The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

The Qinghe Sword Sect has strict rules, and outer disciples are not allowed to leave the mountain without a valid reason.

But Xu Xining carried the "Beast Patrol Token" with him, and the law enforcement disciples responsible for patrolling the mountain gate and various passes only checked it briefly before letting him pass without asking any questions.

The abuse of power is evident.

In less than half an hour, Xu Xining had already left the protective array of the Qinghe Sword Sect and went straight down the immortal mountain.

At the foot of the mountain lies the "Welcoming Immortals Inn".

This place is mostly frequented by merchants and ordinary families visiting relatives, a mixed and bustling area.

Inside a private room on the second floor, the air was filled with the steam of tea.

Xu Changqing, dressed in a gray-blue cloth shirt, sat alone by the window, gazing through the half-open window at the distant mountains shrouded in clouds and mist.

"Knock knock."

Two very soft knocks sounded on the door.

"Enter."

The wooden door opened, and Xu Xining slipped inside.

"Chief, the matter is settled."

Xu Xining took out the brocade pouch from his bosom, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Just as the clan leader predicted, Senior Sister Xiao didn't investigate the origin of the goods in detail and even rewarded me with an extra three hundred spirit stones. I counted them; the total is one thousand five hundred and eighty spirit stones!"

Xu Changqing reached out and took the brocade bag.

"The Zhang family's shady goods would be time-consuming and laborious to sell in the market. By using the hands of this sect's direct disciple to sell them, although we lose some money, we get a clean and efficient way out."

After speaking, Xu Changqing waved his sleeve and pushed three hundred spirit stones in front of Xu Xining.

"Within the sect, there's always the need to make connections. These three hundred spirit stones are rightfully yours, so please accept them."

Xu Xining was taken aback, but did not refuse and nodded to accept the spirit stones.

Xu Changqing looked at the boy in front of him, who was gradually losing his childishness, with a sigh.

"You have shown remarkable composure and skill in handling danger. You have indeed made great progress in the sect. Go now and return to the sect as soon as possible to avoid arousing suspicion."

......

A hundred miles away, on Ling'ao Island, lies the Zhang family.

Dark clouds loomed overhead, and a gloomy atmosphere enveloped the entire island.

In the ancestral hall on the back mountain, the offering table is covered with countless memorial tablets, their shadows faintly visible.

The highest point, representing the life tablet of Zhang Shilu, the third elder of the Zhang family, was shattered in two.

The cracks were jagged, and the original spiritual light that once flowed across them had long since dissipated.

Zhang Shichang stood with his hands behind his back in front of the memorial tablet, his face ashen.

"Four thousand spirit stones, and Shilu's life, were lost so inexplicably."

Manager Zhang Fu knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold jade brick, his whole body trembling like a leaf, not daring to utter a single breath.

"Second...Second Elder, please calm down..."

Zhang Fu's jaw trembled as he stammered in response.

"The Third Elder couldn't even use a communication talisman, so that thief must be quite powerful."

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

Zhang Shichang's withered chest heaved violently, and he suddenly flung his sleeves.

"Bang!"

A surge of overwhelming spiritual energy crashed into the giant mahogany pillar beside it, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

"The secret vault of my Zhang family on Wild Buffalo Reef is so well hidden that only a handful of people throughout history have known about it..."

"Who on earth is this person who could slaughter my elders and destroy my foundation so stealthily and without anyone noticing!"

After a brief outburst of rage, Zhang Shichang slowly closed his eyes, and the heaving of his chest gradually subsided.

This ruthless figure, who controlled half of the Zhang family's empire, actually managed to suppress his anger.

He began to unravel the mystery in his mind.

"Although the third brother lost his right leg, his foundation at the seventh level of Qi Refining was still there, and with the protection of a mid-grade first-level red copper bell, he was able to kill him in the confined stone chamber without even giving him a chance to send a message for help..."

Zhang Shichang suddenly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

"Lightning magic? A charred, penetrating wound... Such a domineering and fierce killing method is definitely not something those petty thieves and rats on the periphery could wield."

"It must be some Foundation Establishment cultivator passing by, or perhaps a seasoned bandit who retreated from the front lines, who stumbled upon Buffalo Reef by chance and was tempted by its wealth!"

"Qingling has just entered the inner sect, and it is a critical moment when Elder Yun is testing her character. Her foundation is not yet stable, and the family must not be thrown into chaos."

Zhang Shichang paced back and forth in the main hall, and the sound of the iron gall bladder turning rang out again.

All sides are watching closely. If people find out that the Zhang family has lost an elder and four thousand spirit stones, those families that usually seem obedient might cause trouble.

"This matter is a secret I must keep to myself! No one is allowed to utter a single word about it!"

Zhang Shichang paused, taking a deep breath.

However, the lost spirit stones must be recovered from elsewhere.

With the battle at the front lines intensifying, the price of healing pills has risen three times a day—a golden opportunity indeed.

"Has that down-on-his-luck alchemist I asked you to find been settled?"

"Reporting to the Second Elder, the person has been brought to the island."

Zhang Fu hurriedly reported back, his voice trembling slightly: "Although that alchemist has an eccentric personality, he is skilled in refining first-grade low-level 'Blood Restoration Pills'."

"We have already stockpiled hemostatic herbs from the surrounding area. As long as this alchemy furnace is opened, even if it doesn't yield huge profits, it won't be far off."

Zhang Shichang nodded slightly.

"Excellent, the Zhang family absolutely cannot miss this opportunity."

"Yes!" Zhang Fu responded, prostrating himself. "And the Xu family..."

"Judging by the time, the deadline for the conscription order is approaching. Once it is confirmed that that little beast Xu Changqing has gone to Black Wind Pass, you should immediately send a message to 'Water Ghost' Liu Mazi and his gang."

"Tell Liu Mazi that all the women and wealth on Cangwu Island belong to them; we only want Cangwu Island and the waters."

"The Second Elder is wise!"

......

The mountain air is misty and the clouds drift and swirl in the wind, covering more than a hundred miles in the blink of an eye.

Xu Changqing put the two storage bags together and carefully checked them.

The 2,200 silver dollars stolen from the Zhang family's secret vault, plus the 1,200 dollars obtained from selling the stolen goods, amounted to more than 3,400 low-grade spirit stones.

"Licking blood from the edge of a knife, it's truly a highly profitable business."

The incense in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion was still burning. The fat shopkeeper was leaning against the counter, fiddling with an abacus. When he saw Xu Changqing return with a determined look on his face, he immediately put on a big smile and went to greet him.

"Fellow Daoist, you've returned. Have you changed your mind?"

Without wasting words, Xu Changqing waved his sleeve, and 1,700 low-grade spirit stones were neatly stacked on the mahogany cabinet, their spiritual light shimmering and dazzling.

"I'll take that 'Eight Gates Golden Lock Cloud and Smoke Formation'."

The fat shopkeeper's eyes gleamed, and he stroked his beard, agreeing repeatedly.

"Fellow Daoist, you are truly admirable! This formation is complex and difficult for ordinary cultivators to set up properly. My Hundred Treasures Pavilion believes in seeing things through to the end. Tomorrow morning, I will send one of our formation masters to your residence to personally set up the formation for you."

Xu Changqing nodded slightly, put away the array plate, and then asked, "Does your esteemed pavilion possess any guardian puppets of mid-grade or higher?"

Upon hearing this, the portly shopkeeper's smile instantly turned into a helpless bitterness, and he waved his hands repeatedly:

"Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but the battle at the Demon-Slaying Dike is in full swing. These war puppets that can stand at the front as human shields have long been conscripted by sects and major clans on the front lines at great expense."

"Let alone mid-grade, even low-grade first-order defective goods are currently priceless. If you sincerely want them, you will need to pay a deposit and wait for the main store to allocate new goods next month before you can see them."

One month later?

Xu Changqing frowned almost imperceptibly.

By then, he was already in Blackwind Pass, so how could he possibly wait for this damn new stuff?

"If that's the case, then so be it."