Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

Seeing that Ning Che couldn't respond, Zhao Di changed the subject and started talking about the three mountain guards, saying that they had fierce expressions and many people in the village were afraid of them. She also mentioned that on the way there, she saw her elder brother hiding on the southern hillside, panting as he practiced with his spear.

As the two spoke, the clouds on the horizon turned red.

Zhao Di suddenly realized what was happening, said goodbye, and hurriedly ran away.

Ning Che was slightly lost in thought. The tension that had been stretched to its limit when he confronted the mountain guardian suddenly eased, and the exhaustion from practicing the soldier's fist all night and the fatigue from fighting the bear demon to the death in the wilderness rushed up like a tide, making his eyelids feel heavy.

The next moment, he forcefully suppressed the surging exhaustion.

This matter, which concerns the safety of the entire village, still requires his discussion with the village chief. He composed his chaotic thoughts, shook his heavy head, turned around, and strode towards the two-courtyard village chief's residence in the center of the village.

The door to the main room was ajar, and an oil lamp shone through the crack, casting a dim, yellowish light. When Ning Che pushed the door open, he saw Shi Gu sitting in the main armchair, frowning in thought. Shi Yong sat to the side, his face filled with an even more bitter and resentful expression.

This time he didn't amount to anything, and I don't know what he's doing now.

"You're here." Shi Gu looked up at him and got straight to the point: "Tell me first, what are we two old men discussing here?"

Ning Che was slightly taken aback, then realized that the village chief was testing him. He had already thought of a plan on the way, so he was naturally calm now, and said confidently, "I guess it's about two things. One is the upcoming beast tide, how can we defend the village; the other is those three beastly mountain guardians."

Shi Yong also looked over.

"Not bad." Ishitani smiled. "So, what are your thoughts?"

Ning Che didn't answer immediately, but instead looked towards the direction of the guest rooms where the three mountain guardians were staying. Shi Gu understood and waved his hand, saying, "Don't worry, no one else can hear us."

Since he said so, Ning Che felt relieved: "First, the core of the beast tide, the reason why so many different beasts can organize to launch an attack, is because there is a leading demon, right?"

Ishigu nodded.

Ning Che continued, "Although the core members of the hunting team were unharmed, the overall manpower is indeed stretched thin. At this moment, the best way to deal with the beast tide is to decapitate it. As long as the leader demon is killed, the remaining beasts will be disorganized and not worth worrying about without a leader."

How to carry out the decapitation is the second point.

"Secondly, there are those three mountain guards." At this point, Ning Che's gaze turned cold: "As long as they are in the position, I have a way to make the charging monsters keep an eye on them first."

At that time, we can use the beast tide to eliminate these three troublemakers, and also use them to tie down the main force of the demon beasts, creating an opportunity for us to decapitate them. It's a win-win situation.

Before Shi Gu could speak, Shi Yong anxiously questioned, "What method do you have? Are you going to risk your life to attract the monsters?"

"I have become a cultivator," Ning Che stated frankly. "This is my magic."

"You've become a cultivator! Could it be...?" Shi Yong's eyes widened as he stood up.

Ishigu, however, seemed to have expected this, his tone still calm and smiling: "Sit down, sit down. How old are you? Why are you so easily startled? It's normal for young people to have their own experiences."

After Shi Yong sat back down as instructed, he looked at Ning Che and asked, "How confident are you?"

"It depends on the number of demons. If it's two or fewer, I'm at least 90% sure." Ning Che changed the subject. "But if there are more, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it, unless there's a way to enhance the power of the soul or restore its condition."

Shi Gu hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly, "Alas—there is a way to restore the state, but I only have one Rejuvenation Talisman left, so I can't use it here."

Ning Che pressed further, "What if we could wipe out all the demons in one fell swoop? Wouldn't the wasteland become our granary?"

After another silence, Shi Gu did not refuse this time: "Let's discuss this matter again. At least Shi Ying should know—don't stand there while talking, you should sit down too."

Ning Che nodded and took his seat.

Next, we need to discuss the manpower arrangement for the patrol. We need to keep the three mountain guards in key positions to restrain the monsters and make the best use of them. At the same time, we need to deploy experienced villagers around the area to keep a close watch on them, both openly and secretly, to prevent the three from deserting or deliberately playing tricks and letting the village defenses open up a fatal gap.

In this regard, the village elder was shrewd and calculating, considering each matter meticulously and appropriately. Shi Yong also had many years of experience, and from time to time he could adjust some details, making the originally meticulous plan even more airtight.

Ning Che listened attentively throughout and didn't say much.

He was not good at personnel management, which could affect the whole situation. Moreover, he had only been in the world for a short time and did not know which people in the village were available or which areas on the outskirts of the village were key defensive positions. At most, he could only help them fill in the gaps.

But if viewed as a learning experience, this is excellent practice. He simply sat quietly to the side, listening intently to the plans of the two experienced leaders, secretly analyzing the intentions behind each step.

Once everything was arranged, he walked out of the village chief's house, and it was already completely dark.

He was no longer feeling sleepy or tired, so he decided to take a slow walk back along the dirt road. Before he knew it, he had reached the south side.

The bright moon shone down, the hillside was barren, and beyond the newly erected barricades, large swathes of bare yellow earth looked as if they were covered in frost, beneath which lay a person.

It was Mancang, wielding a long spear, his movements creating afterimages in the moonlight. He was completely absorbed in his task, not even noticing Ning Che walking straight towards him.

Seeing how engrossed he was, Ning Che felt it was inappropriate to disturb him, so he practiced soldier boxing on the side.

This punch requires a high degree of coordination between breathing, posture, and force exertion; otherwise, one will injure oneself. Ning Che's current condition is not good; he still has an injury on his hand, and if he is not careful and uses the wrong force, he will bleed directly.

Even so, he persisted and played it twice. His hard work paid off, and he made no mistakes the second time. Just as he was preparing for his third attempt, he heard Mancang's surprised voice: "Xing, when did you get here?"

"I didn't disturb you just now because you were so engrossed in your practice." Ning Che stopped his punches, wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead, and said with a smile, "Practicing martial arts so late at night, I'm truly ashamed of myself."

Upon hearing this, Mancang showed no joy. Instead, he gripped his spear tightly, his face turning red, and his eyes filled with embarrassment and resentment.

Ning Che's smile froze instantly. He didn't understand why Man Cang had suddenly changed color. He thought he had unintentionally broken some taboo, so he quickly said, "But what did I say wrong? Please don't be angry. I'll correct what I did wrong."

"You!" Man Cang spat out a single word through clenched teeth, then abruptly stopped, turning his head away, his tone seemingly suppressing a volcanic eruption of emotion: "You came all this way just to mock me?"