The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

"Later stage of Tier 1, or both ends."

Xu Changqing looked at the words on the Tongtianjian and felt a sudden ache in his teeth.

A demon beast in the late stage of Qi Refining has thick skin and flesh, and its intelligence is just beginning to emerge.

Even in a one-on-one situation, he, a mere cultivator who had just entered the fourth level of Qi Refining, would have to avoid it.

Not to mention taking on two opponents at once in their underwater stronghold, where they have the advantage of terrain.

If we try to force our way in, we'll probably be nothing more than a mouthful of food for those two beasts.

However, the Cold Marrow Ganoderma is a top-grade spiritual medicine of the first rank, and its medicinal properties are mild and cold, making it an excellent auxiliary material for breaking through the bottleneck of the mid-stage of Qi Refining and cleansing the meridians.

If one can consume it, there will be a 70-80% chance of breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

If you try to buy it at the market, this thing is priceless and unavailable; you won't even get a whiff of it without spending six or seven hundred spirit stones.

The Xu family is now dirt poor, and these few hundred spirit stones are an astronomical sum.

"People die for wealth, birds die for food."

Xu Changqing stared at the bronze mirror, his fingers unconsciously tapping on his knee.

A direct confrontation is definitely not an option; his name hasn't even been added to the Xu family genealogy yet, and he doesn't want to meet his ancestors so soon.

Since we can't beat them, we can only cheat and steal.

An underwater underground river with a rapid current.

The Azure Water Python is an aquatic monster that thrives in water and moves with incredible speed.

Although he could barely move in the water thanks to his water-avoidance spell, compared to these local people, it was like an old lady with bound feet walking.

Once discovered, there's no escaping it.

"To snatch food from the tiger's mouth, we must first solve two problems."

"First, how to get down there without being discovered; second, how to escape from under the mouths of those two crazed beasts after getting the item."

Xu Changqing's mind was racing.

The Heavenly Mirror clearly states that the two blue water pythons were "building a nest to guard it," indicating that they would not easily leave their nest.

But in the dead of winter, the lake is frozen over, and underwater food is scarce.

Monsters are still beasts, and beasts must eat meat, and that meat must contain spiritual energy.

Xu Changqing had a sudden inspiration and remembered the pile of adult fish that had died from the fish plague a few days ago.

These dead fish were contaminated with poison and were not meant for human consumption. The original plan was to bury them somewhere deep, but now they have found a place to go.

The Qingling fish has delicious flesh, making it a rare treat for the Azure Water Python.

"Luring the tiger away from the mountain."

Xu Changqing made up his mind, immediately got up, pushed open the door, and went straight to the cellar where the dead fish were stored.

The cellar was cold and damp, and the smell of mold and fish assaulted my senses.

Two large earthenware jars were placed side by side in the corner, and the lids were lifted.

It was filled with dead fish that, though frozen solid, still exuded a faint spiritual aura.

Xu Changqing didn't mind the dirt and reached into the vat to stir it.

The flavor is strong enough, but in the fast-flowing underground river, it needs some extra ingredients to travel far.

He pulled a green pill the size of a fingernail from his storage bag.

This is a "Demon-Attracting Pill," a worthless trinket usually used by low-level rogue cultivators to lure early-stage first-order water demons in shallow waters.

Its main ingredient is the juice of a plant called "fishy rat grass", which emits a strong fishy smell when added to water.

One is not enough.

Xu Changqing thought for a moment and then simply poured out the half-bottle.

He crushed the demon-attracting pills into powder, sprinkled them evenly into the two vats of wastewater, and then used his spiritual power to forcibly knead them into the fish meat.

After doing all that, the smell in this vat could practically kill a cow.

Xu Changqing held his breath and quickly put the lid on.

"Now that we have the bait, we need a way to place it."

Xu Changqing left the cellar but did not return to his room. Instead, he turned and went to the family's weapon-refining room.

The weapon-refining room had been abandoned for many years, leaving only a dusty furnace and an anvil.

Xu Changqing rummaged through the pile of scrap metal in the corner for a while and found a rusty iron cage.

This was originally used to imprison small aquatic beasts. The railings were of moderate thickness and were engraved with simple imprisonment runes.

"Perfect."

Xu Changqing patted the dust off the cage and found a few sturdy cowhide ropes.

He planned to put the poisoned dead fish into the cage and then sink it into the upper reaches of the underground river not far from the Water Palace.

The flowing water will wash the bloody smell, carrying the medicinal properties, into the water palace.

Those two blue water pythons came out smelling the scent, and will definitely follow the scent to find the source.

Although this iron cage isn't exactly a magical artifact, it can still slightly slow down their eating speed.

As long as they are held back, it will be enough for Xu Changqing to sneak into the lair and eradicate the Cold Marrow Ganoderma.

However, there are risks involved.

What if those two beasts split up and one of them stays to guard the house?

What if there are other powerful creatures in the underground river?

The blue python is suspicious by nature; although it is greedy, it is not stupid.

"We need to add another layer of insurance."

Xu Changqing threw down the cage and rummaged through the pile of waste.

Finally, he picked up two palm-sized "sound recording stones" and several "phantom symbols" that had not yet been carved.

Sound-recording stones are low-level spiritual materials used to record sounds, while illusion runes can create simple phantoms.

He planned to set up a simple maze around the bait.

Not only do we need to let them smell the aroma, but we also need to let them hear the sounds.

Xu Changqing found a quiet corner and began to work on it.

He first poured spiritual energy into the sound-recording stone, then cleared his throat and imitated the struggling and screaming sounds of a dying water beast.

"Gurgle... splash... ouch..."

The sound was somewhat comical, but in the underwater environment, combined with the smell of blood, it was incredibly realistic.

Next is the phantom rune.

Xu Changqing picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote with flowing, dynamic strokes.

He doesn't need to draw a very realistic monster; just a rough outline, the kind of shadow that appears and disappears in the water, struggling to survive, will suffice.

Half an hour later.

Xu Changqing put away the two recording stones with the recorded sounds and the five drawn illusion symbols.

Looking at the somewhat rudimentary props in his hands, he chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Even the poor have their ways of playing."

"If I had a few 'Thunderfire Talismans', I could have just blown those two beasts to smithereens instead of wasting my time."

Everything is ready.

Xu Changqing was not in a hurry to set off.

He returned to his study, sat cross-legged, and began to adjust his state of mind.

This operation is not like the previous small-scale fishing on the shore; this is going into the water to steal food from other people's territory.

If they fail, there will be no trace of their bodies.

He had to mentally go over every single step to ensure everything went perfectly.

Silent all night.

The next morning.

The sunlight was rather dim, shining on the vast white ice surface with a cold light.

Before leaving, Xu Changqing changed into his monk's robe and made a special trip to the main hall.

Xu Dayou was directing several clansmen to move the accumulated ice blocks outside when he saw Xu Changqing's attire and was somewhat surprised.

"Chieftain, where are you going so early in the morning?"

"Go take a stroll in Dazeli, keep an eye on things back home."

Xu Changqing remained calm and spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Also, if I'm not back by sunset..."

Xu Changqing paused for a moment, then took out a jade slip from his pocket and handed it to Xu Dayou.

"If the Zhang family makes any unusual moves, just activate the formation according to the method above, and it will be enough to hold out for three to five days."

Xu Dayou sensed something was wrong with what was being said, his heart tightened, and the smile on his face vanished.

"Chieftain, what's wrong...?"

Why does this sound like he's making his final arrangements?

Don't overthink it.

Xu Changqing patted him on the shoulder, interrupting his reverie.

"The waves in the swamp are turbulent, so we always need to have a backup plan. You know I'm a cautious person."