The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

Looking at the young man who was decades younger than him, Li Shan felt a chill run down his spine, but then a long-suppressed ruthlessness surged up.

Since the Zhang family won't give us a way out, then don't blame them for being ruthless.

"Clan Chief Xu... if you truly possess that ability, count my Li family in!"

Li Shan gritted his teeth and nodded forcefully.

"it is good."

Xu Changqing smiled.

"This matter isn't urgent; we need to discuss it carefully. But we must share this information with each other."

After seeing Li Shan off, Xu Changqing stood on the pier, watching the small boat disappear into the vast reed marshes.

Xu Dayou leaned closer, somewhat worried: "Clan leader, can we trust the Li family?"

"unreliable."

Xu Changqing answered decisively.

"But as long as the Zhang family exists, they won't dare to betray us."

That's enough.

Xu Changqing turned around and walked back.

You can only believe half of what that old fox Li Shan says. When it really comes down to fighting, these guys will definitely stay in the back and watch the Xu family take the lead.

However, trying to take advantage of the Xu family is not an easy task.

But that's all in the future. If you want to fish in troubled waters, you have to stir them up first.

As for methods to muddy the waters, that requires the help of the Heavenly Mirror.

Back in his study, Xu Changqing sat cross-legged on a futon, adjusted his breathing until his mind was calm, and then sank his consciousness into his sea of ​​awareness.

The Heavenly Mirror, suspended in the mist, trembled slightly, sensing its master's will.

"Divide and deduce the specific route, time, and escort personnel configuration for the Zhang family to transport supplies from their outposts on the outskirts of the market back to Ling'ao Island."

That's a very detailed question.

Not only do you need to know the time and place, but you also need to see the color of the other person's underwear. It must be quite a hassle.

Xu Changqing held his breath and stared intently at the mirror.

The mist churned, and the golden ancient seal script appeared much slower than usual, as if it were laboriously untangling a tangled mess of cause and effect.

After a long while, the gold lettering finally settled.

[Deduction begins]

[Scenario: Details of the transportation of supplies to Zhangjia Village.]

[Time required: 10 days.]

Ten days.

Xu Changqing frowned almost imperceptibly.

This has taken quite a long time. The ripening of the purple-striped golden peaches only took three days. It seems that this involves specific personnel changes and movement trajectories, with too many variables, making it extremely difficult to deduce.

Ten days is a reasonable wait.

While they were at it, Xu Dayou got all the gear for the "water bandits" and trained the few able-bodied men in the clan.

Xu Changqing slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

……

Days passed, and the wind and snow continued to rage on Cangwu Island.

Qingmo Pavilion was once the residence of an elder of the Xu family who was skilled in talismans.

In the corner, there was an old desk propped up by a brick.

Xu Yanzhen sat at the table.

His amputated leg stretched out awkwardly under the table, getting in the way.

But he didn't care at all, and he was practically lying on the table.

Holding a worn-out wolf-hair brush in his hand, the tip dipped in water, he moved it across a bluestone slab that had been used countless times for writing and drawing.

Outside in the martial arts arena, Xu Yanfeng was leading several children of the hope generation in practicing their skills.

"Drink! Ha!"

The synchronized shouts seeped in through the window cracks, irritating everyone.

Xu Yanzhen flicked his wrist, and the tip of his pen drew a crooked water stain on the stone slab.

"Tsk."

He frowned and glanced out the window with some annoyance.

Those muscle-bound idiots.

All he does all day is jump around like an idiot. What's the point of building up that brute strength?

When it really comes down to a battle of wits, aren't we just sitting ducks?

Xu Yanzhen withdrew his gaze and dipped his finger in water again.

He originally wanted to learn formation techniques.

That day, the clan chief asked him to repair the array patterns, and he felt that his hands were steady and he was a good candidate for engraving arrays.

But after reading a few introductory books on formations over the past few days, he found them uninteresting.

Formations rely on leveraging external forces, strategic positioning, and favorable timing and location; they are too complex and slow.

Moreover, setting up the formation requires walking and measuring, and with his useless leg, he gets out of breath after just a few steps, so how could he do such delicate work?

Until yesterday, he found this book, "A Detailed Explanation of Elementary Talismans," in a corner of the bookshelf.

The book cover is gone, and several pages are missing inside.

But after just one glance, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

The art of talismans lies in sealing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a small piece of talisman paper.

Beginning the stroke, moving the stroke, ending the stroke.

All in one go.

Once the drawing is complete, this light piece of paper can be thrown out and transformed into a fireball, an ice spike, or a golden knife.

There's no need to run, jump, or even stand.

With a steady hand and a calm mind, one can kill.

Xu Yanzhen took a deep breath, shutting out the noise outside, and refocused his gaze on the bluestone slab in front of him.

The most basic "cleansing charm" pattern from the book came to mind.

Although it is the most low-grade life talisman, not even a first-class low-grade one, it is very helpful for depicting spiritual power.

The initial stroke is like a falling stone, and the subsequent stroke is like a swimming snake.

Xu Yanzhen's wrist was suspended in the air, her knuckles white.

His face was pale and bloodless, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

The pen tip touched the stone slab.

Water stains spread across the stone surface.

This time he didn't pause, his wrist rotating with extreme dexterity.

He had rehearsed it countless times in his mind over the past few days.

He could feel the rhythm of spiritual energy flowing through the tip of his brush, even though he hadn't used spiritual ink or talisman paper yet.

"brush."

The final stroke returns to the beginning, echoing the beginning.

Although there were no flashes of brilliance, the pattern formed by the water stains was well-structured and pleasing to the eye.

Xu Yanzhen looked at the gradually drying watermark, and an uncontrollable smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

The inferiority and gloom that I felt when watching others run and jump on the training ground were now completely replaced by a strange sense of pleasure.

I only studied this talisman book for a few days, and I was already able to draw the talisman core smoothly.

I realized I wasn't a useless person after all.

On this table, under this pen, those people outside who can run and jump are the real trash.

"Brother Yanzhen!"

A crisp shout interrupted his thoughts.

Xu Xining poked his head in from outside the door, covered in sweat, and was holding a snowball in his hand.

"Grandpa Dayou invited us to have some meat soup! He said he stewed that... that Tie Niu's meat again today!"

Xu Yanzhen's smile vanished, and he reverted to his usual gloomy expression.

He slowly washed his brush and carefully tucked the tattered book into his pocket.

"I'm not hungry, you guys eat."

Xu Changqing hadn't finished the Qi-dissolving powder and meat powder he'd given him before, so going there would have been pointless.

"Huh? That meat smells amazing, you'd be missing out if you didn't eat it!" Xu Xining scratched his head, looking puzzled.

Xu Yanzhen ignored him, picked up the cane leaning against the table, and stood up.

Looking at Xu Xining's rosy, energetic face, his sense of superiority intensified.

Eat up, eat up.

They're just a bunch of good-for-nothings.

"I have other things to do, don't bother me."

Xu Yanzhen, leaning on his cane, limped upstairs.

He remembered that there were several piles of unwanted yellow paper on the second floor. Although it wasn't spirit paper, it was perfect for practicing his skills.

Xu Xining watched his retreating figure, pursed her lips, muttered "weirdo" under her breath, and then turned and ran away in a flash.