31: The seeds of disaster are beginning to sprout; the road ahead leads to Nanjun.

Qi Yuan retracted the azure spirit sword and looked at the old man's corpse with a calm expression, his mind racing with thoughts.

This man's counterattack before death, along with his unfinished words, confirmed his suspicion—collecting gold to refine golden armor was merely a cover; there was definitely another motive behind it.

Although the specific purpose was not yet clear, he already had some conjectures in mind.

"Immortal!"

Duan Qian quickly walked out of the cave at this moment, holding a wooden box in his hands with a fawning smile on his face:

"I've searched the cave thoroughly and only found these gold ingots and this box. I've checked carefully, and there's nothing else."

He cautiously observed Qi Yuan's expression. Seeing that the other party was not displeased, he felt slightly relieved and grew bold enough to say:

"Immortal, I've made up for my crimes today. I wonder if I could..."

Qi Yuan glanced at him indifferently and suddenly asked:

"Do you know my name?"

Duan Qian was stunned, not understanding why this Immortal would suddenly ask this. He quickly said with a smile:

"How could I know your honorable name, Immortal? To be able to see your Immortal face today is already the blessing of three lifetimes..."

"My name is Qi Yuan."

As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of green light shot out from Qi Yuan's sleeve.

Duan Qian looked down at his chest in disbelief, where a bloody hole had appeared at some unknown moment.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but could only make a raspy sound before finally collapsing softly to the ground, dead.

Qi Yuan didn't even look at the corpse on the ground and reached out to take the wooden box Duan Qian had just been holding.

He hadn't held much hope; a Cultivator's vital items were usually kept in a Storage Pouch on their person.

However, when he lifted the lid of the box, his gaze narrowed slightly.

Inside the box, besides a few ingots of gold, there actually lay a palm-sized bronze fragment.

The edges of this fragment were jagged, and its surface was covered in verdigris, looking ordinary. But upon closer inspection, some extremely ancient patterns were vaguely visible on the fragment.

"This item..."

Qi Yuan's fingertips lightly brushed over those blurred patterns, his thoughts turning.

"That old man kept this in this wooden box with the gold instead of putting it in a Storage Pouch. Did he think this item was insignificant, or... was it done intentionally to deceive others?"

Qi Yuan ignored the corpses on the ground and turned to step into the cave.

His Spiritual Sense swept through every corner of the cave as meticulously as flowing water. All he saw was simplicity:

A stone bed, a stone table, some dry rations and fresh water piled in a corner, and nothing else.

It was indeed as Duan Qian had said; there were no hidden mechanisms or secret rooms.

This Immortal Cave was excessively simple, without even a single Formation Plate to assist in gathering Qi. He could only rely on the meager Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and Spirit Stones to Cultivate.

His gaze fell back beside the old man's corpse, and he pulled over that gray Storage Pouch.

Probing with his Divine Sense, he found the internal space wasn't large. Inside, besides a mere twenty-odd Low-Grade Spirit Stones,

there were only a few sets of clothes, some dry rations, and several books recording Earth-attribute Spells.

The fragments of the yellow shield shattered by the azure spirit sword were already the most valuable items on the old man.

Qi Yuan no longer looked at the two corpses. His fingers formed a seal, and two balls of blazing fire appeared out of thin air, falling onto the bodies of Duan Qian and the old man.

The flames burned fiercely, and Duan Qian's corpse soon turned to ash.

However, the old man's body lasted longer in the fire, especially the bones, which actually gave off a faint golden luster and made crackling sounds as they burned.

"As expected, he practiced the Golden Body Art and has already reached Minor Achievement."

Qi Yuan nodded slightly as he watched this scene.

The flames finally dissipated. On the ground, besides ash, there actually remained a few gold granules that hadn't completely melted, shimmering in the sunlight.

Although this old man was at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, if he faced an ordinary Qi Refining Sixth Layer Cultivator, with this preliminary golden body and that yellow shield, he might have been able to hold his own for a while.

Unfortunately, he encountered Qi Yuan, whose cultivation had already reached the Late Stage Qi Refining, and was ambushed first. That was why he was defeated so cleanly.

"This trip wasn't a total loss."

Qi Yuan raised his hand to collect the remaining gold granules and the Storage Pouch, pondering in his heart.

Although the Golden Body Art had its limitations, as a Cultivation Technique that didn't require specific Spiritual Roots and could directly strengthen the Physical Body,

its value could not be underestimated for the Qi Family, which currently had a shallow Foundation.

Among the Family disciples, not everyone could succeed in cultivation. This art would at least provide those with no hope of Foundation Establishment a means to make a living.

He took one last look at this silent, desolate mountain. With a sway of his body, he turned into a streak of green light and quietly merged into the twilight... Early the next morning, startling news spread through Cloud Dream County:

Duan Qian, the leader of the Money Gang, had vanished, and several of his confidants had died suddenly overnight in a bizarre manner.

The once-dominant Money Gang instantly collapsed like a falling tree, its members scattering like monkeys.

To the common people, this was nothing more than gossip over tea and meals.

But for the merchants and great clans in the county who had suffered under their oppression, it was no less than a joy from heaven.

However, they were clearly celebrating a bit too early... In the Qi Residence on Green Cloud Mountain, the night was quiet.

Qi Yuan's figure landed in the courtyard like green smoke, his Spiritual Sense lightly sweeping through.

Liu Yueer and Zhou Qianer were both in their rooms meditating and Cultivating, the Spiritual Qi around them flowing steadily.

He didn't disturb them and instead walked toward the west wing.

In the Talisman room, Su Wantang was concentrating on her brush.

A bright yellow Talisman paper was spread on the desk. Spiritual light flowed from her fingertips, and with a swift stroke of the brush, a 'Dust-Removing Talisman' began to take shape.

After three years of bitter Cultivation, she was already able to stabilize the success rate of this basic Talisman at over fifty percent, only one step away from attempting to draw a Low Grade Talisman.

Qi Yuan stood quietly outside the door for half an hour. Only when she put down her brush to regulate her breathing did he lightly knock on the door.

"Master is back."

Su Wantang rose to greet him. Seeing his expression was as usual, she felt slightly relieved,

"Was the trip successful?"

Qi Yuan nodded and took out a Jade Slip, placing it on the desk:

"I got something interesting.

The refining method for this 'Hundred Refinements Golden Armor' is quite unique. If you have time, you might want to study it."

Su Wantang's Divine Sense swept over the Jade Slip, and she frowned slightly:

"Refining armor with gold essence is indeed a novel idea.

It's just that this method is quite costly, and this Golden Body Art seems to interfere with one's Dao Foundation."

"The way of Artifact Refining lies in understanding through analogy,"

Qi Yuan said indifferently, "Just take its essence; there's no need to follow it blindly."

Although gold was precious to Mortals, it was easy to find; this method was still quite valuable.

The two discussed Talisman insights for a moment before Qi Yuan changed the subject: "In three days, I intend to take a trip to Nanyue Market."

Su Wantang's hand holding the brush paused slightly.

She knew well that this trip concerned the Family's survival—in the Zhao Kingdom, a cultivation Family without the recognition of the royal Zhao Family was like rootless duckweed.

And wanting to obtain the status of an Immortal Family was by no means easy.

"Are you confident?"

She asked softly:

"I heard the Zhao Family's assessment is extremely strict. Not only does it require the Family to have the ability to maintain the incense of a region and guard a territory,

but the tribute every three years is also no small amount."

Qi Yuan looked out at the deep night outside the window:

"The arrow is already on the string.

I investigated the Money Gang today, and as expected, there were Cultivators behind them.

The methods of these people are very much like the tricks commonly used by certain destitute households."

He recounted what he had seen tonight. When he mentioned that the old man refused to reveal his true purpose even in death, a look of realization flashed in Su Wantang's eyes.

"They are suppressing the merchants and great clans. Could it be they want to..."

"Empty the cage for new birds."

Qi Yuan finished her sentence,

"First weaken the local forces, then wait for an opportunity to move their own people in.

Acting so surreptitiously shows that the power behind them is limited, and they don't yet dare to act openly."

"After I leave, you should immediately take the children and move into the Spiritual Vein cave on Green Cloud Mountain.

The Formation in the mountain is laid out using the Spiritual Vein. Unless a Foundation Establishment Cultivator comes in person, it will be difficult to break."

Qi Yuan took out a Formation Flag and handed it to her, "This is the main Formation Flag. If there's any trouble, you can use this to control the Formation."