The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

When the old man heard it was a cleansing talisman, his eyelids drooped again, clearly showing little interest. These things had low profit margins; it was all about volume.

He stretched out his withered fingers, casually picked up a bill, and without looking at it closely, prepared to casually quote a low price to get rid of it.

But the moment his fingertips touched the talisman, the old man let out a soft "hmm".

"what?"

He sat up straight, brought the talisman close to his eyes, and examined it closely in the light coming in from outside.

Xu Changqing stood outside the counter, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his expression indifferent.

He knew in his heart that this talisman was no less powerful than the mass-produced ones on the market.

The old man stared at the talisman for a long time before putting it down and looking Xu Changqing up again.

"This talisman was drawn steadily, in one go, without the slightest pause. Was it drawn by a seasoned artist?"

Xu Changqing smiled.

"Shopkeeper, you flatter me. This is just a practice piece made by a younger member of my family. Could you give me an estimate?"

The old man pondered for a moment, then stretched out his withered right hand and gestured a number.

"If it were someone else's cleansing talisman, I would only accept twenty sheets of this quality for one spirit stone at most."

"But your talisman is well-crafted and durable, so I'll give you a fair price: four spirit stones. I'll take all fifty of them."

Xu Changqing nodded to himself.

Four spirit stones, more than the three I expected. This old man seems confused, but he's honest in business.

"Okay, four pieces it is."

After leaving Lingfu Pavilion, Xu Changqing did not delay and turned around to enter "Baixianji" on the east side of the market.

This place specializes in trading seeds and fresh produce; the ground is covered in wet, black muddy water, and the stench is overwhelming.

Xu Changqing, familiar with the place, arrived at a shop with a sign that read "Liu's Fish Fry".

There were more than a dozen large wooden barrels in front of the shop, filled with tiny swimming fish.

A burly man was scooping dead fish out of a net when he saw Xu Changqing coming over. He threw the net aside and wiped the water off his face.

"Oh, isn't this Fellow Daoist Xu? What a rare guest!"

This man's surname was Liu. He had been doing business with the Xu family for over ten years, so they were old acquaintances.

Xu Changqing didn't waste any words and pointed to one of the wooden barrels.

"Manager Liu, bring me two hundred green spirit fish fry. Same as always, pick the strongest ones for me."

Manager Liu chuckled, a hint of shrewdness appearing on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, I'm afraid we can't follow the old rules this time."

He held up five fingers and waved them in front of Xu Changqing.

"One spirit stone, five tails."

Xu Changqing raised an eyebrow, his face darkening.

"Manager Liu, that's not fair of you. Wasn't it one spirit stone for ten tails in previous years? How come the price has doubled?"

"There's nothing I can do about it."

Manager Liu shrugged, his face full of bitterness.

"You don't go out often, so you don't know what's going on outside. Right now, the fighting at the Demon-Slaying Dike is fierce, and the waterways deep in the Great Swamp have been cut off."

"My batch of fish fry was transported from hundreds of miles away. Along the way, most of it was spent on bribes to various river bandits and patrol officers."

"I have a family to support too, don't I?"

Although Manager Liu exaggerated, the recent surge in prices is indeed true.

"Give me five hundred."

Xu Changqing gritted his teeth. These fish fry were a necessity. The ponds were just sitting empty anyway, so he had to raise something in them, otherwise what would they eat next year?

"One hundred spirit stones."

The man didn't hesitate; he took out a specially made animal skin water bag and skillfully scooped the fish out of the tank.

Xu Changqing then looked at the seed counter next to him.

"What about the seeds of 'Golden Valley'?"

"That hasn't gone up; it's still the same price, three spirit stones per pound."

The man said as he counted the fish.

"After all, farming is something you can do anywhere as long as the formation isn't broken; there aren't that many risks involved."

Xu Changqing breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, there's one that hasn't raised its price.

"Give me thirty catties."

The few acres of wasteland behind the mountain have already been cleared, so it's time to sow these seeds.

After his shopping spree, Xu Changqing had lost another 190 spirit stones.

They spend money like water.

As Xu Changqing stepped out of the market gate, a gust of cold wind mixed with snowflakes hit him in the face.

He launched his old, dilapidated little boat, not daring to fly too high, and sped along the ice.

It was already late when we returned to Cangwu Island.

Xu Changqing went to the fishpond first.

After the recent renovations, the water in those ponds has become much clearer, but they are empty and look desolate.

He poured in the five hundred green spirit fish fry.

"Splash!"

As soon as the fry entered the water, they swam happily and scattered, creating ripples on the surface.

Looking at these vibrant little creatures, Xu Changqing felt a little better.

If half of these seedlings survive, the Xu family will be able to recover next year.

As for Huangyugu, it will be planted after the spring.

……

In the blink of an eye, a month has passed.

The Xu family had a relatively peaceful month.

The fish fry are growing well and are already about the length of a finger.

Nourished by the Blood Spirit Mud, the Purple-Veined Golden Peach has now grown to over a meter tall, with lush branches and leaves, and the purple-gold color on the edges of the leaves has become increasingly intense.

Although it has not yet blossomed, its growth has far exceeded the records in ancient books.

As for the training ground...

Under the tutelage of Wan Huaiyi, the devilish instructor, Xu Yanfeng underwent a complete transformation.

This kid used to rely on his brute strength and fight by shouting. Now, although he's still the same loud and boisterous person, he's become more disciplined with his machete.

Although Wan Huaiyi has a sharp tongue and ruthless methods, his skills are truly exceptional.

In just one month, Xu Yanfeng, this greenhorn, was worn down and developed a layer of calluses.

early morning.

The ferry crossing on Cangwu Island was exceptionally lively.

Dozens of members of the Xu family, whether from the main branch or collateral branches, were all gathered here.

Xu Changqing stood at the front, wearing a brand-new gray-blue robe, with a jade pendant symbolizing his status as clan leader hanging at his waist, giving him a somewhat dignified air as the clan leader.

Behind him were Xu Yanfeng and the three little guys from the hope generation.

Xu Yanfeng was no longer joking around. He carried the reforged machete on his back, stood tall and looked like a proper cultivator.

Xu Xining's three younger children were even more nervous, their little faces tense.

"Is everything ready?"

Xu Changqing turned around and asked a question.

Xu Dayou stood to the side carrying a large package filled with dry food and changes of clothes.

"Chief, everyone's here. These children have never been far from home before. You'd better keep an eye on them on the road, lest they get kidnapped."

Xu Changqing glanced at the old man helplessly.

"Uncle Dayou, this is a trip to the opening ceremony, not a den of dragons or tigers. Who would dare to kidnap someone under the very nose of the Qinghe Sword Sect in broad daylight?"

As they were talking, a huge, shadowy vessel broke through the morning mist and slowly approached from the distant water.

It was a two-story spirit boat, made entirely of ironwood and engraved with windproof and spirit-strengthening array patterns. Although it was an old object that had changed hands many times, it was considered a big one in the Cangwu Island area.

Li Shan stood at the bow of the boat, dressed in a dark red robe, holding a folding fan in his hand, pretending to fan himself.

Although fanning oneself in this freezing weather looks a bit silly, the pomp and circumstance is definitely stronger than that of the Xu family.

"Clan Chief Xu! We've kept you waiting!"