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

The top-tier talent of an eight-inch spiritual aperture and the cultivation of the eighth level of Qi Refining, placed in a small place like Qingyafang, is not an opportunity, but a death warrant.

The Zhao family will not tolerate an uncontrollable genius, and the Blood Fiend Sect and the Evil Cultivator Alliance will eliminate this potential threat as soon as possible.

Only by concealing one's abilities and biding one's time, hiding all one's strength in the shadows, can one survive steadily in this dog-eat-dog world of cultivation.

This is the most fundamental survival rule he has come to understand after ten years of barely surviving.

Just as Xu Yuan finished his practice and got up to check on Qian Shi at the outer gate, a familiar shout suddenly came from outside the heavy stone door of the cave. The shout, filled with undisguised anxiety, pierced through the stone door and entered the stone chamber.

"Brother Xu! Brother Xu! I know you're in there! Open the door! I need to talk to you!" It was Li Qinghe's voice!

Xu Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted, his spiritual energy tensed instantly, and his hand was already on the talisman pouch at his waist.

He could clearly hear not only Li Qinghe's footsteps outside the stone gate, but also dozens of neat, crisp sounds of armor plates colliding—that was the movement of the Zhao family's guards!

Li Qinghe actually found the entrance to the cave in Wohu Mountain and even led the Zhao family's guards to block the entrance!

Outside the stone gate, Li Qinghe's shouts grew more urgent with each call, filled with barely concealed fear. The soft clattering of armor plates could be heard intermittently, but there was no sign of him forcibly breaking through the formation.

Xu Yuan lay hidden in the shadows behind the stone door, his breath-concealing talisman on his chest suppressing his aura completely. His divine sense, like a fine spider web, spread out along the gaps in the formation, gaining a clear understanding of the situation outside the cave.

There were only three people outside the cave. The one in the lead was Li Qinghe, whose official robes were wrinkled and whose face was haggard, showing no trace of the prestige of a market magistrate.

He was followed by only two ordinary Zhao family guards, whose cultivation was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. They didn't even have their bows and crossbows cocked, and they didn't seem to be about to fight. There was no ambush, and they didn't even have the aura of Foundation Establishment cultivators. They didn't even have any malice, only pure anxiety.

After confirming there was no risk, Xu Yuan slowly withdrew his divine sense, flicked his finger to remove the outermost trapping and warning arrays of the cave, and pushed open the heavy stone door.

The stone door had barely opened a crack when Li Qinghe saw Xu Yuan behind it. As if grasping at a last straw, he rushed over, collapsing to his knees with a thud, his forehead slamming against the cold stone. His voice was trembling with sobs: "Brother Xu! Help! You must save me, save Qingya Workshop!"

When the two guards behind him saw that their master had knelt down, they were so frightened that they quickly followed suit and bowed, not daring to raise their heads.

Xu Yuan stepped aside to avoid his kneeling, reached out and helped him up, his tone calm: "Steward Li, let's talk this out. The sky hasn't fallen yet, what's the panic?"

He helped the man into the outer hall of the cave, waved for two guards to stand outside the door, closed the stone door to block outside view, and then sat down on the stone bench and poured Li Qinghe a cup of cold tea: "Tell me, what exactly happened that made you, the head of the market, come all the way to this remote mountain to beg me?"

Li Qinghe held the teacup, his hands trembling. He gulped down a mouthful of cold tea to barely calm himself down, and with a mournful face, he recounted the whole chaotic situation in the market.

It turned out that after the raid, the Zhao family was severely weakened, with more than half of their guards killed or wounded, and 70% of their elite troops lost.

In order to block the sneak attack of the Blood Fiend Sect cultivators, Zhao Qiuyue was invaded by the Blood Fiend Qi and suffered severe internal injuries. As soon as the attack ended, she went into seclusion to recuperate, and all the affairs of the market were handed over to him as the person in charge.

But his position as head of the department was merely nominal.

First, wandering cultivators from outside, under the guise of seeking refuge, flocked to Qingya Market like madmen. (For more information, please click to read Chapter 61, "The Undercurrents in the Marketplace.") In just a few days, over two hundred people poured in, a mixed bag, and it was impossible to determine how many Blood Fiend Sect spies and Black Wind Stronghold remnants were hidden among them.

Furthermore, the remaining spies of the Blood Fiend Sect were hiding in the market. For three consecutive nights, they assassinated the patrolling Zhao family guards, killing seven guards. Even the squad leader of the guard team had his throat slit, causing fear among the guards, and no one dared to patrol at night anymore.

The most critical issue is that the local independent cultivators in the market are in a state of panic, with people trying every means to escape to the outskirts of the city. Ninety percent of the shops are closed, and the Zhao family is unable to collect taxes at all. They are even running out of spirit stones for the daily maintenance of the protective array.

"Brother Xu, I really have no other choice!" Li Qinghe's eyes reddened as he finished speaking. "Those veteran guards simply don't listen to my orders; and I can't control the rogue cultivators from outside."

"I can't find the Blood Fiend Sect's inside man. If this continues, Qingya Manor will fall into chaos on its own, even before the Blood Fiend Sect comes back! When the Zhao family investigates, I'll be the first to lose my head!"

He was truly at his wit's end.

In the entire Qingya Fang, only Xu Yuan has the ability and the mindset to help him stabilize this mess.

After listening, Xu Yuan gently tapped the stone table with his fingertips, his eyes clear and bright.

He knew better than anyone that this wasn't a mess, but his best chance to completely take control of the Qingya Fang undercover network.

The Zhao family suffered a major blow, and the person in charge was seriously injured and went into seclusion. Li Qinghe, the puppet leader, was completely obedient to him.

If he were to lend a helping hand, he could not only stabilize the chaos in the market, but also, through Li Qinghe's help, firmly grasp the entire situation of Qingya Market, remaining completely hidden behind the scenes, without getting involved in any cause or effect, and without taking any risks.

This is the highest level of survival through dishonest means—using someone else's strength against them and reaping the benefits without lifting a finger.

He didn't directly take over the affairs of the market, nor did he agree to come out of seclusion to help. He simply looked up at Li Qinghe and calmly gave him three core strategies: "Immediately close the four gates of the market, allowing entry but not exit. All outside cultivators entering the market must be registered, noting their origin, cultivation level, and companions. They must form groups of three to vouch for each other. Anyone whose origin cannot be verified or who has no one to vouch for them will be expelled from the market without mercy."

"The remaining guards were divided into three shifts, patrolling continuously for twelve hours a day, focusing on the secluded corners of the market, abandoned inns, and underground caves. Any place where people could hide was checked at least twice a day to prevent spies from hiding."

"Post a notice: anyone who personally captures a mole within the Blood Fiend Sect will be rewarded with fifty high-grade spirit stones; anyone who provides valid clues and whose report is verified will be rewarded with twenty high-grade spirit stones. With such a generous reward, there will surely be brave men. You don't need to investigate yourself; the rogue cultivators in the market will help you dig out the mole."

Three sentences, no more, no less, precisely hit the three fatal flaws in the chaotic situation.

Li Qinghe stood there, mouth agape, eyes widening in disbelief.

The mess that had troubled him for days, to the point where his hair was almost turning white, suddenly became incredibly simple in Xu Yuan's three sentences, with even the solution clearly laid out.

He had only thought about strict prevention and control, and how to arrest people, but he never thought of using guarantees to screen out unknown people, let alone using rewards to mobilize the rogue cultivators in the market.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Li Qinghe slapped his thigh, his face instantly clearing of worry. He bowed deeply to Xu Yuan, his waist almost touching his knees. "Brother Xu, you are truly my savior! I'll go back and take care of it right away! I'll get it done immediately!"

"Don't rush." ​​Xu Yuan raised his hand to stop him, his tone still calm, but carrying an undeniable weight. "I'll help you stabilize the market, but there's one condition."

"Go ahead! I'll agree to anything, even ten or a hundred!" Li Qinghe nodded immediately without hesitation.

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