Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

After the banquet, Ning Che selected two untouched pieces of meat and sent them to Lin Caiwei before returning to the mountain to cultivate.

When there are no missions, the mountains offer a great deal of freedom.

There's no check-in system among these mountain guardians; as long as they don't have any duties, it's practically like they're picking up money while lying down.

The next day, the monthly salary was paid out as scheduled. Ning Che, as the captain, received 50,000 coins a month.

What they received were fifty gold coins, packaged in an exquisite little pouch embroidered with patterns representing the mountain guardian.

Based on city prices, an ordinary family of four or five would spend about the same amount on food, clothing, and other necessities for a year. In a poor and remote village like Shizhu Village, where people worry about where their next meal is coming from, even a family of ten would probably not spend that much in a year.

Moreover, the food, clothing, and lodging provided in the mountains are far superior to those of ordinary people. In addition, there are opportunities to learn advanced magic and rewards during festivals.

Overall, this treatment is worthy of the Three Officials that cultivators are eager to join; even without any other income, it is more than enough to enjoy.

Moreover, when one's duties are less demanding, why would a cultivator be afraid of not earning some extra money?

But desires are never satisfied.

He then recalled the three nameless mountain guards he had massacred in Shizhu Village.

Before he knew it, not much time had passed, but he had already gone very far, so far that even if the three of them joined forces, they might not be a match for him.

His fingertips lightly brushed the embroidery thread on the purse, unconsciously tracing a few circles, when he suddenly heard Zhao He, who had come to collect his salary, call him.

"Brother Xing".

Zhao He quickly caught up from the other end of the camp road. He was clutching a purse in his hand, which was a size smaller than Ning Che's, made of coarse fabric, and had only a few lines of embroidery.

He was overjoyed, couldn't bear to part with it, and couldn't wait to share his happiness with Ning Che:

"Finally received it! A full ten thousand coins and ten gold coins! This is so much better than struggling to make ends meet in the village. In two months, I can save enough to buy a cow!"

He tucked the purse into his pocket and patted his clothes.

Ning Che smiled and nodded, looking at Chen Mu who had come with him.

Chen Mu shook his head at him: "Let's go back first."

Ning Che's expression hardened, and only after he realized something did he nod and say, "Let's go."

Seeing this, Zhao He realized something was amiss, suppressed his joy, and followed them back to the barracks.

After closing the door, Chen Mu lowered his voice and said, "I just overheard the stewards chatting in the warehouse. They said that the reorganization will take place the day after tomorrow, and they will not only be moving personnel but also redefining the defense zones."

I'm afraid that...

Ning Che smiled and said, "I thought it was something serious. Don't worry."

Despite this, he remained completely relaxed.

Mu Qingming is not the kind of boss who will sit patiently at the end of the level and wait for him to challenge him.

That invisible net will certainly continue to tighten. It might break up the small team that Ning Che has just led, or it might assign Ning Che to some dangerous place, or there might be some conspiracy that Ning Che cannot foresee at this time.

All of these can also appear together.

Fortunately, he wasn't unprepared. It was time to see that person again.

After reassuring the two men, Ning Che made an excuse to leave the barracks alone.

People came and went on the camp road, but he walked calmly and remained calm. Among the soldiers coming and going, only a few new recruits greeted him, while most others were hostile and kept their distance.

After defeating Hu Shan, he became a thorn in the side of these elders, and most of the newcomers in the mountains dared not offend the elders.

This is only natural, and Ning Che didn't feel anything special. He never stood up for any of the newcomers.

He simply avoided those gazes, circled around a few times, and arrived at Yu Congrong's residence.

There were still no guards at the door, so he raised his hand and knocked.

"Enter."

Upon entering, the hall was quiet and the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Yu Congrong, dressed in casual clothes, was bent over her desk reviewing something. After she called Ning Che in, she didn't look up, her pen still on, only uttering a single word.

"sit."

Ning Che sat down as instructed, his posture upright, neither humble nor arrogant, and waited quietly to the side.

After a moment, Yu Congrong put down his pen with a "thud".

She looked up, her gaze sharp as a hawk's, as if she could see right through people: "You've come today for the reorganization the day after tomorrow, haven't you?"

In the phrase.

Ning Che nodded, making no attempt to hide his thoughts: "This subordinate is foolish and only knows that there are undercurrents in the camp, but I don't know how they are going to act. I have indeed come here to ask for your advice on this matter. But I have also come here with important intelligence."

"Oh? What intelligence?" Yu Congrong leaned forward slightly.

Ning Che gave a brief account of his experiences in Black Rock Village, but he only went into detail about the withered ghosts.

After listening, Yu Congrong remained silent for a moment, then lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, the sound muffled.

"How vicious—" she sighed, a rare occurrence for her. "You don't even know what this withered ghost is, do you?"

"Yes."

"The withered ghost is an evil creature that can only be created during the withered calamity. Because the nine calamities are the will of Heaven, the withered ghost borrows a wisp of the calamity's energy and is no longer a ghost, but a god."

The refining process was horrific. The flesh and blood of living beings alone would have to be piled up into mountains. Moreover, using only livestock would inevitably lead to failure. A sufficient number of humans, demons, and cultivators needed to extract their souls to ensure success.

Even Ning Che felt a surge of anger upon hearing this.

He made no attempt to hide his anger, asking, "Why would he perform such an evil ritual, yet reject this withered ghost?"

"He can't control it. Not to mention in this small town, even in the entire Changyang Mountain, there are very few experts who can control a god."

"The withered demon, is it really that strong?"

"No, this withered ghost, in terms of strength, is only in the seventh rank. Now that the calamity of withering has ended, it will be even weaker than before. But what makes a god a god is that he undertakes the function of operating the laws of heaven and earth. Even the slightest bit of it is something that he cannot control."

He must have found a way to exploit this, and you'll have to implement it—I don't know what it is, but all I need to do is prevent him from doing what he's supposed to do.

Ning Che understood her meaning and immediately replied, "Your subordinate will certainly cooperate fully."

Yu Congrong changed the subject: "Mu Qingming must have already made arrangements for mobilizing personnel and dividing defense zones. I can't afford to break ties with him now, and neither can he."

So, I can help you with one thing. Do you want to choose a defense zone, or a player?

Ning Che's gaze hardened slightly, showing no surprise. He said directly, "I believe that talent is the foundation of everything. Please help me, sir, to preserve the current team."

Looking at his composure beyond his years, Yu Congrong's eyes showed a hint of approval, and he continued:

"If we're talking about relocation locations, there are only a few that are really dangerous. If we exclude the key locations that absolutely cannot be lost and that require a seventh-rank cultivator to guard, then we're left with the Great Wilderness on the western front and the Rat Swamp on the southern front."

She paused, then pulled out a book and tossed it to Ning Che.

Ning Che quickly reached out and caught it, then said, "Since the withered ghost has appeared in the wasteland, it must be severely weakened and not so dangerous anymore. So, the place you need to go to should be the Rat Swamp. Here is information about the Rat Swamp; read it carefully these next few days."

"Yes."

"Go."

Ning Che said no more and turned to leave.