Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

Ning Che approached, wanting to try asking more questions, but Shi Xiujuan suddenly ran away again.

He looked down at the handful of white, fine soil mixed with withered leaves, trying to fathom her deeper meaning.

This was clearly an indication that he should plant this thing. As for the handful of soil in his hand, it was probably specifically for cultivating that dried fruit—no, now that things have come to this, it should be called a seed.

But that incoherent, crazy utterance still lingered in my mind like a tangled mess.

Shi Ying had told him long ago that Taiyin and Yaojun were originally one, both being respectful terms used by people in this world to refer to the moon. Taiyin light was Yaojun light. Why did Shi Xiujuan separate the two and add an Emperor's Flowing Dew that only existed in legends? Did it refer to three different spiritual objects, or was there some other metaphorical meaning?

Ning Che stood under the old locust tree, the morning breeze causing his clothes to flutter slightly, but it could not dispel the doubts in his heart.

He ultimately dared not plant it rashly.

The calamity of decay has arrived, and all the vegetation is rotting. This spiritual seed from the moon is far too precious. If it is planted rashly and tainted by the turbid energy of the calamity, this rare opportunity will be completely ruined in his hands.

Not to mention, once this spiritual seed is planted, if any unusual phenomenon occurs and his Taiyin Dharma is exposed, he will become a rat crossing the street.

He went home first, carefully put the white clay and spirit seed into his close-fitting oilcloth bag, hid it well, changed his outer clothes, and then went out again.

After this delay, some activity has gradually begun to emerge in the village:

The loudest sound came from the village entrance, the forceful pounding of wood, presumably from repairing the barricades. Interspersed among these were some faint, muffled human voices, too indistinct to hear clearly.

The road to the village chief's house was unusually deserted; not a soul was in sight. Ning Che didn't mind and knocked on the door to enter.

Inside the main room, Shi Gu, Shi Yong, and Fu Gui were all present.

Seeing Ning Che enter, Shi Yong looked up, pointed to the heavy circles on the map, and said bluntly, "Fu Gui and I have discussed it, and there aren't many places outside where demons can hide, and even fewer places that can hold a lot of demons. There are only two and a half places in total."

One is the black pine forest in the southwest, a complex area I dared not venture into, as it's the easiest place for things to hide; another is behind the forest in the east, full of old trees, where demons are commonly seen. The last half is the river valley we explored earlier, but logically, since there are hyenas there, the demon behind it all probably isn't there either.

"That all sounds rather dangerous." Ning Che pondered for a moment and asked, "How many people should be left to guard the village?"

"It's all the same." Shi Yong sighed. "If the beast tide comes again, even if we're all here, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. If it doesn't come, we can leave a few people to repair the barricades; that will be the best we can do."

"Don't say such discouraging things. How can you boost the morale of others while diminishing your own?" Shi Gu scolded.

Ning Che thought for a moment and suggested, "In that case, why don't I go and investigate on my own? That way, it won't affect the village's defenses, and it will be easier to carry out my mission."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yong resolutely refused, saying, "How can that be!"

He suddenly waved his hand, the movement aggravating his wound, causing him to wince in pain, but he still wouldn't budge: "Your spirit was exhausted last night, and you slept for a whole day and night before waking up. Now you're going to venture into the wilderness alone. It's too dangerous."

Besides, that monster can command thousands of beasts and seven or eight demons; its cultivation and intelligence must be quite high. If you go alone and are discovered, we won't even know if you're alive or dead in the village. Wouldn't that be the death of us?

"Uncle Shi Yong, listen to me," Ning Che explained calmly. "First, I'm confident I can investigate on my own; having more people would only make us more vulnerable. Second, I have beast-taming skills, so if we encounter danger, I can use the monsters as cover to escape, making me more agile than the main force."

He paused, looked at Shi Yong's tense face, and added: "Third, now there are only eleven people left in the village who can fight, including you, me, Uncle Fugui, and Grandpa Shigu. We also need to divide up the people to take care of the wounded and protect the women and children."

Although they encountered a beast tide, these people were still insufficient. However, if a single demon were to break through, someone would have to step forward to stop it; otherwise, wouldn't that create many unnecessary variables?

Shi Yong was about to retort when Shi Gu raised his hand to stop him.

The old man sat in the chair, silent for a long time. His cloudy gaze lingered on Ning Che's face for a long time before he finally spoke slowly: "What you said is true. The village really doesn't have enough manpower right now."

"Village Chief!" Shi Yong exclaimed anxiously.

"What's the rush?" Shi Gu glared at him, then turned to Fu Gui, who had remained silent. "Fu Gui, you've spent your whole life running through the wilderness. You could find your way around Black Pine Forest and East Forest with your eyes closed, right?"

Fu Gui answered without hesitation: "Yes."

"Alright." Shi Gu made the final decision, finalizing the plan. "Ning Che, you take Fu Gui with you. Two people, not many, won't take up too much of the village's fighting strength, and they can look out for each other. Fu Gui will be in charge of leading the way and scouting the terrain, while Ning Che, you will be in charge of controlling the situation and dealing with the monsters. Travel light, only scout, don't fight. Find out the monsters' nests, ranks, and numbers, and then retreat immediately. Don't linger in battle."

He looked at Ning Che, his tone solemn: "I know you're capable and have your own methods, but remember—coming back alive is more important than anything else. The village can hold on a bit longer without us old folks. But without you, there truly is no future."

Ning Che looked at the entrustment in the old man's eyes, then at Shi Yong, who had breathed a sigh of relief but still looked worried, and finally nodded: "Okay, let's do as the old man says."

Afterwards, the four discussed some specific details. Ning Che casually asked where the herbs came from, and to his surprise, it turned out that the three mountain guardians had preserved them with magic.

They were already beyond saving, and the village needed them anyway, so it can be considered that they finally did a good deed after their deaths.

With all the details finalized, it was already late. Ning Che and Fu Gui went back to prepare, while Shi Yong led his men to inspect the village's defenses. The entire village operated in a tense yet oppressive atmosphere.

Ning Che returned home, first touching the spirit seed and soil he kept close to his body to make sure they were safe, then reviewing the "Lung Gold Sword Qi" mental cultivation method taught by Shi Gu in his mind, and properly nurturing the sword qi in his lungs beforehand. Only then did he change into the narrow-sleeved, waist-cinching hunting outfit that Zhao Di had made for him and go out.

Before leaving, he deliberately went around to Shi Xiujuan's door to listen. It was quiet inside; she must be asleep. He didn't disturb her, but silently vowed that when he returned from the wasteland, he would find a safe place to plant the spirit seed.

Two hours later, they gathered at the village entrance.

Fu Gui was already waiting there, his hard bow on his back gleaming, his quiver filled with neatly stacked iron arrows, a short knife at his waist, and his animal-hide boots tightly bound. He was clearly a veteran who had been running through the wilderness for a long time.

Ning Che, on the other hand, traveled light, carrying only a bow, a sword, and three arrows.

As they were seen off by several villagers at the village entrance, they embarked on their journey.