Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

In the afternoon, reinforcements arrived from the mountains.

They were two people who flew in.

They landed side by side, but with a tacit understanding, they maintained a distance of about one meter, occupying the entire dirt road.

Upon seeing these two domineering cultivators descend from the sky, the villagers naturally gave way. Ning Che and the others, judging from the villagers' commotion, realized that people from the mountains had arrived and went out to greet them.

The man on the left, Ning Che, looked somewhat familiar; it seemed like he was the same Zhao, the squad leader, whom Mu Qingming had met before.

He walked on the left, wearing a dark long robe, with a sword at his waist, his face calm and composed, revealing no emotion.

The man on the right was a stranger, a burly figure, more than half a head taller than Zhao Bantou. He had a square face, a wide mouth, high brow bones, and thick eyebrows that pressed down on his eyes. Instead of swords and knives, he carried a pair of dark, undecorated iron maces at his waist.

Upon seeing Ning Che's attire, he immediately asked in a voice as loud as thunder, "You're that kid named Xing, right? I heard you're from a branch clan?"

Ning Che stepped forward, taken aback by his abrupt words, before finally realizing what he meant and replying, "Yes, I am from Shizhu Village. Are you a master of the Shi family, senior?"

"Indeed, I am Shi Bingzhu of the Shi family. Commander Yu was extremely anxious upon learning of the commotion here and specially dispatched me to provide assistance."

Zhao Bantou's gaze swept around Caixia Village before landing on Ning Che.

"Captain Xing," he added, his tone concerned, "I heard you were attacked by demons and lost one person. Commander Mu is very worried and sent me to provide support."

Ning Che had no idea what he was up to, and said calmly, "I'm sorry to trouble you both, but I'm injured and unable to perform the full ceremony."

Shi Bingzhu nodded, without any further pleasantries: "How did you hurt your hand?"

"witchcraft."

"Can it be cured?"

Ning Che shook his head and answered truthfully, "I don't know yet."

Zhao, the squad leader, stepped closer and interjected, "Squad leader Shi, don't worry about the injuries. Let's go inside and sit down to get a feel for the overall situation in the Rat Swamp. After all, the commander is waiting for a reply."

When he said "commander," he did not specify which commander he was referring to.

Shi Bingzhu glanced at him sideways: "Isn't the injury urgent? He's lost an arm, and you're saying it's not urgent?"

"What I mean is—"

"I understand what you mean." Shi Bingzhu interrupted him, turning to Ning Che: "Come on, let's find a room. I'll treat your injuries first, and we can discuss the situation while we treat you."

Zhao Bantou's face darkened, but he didn't say anything more and just followed them inside.

Led by Ning Che, the group returned to the main room and sat down.

Shi Bingzhu spoke confidently, but when he saw Ning Che's injuries, he gasped. His entire arm, from fingertips to shoulder, was cracked and dry, the muscles were shrunken, and the color was ashen, like a piece of dried-out old tree root.

Shi Bingzhu's face turned very ugly.

He tried casting several spells, but none of them worked well and failed to make Ning Che feel anything.

Zhao, the squad leader, looked a little better and said calmly, "Squad Leader Xing, you can start from the beginning."

Ning Che did not hesitate. He skipped over the previous setup and started from the arrival of the rat swarm, then the strange magic of the four-eyed rat demon, Chen Mu's death, being driven into the depths of the swamp, the pile of bones, and the final counterattack.

He spoke very briefly, mentioning Chen Mu's name only once. He didn't mention Lin Caiwei at all in his final counterattack, only saying that his swordsmanship had improved.

"You mean, you, a ninth-rank official, can kill four eighth-rank officials?!" Shi Bingzhu roared, his face full of disbelief.

Ning Che argued, "My marrow sea has been opened, so I'm practically at the eighth rank."

Zhao Bantou shook his head: "I also have some understanding of the Taoist ordination method. They use three levels for Taoists: the seed of Tao, the marrow sea, and the dantian. Those who have opened their dantian are stronger than ordinary eighth-grade people. But those at the marrow sea level are weaker than ordinary eighth-grade people."

Ning Che retorted without hesitation, "I'm almost at the point of opening my dantian, and coupled with my exceptional swordsmanship and the loss of an arm, I was able to win. Why is Lord Zhao making such sarcastic remarks? If I didn't kill him, then who did?"

Zhao Bantou frowned, but did not refute further. He put his elbow on the table, propped his head up, and seemed to be considering something.

Shi Bingzhu slammed his fist on the table.

The entire tabletop bounced up, and Zhao Bantou, caught off guard, was thrown headfirst. After a loud crash, a crack appeared in the wooden plank.

Before Zhao Bantou could speak, Shi Bingzhu had already shouted, "Four Rank 8 rat demons!"

He paused, then looked at Zhao, the squad leader: "When did so many Rank 8 soldiers appear in the Rat Swamp? The previous survey report said there were at most two, this is a whole double! Shouldn't Lord Zhao, who was in charge of the Rat Swamp's operations, give us an explanation for this?"

Zhao Bantou also turned his face, showing no anger, but his mouth was slightly crooked: "The demonic nature of the Rat Swamp has been constantly changing. After this calamity, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is in disorder, and the demonic beasts are breaking through faster than usual. This is not surprising."

"Not surprising?" Shi Bingzhu sneered, pointing at Ning Che, "Our heroes who fought for the people are injured like this, and you tell us it's not surprising?"

Zhao, the foreman, raised his eyelids slightly: "This is the shift arrangement, that's the system, I can't control it."

"Yes, you can't control that." Shi Bingzhu sneered. "You can only send knives to your men, and you can't control anything else."

The main room fell silent for a moment.

Zhao, the squad leader, seemed to be provoked as well, a cold glint in his eyes: "Squad Leader Shi, what do you mean by that?"

Shi Bingzhu was not afraid at all and glared back directly: "You know better than I do what I mean."

The imposing presence of the two seventh-rank officials clashed silently in the cramped hall, the air heavy and oppressive like the calm before a storm.

Ning Che sat there, unmoved.

Neither of them seemed like easy targets, and fortunately, the conflict between them was clearly significant. This also probably shows that the infighting between Mu Qingming and Yu Congrong's factions had become extremely intense.

He is waiting.

He can influence the balance between the two at the right moment, maximizing his own and his team's gains.

Shi Bingzhu and Zhao, the squad leader, exchanged glances for a few moments. Zhao looked away first, his tone returning to its usual gentleness: "Old Shi, we're both just following orders, why ruin our harmony? The Star Team is going through something tough, and the most urgent thing is to arrange the aftermath, don't you think?"

He turned to Ning Che: "In my opinion, the situation with the Rat Swamp Demons is dire, far beyond what a small team can handle. You should retreat back to the mountains to rest and recuperate, which will also allow you to show your merits. We can then wait for the higher-ups to send elite troops to wipe them out. What do you say?"

Mu Qingming was actually willing to give him time to grow?

No.

Ning Che's mind raced, and he roughly figured out Mu Qingming's intention—he wanted to cover something up.

Mu Qingming has always been in charge of this place. Does he really not know about the existence of that herb?

Or is it that he arranged for these people to die here without any rotation because of the existence of that herb?

Zhao Bantou's words sounded reasonable and seemed to offer them some benefit, but in reality, they were just a way to postpone the matter. Once they chose to leave, it would be entirely up to him to tell them what had happened here.

Ning Che spoke up, hitting the nail on the head: "Chief Zhao, where does the miasma in the Rat Swamp come from?"

Zhao Bantou was slightly taken aback.

Ning Che didn't give him time to react and continued, "Six years ago, Li Laogen was transferred here. In the same year, a mountain guardian began purchasing Bai Jie Cao from Caixia Village."

At first, a dozen or twenty plants were planted at a time, but by the fourth year, the number had increased to over a thousand. The Hundred-Cure Grass thrives by neutralizing the poisons of the world, but it also attracts miasma; the more you plant, the denser the miasma becomes.

His voice wasn't loud, but Shi Bingzhu's voice was clear: "Who's collecting these herbs, and what are they for?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Bingzhu's eyes lit up. He immediately exerted pressure, shouting at the top of his lungs, "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, someone is actually harming ordinary people for their own selfish desires! This kind of thing cannot be tolerated and must be thoroughly investigated!"

A crack finally appeared on Zhao Bantou's gentle expression.

Ning Che reached out his left hand and pulled a yellowed booklet from his pocket. It was the account book he had seen from the old man in Caixia Village, which he had taken with him before leaving.

He placed the booklet on the table, smiling as he looked at Zhao, the squad leader: "A mole on his left cheek, around thirty years old, wearing gray clothes, carrying a short sword—does Zhao, the squad leader, recognize this person?"

Zhao Bantou did not respond.

Shi Bingzhu grabbed the booklet, flipped through a few pages, and his face grew increasingly grim.

"Good tactic." He closed the booklet and tucked it into his pocket.

"They use the Hundred-Remedy Grass to draw in miasma, use the miasma to nurture demons, use the demons to kill those banished here, and then use people to cultivate the medicine! But who is that medicine meant for?"

Zhao Bantou stood up, his gaze sweeping unfriendly over the account book and Ning Che before settling on Shi Bingzhu, his words becoming increasingly harsh:

"Shi Bingzhu, stop with your veiled accusations. I knew nothing about this, yet you insist on pinning it on me. Let the two commanders decide when we get back."

"Then let the commander decide." Shi Bingzhu slammed his hand on the table and stood up as well.

The two faced off again.

Ning Che moved back slightly to avoid the table breaking in half and hitting him.

Then, he slowly said, "Both of the squad leaders are senior officials of the seventh rank, so this matter can naturally be decided back in the mountains. But I'm really sorry, I have a favor to ask."

Both of them looked at him at the same time.

"My right hand needs time to recover, and my magic power is exhausted, so I can't travel immediately." He shook his withered arm. "Give us ten days. After ten days, I will return to the mountain with this ledger and all the evidence, and personally report to the two commanders."

Zhao Bantou was clearly unwilling; he hadn't yet figured out what to do with the ledger.

But Shi Bingzhu had already made the decision for him.

"Alright, but the account books can't be kept by you." Shi Bingzhu looked at Zhao Bantou and said in a deep voice, "Otherwise, I'm afraid some desperate dog might do something to harm you."

Zhao, the foreman, flew into a rage: "What do you mean by that? Who are you implying?"

"Then let's see who yells the loudest," Shi Bingzhu said with a smile. "What, you want to fight me?"

Zhao, the foreman, pressed down on the table, and flames instantly rose, charring it black, but not a single drop spilled out. Even Ning Che, who was standing right next to it, couldn't feel any heat.

Shi Bingzhu reached into the fire with his backhand and pressed it onto the table.

The tabletop crumbled into a pile of rubble, falling to the ground with a sound similar to a stone hitting the ground, and the flames on it could no longer burn.

Ning Che watched from the side, but didn't understand it. He only knew that these were two rather mysterious spells.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Bantou remained silent for a moment before finally nodding.

"Then it's settled." Zhao Bantou straightened his clothes, turned around and went out the door. His back was straight, his steps were steady, and he continued to maintain his dignity. Even Ning Che could not tell the outcome of this match from his performance.

But he conceded, so it can't be considered a win; it's probably somewhere between a draw and a small loss.

Shi Bingzhu did not see him off. He sat down at the table and stared at Ning Che for a long time.

"You're an interesting kid," he said, finally lowering his voice a bit. "Commander Yu said you're a talent and asked me to keep an eye on you."

Ning Che smiled and said, "Then I'll take care of Chief Shi's kindness."

As he spoke, he was about to stand up and bow.

Shi Bingzhu grabbed him and said, "Stop with the nonsense. Since you owe me a favor, I'll ask you one thing—did you really kill those Rank 8 rat demons?"

"With someone helping me, I can only handle two at most right now, and that's still not a sure thing."

Shi Bingzhu didn't ask who helped him, but just glanced at his right arm again and sighed: "Your injury is strange. It's probably because some of your water elemental power was drained. It's relatively easy to drain it, but it's very difficult to replenish it."

Ning Che paused for a moment, then gave a shy smile: "What is the external manifestation of water elemental power? I haven't learned about that."

Shi Bingzhu looked at him in surprise, then explained, "The primordial energy of heaven and earth can actually be divided into many attributes, such as the Five Elements. You know the Five Elements, right?"

Ning Che nodded.

"Water elemental power is one of them. To cast water-based spells is to use one's own magical power to influence the water elemental power in the world."

Moreover, all things in the world are evolved from primordial energy. In addition to the omnipresent primordial energy of heaven and earth, the things they evolve into are called external appearances, which can also be driven by corresponding magical power.

For example, water is the outward manifestation of water elemental power, and some water-based spells can control water.

Ning Che nodded again.

Shi Bingzhu continued, "Here's what I'll do. After I get back, I'll contact some people in the clan to see if there are any connections with alchemists or physicians. Once you return to the mountain, just come find me at the main family."

Ning Che nodded in agreement again.

Shi Bingzhu waved his hand, sending the broken pieces of the table flying, before striding away.

Ning Che watched him leave, then looked away.

Ten days.

Whether it's enough or not doesn't depend on how long ten days is, but on what he can do in those ten days.

Lin Caiwei appeared at the doorway at some point, barefoot on the threshold, tilting her head to look at him.

"Uncle, does your hand still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt," Ning Che said.

Things without sensation, of course, cannot feel pain.

He glanced down at his withered right hand. It would be a lie to say he didn't care, but thinking about it too much was pointless.

"Come out, everyone."

He called out, and the three people who had been hiding in the inner room with Zhong Hongyao came out.

"Let's pack up and head back to the Rat Swamp."

Ning Che got up and walked outside as well.

Outside the window, a cloud obscured the sun, and Caixia Village fell into darkness.