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

She made it clear that she knew Xu Yuan was behind everything.

She even guessed that Xu Yuan was responsible for the theft of the talisman from the ancestral hall on the night of the raid, but she didn't point it out.

The Zhao family had guarded that ancient talisman for centuries, but no one had ever been able to activate it, let alone obtain the inheritance within. Since the talisman had recognized Xu Yuan as its master, it was the will of Heaven. Moreover, the Zhao family in its current state was simply no match for this talisman that could bring about their own demise.

It's better for it to fall into the hands of Xu Yuan than to fall into the hands of the Blood Fiend Sect and the Evil Cultivator Alliance.

At least, Xu Yuan had no ill intentions towards the Zhao family, and even saved them three times.

Xu Yuan looked at Zhao Qiuyue, who was bowing respectfully, his face remaining completely expressionless. He neither admitted nor denied anything, but simply said, "Miss Zhao, there's no need for such formality. It was nothing at all."

Not admitting it leaves no room for criticism, while not denying it gives both sides a way out. This tacit understanding is the safest approach.

Zhao Qiuyue straightened up and looked at Xu Yuan's calm face, feeling even more admiration for him.

Any other young cultivator would have been overjoyed to receive such a deep bow from the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, but Xu Yuan remained as steady as a mountain, showing no arrogance. This composure is far beyond what ordinary people can achieve.

She didn't beat around the bush any longer and directly stated the core purpose of her trip: "Fellow Daoist Xu, I won't hide it from you. I've come here this time to ask you to cooperate with the Zhao family."

She paused, her tone heavy with barely concealed gravity: "We've found out that in six months, not only the Blood Fiend Sect, but also three Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Evil Cultivation Alliance will join forces to massacre Qingya Village. Their target is the ancient talisman seal in the Zhao family ancestral hall. The Zhao family is already severely weakened; their patriarch is still recovering from serious injuries, and their guard has been reduced to half its original strength. They simply cannot defend Qingya Village. In the entire Qingya Village, only you, Fellow Daoist, have the ability to help the Zhao family overcome this crisis."

She looked at Xu Yuan with earnest eyes: "As long as you are willing to cooperate with the Zhao family, the Zhao family is willing to treat you as a guest elder. You can use the resources of the market and the rare treasures in the warehouse at will. The Zhao family will not be stingy in the slightest with anything it has."

The position of Guest Elder grants the holder free access to all resources of Qingya Manor, a privilege that countless independent cultivators would fight tooth and nail for.

Anyone else would have agreed immediately.

But Xu Yuan simply shook his head after hearing this.

He knew very well that the position of guest advisor, though glamorous, actually tied him to the Zhao family's war machine.

Once he agreed, he would have to stand in front of the Zhao family and confront the four Foundation Establishment stage cultivators head-on during the massacre six months later, which completely went against his original intention of seeking peace and survival.

He wouldn't put himself in a life-threatening situation for the sake of empty fame and resources.

However, he did not directly refuse and cut off this resource channel. He looked up at Zhao Qiuyue, his tone calm, and stated his conditions clearly: "Cooperation is possible, but I will not be a guest of the Zhao family, I will not join the Zhao family, I will not take sides, and I will not assume any responsibility for guarding the market. We will only do an equal exchange."

"I can provide the Zhao family with accurate intelligence on the Blood Fiend Sect and the Evil Cultivator Alliance, a complete plan to deal with the crisis, and even help the Zhao family at a critical moment in the deadlock six months from now."

"In exchange, the Zhao family needs to provide me with a stable supply of second-tier alchemy materials, top-grade talisman paper and cinnabar, as well as all the secret records about the ancient talisman seal in the Zhao family ancestral hall, without missing a single word, and make copies for me."

Avoid getting involved in cause and effect, avoid taking risks, and only engage in equal exchanges of benefits.

He learned the survival rule he had learned over ten years of barely surviving: to get what he needed most at the lowest possible cost, and never be swayed by any empty fame.

Zhao Qiuyue was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was going on. She had originally thought that Xu Yuan would take this opportunity to demand power and wealth, but she did not expect that he would only make such a seemingly simple, yet flawless, condition.

They didn't take sides, didn't take responsibility, and only made equivalent exchanges. This gave the Zhao family hope to survive while leaving themselves ample room to maneuver, allowing them to advance and retreat freely without leaving any loopholes.

Without any hesitation, she immediately nodded in agreement: "Alright! I agree to your terms, fellow Daoist!"

For the Zhao family now, survival is more important than anything else. These alchemy materials, talisman paper, cinnabar, and that book of talisman secrets that no one has been able to understand for hundreds of years are nothing compared to the survival of the entire Zhao family and the entire Qingya Fang.

She immediately turned around, took a heavy storage bag and a rubbing book bound in animal hide from the female guard behind her, and handed them to Xu Yuan with both hands: "Fellow Daoist Xu, inside are one hundred sets of second-tier alchemy main ingredients, three hundred sheets of top-grade thunder-patterned talisman paper, and half a pound of top-grade cinnabar, which I prepared in advance. This book contains all the secret records about the ancient talisman seal in the Zhao family ancestral hall, and I have made a complete rubbing for you without missing a single word."

Xu Yuan took the storage bag and rubbing, scanned them with his divine sense to confirm that everything inside was exactly as described, and then nodded.

He kept his word and immediately gave Zhao Qiuyue her first accurate intelligence report: "Within the Zhao family, there is an inside agent of the Blood Fiend Sect, namely Zhou Lin, the warehouse manager. He has the blueprints for the spare array core of the protective array and has already made contact with the Blood Fiend Sect cultivators outside the city, preparing to launch a coordinated attack from within and without in six months."

Zhao Qiuyue's pupils suddenly contracted, and her face instantly turned cold.

Zhou Lin, the warehouse manager, was a distant relative of the Zhao family, and she never suspected him!

No wonder the Blood Fiend Sect knew the weaknesses of the protective formation so well; it turns out that's where the problem lies!

"Thank you for informing me, fellow Daoist!" Zhao Qiuyue cupped her hands to Xu Yuan again, her tone full of gratitude. "I am deeply grateful and will not thank you enough. In the future, if you have any needs, as long as the Zhao family can do it, we will not refuse in the slightest."

She didn't linger any longer, afraid of disturbing Xu Yuan's cultivation. After exchanging a few more polite words, she turned and went down the mountain with her guards.

She needed to return to the market immediately and capture that traitorous mole; she couldn't allow the Blood Fiend Sect any further opportunity to exploit the situation.

After seeing Zhao Qiuyue off, Xu Yuan closed the stone door, restarted all the restrictions, and then sat down at the stone table with the animal hide rubbing, slowly opening it.

He originally thought that these were just some scattered records of the Zhao family about the seal, but when he saw the first line of text on the rubbing, his pupils suddenly contracted and his hand holding the rubbing tightened abruptly.

On the first page of the rubbing, there is a clear line of words written in ancient seal script: Ancient Danfu Seal, one main seal and two auxiliary seals. The main seal governs the Great Dao of Danfu, and the auxiliary seals govern the Dao of Array and the Dao of Weapon. Only when the three seals are combined can the complete inheritance be obtained.

The inscription below clearly states: The main seal was lost to Qingyafang with the ancestors of the Zhao family. The two secondary seals are hidden in Heishui City in the western border and Yunlan Sect in the central state.

What he held in his hand was actually only the main seal among the three talisman seals! To obtain the complete inheritance of the Pill Talisman Daoist, one must collect all three talisman seals: one main seal and two secondary seals!