Moao Calendar, Year 131, September 25th, nighttime.

At the entrance of Qinghe Village, a middle-aged man with a long spear, his demeanor steady, leads a hunting team of about ten people, dragging two huge prey seven to eight meters long, coming from outside the village.

It was nighttime, and not only were there patrolling personnel at the village entrance, but many people were coming in and out. The middle-aged man clearly had some reputation in Qinghe Village, as many greeted him as soon as he entered.

"Captain Zhang Qin, quite a haul today!"

"Hahaha, not bad, not bad!"

"Two Intermediate Cold Beasts in one night, your team is getting stronger!"

"Luck was on our side tonight, hahaha."

......

Zhang Qin chuckled as he responded to the crowd, slowly heading toward the village interior. Upon reaching the residential area, he turned to the team behind him and said, "Alright, bring these two beasts back, divide them up first, pay what needs to be paid, and just send me my share when you're done."

"The usual way, Captain's too kind!"

"Hahaha, of course, our Captain is known for being generous."

"Thank you, Captain."

"Thank you, Captain!"

......

The team members thanked him in unison before dispersing and leaving.

Only two team members remained, continuing with Zhang Qin towards the cluster of buildings on the village's west side. Many people still greeted Zhang Qin along the way, and he patiently responded with a smile.

Once the streets were finally empty, Zhang Qin immediately dispelled the smile from his face, a glint in his eye as he turned to look at the two team members behind him, who were about his age. He retrieved seven paper messages from his body, handing four of them to the two members and speaking softly, "Act separately, each of you take two families, and I'll handle the remaining three. Be cautious in your actions; there are many hidden sentries in the village. If discovered, everything will be for naught."

"Understood, sir!"

The two nodded solemnly, took the messages, and quickly scattered away.

Zhang Qin continued towards the corner of the village's west side, soon arriving beside an ordinary wooden house. The window of the house was slightly ajar; Zhang Qin remained vigilant, ensuring no one was watching, then subtly flicked his wrist, sending the paper message flying through the open window.

After delivering the message, he swiftly left the spot, clearly planning to find the next location.

Whoosh......

Inside the wooden house, behind the slightly open window, stood a young man in his late twenties, dressed in white. He seemed aware of the situation, catching the paper message mid-air before it hit the ground.

After catching the message, he walked further into the house.

The young man, familiar with the place, walked into a quiet room at the back, where six people sat by the fireplace: an elderly man appearing to be seventy or eighty years old; a hunchbacked elderly woman beside him; a man and two women, all looking slightly older than the young man, in their middle ages; lastly, a child around ten years old sat at the end, looking very frightened.

This lineup would immediately raise suspicions from Xu Ning if he saw it; the elderly couple with their son and daughter-in-law, plus a youngest generation of the eldest grandson, mirrored exactly how he infiltrated Lower River Village.

In a typical family, the elder would hold the highest status, but the actual situation was clearly different. As the young man entered, the elderly couple, the child, and the two women immediately stood up, except for the black-clad middle-aged man seated in the middle, who remained indifferent.

"Greetings, Commander Yang!"

"No need for formalities, sit down…"

The young man in white gestured for the five to sit, then walked to the side of the black-clad middle-aged man, opened the paper message, and respectfully handed it over.

The middle-aged man in black took the paper, his gaze suddenly sharpening as he read the contents, and he whispered, "It's time to act!"

[September 28, act after dawn, Qinghe Village chaos]

The young man in white had already seated himself beside the middle-aged man and quickly glanced at the paper message. Seeing the words, he furrowed his eyebrows slightly but seemed to understand quickly, a gleam in his eye as he addressed the middle-aged man:

"Commander, Jiangxia Town plans to create chaos in Qinghe Village to draw out the things from Dajue Temple, then seize the opportunity to send others to investigate Dajue Temple, right?"

The black-clad middle-aged man turned to look at the young man in white, a strong appreciation on his face as he nodded, "Just from a few words, you can see Jiangxia Town's plan. Yang Ning, being a commander under my command indeed understates your talent!"

If Xu Ning were here now, he would surely recognize the young man in white as none other than Yang Ning, the scout of Beishuo Town's Imperial Army who came to draw maps at Redwood Ridge eight years ago.

Eight years have passed, and the near-thirty-year-old Yang Ning had naturally shed much of his youthful demeanor, becoming more mature. Only the occasional flash of pride between his brows proved that he still held the superiority of being Beishuo-born in his heart.

"Commander, you're too kind!"

Upon hearing Commander Huang Lin's praise, Yang Ning modestly replied, then continued, "Jiangxia Town has been lurking in Qinghe Village for over a year, yet they haven't stepped through Dajue Temple's gate to this day. If it weren't for Bashang leaking the news last year-end, Beishuo might still be in the dark. Who would have thought such an astounding power would emerge along the North Bank of the Heng River!"

Recalling eight years ago, the sight of those rundown camps he observed while mapping the North Bank of the Heng River compared to the current scene of Qinghe Village still left even the composed Yang Ning shocked.

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