The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

Chapter 101 Zhiqiao

At this point, the city walls had become a living hell.

The aristocratic scions who had just regarded the demonic beasts as nothing were now in complete disarray under the onslaught of this fearless demonic tide.

Severed limbs and crimson blood splattered everywhere under the clear light of her lips, while piercing screams and desperate cries for help intertwined.

Xu Changqing glanced at the wooden plaque with its faintly shimmering array patterns at his waist.

The military merits of a first-tier low-grade demon beast are meager. If they continue killing like this, let alone exchanging for the alchemy inheritance, even requesting a transfer to the scout battalion is a pipe dream.

He strode past several rogue cultivators in front of him who were wildly waving their magical weapons in fear, and headed towards a fierce battle on the right side of the city wall.

There, a "Red Feathered Leopard" over ten feet long and covered in red scales was wreaking havoc.

This was a genuine mid-grade first-tier demonic beast, its body as swift as lightning and its claws as sharp as blades. It had already torn several cultivators who couldn't dodge in time to pieces.

In the world of cultivation, it has always been said that the timid starve while the bold thrive.

Xu Changqing moved with lightning speed, heading towards the crimson-feathered leopard.

The beast was extremely sensitive to blood energy. Just as it had bitten through the throat of a cultivator, it sensed Xu Changqing approaching.

It suddenly turned its head, its beastly eyes bloodshot, and its thick, scaled tail, like a steel whip, tore through the air and lashed out with a piercing sonic boom.

Instead of retreating, Xu Changqing advanced, raising his left arm to take the blow head-on.

"Snapped!"

The leopard's tail lashed out at the blood-red aura, causing the crimson light barrier to sink a few inches, only to be restored to its original state by a rebound of a resilient force.

Using the aftershock of the impact, Xu Changqing moved like a ghost to get close to the leopard's belly.

With a single punch, the lightning energy poured forth without reservation into the soft spot in the leopard's heart.

The leopard's scales stood on end, and a heart-wrenching scream was choked in its throat. Its massive body convulsed violently a few times, and the ferocious light in its eyes instantly faded.

With the help of the Blood Fiend Pearl, Xu Changqing became increasingly ferocious, crashing into the beast horde and continuously slaying the monsters.

The Xu family, Qingmo Pavilion.

The lone lamp, as small as a bean, casts a desolate light upon the room.

Xu Yanzhen sat upright at the old desk, his crippled right leg stretched out stiffly under the table. Due to the heavy dampness of the night, the severed vein felt like it was being gnawed by countless insects, causing unbearable soreness and numbness.

He seemed oblivious, his upper body taut, his right wrist suspended, the tip of his wolf-hair brush dipped in spirit ink mixed with gold powder, hovering above a talisman paper that glowed with a faint blue light.

Xu Yanzhen held his breath and concentrated, and the meager but extremely refined spiritual energy in his meridians flowed continuously from his fingertips and the pen shaft to the tip of the brush.

What he drew was not the usual practiced "cleansing talisman" or "lightness talisman," but a genuine first-tier mid-grade killing talisman—the "Crimson Flame Talisman."

The movements of lifting, pressing, turning, and twisting are like those of an old farmer cultivating the land, taking root step by step, never yielding an inch.

The runes are intricate and intertwined, like a fire net slowly tightening, and a fiery and restless aura is already faintly visible on the paper.

The final stroke is the "talisman core," which is used to gather and concentrate spiritual energy.

Xu Yanzhen felt his spiritual energy stagnate and a tingling sensation came from his wrist.

He gritted his teeth, his cheek muscles bulging slightly, and with a heavy downward jerk of his wrist, he flicked it lightly.

"call"

On the talisman, the crimson light flowed for a moment, then immediately receded into the menacing fire serpent runes, without leaking out at all.

Become a symbol.

Xu Yanzhen let out a long breath, his tense back hunching slightly. He put down his talisman brush, looked at the well-preserved Crimson Flame Talisman, and finally a faint smile appeared on his hard lips.

Just as he was about to pick up the porcelain cup next to him to moisten his dry throat.

"Tap, tap"

Two very soft knocks sounded on the door.

"Enter."

The wooden door opened with a click, and the person who entered was Xu Yanling.

Now she is being taken in by the mistress Jiang Rou to manage the household affairs. The timidity in her eyes has faded, replaced by a more composed and capable demeanor.

However, she did not come alone today; a maid dressed in a blue cloth skirt followed behind her.

Xu Yanzhen's gaze swept over the girl, his brows furrowing slightly: "What does this mean?"

Xu Yanling stepped over the threshold and turned around to close the door.

She walked to the table, saw the newly drawn Crimson Flame Talisman, and a hint of joy flashed in her eyes. She said softly, "Brother Yanzhen, your talisman skills have become increasingly refined."

"Let's get down to business."

Xu Yanzhen remained unmoved, not even glancing at the little girl, his tone curt.

"You know that my Qingmo Pavilion has always disliked strangers setting foot here."

Xu Yanling wasn't annoyed; she knew her cousin's personality all too well.

He was disabled from a young age and suffered countless cold stares, so he valued his self-esteem more than his life.

Even though he has achieved some success in the art of talismans, the defensiveness and aloofness in his bones cannot be dispelled in a short time.

"This is the mistress's arrangement."

Xu Yanling placed a stack of newly cut talisman paper on the corner of the table, her tone gentle yet authoritative.

"Before the clan chief left, he instructed that you are now the only heir in our Xu family to make talismans. It would be too much of a waste of time for you to do all the trivial tasks of grinding ink, preparing paper, and serving tea and water yourself."

Xu Yanzhen tightened his grip on the empty teacup slightly and said coldly, "I was born with physical disabilities, but I've managed to survive all these years by taking care of myself. Drawing talismans is a form of solitary cultivation; having others around will only disturb my mind. I'll take her away."

Xu Yanling sighed softly, turned around, took the little girl's hand, and pushed her forward two steps.

"Brother Yanzhen, don't be in such a hurry to send her away. Zhiqiao is an ordinary refugee who escaped a few days ago."

"The mistress is kind-hearted and has taken in several orphans who have fled from disaster. However, our Xu family does not support idlers. She has no spiritual roots and is physically weak. If she stays in your Qingmo Pavilion and does some light work such as grinding ink, cutting paper, and sweeping the courtyard, she can still earn a stable living."

"If you really kick her out, with her health condition, she probably won't last more than three days outside."

Xu Yanzhen remained silent, his gaze falling once again on the girl.

The mistress sent him here because she valued his worth and wanted him to save his energy to draw more talismans.

This little girl came here to survive.

"Can you study ink?"

Zhiqiao remained silent, walked to the side of the desk, knelt down properly with her knees together, picked up the spring water dropper beside her with her fair hands, dripped water into the inkstone, and gently drew circles with her wrist.

"Shh—shh—shh—"

The sound of grinding ink is even and sustained, with the force applied neither too lightly nor too heavily.

The ink produced is of suitable concentration, with a glossy black color and no impurities or condensation.

Xu Yan, being a talisman artist, knew the intricacies of grinding ink best.

Those who are impatient and restless will produce rough ink; those who apply uneven pressure will produce muddy ink.

This girl is not only skilled, but also incredibly focused.

From beginning to end, Zhiqiao was like an inanimate object placed on a desk, simply doing her assigned tasks.

Xu Yanzhen's tense back unconsciously relaxed a little.

He remained silent for a long time before finally picking up the talisman brush again, dipping it lightly into the inkstone with just the right amount of cinnabar ink, and whispering, "Leave it."

Seeing this, Xu Yanling couldn't help but smile slightly and quietly left the room.

"Then I'll have to trouble you to bear with me, Brother Yanzhen. I still have some accounts to sort out, so I'll head back now."

After walking more than ten steps along the covered walkway and around a moon gate, Xu Yanling's steps suddenly became lighter.

At the end of the covered walkway, Jiang Rou, wearing a plain-colored cloak and holding a silk fan, waited quietly.

"Madam!"

Xu Yanling strode forward, a stark contrast to her composed and dignified demeanor in Qingmo Pavilion.

With her feet slightly together, she lightly tapped her toes twice on the blue bricks and exclaimed excitedly, "You were absolutely right! We stayed! Even Yanzhen, with his stubborn nature, didn't kick us out!"

Jiang Rou smiled slightly and patted Xu Yanling's hand, signaling her not to make a fuss.

"Yanzhen is a thoughtful child, and he can't stand being protected by others."

Jiang Rou gazed at the continuous drizzle, her eyes gentle and clear.

"I chose Zhiqiao because I valued her honest and straightforward nature. She doesn't know how to flatter or be eloquent; she just works diligently and conscientiously."

.

Xu Yanling's eyes lit up as she listened, and she nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice.

The two women chatted away in this sheltered corner, like young girls in their boudoirs gossiping about their neighbors' gossip, their eyes filled with a rare, trivial joy in this chaotic world.