The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

The river water was murky, and the forty-one headless corpses were huddled together at the edge of the reeds, bobbing against the wooden stakes of the pier as the water rippled.

Xu Changqing's face was gloomy as he scanned the pile of rotten flesh.

Most of them were ordinary people and low-level cultivators dressed in coarse cloth and short browns, their clothes tattered, indicating that they had been searched before their deaths.

The two corpses surrounded in the middle were somewhat swollen from being soaked in water, but the dark-patterned brocade they wore still vaguely revealed a semblance of their former dignity.

The cut on the neck was clean and neat, clearly indicating that it had been severed cleanly with a sharp blade.

Xu Ermazi gagged a few times, his face deathly pale, and leaned closer, his voice trembling: "Clan...Clan Chief, whose...whose family is this? Should we fish it out?"

"Don't move."

Xu Changqing raised his hand to stop him.

"If we rashly take it, we might get ourselves into a mess and get into a situation we can't clear up. The one who meddles in other people's business is the one who dies the fastest."

Uncle Dayou took the task of procuring medicinal herbs and went to the market; he has not yet returned.

Thinking of this, Xu Changqing took out a communication talisman from his sleeve and gently released spiritual energy from his fingertips.

"Uncle Dayou, do two more things."

"First, we should report to the General Affairs Hall that a large number of floating corpses have been found in the waters near Cangwu Island, suspected to be an attack on a subordinate family, and request the sect leader to make a decision."

"Secondly, we went to the market to gather information, to find out which family's island had recently gone silent, or which group of bandits had committed a major crime."

The talisman ignited spontaneously without fire, transforming into a streak of light that shot into the sky.

After Xu Changqing finished instructing Xu Ermazi to lead his men to guard the area and strictly prohibit anyone from approaching the water's edge, Xu Changqing finished instructing Xu Ermazi to lead his men to guard the area.

If you want money, all you need to do is kill and rob; why cut off someone's head?

The beheadings were a result of this group getting used to killing and developing this brutal habit.

Regardless of the type, the ferocity of the person who committed this act far surpasses that of ordinary bandits who prey on others for money.

As the sun gradually slanted westward, the setting sun, like blood, spread across the river, blending with the already dark red blood, making it impossible to distinguish between light and blood.

The crows returned to their nests, uttering a few mournful cries.

The Xu family mansion was deathly silent. The clan's protective array was already in full operation, and the light blue light curtain looked particularly thick in the night, completely covering the entire Cangwu Island.

Xu Changqing sat in the main hall's armchair, holding a cup of tea that had long since gone cold. His eyes were slightly closed, and his knuckles tapped the table absently.

Several clansmen responsible for night patrols stood with their hands at their sides, not daring to utter a sound.

"Da, da, da."

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

Xu Dayou burst in, looking travel-worn and with his hair in a disheveled bun.

He first handed the storage bag to Xu Changqing, then grabbed the teapot on the table, took a big gulp, and then, panting heavily, said:

"Chieftain, we've found out!"

Xu Changqing glanced at the storage bag briefly. Finding no major problems with the medicinal herbs inside, he said in a deep voice, "Speak."

Xu Dayou calmed his breathing, a hint of fear still lingering in his eyes.

"The dead were from the He family in Huludao."

Huludao is only eighty miles by waterway from Cangwu Island. It is a small, insignificant clan with only about fifty members. The most powerful member is the clan leader, He, who has the cultivation level of the fourth level of Qi Refining.

"I went to the market to inquire and found out that the He family had been silent all night. This morning, a passing cultivator saw flames shooting into the sky on the island. When he went inside, he found that not a single chicken or dog was left, and even the storeroom had been emptied."

At this point, Xu Dayou swallowed hard and lowered his voice.

"Everyone in the market is saying that a gang of outlaws has recently come to Daze. They are extremely cruel and leave nothing but desolation in their wake. Everyone is saying that they are powerful bandits from somewhere."

Fourth level of Qi Refining.

With such cultivation, one could barely protect oneself on the outskirts of this great swamp; it wouldn't be surprising if one's entire clan were wiped out.

What's strange is this method.

The bandits in this area are all in it for money. They usually collect tolls and occasionally rob a lone cultivator. Who would bother to wipe out an entire family for no reason?

Not only is it unsustainable, but it also easily attracts the encirclement and suppression of sects. This kind of losing proposition is definitely not something that local bandits would do.

"Beheadings, massacres, looting everything."

Xu Changqing stood up and paced around the hall.

This style of doing things is probably typical of the rogue cultivators who escaped from the front lines.

Having witnessed countless deaths on the front lines and bearing the sect's kill order, they were true desperados, capable of anything to survive or for resources.

"What did the sect say?"

Xu Changqing continued to ask.

"I went to the General Affairs Hall. The steward there didn't look too happy when he heard about it, but he just cursed a few times and said he knew about it."

"only……"

Xu Dayou looked troubled and hesitated.

"Just what?"

"They only sent out two or three people, dressed in the outer sect disciples' robes. They looked to be at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and they were all lazy and didn't seem like they were going to get serious."

"Moreover, the steward of the General Affairs Hall also said that the war on the front line is intense and the sect is short-handed. He told us, the affiliated families, to strengthen our own defenses and not to rely on the sect for everything."

Sure enough.

With the front lines under pressure and the sect's main forces tied up at the Demon-Slaying Dike, a fire in the rear, as long as it doesn't reach the core islands or the major spiritual vein mines, the deaths of a few affiliated families are nothing more than the deaths of a few ants in the eyes of those high-ranking elders.

Sending down a few outer disciples is just for show, to appease people. To really expect them to wipe out that group of vicious deserters is just wishful thinking.

Xu Changqing was not surprised by this.

Mountains may crumble, and rivers may flow away.

"Since the sect can't spare the resources, we'll have to rely on ourselves."

"Uncle Dayou, pass down the order: starting tonight, the clan's protective formation will be fully operational. No more skimping on those few spirit stones. Double the number of people on night patrol. If anyone is found acting suspiciously and trying to approach Cangwu Island, kill them without mercy, no matter who they are."

"No one is allowed to approach that pile of corpses, and no one is allowed to retrieve them without authorization. Use your magic to carefully push the corpses away."

"Yes! I'll arrange it right away."

Xu Dayou knew the gravity of the situation. The massacre of the He family was right before his eyes, a bloody lesson. He dared not take any chances and immediately turned to arrange manpower.

"Go."

Xu Changqing waved his hand.

After Xu Dayou left, the heavy wooden door creaked shut.

The flickering candlelight in the hall cast Xu Changqing's long, slanted shadow onto the mottled wall.

Xu Changqing did not stay in the hall for long; he got up and went to the quiet room in the back.

The fate of the He family in Huludao is right before our eyes; the more than forty heads are a bloody warning from the past.

These roving desperados, who were able to wipe out the He family, might not necessarily look down on Cangwu Island.

Although protected by a powerful formation, it will inevitably fall if defended for too long.

Only by having sufficient personal strength can one secure a stable life.

"We can't wait any longer."

Xu Changqing muttered to himself.

He took out a bronze cauldron that was half the height of a person, and first put ironwood cores and red copper sand into it, then fired it over a fierce fire.

Once it turns into molten iron, add tiger bone glue, blood-activating herbs, and other auxiliary materials in sequence.

The indoor temperature soared, and a wave of heat swept through.