I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Back at his residence, Zheng Yifei took off his outer robe and draped it over the back of a chair.

He walked to the table, poured himself a glass of iced tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

He didn't pick up a pen to write the newspaper's proposal. He sat in the chair and closed his eyes.

The scenes in the main hall replayed in my mind frame by frame.

This was a habit he developed at the gambling table in his previous life. After a major game ended, he had to review it. Every opponent's eyes, the twitching of their lips, and the frequency of their fingers tapping on the table were all included in the review.

Micro-expressions best reflect a person's inner thoughts, and as a top gambling king, he is most adept at judging his opponents' emotions through micro-expressions.

Sect Master Xu Tianyang's attitude was clear: he was offering top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills because he wanted good performance. As long as the new tax law continued to be implemented, Xu Tianyang would be his biggest backer.

Fifth Elder Su Chenyuan drank tea throughout. His body language was relaxed, indicating that the interest ties between Tianyuan Gambling House and the Su family were very successful, and the Su family would not take advantage of the situation at this moment.

The Third Elder nodded, his attitude leaning towards neutrality and goodwill.

Of the remaining people, three reacted in a very unusual way.

Zheng Yifei recalled the micro-expressions of the Seventh Elder, Li Zhan.

When the seventeen Class A merchants were mentioned, Li Zhan's pupils contracted for half a breath, and his right thumb pressed firmly against the knuckle of his index finger.

This is a physiological reaction when a person is extremely restraining their murderous intent.

The Fourth Elder shifted his legs and leaned his body backward, a subconscious action of defense and rejection.

The Ninth Elder avoided eye contact altogether, using his teacup to cover the lower half of his face.

4, 7, 9.

Zheng Yifei opened his eyes.

The Fourth Elder is in charge of mining the mineral veins outside the sect.

The Seventh Elder Li Zhan's family monopolized most of the sect's spiritual material transactions.

The Ninth Elder controls most of the sect's pill distribution.

Each of these three families is a behemoth that feeds on the blood of sects.

The new tax law not only forced them to give up their previous profits, but also exposed all their shady accounts.

Of the seventeen Class A merchants who evaded taxes, the majority of the profits were in the hands of these three companies.

He has leverage over these three families. They will definitely retaliate.

How to retaliate?

Zheng Yifei tapped his fingers on the table. Make a move at the Qingyun Sect? Absolutely impossible. Xu Tianyang just distributed top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills; anyone who touches him now would be slapping the sect leader in the face.

Should he make a move outside the sect? He won't leave the core area of ​​the Qingyun Sect, so his opponent won't find an opportunity.

Since we can't touch him personally, we can only target his weaknesses.

Industry, or family.

The Tianyuan Gambling House has a 25% stake held by the Su family, and the transfer machine has been entrusted to Su Qingwan for full management. Moving the business is tantamount to directly declaring war on the Su family.

No matter how domineering these elders are, they won't easily provoke a bloody war within the family.

There is only one option left.

family.

Zheng Yifei drew out three communication talismans.

The first one was sent to Su Qingwan.

"Recently, someone has been targeting the Zheng family in Heishanfang Market. Strengthen precautions to ensure the safety of my family. This matter involves a dispute within the Elders' Council; do not be careless."

The second one was sent to Zhao Wenyuan and Zhang Biao.

"The gambling den will increase its staff and impose restrictions. The two of you must stay in the core area of ​​Sujiafang City for the time being and not go out."

Even after sending these two messages, Zheng Yifei's brows remained furrowed.

Su Qingwan quickly replied: We will definitely ensure the safety of the Zheng family.

Despite the Su family's guarantee, Zheng Yifei still felt there were loopholes, since the Su family couldn't possibly provide 24-hour protection.

An extra layer of insurance is necessary.

"Uncle Gu".

Zheng Yifei shouted.

The door was pushed open. Gu Jianhua walked in and stood three steps in front of the table.

"What are the Chief Inspector's orders?"

Zheng Yifei looked at him. Gu Jianhua was in the late Foundation Establishment stage, possessing formidable combat power. With him by his side, they were indeed safe. But right now, their parents' safety was more important.

"Uncle Gu, go to Heishan Market for me."

Zheng Yifei spoke.

Gu Jianhua shook his head.

"My duty is to protect the Inspector General and stay by his side at all times. Black Mountain Market is too far away, and it takes time to travel back and forth. Your current situation is not safe, so I cannot leave."

His tone was harsh, leaving no room for negotiation.

Zheng Yifei remained silent. He flipped his wrist, took out two spirit stones from his storage bag, and placed them on the table.

The spirit stone was only the size of a baby's fist, crystal clear, with a dense spiritual mist flowing inside. The moment it was taken out, the concentration of spiritual energy in the room instantly increased by a level.

Mid-grade spirit stone.

Gu Jianhua's gaze was fixed on the two spirit stones, and he couldn't look away.

The Qingyun Sect gave him a monthly stipend of two hundred low-grade spirit stones and two mid-grade spirit stones, which is equivalent to two thousand low-grade spirit stones, equivalent to more than half a year's income.

Mid-grade spirit stones are rich in spiritual energy and have a remarkable effect on breaking through bottlenecks in the late Foundation Establishment stage. No one on the market is willing to exchange a mid-grade stone for a low-grade one.

"To secretly protect my parents."

Zheng Yifei pushed the spirit stones forward: "Ten days. The situation will become clear in ten days, then you can come back. During this time, I will stay in the Inspectorate and not go out. No one in the sect will dare to touch me."

Gu Jianhua swallowed hard.

He glanced at Zheng Yifei, then at the spirit stone.

"The Chief Inspector is right. The Inspectorate is protected by a protective array; it's very safe."

Gu Jianhua reached out and swept two mid-grade spirit stones into his sleeve with lightning speed: "I'm leaving now. As long as I'm alive in Black Mountain Market, your parents won't lose a single hair."

After saying that, he turned and left. His steps were light and quick.

The door closed.

Zheng Yifei looked at the empty desktop and rubbed his temples.

Money can move mountains; in the world of cultivation, spirit stones are omnipotent.

With the personnel dispatched, the worries about the future are temporarily relieved.

He cleared his mind of all distractions, walked to the bedside, and sat down cross-legged.

The newspaper's plan isn't urgent; the most pressing matter is improving their strength. Only by enhancing their own cultivation can they truly establish themselves in this cutthroat world of cultivation.

He took out a mid-grade spirit stone from his storage bag and held it in his palm.

This was the first time he had used a mid-grade spirit stone for cultivation. Before, he had used low-grade spirit stones, which contained many impurities and had low absorption efficiency.

Close your eyes and begin circulating the energy.

An extremely large and pure spiritual energy surged from the palm into the meridians.

Zheng Yifei grunted.

This spiritual energy was incredibly powerful. It didn't need to be repeatedly purified through the meridians; it directly transformed into the purest spiritual liquid, circulating throughout the body and limbs.

The ninth acupoint has been opened, and the spiritual liquid flows in without any obstruction.

In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zheng Yifei felt some swelling and pain in his meridians. He had to slow down his absorption rate.

From the initial stage of the ninth level of Qi Refining to the Great Perfection, one needs the extreme compression of spiritual energy.

Low-grade spirit stones provide too much impure spiritual energy, so compressing them is much more efficient. Mid-grade spirit stones, on the other hand, provide highly purified spiritual energy, eliminating the most tedious steps.

Zheng Yifei could feel that the spiritual energy vortex in his dantian was becoming visibly thicker.

Two hours later, he opened his eyes.

He glanced down at the mid-grade spirit stone in his hand.

The luster on the surface of the spirit stone dimmed by only a tiny bit. The spiritual mist inside remained thick.

Zheng Yifei did some mental calculations.

At his current absorption rate, it would take him at least fifteen days to completely absorb a mid-grade spirit stone.

The spiritual energy is indeed immense, and the effects are indeed excellent.

But he suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

"We lost money."

He muttered something.

Giving Gu Jianhua two mid-grade spirit stones is equivalent to giving him more than a month's worth of top-tier cultivation resources.

If I had known that mid-grade spirit stones were so durable, I should have given him two thousand low-grade spirit stones. The purchasing power is the same, but in terms of cultivation effects, the value of a mid-grade spirit stone far exceeds that of two thousand low-grade ones.

This was due to inexperience; they were too generous.

But since I've already given it to them, I might as well consider it a way to put my mind at ease.

Zheng Yifei suppressed his heartache, closed his eyes again, and continued to guide his spiritual energy.

The sect leader rewarded him with one hundred mid-grade spirit stones, gave two to Gu Jianhua, and left ninety-eight spirit stones.

At the current pace, these ninety-eight mid-grade spirit stones are definitely enough for him to cultivate Qi Refining Level 9 to the Great Perfection realm.

It even has enough spiritual energy reserves for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

The only problem is time.

He needs time.