With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

After listening to Wang Qing's analysis, Lin Ye's mind raced with calculations.

Both of the known weaknesses of the Jade Poison Cold Serpent are, in a sense, limited.

The scales around the eyes and inside the mouth are thin, which is indeed a common problem for many monsters. However, these areas are small and are protected by their instincts, making it almost impossible to hit them accurately in the water.

Another method, using fire, is theoretically feasible, but since it spends most of its time in the water, its fire-based properties are difficult to utilize. Only by forcing it ashore can one weaken its movement by scorching it with flames.

But the monster isn't stupid. There's no shortage of fish, shrimp, and other aquatic creatures in the water, so it doesn't need to risk going ashore to hunt for food. The lure of prey might not work.

Lin Ye looked up at Wang Qing, then glanced at the several true disciples practicing martial arts in the distance. His lips moved, but he ultimately didn't speak.

Although Wang Qing was knowledgeable, he was only a third-rate martial artist and was powerless to deal with a second-rate monster on his own in a water battle.

As for true disciples, they are of noble status, and they cannot be asked to do things outside of their missions.

Although the Lin family led this river clearing project, it was nominally part of the territory expansion. If they had to ask the true masters to help after just opening up a town, what would happen in the future?

Once, twice, three times, favors and resources will eventually run out.

The bonds of friendship between true disciples must be reserved for crucial moments that concern the overall situation; they cannot be used for this purpose.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Wang, for helping me identify this demonic beast," Lin Ye said, suppressing his thoughts and bowing respectfully to Wang Qing.

"We'll now study countermeasures based on its weaknesses. I have to go now; I need to go back and discuss it with everyone."

After saying that, he turned and walked away from the courtyard.

Wang Qing stared at his retreating figure, opened her mouth as if to speak, but ultimately just silently looked away.

He understood Lin Ye's concerns, and he truly had no more reliable solution at the moment. Ultimately, the Lin family had to find a way to clear the river channel themselves.

In the hall, everyone fell silent after hearing the news Lin Ye brought back.

This Azure Poisonous Python has almost no weaknesses. The only way to defeat it is for martial artists to go into the water and fight it at close range. However, each family knows its own situation. The ones going into the water to fight are the martial artists of the guard team, and there are some of their own third-rate martial artists among them. What if there are casualties?

Lin Ye looked at everyone and knew what they were thinking, but there was nothing he could do, after all, the Lin family was still too weak.

Seeing the silence of the crowd, Sun Qian stepped forward and said, "If the monsters in the water are this hard to kill, what about the monsters in the air? Even top-tier martial artists can't fly!"

The head of the Zhang family stroked his beard in thought and then replied, "That's because there are Taoist soldiers."

The Wang family used to do this, contracting several aquatic warriors to deal with any unintentionally intruding monsters.

"That's it!" A thought flashed through Lin Ye's mind, and he suddenly realized, "We martial artists can't go down, but we can find the Dao soldiers in the water!"

He smiled bitterly to himself, realizing he was still bound by his preconceived notions.

This is another important role of Taoist soldiers. Although their role is limited in large-scale wars due to the scarcity of nests and the limited number of offspring.

However, in special scenarios, especially in water and air, Taoist soldiers who can swim or fly can exert advantages that are beyond the reach of humans.

Isn't that what my gargoyles are like? They can scout from the air and also kill flying targets.

Lin Ye had an idea in mind and asked, "But where can we find waterborne Dao soldiers? Preferably ones who are immune to poison."

After a moment's thought, the Zhang family patriarch replied, "The nest in the neighboring Yun County breeds aquatic Dao soldiers, Crocodile Armored Stealth Guards. Although they are third-rate combat Dao soldiers, they are not afraid of poisonous creatures."

It can hold its breath for a long time and continue to fight in toxic fog-filled waters without having to breathe frequently.

The eyes are covered by a transparent, tough membrane that prevents paralyzing toxins from seeping in with water, thus inhibiting their toxic effects.

He paused for a moment, then added, "Its combat power is also considerable, with an extremely strong bite force. Even the scales of the Azure Poisonous Cold Python probably wouldn't be able to withstand it. About three or four of them would be enough to repel or even kill it."

"Alright, I know how. Everyone go about your business. Sun Qian, stay behind."

Everyone clasped their hands in greeting and left the courtyard one after another, leaving only Lin Ye and Sun Qian in the hall.

Lin Ye turned around, his gaze falling on Sun Qian. He took a few steps closer and said in a steady tone, "Sun Qian, I asked you to strengthen intelligence gathering before. How have you been doing lately? What's the situation in Yun County right now? It's right next to us."

Sun Qian quickly bowed and replied, "My lord, I have been keeping an eye on the movements of the neighboring county."

Yun County borders our Xiang County, and is accessible by both water and land. In recent years, it has been quite peaceful, and on the surface, there is no sign of any major turmoil or upheaval.

The Chen family is the lord of Yun County, and this family has been in charge of the area for more than fifty years.

The first-generation contract lord has long since passed away. The current lord is the second-generation successor, named Chen Cheng, who is over forty years old and is actually the grandson of the previous lord.

Sun Qian paused slightly at this point.

Hearing this, Lin Ye was not surprised that the Chen family had arranged for their grandson to make the contract for the nest instead of their son.

He was well aware that the number of times a nest could be bound by a contract was extremely limited, and it could only be passed on at most three times in a lifetime.

In order to extend the existence of the nest as long as possible, it is necessary to select younger people to take over the contract.

Young people have long lifespans, which can extend the contract period of the nest, thus allowing the family territory to maintain its strength and stability for a longer period of time.

Lin Ye nodded, signaling Sun Qian to continue.

"Because it has been developing steadily for more than 50 years, the territory has a deep foundation, and all aspects have long been on the right track."

The great battle six years ago did not reach Yun County, so among the nearby counties, it is considered one of the more prosperous and peaceful ones.

For this reason, many people from Xiang County have moved their families to Yun County to make a living in recent years.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye immediately understood the deeper meaning behind Sun Qian's words.

If you want to rent or buy soldiers from Yun County, you must offer something in exchange that will impress them.

However, Xiangxian County is currently almost completely impoverished and in dire need of reconstruction, while Yunxian County has been developing steadily for over fifty years and is not lacking in ordinary supplies.

"Is there anything they lack? Are they lacking weapons? The blacksmith shop in Stone Iron Town has been rebuilt and has recently started producing weapons," Lin Ye pressed.

"Although Yun County doesn't have any large iron mines, they have maintained stable trade relations with other territories, so they are not lacking in weapons," Sun Qian answered readily.

"That's true," Lin Ye thought to himself.

"After all these years of development, they must have already established fixed trading partners and supply channels. Especially for important materials like weapons that are related to security, it is impossible for them to be in a state of shortage for a long time."