By the riverbank.

Beside Bai Pu followed a group of natives.

The one leading them was none other than the former second-in-command of the Red Lotus Society, Bai Pu's new slave... Zhang Gu!

At that time, Bai Pu had destroyed the hideout of the Red Lotus Society but left Zhang Gu. Later, when Zhang Gu met the leader of the Red Lotus Society, he naturally faced a round of questioning.

The advantage of Bai Pu retaining Zhang Gu's complete cognitive ability was evident here. Zhang Gu told a lie and easily managed to bluff his way through, even earning secret healing medicine from the leader of the Red Lotus Society.

Following Zhang Gu, of course, were members of the Red Lotus Society. It's important to note that these members were carefully selected by Zhang Gu, and they had never seen Bai Pu.

"This stretch of water is where those beasts frequently appear?"

After confirming once more with a petty member of the Red Lotus Society, Bai Pu instructed through Zhang Gu to have these members search along the river, focusing on finding skeletal remains of large animals (including humans).

According to Bai Pu's knowledge, Jiang Tuo are actually crocodiles. These cold-blooded reptiles usually live in shallow water areas, such as riverbank swamps and muddy grounds. They only venture into deeper waters when there's no prey in the shallows.

"Let me repeat, I will deal with those beasts; you don't need to attack!" Bai Pu emphasized again to the members through Zhang Gu.

Actually, there was no need to emphasize; these members were mostly weak templates, and who would dare to take action against Jiang Tuo, known for their fierce reputation, attacking even merchant ships and warships?

The reason Bai Pu kept reiterating was due to the Spirit Realm Will's prompt messages. For this transition mission, Bai Pu must complete the combat phase independently to gain Daoist Xiuqing's approval!

This was well understood; Daoist Xiuqing originally doubted Bai Pu's combat power and was therefore reluctant to teach Alchemy.

If Bai Pu hired a group of experts to kill Jiang Tuo for him, what would be the point of Daoist Xiuqing's test?

Another reason was that native participation in attacks would significantly reduce the combat evaluation, and the probability of getting a spoils treasure chest would also be greatly lowered!

Only during the trial tasks, native attacks would not affect the combat evaluation. This was a privilege of the Spirit Realm Will, as trial takers have not yet successfully awakened during the trial tasks.

It's important to note that Zhang Gu, as Bai Pu's slave, is similar to a summoner's "summoned beast" and can participate in the battle without affecting the mission.

In the Spirit Realm Will's judgment, Zhang Gu is considered part of Bai Pu's strength.

With so many members of the Red Lotus Society, the exploration efficiency significantly improved. It didn't take long for them to find a nesting site where Jiang Tuo fed and resided, right by a wetland on the riverbank.

This place resembled a swamp, covered with mud deep enough to sink a thigh, which was exposed riverbed during the dry season of the Yangtze River!

Now it was mid-winter, but in the summer, this should be a part of the vast Yangtze River.

Bai Pu had two wooden lids tied to his feet to distribute his weight as he stepped into the center of the wetland.

He squatted down, observing a relatively large pile of skeletal remains. He picked up one bone to study its breakage and freshness.

"Let's go," Bai Pu said, turning around.

Zhang Gu faithfully executed Bai Pu's commands, but possessing independent awareness and thinking capability, he asked, "Isn't the master planning to deal with Jiang Tuo? Why leave after finding the nesting site?"

"You've seen the environment here." Bai Pu struggled to lift his foot, explaining that while the wooden lids helped distribute weight, they also increased friction and adhered to the mud, and each step consumed physical effort.

"This is Jiang Tuo's home ground; fighting them here would be suicidal!"

Bai Pu's gaze was profound, "We must find a suitable terrain nearby... If we can't find one, then we will create one!"

...

Less than a kilometer from the Jiang Tuo nesting site, the ground gradually felt firmer. There was a "concave" shaped slope here that could block the cold wind.

"This is the place," Bai Pu gestured, "Get your men to dig up the ground and bury the items we brought!"

The items Bai Pu brought were simple, consisting of a large quantity of finely crushed coal slag!

After digging up an area about ten zhang in diameter, Bai Pu instructed them to ignite the coal slag, evenly spreading it in a thick layer.

The air temperature slowly rose around, bringing warmth even in the winter.

Next, the ground was covered to bury the burnt-out coal slag. This was like lighting a layer of underfloor heating, creating a small warm chamber with human effort.

In the Three Kingdoms period, there were greenhouses, and during the Qin and Han dynasties, there were fire walls and rooms smeared with pepper mud, known as "pepper rooms," to keep warm and ward off evil spirits.

Of course, without shelter, this place couldn't compare to a real greenhouse, and the heat in the ground layers would dissipate soon enough.

Bai Pu then had live pigs and sheep brought and slaughtered on the spot, with blood pouring and steam rising.

"Jiang Tuo prefer warmth and fear cold. I've created this warm temporary place and provided ample food for Jiang Tuo; those beasts will surely follow the scent of blood!"

Bai Pu slowly explained to his slave Zhang Gu. This was also one downside of option two; a slave with independent awareness and thinking capacity required unified understanding for him to wholeheartedly serve and unleash maximum potential.

"This place will be Jiang Tuo's burial ground!"

As if to punctuate Bai Pu's words, two members staggered towards them, suppressing their voices to shout, "They're coming!"

"Have the members leave as planned and take up ambush positions."

Bai Pu glanced at the members Zhang Gu brought. A ruthless option would be to kill them all, not only gaining experience and treasure chests but also increasing Bai Pu's reputation value with the Wu County Lu Clan.

However, with a battle looming, it wasn't worth the effort. More importantly, these members were still useful!

Soon, a two-meter-long crocodile crawled over, seemingly slow but actually quick.

Its tail flicked when it entered the warm area, displaying some excitement, and even its crawling speed quickened.

Sniffing the blood-soaked pigs and sheep, the crocodile opened its jaws wide, tearing and devouring without hesitation!

After eating for a while, the crocodile seemed satisfied, swaying its head as it crawled away.

Zhang Gu nervously glanced at Bai Pu.

Bai Pu shook his head lightly.

This crocodile was obviously a scout. Abandoning this nearly perfect feeding and resting place had only one explanation—

Returning to rally its kin, especially its mother—the Giant Tuo—for a feast!

Indeed, shortly after the first crocodile left, other crocodiles began gathering at this paradise, over a dozen in total!

The smaller ones were one to two meters long, and the larger ones exceeded three meters, visibly larger than real crocodiles!

Bai Pu observed calmly, frowning as none of the crocodiles present were particularly large.

This indicated that the Giant Tuo had yet to appear and that this group was its offspring!

After patiently waiting for a stick of incense worth of time.

Bzz, bzz, bzz.

Vibrations emanated from the ground as a massive crocodile parted the reeds, slowly making its way into the field.

This giant crocodile had layers of wrinkles, appearing much more obese than the other crocodiles. It measured five meters in length, with limbs as thick as short, stout pillars!

Especially its vertical pupils shone with a blood-red gleam, evoking thoughts of an evil serpent.

Clearly, this was the Giant Tuo that Bai Pu's mission required him to kill! It had evidently gained some intelligence, first letting its family members—its offspring—explore, confirming no traps nor poison in the food, before making its grand entrance!

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