Taoist cultivation begins with being a miner

Unfortunately, more than half of the Blood Fiend Poison was used to deal with these Cheng family cultivators, and after asking around the market, no one was selling it. I also didn't know how to make it myself, so I used a little bit at a time.

That evening, Lu Yan first used the Pen of Truth to see if the deaths of Cheng Mingqian and the others had alarmed the Cheng family.

After discovering that nothing was wrong, Lu Yan used the same trick again, luring Cheng Mingliao, who was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, into going out to hunt monsters the next day.

……

The following day, Lu Yan was all ready to go.

After waiting for half an hour at the city gate, they finally arrived.

This time, there was still only one Qi Refining Level 6 expert, led by Cheng Mingliao, with two Qi Refining Level 5 experts, six Qi Refining Level 4 experts, and fifteen Qi Refining Level 7 experts, nearly ten more than Cheng Mingqian's group.

But having learned from his previous experience, Lu Yan wasn't in a hurry to follow them from a distance.

Then, following yesterday's plan, poison was placed inside the exploding fireball to lure Cheng Mingliao to chase after him.

Then, he ran around the forest to buy time and worsen Lu Yan's poisoning. Unlike last time, this time there was another cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining who chased after Lu Yan.

But the result remained the same: Lu Yan saw each of them off on their way.

They also acquired many storage bags and magical artifacts and spirit stones, but they had run out of Blood Fiend Poison. The remaining three Qi Refining Level 6 cultivators were temporarily unable to move, so they could only deal with the Cheng family cultivators at Qi Refining Level 5 and below.

Three days later, Yuan Bo finally realized something was wrong.

A group of demonic beasts arrived at the Cheng family's shop, and Yuan Bo ordered everyone to be gathered, but there were more than sixty people short.

At first, Yuan Bo thought they had gone to brothels and gambling dens in the city for entertainment, so he sent the others to search for them, but they couldn't find them after a whole day.

Only then did Yuan Bo realize that something terrible was about to happen.

Nowadays, people at the first level of Qi Refining are fine, but there are fewer than twenty people at the third to fifth levels of Qi Refining, and there are even fewer at the sixth level.

The more than sixty people who disappeared belonged to the core of the Cheng family, and this time the caravan was formed by gathering nearly three-fifths of them.

If something happens to them, the Cheng family will be severely damaged, and we ourselves will certainly not fare well when we return.

They quickly summoned Cheng Yan, Cheng Heng, and Cheng Hui to discuss the matter.

"Not a single one found?" Cheng Yan and the other two had also received the news long ago and asked Yuan Bo.

"No, I asked other people, and they all said that Cheng Mingqian and Cheng Mingliao led a team out to hunt monsters, and then they haven't been seen since," Yuan Bo said, shaking his head.

"I need to find him alive or dead. I'll organize people to search the city right away," Cheng Hui said.

"That's what I was planning to do too, which is why I came to discuss this with you."

"Should we inform Second Master?"

"Of course we need to inform them. Such a big thing can't be kept secret. Besides, Second Master is very familiar with this area, and we need their help to search."

After discussing the plan, the group split up and began to act separately.

When Cheng Shan received the news, he was shocked and immediately mobilized the Cheng family's forces in Wuyou City to search for them.

After two days of searching, they finally found some relics: broken clothes and bones.

The flesh of demonic beasts is highly nutritious for cultivators, and conversely, the flesh of cultivators is also highly nutritious for demonic beasts. Naturally, they would not let go of such a good opportunity.

Lu Yan also received this news from the Pen of Truth and did not dare to hunt down Cheng family cultivators outside the city.

……

Cheng Mansion in Worry-Free City.

Cheng Shan, the second master of the Cheng family, sat in the main seat. He had a rugged face, a black beard that reached his chest, and a face full of indignation.

Below are the core members of the Cheng family, including Yuan Bo.

"It's already confirmed that Cheng Mingqian and the others have all met with misfortune. Do you have any news?" Cheng Shan asked.

"No, we rested after arriving in Wuyou City and were busy with our own things. We didn't provoke any forces," Yuan Bo said truthfully.

"That's strange. Someone who could kill more than sixty cultivators from my Cheng family without being detected must not be from a small force or a low-level cultivator."

"Could it be the Su family? My Cheng family has always been at odds with the Su family. We've had quite a few conflicts over acquiring monster materials," Cheng Mingyu suggested.

"It's possible. The Su family is no worse than my Cheng family. If they secretly do something bad, it would be hard to detect," Cheng Hu nodded.

"It could also be the Qiao family. Several months ago, we fought with them outside the city over a demon beast, and in the process, we accidentally killed several of their cultivators. This is quite a grudge," Cheng Minghua added.

"The Qiao family? Surely not? Their patriarch is only at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, they don't even have a Foundation Establishment cultivator. How dare they provoke our Cheng family?" Cheng Yue analyzed.

"That's not necessarily true. Our Cheng family's roots are in Bianzhou, and my father is also from Bianzhou, while the Qiao family's roots have always been in Wuyou City. If we push them too far, they're not afraid of any of this," Cheng Minghua replied.

"It could also be the Zheng family or the Chen family; we've had quite a few conflicts with them," Cheng Minglin added.

"Since both are possible, let's investigate them one by one, and at the same time, issue this matter as a mission," Cheng Shan made the final decision.

"Yes."

The group accepted the order and left.

As soon as it was light, the Cheng family began posting a hefty reward for information about the murderer in the taskbar.

Anyone who provides information about the murderer will be rewarded with 100 low-grade spirit stones upon confirmation; those who help the Cheng family find the murderer will be rewarded with 500 spirit stones.

A reward of 1,000 yuan will be given for capturing or killing the murderer.

The reward was undeniably generous, immediately attracting the attention of many cultivators.

Lu Yan went to the Cheng family to take a look and found that they always went out in groups, so there was no chance to make a move. Helpless, he could only continue mining and cultivating, and sell talismans on the side.

Although I no longer need to earn spirit stones through talismans, I must maintain my persona as a talisman master.

After a month, the wheel spun again, producing seven Bloodline Fruits. Lu Yan began consuming them continuously, hoping to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining as soon as possible.

During this time, Lu Yan also kept a close eye on the Cheng family's affairs. The Cheng family mobilized almost all of its members. Now that so many people have died, they certainly cannot go back without figuring things out.

……

One day.

Lu Yan was selling talismans in the market when he encountered the Ji family and Zhu Yuerong again.

Just as Lu Yan had imagined, Ji Danqing had become extremely thin, much like Ji Danke had been when she last visited him.

"Fellow Daoist Ji, Fairy Zhu, and everyone else," Lu Yan greeted first.

"Oh, Fellow Daoist Lu, it's been a while. Your skills have improved quite a bit," Ji Danqing replied in return.

"Oh, it's nothing, I'm just trying to make a living." Lu Yan waved his hand and started chatting with them.

"How could it be just for a living? Fellow Daoist Lu is so young and already has such a high level of talisman-making skills. I'm afraid it won't be long before he can draw a first-order high-level talisman." Zhu Yuerong praised from the side.

"You flatter me, Fairy Zhu. I am already quite satisfied with being able to draw a first-order intermediate talisman. As for a first-order advanced talisman, I will leave it to fate."

Lu Yan was not lying. The Pearl of Inheritance only recorded the methods and experience of making first-tier low-level and mid-level talismans, not first-tier high-level ones.