The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

Xu Changqing reached out and took the stack of golden talismans.

"As I said before, we'll talk about profit sharing when you can draw a mid-grade first-tier talisman. This pittance is for you to use to buy some good spirit ink."

Xu Yanzhen was taken aback, and his expression became somewhat anxious.

"But clan leader, the clan is in dire need of money right now. Since I am supported by the clan, I should..."

"Alright."

Xu Changqing interrupted him, his gaze turning to the group of people clearing land in the distance.

"If you really want to help, draw me a few 'Little Cloud and Rain Talismans'."

"A minor cloud and rain talisman?"

Xu Yan was somewhat puzzled.

Although this talisman is also a low-grade first-tier item, it is an auxiliary item and has no offensive or defensive function other than watering the spirit field.

"Those ten acres of land on the back hill, if Da Niu and the others carried water bucket by bucket, it would take forever to fill them."

Xu Changqing pointed to the wasteland.

Xu Yanzhen glanced at the bustling wasteland and nodded thoughtfully.

"Yanzhen understands."

After seeing Xu Yanzhen off, Xu Changqing returned to the front yard.

Xu Dayou was squatting on the threshold, looking at a book he didn't recognize with a troubled expression. When he saw Xu Changqing come in, he quickly stood up.

"Uncle Dayou".

"Chieftain, you wanted to see me?"

"The land has been cleared, but it won't do if there's only soil and no seeds. I don't trust anyone else to do this job, so I'll have to trouble you to make a trip to the market yourself."

Xu Changqing took a money pouch out of his sleeve and tossed it to him.

Xu Dayou took the money bag, his hand sinking down, his eyebrows twitching twice, and he could tell from a slight squeeze that it was quite heavy.

"Take these other twenty golden talismans and sell them at 'Spirit Talisman Pavilion'."

Xu Dayou took the talisman, his eyes lit up, and he rubbed his fingers on the talisman paper a couple of times.

"Wow! This was drawn by that kid Yanzhen? The quality is almost on par with those old talisman masters in the market! This kid's got some talent; looks like our Xu family is about to produce another cash cow!"

"Don't just focus on having fun."

Xu Changqing held up two fingers.

"First, go to the market to buy seeds of 'Hemostatic Grass'. This stuff is in high demand right now, so go to two different places and don't get ripped off. As long as the quality is decent, it's fine. Buy a lot, enough to fill all ten acres of land."

Xu Da nodded; he was good at this.

"Secondly, and most importantly."

Xu Changqing's expression became more serious.

"This newly opened fishpond needs more than just water; it needs spiritual energy. Our previous ponds were arrays left by our ancestors. Now, for this new pond, we need to find a knowledgeable array master to set up a 'spirit gathering array'."

"A formation master?"

Xu Da looked pained.

"Clan leader, those array masters are all arrogant and haughty. Even a first-grade low-level array master will cost at least a hundred or two hundred spirit stones for a single operation, and they also have to be fed and entertained."

Xu Changqing naturally knew the market situation.

But this cannot be avoided. If there is no formation to gather spiritual energy, the fish raised will be ordinary and will not fetch a good price.

Moreover, once this formation is set up, it will be a foundation for decades, and when spread over each year, there won't be much left.

"There are two hundred spirit stones in the money bag."

Xu Changqing ignored his complaints.

"The seeds don't cost much; the rest is the cost of hiring a formation master."

Xu Dayou sighed, put the stack of golden talismans into his pocket, touched his storage bag, and then went out.

Watching Xu Dayou's departing figure, Xu Changqing withdrew his gaze.

The business is set up; all that's left is to wait it out.

Three days later, at noon.

At the Cangwu Island ferry crossing, a small awning boat slowly approaches the shore.

Xu Dayou jumped down first. His old face was full of fatigue, and his eyes were bloodshot, obviously he had been running around a lot in the past few days.

A middle-aged cultivator emerged from the cabin behind them. He was dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe, had a goatee on his chin, and was holding a compass in his hand.

He felt a little unsteady on his feet as he disembarked, his brow furrowed, his eyes sweeping over the desolate reed marshes around him, and he pursed his lips.

"Money Master, watch your step!"

Xu Dayou smiled ingratiatingly and bowed slightly.

As they were talking, Xu Changqing came out to greet them.

"This must be Master Qian, I've long admired your name."

Xu Changqing bowed respectfully, his expression indifferent.

Master Qian glanced at Xu Changqing and, seeing that he was a young man at the fifth level of Qi Refining, his contempt deepened. He simply cupped his hands in a casual gesture.

"Chief Xu, you're too kind. I am Qian Tong. I'm just fulfilling a trustee's duty. Let's look at the location first."

He couldn't be bothered with pleasantries; he didn't want to stay in this lousy place for even a second longer.

Xu Changqing was not annoyed and stepped aside to lead the way.

"Formation Master, please."

The group arrived at the newly opened fishpond on the back hill.

The ponds were full of water, shimmering in the sunlight, but because there were no spirit-gathering arrays, the water lacked spiritual energy and looked lifeless.

Qian Tong held the compass and circled the ponds twice, performing the ritual of walking on the Big Dipper while chanting incantations.

Xu Dayou leaned closer to Xu Changqing and lowered his voice:

"Clan leader, this old... Qian Zhenshi is a renowned expert in the market. Although he is skilled, his price..."

"It's alright."

Xu Changqing watched Qian Tong's retreating figure.

"As long as the work is done meticulously, it's worth spending more spirit stones."

A moment later, Qian Tong stopped, put away his compass, and pointed to the four directions: east, south, west, and north.

"Although the earth's energy is scattered here, the water veins are still open. We need to bury a 'spirit-gathering stake' in each of the four corners and then draw the spiritual energy from the underground water veins up."

Qian Tong held up three fingers and waved them in front of Xu Changqing.

"This set of formations will cost a total of 150 spirit stones. This is a fair price given out of respect for Fellow Daoist Xu. The cost of materials is separate."

Xu Dayou gasped, about to speak, but was stopped by Xu Changqing raising his hand.

"One hundred and fifty yuan, that's fine."

Xu Changqing readily agreed.

A hint of surprise flashed in Qian Tong's eyes. He hadn't expected that the seemingly poor Xu family patriarch would be so straightforward. He swallowed back the bargaining arguments he had prepared.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Master."

Xu Changqing was more concerned about the effect of the spirit-gathering array than spirit stones.

"Uncle Dayou, take the master to the guest room to rest and serve him well. We'll start work first thing tomorrow morning."

……

As night fell, the Xu family mansion was quiet.

Qian Tong lived in the east wing, where the lights were on all the time.

Xu Changqing sat in his study, holding a communication talisman in his hand.

As the talisman burned, Xu Xining's boisterous voice rang out, filled with undisguised excitement.

"Chief! I've been assigned to feed the spirit beasts at 'Hundred Beast Peak'! These spirit beasts are all harder to please than royalty, but I secretly tasted the spirit grains we fed them yesterday, and they were delicious!"

"Brother Yanfeng went to 'Sword Casting Peak' to forge iron. He said he was so badly burned by the fire there that his skin peeled off. But he also said that his senior brother there taught him a new hammering technique, which looks pretty impressive."

"Xiwen and Xiyue went to Danxia Peak, saying they wanted to learn how to identify medicinal herbs. The senior sisters there were very strict and wouldn't let them wander around."

As Xu Changqing listened to the rambling report, a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

These kids adapted quickly.

Although Hundred Beasts Peak, Sword Forging Peak, and Danxia Peak are all outer sects where you do odd jobs, at least you have a proper place to go. As long as you are willing to persevere, there will always be a day when you can get ahead.

The talisman burned out, and the sound abruptly stopped.