The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

Xu Changqing didn't dare let the lawless Xu Xining continue loitering in front of the Taoist temple.

Although the Taoist boy on the right was a puppet with little temper, this was, after all, the territory of the Qinghe Sword Sect.

If the steward guarding the Taoist temple is biased and comes out to find his own gatekeeper being pinched on the butt by a brat, he'll have to pay a sum of spirit stones for it.

He grabbed Xu Xining by the back of the neck with one hand and beckoned to Xu Yanfeng and the other two children who were still watching the commotion, and quickly left the place of trouble.

After many twists and turns, the group returned to the "Yunlai Inn" in a narrow alley on the west side of the market.

The inn's name sounds grand, but it's actually just a large courtyard with only two dilapidated wooden buildings.

But this location is cheap, costing only two spirit stones a day.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Li Shan squatting by the old well in the courtyard, washing his face.

"Clan Chief Xu, you're back?"

Li Shan wiped the water droplets from his face, looked up, and his face showed a hint of relief after exhaustion.

"Where did I take the kids to broaden their horizons today? I took those lads to the East Market for a stroll, and good heavens, the prices of magical artifacts there have gone up to absurd levels. They dare to charge fifteen spirit stones for a piece of junk iron sword; it's practically robbery."

Xu Changqing pushed Xu Xining, who was still bragging to Xu Xiwen about the "feel of the puppet's buttocks," into the house, then turned around and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Li Shan.

"Just wander around a bit, let these little rascals get familiar with the place, so they won't get lost on the day of the ceremony."

"Yes, yes."

Li Shan draped the towel over his shoulder and lowered his voice.

"I just heard from the shopkeeper that there's a black market auction in the market tonight. Want to check it out?"

Xu Changqing shook his head.

"I'm short of money, so I won't go to those places of extravagance. I need to save my energy for tomorrow's ceremony. Elder Li, please feel free to go."

With the Xu family's current financial situation, going to the black market would be nothing more than seeking thrills. They could see things but couldn't buy them, which would only cause them more trouble.

Li Shan was just being polite. Seeing that Xu Changqing wasn't going, he was happy to save himself the trouble. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he went back to his own house.

Xu Changqing returned to the relatively clean guest room on the second floor.

The room was simply furnished with a hard wooden bed, a square table, and a few futons.

Xu Yanfeng squeezed into another room with the three children. This room was a private room that Xu Changqing had specially reserved for himself, not for his own enjoyment, but for the convenience of doing business.

He closed the doors and windows behind him and then casually set up a simple warning barrier.

After doing all this, Xu Changqing finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat cross-legged on the bed.

The day's stroll seemed relaxing, but in reality, my mind was on edge.

Long before, he had already compiled a list of opportunities available to those in the mid-stage of Qi Refining within a 30-mile radius of Qinghe Market in the past few days, along with the time required for calculation.

It wasn't the kind of meticulous deduction, but rather casting a wide net to catch fish.

The answers given by the Heavenly Mirror for this kind of fuzzy search are often also fuzzy, but the advantage is that it gives him room to choose.

As the mind sank in, the sea of ​​consciousness churned with mist.

On the ancient mirror surface, a dozen or so lines of pale gold characters now appeared densely packed.

Xu Changqing stared intently.

[Opportunity 1: At midnight tonight, during the cleaning of the discarded pill room at "Bai Cao Tang" on the east side of the market, a partially discarded "Qi-restoring pill" was found inside. Estimated time: half an hour.]

Xu Changqing skipped over it.

It's not worth staying up all night for a half-used Qi-restoring pill, especially when you have to rummage through garbage dumps for such a paltry sum.

[Second Opportunity: Thirty miles south of the market town's south gate, in a mass grave, a rogue cultivator dies from severe injuries, possessing one hundred and twenty spirit stones and a low-grade magic artifact. Deduction time: Two hours.]

This might be lucrative, but the area outside the market is in chaos right now. And since that rogue cultivator is seriously injured, it means he has enemies chasing him or has just been ambushed. The risk is too great, and he could easily get into trouble.

Xu Changqing lowered his gaze and continued the selection process.

[Opportunity Three: At noon tomorrow at the "Golden Hook Gambling House" in the West Market, a gambler in the early stage of Qi Refining will use his family heirloom jade pendant to settle a debt. The pendant contains a first-grade superior "Heart-Cleansing Mantra" inheritance. Deduction time: one day.]

inherited?

Xu Changqing was somewhat tempted, but when he checked the time, he realized that tomorrow at noon was the time for the first test of spirit at the opening ceremony, and he would have to be there to keep an eye on things, so he couldn't be in two places at once.

Moreover, gambling dens are places where all sorts of people mingle, and there are too many variables.

Xu Changqing patiently read on, his gaze finally settling on a line of text at the very end of the list.

[Opportunity Four: At the "Grand Market for Rogue Cultivators" in the North District of the Market, three days later at the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), a down-on-his-luck old cultivator will be selling his ancestral heirlooms, among which is a piece of second-tier spirit wood, "Lightning-Struck Agarwood." Estimated timeframe: Two days.]

Three days later, at the hour of Wei (1-3 PM).

Xu Changqing made a mental calculation.

According to the Qinghe Sword Sect's procedure, the first two days are for spirit testing and heart inquiry, and the third day is the end of the final combat assessment.

When the grand ceremony ended, some were happy while others were sad. The crowds in the market were at their most chaotic, which was also a good time to snag a bargain.

Second-tier spirit wood, lightning-struck agarwood.

This is a top-grade material for crafting lightning-attribute magical artifacts or for assisting in the cultivation of lightning techniques.

Even if you don't use it yourself, you can resell it to those big shops and get at least five or six hundred spirit stones. If you encounter a lightning cultivator in urgent need, the price can double.

Most importantly, this item is clean, and it was bought and sold legitimately at the market, with payment made on the spot, without any karmic consequences.

"That's it."

Without further hesitation, Xu Changqing seized this opportunity.

"Divide and determine the exact location of this lightning-struck agarwood, the stall owner's characteristics, and the best price to acquire it."

As the thought settled, the other characters on the mirror instantly vanished, leaving only this one golden character that suddenly shone brightly before transforming into a thick mist that began to slowly rotate.

[Deduction begins]

[Time required: Two days.]

Xu Changqing slowly opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips.

Two days.

It's just in time for the grand ceremony to end. Whether we can send the Xu family's children into the sect and make some extra money on the side depends on our luck in the next few days.

He got up and poured himself a cup of cold tea to moisten his throat.

It was completely dark outside, but the market was still brightly lit, and the noise seeped in through the cracks in the windows.

Xu Changqing was resting when a loud crash suddenly came from the next room, followed by Xu Yanfeng's signature loud voice.

"Xi Ning! You little brat, you dare steal my wine! It was meant to embolden me!"

Xu Changqing pushed open the door, and the wooden door slammed against the wall with a dull thud.

The room was in complete chaos.

Xu Yanfeng held up an upside-down, empty wine gourd, not a drop left in it. His dark face was red with anger, and he was about to grab Xu Xining's neck with his large, fan-like hand.

Xu Xining was very slippery; he slipped out from under Xu Yanfeng's crotch, shouting all the while:

"It tastes awful! It smells like horse urine! I thought it was some kind of fine wine, only you would treat it like such a treasure!"

Xu Yanfeng was so angry that he yelled and turned around to grab it again, but when he saw Xu Changqing standing at the door with a dark face, he immediately put away the gourd.

The hand raised in mid-air scratched its head awkwardly and chuckled twice.

"Clan...Clan leader, this kid stole a bite."

Xu Changqing glanced at the empty gourd, then at Xu Xining, who was hiding behind Xu Xiwen and making faces.

Xu Changqing rolled his eyes at him, annoyed.

"Alright, everyone go to sleep. We're leaving at dawn tomorrow. If anyone can't get up, I'll leave them here in the market to wash dishes to pay off their debts."

"And you."

Xu Changqing pointed at Xu Xining.

"Keep your mouth shut tomorrow. If you dare to spout nonsense in front of the Sword Sect elders, I'll remove the 'Xi' from your name when we get back."

Xu Xining stuck out her tongue, no longer daring to be naughty, and obediently crawled back into bed.

These heartless people.

Xu Changqing closed the door, but sighed inwardly.