The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

Xu Changqing hadn't taken two steps before he stopped again.

He turned around and pointed to the two still-warm corpses on the ground.

"Uncle, if it's said to be an attack by the 'Green-eyed Toad,' then the wound doesn't look right."

Xu Dayou picked up his lantern and peered closer.

Apart from a small hole in their clothes, Xu Sanshun and Xu Tiezhu's chests were otherwise intact, with only a few red spots. They didn't look like they had been ripped open by a monster; rather, they looked like they had died suddenly from an acute illness.

"The green-eyed toad has barbs on its tongue, and its venom can corrode flesh."

Xu Changqing said expressionlessly, his voice so calm it sent chills down one's spine.

"If we carry him back like this, anyone with eyes can tell that he was murdered by someone. When that woman, San Shun, makes a scene and demands to open the coffin for an autopsy, our show will be exposed."

Xu Dayou was taken aback for a moment, then understood what the clan leader meant.

This old man was ruthless; he stuck the lantern into the snow, turned around, and rummaged around in the corner of the thatched hut for a while.

Before long, he returned carrying a fine iron hammer that he usually used to chisel holes in ice, and in his other hand, he was carrying half a bag of "acid etching powder" for melting ice.

"Chieftain, please go back to your room and rest."

Xu Dayou took a deep breath, his old face appearing somewhat ferocious in the lamplight.

"This kind of dirty work is for my old bones to do. Your hands should be clean, don't get them covered in this bad luck."

Xu Changqing looked at his uncle's slightly hunched back, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.

"Make it more realistic."

After saying that, he didn't linger and his figure quickly disappeared into the wind and snow.

The dull thuds behind me, accompanied by the sound of bones shattering, rang out one after another.

……

The next morning.

As dawn broke, heart-wrenching cries echoed across Cangwu Island.

White banners were hung in the main hall of the Xu family.

Two coffins were placed in the yard, the lids not yet sealed, but no one dared to look inside.

Xu Dayou was efficient; when the two corpses were brought back, their chests were already mangled.

Forget about needle marks, there wasn't even a complete rib to be found. Add to that the charred marks from the acid-etching powder, and it was as if he had been sprayed in the face by a highly poisonous monster.

Xu Sanshun's wife, with disheveled hair, lay beside the coffin, crying uncontrollably, and nearly fainted several times.

The concubine that Xu Tiezhu had just taken in didn't seem to be crying as sincerely; she was wiping the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief in her hand.

Those peach blossom eyes, moist with moisture, kept peeking out from between her fingers, clearly calculating her future path.

Xu Changqing, dressed in plain white silk with a white hemp belt around his waist, stood solemnly on the steps.

The group of clansmen gathered below mostly wore expressions of sorrow, along with a hint of fear of the perilous nature of the great swamp.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, please accept my condolences."

Xu Changqing bent down and gently helped Xu Sanshun's wife up.

The woman, with snot and tears streaming down her face, clung to Xu Changqing's sleeve and wouldn't let go.

"Chief! Sam-soon is gone, leaving us widows and orphans behind. How are we going to survive? The pillar of our family has collapsed!"

Xu Tiezhu's concubine also joined in the wailing, her voice so high-pitched it gave anyone a headache.

"Gentlemen."

As soon as Xu Changqing spoke, the noisy crying subsided somewhat.

"Uncle San Shun and Uncle Tie Zhu were killed by that beast while protecting our Xu family's fishpond and for our livelihood next year."

"When Uncle Dayou and I arrived last night, the beast had already been frightened away, but unfortunately... we were still a step too late."

Xu Changqing's voice was low and tinged with regret.

"If either of the two families encounters difficulties in the future, the clan will certainly not stand idly by."

"The elders of both families will be cared for and seen off by their relatives. As long as the children in the families are still studying and practicing martial arts, all their expenses will be covered by the family funds until they turn eighteen."

The fear in the eyes of the surrounding tribesmen lessened, replaced by a greater sense of respect.

The clan chief is truly benevolent!

After the crowd dispersed, the coffin was lowered into the ground.

Xu Changqing returned to his study and only then did he feel somewhat tired.

He untied the white hemp belt from his waist and casually threw it into the brazier, watching the strip of cloth curl up, turn black, and finally turn to ashes in the flames.

With the two traitors dealt with and Zhang Xianzhu temporarily absent, the Zhang family will be unable to ascertain the truth for a while and will likely remain suspicious for some time.

Xu Changqing poured himself a cup of cold tea.

Judging by the time, the "method for rapidly ripening purple-veined golden peaches" that I had previously deduced on the Tongtian Mirror should be ready by now.

Xu Changqing adjusted his breathing and focused his mind into his sea of ​​consciousness.

The familiar, ancient bronze mirror floated in the mist, its surface trembling and emitting a clear, melodious hum.

[The simulation is complete]

Xu Changqing's spirits lifted, and he immediately focused his attention on it.

Several lines of golden characters slowly emerged, each character conveying a mysterious meaning.

Methods to ripen purple-veined golden peaches

Using the essence blood of earth-attribute demonic beasts at the late first tier or higher as a base, mixed with low-grade spirit stones ground into powder, 'Blood Spirit Mud' is made and buried under tree roots.

Upon seeing this line of text, Xu Changqing was first taken aback, and then couldn't help but marvel at the power of the Tongtianjian.

The blood from that tin-skinned bull is still frozen in the cellar.

The Ironhide Bull, with its Earth attribute, is a perfect match.

As for spirit stone powder...

Although we're short of money right now, we'll scrape together the funds even if it means selling everything we own, all for this cash cow.

This is a solution perfectly tailored to his current wealth.

There's always a way out.

Xu Changqing didn't delay and immediately got up and went to the cellar.

The bucket of cow's blood had frozen into a reddish-brown block of ice.

He painstakingly chipped off several large pieces, melted them over a fire, and immediately a thick, pungent smell of blood filled the air.

Xu Changqing then counted out five low-grade spirit stones from the bag containing the spirit stones.

This is real money.

He gritted his teeth, picked up the stone mortar beside him, put the spirit stone in, and began to pound it with the pestle.

"Jingle bells."

Each crisp sound felt like a blow to his heart.

The precious spirit stone turned into a pile of glittering powder.

Xu Changqing poured the spirit stone powder into the basin of thick cow blood and stirred it vigorously with a wooden stick.

The blood plasma and spirit stone powder mixed together, and the originally pungent bloody smell gradually faded away, replaced by an earthy smell with a faint sweetness.

The color also turned dark gold, with a faint glow flowing through it.

"This is Blood Spirit Mud."

Carrying the valuable mud, Xu Changqing quietly slipped away to the backyard of the ancestral hall when no one was around.

Beside that dry well, the seeds of the purple-veined golden peach planted yesterday have already sprouted.

A tiny seedling, no taller than a little finger and with two tender purple leaves, is standing tall and strong in the cold wind.

Although it looks frail, its vitality is genuine.

Xu Changqing squatted down and carefully dug away the frozen soil around the roots of the seedling.

He didn't dare damage the roots, but only dug a hole three inches below the root system.

He filled the pot of dark golden blood spirit mud into it all at once, then covered it with soil again and compacted it.

As soon as the soil was firmly covered, Xu Changqing took two steps back and stared intently at the sapling of the purple-striped golden peach.

The seedling, which originally had only two tender leaves, trembled twice.

Immediately afterwards, a faint reddish hue appeared on the surface of the newly laid topsoil.

The seedling's third leaf emerged from the top, followed by the fourth.

In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, this tiny seedling, no bigger than a little finger, has already sprouted two small leaves.

That pot of "supplement" worth five spirit stones plus the blood of a late-stage Qi Refining demon beast was gone just like that.

Looking at the spirited little tree with its leaves unfurling in the cold wind, Xu Changqing felt both happy and heartbroken.

This isn't planting trees; it's burning money.

If we follow this method of consumption, how many more spirit stones will we have to expend along the way to wait for it to flower and bear fruit?

Fortunately, the fertility of the Blood Spirit Mud seems to still remain. Although the red blush has faded, it is still slowly seeping into the root system, which should be able to sustain it for some time.