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

Xu Yuan wandered around most of the market, changed his clothes three times, disguised himself three times, and checked several times to make sure that no one was following him before finally returning to his small courtyard with blue tiles.

After closing the door, locking it, and activating the highest level of concealment, Xu Yuan straightened his hunched back, removed the disguise from his face, and revealed his original handsome features.

He sat at the desk, carefully took out the old talisman brush, and examined it closely under the lamplight.

Only after shedding its tattered appearance can one see the extraordinary nature of this talisman brush.

Although the brush handle made of lightning-struck wood is covered with cracks, one can still feel the restrained lightning spiritual power within it, which can naturally amplify the power of talismans. The wolf hair at the tip of the brush seems to have fallen off by more than half, but in fact it has been gathered up using a special method. As long as it is nourished with spiritual energy, it can be restored to its original state. It is the finest black wolf tail hair.

This is no ordinary item; it is a genuine, top-grade spirit brush!

Xu Yuan gathered a wisp of spiritual energy at his fingertips and gently tapped along the crack in the penholder.

With a soft "click," the wooden stopper at the end of the pen fell off, revealing the hollow pen shaft. He turned the pen shaft upside down and gave it a gentle shake. A jade slip, no bigger than a fingernail, rolled out from inside and landed on the table.

The jade tablet is white and warm to the touch, and feels slightly cool to the touch; it is clearly made of high-quality spirit jade.

Xu Yuan placed the jade slip on his forehead and probed it with his divine sense.

A massive amount of information flooded into my mind instantly. At the very front were two complete sets of first-tier high-grade talisman diagrams: the Rock-Splitting Talisman and the Breath-Concealing Talisman. From the talisman script style, the path of spiritual power circulation, to the control of the heat, every step was written clearly and meticulously down to the smallest detail.

What follows is the talisman-drawing experience of that Foundation Establishment stage talisman master throughout his life. It not only records various secrets of talisman drawing, but also has a special chapter explaining how to compress spiritual power and precisely control the brush with the cultivation of the Qi Refining stage to draw top-grade talismans that can break through the spiritual power shield of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. It even includes methods on how to combine the power of multiple talismans to achieve several times the effect.

Xu Yuan's breathing quickened slightly.

With this set of diagrams and insights, plus this top-grade spirit brush, he finally had a trump card that could hurt a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

The tip of his talisman brush accidentally brushed across the end of the brush handle and suddenly touched a very shallow engraving.

Xu Yuan held the talisman brush up to the light and squinted to examine it closely.

At the very end of the pen holder is engraved a tiny cloud pattern, with three flowing clouds encircling it, and in the center, a small alchemy furnace and a talisman pen crossed.

He was all too familiar with that mark.

It bears the Zhao family mark. Previous items also had this mark. I never expected that this top-grade spirit brush would also be a relic of that ancient alchemy and talisman master!

Xu Yuan's hand holding the talisman brush paused slightly, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes. No wonder the talisman Dao insights hidden in this talisman brush were so exquisite, no wonder the fire control techniques of the True Explanation of Fire Control were so compatible with the talisman Dao's method of controlling spiritual power. It turned out that from the very beginning, what he had obtained was the inheritance of the same Dao Venerable.

He carefully put the jade slip into the secret room and nurtured the spirit brush with spiritual energy. Just as he sat back down at the table, a soft, rhythmic knocking sound came from outside the courtyard gate.

The knocking sounded unfamiliar. Xu Yuan frowned, got up, walked to the door, and unlatched it.

Standing outside the door were the waiters from Baodanlou, dressed in clean blue cotton shirts. Upon seeing Xu Yuan, they quickly bowed and greeted him.

Holding a series of letters sealed with wax in both hands, he handed them over: "Fellow Daoist Xu, these are letters from our shopkeeper in his own hand. He asked me to deliver them to you personally. He says he has a huge business deal he'd like to discuss with you in person."

Xu Yuan took the letter sealed with wax, his fingertips pausing slightly before he opened it on the spot.

He glanced at the waiter at Baodanlou. The man was still standing with his head bowed, looking respectful, showing no sign of anything amiss. He was clearly just a messenger and didn't know the contents of the letter.

"Understood. Go back and tell your manager that I received the letter and will reply in three days." Xu Yuan said calmly, taking the letter and casually putting it into his pocket, showing no intention of opening it immediately.

The waiter quickly replied "Yes," bowed, and then turned and hurried away from the alley entrance without lingering for a moment.

After the courtyard gate closed, Xu Yuan opened the envelope and took out Wu Song's handwritten letter.

The handwriting on the letter was very messy, indicating that it was written in a hurry. The content was also very simple, only saying that there was a huge order for pills that only Xu Yuan could accept, with extremely high profits, and that it was necessary to discuss it in person, and that there would be no shortfall in treatment.

The specific details of the order were not mentioned, nor was it specified what kind of pill it was, nor was the buyer's identity revealed.

Xu Yuan held the letter in his hand, his fingertips lightly tapping the stone table, his eyes clear and bright.

Baodanlou is a property of the Zhao family, and Wu Song is the manager hired by the Zhao family. If they suddenly approach him to discuss a huge business deal, it must be closely related to the Zhao family. Now that Zhang Kui has fled and the Blood Fiend Sect is eyeing them covetously, the Zhao family urgently needs to strengthen their guard. They are looking for him simply because they value his ability to refine pills.

But it is precisely at times like these that we must not let our guard down. The worst thing we can do is to rashly step into an unknown situation without complete information.

He didn't immediately reply and agree to meet. Instead, he burned the letter and continued at his own pace, refining pills to solidify his cultivation during the day and studying the talismanic insights in the jade slip at night, quietly waiting for the information to be updated at midnight.

He needed to first determine whether this "huge deal" was an opportunity or a trap.

As night deepened, the sounds of patrols echoed through the alleyways, and the protective array's light screen gleamed coldly in the night sky. Just as the clock struck midnight, the familiar system notification sounded in my mind right on time.

[Ding! Today's intelligence has been updated.]

[Bai Bao: Wu Song of Bao Dan Lou has received a large order from the Zhao family for 100 high-grade Spirit-Replenishing Pills to enhance the cultivation of the guard team in preparation for a potential attack by the Blood Fiend Sect. No one in the entire Qingya Fang can provide a sufficient quantity of high-grade pills. Wu Song intends to supply you with these pills; there are no traps involved, he simply wants to retain you as a core alchemist and solidify his position at Bao Dan Lou.]

Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, all the doubts in his eyes dissipating.

Just as he predicted, it was an order from the Zhao family.

The Spirit Replenishing Pill is a mid-grade first-tier pill that can quickly replenish spiritual power and stabilize cultivation. It is exactly what the guard team needs most in wartime. Ordinary alchemists find it difficult to refine even mid-grade pills, let alone 100 high-grade Spirit Replenishing Pills. In the entire Qingya Workshop, apart from him, no one else can accept this order.

There are no traps, only opportunities that come knocking on your door.

This order would not only allow them to earn enough spirit stones and alchemy materials, but also provide them with an extra layer of cover during the surprise attack ten days later, given their status as suppliers to the Zhao family. Why not do it?

Xu Yuan immediately took out paper and pen, wrote a reply, and arranged to meet at noon three days later in the secret room behind the Baodan Tower. Early the next morning, he had a passing servant deliver the letter to the Baodan Tower.