Xu Family Village

Thump, thump~~

This time, as Lu Mian hammered his body, his fascia abruptly tightened beneath the descending melon-headed hammer, dispersing the force of the blow with a sound like a cowhide drum.

Muscles like cowhide... I've reached the entry level of Iron Shirt.

My bone density has increased, and my fascia has grown tougher...

If I master both Tortoise-Snake Fist and Iron Shirt before nurturing qi, I should become pretty strong.

Most people began practicing an inner qi method after reaching blood-qi perfection, cultivating their first wisp of qi.

That marked their entry into the ranks of cultivators.

Blood-qi perfection was really just a concept, one that varied from person to person.

The stronger the body, the more blood-qi it could naturally hold.

That was why the idea had occurred to Lu Mian.

With his gluttonous stomach and Bookworm Heart, mastering both techniques would not take too much extra time, provided he kept nourishing himself with medicinal supplements.

Of course, this was only a preliminary idea, subject to change as circumstances demanded.

After putting away the melon-headed hammer, Lu Mian returned to his room and put on the Falcon Guard's long black uniform, then headed to the Guard Hall with his large cleaver strapped to his back.

Following his usual routine, Lu Mian ate breakfast at the Guard Hall before heading to the squad's station.

By then, everyone in the squad except Han Can had arrived.

On paper, the squad was supposed to have ten members.

In reality, even counting Lu Mian, there were only seven.

There was no helping it. The Falcon Squad's missions were too dangerous, and casualties were high.

The Guard Hall only held its assessments once every two months, so new recruits fell far short of filling the gaps.

Yu Hao was chatting with the other clan scions. When he saw Lu Mian enter, he sneered and ignored him completely.

Sun Feifei greeted Lu Mian.

Lu Mian nodded in acknowledgment and made his way to a corner of the courtyard.

"This is your first mission. Remember to be careful."

"Yu Hao might hold a grudge and try something underhanded. Keep an eye on him."

Sun Feifei walked over and spoke quietly.

"I'll be careful."

"Miss Sun, who are those others?"

Lu Mian asked.

"The long-haired one is Sun Jin, the short one is Tong Tai, and the cross-eyed one is Gan Wenbin."

"All three only recently reached major blood-qi attainment."

"Yu Hao is a little stronger than them. He's working toward blood-qi perfection."

"All four come from clans, and they get along fairly well."

Sun Feifei filled Lu Mian in on their backgrounds.

Just then.

Han Can entered the station's courtyard.

"This time, we're heading to Xu Family Village, fifty li away."

"No squad has been there in a month. Some more evil entities have probably emerged."

"Our mission is to eliminate every evil entity within thirty li of Xu Family Village. We'll probably be there for five or six days, so make sure you're prepared."

Without a word wasted, Han Can explained their mission.

Sun Feifei, Yu Hao, and the others were used to this.

Even Lu Mian, the newcomer, appeared calm.

"Let's go, then."

"First, we'll collect supplies from the storeroom."

Han Can spoke evenly.

Soon.

Han Can led Lu Mian and the others to the Guard Hall's storeroom.

There, Lu Mian received ten jin of dried meat, a waterskin of talisman water, a waterskin of clean water, and a blank sheet of talisman paper.

"This is an Evil-Sensing Talisman."

"Whenever you kill an evil entity, a black dot will automatically appear on it."

"The stronger the entity, the larger the dot."

"When we return to the Guard Hall, this Evil-Sensing Talisman will determine how much money we receive."

Sun Feifei explained beside him.

"So that's what it's for."

Understanding dawned on Lu Mian.

Once all their supplies were ready, Han Can led them straight out.

They passed through the outer city, the Refugee District, and the Shed Quarantine Zone before finally reaching the countryside proper.

The government road was still faintly visible, but Lu Mian and his companions were the only people on it.

Here, they had officially left the protection of Thousand Chimes Commandery City.

Whatever they encountered, they would have to deal with it through their own strength.

Han Can walked at the front, followed by Yu Hao and his companions.

Lu Mian and Sun Feifei brought up the rear.

"Generally speaking, evil entities don't come out during the day because of the sun."

"So daytime is relatively safe."

"Unless we actually encounter a vicious specter of the third tier or above."

"If we run into something like that, we can only curse our luck."

Sun Feifei shared some basic knowledge with Lu Mian.

Hearing this, Lu Mian could not help asking, "Miss Sun, are evil entities divided into ranks too?"

Sun Feifei replied softly, "Yes... they're divided into nine tiers."

"First-tier fierce spirits, second-tier evil sha, third-tier vicious specters... I don't know the ones above that. They're beyond anything I'd encounter anyway."

Lu Mian nodded slowly.

"Fifty li isn't particularly far, but it isn't close either."

"Let's pick up the pace and try to arrive in the afternoon."

"That'll give us time to make preparations."

Han Can spoke gravely from the front.

As soon as he finished, he increased his pace.

Yu Hao, Lu Mian, and the others followed closely.

The squad hurried along the government road.

Whenever they encountered a group of refugees, Han Can deliberately steered clear to avoid getting tangled up with them.

After marching swiftly for two hours without a moment's rest, they finally left the government road and turned onto a mountain path.

Though the path was rugged and difficult, it posed little trouble for people with their abilities.

At last, they reached Xu Family Village that afternoon.

It was a large village built at the foot of a mountain, once home to four or five hundred people.

Xu Family Village had not escaped the Heavenly Calamity. As villagers died one after another under bizarre circumstances, everyone in the village had been frightened into fleeing to Thousand Chimes Commandery City, leaving it deserted.

The houses were still fairly intact. There were simply more weeds, and a little clearing would make them habitable.

In the end, Han Can chose the village's ancestral hall as their resting place.

They gathered firewood, built a fire, and began eating and drinking.

The real test would come that night.

"Our Falcon Guard has already visited Xu Family Village twice."

"Usually, there are only a few resentful souls wandering around."

"But it's been a month since our last visit, so none of you can afford to let your guard down."

Han Can reminded them as he drank some water.

In this world, evil entities were as numerous as hairs on an ox. Even after an area was cleared, they soon reappeared.

If they were not dealt with promptly, their numbers would grow, and they would devour one another, becoming even more powerful entities.

Given enough time, they might even threaten the existence of Thousand Chimes Commandery City.

That was why regular sweeps were necessary to prevent powerful evil entities from emerging.

"Don't worry, Captain."

"We wouldn't dare get careless."

The long-haired Sun Jin chimed in.

"Get some proper rest now."

Han Can said no more.

Everyone settled down to rest in the ancestral hall.

Yu Hao and his companions gathered together, their gazes occasionally drifting toward Lu Mian.

Seemingly oblivious, Lu Mian sat on the ancestral hall's stone steps and rested with his eyes closed.

Han Can turned a blind eye to it all, showing no concern whatsoever.

They looked like a team, but each harbored ulterior motives and had plans of their own.

When night fell, snowflakes were still drifting from the sky.