I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Since you've decided to go on a long trip, you need to make thorough preparations.

Zheng Yifei lay in bed for most of the night, pondering and making a list.

First, the initial capital. The markets of Foundation Establishment families are not like the small places of Qi Refining families like Black Mountain Market. The VIP rooms of those gambling dens probably start at ten spirit stones per bet. Without enough initial capital, going up there is just asking for trouble.

I don't have many spirit stones left, so I need to make another round of farming.

Secondly, for self-defense. It's a three-day journey from Black Mountain Market to Qingyun City, and there are cultivators and demonic beasts along the way. As a Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator, he would basically be easy prey if he encountered a Qi Refining Level 7 or 8 cultivator.

Talismans are the best way to protect your life. Carrying several good talismans with you can save your life in critical moments.

Third, the route. Traveling alone for three days on unpaved roads is suicidal; the safest way is to join a caravan. Caravans are escorted by bodyguards at the late Qi Refining stage, and they generally dare not provoke robbers along the way.

The next morning, as usual, Zheng Yifei dropped off his younger siblings and then went to his rented room in the east alley to change his clothes.

Today I'm wearing that long-faced merchant mask, paired with a dark gray hermit robe, my hair tied in a low ponytail, and a short knife at my waist.

The second floor of Zhao's Gambling House.

He controlled the pace, betting slowly and deliberately for twelve rounds, winning sixty-two spirit stones. As he left, he deliberately struck up a conversation with a rogue cultivator in leather armor next to him: "Brother, you've got good luck. Let's grab a drink sometime."

The rogue cultivator chuckled and didn't take it seriously.

On the second floor of the Wang Family Gambling House, there are sixty-five spirit stones.

On the second floor of Liu's gambling den, there are fifty-three spirit stones.

After visiting all three gambling dens, I earned a total of 180 low-grade spirit stones.

This was his last move in Heishanfang City.

After carefully storing the spirit stone, Zheng Yifei headed straight for Wanbaolou.

"Shopkeeper, I want to buy talismans."

The young saleswoman greeted him with a smile: "What grade would you like, sir?"

"First-grade superior quality, three Vajra Talismans, three Swiftness Talismans, and three Golden Sword Talismans."

The young woman raised an eyebrow.

First-grade high-quality talismans are not cheap; most independent cultivators in the mid-stage of Qi Refining would be reluctant to buy so many at once.

But she was a businesswoman who didn't ask where the items came from. She deftly took out nine talismans from a hidden compartment behind the counter and neatly stacked them on the counter.

"Vajra Talisman, Grade 1, High-grade. Once activated, it forms a spiritual energy shield on the body, capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a cultivator below the ninth level of Qi Refining, lasting for the duration of an incense stick. Each talisman costs five low-grade spirit stones."

The young woman pointed to three golden talismans, then moved to three blue ones next to them.

"Swiftness Talisman, Grade 1, High-grade. Once activated, it triples your movement speed and lasts for half an incense stick's time, enough to escape danger. Each talisman costs five spirit stones."

Finally, there were three crimson talismans.

"Golden Sword Talisman, Grade 1, High-grade. Once activated, it can release a pure spiritual sword aura, with power equivalent to the full-force attack of a Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivator. It is a one-time consumable item, costing eight spirit stones per talisman."

Zheng Yifei did a mental calculation and found that it totaled fifty-four spirit stones.

"Three more Concealing Breath Talismans."

"Three Concealing Breath Talismans and three spirit stones."

The young woman sorted the twelve talismans into three oil paper packages and pushed them to the counter.

"A total of three hundred and fifty-seven spirit stones."

Zheng Yifei paid the money and put the talismans into different places in the inner bag.

The Vajra Talisman is placed close to the body in the left breast pocket, the Swift Travel Talisman in the right breast pocket, the Golden Sword Talisman is inserted inside the belt, and the Breath Concealment Talisman is wrapped in a cloth bag and placed on the outermost layer.

The location of each talisman has been carefully considered to ensure that it can be drawn and activated within a single breath in an emergency.

This is a habit formed in a previous life.

In the Blue Star Casino, people carry guns and knives; in the cultivation world, they carry talismans and magical artifacts. The mediums are different, but the principle is the same—things that can save your life must be readily available.

After leaving Wanbaolou, Zheng Yifei did not rush back. Instead, he walked north along the main street of the market for two alleys and turned into a courtyard with a sign that read "Zhenwei Escort Agency".

The courtyard gate was open, and inside were three large carts pulled by spirit beasts. Several burly bodyguards were unloading goods in the courtyard, each exuding the aura of the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining.

"Fellow Daoist, is there anything you need?"

A middle-aged man with a mustache came forward, his aura of the seventh level of Qi Refining steadily emanating outwards. He was wearing leather armor in the style of a security escort agency, with the character "威" (Wei, meaning power or prestige) embroidered on his chest.

"Shopkeeper, I'm reminded of Su Family Market. May I come with you?"

The man with the mustache sized him up: "Fellow Daoist, are you going to join the escort mission?"

"Yes, one person, not selling anything, just following along."

"You know the rules of escorting goods, right? On the road, you must obey the head of the escort team, you are not allowed to act alone, you are not allowed to cause trouble, and if you encounter robbers or monsters, the escort team will handle them. The passengers are not allowed to take action on their own."

"Understand."

"That's good. The escort fee is twenty low-grade spirit stones, which includes three days' worth of dry food and water for the journey, but not accommodation. You'll need to bring your own bedding for camping at night. We'll depart at dawn three days from now, so please arrive at the escort agency half an hour beforehand."

Zheng Yifei took out twenty spirit stones and handed them over.

The man with the eight-character mustache took the spirit stone and took out a palm-sized wooden plaque from his storage bag. The front of the plaque was engraved with the two characters "Zhenwei" and the back with a number.

"This is your farewell token. You'll need it to board the vehicle on the day of departure. Don't lose it."

Zheng Yifei took the wooden plaque and put it into his inner pocket.

"Shopkeeper, how many people are in this caravan?"

"There are eight bodyguards. The leader is Zhou Peng, the head bodyguard from our bureau. He is at the ninth level of Qi Refining and has been doing this for more than ten years. He has run the road from Heishan Market to Sujia Market no less than thirty times. He knows exactly where there are cultivators who are robbed and where there are monster dens along the way."

The man with the mustache raised a finger: "Six independent cultivators have signed up to join the escort mission so far, plus you, that's seven. We'll set off in three days. There won't be too many people, so we can move quickly."

A head镖师 (bodyguard) at the ninth level of Qi Refining, along with eight镖师 (bodyguards), this setup is more than enough to deal with the scattered bandits along the way.

Zheng Yifei nodded, thanked the shopkeeper, and turned to leave the escort agency.

I mentally tallied up the numbers.

Before leaving, I had 180 spirit stones. I spent 57 on talismans and 20 on escort fees, leaving me with 103.

With 103 spirit stones as capital, a quick gamble on the second floor of a Foundation Establishment family's gambling den could easily double or triple the initial investment.

The plan has no flaws.

Zheng Yifei walked south along the alley, through the main street of the market, preparing to return to his rented room in the east alley to change his clothes.

Passing by a stall selling spirit fruits, he casually bought two catties of spirit peaches to take back to his younger siblings as snacks.

These two catties of spirit peaches cost him eighteen spirit coins, which was very cheap, but his younger brother and sister would definitely be overjoyed, as the two little ones had hardly ever eaten spirit fruit since they were little.

After carefully tucking the spirit peach into his pocket, Zheng Yifei turned into the east alley.

The gate to the rented house was ajar. He pushed it open, went inside, and bolted it shut.

Everything inside was as it had always been. The mask and clothes in the hidden compartment showed no signs of being disturbed. He had deliberately tucked a strand of hair into the crack between the bricks of the hidden compartment, and that strand of hair was still in its original place.

He changed out of the long-faced merchant's mask and gray robe, took off the short knife at his waist, put on a coarse cloth short brown coat, let his hair down and then tied it up casually, and returned to the appearance of a young farmer from the shantytown.

The spirit stones were divided into several portions, most of which were hidden in the bottom of a secret compartment and covered with bricks. Only a dozen or so spirit stones and the two pounds of spirit peaches were kept on his person.

He then pulled out a concealment talisman from the hidden compartment and affixed it to the inside of his left chest.

A cool sensation spread throughout his body, and the cultivation fluctuations of the fourth level of Qi Refining were suppressed back to the first level of Qi Refining.