With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

Two full days have passed since the report was submitted to the county magistrate. During these two days, the magistrate not only personally went to Linjiawu, but also carefully confirmed the news.

Although he couldn't see the nest itself directly, Lin Ye gently urged it with his mind, and the nest's unique patterns appeared on his arm. The patterns shimmered faintly in the sunlight, and were very clear. Only then did the magistrate completely believe it.

The magistrate also brought more reassuring news.

The reply from the prefectural government has arrived. In eight days, the officials sent by the prefecture to bestow the fiefdom will arrive in Xiang County. At that time, the matter of the Lin family's fiefdom will be settled.

However, Lin Tie's message from the county town said that as soon as the magistrate returned to the town, rumors spread like wildfire, as if a stone had been thrown into the ground.

It was said that the Lin family had made a contract with the Daoist soldiers' lair. This news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the city in less than half a day. Some were skeptical, some had their eyes light up, and others secretly inquired, wanting to find out the truth.

That day, Lin Ye stood on the high wall of the fortified village, facing the refreshing breeze, and saw several figures pacing back and forth not far outside the fort, occasionally glancing towards the fort gate.

He immediately recognized that this was someone who had heard rumors and came to inquire about the news.

He had anticipated this situation, since once word got out about the lair, it would be almost impossible to keep it completely hidden.

Even some of his own clansmen now look at him with undisguised joy, mixed with a bit of curiosity and inquiry, but out of courtesy, no one has asked him directly yet.

Many people, including my mother and Uncle Lin Qiang, have also been subtly inquiring about the matter.

It was clear that the truth could no longer be concealed, but fortunately, the officials from the prefectural government were arriving soon. If they could hold out for a few more days, they could suppress the matter with official information.

Lin Ye climbed down from the wall and returned steadily to the training ground, picking up the familiar wooden spear to continue practicing.

After practicing for a while, Lin Yi, who was supposed to be on duty on the city wall, rushed over with obvious anxiety on his face.

"Young Master, the heads of the five major families have arrived and are right outside the fortified village gate. Uncle Qiang told me to come and call you quickly; he's waiting for you on the city wall to make your decision."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye immediately put down the wooden spear, replaced it with a heavier and more substantial iron spear, and hurried towards the gate with Lin Yi.

His heart beat a little faster. The arrival of the heads of the five major families was definitely not just a simple visit.

Standing on the high city wall, he looked down and saw the five family heads lined up in a row, their expressions solemn.

Lin Ye asked loudly, "Esteemed family heads, what urgent matter brings you to the fortress gates without prior notice?"

Standing at the front, Zhang Yuan looked up at him, his tone polite but carrying an undeniable seriousness: "Young Master Lin, we have something important to discuss with you."

"Could we go in and talk? It's crowded and noisy here. We promise we won't bring any guards; we'll just go in ourselves. Is that alright?"

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand behind him, and the guards from each household immediately retreated to a place far away from the gate, showing great sincerity.

Lin Ye surveyed the situation, nodded slightly, and ordered someone to open the heavy fortress gate.

The five family heads filed in, their steps steady, their expressions a mixture of anticipation and barely concealed nervousness.

In the hall, before Lin Ye could even sit down, Chen Wen, the head of the Chen family, couldn't contain himself and asked urgently, "Has the Lin family really contracted with the Dao Soldier's Nest? It's all over the place, we have to come and find out the truth."

Zhang Yuan also cupped his hands in a sincere gesture: "Young Master, we really have no ill intentions. It's just that this matter is too important, concerning the stability of the entire Xiang County, and we must find out the truth."

We are already inside the fortress, so you don't need to worry about us doing anything detrimental to the Lin family. Please tell us the truth.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of Lin Ye's fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of the chair, each tap feeling like a blow to everyone's heart.

"Alright." Lin Ye took a deep breath, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present, his tone steady yet weighty, "The Lin family has indeed contracted a Dao Soldier's Nest."

"I knew it!" "Heaven has eyes!" The five family heads stood up almost at the same time, their joy as overflowing like a flood breaking through a dam.

"Young Master Lin, we have received another very important message." Zhang Yuan's emotions had calmed down slightly, but his voice remained serious.

"What news?" Lin Ye was slightly taken aback.

"You should know about Lone Wolf Village, which is located on the border of Yun County and Xiang County, right? They are likely to make a move against Linjiawu soon."

"What? How did you know?" Lin Ye stood up abruptly, her eyes fixed on Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan sighed and spoke slowly.

"Since six years ago, when Lone Wolf led his men to attack the county town but failed, he then established Lone Wolf Village, which has been a malignant tumor in Xiang County and a major concern for our county."

Our five families and the county magistrate have joined forces to suppress them several times, but with little success.

To monitor their movements, we've planted spies in the village. Yesterday, one of our spies reported that Lone Wolf has decided to attack Linjiawu.

"We have no grudge against him, and he can't possibly take away our lair. What's the point of doing this?" Lin Ye frowned.

"Six years ago, the Northern Xiongnu were driven back by the imperial court, and the Lone Wolf suddenly appeared."

He claimed to have been a third-rate martial artist, only breaking through to the second-rate level after a fierce battle with the Northern Xiongnu, hence his obscurity and lack of recognition. But we've always suspected he's actually from the Northern Xiongnu.

Zhang Yuan looked directly into Lin Ye's eyes, his tone calm and resolute.

Two days ago, Lone Wolf received a rumor that the Lin family might have a nest, and that night he released a communication courier—the Shadow Swallow.

This is a familiar type of messenger used by the Northern Xiongnu, and our informants clearly saw that the message swallow was flying towards Gongchang Prefecture.

"We speculate that he will join forces with the bandits in Gongchang Prefecture."

Those bandits were most likely secretly supported by the Northern Xiongnu, who had been creating chaos in the vicinity to pave the way for a future invasion by the Northern Xiongnu army.

Now that the Lin family has a stronghold, and Xiang County is about to settle down, they will never be content with that.

Therefore, they are likely to take advantage of the situation before the officials and experts appointed by the prefectural government arrive, preemptively destroying the stronghold and plunging Xiang County back into chaos.

After listening, Lin Ye slowly sat back down in his chair, his brows furrowed, his fingers unconsciously stroking the armrests as his mind raced, calculating all the possibilities. This was not just a family crisis; it could potentially affect the fate of the entire Xiang County.

"So, you all came here today not just to tell us this news, right?" He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the five people one by one.

The five people were silent for a moment, looked at each other, and then nodded in unison.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuan took a deep breath and solemnly said, "Our five families wish to become vassals of the Lin family, just like the Tian family. Please give us this opportunity and take us in, young master."

He stared at Lin Ye's expression, and before Lin Ye could answer, he continued.

"If you find it difficult, you can choose not to decide now. But whether you agree or not, we will send someone back to the county town today, and the five of us will stay in Linjiawu."

At the same time, have the warriors from the five families deploy outside the fortress, establish a defensive line around it, and guard it together, waiting for the bandits from Lone Wolf Village and Gongchang Prefecture to attack. We have only one request.

If we defeat them, we hope that young master will take us in and make us vassals of the Lin family.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Yuan bowed down without hesitation, his forehead almost touching the ground. The other four family heads also knelt down in unison, facing Lin Ye, their expressions resolute yet earnest.

Lin Ye looked at the scene before him and felt as if he had been hit hard by something, unable to calm down for a long time.

He originally thought they were the kind of "fish in the net" among the leaders who wanted to take advantage of the situation and would come to seize the nest and fight for power.

Unexpectedly, they used their own lives and the entire clan's warriors as bargaining chips, volunteering to go outside and face the perilous defense line.

All for the sake of fighting for a chance to ensure the continuation of the family line and to restore stability to Xiang County.

He suddenly realized that he had been looking at these people with the perspective of his past life, thinking that they only cared about immediate interests.

Who would have thought that they were only after an opportunity for their family's development and for Xiang County to continue to live in peace?

Yes, after all, they used to have a stronghold in Xiang County, which was far from the front lines, and they grew up in a peaceful environment.

Over the past six years, although they have become one of the five major families in the county through sheer luck, they have also lived in constant fear, afraid of monsters attacking the city and bandits attacking it.

What they desire most is still the same as before: a stronghold in Xiang County to suppress them, allowing them to live peaceful and stable lives. Although their family status may decline, they no longer need to worry about the family's downfall or their lives being constantly threatened.

So when they heard that the Lin family had a nest, their first thought was to protect the nest so that they could return to the life they had longed for six years ago.

The lair is not only the power to bring the family to prominence, but also their only hope of returning to the state they were in six years ago.

Xiangxian, with its nest-like towns, is the warmest and safest home in their memories.