"We pay for information, and naturally, people will search for us. It only costs a small price to find the Wild Man's dwelling place," Hu Zha said with a smile.

"I see, that indeed is a time-saving and effortless method," Yuan Ming remarked.

"Alas, it won't work now. The Wild Men have been captured so frequently that they've grown smarter and hidden deeper. They're increasingly hard to find," Hu Zha sighed softly.

While they were speaking, a clear chirping of birds echoed from above.

Hearing this, Hu Zha immediately looked up, then pulled a Stone Talisman from his bosom and held it in his palm.

The Stone Talisman lit up with a glow, and a circling bird from above immediately descended, perching on his arm.

"A Message Kite used for sending messages, the lowest grade spirit beast from the Beast Taming Hall," Hu Zha explained, noticing Yuan Ming's puzzled look.

He then removed a strip of cloth from the bird's ankle, glanced at it, and showed a smile.

"We've found them. Head southwest, in a valley about one hundred twenty li from here," Hu Zha spoke and then, pulling out a Beast Skin map, searched it briefly and marked it.

"Speed up the advance," he ordered.

The entire team began to move faster, chasing toward the southwest direction.

"These Wild Men, thinking they're clever, don't run deep into the Ten Thousand Mountains but instead head toward the densely populated Dong Village areas of the Southern Border, intending to be underhanded. They are really foolish," Hu Zha mocked as they ran.

Yuan Ming forced a cold smile and did not echo the sentiment.

About two hours later, they arrived at the exterior of a valley.

At the entrance of the valley, a thin man wearing a blue-green Cloth Robe and a black headscarf was waiting.

His skin was dark and his face was marked with traces of wind and sun exposure.

Upon seeing Hu Zha and others, the man's eyes lit up, and his face showed a mix of joy and fear as he ran over.

"My lord, I've been following those Wild Men for several days. They've been circling in the mountains until today; they've finally stopped inside this valley," the thin man said.

At a glance, Yuan Ming could tell that the man was just a commoner.

"Well done, here is your reward." Satisfied, Hu Zha nodded, pulled out a piece of broken silver weighing about three or four maces, and tossed it to the man.

The thin man quickly caught it, expressing enormous gratitude as if he wanted to kneel and kowtow.

Hu Zha paid him little heed, leading his subordinates and the big man, drawing their curved blades, and charging into the valley.

Yuan Ming hesitated slightly and did not follow them.

He sympathized with the Wild Men about to face their doom but had no way to change their fate.

His power was not yet sufficient to support that faint kindness towards saving others; even if he had the power, he could not rashly risk putting himself in danger by meddling in others' affairs.

Soon, cries of killing and wailing emerged from the valley.

Yuan Ming looked at the path-leading thin man, who seemed accustomed to such sounds of slaughtering and wailing, showing no emotion but forcing a crude smile when he noticed Yuan Ming's gaze.

If one did not know what he had done, they might consider him just an honest farmer from the Southern Border.

Moments later, Hu Zha and others returned to the valley entrance, now escorting about seven or eight figures.

Yuan Ming saw that they were all disheveled Wild Men, wearing handcuffs and shackles, covered in filth; the oldest was no more than forty, the youngest appeared not even ten.

"Damn it, this old guy tricked us, saying this group of Wild Men was about two hundred strong; there aren't even half that number here!" cried an outraged tattooed man from a distance.

Yuan Ming frowned. So few out of nearly a hundred?

The rest's fate, needless to say, was clear.

Yuan Ming glanced at the thin man, reflecting on how a few dozen lives were worth only three or four maces of silver.

"This certainly isn't enough, far too short of our target for this expedition," Hu Zha also said frowning.

"What happened?" Yuan Ming asked as they approached.

"The numbers aren't sufficient," Hu Zha stated.

"What numbers aren't sufficient?" Yuan Ming pressed on.

"The possible carriers of Spirit Roots are insufficient, so are the... the deaths," Hu Zha explained.

"How much more do we need?" Yuan Ming inquired.

"At least half. We must find another Wild Men group of approximately the same size; otherwise, we certainly won't meet our objectives," Hu Zha declared.

"Where will we find so many more?" Yuan Ming asked.

Hu Zha walked over to the thin man, grabbed the front of his robe, and lifted him up.

"The numbers in your report do not match what we found. Do you know of any other Wild Men groups around here?" Hu Zha fiercely demanded.

"Sir, there are no others... The only group discovered recently is this one," the thin man stammered, terrified and spiritless.

Hu Zha frowned deeply, pondering upon hearing this.

But after a short moment, his brow relaxed, and he smiled, "If I remember correctly, the village you live in is nearby. Tell me, how many households are there in total in your village? How many people?"

Upon hearing this, the thin man stiffened, and his complexion turned deathly pale.

After Hu Zha threw him down, he immediately knelt in front of Hu Zha, knocking his head on the ground like pounding garlic and pleading repeatedly, "Sir, please, no, no… I will find more for you, just give me a little time… Please, I beg you."

Hu Zha sneered coldly, his gaze fixed on him without any pity.

The other few Beast Slave Hall men surrounded the area, their faces full of mocking smiles, as if watching a stray dog.

The skinny man noticed that only Yuan Ming's face bore no smile, nor was he looking at him.

He struggled desperately, as if clinging to a lifeline, lunged toward Yuan Ming, grabbed his feet, and continued to knock his head and beg for mercy.

"Please, help me, I can definitely find another Wild Man; I just need one day… no, give me half a day, I beg you," he cried, tears and snot streaming down his face, utterly pitiable.

However, Yuan Ming's gaze fell on the Wild Men, and he did not spare the skinny man a glance.

Heaven and earth are heartless, treating all things as straw dogs.

In this cruel land of the Southern Border, who isn't just meat on the chopping board?

Soon, the wailing man was dragged back by the collar, a blood-stained curved knife pressing against his neck.

"Take us to your village, or I will chop you up and feed you to the dogs right now," Hu Zha threatened with a fierce smile.

The skinny man's courage had long been shattered, leaving only uncontrollable fear.

He felt the cold blade already slicing open the skin of his neck, and even his veins felt the chill. Death was but a hair's breadth away.

"I will lead, I will lead..."

A man who could betray the lives of others would eventually betray his own people.

Tears and snot mixed on his face, forming a messy mass, and his pants were already a complete mess.

"Can you spare my family?" he pleaded with the last shred of hope.

"We've always worked well together in the past; I can agree to that condition," Hu Zha said with a smile.

The skinny man's complexion turned ashen, devoid of the joy he had when receiving the money earlier.

"Junior Brother Yuan, you and the others wait here for us; I will take two men with me, and we will be back in at most two hours," Hu Zha instructed Yuan Ming.

The conversation along the way made him feel quite familiar with Yuan Ming, and he called him "Junior Brother Yuan" very naturally.

Yuan Ming nodded slightly, remaining silent.

Even if Hu Zha hadn't mentioned it, he would have found an excuse not to go along.

Hu Zha then called out and left with the tattooed man and another man with a scarred face, escorting the skinny man away.

Yuan Ming and the others, watching over the Wild Men, stayed where they were.

The remaining men gathered around Yuan Ming, trying to get close to him.

Their position in the Beast Slave Hall of Biluo Cave was always much lower than that of the other halls; almost all those who were not skilled in cultivation were assigned to the Beast Slave Hall.

After all, capturing Wild Men did not require high cultivation.

So, if they could get close to a disciple from another hall, especially an Inner Sect Disciple, the benefits would naturally be numerous.

"How long have you been doing this kind of work?" Yuan Ming asked casually.

The men began to answer all at once, some said three years, others said five years.

The eldest among them had been doing it for almost ten years.

"Do you know why we need to kill these Wild Men?" Yuan Ming asked.

The others fell silent, unclear on the specific reasons.

Only the eldest hesitated for a while and pointed towards the sky, saying, "It's ordered from above."

"From above… the elder? Or the Cave Master?" Yuan Ming frowned.

"We don't know that much; we just obey and act, it's been like this for many years," the man said.

Hearing this, Yuan Ming's gaze flickered slightly, his heart unsure what to feel.

His only memories of the Central Plains were of a bustling city, which, compared to these cultivators, seemed much more stable and beautiful.

And what he had seen and heard in the Southern Border were almost all human tragedies.

Yuan Ming simply wished to protect himself and steadily enhance his cultivation, hoping to one day return to the Central Plains.

Seeing Yuan Ming had lost interest in chatting, the others tactfully dispersed; some went to tease the Wild Men, others went out hunting, preparing to make some food upon returning.

Two or three men sat together, continuing to chat intermittently.

Suddenly, Yuan Ming heard one of them say, "Poor Haku this time, given the captain's temperament, he will surely kill his entire family, causing the whole village to suffer."

"Our mission is heavy this time; not just Haku's Miao Hua Village, I think the several villages near Qingao Mountain might also be wiped out. Probably won't hunt in this area for the next ten years," another replied.

Yuan Ming's mind boomed suddenly, and he turned and sharply asked, "What village did you just mention?"

The three conversing men were startled, looking at each other, momentarily unable to react.

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