Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

He certainly didn't have the body-strengthening methods of this world, but the various physical training methods on Earth were probably considered secret techniques in this world as well. However, he himself wasn't sure whether such training could bring him closer to cultivation.

After saying goodbye to Zhaodi, we walked around a few mud houses and arrived at the westernmost side of Shizhu Village. If we went further west, we would reach a wasteland ravaged by monsters.

This wasteland was of unknown size, but extremely barren and uninhabited; the Great Xia Dynasty was unwilling to send anyone to govern it. However, precisely because it was uninhabited, this place became a paradise for demonic beasts. Therefore, it could produce meat, materials, and even spiritual items.

The original owner's home was located near the wasteland, about ten meters away from other mud houses; it was a unique brick and tile house. Ning Che sorted through his memories of his home, then fell silent.

The original owner's birth mother, Shi Xiujuan, was a village shaman in her day; her father, Shi Meng, was exceptionally talented and was quite famous among his peers in Feihu City. He could have stayed in the city to make a name for himself, but for his wife, he resolutely returned to Shizhu Village.

By that logic, the original owner's birth was quite outstanding, second only to the sons of noble families in the city. But perhaps she exhausted her luck in her childhood, because as she grew older, she encountered a series of misfortunes, including insufficient talent and the disappearance of her father. Her mother couldn't bear the blows and went insane not long after.

The Great Xia Dynasty did not recognize villages that could not complete their sacrificial rites without a shaman.

Therefore, Shi Ying, who had originally stayed in the Shi family of Feihu and had the hope of reaching a higher level, also returned to the village.

Ning Che had always admired people like this, especially since she had been implicated by him, and he felt quite sorry for her.

The events of this place have been over for many years. Like rust accumulated on a door hinge, it is not often seen, but when he pushes it, it will make a creaking sound.

In the center of the main room stood a round mahogany table, on which more than a dozen bones of various shapes were carelessly scattered. Chairs lay askew around the table, blocking the way to his bedroom. Ning Che then arranged the chairs and pushed them under the table, but heard no voices from inside and wondered where Shi Xiujuan was.

After she went mad, she loved to wander around. At first, the villagers were kind and would always bring her back. Later, as no one cared anymore, she would often stay out all night. As for her former skills, she hardly uses them anymore.

Fearing for her safety, the original owner would search around the village every time it got dark. She usually wouldn't go far; once found, she would obediently return with the original owner, but not long after, she would want to go out again.

If you don't let her go out, she cries and can't stop crying.

Just recalling these things made Ning Che feel as if a huge boulder was pressing on his heart. He let out a long sigh and thought to himself, "From now on, I'll be the one doing these things."

Once he becomes a cultivator, he might be able to find a way to cure his madness. Thinking this, Ning Che pushed open the bedroom door.

The room was cluttered, which didn't affect daily life, but it would be inconvenient in case of an emergency. Ning Che first took out the items he needed and put them aside, then tidied up the rest.

But a short while later, before he had even finished tidying up, Ning Che heard someone knocking on the door.

Little Tiger?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Ning Che rejected it. Judging from Xiao Hu's height, the sound would have originated from a position where he would have had to raise his hand high to clap, which didn't make sense.

His movements froze instantly. He tiptoed quickly to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and tucked it into his waistband for later use. Only then did he call out, "Coming!" before quietly pressing himself against the door and pulling open the latch.

The door had barely opened a crack when a large foot in a wooden shoe kicked in, sending a gust of wind through. At the same time, another figure beside the door drew his sword with a clang, the cold blade gleaming in the morning light, cursing, "Kid, behave yourself..."

This kick was powerful and a common starting move in street fights, but for Ning Che...

He remained completely calm, even pausing his motion to draw his sword, and glanced outside.

There are two, but this one rushed in too aggressively, and the other hasn't found an opportunity to squeeze in and help yet.

He then raised his hand, shifted his body to the side and took a step according to the force of the kick, precisely grabbed the opponent's ankle with his left hand, and used the momentum of the forward thrust to pull the opponent to the side and back, while stepping forward to block the opponent's supporting leg.

boom!

The man was thrown into the house, causing the furniture to rattle and shake. Ning Che didn't even spare him a glance, immediately rushing towards the other person outside the door.

The man tried to go inside, but before he could raise his knife, Ning Che had already pressed close. The man's knife was impossible to swing in the narrow doorway; Ning Che's left hand locked his throat, while his right leg simultaneously delivered a powerful knee strike to his abdomen.

With a muffled thud, the knife in the man's hand fell to the ground, and he curled up into a ball, retching uncontrollably.

As the saying goes, "We should press on with our remaining strength to defeat the enemy," Ning Che saw this and did not hold back. He dragged the man into the house and started punching him. Screams of agony filled the air.

A moment later, confirming that both men were completely incapacitated, Ning Che stopped, panting heavily. He kicked the two men on the ground, who could only groan and groan, and asked, "What did you say you were?"

One of them hurriedly explained, though his words were unclear: "The door is guarded by Shou Shanren."

"The mountain guardian? The mountain guardian can be this weak?" Ning Che raised his foot and pretended to stomp on his fingers. "Confess! If you dare utter a single lie, I'll cripple your hand first!"

He immediately let out another wail, "Haohan, spare me! I truly am Shoushanren, and I have my badge to testify!"

……

After this series of questions, Ning Che finally understood the whole story.

These two men are brothers, named Zhao San and Zhao Si respectively. They are indeed mountain guardians, but they don't have official positions—that would require at least a cultivator. Because Shizhu Village reported the situation, the mountain guardians are required to come and check according to the rules.

But with the impending doom, the mountain guardians needed to protect the four directions and handle various emergencies, so they were short-handed and conscripted some constables from the city. When faced with such a troublesome situation, they sent these constables to investigate.

Their reason for causing trouble for Ning Che was simple: the mountain guardians were responsible for maintaining order in Feihu City and the surrounding villages. If the old stone pillar showed any abnormalities and they failed to notice, and even injured villagers, they would be guilty of negligence if blamed by their superiors.

But if Ning Che himself triggered something, then that's Ning Che's problem.

After listening to their explanation, Ning Che roughly understood the situation and suddenly smiled.

"These two are temporary workers; they're being used as scapegoats to avoid being blamed by their superiors!"

Zhao San and Zhao Si were unaware of Ning Che's inner thoughts, but judging from his expression, they sensed something was wrong. Before they could even beg for mercy, Ning Che had already asked, "You two, you don't want your colleagues to know that you not only failed to supervise, but you also couldn't even beat a half-grown child, do you?"

……

Zhao San and Zhao Si slunk away, while Ning Che stayed home, weighing the two money bags in his hand.

Before the calamity of drought strikes, a guardian of the mountain will come.

As for those two, perhaps they would seek revenge on him after returning, or perhaps not. But Ning Che had no better option. After all, the mountain guardians represented the Great Xia government. If he dared to eliminate them completely, truly powerful cultivators would soon arrive. Knowing he was letting a tiger return to the mountain, he would have no choice but to release it.

However, what kind of background or future could two people with no cultivation have?

If he has great strength, then this is nothing.

"I still need to start cultivating as soon as possible, preferably before the calamity strikes..."

Just as Ning Che was pondering this, he heard another knock at the door. This time it was Xiao Hu calling from outside, "Brother Xingxing, I'm here—"

He responded, collected the money pouches, and put on his coat. He hung the machete left by Shi Meng on his waist and took the slingshot that the original owner had made. Then he pushed open the door and went out, but Xiao Hu grabbed his left arm.

"Over here, over here! I'm telling you, I saw four bird nests on the tree in the forest, four of them!" Little Tiger excitedly led the way.

"Grandpa Tree" isn't a respectful term for a tree, but rather refers to a very large tree, implying it's "of the grandfather's generation." Ning Che casually agreed, rolling up his sleeves.

The process of collecting bird eggs went exceptionally smoothly. The two not only brought back a large bag of eggs, but also managed to shoot down a bird that was nearly half a meter long. Naturally, the two couldn't eat so much, so Ning Che suggested taking it to Xiao Hu's house.

Xiao Hu was reluctant: "These were all done by Brother Xingxing, how can you give them all to me?"

Ning Che patted his chubby shoulder and said in a tone of exasperation, "We're brothers, wouldn't it be estrangement to argue about these things? Besides, look at me, my family can't even afford salt anymore. If you bring these to my house, are you expecting me to eat them dry?"

"It'll be different if we take it to your house. You can ask your family to cook a few dishes, and I can enjoy a good meal too, don't you think?"

This persuasive and reasoned argument won over Xiaohu on the spot, making him want to raise both hands and feet in agreement.

The two then headed towards Xiaohu's house, which was also the village chief's house.