark gray outfit. This old outfit, with its dull color, was suitable for nighttime activities.

He tied his hair up tightly and covered his face with a black cloth.

Pushing open the window, Jiang Bai flipped and jumped out.

His cultivation at the first level of Qi Refining made his body much lighter than that of an ordinary person, and his five senses were also much sharper.

More importantly, the [Killing Intent Perception] was always kept active.

The Jiang family mansion was quiet in the night, with only the chirping of insects remaining.

Jiang Bai crouched in the shadows of the corner, his [Killing Intent Perception] allowing him to clearly "sense" the patrol team's location, distance, and even the area their gaze swept across.

It's like having a dynamic map in your mind.

"This entry is even more useful than I thought."

Jiang Bai thought to himself, and seizing the opportunity when the patrol team turned around, he crouched down and darted into another shadowy spot.

With a few leaps, he scaled the wall of the Jiang family mansion.

The streets of Ping'an County were deserted.

Following the route he had noted down during the day, Jiang Bai walked briskly toward the market.

The night breeze was cool and damp on my face.

As Jiang Bai walked, he reviewed the conversation from the daytime in his mind.

If that thin needle was indeed recently made, then the person who ordered it must have had contact with Li's Blacksmith Shop within the past month.

Moreover, becoming a "regular customer" indicates that it's not their first transaction.

Half an hour later, he arrived outside the market.

The market was silent at this moment, with only a few lanterns hanging on the street, casting a dim yellow glow.

Li's Iron Shop is located on the third street on the west side of the market.

Jiang Bai didn't go through the main entrance, but instead went around to the back of the shop.

The backyard had a mud wall about two people high. Jiang Bai took a few steps back, ran up, pushed off the wall, and flipped over it with his hands on top. He rolled as he landed, dissipating the force without making a sound.

The backyard wasn't big; it was piled with iron and charcoal, and there was a shed in the corner, which was probably a blacksmith's workshop.

The lights were on in the main room.

Two figures were projected onto the paper window, seemingly engaged in conversation.

Jiang Bai held his breath, moved close to the wall to the window, and listened intently.

The voice of Boss Li came from inside the house, less polite and more impatient than during the day.

"This shipment can't be delayed any longer. You need twenty daggers forged from black scale iron. I've already rushed to finish fifteen, and the remaining five will be delivered by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

Another man's voice rang out, somewhat high-pitched:

"The day after tomorrow? The Grand Elder is pressing us hard; this batch of goods is needed urgently. Can you expedite it?"

Upon hearing these three words, Jiang Bai, standing outside the window, was startled.

Could it be the Grand Elder of the Jiang family?!

Boss Li snorted, "Fast? Black scale iron needs to be quenched every time it's forged. After nine forgings, the scrap rate is a full 30%! Last time, you said you needed those fine needles urgently, so I rushed to get them out, and how much material did we waste? Now you want daggers and are rushing the deadline. Do you really think I'm made of iron?"

Fine needle!

Jiang Bai's eyes sharpened.

The man with the high-pitched voice must be the elder's confidant.

"Material loss will be compensated for in your payment."

The confidant's tone softened slightly, "But this time we must succeed. That kid is too tough; the needles failed to kill him, but instead alerted him. The Grand Elder is very displeased."

Boss Li: "Unhappy? I'm the one who's unhappy! We agreed that we were just dealing with a junior with no cultivation, but what happened? That kid seems to have cultivation, I can sense it, and he almost saw through me during the day! Don't drag me into your Jiang family's internal affairs."

The confidant sneered, "It's too late to talk about this now. From the moment you took on your first job, you've been 'one of us.' Don't worry, your reward will double after it's done. Besides, the Grand Elder said that if we succeed this time, the Li family will get an extra 10% profit from all future medicinal herb deals."

Boss Li remained silent for a moment.

When he spoke again, his tone was gentler: "Alright. The dagger will be delivered on time the day after tomorrow. But let me make this clear, this is the last time. After this, don't come looking for me again when your Jiang family is fighting amongst yourselves."

"The last time?"

The confidant laughed, "Boss Li, that's not up to you. But don't worry, as long as you cooperate obediently, you'll get your share of the benefits."

At this point in the conversation, the sound of a chair being moved could be heard from inside the room.

Jiang Bai knew he couldn't stay any longer.

He was about to quietly back away when his foot accidentally stepped on a loose brick.

"Click."

A slight sound.

The room fell silent instantly.

"Who?!"

Boss Li's stern shout rang out.

Jiang Bai felt a chill run down his spine and turned to run!

He had only taken two steps when the backyard door was suddenly pushed open!

Boss Li and his shrewish confidant rushed out. Both of them were at the mid-stage of Qi Refining and immediately locked onto Jiang Bai.

"stop!"

Jiang Bai didn't look back and ran wildly towards the base of the wall.

[Killing Intent Perception] Frenzied warning! Two malevolent auras are rapidly approaching from behind!

Boss Li raised his hand and a flash of cold light appeared—it was a throwing knife!

Jiang Bai instinctively dodged to the left, the throwing knife grazing his right arm and leaving a bloody mark.

The excruciating pain shot through him, but Jiang Bai did not stop.

The wall is right in front of us!

He leaped into the air, and just as his hand touched the top of the wall, he heard the sound of wind breaking behind him.

This time it was that trusted confidant who threw the dart!

Jiang Bai gritted his teeth, pushed off with both hands, and flipped himself onto the top of the wall. He then used the momentum to push off and fall over the wall!

"Chase!"

Boss Li and his confidant jumped onto the wall at the same time.

But after landing, Jiang Bai plunged into the intricate alleys outside the market without looking back.

[Killing Intent Perception] gave him a vague intuition about alleyway forks and dead ends, so he specifically chose to run through narrow roads with many corners.

After many twists and turns, it took a full fifteen minutes to run.

The presence behind them finally faded away.

Jiang Bai leaned against the broken wall of an abandoned courtyard, panting heavily.

His palms were slashed and bloody from the broken glass on the wall, and his right arm was still bleeding from a knife wound.

But a cold smile appeared on his face.

"Elder...the Li family..."

Even if I get injured, tonight's trip will be worth it.

Not only was the source of the fine needle confirmed, but the mastermind behind it was also brought to light.

The eldest elder of the Jiang family actually colluded with external forces to try and kill him.