The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

A fierce wind howled across the river, and torrential rain poured down.

Raindrops the size of soybeans pattered on the water's surface.

Xu Changqing tossed a small boat out from his sleeve. With the infusion of spiritual power, the boat transformed into a faint streak of light, skimming along the crest of the rolling waves and speeding away.

The rain pattered against his straw hat, making a dull crackling sound, but it couldn't hide the joy in his heart.

The rain was like a woven curtain, obscuring the sky and the sun.

Just after sailing thirty miles by water, Xu Changqing suddenly sensed something and turned to look in the direction of Wild Buffalo Reef.

Through the thick rain, one could vaguely see that Bison Reef was being churned up by strong winds and high waves, with several huge columns of water, tens of meters high, shooting into the sky.

"Ninth level of Qi Refining... Zhang Shichang."

Xu Changqing gazed into the distance through the rain, his eyes slightly narrowed, a chill running through him.

This old thief is indeed highly skilled, far superior to a useless person like Zhang Shilu.

After a moment's thought, Xu Changqing did not return to Cangwu Island, but instead headed towards the boundless marshland.

……

After the rain, the sky cleared and the clouds dispersed.

For several days in a row, the sky was cloudless and clear.

The golden sunlight spilled onto the vast expanse of misty water, the shimmering waves resembling countless crumpled gold leaves.

Qinghe Sword Sect.

Hundred Beasts Peak, in front of the cliffside cave.

Xu Xining knelt on the cold bluestone steps, head bowed and eyes lowered.

He was in a sorry state at the moment, his outer sect blue robe was tattered and worn, and his left arm was wrapped with several strips of blood-soaked cloth, which faintly smelled burnt.

However, he raised both hands high above his head, his palms steadily holding a red jade bottle sealed with a restriction.

"Squeak—"

The heavy stone door slowly opened.

Xiao Hanyi, dressed in a flowing ice-blue fairy dress, stepped out.

Her expression was aloof. Her gaze paused slightly on the crimson jade bottle, and with a flick of her fingers, the bottle fell into her palm as if drawn by a force.

Upon uncorking the bottle, a violent burst of fiery heat, accompanied by a strong stench of blood, wafted out.

A glint of surprise flashed in Xiao Hanyi's eyes. He resealed the jade bottle and nodded in praise:

"It's the heart's blood of the Crimson Flame Wild Bull, you really do have some skill."

Xu Xining gritted his teeth inwardly.

He had been lying outside the fiery cave for three days and three nights, using all his strength and almost getting trampled into mincemeat by the mad beast before he finally managed to obtain this bottle of essence blood.

On his face, however, he plastered a fawning smile: "Serving my senior sister, I'm willing to go through fire and water. A few minor injuries are nothing to worry about."

Xiao Hanyi put the jade bottle into her sleeve, feeling very happy.

She was always proud, but these shrewd and resourceful lackeys were easy to use and easy to deal with.

"This blood of my heart is of great use to me. Tell me, what reward do you desire?"

Xiao Hanyi looked down at him.

"Do you want a pill to break through your cultivation level, or a suitable magic weapon?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xining did not show any greed as usual, but instead banged his head on the bluestone slab.

"Senior Sister, your kindness is too great; I, your junior brother, dare not accept such a reward!"

Xu Xining's voice was earnest, revealing a heartfelt loyalty.

"Junior brother's life is all thanks to Senior Sister's kindness. To be able to serve Senior Sister like a dog or a horse is already a blessing earned through many lifetimes. How dare I covet the treasures?"

Xiao Hanyi frowned slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, before letting out a cold laugh.

"Don't want a reward? Everyone in the world is driven by profit. You work so hard for me, risking your life for me. If you didn't ask for anything in return, I wouldn't dare use you."

"Raise your head and speak plainly."

Xu Xining then cautiously raised his head, forcing out a fawning smile that also carried a hint of embarrassment.

"Senior sister, you are wise. I dare not accept your reward, but... but I have a small matter to ask you to do me a favor."

Xiao Hanyi lowered his eyes and looked down at her, then slowly said, "Speak."

Xu Xining took a deep breath, took out a dusty storage bag from his pocket, and held it in both hands.

"Junior brother has a batch of pills and various kinds of spirit ore, all of which are of decent quality. According to the market price, they are worth about two thousand low-grade spirit stones."

Xu Xining swallowed hard, his tone becoming increasingly respectful: "Junior brother, you are of low status and your cultivation is weak. If you rashly sell such a large quantity of goods, you may live to sell them but not to spend them, and you may even bring about your own death."

He paused, then bowed his head even lower.

"Therefore, I humbly request that Senior Sister handle this matter for me. I only need 1,200 spirit stones for this batch of goods. The rest... whether it's 800 or 1,000, is all Senior Sister's tea money. I will not interfere in the matter at all!"

Upon hearing this, a slight ripple finally appeared in Xiao Hanyi's usually calm eyes.

Nearly half of the price was given away.

She didn't immediately take the storage bag; her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly.

"How could a mere newly initiated outer disciple like you possess such a vast fortune? These items must be stained with the blood of many, right?"

Xiao Hanyi's voice was slightly cold, carrying a hint of condescending scrutiny.

"Senior sister has such discerning eyes..."

Xu Xining, his forehead pressed against the bluestone slab, spoke vaguely.

"These are all the savings that our elders accumulated in their early years when they were out in the world, risking their lives. Now that the family is in trouble, the elders are giving these shady items to my junior brother in exchange for some money to make a living."

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. Junior brother is also desperate, which is why he has the audacity to come and beg for senior sister's protection."

"Family elders?"

Xiao Hanyi stared at him for a long time, then suddenly chuckled.

She knew perfectly well that this so-called "windfall" must have come from an illegitimate source and was very likely tainted by the karma of human lives lost.

But so what?

Xiao Hanyi was a direct disciple of an elder of Hundred Beasts Peak and a prodigy of the sect.

For someone like her, an inner disciple, the cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world, where families are destroyed and rogue cultivators die violent deaths every day on the Great Swamp.

Killing a few people and stealing a few goods are just commonplace, petty tricks.

As long as she didn't offend the Qinghe Sword Sect, this mere two thousand spirit stones worth of smuggled goods was no different from dirt in her eyes.

I'm just doing this as a favor, like giving a bone to a dog.

"You do have a clever mind."

Xiao Hanyi slightly raised her hand, and the dusty gray storage bag silently flew into her sleeve.

I left my things behind.

Xu Xining breathed a sigh of relief and was about to express her gratitude when she saw the jade pendant at Xiao Hanyi's waist glow slightly, and he casually tossed out a brocade pouch embroidered with silver cloud patterns.

"this……"

Xu Xining was taken aback.

"There are 1,500 low-grade spirit stones inside."

Xiao Hanyi stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.

"The extra three hundred dollars is a reward for your meritorious blood collection this time."

"If there are any important tasks in the future, and you handle them well, you will be rewarded handsomely."

Xu Xining hurriedly caught the storage bag, and used a wisp of spiritual energy from her fingertips to examine it briefly.

The bag contained neatly stacked spirit stones, all gleaming with spiritual light. They were of excellent quality, ranging from mid-grade to low-grade, and there were many of them.

"Thank you so much, Senior Sister! Thank you for your generosity! My life belongs to you from now on! I'll risk everything for you, Senior Sister!"

"Stop being so noisy, shut your snobbish face."

Xiao Hanyi looked disgusted, turned slightly to the side, and with a wave of his sleeve, stirred up a cold gust of wind.

"Get lost, and don't bother me again for the next few days."

After saying that, she turned and walked into the cave.