Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

"Lord Li, we are truly out of stock of the medicines you requested."

"Even the most common calming herb is missing?"

"They're in short supply, desperately short. These days, any medicinal herbs in the city that have been imbued with spiritual energy are prioritized for the Bai family."

"When the Bai family eats meat, they always leave some soup for others."

"Lord Li is joking. In Xiyun County, the Bai family is the law. If they don't give an inch, who would dare to keep a single spiritual herb hidden away?"

Li Ping walked out of the pharmacy and exhaled a breath of stale air.

He had been practicing Qi cultivation for several days, but the spiritual energy within his body was as thin as morning mist, dissipating with the slightest breeze.

The "Small Heavenly Circuit Qi Guiding Technique" clearly states that when a mortal breaks through a certain realm, they need to use spiritual sand to cleanse and refine their meridians.

He searched the entire county but couldn't find even a single grain of spirit sand.

In this world, cultivation techniques are monopolized, and even cultivation resources are guarded against like thieves.

For ordinary people to overcome this hurdle is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Li Ping touched the bronze seal of the Imperial Library in his sleeve, a thought flickering in his mind.

Among the records left by Hu Guan, there seems to be a person named Hu Jiu.

The booklet stated that Hu Jiu would send a sum of money to the county government office every month for tea.

Ostensibly it was to show respect to Hu Guan, but in reality it was to protect a private road in the north of the city.

Li Ping turned a corner and headed towards the general store in the north of the city.

In the north of the city, in front of a shop with a tattered wine flag hanging on its walls

A gaunt, middle-aged man with a goatee was squatting on the doorstep, scratching the soles of his feet with his fingernails.

Upon seeing Li Ping approaching, the man's eyes darted around, and he immediately put his feet down.

He wiped his face haphazardly on his clothes and forced a fawning smile.

"Oh, could this be the newly appointed Secretary Li? What brings you here?"

Li Ping didn't mind and sat down on the bamboo chair next to him.

"Hu Jiu, let's not beat around the bush. Hu Guan is gone, and his records are now in my hands."

Hu Jiu stiffened, and the smile on his face faltered.

"Lord Li, I am merely a small-time businessman."

"When Magistrate Hu was in office, I did serve tea a few times, but I was forced to do so."

"Forced?"

Li Ping pulled a slip of paper from his sleeve and waved it in front of Hu Jiu.

"On the fourteenth of last month, three bushels of spirit sand were smuggled along the route, and ten taels were taken as commission."

"On the eighth day of last month, five hundred talismans were delivered, and fifteen taels were taken as commission. I remember every stroke on them clearly."

"Hu Jiu, smuggling spiritual items is punishable by exile under the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty."

Hu Jiu's face turned somewhat pale; he had originally thought Hu Guan had fallen from power.

My own little troubles were thus swept under the rug, but who knew that this new clerk would examine the old records so thoroughly?

He looked around and lowered his voice.

"Lord Li, name your price. As long as I can afford it, I won't hesitate."

Li Ping put away the note and shook his head.

"What I seek is not money."

Hu Jiu was stunned.

"What is the master plotting?"

"I need spirit sand, and also pill formulas to improve cultivation."

Li Ping looked at him with sharp eyes.

"Since you can help Hu Guan transport goods, you must have connections to get into this black market."

Hu Jiu looked troubled and hesitated.

"Lord Li, the black market is a very murky place. I was merely a middleman, and besides, this method..."

"Now this path has fallen into the hands of the Bai family, right?"

Li Ping interrupted him.

Hu Jiu gasped, a hint of fear creeping into his eyes as he looked at Li Ping.

How could this kid, who is just a newly appointed clerk, know such secrets?

"Since you, sir, already know, why make things difficult for me?"

"You are well aware of the Bai family's influence in the county."

"If they find out that I brought outsiders into the venue, I'm afraid I'll lose my head."

"The Bai family gets to eat meat, while you don't even get to drink the soup, and you're risking your head. What's the point?"

Li Ping took out a copper coin from his pocket and twirled it between his fingers.

"I am now in charge of the document room, and the government granary has a monthly quota of fifty shi of moldy grain."

"If you help me make the connection, I'll give you half price for these fifty bushels of grain from now on."

Hu Jiu's breathing became heavier.

In this remote border town, grain is the hard currency, even more valuable than copper coins.

Fifty bushels of grain would be enough for him to recruit more people and double the size of his private trade route business.

"Is what you say true, sir?"

"The official seal of the document room is in my sleeve; I can draw up a document at any time."

Li Ping said calmly

Hu Jiu gritted his teeth and slapped his thigh.

"Success! Fortune favors the bold!"

"Tonight at midnight, I'll take you to the abandoned kiln north of the city to broaden your horizons."

"However, you'll need to change your attire to avoid being recognized by the Bai family."

It's a deal.

Li Ping stood up, dusted off his robes, and turned to leave.

Midnight, Zi Shi

In the abandoned brick kiln in the north of the city, it was pitch black all around, with only a few windproof lanterns emitting a faint light.

The air was filled with a musty smell and the earthy odor of soil.

Li Ping was wearing a large black cloak with the hood pulled down so low that only his chin was visible.

Hu Jiu walked beside him, looking somewhat nervous, glancing around frequently.

Deep inside the abandoned kiln, a dozen or so people had gathered, all dressed in black and masked, surrounding several rough wooden frames.

On the shelf were some jade bottles, yellow paper, and minerals that emitted a faint fluorescent glow.

"This is spirit sand?"

Li Ping walked to a shelf and looked at the reddish-gray minerals in the wooden box. He could sense the subtle spiritual energy contained within them.

"Indeed, this is low-grade spirit sand; one tael costs ten taels of silver."

A stall owner wearing a demon mask spoke coldly.

Li Ping was secretly shocked. The price was outrageously high; an ordinary person couldn't afford even a few taels of it in a lifetime.

He was about to speak when two tall men dressed in black approached, each with a matching narrow, long sword at their waist.

On the scabbard, a white character was faintly engraved.

Li Ping's heart skipped a beat; these were the Bai family's private soldiers.

They appeared to be on patrol, but in reality, they were monitoring every move inside the abandoned kiln.

Each vendor who successfully completed a transaction would proactively place a small bag of copper coins or spirit sand into the bamboo basket of the Bai family's private soldiers.

This black market is clearly a branch of the Bai family.

"Hu Jiu, do the Bai family people come every time?"

Li Ping asked in a soft tone

"Shh, sir, keep your voice down."

Hu Jiu tugged at Li Ping's sleeve, his voice trembling.

"Most of the spiritual items in Xiyun County will pass through the hands of the Bai family."

"They collect a 20% fee to ensure the safety of this place."

"If anyone dares to make a private deal without paying the proper fees, their corpse will appear in the ravine the next day."

Li Ping sneered. The Bai family is indeed domineering.

He walked to a stall in a corner; the stall owner was a withered old man.

Several tattered sheets of paper lay before me, covered with intricate drawings of herbs.

"How much for this tattered page?"

Li Ping pointed to one of the torn pages with the words "Spirit Gathering Powder" written on it.

The old man raised his eyelids and glanced at Li Ping.

"Fixed price: three taels of spirit sand, or thirty taels of silver."

"This is just an incomplete prescription, half the amount of herbs are missing, is it really worth this price?"

"Take it or leave it. This was brought out from the ruins of an abandoned immortal sect deep in the mountains."

"If it is completed, it can save several years of arduous study."

The old man waved his hand impatiently.

Li Ping pondered for a moment, then took out three pure silver ingots from his pocket and tossed them onto the stall.

This was the money he received as a share of the profits from Hu Guan's household, which he had always kept hidden on his person.

"make a deal"

Li Ping put away the tattered pages and then exchanged the remaining silver for two taels of spirit sand at a nearby stall.

Just as he was about to leave, the two private soldiers of the Bai family suddenly blocked his way.

One of them pressed his scabbard against Li Ping's chest with considerable force, causing Li Ping's blood to surge.

"A new face? Have you paid the fees?"

The private soldier spoke with a mocking tone.

Li Ping suppressed the spiritual energy within his body, his face showing a look of fear.

He took out a few pieces of silver from his sleeve and handed them over.

"Gentlemen, this is my first time here, and I'm not familiar with the etiquette. Please accept this small token of my appreciation for tea."

The private soldier took the loose silver, weighed it in his hand, glanced at Li Ping's somewhat thin frame, and let out a sneer.

"Get lost, and open your eyes wider in the future."

Li Ping lowered his head and walked quickly out of the abandoned kiln.

A night breeze blew by, and his back felt a little cold.

Fang Fang at that moment

He could clearly sense the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the two private soldiers; both were cultivators at the Qi Refining stage.

Even the gatekeeper's private guards possess such skill; the Bai family's foundation is far deeper than he had anticipated.

Back home

Li Ping sat under the oil lamp, pouring the two ounces of spirit sand into his palm.

The reddish sand shimmered faintly under the light. He circulated the "Small Heavenly Circuit Qi Induction Technique," attempting to absorb the spiritual energy within.

A wisp of pure spiritual energy flowed into his meridians through his palm, and the previously sluggish barriers began to loosen slightly.

Li Ping opened his eyes, looked at the tattered prescription on the table, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.

The situation in Xiyun County was more complicated than he had imagined.

Chen Rang wanted to get rid of him after the autumn tax, and the Bai family had monopolized all the cultivation resources.

If he doesn't improve his strength quickly, he might not even survive the first autumn.

He carefully put away the tattered pages and blew out the oil lamp.

In the darkness, only the spiritual energy within his body flowed slowly through his meridians.