Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

When Ning Che woke up again, it was the second night, and he was back in that familiar house.

Zhao Di sat beside him, her elbows resting on the low cabinet beside the bed, her head tilted to the side, her eyelashes fluttering gently, her breathing even and even. Clearly, she had been keeping watch for a long time and had finally fallen into a light sleep. Beside her were two pieces of dried meat and a paper package.

Ning Che felt listless and unable to muster any enthusiasm for anything; the exhaustion seemed to originate from the depths of his soul rather than his body. He had to mentally prepare himself several times before he was finally able to move.

Last night, he commanded four wolf demons simultaneously using his Beast Taming Technique, which was clearly far beyond his current cultivation limit. If it weren't for the timely replenishment of the Rejuvenation Talisman, he probably would have fainted first.

It was a bit of a show of bravado, but it seems the village was at least saved.

He silently recalled what had happened, and gradually felt his fatigue ease a little.

Hearing the noise, Zhao Di groggily opened her eyes and saw that Ning Che was already awake. She quickly leaned over to him.

Ning Che looked up at her, and she seemed to wake from a dream, her cheeks flushed. She quickly stepped back, took out a soft pillow to place behind his back, and handed him the dried meat, saying, "The shaman said that your spirit was too depleted, and told you to eat two pieces of dried meat first after you woke up, and then take this packet of medicine—I'll go and brew it right away."

As for village affairs, you don't need to worry; Uncle Shi Yong and the village chief have taken care of everything."

As she spoke, Zhao Di skillfully unwrapped the paper package and lit a fire on the stove that had been prepared in advance to decoct the medicine.

Ning Che took the dried meat, hesitated for a long time, and then forced himself to take two bites. As he ate, he asked, "What happened to the three mountain guardians and the wolf demon?"

"Those three mountain guardians are all gone." Zhao Di's tone became much more cheerful as she spoke of this: "Four wolf demons chased and bit them. They were already injured and had no will to fight, so they were torn apart after a short time. And the wolf demons outside, without their leader, were surrounded by Uncle Shi Yong and the hunters, so naturally we won in the end."

"It's...it's over in the woods, almost the entire hunting team...and some villagers who were helping...Brother Mancang was seriously injured, I don't know if he'll ever recover."

As she spoke, her tone gradually softened.

Ning Che nodded. Seeing the four wolf demons, he already understood how intense this situation would be. He sighed softly, "It was inevitable. We're fortunate that our family and friends are still alive—has the demon behind it all appeared over there in the forest?"

"What demon is behind this?" Zhao Di asked, puzzled.

Ning Che shook his head and said, "I'll discuss this with the village chief and the others later." After saying that, he deliberately changed the subject and started chatting about something lighthearted, which gradually eased the worry on Zhao Di's face.

Before long, the medicine was ready. Ning Che waited for it to cool slightly before drinking it all in one gulp, then got up and went out.

The moment the door was pushed open, a gust of wind mixed with the smells of blood, bitter herbs, burnt food, and rotten grain rushed into Ning Che's mouth and nose.

The village of Shizhu was eerily quiet at night; neither people nor animals made a sound, so much so that even the sound of the wind whistling through the mud walls could be clearly heard.

The excessive silence made Ning Che feel somewhat stifled.

He hadn't walked far when he bumped into two hunters leaning on rough wooden canes. Their bandages were soaked with bright red blood, and their faces were ashen. They were limping towards the village's defensive line. When they saw Ning Che, the two men paused, barely managing to stop, and raised their hands to bump fists with him.

Ning Che quickly stopped them: "No need for formalities, what's the situation now?"

"Xing, you're awake. We really owe you a lot for this battle." One of the hunters' voices was hoarse, like sandpaper had been rubbed against his lips. He forced a smile but couldn't manage it. "Let's go change shifts and keep watch for the second half of the night."

Ning Che looked at the injuries on their legs and roughly understood the reason, but still asked, "Why aren't you resting with injuries like this?"

"We can't rest." Another hunter lowered his head, his voice muffled. "Most of the brothers in the team have been killed. Now, only a few of us are still standing. But it's not too tiring. The defense line is mainly guarded by other able-bodied villagers. We just need to explain what we're supposed to do and keep watch."

After saying that, the two of them didn't say anything more. They supported each other and limped towards the village entrance. Their figures looked so frail in the dim moonlight that they seemed as if they could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

Ning Che continued towards the village chief's house, and soon he heard a different sound:

Ahead, in the open space at the corner of the house, several women were squatting by a stone mortar, pounding herbs. Their movements were mechanical and numb, the muffled thuds of the pounding echoing one after another. Beside them, the pounded herbal paste was spread on a coarse cloth and placed into a basket.

The medicine looks fresh, but I don't know where it came from.

After walking a short distance, they arrived at the village chief's house. It was only a distance of two or three hundred meters, but it felt as if he had walked through half a lifetime for many people, infected by that somber atmosphere.

As usual, the courtyard gate was left open. Ning Che went straight into the inner courtyard and saw that the window paper of the main room was still letting in light, so he knocked on the door.

"Come in."

It was Shi Gu's voice, which sounded much older.

Only Ishigani was in the room. He sat in the main seat, drawing on a wooden board in front of him with a charcoal pencil. His already gray hair seemed to have turned completely white overnight, his back was more hunched, and his forehead was deeply wrinkled, as if carved by an axe.

Ning Che leaned closer to take a look and saw that it was a simple hand-drawn map. Although the style was abstract and the scale was obviously problematic, it was at least possible to understand which places it represented. In addition to the village buildings, there were many crosses marked on the map, especially in the eastern wooded area.

Ishigani didn't look up, but stared at the wooden plank and asked, "What did you see?"

"The casualties were heavy," Ning Che replied.

"Sit down, it's all thanks to you." A hint of relief flashed in Ishigani's cloudy eyes, but it was quickly covered by heaviness. He raised his hand to gesture for him to sit down: "Although we won this battle, we lost too badly."

Ning Che sat down, his expression quite grave, and said, "I heard from Zhao Di that something happened in the forest. What exactly happened?"

"Only the archers from the hunting party returned. If the villagers hadn't known there was no way out and hadn't risked their lives, the monsters might have already invaded."

Shi Gu paused, then added, "Don't laugh at me, but in all my years as village chief, I've never encountered such a terrible year. If it weren't for the many surprises you've given us, I really don't know if the village could have survived last night."

"Please don't say that. The village has never treated me badly. They gave me all three Rejuvenation Talismans, so of course I have to do my best for the village," Ning Che replied while looking at the simple map.

He wanted to explain his purpose, but hesitated, afraid of upsetting the elderly man who seemed to be struggling to cope.

Seeing his hesitation, Shi Gu straightened his hunched back, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Just say what you want to say."