Uncle Nine: Scattering beans to create soldiers? I'm using plants and trees to create soldiers.

The two continued walking along the street, talking as they went.

Before long, a high-walled courtyard came into view.

The Li residence occupies a considerable area, with two stone beasts standing in front of the gate. The vermilion gate is spotless, and the two characters "Li Residence" on the plaque are written in a vigorous and powerful style.

Just by looking at the storefront, you can tell that the Li family has a deep-rooted presence in Huaiyuan Town.

Just as Chen Bingwen and Du Hongying were about to step forward, the gate of the Li residence opened from the inside.

Two figures walked out one after the other.

One of the middle-aged men said as he walked, "Master Zhang, we'll have to trouble you this time."

"Please find those water ghosts as soon as possible and eliminate them all."

He seemed to want to add something more at this point.

"If only..."

But he stopped abruptly when he was about to speak.

The middle-aged man was silent for a moment, then forced a smile.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore."

"Master Zhang, we entrust the reputation of our Li family to you."

The speaker was none other than Li Fuhai, the head of the Li family.

He looked extremely haggard, with slightly sunken eye sockets, bloodshot eyes, and an unnatural bluish-black complexion, clearly indicating that he had not had a proper rest for several days.

The Taoist priest standing opposite him appeared exceptionally spirited.

This person was tall with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and wore a simple and neat red robe.

A red magic bag hung from his waist, and a fiery red gourd-shaped magic implement was slung diagonally across his back.

After listening to Li Fuhai's words, he said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, layman! Now that I have taken on this matter, I will do my utmost to eliminate the trouble and restore the Li family's reputation."

Li Fuhai quickly cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you so much, Master Zhang! Thank you!"

As the two were talking, they had already walked out of the Li residence and then saw Du Hongying and Chen Bingwen standing on the street.

Li Fuhai's gaze swept over the two of them.

Upon seeing their clothing and magical artifacts, a hint of doubt immediately appeared on his face. "Who are these two?"

Before he could finish speaking, the red-robed Taoist priest next to him spoke first.

"Judging from the embroidery on your robes, you should be from the Three Concubines Sect."

He took a step forward and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture as he spoke, his manner quite straightforward.

"Are you two also here about the Li family's water ghost?"

After he finished speaking, he seemed to realize that he hadn't introduced himself yet, and added,

"It was I who was impolite."

"I am Zhang Yan, a disciple of the Huaguang Sect."

"The third wife faction, Du Hongying."

Du Hongying returned the greeting, and then pointed to Chen Bingwen beside her.

"This is my junior apprentice, Chen Bingwen."

"We did come here because of the water ghost incident at the Li family's place, but we didn't expect that Boss Li had already hired a Taoist priest."

Upon hearing this, Li Fuhai paused slightly.

But soon, a smile returned to his face.

"We've invited one person, can we invite two more?"

"Since you two Taoist priests have come here for the sake of our Li family, I, Li Fuhai, am naturally very pleased to welcome you."

"Right now, people in Huaiyuan Town are in a state of panic, and there has been no trace of those water ghosts in the nearby waters."

"The most important thing is to find them as soon as possible and resolve the crisis in Huaiyuan Town."

Li Fuhai sighed heavily, his face showing just the right amount of pain.

"My son has gone astray and committed such a grave mistake; as his father, I also bear responsibility."

"Now that his fate is unknown, I dare not ask for others' understanding, I only want to do my best to make amends."

"The more monks there are, the greater the chance of success."

"As for compensation, Li will not let either of you suffer a loss."

He raised his hand to gesture to Zhang Yan.

"I will pay you the same amount as Master Zhang."

"What are your thoughts, both of you?"

Du Hongying didn't care about the Li family's compensation.

She came to Huaiyuan Town to investigate the connection between the strange baby and the Li family.

Since Li Fuhai took the initiative to invite her, it actually made it easier for her to investigate.

She and Chen Bingwen exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously.

"Can."

The smile on Li Fuhai's face immediately became more genuine.

"With the help of three Taoist priests, I believe this matter will be resolved quickly."

Du Hongying skipped the pleasantries and asked directly, "Boss Li, could you take us to the villa where the incident happened first? We need to see the scene before we can determine where those water ghosts went."

"Of course," Li Fuhai nodded quickly.

"I was just discussing with Master Zhang about taking him to the mountain villa to investigate."

"Since you two are here, let's go together."

……

Soon after.

A horse-drawn carriage left Huaiyuan Town and drove along the mountain road into the distance.

About an hour later, the group finally arrived at the foot of the mountain where the villa was located.

The complete mountain village is no longer visible; large sections of the mountain have been washed away by the flood.

Mud, gravel, and broken trees piled up from the mountainside all the way to the foot of the mountain.

Most of the courtyard walls and houses that were originally built in the mountains have been buried, with only a few broken beams and dilapidated roofs visible from the soil.

The ground was covered in puddles, and the mud was ankle-deep. Stepping on it made a sticky sound.

The air was filled with a smell of damp earth mixed with the fishy odor of water.

Everyone got off the carriage.

Zhang Yan and Du Hongying walked ahead, their steps relatively steady.

Li Fuhai was not young, and when he stepped into the mud, his body immediately swayed.

If Chen Bingwen hadn't reached out and caught his arm in time, he would have almost fallen on the spot.

"Boss Li, be careful."

"Thank you, Master Chen."

The group slowly entered the ruins of the mountain village along the gullies carved out by the flash flood.

They hadn't gone far when Du Hongying and Zhang Yan's expressions changed simultaneously.

Although this place has been washed away by floods, a faint eerie aura still lingers in the air.

The evil aura was particularly strong near buildings that were half-buried in mud.

Du Hongying looked around and asked, "Boss Li, what are the casualties among the people inside the villa after the incident?"

"Are there any stewards or servants who escaped?"

"We want to ask them what happened before the flash flood."

Li Fuhai's face was slightly stiff. He glanced at the surrounding ruins and shook his head.

"Well... I don't know either."

"My son has always been in charge of this resort."

"I never inquired about how many people lived there or how it operated."

"After the flash flood, I sent people to search several times, but we couldn't find any trace of those servants."

"Whether he lives or dies, I can't say for sure."

Chen Bingwen helped him up and casually asked, "Which of Boss Li's sons is in charge of this villa?"

Li Fuhai said in a low voice, "He is my third son."

After listening, Zhang Yan looked around.

"This humble Taoist does know some methods for finding and tracking people."

"Whether it's a living person or a corpse, as long as there's still a trace of life here, we should be able to find some clues."

As he spoke, he untied the fire gourd from his back.

The fire gourd was flat and round, entirely red, and its surface was engraved with flame patterns.

Zhang Yan took out a talisman from his pocket, held it between his fingers, and then gently channeled his Daoist energy.

"The fire essence of the South, its radiant light manifests."

call!

Flames instantly ignited on the talisman.

Zhang Yan threw the burning talisman into the fire gourd, and a bright red flame immediately lit up inside the gourd.

Wisps of flame rose from it and quickly gathered in mid-air.

First the beak, then the head, wings, and claws...

In just a few breaths, an illusory fire crow gradually took shape above the fire pot.

The fire crow was only half a foot in size.

Its body was made of hazy firelight, with wisps of red flame burning at the edges of its wings. With each flap of its wings, tiny sparks would scatter in all directions.

Zhang Yan then took out a mountain-sealing talisman from his magic pouch at his waist.

He extended two fingers and gently flicked them in the air.

A wisp of evil energy remaining in the ruins was immediately drawn in and merged into the talisman.

Zhang Yan flicked his wrist.

"Close the mountain and search immediately!"

The sealing talisman spontaneously combusted without fire, and the burning talisman paper flew into the fire crow's body, causing two points of fire to light up in the fire crow's eyes.

"dumb--"

A slightly hoarse cry rang out.

The fire crow flapped its wings, circled above everyone's heads once, and then, as if locking onto something, suddenly flew towards the depths of the manor.

"Keep up."

Zhang Yan took the lead and started to catch up.

Du Hongying followed closely behind.

Chen Bingwen helped Li Fuhai, carefully avoiding the broken wood and deep pits on the ground.

Fortunately, the fire crow did not fly too far.

After crossing a courtyard buried in mud, it suddenly stopped above a broken tree and began to circle continuously.

Zhang Yan and Du Hongying arrived quickly.

The two looked in the direction where the fire crow was hovering, and their expressions changed slightly at the same time.

Amidst the mud and splintered wood, lay a mutilated corpse.

The lower half of the body was trapped under the collapsed wall, while the upper half lay in a twisted position in the mud.

Large chunks of flesh were missing from his shoulder and chest, and one arm was nowhere to be found; the cut was jagged and clearly not severed by a sharp weapon, but rather torn off by something.

The exposed skin had completely lost its color, and the wounds were dry and black.

It was as if the blood in the corpse had already been completely drained.

More importantly, a faint trace of evil energy remained on the corpse.

Zhang Yan squatted down and carefully examined the wounds. "The wounds are messy, and the teeth marks don't look like they were left by a human."

He raised his hand and gestured.

"It doesn't look like an ordinary water ghost; it looks like it was surrounded and torn apart by some kind of wild beast."

Du Hongying also squatted on the other side.

She glanced at the lingering fishy smell deep in the wound and sensed the familiar malevolent aura emanating from the corpse, and made her judgment.

The manner of death of this corpse was extremely similar to the traces left by the strange infants of the Li family.

It must have been done by those strange babies from the Li family!

However, it is still uncertain whether Li Fuhai is the person behind the scenes or is truly kept in the dark.

Du Hongying stood up and whispered to Zhang Yan about her encounter with the strange infant and the Li family's ability to cultivate scaled strange infants.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan's expression gradually turned serious. "A strange infant covered in scales? And it can move in water?"

"That's right." Du Hongying nodded. "Judging from the wounds on this corpse, it was very likely killed by those things."

Zhang Yan looked down at the corpse, his brows furrowing deeply. "It seems... we need to find these strange infants as soon as possible! If these things remain, the people of Huaiyuan Town will be in danger!"

Just as the two were talking, Chen Bingwen helped Li Fuhai over.

Li Fuhai had just rounded the broken wall when he saw the corpse in the mud.

His expression suddenly changed. "This..."

The next moment, he hurriedly let go of Chen Bingwen's hand and staggered to grab onto a tree trunk next to him.

"vomit--"

Li Fuhai bent over and began to gag violently, his face instantly losing all color.

Zhang Yan glanced at him, and after he had calmed down a bit, he asked in a deep voice, "Boss Li, does your third son have any other houses or places to stay elsewhere?"

"Besides him, where are your other sons now?"

Are they all located in Huaiyuan Town?

Li Fuhai leaned against the tree trunk, his face extremely pale. He took a few breaths before shaking his head and speaking.

No, no.

"This is the only villa owned by the Third Master."

"As for the other sons, none of them live in Huaiyuan Town."

"Some people are looking after their businesses in other places, and others are traveling around doing business all year round. None of them have come back recently."

Zhang Yan didn't press further, but simply turned to look at Du Hongying.

Du Hongying met his gaze and nodded slightly.

"Alright."

She looked at Chen Bingwen.

"Junior brother, the mountains are muddy, and there's nothing more that Boss Li can do to help if he stays here any longer."

"Take him home first."

Chen Bingwen noticed Du Hongying's gaze and immediately understood what she meant.

Senior sister wanted him to go down the mountain and find out more information about the Li family.

He nodded and helped Li Fuhai down the mountain, saying, "Alright, Boss Li, I'll take you down first."

Li Fuhai did not object, but nodded reluctantly, "Then I'll have to trouble Master Chen."

Chen Bingwen led Li Fuhai away slowly along the road they had come from.

After the two figures disappeared into the mountains and forests, Du Hongying and Zhang Yan continued their search deeper into the ruins.

Led by Fire Crow, the two found several more corpses.

Some of the bodies were buried under the soil, while others were stuck between broken roof beams.

They died in almost identical ways, their bodies were incomplete, covered with bite marks, and most of their blood had been sucked out.

The deeper you go into the mountain villa, the more obvious the lingering evil aura becomes in the air.

Just then, Du Hongying suddenly stopped and turned to look at the side of the mountain forest.

A faint, eerie mist emanated from the mountains, pointing in a certain direction within the forest.

There's something over there.

Du Hongying raised her hand and pointed to the forest on the right.

Almost simultaneously, the fire crow circling above Zhang Yan's head also let out a low cry.

The fire crow turned its head and looked in another direction.

Zhang Yan followed the fire crow's gaze and saw, "There's evil energy on the left as well."

However, the evil aura that Fire Crow sensed and the moisture that Du Hongying detected were not in the same direction.

The two exchanged a glance, and Zhang Yan spoke first, "Shall we split up?"

Du Hongying nodded. "Okay! I'll go after that mist."

"Be careful." Zhang Yan gave him a serious look.

"The same to you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the two separated.

Du Hongying darted into the forest on the right, following the direction in which the moisture had disappeared.

Zhang Yan, along with the Fire Crow, quickly chased after them in the other direction.