This Dao Ancestor is too young.

"Demonic methods!"

Zhang Yuanzhu murmured to himself.

Lost in thought, the boy climbed the steps and entered the attic.

Compared to its former bustling atmosphere, the Chamber of Commerce now has only a handful of members, and even the spiritual items on the counter are almost gone.

"A guest has arrived; is he/she here to purchase a spiritual item?"

A maid came over, her red lips slightly parted.

The woman was beautiful; she was the same maid who had served him last time.

Zhang Yuanzhu casually rested his arm on the hilt of his sword, not answering directly, but instead glancing at the empty counter:

"Are there so many spiritual creatures missing?"

The maid was about to explain.

A woman's voice came from behind;

"The Qingyun Chamber of Commerce will be moving out of Jiaoyuan City in a few days, and some spiritual items have already been sealed away."

The sound was crisp and clear, like jade beads falling to the ground, melodious and pleasant to the ear.

A graceful figure approached with delicate steps. She wore a light blue dress, her face was beautiful and flawless, and her long black hair cascaded down to her waist, her beauty transcending the mundane.

Jiang Chuyu approached the boy and pointed to a side hall:

"Fellow Daoist, please."

As her words drifted away, the woman had already walked towards one side of the hall.

Zhang Yuanzhu gave the woman in green a deep look, then strode forward and followed closely behind.

The two entered the side hall one after the other and sat facing each other.

The woman stretched out her slender hand, picked up the teapot on the table, poured two cups of tea, and pushed one cup towards the boy:

"I haven't yet congratulated you on breaking through the encirclement of the Shang, Qian, and Tao families."

Zhang Yuanzhu reached out and toyed with the teacup:

"It's just a few Qi-cultivating families in a remote town; they don't deserve any congratulations."

Upon hearing this, a knowing glint flashed in Jiang Chuyu's eyes.

As expected, the person before them was of extraordinary birth; otherwise, he would not have been able to kill Qi Refining cultivators one after another with his Qi Condensation Realm cultivation.

"Fellow Daoist is formidable; you must be a genius aspiring to condense spell patterns at the Qi Refining Realm."

Zhang Yuanzhu paused slightly in his movements, and his brows furrowed.

Artificial patterns?

He had never heard of it before, nor was it mentioned in the Qi cultivation manual in his hand.

At this moment, Jiang Chuyu, who was observing the boy's reaction, showed a look of astonishment, and her previous guess was completely overturned.

The other party is either from a small faction or a rogue cultivator.

She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and began to explain:

"For ordinary cultivators, knowing about magic runes is nothing more than creating trouble for themselves, but for a genius like you, it is something you must understand."

The woman slowly sipped her tea and began to speak:

"In the Qi Refining Realm, there is something called a spell pattern, which is something that is naturally born when magic cultivation reaches its peak."

"The most basic ability of this item is to allow spells to be cast instantly. It is said to be of great benefit to one's cultivation level after reaching the Qi Refining stage."

"However, the magical runes are difficult to repair, and the body also has its limits."

"Therefore, those with a deep-rooted power often have their own prodigies possess a triple-level technique."

After a pause, admiration appeared in the woman's eyes, and she finished the tea in her cup.

"Fellow Daoist should know about the Dao Ancestor. According to the elders in his family, his performance in the Qi Refining Realm must have completed the first level of one technique rune."

Zhang Yuanzhu listened attentively to the woman's explanation, his expression solemn, and bowed to express his gratitude.

"Thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Jiang, for clearing up my doubts."

In just a few words, he could sense the importance of magical runes to the path of immortality; otherwise, his future self would not have achieved such a level.

"It's nothing, just a casual remark."

Jiang Chuyu put down her teacup, her gaze calm and unchanged.

Then, the tone shifted:

"May I ask what brings you here, my friend?"

"Buy sword techniques!"

Zhang Yuanzhu was straightforward and made no attempt to conceal anything.

"Swordsmanship?"

The woman glanced at the long sword at the boy's waist and nodded slightly.

Some practitioners do learn swordsmanship to increase their close-combat abilities.

The jade bracelet on her wrist shimmered, and streams of light rose up, transforming into yellowed books that floated in mid-air.

"The valuable items have all been sealed away; these sword techniques are mostly the skills of ordinary martial artists."

"Fellow Daoist, feel free to browse."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuanzhu didn't stand on ceremony. He stretched out his hand, picked up a book, and began to read it.

The Golden Snake Sword Technique, the Black Wind Sword Technique, the Spirit Ape Sword Technique...

The boy picked up one book after another, flipping through them one by one, until finally two ancient books were placed on the table in front of him.

"The Golden Snake Sword Technique and the Spirit Ape Sword Technique—how many spirit stones would they cost?"

"It's just a mundane skill; two spirit stones will suffice."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuanzhu immediately took out spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them over.

Then, the boy stretched out his palm, his five fingers spread out, and several tiny insects were struggling in a clump of water.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, do you recognize this insect?"

This was collected from several severely ill disaster victims, who were also the source of the epidemic.

This was also his most important purpose in coming to the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce.

The woman glanced at the insect in the boy's hand, her expression calm, as if she already knew.

She put away the ancient book that was floating in mid-air, poured herself another cup of tea, and then spoke:

"It's just a demonic method."

Zhang Yuanzhu looked at the woman's expressionless face and chuckled softly:

"Hehe~"

"It seems you already knew."

He was smiling, but there was no smile in his eyes, only coldness.

He tilted his head slightly, his laughter subsided, and he uttered each word carefully:

"The entire city's inhabitants, hundreds of thousands of lives, whether severely or mildly, have all been infected with this epidemic."

Jiang Chuyu frowned, her red lips parted slightly:

"None of our business?"

"The magic was not cast by the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce, nor can I change the outcome. There is no need to maneuver further now."

After just one short sentence, Zhang Yuanzhu fell silent.

He picked up the cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp.

Will all those infected with the disease die?

The woman hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded:

"Ninety-nine percent will die!"

Click~

The teacup shattered, shards scattered, and Zhang Yuanzhu lowered his head, concealing the murderous intent flickering in his eyes.

"Who is it?"

Jiang Chuyu felt a sharp killing intent, like a cold winter wind, icy and bone-chilling.

"I don't know. According to the deductions of the elders in the Chamber of Commerce, the source of the disaster is in the inner city, but..."

The woman's expression was solemn, and her voice carried a hint of persuasion:

"No matter where the demonic cultivators hide using such methods, their power is beyond our ability to contend with."

"I know!"

Zhang Yuanzhu remained expressionless, slowly rose, cupped his hands in a respectful greeting, and spoke sincerely:

"I am deeply grateful to Fellow Daoist Jiang for telling me the truth."

The boy harbored no resentment or anger, just as the woman had said, she had not harmed anyone.

He turned around and walked out of the side hall.

Jiang Chuyu watched the boy's retreating figure, and just as he was about to cross the threshold, her red lips parted slightly:

"Fifteen days from now, the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce will leave Jiaoyuan City. If you are willing, you may come here and leave together."

Zhang Yuanzhu paused slightly, raised his hand and waved it:

"good!"

Without hesitation, he left the side hall, walked out of the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce, and disappeared at the end of the street.

At that moment, a beautiful maid approached, clasped her hands in a gesture of respect, and spoke with a hint of apology:

"Sister Jiang, thank you for the Chamber of Commerce's promotion, but my father and brothers both live in the outer city, so I'm not leaving."

Jiang Chuyu's hand, holding the teacup, hovered in mid-air, her gaze lowered:

"Have you thought this through? If you don't leave with us, you'll be completely severing ties with the Chamber of Commerce, and we'll have no further connection with each other."

"Sister Jiang, my home is here, and it's considered lowly to leave one's hometown. I don't want to go to the big city!"