Two or three days later.
Xu Mingshu went together with Xu Mingxian, following the partially released Red-Spotted Insects toward where the insect queen was located.
There seemed to be a special connection between the Red-Spotted Insects and the insect queen, allowing them to find the queen's location even from far away. However, Red-Spotted Insects that had restrictions placed on them would lose this connection.
This was more like a special mechanism of spirit insects.
Therefore, Xu Mingshu kept a few and released them.
Of course, if it were other immortal cultivators, it would be extremely difficult to follow closely. Spirit insects were quite sensitive to spiritual energy and spiritual power fluctuations, otherwise they wouldn't be able to find each family's spirit rice from far away.
Getting close would invite attack.
Staying far, the spirit insects would have long disappeared.
Perhaps a Foundation Establishment cultivator's divine consciousness could track them but Xu Mingshu had the [Whisper of All Spirits] innate talent, allowing her to communicate with all spirits and naturally gaining their favor.
They led her right back to raid their nest, backstabbing the insect queen.
As for Xu Mingxian, he followed far behind, relying on the Blood Lineage Traction technique to avoid losing direction.
"Mm, they've stopped moving. Looks like Fourth Sister has reached where the insect queen is."
Xu Mingxian immediately quickened his flight speed. After arriving nearby, with a wave of his sleeve, array flags flew out and fell around the perimeter. His hands formed seals as spiritual power surged into the array flags.
Moments later, a pale blue semi-transparent light screen rose up, completely sealing off this place.
Xu Mingxian looked around and murmured, "This should be some valley near Changye County, located between the commandery city and Qingjiang. No wonder they flew to our Dongxi."
Xu Mingxian transmitted to Xu Mingshu through divine consciousness, "Fourth Sister, the entire valley has been covered by the array. They can't escape."
"Mingxian, I can't get in here." Xu Mingshu's voice rippled through the valley.
Hearing this, Xu Mingxian immediately flew toward her location.
After arriving, Xu Mingshu pointed at a mountain wall, "There's a gap in the wall. The Red-Spotted Insects can fly in, but we can't enter."
Xu Mingxian probed the surroundings with divine consciousness and said flatly, "There are no traces of arrays around."
"Strange. For this type of spirit insect like the Red-Spotted Insect queen, logically if it's wild, it shouldn't be in this vicinity. At minimum it would seek a place abundant with spiritual energy. This is the instinct of spirit insects and demon beasts.
Fourth Sister, perhaps there's an immortal cultivator's cave dwelling here, and the Red-Spotted Insect queen was his possession. After he died for a hundred years or even longer, the insect queen hatched."
"Then why haven't such spirit insects appeared in Yuehu Commandery before?"
"Maybe it only hatched in recent years. Just stop asking and find a way to get in to see, then we'll know everything."
The two began carefully investigating, checking both the mountain wall and the mountain itself.
Finally, in a pond several zhang away, they discovered a waterway that seemed to lead inside the mountain peak.
Xu Mingshu had the Iron-Devouring Flying Ants scout the path first. As expected, inside this mountain was another world entirely, a huge cavern and that passage was just large enough for one person to pass through.
After entering the mountain's internal cavern, Xu Mingshu looked around and murmured, "I didn't expect another world inside. Most people who discovered this place probably had a coincidental element."
Ordinary immortal cultivators, unless certain there was another world inside the mountain, definitely wouldn't investigate carefully. They would probably sweep with divine sense once and leave.
"It's also because of this that this place hasn't been discovered by Yuehu Commandery's immortal cultivators for so many years. If there were arrays covering it, it definitely would have been broken through completely."
After speaking, he swept with divine consciousness, his lips curving slightly as he continued, "Found it. There is indeed a large insect swarm, numbering in the thousands, and the bones of an immortal cultivator."
Xu Mingxian immediately led Xu Mingshu there.
This was a stone chamber carved by human hands. The natural rock walls rose and fell like twisted beast entrails. Stalactites hanging from the dome shimmered with jade marrow luster. Every dozen or so breaths, water drops would fall into a pit on the ground.
Luminous stones were embedded in all four walls, radiating soft light to keep the stone chamber from being too dim.
In the southeast corner was a naturally formed stone bed covered with a meditation cushion woven from silk. The bones of a gray-robed immortal cultivator sat cross-legged upon it.
As for the northwest corner, quite a few spirit herbs were planted there, mostly gnawed away.
"The insect queen."
Xu Mingshu immediately spotted the inch-long red spirit insect perched atop the immortal cultivator's skull.
The insect queen also discovered them.
Suddenly, massive numbers of Red-Spotted Insects on the stone walls around them spread their wings and rose up, attacking the two in unison.
Xu Mingxian immediately retreated backward while forming hand seals, retreating together with Xu Mingshu from the stone chamber.
Buzz buzz buzz~
The Red-Spotted Insects followed right out. However, at this moment Xu Mingxian's technique condensed. A cold wave surged forth, instantly freezing several hundred Red-Spotted Insects in midair.
Seeing this, Xu Mingshu seemed to understand something and immediately said, "Don't hold back. These Red-Spotted Insects are controlled by the queen and won't stop until death.
If they don't die, it's hard for us to approach the queen.
As long as we have the queen in hand, plus resources, we can cultivate a new Red-Spotted Insect swarm."
Xu Mingxian nodded slightly and immediately began using fire-type techniques he was more familiar with. Although also middle-grade techniques, the casting speed was much faster.
Although Red-Spotted Insects had resistance to fire, more than half the swarm were larvae, plus the power of middle-grade techniques.
In a flash, dozens more charred spirit insects fell to the ground.
Xu Mingshu also didn't hold back, controlling magical artifacts for defense while attacking.
Her figure shuttled about. In just a moment, almost all the Red-Spotted Insects had perished.
"The insect control path truly has unique qualities. Just these low-level spirit insects, still larvae, already have this threatening power.
If Fourth Sister, your Iron-Devouring Flying Ants increase in number, even if only a few hundred adults, even someone like me at Qi Refining perfection would have to yield, right?"
"That's for certain. Iron-Devouring Flying Ants are ancient rare insects. How could Red-Spotted Insects compare? Of course the cultivation difficulty also can't compare."
The two entered the stone chamber just as the insect queen was trying to drill into wall crevices to escape. Xu Mingxian immediately sent a divine consciousness impact.
Making it dizzy for a moment.
During its fall, Xu Mingshu drew it into her palm.
Xu Mingxian examined it and said flatly, "This is quite different from Red-Spotted Insects, more elongated with a soft abdomen, and entirely crimson."
"Fortunately, this queen hasn't matured yet. Otherwise with Qi Refining stage strength, it would be very difficult to forcibly place restrictions. It would resist and even self-destruct."
"Take advantage of it still being somewhat dizzy, hurry up."
Xu Mingshu nodded slightly and immediately forced out a trace of blood from her fingertip, dripping it onto the insect queen, then formed hand seals to apply the restriction technique.
Xu Mingxian came before the skeleton and with a raised hand drew its storage bag into his grasp.
"Beginner storage bag. Looks like this person was probably late Qi Refining when alive. There's also a spirit beast bag."
Xu Mingxian first looked at the spirit beast bag. It was empty inside, then he examined the storage bag.
A set of azure mother-child flying daggers, one large and eight small. The aura emanating was remarkably similar to the Black Tortoise Seal in his hand, making his eyes light up.
"This person's origins aren't simple."
Then there was a top-grade black scale flying sword, a middle-grade defensive magical artifact, two tokens carved with the characters "Spirit Control," over ten spirit stones, and three texts.
Besides those azure mother-child flying daggers surprising Xu Mingxian, what he valued most were the texts. If there were beast control related ones, the Xu family would really profit.
"Insect Control Scripture, Wood Spirit Qi Refining Chapter, Wood Spirit Foundation Establishment Chapter. Foundation Establishment techniques?"
The techniques the Xu family had previously collected only cultivated to Qi Refining perfection.
Fortunately, they later discovered three Foundation Establishment techniques in the Su family's dao repository: Profound Spirit True Water Formula, Azure Force Sword Formula, and Supreme Yin Moon Splendor Art.
These three techniques all contained both Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivation content.
Without Foundation Establishment techniques, even if someone in the Xu family stepped into Foundation Establishment, they would be stuck at early Foundation Establishment for life.
He flipped through and looked. Wood attribute. Then his lips curved in a smile, "Suitable for Father."
Then the Insect Control Scripture.
After a short while, "As expected it's beast control related, and quite complete. Fourth Sister is blessed this time." Xu Mingxian glanced at Xu Mingshu, then his gaze fell on the two tokens.
"Spirit Control, what does this represent, some force?"
"Then this person couldn't possibly be a rogue cultivator. But how did he end up in this remote place? Within Great Wei there should be no families or sects related to 'Spirit Control.'
The Great Liang side seems to have beast control inheritance. Is he from Great Liang?"
"Forget it. Great Liang is still too far from our Xu family. As long as our Xu family doesn't expose the 'Spirit Control' inheritance, they probably won't come looking for us."
Just then, Xu Mingshu opened her eyes. After considerable effort, she finally tamed the insect queen.
"Mingxian, I succeeded."
She smiled radiantly, turned her head to look, then smiled, "Good, secretly looting the corpse behind my back. Are you trying to hide some good things in advance?"
"There are good things." Xu Mingxian gave her a look and collected these items into his storage bag, then incinerated the two tokens, storage bag, spirit beast bag and skeleton together until clean.
"Eh, they've been dead at least a hundred years. This storage bag could also have problems?"
"Better safe than sorry, Father said so." Xu Mingxian said, "Moreover, this person's origins aren't simple. Better to eliminate all traces."
"Let's go, return to find Father."
"Wait." Xu Mingshu walked to the northwest corner and collected the mostly gnawed spirit herbs that couldn't be identified, roots and all.
"These should be the spirit medicines the queen loves to eat. I'll take them back for Father to examine."
Xu Mingxian nodded slightly then the two returned along the waterway.
Arriving above the valley, Xu Mingxian formed hand seals. Moments later, several streams of light flew over and entered Xu Mingxian's storage bag.
After looking at each other, the two flew toward Dongxi.
…
Immortal Arts Hall.
Xu Chuan's meditation room.
Looking at the items floating in midair, Xu Chuan said flatly, "Not bad, quite a harvest from this trip."
"This set of mother-child flying daggers..."
Xu Mingshu's eyes brightened as she looked at Xu Chuan. Xu Chuan directly ignored her and looked at Xu Mingxian, "Mingxian, who do you think is suitable? You can keep them yourself too."
Ignoring Xu Mingshu, after thinking for a moment, Xu Mingxian looked at Xu Chuan, "Father, I think these daggers should go to Second Brother.
Eldest Brother is strong. That bow and arrows, although inferior to this magical artifact, combined with Eldest Brother's strength is even better.
Third Brother has the Shadow Awl, I have the Black Tortoise Seal, Fourth Sister has the Iron-Devouring Flying Ant swarm and now obtained the Red-Spotted Insect queen, able to cultivate large numbers of Red-Spotted Insect swarms.
Only Second Brother, whose importance in the family is no less than Eldest Brother's, lacks a trump card to use as a last resort."
Xu Mingshu also agreed, "Father, I also think they should go to Second Brother."
"Then what was that 'hurry up and give them to me' look just now?" Xu Chuan smiled as he glanced at her.
Xu Mingshu awkwardly pouted, "I just didn't think of it."
"Then you two go over later and deliver this magical artifact to your second brother."
"Yes, Father." The two bowed with cupped hands simultaneously.
"Also the middle and top-grade magical artifacts, deliver them all to him as well. Have him find time to put them in the Xu Trading Company to sell. That cultivator's origins aren't simple. The magical artifacts should be sold early.
After changing hands several times, presumably it will be difficult to trace back to our Xu family.
As for the techniques, after copying the Insect Control Scripture and Wood Spirit Formula, send them to the Dao Repository Tower, then burn both originals afterward."
"Then I'll copy two sets. One copy will be sent to Father." Xu Mingshu said.
Xu Chuan nodded.
Shortly after, Xu Mingshu left behind the damaged spirit medicines, and the two departed for the Discipline Hall.
"Mingshu, Mingxian, why did you come?" Xu Mingyuan smiled. "Sit down and chat."
The two sat down as instructed.
Xu Mingshu grinned, "Second Brother, we came to deliver you a treasure."
"What treasure?"
Xu Mingxian patted his storage bag. The sound of "zheng zheng zheng" rang out as nine azure lights emerged from the storage bag in succession, circling inside the room.
The large one was like a long blade, three chi and three cun long. The eight flying daggers were seven cun and three fen long. The azure scale patterns on each blade flickered as they moved, like living things breathing, and each pattern was at a different position on the blade body.
At first glance there was nothing special, but if the long blade was centered with the eight flying daggers arranged in bagua positions, one could see that the azure patterns formed the shape of some demon beast.
"This is... a premium magical artifact set?!" Xu Mingyuan said in surprise.
"That's right, a gift for you, Second Brother." Xu Mingshu smiled. "This is our harvest from going out this time. Father gave it to you, so accept it."
Xu Mingxian also urged him thus.
Xu Mingyuan no longer declined.
"Also..." Xu Mingxian also clearly explained Xu Chuan's instructions.
Xu Mingyuan nodded slightly, "I'll handle this matter quickly."
"Second Brother, find time to refine them soon. We'll leave first."
Xu Mingxian and Xu Mingshu didn't stay long.
Two days later, these magical artifacts appeared on the shelves of the Xu Trading Company in the Yuehu market. Before long, both the top-grade flying sword and middle-grade defensive magical artifact were traded away by rogue cultivators.
Not long after, Xu Chuan went to the Zhou family.
The insect queen had been subdued. If Yuehu Commandery's families didn't see spirit insects for long, they would definitely think the insect plague had disappeared. How then could Xu Chuan sell the medicinal solution he researched to profit?
Zhou family clan territory.
"Brother Xu came to find this old man. Could it be you've discovered a method to repel Red-Spotted Insects?" Zhou Sen inquired.
Xu Chuan smiled slightly, "Precisely."
After speaking, he took out a bottle of medicinal solution. "Brother Zhou can try it freely. If you think it's good, we'll discuss the price."
"Good." Zhou Sen said, "Then Brother Xu, please wait here a moment."
Zhou Sen left the room to find Zhou Shaoyuan and test this medicinal solution's effectiveness together.
As expected, the Red-Spotted Insects didn't approach spirit rice sprinkled with a bit of the solution at all. If the solution dripped on them, they would immediately fall to the ground, unable to move for a quarter hour.
The two men's eyes lit up and immediately went to find Xu Chuan.
"Brother Xu is greatly talented. To research this medicinal solution so quickly, this old man truly admires you."
"Brother Zhou flatters me."
Zhou Shaoyuan said, "Brother Xu, how many spirit stones do you plan to sell it for?"
"One spirit stone for ten bottles. Incorporated into techniques like Minor Cloud and Rain Technique, it can protect ten mu of spirit fields for three days."
"Isn't this somewhat expensive?"
"Exclusive formula, exclusive ownership, naturally more expensive. Of course the Zhou family is my Xu family's ally, so it doesn't need to be like this. Thirty days, one price of five hundred spirit stones, or equivalent spirit herb material resources.
In thirty days' time, those spirit insects will definitely no longer be in our Yuehu Commandery. Brother Shaoyuan, what do you think of this deal?"
Zhou Shaoyuan's eyes flowed as he calculated gains and losses.
His Zhou family's spirit fields were vast. After annexing the Su family, their spirit fields approached ten thousand mu. As for other families, the least had a hundred mu, while many had four to five hundred mu.
If they purchased according to Xu Chuan's price, it wouldn't be much cheaper than their own families.
It seemed quite cost-effective?
Zhou Shaoyuan exchanged divine sense communication with Zhou Sen for a bit, then nodded, "Let it be so. When can the medicinal solution be delivered?"
"Right now."
The Zhou family didn't waste words. They immediately had people prepare resources worth nearly five hundred spirit stones, including some aged rice.
Xu Chuan didn't say much either and accepted with a smile.
After leaving the Zhou family, Xu Chuan went to the market and put this medicinal solution on the shelves at the trading company, and promoted it throughout the market.
In less than half an hour, all Qi Refining families in the commandery city knew the Xu Trading Company had a method to repel spirit insects. Quite a few families immediately sent people to inquire.
The item was a good item. The trading company had people personally demonstrate this medicinal solution's effect on Red-Spotted Insects. However, this price made quite a few families hesitate.
But ultimately some families gritted their teeth and made deals with the Xu family. If this year truly had no harvest, the spirit rice shortage would inevitably also result in being severely gouged.
Moreover, recently they'd heard the Xu Trading Company conducted fair deals, neither deceiving young nor old.
This also put them slightly at ease.
A few stubborn families felt they hadn't seen Red-Spotted Insect traces for several days and thought they could get through it.
How could Xu Chuan let them be so smug?
They had secretly resolved this insect plague. At minimum they had to collect some interest.
After all, if the queen had truly mass-reproduced Red-Spotted Insects to tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, all of Yuehu Commandery could really brew a catastrophic disaster.
At night, Xu Mingshu dispatched the Red-Spotted Insects first collected to circle those families' spirit fields.
Frightening them into purchasing a month's supply overnight.
The Xu family also didn't overdo it. After earning this profit, they had no plans to act again.
After all, they only wanted to earn quick money.
A month passed.
Each family truly saw no more Red-Spotted Insect traces and all breathed a sigh of relief, pulling out those dead spirit rice plants and replanting with new seedlings.
With family members carefully cultivating them again, the remaining nearly seven months should barely be enough.
If truly insufficient in the end, they could only admit bad luck and purchase grain from landlord families with surplus.
The Xu family obtained quite a lot of aged grain from each family this time. They thought they were discarding useless items, but the Xu family turned around and used this spirit rice mixed with some spirit medicines to brew wine, then sold it to the commandery city and market.
With Blood Rice as the main ingredient, the "Blood Jade" spirit wine was suitable for Innate martial artists and had some effect even for Grandmasters.
With Yellow Beam Rice as the main ingredient, the "Floating Life" spirit wine had some illusory effects plus cultivation advancement effects, quite welcomed by early and middle Qi Refining immortal cultivators.
Plus they recently recruited a spirit chef. The Xu family restaurant "Jade Pavilion" officially opened to the public.
There was a full spirit banquet using demon beasts, spirit rice, and spirit herbs as ingredients, as well as delicacies with traces of spiritual energy.
The former was expensive, at least five to six spirit stones per meal, limited to three tables daily and requiring advance reservations.
The latter was much cheaper and could also be traded with gold and silver.
The Xu family's foundation was rapidly increasing at a speed ordinary families couldn't imagine.
Half a month later, a visitor came to Qingjiang Dongxi.
"Qingjiang County, looks like this is the place." A gray-haired elder in black robes murmured, "The spiritual energy is truly thin. For the Xu family to rise and establish a clan in this place is truly a miracle."
The gray-haired elder entered the county city. After brief inquiries, he learned the location of the Dongxi Xu Clan.
He immediately went to Dongxi.
"An array? Mist array?"
The gray-haired elder's lips curved in a light smile. He continued stepping on his sword and dove straight into the mist.
Shortly after, his eyebrows raised as he muttered, "Something's not right."
After spreading his divine sense, surprise showed on his face, "Divine sense interference?!"
"The Xu family actually has such a profound array?"
The gray-haired elder wandered in the mist array for over half a quarter hour. Although he circled back outside the array several times, he ultimately still broke in.
"Who's there!"
As soon as the gray-haired elder entered, patrol guards discovered him and shouted.
They all drew their long blade weapons, standing ready in strict formation.
The gray-haired elder naturally didn't regard them highly, but this trip to Dongxi was to visit, so it wasn't good to casually harm Xu clan members.
"This old man comes from Guangling Commandery to visit the Xu family."
"From another commandery?" The patrol guards looked at each other. The guard captain bowed with cupped hands, "Please wait a moment, Immortal Master. Don't wander about. We'll go report immediately."
The elder nodded slightly.
A quarter hour later, Xu Mingyuan flew over on his sword. "Does the Fellow Daoist come from Guangling Commandery's Ge family?"
"Precisely. This old man is the Grand Elder of the Ge family's third branch, here on the family head's orders."
Xu Mingyuan immediately showed a smile, "Fellow Daoist, come with me. Let's find a place to talk in detail."
The Ge family Grand Elder followed Xu Mingyuan to a meditation room in the Discipline Hall.
After brewing a pot of spirit tea, the same one Xu Chuan had used to receive Zhou Sen, called "Snow Peak Cold Jade."
"Good tea." After tasting it, the Ge family Grand Elder's eyes brightened, then he nodded slightly.
"Did Fellow Daoist Ge directly break through the mist array to enter?"
"Is there an entrance?"
"On the bluestone official road there's a visitor's bell. If someone shakes it, someone will come out to receive them. Fellow Daoist, in the future please don't directly break in. Not only is it time-consuming, if it causes a misunderstanding, it will invite our Xu clan's group attack."
"So that's how it is." The Ge family Grand Elder said, "Ge understands. However, your Xu family's mist array is truly good. Seemingly ordinary, yet has the effect of interfering with divine sense."
"The mist array was deployed by our Xu family at great cost."
After a moment of silence, Xu Mingyuan said, "Has Guangling Commandery already calmed down? Last time I heard the Wei family seemed to be looking for someone? Did they find them?"
The Ge family Grand Elder shook his head, "Not yet. It's a rogue cultivator at the ninth layer of Qi Refining. Presumably they've long since left."
"The Wei family for this even suspected the ninth layer Qi Refining cultivators among our various families and specially convened once. If it weren't for the Wei family's Foundation Establishment personally speaking..."
"However, fortunately it was a false alarm."
The Ge family Grand Elder didn't want to chat more on this topic and continued, "This visit is to trade some middle and top-grade pills with the Xu family."
"First look at your Ge family's requirements. If the clan still has some, that's good. If not, we can only have the clan's pill refining master craft them."
The Ge family Grand Elder nodded, then took out a trade list. On it were not only the types and quantities of pills the Ge family needed, but also the immortal cultivation resources the Ge family would trade.