Start with everyday skills and grind your way to immortality.

The sound faded, and the wind rose.

The dust on the street was stirred up, and the wind also ruffled Chen Ke's slightly graying temples.

Looking at the burning madness in her younger brother's eyes, she was momentarily dazed.

The familiar gentle and scholarly air about Ah Qian in front of him had been replaced by something almost sharper than he had ever seen before.

Chen Ke's hand holding the wine jar froze in mid-air, and the words of comfort that were on the tip of his tongue got stuck in his throat.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the locust trees, falling on Chen Qian's faded blue shirt.

He still had that familiar, scholarly face, and he was still that slender scholar.

"Very well, I wish to be that roc, soaring ninety thousand miles high."

Chen Ke suddenly lifted the wine jar, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp.

The spiciness went down my throat and brought tears to my eyes.

He took a deep breath, wiped his slightly reddened eyes with the back of his rough hand, and nodded emphatically: "Then we won't ask for favors. Whatever you want to do, I won't stop you. Just be careful in everything you do."

"Definitely." Chen Qian smiled gently.

"Brother, you go back first. I want to go for a stroll in the street and pick up a couple of miscellaneous books. I'll be back later."

Chen Ke walked away, turning back every few steps.

Only after the hunched figure completely disappeared at the alley entrance did the gentle smile on Chen Qian's face slowly recede like the tide.

With the main gate closed, he went through a side gate.

There are still ways to help, though.

Chen Qian turned around and looked towards the noisy and messy western part of the city, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Memories flashed back to that day in the alley next to Jishetang, where Zhao Rong angrily complained, "Let's try our luck at the black market in the west of the city!"

"Even a playboy like Zhao Rong knows to go to the 'west of the city' to look for something, which means there must be some shady business there."

Chen Qian straightened his clothes, turned and disappeared into the crowd, heading straight towards the west of the city.

……

West of the city, under the big willow tree, an old locust tree tea stall.

This place is right next to the labor sheds, with low, jagged shacks scattered around, a gathering place for all sorts of people in Linjiang County.

This is also why he chose to have Zhao Rong place the token here three days later. With so many people around, it's the easiest place to hide and gather information.

The tea stall was bustling with noise.

Bare-chested porters, shifty-eyed idlers, and even江湖客 (jianghu ke, wandering swordsmen) reeking of blood, all stop here to rest and boast.

The sound was like a tidal wave, so noisy it was as if a pot had exploded.

Chen Qian found a seat in the corner and ordered a pot of broken tea for two coins.

He closed his eyes slightly, his fingers tapping lightly on the rough tabletop, seemingly resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, his breathing was slightly heavy.

Both the "Observe Words and Expressions" and "Audio Recognition" functions are activated simultaneously.

In an instant, the noise that was originally mixed together around him was quickly layered and separated in his mind.

Eliminate the gossip and idle chatter of women about "the Zhang family and the Li family."

The complaint that "dockwork wages have been reduced again" has been removed.

The vulgar language, such as "That woman was really hot, her collar was so low you could almost see her...", is removed.

His attention was like a filter, only capturing those words that were deliberately suppressed and carried an anxious or sinister tone.

Goods, ideas, the usual spot, nightfall, rules...

Time passed slowly, and the tea grew cold.

About fifteen minutes later, they still hadn't found anything.

Chen Qian was not impatient; he simply rubbed his brows gently and was about to change his position.

Just then, two extremely low voices, like wisps of smoke, entered his eardrums.

"What bad luck, this idea is really tricky."

"Keep your voice down, come in first."

Chen Qian slightly lifted his eyelids and caught a glimpse of the short man leading the thin man furtively into a dilapidated courtyard behind the tea stall.

Before entering, the two looked around to make sure no one was watching, then slipped inside and slammed the latch shut with a "click".

It was quite far away, and there was an earthen wall separating them.

Chen Qian picked up his teacup, stood up without making a sound, and slowly walked to the edge of the tea stall, as if he felt his legs were numb from sitting for too long.

He moved closer without making a sound.

Fortunately, the two did not return to their room, but remained in the courtyard, making their conversation clearer.

"The things that were taken off were all covered in blood, and those scumbags at the pawnshop wouldn't dare to take them." A voice was hoarse and anxious.

"Fool! You dare to pawn bloody 'red goods'? Don't you want to live?" The other voice sounded much more experienced, with a hint of disappointment.

"What should we do? This is worth a lot of money. Are we just going to risk our lives and do nothing for nothing?"

"Don't rush, let me think about it."

After about half a cup of tea's time, a helpless sigh came from inside.

"The checks on the ground are too strict these days, it seems the only option is to sell it 'down below'."

"Even if it has to be cut in half."

"There's no other way. I'll go buy some paper money now and leave tonight."

Chen Qian calmly took a sip of tea and slowly returned to the tea stall with his teacup in hand.

Only after seeing the thin man push open the door and leave with a pained expression did he put down the tea money and follow him from a distance.

Anle Coffin Shop was located in a shady dead-end alley in the west of the city.

Even in broad daylight, the alleyway exudes a chilling, eerie atmosphere, deterring even stray dogs from venturing inside.

The shop was small, with no signboard at the entrance, only two paper effigies of a boy and a girl standing there, their cheeks painted bright red, making them look particularly eerie in this dark alley.

The thin man slipped into the shop.

Chen Qian didn't rush in, but instead stood close to the wall in the shadows outside the door.

[Auditory recognition experience points +1].

"Shopkeeper, I'd like to buy some paper money."

"What kind of paper money do you want to buy?"

"Toll fee".

"Send them off, or leave yourself?"

The shopkeeper's voice was dry and hoarse, as if it were just a routine matter.

"Go by yourself."

"How far?"

"It's not far. I'll be back by dawn."

After a short while, the shopkeeper said, "Ten taels."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qian outside the door's eyes flickered slightly, and a knowing smile appeared on his lips.

It turned out to be the case.

This is the incision.

When ordinary people buy paper money, they would never say "I'll go by myself" when asking whether someone else is leaving or they are leaving.

The dead go on a journey and never return; that is "far away." The living go to do errands and return after they are done; that is "returning at dawn."

After the thin man hurriedly left, Chen Qian lingered briefly at the alley entrance.

He pulled out a fox mask from his pocket, which he had just bought from a roadside peddler's stall, and put it on his face, leaving only his eyes exposed.

He straightened his clothes and waited for his aura to settle before stepping into the dark coffin shop.

The room was dimly lit, and all the paper figures in the room seemed to be staring at this uninvited guest.

The air was filled with a strong, cheap sandalwood scent, which seemed to be masking some kind of rotten smell.

Behind the counter, an old man with a sallow complexion was making paper horses without even looking up.

"Shopkeeper, I'd like to buy some paper money."

Chen Qian lowered his voice and spoke calmly.

The old man paused slightly, seemingly surprised that two groups of people had arrived at this shady place in such a short time.

He didn't look up, his voice hoarse: "What kind of paper money do you want to buy?"

Chen Qian remained calm and answered each question using the slang he had just heard, his words precise and even capturing seven or eight parts of the indifference in his tone.

As the last cut ended.

The old man stared at Chen Qian for a full three breaths before slowly turning around.

He took out a black coin, round on the outside and square on the inside, that looked neither like paper nor like copper, from the black wooden box at the bottom of the counter, and threw it on the counter.

"Ten taels."

Without any hesitation, Chen Qian took out ten taels of silver and placed it on the counter.

He carefully put away the cold, black coin, but in his mind he was already considering how to ask about its specific uses, or whether he should follow that person that night.

Just then, the old man's voice faintly sounded:

Is this your first time going?

Chen Qian paused, turned around, and his eyes behind the mask narrowed slightly.

He didn't deny it, but instead asked, "How did the shopkeeper figure that out?"

"smell."

The old man lowered his head and continued making paper horses, his withered fingers deftly weaving between the bamboo strips, his tone indifferent:

"Too clean. You only smell of ink, not blood or dirt. And judging by your physique, you don't seem like a skilled fighter raised in a wealthy family."

"A clean person like you going to such a dirty place..." the old man sneered.

"I advise you not to be too curious. If you go, you might not even get to the place before you're gone."

Chen Qian remained silent for a moment.

People who frequent these kinds of places have seen all sorts of people and have a very sharp eye.

Since you've been seen through, trying to hide it would only make you look worse.

Chen Qian walked back to the counter, took out another tael of silver from his sleeve, and gently pushed it over, his tone sincere:

"I would like to hear the details."

The old man glanced at the two pieces of silver and deftly put them away.

He pointed to the pitch-black night sky outside the door.

"At midnight, go five li west out of the city, and you'll find Laoqiaotan."

"Find a loosely sealed red coffin in the woods. Lie down inside, close the lid yourself, and put the contents on the back of your tongue."

"That's a sedan chair. No matter what noises are going on outside, don't open it. When you hear a knocking sound, you've arrived."

At this point, the old man's voice turned sinister, his eyes fixed intently on Chen Qian's mask:

"But what kind of place is that old bridge beach? It's not a place ordinary people can go into at night. There are water ghosts in the river, wild demons in the forest, and creatures waiting to devour people everywhere..."

After saying this, the old man said nothing more, turned his back to him, and continued to make his unfinished paper horse, as if nothing had happened.

Chen Qian pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the old man's retreating figure.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior."