Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

The paper contained a string of words Ning Che had never heard of before, and there were a few characters he didn't recognize. After struggling to read less than two lines, Han Qingluan gave her conclusion: "This should be a prescription."

Ning Che stopped forcing himself to continue reading and asked directly, "What is this prescription for?"

"I don't understand pharmacology."

Han Qingluan spoke very decisively.

She was a constable, not a doctor. If you asked her to identify knife wounds, examine footprints, or check accounts, she could investigate a person's entire family history. But she only recognized half of the medicine names on this piece of paper.

Lin Ye peeked out.

"What did you write?"

Ning Che handed him the note.

Lin Ye looked at it for three breaths, then solemnly said, "It's really ugly."

Han Qingluan took back the note: "I wasn't asking about your handwriting."

"Then I understand even less."

Zhao He squatted beside the old box, his face grim: "Should we send it to Huichuntang?"

Ning Che nodded: "Mr. Qian and Mr. Song should be able to see it."

Han Qingluan immediately instructed her clerk: "Seal it and make three copies. Keep one copy at the patrol office, send one to the garrison camp, and send one to Huichun Hall."

The clerk took out the oil paper and inkpad and carefully wrapped them up.

Han Qingluan then asked, "Can Zhao Qian still be asked questions?"

Shi Bingzhu stood by the door, holding his iron mace: "He's stubborn."

Ning Che said, "I'm not afraid of being stubborn, I'm afraid no one will make me speak."

Lin Ye immediately perked up: "I'll do it?"

Han Qingluan glanced at him: "The police force does not use private punishments."

Lin Ye sighed: "You government officials are such a hassle. Bad people don't follow the rules, while good people are always reciting scriptures."

Ning Che said, "Rules are not for bad people."

Lin Ye was startled.

Ning Che closed the interlayered wooden board: "It's for us to see. Otherwise, if we keep investigating, we might end up finding out that we're the second Zhao Qian."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Han Qingluan glanced at Ning Che but said nothing.

She suddenly understood why Yu Congrong was willing to hand over the case to him.

A person who has lost an arm is actually more stable than many people with all four limbs intact.

Soon, everything in Zhao Qian's room was cataloged and sealed.

The three missing pages of military reports are listed separately.

The Ding Thirty-Seven waist tag, which was reported lost six years ago, was also included in the case file.

Han Qingluan closed the booklet: "The existing evidence is enough to suspend Zhao Qian from his post and investigate his past. But to prove that he colluded with demons, we still need one nail to seal the coffin."

"Shi Mingxuan".

Ning Che said.

Han Qingluan nodded: "He knew Shi Mingxin had run away, which means someone in the Shi family had informed him beforehand. If we follow this lead, we can find out about the pharmacy."

Shi Bingzhu said coldly, "I'll go ask."

"You can't do it."

Ning Che looked at him: "You're a member of the Shi family. If you get the answer from them, they'll say you're fighting amongst yourselves. If you don't get the answer, they'll say you're covering it up."

Shi Bingzhu's face darkened.

Lin Ye added, "He's really caught in the middle, not daring to be trusted by either side."

Ning Che, however, retorted on his behalf: "This is about righteousness; he is not only a person, but a good person, a chivalrous hero."

Han Qingluan ignored their bickering.

It was already dark when everyone left Zhao Qian's room.

There were many more eyes watching over the mountain camp.

Some people were pretending to wipe their knives under the eaves, some were dawdling by the well, and others were watching Ning Che through the window.

In those gazes, there was respect, doubt, and fear.

The case of the rat swamp spread from the Shi family in the city back to the Shoushan camp.

The fire eventually reached their own roof beam.

Zhao He carried Chen Mu's waist tag and walked very slowly.

Ning Che turned around: "Tired?"

Zhao He shook his head.

After a moment, he whispered, "Brother Xing, I used to think that it was nothing special for the mountain guardian to die in the mountains. He was bitten by a monster or swallowed by miasma; it was just bad luck."

He raised his hand and pressed down on the waist tag.

"Now I realize that some people don't die in the mountains, they die at the hands of others."

Lin Ye was unusually quiet and didn't crack any jokes.

Ning Che said, "That's why we need to investigate."

Zhao He nodded: "Investigate to the end."

Shi Bingzhu suddenly spoke up: "It will be very difficult to get to the bottom of this."

Lin Ye glanced at him sideways: "Are you scared?"

Shi Bingzhu looked ahead: "I'm afraid there's something even dirtier in the Shi family."

Ning Che said, "If you're worried about it getting dirty, then wash it."

Shi Bingzhu gripped his iron mace tightly: "It can't be washed off?"

Ning Che stopped and looked at him: "Then let's scrape the bone."

Shi Bingzhu looked at him for a while, then suddenly laughed.

"You're really not like the kind of person who stands on the medicine shelf in the pharmacy."

"If the medicine shelf falls over, you should help it up."

Ning Che said, "If a person is rotting, you have to chop them up."

……

That night, the prescription was delivered to Huichuntang.

Mr. Qian was already waiting under the lamp.

Song Changgeng leaned against the couch, his complexion even worse than during the day, but his eyes were bright.

He took the copying paper, but stopped after reading only two lines.

Old Qian leaned closer, and his expression changed.

Ning Che asked, "What did you figure out?"

Song Changgeng did not answer immediately.

He placed the paper on the table and pointed to one of the herbs: "Black saliva root."

Old Qian continued, "It's not a medicine from the Feihu area. It grows in damp, dead places and can draw the life force of demons, but it can also draw poison into the bones."

Song Changgeng then pointed to the next ingredient: "Hundred-Remedy Herb".

"Isn't it for detoxification?"

Zhao He frowned.

"It is used alone as an antidote."

Old Qian picked up the prescription, his voice turning somber: "If you add Black Saliva Root, Fiery Heart Sand, and Rejuvenating Vine, along with Rat Demon Blood, it won't be an antidote."

Lin Ye asked, "What's that for?"

Song Changgeng thought for a moment: "The medicinal properties are intense. If the user's cultivation level is not high, it will probably be a profound torment. If the user's cultivation level is high, it will still be painful, but it can be used as an auxiliary medicine to refine certain things."

The lights inside the room flickered.

Refining?

Ning Che roughly guessed the purpose of this thing; if nothing unexpected happened, it was part of Mu Qingming's plan to kill the withered ghost.

Ning Che carefully put away the prescription: "Don't spread this news for now."

Han Qingluan nodded: "In the police station's files, I'll only write down the formula for cultivating miasma. The 'Ghost Lantern Vine' part will be put aside for now."

Shi Bingzhu said, "I'll go check the Shi family's pharmacy to see if there are any records of Ghost Lantern Vine."

Song Changgeng said, "Don't investigate openly. The Shi family has just bowed their heads, and people inside are unsettled. If pushed too far, someone will destroy things."

Shi Bingzhu was silent for a moment, then said, "I understand."

Lin Ye looked at Ning Che: "And what about you?"

"Cultivation."

Everyone was taken aback.

Ning Che raised his crippled right arm: "If I don't get it repaired, and if Chief Zhao wants to retaliate against me, I won't even be able to escape."

Zhao He said earnestly, "Brother Xing, don't worry about the medicine shed. Old Qian and I will keep watch over it."

Han Qingluan also said, "I'll keep an eye on the case. Zhao Qian won't get away."

Song Changgeng looked at Ning Che and suddenly smiled.

"You have to stand firm. Only when you stand firm will many others dare to step forward."

Ning Che didn't respond to that.

He simply put away the prescription, got up, and walked out.

As night deepened, the wind from Feihu Mountain blew through the old medicine warehouse.

Ning Che was not in a hurry.

These days he's been investigating cases, traveling, and gathering herbs in the mountains. Even though the Moon Rabbit Breathing Technique gives him almost limitless physical strength, his spirit has long been on the verge of collapse.

Now we can finally catch our breath.

Of course, catching one's breath is relative; being able to hide somewhere and study diligently is already a precious rest for him.

He began practicing wielding the knife with his left hand, continuing his training, trying to gain some time.

Meanwhile, in the grand hall atop the mountain, Mu Qingming sat behind a long table, a smile on his face.

"That's interesting. I hope you won't disappoint me."