Pre-Battle Preparations!

"Could Talisman Masters be ugly and scary?" Wei Fan wondered to himself.

At the end of the corridor was a spacious hall.

The interior was extremely dim, with only the faint glow from oil lamps on the walls.

In the hall stood a large bronze table, around which sat eight figures in black robes. As the three approached, they realized that beneath the robes were not people, but pale skeletons.

"Hmm?" Wei Fan sensed a gaze fixed on him, but he remained outwardly composed.

"You've arrived!" a hoarse, aged voice rang out.

Aside from Lu Qingshan, who was used to it, Wei Fan and Shi Meng both frowned.

This was because, apart from the three of them, there was no other living creature in the entire hall.

A wisp of green smoke drifted by, and one of the black-robed figures at the bronze table came to life.

The black-robed Talisman Master raised its head, its empty eye sockets sweeping over everyone before pausing on Wei Fan.

"Master, the Calamity of Strangeness is imminent. Please, Master, save the villagers of Wushan Village!" Lu Qingshan said, cupping his fists.

"The Night Watch Team was founded by Zhu Yiwu and myself. With the Calamity of Strangeness upon us today, I will naturally do my part."

The black-robed Talisman Master's voice was deep.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingshan and Shi Meng's faces lit up with surprise.

Wei Fan's expression remained unchanged. He had always felt that this Talisman Master was extremely strange and certainly didn't care about the villagers as much as he appeared to.

"In the cabinet by the door, I've prepared special Talismans for you: advanced Little Flame Talismans, and a secret medicine that can temporarily boost combat power. Take them and distribute them!" the black-robed Talisman Master said.

"Thank you, Master!" Lu Qingshan's face beamed with joy, thinking that with the Talisman Master's help, they had gained more strength to fight the Calamity of Strangeness.

So, Lu Qingshan followed the black-robed Talisman Master's instructions, took out the Talismans and secret medicine, and distributed them to Wei Fan and Shi Meng.

Wei Fan accepted them cautiously, his mind filled with doubts.

Afterward, the three of them exited the Talisman Master Tower.

In the center of Wushan Village, on the plaza where the Monster Suppressing Stone stood, a crowd had already gathered.

They were burly men, broad-shouldered and strong, each a warrior above the Strength Training Realm.

Wei Fan looked from afar and sensed two powerful auras.

They belonged to the old man with the goatee and the head of the Zhu Family, Zhu Yiwu.

"Peak Mortal Realm? I wonder what stage I'm at now," Wei Fan mused to himself.

His current strength was enough to instantly kill someone in the Blood Rage Realm, but he wasn't very familiar with those above it, the Bone Forging Realm and Marrow Condensing Realm.

The three approached and joined the Zhu Family's warriors.

Zhu Yiwu glanced over in their direction but said nothing more.

Zhu Chenghuan, standing behind him, frowned slightly. "Lu Qingshan, where is Zhu Luo?"

Zhu Luo was a Blood Rage Realm expert he had assigned to the Night Watch Team. His absence at this time was highly unusual.

"Zhu Luo didn't return to the Zhu Family?" Lu Qingshan was also surprised.

Initially, Lu Qingshan had guessed that Zhu Luo, who wasn't at the Night Watch headquarters for the assembly, might have returned to the Zhu Family.

But judging by Zhu Chenghuan's reaction now, Zhu Luo had neither come to the assembly nor returned to the Zhu Family.

"That's not right!" A bad feeling arose in Lu Qingshan's heart. He said, "Could Zhu Luo be missing?"

"Missing?" Zhu Chenghuan's face darkened.

Zhu Luo, as a Blood Rage Realm expert, should have had some ability to resist even a Grievance Level Monstrosity.

How could he have gone missing for no reason?

Moreover, tonight he had ordered Zhu Luo to deal with...

Thinking this, Zhu Chenghuan looked at Wei Fan with unfriendly eyes and asked, "I know everyone in the Night Watch Team. You're the only new face. Are you the newly appointed Vice Captain of the Night Watch, Wei Fan?"

"That's correct!" Wei Fan nodded calmly.

"Tonight, have you seen Zhu Luo?" Zhu Chenghuan stared intently at Wei Fan's face, his blood surging, exuding an invisible pressure.

Lu Qingshan and Shi Meng frowned, but Zhu Chenghuan's aura was too powerful; they were momentarily stunned.

Is this Zhu Chenghuan in the Bone Forging Realm?

A hint of surprise flashed in Wei Fan's eyes. He hadn't expected the Zhu Family to have another expert above the Blood Rage Realm.

Wei Fan knew Zhu Chenghuan suspected him, but with the Calamity of Strangeness about to arrive, he likely wouldn't dare to make a move.

So, he said with a straight face, "I was on duty in the South District and did not see Vice Captain Zhu Luo!"

Their conversation attracted the attention of the warriors from the Luoyuan Chamber of Commerce. Zhu Yiwu also turned his head and asked in a deep voice:

"Chenghuan, what's going on?"

"It's nothing, Father. I was just asking about the Night Watch Team's situation!" Zhu Chenghuan quickly explained, then glared at Wei Fan again, his eyes full of warning.

Wei Fan remained silent, suppressing the killing intent in his heart.

The Calamity of Strangeness was imminent; now was not the time for settling scores.

As he was thinking, Wei Fan sensed something and looked towards the back of the Luoyuan Chamber of Commerce martial artists. A graceful figure in a goose-yellow short shirt was smiling at him.

Liu Yin'er?

Wei Fan frowned. He had always felt this woman was not simple, giving him a sense of inscrutability.

Following that, under the discussion between the Zhu Family and the Luoyuan Chamber of Commerce, the martial artists were assigned to different areas to establish defenses along the village's outer walls.

Wei Fan and the Night Watchers were responsible for the east section of the wall, while the west, north, and south sections were guarded by martial artists from the Luoyuan Chamber of Commerce and the Zhu Family.

"Captain Lu, I'm going home for a bit and will meet up with you later!" Shi Meng suddenly said.

"No problem!" Lu Qingshan nodded, knowing Shi Meng wanted to go home to arrange some things.

Facing the impending Calamity of Strangeness, no one dared to guarantee they would survive unscathed.

"The Monster Suppressing Stone should hold for a few more hours. We'll gather at the East District outpost in one hour!" Lu Qingshan stated.

Hearing this, Wei Fan and Shi Meng nodded.

The three of them headed home separately.

Wei Fan walked along the bluestone-paved road. Before he reached his home, a whistling sound cut through the air.

Whoosh!

A small shadow with entirely dark green feathers, shimmering with crimson secret patterns, landed on Wei Fan's shoulder.

"Tonight is destined to be restless!"

Wei Fan sighed and walked towards his home.