Starting with Taoist priests from Maoshan to cultivate immortality

"oh."

Jiang Yu didn't even lift his eyelids, sitting in front of the tea stall and calling out:

"Tea master, bring me a pot of fine tea."

He was actually delighted; a clue to his daily tasks had appeared.

Uh… Zhao Lei, who was originally preparing to pour out his grievances, suddenly choked up, his mouth agape, unsure whether to speak or not.

"The tea is good!"

Jiang Yu took a sip of the spiritual tea.

Although it was only of inferior quality, far inferior to what he had just drunk at Xuanfuzhai, it had a unique flavor.

Zhao Lei's half-open mouth remained frozen for several breaths before he plopped down in the seat opposite Jiang Yu, his eyes filled with resentment.

"Brother Jiang, I'm in this state, and you don't even offer me some comfort. It's so disheartening!"

Jiang Yu picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it in front of Zhao Lei:

"If you get cold, have a cup of hot tea; it'll warm you up."

Jiang Yu's actions completely erased Zhao Lei's discomfort.

He calmed down completely and greeted the tea server:

"Give me twenty steamed buns!"

Steaming hot buns were served.

It is made entirely from ingredients imbued with spiritual energy.

Ignoring the scalding heat, Zhao Lei treated the steamed buns in front of him as if they were a group of swindlers, and swallowed them one after another:

"These bastards, I'll bite them to death!"

After swallowing twenty steamed buns in a row, Zhao Lei felt both bloated and burning up. He drank a large bowl of spiritual tea and looked at Jiang Yu, saying:

"Brother Jiang, it's all your fault!"

Jiang Yu asked curiously:

"What's it to my fault?"

Zhao Lei said irritably:

"It's because you're too outstanding!"

A smile curved Jiang Yu's lips:

"Tell me in detail!"

Zhao Lei asked the first question:

"Since entering this market, do you admit that you've demonstrated a remarkable ability to navigate social situations?"

Jiang Yu's eyelids twitched slightly:

"So what?"

"This ability is amazing!" Zhao Lei slammed his hand on the table, then puffed out his chest confidently.

"I've been observing carefully, and I've already learned it!"

"Hard to say!" Jiang Yu shook his head, then frowned and asked:

"What does this have to do with you being scammed?"

Zhao Lei swallowed hard.

"I was just about to say... After we parted ways, I walked to the north street corner and saw a stall that attracted a lot of people. I went up to check it out out of curiosity."

In front of the stall owner was a square iron box about the same size as this one, with a bent iron plate at the top, divided into several holes, and a small ball on the far left.

The stall owner said that as long as you can use your spiritual power to get the ball into the hole, you can take away one hundred low-grade spirit stones as a reward.

However, there is a strict requirement: each use costs one low-grade spirit stone, and it must be sold in sets of ten or more.

Zhao Lei gestured repeatedly and continued:

Originally, I was just watching the show from the sidelines.

A few hunters who had met us once before at Pang Datou's place happened to be there too, and they chatted with me for a bit.

In order to make a living, the group wanted to pool their money to take on the challenge.

So they came to me, offering only one low-grade spirit stone, and if they won, they could get twenty stones.

I thought to myself, it's just a matter of one or two low-grade spirit stones. If I win, I'll get spirit stones; if I lose, I can build connections. I never expected this..."

Before Zhao Lei could finish speaking, Jiang Yu chimed in: "After you started the challenge, you were just a hair's breadth away from bouncing the ball into the hole each time."

Then you all got carried away and threw in all the spirit stones you had.

"I'm not that stupid?" Zhao Lei waved his hand, took out the remaining spirit stones from his pocket, and slammed them on the table.

"Two left!"

Jiang Yu sighed and complained:

"Then what are you so proud of!"

Zhao Lei scratched his head sheepishly and said angrily:

"I was in a daze when I left, but as I walked along, I realized those hunters were clearly in cahoots with the stall owner; they'd set me up!"

Jiang Yu shook his head after hearing this:

"With your intelligence, you were bound to encounter this situation sooner or later!"

Zhao Lei's eyes widened:

Are you indirectly saying I'm "stupid"?

Jiang Yu shook his head and then nodded:

"No, you always have been!"

Zhao Lei's lips twitched, but he continued to berate the group of swindlers:

"Damn it, these bastards have cheated so many people with this trick!"

The thought of their storage bags being packed full makes me furious!

"Fully packed? That's absolutely infuriating!"

Jiang Yu stroked his chin, pondering how he could pocket this ill-gotten gain.

Under Zhao Lei's questioning gaze, he deftly paid for the tea with the two spirit stones on the table, stood up, and said:

"Come on, take me to that stall!"

Upon hearing this, hope rekindled in Zhao Lei's eyes:

"Brother Jiang, if you can help me get revenge, you'll be my elder brother from now on! I'll go through fire and water for you!"

"Brother Jiang, the stall is on the north side!" Zhao Lei watched as Jiang Yu walked eastward.

Jiang Yu smiled mysteriously:

"I know that for this to succeed, we need to find someone first!"

……

……

Qingmingfang Market, North Street.

A cultivator with an unusually large head formed a tight circle with several other cultivators dressed as hunters.

He was holding a bulging storage bag in his hand, which, judging from the opening, contained at least seven or eight hundred low-grade spirit stones.

One of the hunters, with a rat-like face, squinted and smiled obsequiously:

"Boss, you are truly visionary, coming up with such a brilliant way to make money!"

Since the appearance of the secret realm in Tianmen Mountain, which has attracted a large number of cultivators, all the outer demon beasts have moved inland, and our lives have become increasingly difficult!

Normally, I wouldn't put up with that bastard Pang Datou's attitude!

Upon hearing the words "Big Head," the big-headed cultivator's forehead veins throbbed slightly, and his chest puffed out:

"Of course, this is a family secret technique. Relying on this skill, my ancestors for three generations were all late-stage Qi Refining cultivators."

"If my father hadn't been so ruthless in his deception to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill fifty years ago, and hadn't been hunted down and killed, I would have been the son of a Foundation Establishment True Person long ago, and wouldn't be doing this hard work."

Regret was evident on his face:

"It's a pity that they've already reached the limit of deception in this market, and fewer and fewer people are falling for it."

However, that fat sheep you just lured in was quite good; it contributed fifty low-grade spirit stones by itself.

The rat-faced hunter curled his fingers and said:

"He's just a little fat sheep."

I could smell it long ago; his companion's cart was carrying the meat of a demon beast at the third level of Qi Refining, which could be sold for at least two hundred low-grade spirit stones.

However, that kid seemed too shrewd, unlike this big guy who was so easily fooled.

A lookout hunter said with delight:

"Boss, that little fat sheep is back, and the big fat sheep came with him!"

The rat-faced hunter frowned:

"Is he here to cause trouble for us?"

"It's alright. Not to brag, but even a Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't be able to detect my technique." The big-headed cultivator confidently clasped his hands, his face showing disdain.

"Besides, they're just two Qi Refining Level 2 cultivators. If they really fought, they'd be the ones who would suffer."

The hunter with the rat-like face asked with curiosity in his eyes:

"Then how was your father exposed?"

The big-headed monk's forehead veins bulged as he grabbed the rat-faced hunter's long snout and twisted it hard.

"If you can't speak, I can cripple your mouth!"

"Boss... I was wrong..."

The big-headed monk snorted and released his grip, causing the rat-faced hunter to fall to the ground.

His mouth and the skin were stretched out, and he couldn't shrink it back up for a while.

The big-headed monk changed the subject:

"However, it's best to avoid taking action within the market area if possible, as those law enforcement officers are not to be trifled with."

He instructed:

"You guys need to be quick-witted and act according to the situation. I'm going to pocket all the spirit stones from those two fat sheep!"

"Haha, we'll do whatever the boss says." The others chuckled maliciously.

……

"Brother Yu, it's that stall!"

Zhao Lei pointed.

At this moment, the sadness on his face vanished, replaced by boundless admiration for Jiang Yu:

"Brother Yu, I really admire you so much! You even came up with this idea!"

Suddenly, he turned around and glanced at Jiang Yu, then whispered in front of him:

"Brother Yu, it seems like someone is following us."

Jiang Yu smiled gently:

"You just realized that he was spying on us back at the tea stall."

Zhao Lei frowned and was about to turn around:

"I'm going to drag him out and beat him up!"

Jiang Yu pulled him back and stopped him:

"No need, just pretend he doesn't exist. I have a great use for him."

……

Zhao Lei arrived at the stall, stepped forward with a hearty bow, and said:

"Gentlemen, I, Zhao, am back!"

The hunters were stunned.

They assumed that Zhao Lei must harbor resentment after losing so many spirit stones, and that they shouldn't talk to him anymore.

Unexpectedly, the look of dejection on his face disappeared in just a short while.

Could this person be a rare, broad-minded, and carefree individual?

They definitely couldn't do it.

Several people bowed in admiration:

"I never expected that Brother Zhao could maintain such a carefree attitude even after his failure. His disregard for spirit stones is truly admirable!"

Zhao Lei's forehead vein twitched slightly, then disappeared instantly, and he laughed loudly:

"It's just a few spirit stones, what's the big deal? Holding a grudge is something only women do!"

Jiang Yu looked amused, thinking to himself: Have you forgotten what you looked like just now?

Zhao Lei coughed lightly and addressed the hunters:

"Didn't you guys also lose badly? Why didn't you leave?"

The hunters were speechless for a moment.

Zhao Lei didn't press further, but instead stared at the Rat-Mouthed Hunter lying on the ground:

"What's wrong with this guy? He looks even more sleazy in just a short while."

The hunters rolled their eyes and sighed:

"If only my brother had Brother Zhao's magnanimity! What else could he be but a fool who swindled all his spirit stones out of him? He was so angry he fainted!"

"Your mom!"

The big-headed cultivator spat out a curse under his breath, then feigned anger and said:

"I don't like hearing that. How can it be a lie? I'm setting up this challenge here openly and honestly."

Furthermore, three generations of my family have been in this line of work, and our reputation has remained consistent.

"If you're not satisfied, you can spend spirit stones to continue the challenge instead of just standing by and making sarcastic remarks."

Zhao Lei pointed, pretending to have been successfully provoked:

"That's exactly what I was thinking. This time I've found a formidable accomplice who will definitely make you lose everything!"

"Avenge me... and my hunter friends!"

Zhao Lei clasped his hands in a fist salute to Jiang Yu and said:

"Brother Yu, we're counting on you this time!"

"Brother, we're counting on you!" several hunters said, their eyes reddening.

As expected of a professional, tears welled up in her eyes.

If I hadn't known they were accomplices, I would have been completely fooled.

The big-headed monk used this as a timely provocation:

"As long as you're willing to spend spirit stones, I'll accept any number of challenges you ask for!"

"If you keep winning, I'll give you everything I own. My business is all about honesty!"

Zhao Lei's fingers turned white from clenching his fists. He really wanted to pull out the tongue from this big-headed guy's mouth and see what was inside, with such a silver tongue.

Seeing that Zhao Lei's patience was about to reach its limit, Jiang Yu quickly stepped forward and kicked him.

Then, they arrived at the stall set up by the big-headed monk.

Looking at these familiar tools, Jiang Yu smiled slightly:

"It really was this!"

This is a pinball scam that was once extremely popular in the world.

The vendor can control the iron plate on top; by slightly adjusting its curvature, the iron ball will never be able to enter the hole.

This was originally a folk trick, but this big-headed person used it in the world of cultivation.

To block the cultivator's spiritual power, a century-old black iron was used, and a large blue stone platform was placed underneath.

Seeing that Jiang Yu was staring at the pinball machine without moving, the big-headed cultivator said impatiently:

"Are you going to take on the challenge or not?"

Jiang Yu countered with a question:

How do I know if you've tampered with it?

The big-headed cultivator stepped back three meters and said frankly:

"I'll stand here and not even touch you; go ahead and challenge me!"

Jiang Yu put down ten low-grade spirit stones and nodded, saying:

"Okay, let's give it a try."

"I'm going to play!"

"I'm going to play!"

"I'm really going to play!"

Jiang Yu moved his fingers intermittently, using this as a form of disruption.

After several such incidents, the stall owner became extremely annoyed.

"Let me think about it some more!"

Suddenly, when the stall owner wasn't paying attention, Jiang Yu sprang up quickly.

As a result, the marble grazed the hole and was just a hair's breadth away from going in.

I tried several times, and the result was the same each time.

Jiang Yu frowned slightly. He had thought that disrupting the stall owner's reaction would break the scam, but it turned out to be completely ineffective.

"You think our ancestors have been wasting all these years?" The big-headed cultivator sneered, his ego swelling even further.

"If you can guess it, why can't others? No one can crack my secret technique!"

Jiang Yu paid another ten spirit stones:

"I want to continue!"

Zhao Lei was startled when he saw Jiang Yu's expression turn serious.

"Brother Yu, you wouldn't have fallen into a trap like I did just now, would you?"

The big-headed cultivator chuckled lightly, giving a dismissive look:

"I'm just afraid you won't get hooked!"

Jiang Yu circled the pinball machine once, then clenched his fist, gathered his strength, and smashed it down onto the large blue stone beneath the machine.

"But I want it to bounce on the ground!"

boom!

With a loud bang, the large blue stone split open on the spot, and a fist-sized, jet-black, rhomboid stone fell out.

"not good!"

The big-headed cultivator's expression changed drastically, and he quickly tried to snatch it.

Jiang Yu bent down and snatched it in his hand.

He held up the rhombus-shaped black stone and laughed:

"This is the 'Mysterious Magnetite,' a strange stone created by being struck by lightning, which can generate magnetic force."

You also have a small piece in your pocket that can be used in conjunction with other parts to control the ball.

This was originally a good material for making talismans and refining weapons, but I never expected it to be used in the world of fraud. Your ancestors for three generations were truly talented!

The big-headed cultivator's expression turned completely cold, and his aura, at the fourth level of Qi Refining, erupted as he approached Jiang Yu step by step.

"Leave your things and get out of here quickly, or you'll regret it!"

At his slightest movement, several hunters' eyes flashed with ferocity as they surrounded Jiang Yu and Zhao Lei.

"Haha, well done! Brother Jiang, I'll take the credit!"

At this moment, Song Yu, who had a yellow crane embroidered on his chest, clapped his hands and walked out laughing.

Beside him was a fat man gnawing on a pork knuckle, and a middle-aged man with a pale, bloodless face.

The two men were dressed in brand-new black uniforms, with a black iron token bearing the character "镇" (zhen, meaning "suppress") hanging from their waists.

The big-headed monk's body tensed:

"Enforcement team!"

……