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

The only way is to act quickly, not waste time talking to the seller, buy and leave without leaving any trace that can be investigated.

With everything prepared, Xu Yuan checked himself over again.

Storage bags are too conspicuous; he absolutely cannot bring one. He only carried three spirit stones in his pocket—two to buy a pill furnace, and one as a backup. He didn't bring a single talisman; such trump cards must never be flaunted outside. This was an ironclad rule he learned through ten years of hard-won experience at the bottom of society.

After confirming that nothing was missed, Xu Yuan went out.

Instead of taking the main street, he took a long detour and crossed the abandoned ditch on the west side of the market. This ditch was left over from the market's expansion years ago, and it was usually deserted, with weeds growing on both sides, which conveniently kept him away from people.

Throughout the journey, he kept his head down, his gaze fixed only on the ground three feet in front of him, avoiding eye contact with anyone. His pace was neither fast nor slow, making him no different from any other low-level rogue cultivator found in the market.

Occasionally, patrolling market guards would pass by, but they would only glance at him before looking away.

A down-on-his-luck old rogue cultivator is not worth their time and effort.

Just past noon, Xu Yuan finally circled around to the vicinity of Baodan Tower.

Instead of going directly to the back alley, he sat down at a tea stall across the street and ordered a bowl of the cheapest coarse spirit tea, which cost one copper coin. It tasted astringent, but it gave him a legitimate reason to observe.

Holding his teacup, his gaze inadvertently swept toward the alley behind the Baodanlou restaurant.

The alley was narrow, with high walls on both sides. Usually, only deliverymen would pass through, and there weren't many people around. Sure enough, there was a person squatting at the base of the wall at the alley entrance.

From a distance, he appeared to be a male cultivator in his thirties, wearing a drab gray Taoist robe. His hair was a messy clump, his face was sallow, his lips were chapped, and his eyes were cloudy, showing the numbness and weariness typical of low-level rogue cultivators. It was clear that he hadn't had a proper meal in several days.

On the tattered cloth in front of him lay a dark, indistinct object—the broken alchemy furnace.

Xu Yuan squinted and, using the tea stall awning for cover, carefully observed for a few moments.

The alchemy furnace was small, about the size of two fists put together. It was completely black, and its surface was covered with spiderweb-like cracks. One of the deepest cracks ran from the opening of the furnace all the way to the bottom, and it looked like it could fall apart with a gust of wind.

No wonder no one asked about the price.

A furnace in this condition is, to put it nicely, damaged; to put it bluntly, just scrap metal. Taking it to refine pills is a stroke of luck – you'd be lucky if it didn't explode. What respectable alchemist would buy such junk?

After finishing the last sip of tea, Xu Yuan put down two copper coins, stood up unhurriedly, and walked towards the alley.

As he got closer, he could see that the seller was at the second level of Qi Refining, one level lower than him. His spiritual energy was extremely weak, clearly indicating that he had been starving for many years and his foundation was almost ruined.

Xu Yuan squatted down in front of him, his gaze sweeping over the alchemy furnace. He didn't rush to speak, but deliberately picked up a tattered piece of demon beast skin next to him and examined it over and over.

The seller glanced up at him and, seeing that he was an old rogue cultivator even more down on his luck than himself, the glimmer of light in his eyes vanished instantly. He spoke weakly, "Fellow Daoist, take a look? These are all good stuff I found in the mountains, selling cheap."

Xu Yuan didn't reply. He threw the beast skin back and finally picked up the broken alchemy furnace, weighing it over and over.

The cracks in the furnace were indeed caused by spiritual energy from the inside, not by any impact. The bottom of the furnace was covered with a thick layer of medicinal residue, clearly indicating that it had been used for alchemy for many years, and was not some cheap imitation.

While flipping through the items, Xu Yuan subtly ran his fingertips around the bottom of the furnace.

really.

Normal alchemy furnaces have a uniformly thick bottom, but the bottom of this furnace has a small section in the middle that is noticeably thicker than the surrounding area, and you can feel extremely fine bumps with your fingertips.

Interlayer.

It's exactly as the intelligence report described.

Xu Yuan understood the situation. He put the alchemy furnace back on the tattered cloth, and a conflicted expression immediately appeared on his face. His brows were furrowed tightly, like a poor, stingy rogue cultivator who couldn't bear to spend spirit stones.

"How many spirit stones is this broken furnace?" He deliberately lowered his voice, making it hoarse and aged, perfectly matching the disguise on his face.

The seller held up two fingers: "Two."

"Two spirit stones?" Xu Yuan's voice instantly rose an octave, carrying the petty calculation typical of a rogue cultivator. "Fellow Daoist, your furnace is cracked into a sieve; whether it'll even be usable after you take it back is another matter. Two spirit stones? Why don't you just rob me?"

The seller gave a wry smile: "Fellow Daoist, this is a genuine cast iron alchemy furnace, not one of those cheap, mud-made imitations you find on the market. Although it's cracked, a craftsman can fix it, and it'll still work. If you're really interested, one and a half pieces is the lowest I can offer."

"One." Xu Yuan shook his head and pushed the alchemy furnace towards him. "If I take this thing back, I'll have to spend spirit stones to have someone repair it. It costs money inside and out. One spirit stone. If it's okay, I'll take it. If not, forget it."

After saying that, he made a move to get up and leave without the slightest hesitation.

The seller panicked.

This broken furnace has been sitting here for almost three days, and hardly anyone has asked about it, let alone bought it. He was in a hurry to exchange two spirit stones for a fasting pill; if he delayed any longer, he would starve to death in the market.

"Alright, alright! Just one!" the seller quickly called out, waving his hand with a pained expression. "Consider it making a friend, take it!"

Xu Yuan stopped, a "reluctantly accepting" expression on his face, and took out a spirit stone from his pocket, handing it over.

The seller grabbed the spirit stones, and as if afraid he would change his mind, quickly wrapped the alchemy furnace in a rag and stuffed it into his hand.

Xu Yuan picked up his cloth bag, got up and left. The whole process took less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, and he didn't say a single extra word.

Behind him, the seller held the spirit stone, a look of joy on his face. He felt he had made a fortune selling a piece of junk for a spirit stone.

He would never have imagined that the junk he casually sold contained a fire control technique that would make all the alchemists in the entire Qingya Workshop fight tooth and nail for it.

Xu Yuan walked out of the alley but did not go straight back to the courtyard.

He remained hunched over, walking slowly and deliberately. He first wandered into the general market on the west side of the market, squeezed through the bustling crowd twice, then passed through two secluded alleys, entered through the back door of an inn, exited through the front door, and then turned into another completely unrelated street.

Along the way, he would occasionally glance behind him to make sure no one was following him.

No.

At least, he didn't find anything unusual.

Half an hour later, Xu Yuan finally returned to the courtyard with green tiles.

Close the door, bolt it, and then knock on the lock again.

Only after confirming that it was absolutely safe around him did he let out a long breath, and his tense shoulders instantly relaxed.

He first filled a basin with clean water and washed the charcoal ash off his face and hands. Then he changed back into his blue robe, and it was as if he had come back to life.

Then he sat back down at the table and carefully placed the alchemy furnace, wrapped in rags, on it.

Not urgent.

First, calm yourself down.

Xu Yuan poured himself a cup of cold tea, drank it all in one gulp, and suppressed the restlessness in his heart. Only after his heartbeat had completely calmed down did he pick up the alchemy furnace, turn it over so that the bottom was facing up.

He had already figured out the location of the mezzanine.

Xu Yuan pulled a small carving knife from the drawer; it was the one he used to cut talisman paper when drawing talismans, and it was very sharp. He carefully chipped away at the deepest crack at the bottom of the furnace.