Daily Intelligence: From Miner to Dao Ancestor of Alchemy and Talismans

"From this day forward, my life belongs to you! Wherever you point, I will go; if you tell me to go east, I will never go west; I will go through fire and water without hesitation! If I break this oath, may I be struck down by heaven and earth, my soul and body annihilated, never to be reincarnated!"

In the world of cultivation, vows are not to be taken lightly. Once made, inner demons arise, and any carelessness in future cultivation will lead to utter destruction.

Qian Shi had completely entrusted his life to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan quickly reached out and helped him up.

"Get up, don't kneel." There was a hint of warmth in his voice. "I saved you because you considered me a brother. You don't need to make such a heavy vow."

"No!" Qian Shi shook his head, his eyes unwavering. "Brother Xu, I'm serious! I, Qian Shi, have no special skills, I'm dull-witted, and I haven't had any great opportunities, but I know who is truly kind to me and who saved my life! From now on, if you need anything, just tell me. I'll go through fire and water for you. If I even flinch, I'm not a man!"

Xu Yuan looked at the sincerity in his eyes and his heart stirred slightly.

Having traversed ten years, he witnessed countless acts of betrayal and treachery in this cannibalistic world of cultivation. He had long since grown accustomed to being alone and distrusting no one.

But Qian Shi is an exception.

This person is honest, straightforward, and loyal. Even if he is scolded by his friends, he will still come over to warn them of the danger. Even if he is scared half to death, he will tell them about the mine disaster as soon as possible.

Having a trustworthy person by his side is always better than fighting alone. The surprise attack three months later, the bloodbath six months later—even with the system by his side, there are bound to be things he can't handle.

Xu Yuan patted him on the shoulder and nodded: "Okay. Since you trust me, I won't let you down."

He turned and went back into the house. A short while later, he came out with a cloth bag and handed it to Qian Shi.

The cloth bag wasn't heavy, but Qian Shi found it surprisingly heavy when he took it. He opened it and his breath caught in his throat.

Inside, there were ten round and plump high-grade Yuanqi powders, their medicinal fragrance permeating even through the oiled paper; three fine-quality Sharp Blade Talismans gleaming with a faint golden light; two Thick Earth Talismans; and one Wind Travel Talisman; in addition, there was a bulging spirit stone bag containing a full fifty spirit stones.

For a rogue cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining, these things are nothing short of an astronomical sum of money.

"Brother Xu, this...this is too much! I can't accept it!" Qian Shi slammed the cloth bag shut and tried to push it back, his face flushed with urgency. "I'm following you, not for these things!"

"Take it." Xu Yuan pressed his hand down, his tone brooking no refusal. "These aren't free gifts. Take one Qi-Boosting Powder every three days. Within three months, I want you to break through to at least the fourth level of Qi Refining. Keep the talismans close to your body; never use them unless it's a matter of life and death."

He paused, lowered his voice, and his eyes became serious: "There are two more things I need you to do. First, continue as usual, don't announce that you're close to me. Just treat us as ordinary acquaintances from the same hometown, and absolutely don't let anyone notice anything amiss."

"Secondly, secretly gather information about what's happening in the market, especially about the new rogue cultivators who have recently arrived. See if any of them are carrying black tokens with the character '煞' (sha) engraved on them. Also, find out who has gone missing in the market, any unusual changes in the guards, and any new developments from the Zhao family. If anything seems amiss, tell me immediately."

Qian Shi tightened his grip on the cloth bag, nodded heavily, and said with unwavering determination in his eyes, "Brother Xu, rest assured! I will handle it perfectly, without causing you any trouble or letting a single word slip by!"

"Understood!" Qian Shi carefully tucked the cloth bag into his bosom, bowed respectfully to Xu Yuan, and then quickly walked out of the courtyard.

Watching Qian Shi's figure disappear into the alley, Xu Yuan slowly closed the door.

Subduing Qian Shi is only the first step.

He turned and went back into the house, taking out the black iron deacon token that Li Qinghe had given him from his pocket.

With this token, he could freely enter and exit the market's archives and guard posts. He needed to find out exactly who the Zhao family was, and why they had become spies for the Blood Fiend Sect and Black Wind Stronghold.

The person capable of breaking through the protective array must possess considerable authority. They are either a direct relative of the Zhao family patriarch, a guardian of the protective array, or one of the market's key figures.

Li Qinghe?

Xu Yuan frowned.

This old dog is greedy, cowardly, and doesn't value his life. Even if you gave him ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to collude with bandits and break through the market's defenses. If things were exposed, he would be the first to die.

Besides him, there are three other officials in charge of the market, all of whom are collateral members of the Zhao family and wield considerable power. There are also several elders of the Zhao family who have access to the core of the market's protective formation.

The scope is too broad; there's simply no way to investigate it.

Xu Yuan sat at the desk, his fingers tapping lightly on the surface.

His only clues now are the Blood Fiend Sect token engraved with the character "煞" and the three spies disguised as fleeing rogue cultivators.

As long as we keep an eye on these three people and follow their lead, we will definitely find evidence that they are in contact with an inside agent.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.

Li Qinghe has arrived.

He was carrying a larger wooden box, walking hurriedly with a hint of urgency on his face. As soon as he entered, he lowered his voice and said, "Brother Xu, something's happened! There's a huge mess inside the Zhao family!" Xu Yuan looked up at Li Qinghe, raising an eyebrow slightly.

He hadn't expected Li Qinghe to come to his door at this time.

Ever since he got the old man under his thumb, he never comes to the temple without a reason. Every time he comes, it's either to deliver a message or to bring resources; he never comes over for no reason.

Judging from his anxious appearance, he must have brought some very important news.

"Master Li, come in." Xu Yuan stepped aside to let him in, closed the courtyard gate behind him, and opened the barrier.

Upon entering the room, Li Qinghe placed the wooden box he was carrying on the table, abandoning all formalities, and leaned close to Xu Yuan, lowering his voice to say, "Brother Xu, the Zhao family held an internal family meeting last night, and it was a huge uproar!"

"Why?" Xu Yuan poured him a cup of tea and asked casually.

"What else could it be? The treasure vault!" Li Qinghe's voice lowered even further, his eyes filled with gossip and tension. "The Zhao family's outer treasure vault was checked last month, and three Foundation Establishment Pills and more than twenty hundred-year-old spiritual herbs were missing! Worth a full thousand spirit stones!"

Xu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

Thousands of spirit stones have vanished from the Zhao family's outer treasury?

"Have you found out who did it?"