Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

The interior was simply furnished, with only a wooden table and a few chairs. The staircase was in the corner, with four rooms on either side. All the rooms had old wooden doors.

The oil lamp was placed directly on the table, and the area illuminated by its flame was not large. The old marks, scratches, and shallow grooves made by someone's fingernail on the table were all reflected in the light.

He glanced at the corner of the wall and saw several rough burlap sacks piled together, their openings tied tightly with hemp rope. But the sacks were flat, the fabric sunken in, sticking to the hard objects inside and outlining their angular shapes.

It's probably dried meat.

The young man wanted to go upstairs, but Ning Che immediately looked away and stopped him.

Of course, the handover required asking about the situation. Li Laogen ran too fast, as if fleeing for his life, giving him no chance to stop anyone. This young man seemed to be in much better spirits than Li Laogen, so we couldn't let him go easily.

He knew that those who could become squad leaders were all capable, usually eighth-rank cultivators. Although he was eager to return, he dared not offend them, and said with a mournful face, "Sir Squad Leader, why are you pulling me here?"

Ning Che pulled over a chair and said without any hesitation, "Sit down. I have some questions for you. If you answer them clearly, it won't delay our trip."

Hearing this, the man had no choice but to pull out a chair and sit down.

"What's your name?"

"Zhao Er".

Ning Che paused.

He had only asked casually, and was about to ask the next question when the name reminded him of two acquaintances.

Now there's only one left.

Ning Che's eyes flickered, and he pressed further, "What's your relationship with Zhao San and Zhao Si?"

Zhao Er was taken aback upon hearing this, then asked somewhat excitedly, "Those are my two younger brothers. Do you know them, sir?"

"Yes...but Zhao Si has already sacrificed his life, please accept my condolences."

Zhao Er remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Life and death are preordained, we knew that long ago. I... I'm not sad, there's nothing to be sad about, really."

The more he spoke, the lower his voice became, as if a thousand pounds were pressing on his throat, preventing the syllables from being uttered smoothly.

Ning Che waited a moment until his emotions calmed down before continuing to inquire about the situation here.

Zhao Er took a deep breath and wiped his face with his hand: "There are more water rats than before, and the demons are more active. Before, we wouldn't encounter one for ten days or half a month, but now we encounter one every three to five days. I guess it's because of the previous drought."

And then...and then nothing else happened.

"Besides water rats, what other monsters might be around here?"

"There seem to be large insects? But they are rare, almost never seen."

Ning Che nodded: "Alright, go pack your things."

But after he got up, he hesitated, looking at Ning Che with lingering steps.

Ning Che looked at him. "What do you want to say?"

Zhao Er was silent for a moment. "Captain Li is telling me not to say anything. But I think you were probably sent here because you offended someone."

It's tough here. They say there's a monthly rotation, but you can't leave until the replacement arrives. I've been here for two years, and Captain Li's situation is even worse—he's been here for over six years. You guys...you need to be prepared."

Ning Che remained calm and noncommittal, simply saying, "I understand. Go."

Zhao Er walked to the end of the outpost, then turned back and whispered, "Many people have died in this outpost. You... don't die here."

After saying that, he went upstairs.

The flame in the oil lamp flickered, making a slight crackling sound.

Ning Che sat down and looked at the simple map again. Now, he was finally able to make a preliminary assessment of the situation in the rat swamp.

Li Laogen and his two companions moved quickly, packing their things in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and headed outside. Even though it was already dark, they insisted on leaving immediately.

Ning Che did not stop them, put down the map, and beckoned the four people outside the door to come in.

Zhao He and Chen Mu volunteered to carry most of the items. By this time, they were exhausted and their muscles ached. They went inside and unloaded the goods with a clatter, then started putting things in the house, tidying up the furniture, and cleaning the room.

Zhong Hongyao and Ning Che also went up to help, while Lin Ye sat casually in the main room, completely oblivious to his surroundings. Only after Ning Che assigned him a task did he get up to do it.

After all that work, it was completely dark.

The second floor was divided into five bedrooms, indicating that the personnel stationed here were a team of five. In addition, Zhao Er and Li Laogen were stationed at very different times, so it can be inferred that there were probably casualties here from time to time, and the personnel were difficult to be replenished in a timely manner.

Being exiled here is most likely because they've offended someone...

Behind that glorious story of a leader slaying demons and protecting his region lies such a profound shadow.

They gathered again in the main hall on the first floor.

Ning Che briefly recounted the information he had just received and his analysis, and the reactions from the crowd varied.

Zhao He's face paled, and he gripped the short knife at his waist tightly. Chen Mu lowered his eyes, holding a small notebook, and quickly wrote something down.

Lin Ye scoffed, saying disdainfully, "Do you think these despicable tricks are enough to defeat us? You think these rat demons can do anything to us?"

Zhong Hongyao retorted, "Not only do we have to fight those rat demons, but the demonic energy and miasma here are mixed together, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is impure. If we stay here for a long time, it may hinder our cultivation."

Ning Che frowned and asked, "Is there any way?"

Zhong Hongyao thought for a moment: "The best solution is to set up an array that purifies the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to aid cultivation. If that's not possible, then we'll have to suppress it with medicine."

After Zhong Hongyao finished speaking, the main room fell silent.

Those who cultivate themselves naturally value cultivation; anything that can affect their cultivation is undoubtedly a major event.

No wonder the three of them didn't want to stay a moment longer, and they didn't even care that there might be monsters lurking in the wilderness at night.

Ning Che broke the silence: "Suppression, is it just treating the symptoms, not the root cause?"

"Yes."

"Then let's take two approaches simultaneously, addressing the symptoms first, then the root cause. I wonder what medicinal herbs we need. Write them down, and have Chen Mu go and buy them tomorrow. While you're at it, see if you have any introductory books on formations. If you do, bring me one so I can see if I can understand it."

Zhong Hongyao looked at Ning Che: "What if you don't have it, or you can't set it up?"

This question was somewhat disingenuous, but Ning Che was not offended and answered fluently: "If the formation is completed, we can naturally defend it and cultivate in peace."

If the formation fails, we'll take the initiative. Using the outpost as a temporary base, we'll venture deep into the swamp, sustaining ourselves through battle, hunting demonic beasts, searching for spiritual items, and exchanging them for better medicinal herbs, or even treasures to aid our cultivation. That should be enough to make up for some of the obstacles."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye slammed his hand on the table and stood up excitedly: "This is a great idea! If we join forces, even an eighth-rank rat is nothing more than a rat. This vast rat swamp will be at our disposal!"