The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

Inside the ship, a pile of odds and ends was spread out on a wooden table.

More than a hundred spirit stones, a few crumpled talismans, and two bottles of Yellow Tooth Pills.

Li Ping rummaged through Man Du's storage bag and emptied out a few worthless trinkets, which totaled less than three hundred spirit stones.

The four of them sat around the table, their brows furrowed.

Mu Junyi picked up a bottle of Yellow Tooth Pills, shook it, and tossed it back onto the table: "These cultivators really don't keep any wealth on them."

"All cultivators who have undergone tribulation are like this," Mu Ming chimed in, reaching out to lift the giant axe.

The axe was heavy, with several nicks on the blade, indicating that it had chopped many tough pieces.

Mu Ming weighed it in his hand, his eyes lighting up: "This axe is alright, a high-grade magic weapon. Although it's a bit broken, it can still be sold for several hundred spirit stones."

He placed the giant axe on the table and looked around at the three of them: "Sell the spirit stones, or does one of you want to trade them for a cheaper price?"

Mu Junyi gestured towards Li Ping with his lip: "The axe is good, but among the four of us, I'm afraid only Brother Li can swing it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them looked at Li Ping at the same time.

In that battle just now, Li Ping fought bare-handed, a tough guy who bravely crossed the river. Although he was shaken back by the rebound of his qi and blood, it was still a real physical cultivation stance.

Although Mu Ming and the other two didn't say much, they were all shocked.

Li Ping's gaze sharpened slightly as he examined the giant axe.

The axe handle is thick and long, and the axe body is heavy, weighing at least a hundred pounds.

He reached out, grasped it, lifted it to test it, and then shook his head.

This thing is too cumbersome, and its wide-ranging, sweeping motion doesn't suit his fighting style at all.

"Let's sell the spirit stones."

Mu Ming nodded and put the giant axe back into his storage bag: "These things together cost about a thousand spirit stones."

"Brother Li contributed the most this time, almost single-handedly killing Man Du. I suggest you take a larger share, three hundred spirit stones, what do you say?"

Mu Junyi immediately nodded: "I have no objection."

Mu Chengyuan nodded slightly, which was considered a statement of agreement.

The matter was settled in a few words, and Li Ping did not feign reluctance but agreed without any hesitation.

After the trip, I earned several hundred spirit stones and 150 contribution points, which was quite a good return.

Each person did their own calculations and couldn't help but smile.

Mu Junyi leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh: "Compared to patrolling, this extermination of the bandits is truly exhilarating."

Upon hearing this, the others nodded in agreement.

Mu Ming chuckled and replied, "Patrols are tedious and boring, unlike now, where you can finish a job with a sword and a spear and get a pile of spirit stones in the process."

"Isn't that right?" Mu Junyi became more and more excited as he spoke, rubbing his hands together. "That old bastard Man Du took four days to take the bait. Next time, if we act faster, we might be able to catch him in two days."

Mu Chengyuan rarely spoke up: "One of them costs a thousand spirit stones, what if we got two more..."

The words were left unsaid, but the meaning was already quite clear.

After a few words, the atmosphere on the boat became lively, and everyone couldn't help but look forward to what would happen next.

Mu Junyi sat up straight, looking at Li Ping with great enthusiasm: "Brother Li, who's the next target?"

Li Ping smiled and said calmly, "Feng Yuan."

The information on the paper was written in great detail.

Feng Yuan, at the eighth level of Qi Refining, is based in the Great Black Sea area. Like Man Du, he is also a Tribulation Cultivator and has been doing this for many years.

Recently, Man Du has been staying indoors and not venturing out, and Feng Yuan is following a similar pattern, not venturing out of the main gate.

However, one piece of information caught Li Ping's attention.

Feng Yuan seems to be short of spirit stones lately. He has summoned his subordinates several times to inquire about the movements of merchant ships in various places, as if he is looking for new targets.

After several such incidents, his subordinates started to feel overwhelmed and began to complain.

The four of them read through the intelligence report in turn. Mu Ming said, "Feng Yuan's situation is similar to that of Man Du, but Man Du is cautious, while Feng Yuan is impatient."

"If he's short of spirit stones, that makes things easier." Mu Junyi's eyes lit up. "If he weren't short of money, we really wouldn't be able to do anything to him. The more money someone needs, the easier it is for them to take the bait."

Mu Ming looked at Li Ping: "Use the same method we used against Man Du to lure the snake out of its hole again."

Li Ping nodded: "That's what I think too."

He paused, then changed his tone: "However, we can't afford to delay this long like we have this time."

Mu Junyi was taken aback: "Why?"

"Although we had plenty of intelligence about this crackdown on the bandits, the scale of the operation was too large." Li Ping pointed out the window: "The news of Man Du's death will spread sooner or later."

Those cultivators aren't fools; if a fellow cultivator disappears without a trace, they'll become suspicious.

By then, let alone luring them out, even if we have accurate intelligence, if they remain holed up and won't come out, we'll be helpless.

The three were taken aback by what they heard, but then came to their senses.

Mu Ming's expression darkened slightly: "Indeed, as Brother Li said, the news cannot be kept secret for long. At least ten days, at most half a month, the cultivators in the Great Black Sea will definitely get wind of it."

Upon hearing this, Mu Junyi immediately became anxious: "Then we need to hurry. How many jobs can we do in half a month?"

As he spoke, he leaned out of the window and, seeing that they hadn't reached the market yet, began to feel a little impatient.

Although Mu Chengyuan didn't say anything, he was also getting restless.

No wonder they're in a hurry.

Everyone was assigned a mission by the clan, and they only earned 200 contribution points a year. They couldn't make much money patrolling, so they were living a very frugal life.

When you finally get a chance to earn spirit stones, who wouldn't want to do a few more?

Li Ping was even more anxious than they were.

Mu Ming and the other two earned spirit stones to have more money in their pockets, while he earned spirit stones to pay off his debts. After all, he always felt uneasy about owing money to others.

Moreover, over the past few days, he has come to understand the Well of Opportunities.

The items needed for donations are not only hard to find, but also more expensive each time; it's a bottomless pit.

Therefore, he could never have too many spirit stones.

Suppressing his thoughts, Li Ping unfolded the sheet of paper filled with intelligence again, pointing his finger at Feng Yuan's name: "Feng Yuan has a contact, nicknamed Feng San, who travels to various places by ferry to find targets for him."

Mu Ming and the other two gathered around, their eyes fixed on the paper.

"Let's start with him and make contact first." Li Ping looked up and glanced at the three of them. "What do you think?"

Mu Ming pondered for a moment, then nodded: "The method is feasible, but our reputations will be..."

He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood what he meant.

Man Du recognized Li Ping that day because Li Ping had fought with him before.

Feng San often frequents the ferry docks and might have caught a glimpse of them at some point. If he recognizes them, things will be ruined.

"Find another stranger," Mu Ming said.

Li Ping nodded: "What about the supplier of the Relief Formula?"

Mu Ming's eyes lit up.

Merchants who supplied spiritual materials to the Relief House came and went frequently, and all sorts of people were there.

These suppliers had good goods and money, but they weren't as heavily guarded as the big merchants. In the eyes of the thieves, they were a piece of easy prey.

Most importantly, there are many suppliers and a diverse group of people, making them difficult to identify.

"That's a good idea." Mu Ming thought it was feasible more and more. "There are at least twenty or thirty suppliers for the Relief Formula. Even if Feng San is well-informed, he can't possibly know them all."

Mu Junyi slapped his thigh: "Then it's settled. Find a supplier to pose as a fat sheep, lure Feng San into the trap, and then follow the clues to find Feng Yuan."

Upon hearing this, Mu Chengyuan nodded.

With everyone in agreement, Li Ping immediately began assigning tasks.

"Brother Ming, when you get back, go to Jieyoufang and find Manager Lin. He has dealt with us before and we can trust him. Ask him to recommend a reliable supplier. He should be tight-lipped, bold, and preferably know some ways to protect himself, so that nothing goes wrong."

"..."

With the tasks assigned properly, everyone had a clear understanding of what was going on.

Just then, the flower boat docked, and the four people filed out.

Mu Ming and the other two went straight to Jieyoufang, while Li Ping took Mandu's head to find Mu Fangxu.

The gate to the courtyard was ajar, and Li Ping knocked twice.

"Come in."

Pushing open the door, I saw Mu Fangxu sitting at the stone table in the courtyard, reading a book.

Li Ping placed the package on the table and untied the knot in the cloth.

Mu Fangxu glanced down and said with delight, "Man Du is very cautious. I thought it would take some time to kill him, but I didn't expect you to be so quick."

He carefully put the head away and gestured for Li Ping to sit down: "Tell me, how did you manage to get it?"

Li Ping sat down on the stone bench and gave a general account of what had happened over the past few days.

From the moment he impersonated Mu Yuebai and went out to sea, to the appearance of Man Du, and then the encirclement by the four of them.

When Mu Fangxu heard about impersonating Mu Yuebai, he nodded slightly, feeling that the plan was indeed quite good.

However, to lure an old thief into a trap, having a plan is not enough; the most crucial thing is how to keep him there.

Then, he pressed for details about the battle, and Li Ping had no choice but to explain in detail.

After hearing this, Mu Fangxu stared at Li Ping for a long time.

He originally thought that Mu Ming would be the main force in this operation, after all, Mu Ming had the highest cultivation level and the most experience.

But after hearing Li Ping say this, it seems that he almost single-handedly took down Mandu.

Li Ping was in control from beginning to end, using magic to block movement and bombarding the spring head-on.

He was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, but he managed to defeat someone at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Although it wasn't a head-on one-on-one fight, Mu Ming and a few others were there to keep him occupied, and Man Du was focused on escaping, which is why he revealed a weakness.

But this record is impressive enough for a Qi Refining cultivator.

What Mu Fangxu found even more unfathomable was Li Ping's methods.

Cultivating both body and spirit is a path that requires a great deal of time and spirit stones to choose from. Ordinary cultivators are lucky if they can successfully navigate either path.

Li Ping, on the other hand, was pursuing two paths simultaneously, and even had the energy to figure out the magic to transform others.

Regardless, Li Ping has great potential and is definitely worth nurturing.

After a moment's thought, Mu Fangxu silently made a decision.

Soon after, he wrote a letter back to his clan, explaining in detail Li Ping's recent behavior so that the elders could discuss it properly.

Such a person is worth cultivating and should be given a place in the clan.

Li Ping, unaware of Mu Fangxu's thoughts and preoccupied with Mu Ming's situation, stood up and said, "Senior Brother Fangxu, I need to go back and discuss the next target with them. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

Mu Fangxu snapped out of his daze and waved his hand, "Okay, go ahead and get busy."

Li Ping turned and left the courtyard, walking quickly towards his residence.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, Mu Ming and the other two had already returned.

The three sat around a stone table, on which were several small dishes and a pot of wine. They looked like they had been waiting for a while.

Seeing Li Ping return, Mu Ming put down his wine glass and smiled, "The matter is settled."

Li Ping smiled upon hearing this and felt relieved.