Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

The entire hunting party was in the courtyard, but at this moment, no one dared to come forward.

Everyone was harboring a sense of injustice, and when Ning Che slammed the fat woman to the ground with a single move, some almost couldn't help but shout "Good!" But they all knew in their hearts that the other party was a cultivator, a guardian of the Great Xia!

Cultivators are inherently superior, the "masters" whom they can only look up to and bow down to in their daily lives. They are merely mortals; how could they possibly be enemies with cultivators, let alone confront the mountain guardians head-on? This is something they wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Beside Ning Che, Man Cang had already picked up a hunting fork. The iron fork tip was polished to a gleaming shine and was trembling slightly.

Mancang was also afraid; his hands were trembling. Perhaps it was just a moment of youthful impulsiveness, perhaps he would regret his decision after careful consideration. But at this moment, his mind was filled with the scene from that time.

The image of him and his brothers kneeling under the clear sky, kowtowing and swearing an oath after the heavy snow that year, burned intensely in his mind. The consequences, the possibility of life and death, were no longer important. He would stand with his brothers, not retreating a single step.

Shi Yong held his sword horizontally in front of him, his broad back taut, his hands white from the effort. Clearly, his mind was far from calm.

He was a cultivator, and therefore knew far better than the other villagers in the hunting party how powerful the mountain guardian was.

These three cultivators were nothing more than insignificant lackeys among the mountain guardians. As the representatives of martial prowess among the three officials of the Great Xia Dynasty, the mountain guardians possessed truly powerful figures. If such individuals were to make a move, they could easily annihilate this small Stone Pillar Village with a flick of their wrist.

Taking action here would likely end badly, and there was even a possibility of implicating his entire family, but he couldn't back down.

"Courage..."

He silently recited his name and looked straight ahead.

"Shi Yong, I'm giving you one last chance. Put down the knife and hand over this little bastard, and I might forgive you for negligence!" The sharp-tongued man didn't take Shi Yong seriously when he saw him brandish his knife. In his view, how could a married man like Shi Yong possibly stand up to the authorities?

The fat woman also got up, spitting out the dirt she had just been chewing, and shouted, "Pah—that's right, put down the knife! Otherwise, we'll report you for treason and make sure the whole of Shizhu Village suffers!"

Upon seeing this, Mancang roared and charged forward.

A hand pressed down on his shoulder, and Ning Che walked past the two men without saying a word, heading straight for the three men opposite him.

The fat woman was still shaken and dared not confront him again, so she retreated hastily.

The man with the pointed beak, who was already the leader and standing at the front, was immediately surrounded by the three men when she retreated. He had no choice but to retreat as well, trying to stand with the tall man.

The tall man didn't understand what they meant, but seeing that both of them had retreated, he didn't dare to stand alone in front.

Ning Che forced them to retreat three steps. Then, the fat woman, because she retreated too quickly, lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"ha……"

Some people couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Another unexpected gain. Ning Che was momentarily stunned. This good-for-nothing really surprised him.

Without hesitation, he seized the opportunity when the three were stunned and said directly, "I know what you want. I can cooperate with you."

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Ning Che, with a confident expression, stared directly at the man with the pointed beak.

The man with the pointed lip frowned: "You?!"

Although Shi Yong was also puzzled, he understood that even making a foolish move was better than internal disagreement. He stated directly, "That's my opinion too."

Ning Che breathed a slight sigh of relief after receiving Shi Yong's support, but remained outwardly calm and said in a composed tone, "You can choose to fight us here and see if you can leave this village alive."

"You dare! We are..."

The fat woman stood up again and started yelling again.

Ning Che even suspected that she was an undercover agent on his side. He had just started to need to establish his authority when she came knocking on his door again.

Before the fat woman could finish speaking, he had already made his move.

With a single leap, he shot off like an arrow, skimming the ground.

The fat woman only saw a blur before Ning Che was already in front of her. His right fist feinted and aimed straight at her face. She was so frightened that her soul almost left her body. She hurriedly raised her arm to block with all her might, but a yellowish-brown halo appeared on her arm. She was easily tricked into using her full strength again.

But as soon as she raised her arm, Ning Che abruptly withdrew his fist, slid to her side, and slammed his left elbow into her unprotected ribs. The woman's breath caught in her throat, and she staggered to the side, the glow on her arms flickering and then going out like a faulty light bulb.

Just as Ning Che was about to follow up with a hook kick, the tall man reacted and slashed directly at his neck with a gleaming steel knife.

Ning Che immediately changed his move, using his hooked leg to push off the ground for support, and pulled back his other leg, turning his body in an instant.

He pressed himself against the fat woman's back, using her as cover to dodge the attack. Giving her no chance to change her stance, he half-turned, sideways bracing himself against the fat woman and forcefully leaning towards the tall man.

The tall man could only sheathe his knife and reach out to catch the fat woman who was bumping into him; his gaze and movements were instantly restrained.

opportunity!

Ning Che lowered his body, braced himself with one hand on the ground, and swung his right leg out like an iron whip, striking the tall man's abdomen with a powerful kick.

The tall man had no time to dodge, so he let out a low shout, causing a solid white light shield to instantly light up his lower abdomen. Ning Che felt as if he had kicked a stone block, and the sharp pain shot up his leg bone straight to his head, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

The white light exploded in response. The tall man groaned in pain, then was hit hard by the fat woman, and the two of them fell to the ground with a thud, dust flying everywhere.

"Damn it, I'll kill you!" the tall man cursed, flipping the fat woman over and getting up. Ning Che didn't hesitate, taking a step back. Just then, Man Cang saw Ning Che fighting with them and grabbed a fork, ready to rush forward.

Ning Che snatched the iron fork from the warehouse, ready to use it as a javelin.

"Enough!" the sharp-mouthed man roared, and Ning Che remained in the javelin-wielding position, staring at him.

He realized he had failed, and sighed, saying, "Tell me how we can cooperate."

Ning Che looked at the two people on the ground, put down the iron fork, and without answering, adjusted his breathing and looked towards the door.

About a minute later, just as the man with the pointed beak was about to lose his temper and ask a question, Xiao Hu pushed open the courtyard gate, causing it to slam against the fence with a "bang".

Behind him, Shi Gu, Shi Ying, and Cheng Cai had already arrived.

Ning Che then looked at the man with the pointed beak and said, "Your men are injured too, aren't they? Why don't you go back and rest first, and we can discuss this? I'll talk to you tonight."

The man with the pointed lip gave Ning Che a deep look, and said through gritted teeth, "Okay."

The three of them stumbled out of the courtyard, and the gate closed behind them. Man Cang finally breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on the ground. Shi Yong also sheathed his sword and was about to ask Ning Che about his plans for the evening when Ning Che turned around and asked a question that left Shi Yong speechless:

"What do they want?"