The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

Xu Changqing tapped his fingers lightly on his knees.

He had heard of Liu Sandao's name; he was a ruthless man with excellent knife skills. In his early years, he was a river bandit who was later recruited by the Zhang family and had killed many people.

Since he was originally a river bandit, someone who risked his life for others, his combat experience must be far richer than that of a half-baked clan leader like myself.

Moreover, there are two helpers at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

If these two form a defensive formation to restrain each other, or fight to the death to protect their master, and this delays the arrival of reinforcements from Ling'ao Island, the Xu family's entire fortune will be lost.

"As expected, there will always be those who take the fall."

Although the Li family might not dare to fight the Zhang family head-on, they could certainly keep an eye on things from the sidelines or keep those two lackeys in check.

Having made up his mind, Xu Changqing got up, pushed open the door, and called out to the old servant waiting in the distance, "Go and call Uncle Dayou over."

Not long after, Xu Dayou came running over from the front yard.

The old man was still holding an abacus in his hand, looking pained.

"Chieftain, what's the matter that's so urgent?"

Xu Changqing pulled the person into the house, closed the door behind him, and set up a soundproof barrier.

Seeing this, Xu Dayou's eyelids twitched, and he hugged the abacus to his chest: "Clan leader, what... are you going to do?"

"Making money."

Xu Changqing's words were concise and to the point.

"The Zhang family has a shipment of goods that will be transported to Black Reef Beach three days from 1:45 AM."

"How much?" Xu Dayou's eyes lit up instantly, and the pain in his eyes vanished immediately.

"Eight hundred spirit stones, plus a considerable amount of spiritual materials."

"hiss--"

Xu Dayou gasped, his eyes widening in shock: "Eight...eight hundred? These bastards must have ripped the land off its face!"

He excitedly paced around the room twice, rubbing his hands together, but then stopped, a hint of hesitation on his face.

"But Chieftain, the waterways over Black Reef Beach are complicated, and transporting such valuable items from the Zhang family must be difficult for the escorts, right?"

"Liu Sandao, bring two Qi Refining Level 4 cultivators."

Upon hearing the name "Liu Sandao," Xu Dayou shrank back.

"That killer? I heard he's a daredevil."

"So go and send a message to the Li family, saying that I, Xu Changqing, am inviting Elder Li for tea because I have a big business deal to discuss with him."

"Let's only talk about big deals; we'll discuss the specifics when he arrives."

Xu Dayou was a shrewd man. As soon as he heard this, he knew that the clan leader was serious. His face immediately lit up with excitement, and he turned around to make arrangements.

……

Just past the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), the night was deep.

An inconspicuous little awning boat quietly approached the remote ferry crossing on Cangwu Island.

As soon as Li Shan entered the study and saw Xu Changqing, he didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point.

"Clan Chief Xu, why did you summon me so urgently? Is there... news?"

These past few days, he's been under a lot of pressure from the Zhang family. The Zhang family's steward comes to his shop every day to sit and drink tea, without saying a word, just staring at him in a sinister way, making it impossible for him to do business.

He was seething with anger and had nowhere to vent it.

"Elder Li, please have a seat."

Xu Changqing poured him a cup of hot tea.

"This deal is definitely real; it just depends on whether Elder Li dares to go through with it."

"I'm willing to do anything as long as it makes money!" Li Shan said through gritted teeth.

Xu Changqing didn't keep anyone in suspense. He took out a hand-drawn topographic map from his sleeve and spread it on the table.

"Three days later, at the second quarter of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), at Black Reef Beach."

Those few words made Li Shan's breath catch in his throat.

He leaned closer to the map, his withered fingers pausing sharply on the words "Black Reef Beach".

"Black Reef Beach... The waterways there are complicated, and there are many hidden reefs. Large ships cannot enter, and only small boats can pass. It is indeed a good place to set up an ambush."

Li Shan looked up, his eyes shining: "Are you sure?"

"If it weren't accurate, how could I have dared to bother Elder Li so late at night?"

Xu Changqing picked up his teacup, took a sip, and remained calm.

"How strong is the escort ship?" Li Shan quickly asked.

"Liu Sandao, at the fifth level of Qi Refining, plus two others at the fourth level of Qi Refining."

Li Shan's initial excitement was immediately extinguished.

"Clan Chief Xu, this...this is not easy to deal with. That Liu Sandao is a ruthless person at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and he also has a mid-grade first-level magic weapon. Our group...I'm afraid it won't be enough for him to cut down."

Xu Changqing sneered inwardly as he looked at Li Shan's cowardly appearance, as if he wanted to back down before the fight even started.

This is the tragedy of small families; they've been under the Zhang family's sway for too long, and their bones are practically swaying.

"If Elder Li is afraid, then let it go."

Xu Changqing made a gesture as if to put the map away, his tone tinged with disappointment and sarcasm.

"We originally thought this shipment contained 800 spirit stones and a lot of spiritual materials, enough for our two families to have a prosperous New Year. Since the Li family doesn't have the guts, then my Xu family will have no choice but to take it all ourselves."

"Eight...eight hundred spirit stones?!"

Li Shan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, his breathing instantly became heavy, and his nostrils flared open and closed.

The wages of avarice is death.

Faced with such enormous profits, the fear of Liu Sandao was instantly overwhelmed by greed.

Eight hundred spirit stones!

"Wait a minute!"

Li Shan grabbed Xu Changqing's hand as he put away the map. Xu's old face was full of struggle, which finally turned into a fierce expression.

"Clan Chief Xu, don't provoke me. Who said the Li family is afraid?"

"Isn't he just Liu Sandao?"

Li Shan gritted his teeth, his cheeks puffed out high.

"But... how should we arrange the manpower? Who will deal with Liu Sandao?"

This is the key.

Who will tackle the toughest challenge? Who will deal with the two henchmen?

Xu Changqing saw the scheming look in Li Shan's eyes and knew exactly what was going on.

This old man wants the Xu family to fight tooth and nail so he can reap the benefits later.

"Since we're joining forces, there naturally needs to be a division of labor."

Xu Changqing tapped his fingers on the table.

"I'll take care of Liu Sandao."

Li Shan was taken aback, then overjoyed.

It would be wonderful if Xu Changqing were willing to take on this death-defying task.

"Chief Xu is indeed a young hero! I admire him! I admire him!"

Li Shan quickly flattered him, fearing that Xu Changqing might change his mind.

"The remaining two members of the Zhang family at the fourth level of Qi Refining will be dealt with by my Li family. I will personally lead the team and ensure they don't leave alive!"

"Don't rush to admire me."

Xu Changqing raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Now that I've tackled the toughest challenge and taken the biggest risks, there has to be a proper way to distribute the spoils."

Li Shan's smile froze for a moment, and he tentatively asked, "So, according to Chief Xu... a 50/50 split?"

"Fifty-five?"

Xu Changqing scoffed, his eyes looking at him as if he were a fool.

"Elder Li, has your brain been frozen?"

"This information was bought by my Xu family at a high price. I was the one who killed the most dangerous Liu Sandao. Your Li family was just an assistant, cleaning up a couple of henchmen, and you think you can take half of it?"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Li Shan's expression turned somewhat grim: "Then... forty-six?"

Xu Changqing shook his head and held up three fingers.

"Sanqi".

"I get seven, you get three."