Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

But lying in bed, he couldn't fall asleep. It wasn't the feeling of being exhausted and unable to sleep; rather, he genuinely felt full of energy, even better than when he first woke up.

Ning Che simply got up and did a set of preparatory movements to confirm that this was not an illusion.

Does the Moon Rabbit Breathing Technique have this function?

He couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. These past few days had been incredibly busy, leaving him barely able to focus. Being able to save time from sleeping was a godsend. Moreover, maintaining one's condition was crucial, often proving decisive in close matches. Now, he only needed to cultivate to maintain peak combat power, a significant advantage indeed.

With that in mind, he felt reassured and went outside to climb onto the roof, where he sat cross-legged to cultivate himself.

He sat there for the entire night.

He had originally planned to finish before dawn, taking the time to condense his Lung Gold Sword Qi, but unexpectedly, at the turn of day, the condensed Lung Gold Sword Qi underwent a change. Not only was the condensation speed much faster than usual, but it also gave him a feeling of being out of control.

He dared not risk the sword energy exploding inside his body, so he directly spat it out at the wasteland.

The sword energy suddenly turned into gold and silver, flickering and exploding in an instant.

A hard black rock, half a person's height, was instantly blasted by the sword energy, sending dust and debris flying everywhere, almost crashing back onto the roof where Ning Che was.

That's quite powerful.

Ning Che remained silent for a long while, then looked up at the sky.

If the previous changes in the sword energy were due to the Yin energy technique, then could the current change be due to the sunrise, which has mixed with other energies? For example, the Yang energy of these nine days?

If this sword energy could be stabilized, its destructive power would undoubtedly be further enhanced.

But even if he were to attempt it, he would have to wait until his cultivation level improved and his mastery of sword energy deepened. Right now, he wasn't confident in controlling sword energy, and such an unorthodox approach could easily lead to an unexpected disaster.

"Xing! You've broken through?!" Ning Che heard Shi Yong shouting from below.

"No, I just gained some further insight into this sword energy." Ning Che finished his practice, tucked the Crescent Moon Blade into his waistband, and leaped down. "You came to see me so early, is it urgent?"

Shi Yong nodded, his face grim: "Yes, something terrible has happened. Come with me."

Ning Che's heart sank, and he followed Shi Yong quickly toward Shi Ying's small building.

A dozen or so villagers had gathered around the small building, all looking terrified. Inside, a young girl lay unconscious, her left leg twisted unnaturally, her skin dark, but her lips bloodless.

"It's Daya," Shi Yong said in a deep voice. "Yesterday afternoon, she and her father, Erzhu, went to the woods to chop firewood and never came back. This morning, someone found her at the foot of the mountain. Erzhu... hasn't returned."

Ning Che's heart tightened suddenly—he remembered Erzhu, the hunter he had personally pulled back from the jaws of the hyena pack during their attack on the wasteland. Daya had even given him a packet of dried meat as a token of her gratitude.

The past seems so vivid, but now the father and daughter are one injured and the other missing.

He walked quickly to the bedside and placed his fingertips on Daya's pulse.

The girl's pulse was weak, and her body was ice-cold. Ning Che frowned and examined her closely. He saw two small blood holes on her wrists, with unusually smooth edges and bluish-black skin around them. Shi Ying had already treated them with witchcraft, but there was no obvious improvement.

"It seems like she has suffered a severe loss of qi and blood," Shi Ying said, offering her assessment.

"It wasn't a demonic beast." Ning Che withdrew his hand, stating confidently, "A demonic beast's teeth marks would leave lacerations. These two holes are too neat, like they were made by pricking with a needle to bleed her. Furthermore, she lost a lot of blood, yet there's very little blood on her body; most of her blood was taken away—who would need blood?"

Shi Ying pondered for a moment: "I can think of two possibilities: First, there is a kind of witchcraft that can transfer one person's blood into another's body, which can cure or alleviate some intractable diseases. Second, those who cultivate evil arts often use flesh, blood, and soul as materials."

"Could it be those people from Black Rock Village who did it?" Shi Yong also voiced his guess.

Ning Che didn't answer, but instead asked, "Will she wake up soon?"

Shi Ying shook her head: "It's almost impossible for her to wake up in a short time. Even if it takes a long time... it's hard to say."

"I'll go check the woods," Ning Che said, standing up. "There are no wild animals around; perhaps we can find some clues."

"I'll go with you!" Shi Yong said immediately, his hand already on the machete at his waist. "Erzhu is a hunter I trained. I absolutely must go and save him."

Ning Che reminded him, "The village..."

"Let Fugui guard it," Shi Yong interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Fugui is reliable. With him there, nothing will happen to the village. If I don't go, I'll never have peace of mind for the rest of my life."

Ning Che looked at his red eyes and nodded.

He asked the villagers who found Daya a few more questions, and then immediately set off. Shi Yong was also ready, carrying his sturdy bow on his back and his gleaming machete in his hand. Ning Che did not take his bow this time, only his Crescent Moon Blade.

His strength has improved too quickly; ranged weapons like bows are now somewhat primitive for him.

The two headed straight for the woods, where the once lush trees were now bare and offered no further shelter. Shi Yong, a frequent visitor to the forest, quickly located the spot where the villagers had found Daya.

There were only traces of people pressing down on the soil and a few messy footprints on the ground.

At this moment, Ning Che's reconnaissance skills came in handy. He squatted down and pointed his finger at the soil on the ground: "Look, something's wrong here. There are only drag marks, no footprints."

"Was Da Ya dragged here?" Shi Yong asked thoughtfully.

Ning Che emphasized again: "There are only drag marks, no footprints."

Shi Yong then realized what was happening and was stunned for a moment: "How is this possible? How did Da Ya get here?"

He immediately realized that discussing this issue with Shi Yong was a waste of time, so he simply stated his judgment: "Da Ya was dragged here, and the person who dragged her tried to erase or hide their traces."

This suggests that someone deliberately wanted us to see Daya, and this person is very likely the murderer.

Shi Yong asked, puzzled, "Why did the killer want us to see Da Ya?"

"It can't be anything good."

Before Ning Che finished speaking, he had already strode forward, following the drag marks on the ground. Shi Yong quickly followed. Although he knew some rudimentary techniques for tracking prey, he was no match for Ning Che, and had no chance to offer any analysis. Along the way, he was like Ning Che's lackey.

After about half an incense stick's time, the two stopped in front of a patch of trampled, withered grass.

This is the actual location of the incident.

The short axe that Erzhu used for chopping wood was stuck diagonally in the ground, the blade still covered with fresh sawdust; next to it lay a half-bundle of dry firewood, the rope not yet tied, obviously scattered in haste.

Apart from that, the ground was clean and spotless, with no bloodstains or even signs of a fight, as if the two pillars had vanished into thin air.