Taoist cultivation begins with being a miner

If it weren't for the fear that hunting too many hidden beasts would attract the attention of other cultivators, Lu Yan would be eager to go out hunting every day.

Cultivation is still the most important thing. Once I reach the late stage of Qi Refining, I won't be afraid of anyone when I go out hunting alone.

Zheng Qu and his group had become much bolder after their successful counterattack against the Liu brothers last time.

If you encounter a powerful cultivator, cooperate obediently to save your life; if you encounter a weaker one, fight to the death.

With a large number of people and Lu Yan providing a large number of talismans, they could overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

Injuries were inevitable, but the gains were substantial; a single comeback victory was equivalent to a month's worth of work.

No wonder raiding cultivators is so prevalent outside the city; the temptation of getting something for nothing is too great.

Some time later, Lu Yan, who was selling talismans, encountered the Ji family again.

Lu Yan noticed that Ji Danqing, the second son of the Ji family, looked much thinner than before, which was exactly the same path as Ji Danke.

Lu Yan didn't know what to say for a moment, so he could only tell him to take care of his health once again.

In the afternoon, Lu Yan, who was preparing to pack up his stall, suddenly heard a somewhat familiar voice buying talismans from the stall next to him.

"Fellow Daoist, give me two fireball talismans."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan suddenly looked up, staring in disbelief at the two familiar faces.

Even if Lu Yan were to turn to ashes, he would never forget the faces of these two people; they would be etched into his very being.

These two men, Cheng Yu and Cheng An, were the same gang members who had tricked Lu Yan into coming here.

The original owner's cultivation path was personally guided by Cheng Yu.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 20 ...

Lu Yan was very grateful to Cheng Yu at the time and planned to repay him properly when he achieved something in the future.

Little did I know that it was all a scam. After being sent to Worry-Free City, all my beautiful expectations were shattered, and then came the daily life of mining.

The gratitude turned into hatred, a feeling so profound that even though the original owner was already dead, seeing them again still made him tremble uncontrollably.

He had originally planned to return to seek revenge after his cultivation reached the late stage of Qi Refining or the Foundation Establishment stage, but now it seems he probably won't be able to wait until then.

After buying the talismans, the two of them glanced at Lu Yan casually and then left.

It seems they didn't recognize me. Come to think of it, I've changed a lot over the years, transforming from a skinny boy into a strong and muscular man.

Lu Yan suppressed his excitement, gathered the items from the table, and followed them at a distance.

They first strolled around the market for a while, then entered a restaurant to start drinking.

It was lunchtime, and there were quite a few people inside. Lu Yan wasn't afraid of being discovered, so he went straight in, found a corner, ordered some food and drinks, and started waiting.

After they left, Lu Yanshun took the chopsticks they had used and continued to follow them.

They eventually arrived at a three-courtyard house in the city center, which became their final resting place.

Lu Yan rubbed his forehead, looked at the courtyard with a cold expression, and thought, "Since I'm here, I might as well stay."

Back at his residence, Lu Yan took out the Pen of Truth and began to learn about their information.

First is Cheng Yu.

"We're in luck today. In this small town, there are eight people over the age of fifteen who can cultivate. Although their aptitude is a bit lacking, they're still useful. Once we send them to Wuyou City, we'll get another eight spirit stones."

Sure enough, just like before, Cheng Yu only accepted young men over fifteen years old when he came to Lujia Town, and they could start working as soon as they arrived.

"Sigh~ I've never seen anyone so stupid. I've taught them three times and they still haven't learned how to absorb spiritual energy. But I'll put up with it for the sake of spirit stones."

"Hmm~ This town is alright, there are seven, that's seven spirit stones."

"..."

He wrote more than twenty messages, all of which were Cheng Yu's lies to others.

Lu Yan did not stop writing and continued writing.

"Sigh~ Why am I not a direct descendant of the Cheng family? Those bastards rely on their status and don't have to do anything all day, yet they have plenty of spirit stones to spend every day."

But I have to work myself to the bone for them. Once I reach the Foundation Establishment stage, I'll make them pay.

"The Cheng family..." Lu Yan murmured to himself as he wrote this.

I had long suspected this was an industry chain, and it couldn't be controlled without a powerful force. It seems the Cheng family is the mastermind behind it all.

Lu Yan continued writing, finishing with Cheng Yu and then moving on to Cheng An. Finally, Lu Yan organized all the information he had gathered.

The Cheng family is a famous family of cultivators in Bianzhou, Da Yan.

The current head of the family, Cheng Feng, is a Foundation Establishment cultivator. His family mainly deals in demon beasts, buying them from Wuyou City and bringing them back to Bianzhou for sale.

Human trafficking was just a sideline for them; it wasn't just the Cheng family, many aristocratic families did it too.

There is also a Cheng family shop in Wuyou City, and the person in charge of the shop is Cheng Feng's younger brother, Cheng Shan, who has reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

There are also Cheng Feng's eldest son, Cheng Mingyu, who is at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and his second son, Cheng Minghua, who is at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Cheng Shan's eldest son, Cheng Mingyao, is at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and his second son, Cheng Minglin, is at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

These five people are direct descendants of the Cheng family.

Besides these, there are many others who have branched out of the family. The strongest among them are Cheng Feng's two cousins, Cheng Yue and Cheng Hu, one at the ninth level of Qi Refining and the other at the eighth level.

There are more than thirty in total.

Cheng Yu and Cheng An are a generation younger than Cheng Mingyu and the others, belonging to a branch within a branch.

The cultivators leading the team this time were also old acquaintances of Lu Yan: Yuan Bo, Cheng Feng's brother-in-law, who was at the eighth level of Qi Refining; Cheng Yan at the seventh level of Qi Refining; Cheng Heng at the seventh level of Qi Refining; and Cheng Hui at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

There are more than thirty people like Cheng Yu and Cheng An who are at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

There were more than sixty Qi Refiners in the early stages, and more than one hundred ordinary people. They were responsible for driving carts and loading and unloading goods and other miscellaneous items.

They will rest in Wuyou City for a while, and then take the monster back to the Cheng family in Bianzhou.

Lu Yan naturally didn't want to miss this opportunity, so he started by targeting their transportation team.

The following day, Lu Yan continued to keep watch near the Cheng family's courtyard, taking the opportunity to steal items that carried their scent and learn more about them.

After learning all the details about the Cheng family, Lu Yan began to take action.

The first step is to target Cheng An and Cheng Yu. Through their information, Lu Yan knows that the two are outwardly friendly but inwardly hostile and are very wary of each other.

He took out the Demon Whispering Statue and began whispering to Cheng Yu.

"That bastard Cheng An has been acting strangely lately, always keeping an eye on my storage bag. It seems he's planning to make a move against me. I need to be extra careful."

After talking about Cheng Yu, they started talking about Cheng An.

"I heard that Cheng Yu recently obtained a great opportunity, which is hidden in his storage bag. I must get it."

I've had enough of living like this, being subservient to others, as humble as a dog every day. I want to become powerful, to rise above others, to become an immortal! Anyone who tries to stop me, I'll kill them!

After speaking, Lu Yan began to rest.

Meanwhile, back in the Cheng family courtyard, Cheng Yu seemed to have something new on his mind.

"Something feels off. Could it be that Cheng An has developed other feelings for me?"

"One must always be wary of others; I cannot let my guard down during this period." With this thought in mind, Cheng Yu began to take precautions.