Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

It was the time of day when the miasma was at its densest, and Ning Che had already climbed to the rooftop, which slightly alleviated his discomfort.

This miasma seemed to be particularly effective against him, severely affecting his state of mind. If it weren't for his breakthrough in the Tribulation Bright Frost Flower Technique, he might not have been able to withstand it.

There were some sounds coming from inside the room; it seemed they had woken up.

A moment later, Lin Ye pushed open the door first and came out, followed closely by Zhao He. The two of them walked to the left and right respectively, calling out to Ning Che as they went.

Ning Che leaped down and landed steadily.

Lin Ye was startled, then asked somewhat angrily, "What were you doing up on the roof?"

"It's a bit of a hassle to come looking for me, but I'll definitely leave a message next time," Ning Che said casually.

The two didn't say anything more, went back to the house and ate some dried meat together. Afterwards, Ning Che made some simple arrangements, and everyone went about their own business.

Chen Mu and Zhao He went to the nearest market together to buy things.

Ning Che had only just learned that these markets weren't just in the city; many had sprung up outside the city to meet the needs of the villagers. Generally speaking, they could be divided into three types:

Firstly, there are the city streets, that is, the shops along the streets in the city.

Secondly, there were grass markets near some major transportation routes outside the city, named after the thatched huts where the merchants lived.

Thirdly, there are also some periodic, conventional markets, called virtual markets or temple fairs, and so on.

Chen Mu and Zhao He were heading to a virtual market. Zhao He only knew about this place because his hometown was relatively close to it.

Seeing that he knew Chen Mu well, Ning Che asked him to go with Chen Mu so that they could look after each other on the way.

Lin Ye stayed behind at the outpost, while Ning Che and Zhong Hongyao were responsible for checking the situation in the rat swamp—that was their job.

They walked slowly around the rat swamp, with Zhong Hongyao occasionally casting detection spells and recording the values. Ning Che walked beside her, activating his all-hearing ability to keep watch over their surroundings, acting as her "protector."

As they walked, Zhong Hongyao suddenly seemed to notice something and looked at Ning Che, saying, "The concentration of miasma near the outpost is noticeably higher."

Ning Che, not understanding, asked, "What could be the reason?"

Zhong Hongyao answered fluently: "Either the demon's activity is unusually intense, or something is deliberately guiding it."

Ning Che had an idea: "If I killed over a hundred water rats and two demons that were probably rank nine here yesterday, would that be considered exceptionally strenuous activity?"

Zhong Hongyao gave him a strange look, as if trying to confirm whether he was joking, and then thought about it seriously before saying, "That's possible."

"Let's check the concentration again tomorrow," Ning Che said, as he drew his sword and cut off a rat that had leaped out of the water.

The two continued forward, and after about an hour, Zhong Hongyao had almost exhausted her magic power and was still not finished testing.

Holding the booklet, she looked at Ning Che: "Would you like to learn the arts of observing qi and detecting demons?"

Ning Che understood her meaning and was happy to have more methods, so he nodded immediately.

Another hour passed, and Ning Che, having learned the skills, immediately put them to use and completed the remaining tests.

Ning Che's learning speed astonished Zhong Hongyao, who pressed him to reveal if he had learned these spells before. Although both spells were only basic detection spells, it was perfectly normal for them to take several days, or even dozens of days, to learn them.

Ning Che answered truthfully, but unexpectedly received a disdainful look from Zhong Hongyao.

After this interlude, it was already afternoon. The two gradually dispersed and returned to their outpost.

The two had just sat down to meditate when the wooden door was gently pushed open. Chen Mu walked in, travel-worn, his forehead covered in sweat. He carried a bulging cloth bag on his back, the rope tightly tied.

He placed the cloth bundle on the wooden table and untied the knot. Inside, neatly arranged, were dried provisions wrapped in oil paper, several doses of herbal medicine, and a yellowed, thread-bound ancient book.

He pushed the book in front of Ning Che. Ning Che looked closely and saw six big characters on the cover: "Essentials of Basic Array Formation".

"We're missing one ingredient, the Hundred-Cure Herb." Chen Mu said in a deep voice, "There's only one pharmacy in the herb market, and the shopkeeper said that all the Hundred-Cure Herbs have been bought up by the people of Caixia Village in the past few days, not a single one is left."

Zhong Hongyao frowned: "This herb is the key to the detoxification; it cannot be replaced."

Ning Che remembered the name Caixia Village.

It's quite reasonable for a village plagued by miasma to purchase Bai Jie Cao (a type of herb).

But the fact that they suddenly sold out suggests that the miasma there has become quite severe. However, after the mountain guardians came to guard the area, the miasma in the rat swamp had clearly dissipated by more than half, so how could it have suddenly become this serious again?

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye's face darkened, and he slammed his hand on the table, standing up abruptly: "Caixia Village? Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble? What does a mere village need so much Baijie Grass for? I'll go there and just take it back."

"sit down!"

Ning Che shouted, "What are you doing? If they really need it, what's wrong with them buying some medicine themselves? Even if they don't need so much Bai Jie Cao, how are you different from a bandit by robbing them?"

Lin Ye sat down sullenly. Ning Che looked at him and said seriously, "I don't want to hear you say such things again. We are guardians of the mountain, not evil heretics who indiscriminately kill innocent people, understand?"

Lin Ye lowered his head, remained silent for a long time, and finally said, "...Yes."

Zhao He looked anxious but didn't dare to interrupt. Only after they finished speaking did he say, "Then what should we do? We can't just sit here and wait to die."

Ning Che reached out and picked up the book "Essentials of Basic Array Formation Techniques," tucked it into his robes, and then looked up:

"Since Caixia Village has bought all the Hundred-Cure Herbs, I will go there myself to see if I can buy some from them. If they refuse, I will make other plans."

Zhong Hongyao nodded: "Caixia Village is adjacent to the Rat Swamp and is plagued by miasma all year round. There may be another reason for stockpiling the Hundred-Cure Herb. I will go with you. If we encounter any problems, I may be able to help."

"I'll go too," Lin Ye said.

"No need," Ning Che shook his head. "The outpost can't be left unguarded. Lin Ye, you're strong, you must stay here. Do you know the necessary reconnaissance spells?"

Chen Mu nodded: "I will."

Ning Che thought for a moment, then looked at Zhong Hongyao and asked, "Can you still hold on?"

"No problem," Zhong Hongyao replied readily, but Ning Che could still tell that she was somewhat tired.

"I'm tired. You should rest first and recharge your energy. Then we'll go to Caixia Village together tonight."

After saying that, he looked at Lin Ye and the other two: "The three of you stay at the outpost and do your work as usual tomorrow. We should be back by the afternoon. If anything happens during this time, don't linger. Run back to the outpost. If the outpost isn't safe either, run away. As long as you're alive, you can always fight again."

"Yes." The three of them agreed. Zhong Hongyao didn't insist after hearing him say that, and went back to take a nap.

As the sun set and twilight enveloped the swamp once more, Ning Che pushed open the door and stepped out, with Zhong Hongyao following closely behind.

The iron gate closed and gradually disappeared into the fog.