I can bless thousands of magical powers.

"Young Master!"

Zhang Yuan and Wu Ziyu had just sat down and hadn't even drunk half a cup of tea when a servant rushed into the inner hall and reported to them, "The master is back!"

"Father is back?"

Wu Ziyu's eyes lit up immediately: "That's great!"

He smiled at Zhang Yuan and said, "General Zhang, please wait a moment while I go and fetch my father!"

Zhang Yuan naturally had no objections.

Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes and with a dignified appearance, accompanied by Wu Ziyu, strode in with his head held high.

"Father, this is General Zhang Yuan of Xiyuan!"

Wu Ziyu introduced with a smile: "Zhang Daojiang, this is my father, the head of the Wu family."

Zhang Yuan stood up and bowed, saying, "Zhang Yuan greets Senior Wu!"

The opponent should be at the sixth level of cultivation, with a restrained and unassuming aura. If Zhang Yuan's perception had not been greatly enhanced after advancing to the seventh level of the Divine Nest, it would have been difficult to discern the opponent's cultivation level.

Wu Ziyu's father, Wu Mingrui, the current head of the Wu family in Heyuan, carefully examined Zhang Yuan, then returned the greeting with clasped hands, saying, "General Zhang, I have long admired your name. Meeting you today, I can see you are indeed extraordinary!"

"Senior has given you too much praise."

"Please sit down!"

After some pleasantries, Zhang Yuan sat down again, but Wu Mingrui was now sitting in the main seat.

The head of the Wu family was quite magnanimous. He first thanked Zhang Yuan for his help and then inquired about Zhang Yuan's purpose in coming.

Zhang Yuan had to explain again.

After hearing this, Wu Mingrui showed a hint of surprise: "Open up the Liping Mountain and River Channel in a month? General Zhang, there is no need to be in such a hurry. Our Wu family has been waiting for decades. It really doesn't matter if it's only a few months."

Like Wu Ziyu, he also didn't believe that Zhang Yuan could open up that reef-ridden route in such a short time.

The head of the Wu family even felt that Zhang Yuan was exaggerating.

However, he was extremely shrewd and hid his true emotions very well, never revealing them at all.

"This is not a big problem."

Zhang Yuan said, "Dealing with the great monster in the raging river is the most urgent task!"

"General Zhang, here's the situation."

Wu Mingrui pondered for a moment, then explained to Zhang Yuan in detail the situation of the great monster entrenched in the Nutao River.

For many years, the scourge of the Nutao River has been caused by a monstrous python. It possesses immense strength, is impervious to swords and spears, enjoys stirring up storms and devouring living beings, and is extremely cunning and ferocious.

The Wu family tried countless methods, but they still couldn't get rid of this guy.

Over the years, to prevent the giant python from harming the civilians living on both sides of the Nu River and the fishermen who make a living by fishing on the river, the Wu family has regularly fed it blood food.

It mainly consists of cattle and sheep.

This greatly reduced the harm caused by the giant python.

This matter was an open secret in Heyuan City; most people knew about it.

However, no one would talk about it openly.

After all, feeding blood to monsters in the long term would damage the Wu family's reputation.

The problem is that in recent years, this giant python's appetite has grown increasingly voracious, no longer satisfied even when fed three to five cows at a time, and its "taste" has changed. As a result, fishermen and farmers are frequently disappearing from the fields!
The Wu family realized that if things continued this way, one day this strange python might bring a huge disaster to the city, and the lives of countless people would be lost.

At that time, the Wu family in Heyuan will be the first to be affected, and the consequences will be unimaginable.

Therefore, both openly and secretly, they are seeking external support, hoping to solve the scourge in the Nutao River in one fell swoop.

This would not only ensure the safety of the Heyuan area for the next few decades, but also open up a waterway for the Wu family that could bring them enormous wealth, the benefits of which would be immeasurable.

Zhang Yuan is one of the Wu family's options, but certainly not the only one.

They adhere to the principle of casting a wide net.

However, Zhang Yuan was the first powerful figure to come to Heyuan and pay a visit regarding this matter!
"Zhang Daojiang, if you really have a way to deal with this great monster..."

Wu Mingrui continued, "And if you help our Wu family open up sea routes, then in addition to the conditions we previously agreed to, we will have even greater rewards for you!"

A hint of eagerness flickered in the eyes of the Wu family patriarch.

It's not that he's impatient.

The urgent matter is resolving the strange occurrence in the river; it cannot be delayed any longer.

The problem is that war is raging and strange occurrences are rampant throughout the Great Qian Dynasty. Major sects and aristocratic families are too busy to help themselves, and even the main branch of the Wu family in Qianjing is turning a blind eye to the situation in Heyuan.

Wu Mingrui had no other choice but to set his sights on Zhang Yuan, this young Taoist general.

After all, Zhang Yuan had done the Wu family a great favor, causing the renowned Mad Sand Army to suffer a crushing defeat and a considerable loss!
Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and asked, "When do you feed the river pythons?"

In fact, feeding monsters is quite common, especially in rural areas. Many people regularly offer livestock and poultry to avoid being harmed by monsters, in exchange for temporary peace.

After all, living in cities and towns means being protected by places of worship such as the Heavenly King Temple, the City God Temple, and ancestral halls.

But ordinary people can't stay at home forever. They farm, chop wood, gather herbs, and hunt, and there will always be strange things they encounter.

If one can, to some extent, reach a tacit understanding with the strange creatures lurking in the surrounding area.

Then everyone can barely survive.

Of course, most supernatural phenomena don't fall for this.

It's truly rare to see a prefecture-level city like Heyuan engaging in such bizarre practices as worshipping strange objects.

This is undoubtedly a great disgrace for the Wu family.

Therefore, Zhang Yuan was fully able to understand the thoughts and ideas of this family head.

Wu Mingrui replied, "The first and fifteenth of every month."

He added, "Actually, our Wu family has more than a few dozen cattle and sheep, but monsters can't be tamed, and I suspect it might transform into a dragon, which would be even more difficult to control!"

Pythons and dragons belong to different levels of beings, the difference being equivalent to the difference between Qi Refining and Divine Enlightenment, a whole major realm apart!
If this giant python, which has been causing havoc for decades, were to truly transform into a great dragon, even a powerful being like the Divine Realm expert might not be able to defeat it!
"The first and fifteenth of the lunar month?"

Zhang Yuan calculated the days—there were still four days until the Wu family's next feeding time.

He said decisively, "Senior, I'd like to go and take a look in a few days."

Wu Mingrui and his son Wu Ziyu exchanged a glance. The former nodded calmly and replied, "Okay!"

In order to win over Zhang Yuan, he was willing to expose his family's dirty laundry, and naturally he would meet all of Zhang Yuan's reasonable requests.

However, the head of the Wu family had no idea what Zhang Yuan was thinking at that moment.

Otherwise, he would have been absolutely horrified! (End of Chapter)