The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

Xu Changqing exhaled a breath of stale air and took out a crimson talisman from his waist.

Tier 1, low-grade "Snow Melting Talisman".

This thing isn't very lethal; it's usually used by the tribe to clear snow from the roof. Its advantage is that it's quiet and doesn't create steam like a fireball, which would attract attention.

Xu Changqing affixed the talisman to the ice surface and slowly infused it with his spiritual energy.

No flames appeared; instead, the talisman flashed red light, transformed into a warm stream of air, and penetrated the ice layer.

"Click."

The ice broke, revealing the dark, murky lake water beneath.

Xu Changqing took out a fluorite from his pocket to use for lighting.

With that faint light, he finally saw the ox clearly.

The big guy had its eyes closed and its hooves stiff; it was already lifeless.

"This is it."

Xu Changqing did not hesitate any longer and immediately took action.

He didn't rush into the water. Instead, he gave a low shout, made a hand seal, and a green spiritual rope burrowed into the water, firmly binding the bull's horns.

"rise!"

Xu Changqing exerted force with his feet, and the spiritual energy within his body surged.

I can't get up.

The animal was too heavy, and with the added adhesion of the silt at the bottom of the water, it remained completely still.

"This dead ox, even in death it still torments me."

He had no choice but to dispel his magic spell, take out a fine iron dagger from his storage bag, and bite it into his mouth.

We still have to go into the water.

In this freezing weather, even wearing a wetsuit, it's still a deadly job.

Xu Changqing took a deep breath, slid down, and plunged into the icy lake water.

The biting cold made his muscles tense.

Xu Changqing spent the time it takes for an incense stick to burn underwater, first digging out the cow's leg that was stuck in the mud, then removing some flesh and blood, and then sticking two "lightness talismans" on the cow's body.

When he surfaced again, his lips were already frozen purple.

"Rise again!"

This time, with a splash, the massive cow carcass was finally dragged out of the water and slammed heavily onto the ice.

Xu Changqing, disregarding the need for rest, began dismembering the cow carcass.

The storage bag has limited space, only three cubic meters in size, and it simply cannot hold such a large item.

It took Xu Changqing a great deal of effort to peel off the thick cowhide completely, roll it into a large bundle, and stuff it into his storage bag.

Next came the ox horns, ox tendons, some ox blood, and the demon core that exuded a rich spiritual energy.

The storage bag was quickly stuffed full.

Looking at the pile of flesh and bones left on the ground, Xu Changqing felt a little regretful.

If all this beef can be transported back, it will be enough to feed the tribe for quite some time.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew."

Xu Changqing shook his head, preparing to stop and leave.

Suddenly, his gaze stopped on the bull's exposed stomach.

The enormous stomach had been ripped open, and some undigested food residue was spilling out.

Something glimpsed in the moonlight amidst a pile of dark hay and mud.

The light was not as warm and gentle as that of a spirit stone; instead, it carried a metallic chill.

Xu Changqing frowned slightly and used the tip of his sword to pry open the pile of foul-smelling filth.

Clang.

An object covered in gastric juices rolled out.

It was a bronze box no bigger than the palm of your hand.

The box was rusted and engraved with intricate cloud and thunder patterns, clearly indicating that it was no ordinary object.

"This is……"

Xu Changqing was stunned for a moment.

It's not unusual for monsters to have things inside their bellies. Some monsters are inherently greedy and will swallow anything that glitters with spiritual light.

But this tin bull is herbivorous, so how could it swallow a copper box?

It's likely that the box was originally in some kind of spiritual herb patch, and this fool rolled it in along with the grass and mud.

Xu Changqing wiped the box clean with a snowball; it felt heavy in his hand.

The box had no clasp, only a very thin slit.

He tried to infuse it with a trace of spiritual energy.

"Click".

The box opened with a click.

Xu Changqing peered inside and saw that the box was lined with yellow silk, which had long since rotted and turned black.

And in the middle of that tattered silk, lay quietly a grayish seed, no bigger than a thumb.

These seeds look unremarkable, with a shriveled surface.

But at the tip of the seed, there is a tiny golden spot, the size of a pinhead, radiating a faint vitality.

Xu Changqing's eyelids twitched suddenly.

Although he was not a plant master, he had read many books on spiritual herbs and medicines.

This characteristic...

A first-grade superior spiritual fruit, the Purple-Veined Golden Peach?

This thing is a rare find.

However, these purple-veined golden peaches ripen only once every three to five years, and the fruits they produce can improve the cultivation of late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. If you take them to the market, one peach can be exchanged for forty or fifty spirit stones, depending on whether people are willing to sell them.

"I got a bargain."

Xu Changqing carefully stuffed the seeds back into the copper box and tucked the box close to his body.

Although this thing is not easy to grow, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, it will be the Xu family's future treasure trove.

After carefully putting away his treasures, Xu Changqing glanced back at the remaining mess.

The ice surface was covered with blood and bits of flesh, and the stench of blood was carried far away by the cold wind.

This area is on the edge of a great swamp, and the smell of blood is most likely to attract those water demons with a keen sense of smell.

If we leave this pile of stuff here, who knows what trouble it might cause tomorrow? If someone traces it back to the Xu family, it will be another disaster.

"What a waste of all this tender meat."

Xu Changqing clicked his tongue in distress, looking at the beef ribs and spine meat that he couldn't take with him, wishing he had two more storage bags.

He sighed and stomped his foot hard on the edge of the broken ice a few times.

"Splash!"

The already broken ice collapsed completely, and the dismembered cow skeleton, along with the bits of flesh and blood, slid into the icy lake water.

The water surface churned for a while, producing a few murky bubbles, before returning to calm.

The fish and shrimp underwater are having a feast this year.

After doing all that, he hoisted the two heavy cow legs onto his shoulder, tightened his water jacket, and plunged into the vast night without looking back.

The return journey was more difficult than the way there.

The meat of this iron-skinned bull was incredibly heavy, pressing down on Xu Changqing's shoulders and causing them to ache.

We finally made it to Cangwu Island.

Xu Changqing crouched low, using the shadows at the base of the wall as a guide, and made his way back to his small courtyard.

Gently push open the back window, climb inside, and then gently close it again.

His movements were so fluid and skillful that even he felt a pang of sadness.

Even as the head of a clan, he has to act like a thief when he returns to his own home.

The room was warm as springtime, and although most of the fire in the charcoal brazier had gone out, it still retained some warmth.

Xu Changqing breathed a sigh of relief, gently placed the two cow legs on the ground, and then took off his water jacket.

Using the sunlight filtering through the window, he began to tally up his gains for the evening.

A large roll of complete iron-skinned bull hide, if processed properly, can be made into several sets of mid-grade first-tier leather armor. This is a hot commodity in the loose cultivator circle on the edge of the Great Swamp, and can sell for at least three hundred spirit stones.

Two thick ox horns are excellent materials for crafting magical artifacts; they'll cost at least one hundred spirit stones.

And that cow tendon is incredibly tough; if you took it to a weapon-refining shop, you could exchange it for a lot of good stuff.

As for that demon core...

Xu Changqing held the dusty bead in his hand.

It's a pity to sell this thing directly. If we could find someone to refine it into "Wild Bull Pills" and give them to those few Qi Refining stage kids in the clan, they could strengthen their bodies.

Finally, Xu Changqing took out the bronze box again.

He placed the box in his palm and gently stroked the cloud and thunder patterns on it with his fingertips.

The seeds of these purple-veined golden peaches are now a hot potato.

The Xu family has no spiritual plant growers and no knowledge of methods to accelerate growth. If they were to plant it rashly, not only would it fail to grow, but they would also have to constantly guard against it being stolen.

But if you were to sell it...

This kind of vitality is still somewhat weak; in the hands of an uninformed person, it's just a dry walnut, but in the hands of an expert, it will surely attract covetousness.

Xu Changqing thought for a moment, then turned and walked to a hidden compartment next to the bed.

He pried open the floorboards, revealing a small hidden box underneath.

Inside were several family genealogies and some land deeds.

He carefully placed the bronze box inside and then placed a "spirit-sealing talisman" on top to prevent the spiritual energy from leaking out.

"Keep it for now, and we'll figure something out once this storm passes."