I run a casino in the immortal realm.

After learning the training method of the Lingxi Finger, Zheng Yifei returned to his own courtyard.

After closing the courtyard gate and checking the formation, the eight low-grade spirit stones showed stable light, indicating that the defensive barrier was intact.

For the next three days, Zheng Yifei did not leave his home.

He practices magic during the day and practices the Five Elements Technique at night to improve his cultivation.

The drawback of the Fireball spell is that it takes too long to gather spiritual energy before casting the spell. The spiritual energy is mobilized from the dantian and reaches the fingertips through the meridians, and there will be pauses in this process.

In his past life at the gambling table, he could shuffle a deck of cards into a perfect flush with one hand in three breaths, relying on absolute control over every muscle in his hand.

He closed his eyes, visualizing the spiritual energy flowing within him as playing cards at his fingertips.

The spiritual energy surged from the Qi Sea, entered the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, passed through Yangchi, and exited Guanchong.

"puff."

A crimson fireball instantly formed at his fingertips without pause.

With a flick of his wrist, the fireball shot out and struck the blue bricks of the courtyard wall.

It was completely charred black.

Instantaneous.

He did it. Although the power was limited by his Qi Refining Level 4 cultivation and was not great, in close combat, this unexpected attack was enough to change the course of the battle.

Next is the Spiritual Finger.

The core of this spell lies in compression, drawing half of the body's spiritual power and forcibly pressing it into an acupoint on the index finger, without leaking out a single bit, and then unleashing it instantly.

Zheng Yifei stood by the Lingquan Well and raised his right index finger.

The spiritual energy surged wildly, and waves of throbbing pain came from the meridians.

He gritted his teeth, controlling the speed and direction of the flow of spiritual energy.

There was no light emanating from the fingertips. No spiritual energy fluctuations were emitted.

Point it out.

On a half-broken stone mill located three zhang away, a hole appeared silently, with smooth edges and a depth of about an inch.

Zheng Yifei's face turned pale. Half of his dantian was instantly emptied.

The destructive power is indeed astonishing, but the consumption is also terrifying. A cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining can only use a maximum of two fingers. After that, their Qi Sea is depleted, leaving them completely vulnerable.

This is our trump card; we cannot use it lightly.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of the fourth day, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

"Is Brother Zheng home?"

A rough, deep voice came from outside the door.

Zheng Yifei put away the array plate and pulled open the door latch.

Standing outside the door was a burly man, around forty years old. He was dressed in a gray, close-fitting outfit, with a broad-backed sword at his waist.

The aura of a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator was unabashedly emanating from him.

Zhenwei Escort Agency, Chief Escort Zhou.

"Brother Zhou."

Zheng Yifei clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Zhou Biao looked him up and down, his eyes filled with scrutiny.

"The owner of Shunfeng Inn said you were looking for me? Is it urgent?"

"This isn't the place to talk, Brother Zhou, let's go to Zuixianlou."

Half an hour later, in a private room on the second floor of Zuixianlou.

Eight signature dishes and a pot of fine spirit wine were laid out on the table.

Chief镖周 (Zhou the镖头) sat there imposingly, without touching his chopsticks.

"Brother Zheng, what is it?"

Zheng Yifei picked up the wine pot and filled it for Chief Escort Zhou.

"Brother Zhou, you're so kind. I have two things to ask you. First, I need to find out about my family situation."

Chief Escort Zhou picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Everything's fine at home, but some people are still looking for you."

Chief镖周 picked up a piece of meat and chewed as he spoke.

"After you left, that hoodlum named Mouse went to loiter around your house several times, trying to find out where you were."

Zhao Hu, the market manager, also visited the place with his men.

Zheng Yifei's eyes sharpened.

"They made their move?"

No, not at all.

Chief镖周 put down his chopsticks. "Zhao Hu asked your father where you went, and your father said you were working at the镖局 (escort agency). I went back and told Zhao Hu that."

"How did you bring it up?"

"I told Zhao Hu that you were running errands and doing odd jobs for our Zhenwei Escort Agency. After hearing that, Zhao Hu didn't make things difficult for your family anymore. After all, he still had to give face to the Zhenwei Escort Agency."

"Thank you, Brother Zhou."

Zheng Yifei raised his glass in a toast, then reached into his pocket.

He took out two cloth bags and placed them on the table.

Push open the first cloth bag. Inside are ten low-grade spirit stones.

"This is for my parents, please, Brother Zhou, so they won't have to work too hard and can know that I'm doing well in Suzhou."

Chief镖师 Zhou glanced at it and nodded.

Zheng Yifei pushed open the second cloth bag, which contained twenty low-grade spirit stones.

"This is for Brother Zhou's tea money, to thank you for helping my family out of this predicament."

Zhou, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), had a glimmer of hope. Twenty spirit stones were equivalent to his earnings from a short-distance escort mission.

He reached out and pressed down on the cloth bag.

"Brother, there's no need for this between us. I haven't even properly thanked you for helping me fight off those robbers last time."

Zheng Yifei did not retract his hand.

"Brother Zhou, I rented a courtyard in Wutong Lane. That place is under the jurisdiction of the Iron Fist Sect. A few days ago, Sun Liang from the Iron Fist Sect brought people to interrogate me about my background."

"What did you say?"

"I told you I was your nephew, and I came to Suzhou on your caravan to learn how to draw talismans."

Did he make things difficult for you?

"He's already got his eye on me. I'm just a rogue cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining, with no background. In their eyes, I'm just a piece of easy prey. I can only use Brother Zhou's name to shield myself."

Zheng Yifei spoke sincerely.

"Brother Zhou, these twenty spirit stones are for a word from you. If anyone asks about your acknowledgment of me as your nephew, I will never forget your kindness."

Chief镖周 remained silent for a few moments.

Tap your fingers on the table.

Then, he grabbed the two cloth bags and put them in his arms.

"Alright, since you call me uncle, I'll agree to this. If the Iron Fist Sect people come asking, I know what to say. I'll bring the spirit stones from home back to you."

"Thank you, Uncle."

Zheng Yifei smiled.

The meal lasted an hour, and both host and guests enjoyed themselves immensely.

The two parted ways at the entrance of Zuixianlou. Zhou, the镖头 (bodyguard), returned to the inn. Zheng, the镖头 (bodyguard), returned to Wutong Lane.

West District, Iron Fist Sect stronghold.

Sun Liang sat in a grand chair, holding two iron flasks in his hands.

Ma Qi strode in.

"Boss, we've found out."

"explain."

"That Zheng Fei treated everyone to lunch at Zuixianlou today. The guest was none other than Zhou, the head镖师 (bodyguard) of Zhenwei镖局 (escort agency). The two of them ate for more than an hour. When they came out, they were chatting and laughing."

I asked the staff at Shunfeng Inn, and Chief Escort Zhou admitted that Zheng Fei was his nephew.

The iron gall made a crisp clanging sound in Sun Liang's hands.

"Is he really my nephew?"

"It seems to be true. Chief Escort Zhou is at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and he is considered a big shot in Black Mountain Market. It makes sense that Zheng Fei came to Suzhou through his connections."

Sun Liang stopped what he was doing.

"A meal at Zuixianlou costs at least ten spirit stones. He, a mere Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator, paid for it without batting an eye."

"The courtyard in Wutong Lane requires a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent in advance, totaling forty spirit stones. And that array in his courtyard—I inquired about its price at Wanbaolou; a first-grade, high-level one, costs one hundred and fifty spirit stones."

Sun Liang stood up and walked to the window.

"He carries at least two or three hundred spirit stones on him, and that's just what's on the surface. That's interesting."

"Boss, what about Old Smoker and the others..."

"Old Smoker's death probably has nothing to do with him. He didn't have that ability. It's more likely that Old Smoker offended some tough guys outside."

Sun Liang turned around. A glint of greed flashed in his eyes.

"But this kid is a fat sheep, a real fat sheep. His family gave him money to come here to learn how to draw talismans."

"What does the boss mean?"

"It's true that Chief Escort Zhou is at the ninth level of Qi Refining, but he's always on escort missions and is away from Suzhou for ten days to half a month at a time. But distant water can't quench a nearby fire."

"This kid definitely has something good on him; maybe he's carrying some kind of family secret."

Sun Liang walked to the table and poured a bowl of water.

"It's not worth it to launch a direct attack on Wutong Lane. That first-grade high-level formation can withstand the attack of a Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivator for half an hour. The commotion would be too great and would attract the Su family's patrol team."

Sun Liang took a sip of water.

"Assign two quick-witted brothers to keep a close watch on Wutong Lane. Every time he leaves the house, write down everything he does, where he goes, who he meets, and what he buys. If he dares to leave the West District, find a secluded spot and kidnap him."

"Understood. What about Chief Escort Zhou...?"

"As long as we keep our hands and feet clean, who would know it was us? Aren't there plenty of unlicensed cultivators disappearing every day in Sujiafang Market?"