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

When everyone returned to Linjiawu, the fortress and its surroundings were filled with celebration once again.

On this day, the fleet of boats once again gathered on the shore of Yandang Lake.

Unlike last time, several agile figures appeared on the lake.

Eight crocodile-armored submarines swam around the fleet, occasionally surfacing to breathe. Their dark green scales gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the sunlight as they nimbly moved among the ships, like underwater barriers.

Lin Qiang, Lin Tie, Lin Yi, Sun Qian, and Zhou Wu each signed a contract for one animal. Considering that Tian Han would be responsible for the important task of patrolling the river in the future, he was specially asked to sign two animals, for a total of eight.

Lin Ye himself did not make any more contracts. He already had three Dao soldiers, two Rock Toad Guards, and one Mountain Patrol Craftsman.

The contract slots are full; no new members can be added unless a Dao soldier is annihilated.

Under Lin Qiang's command, the fleet slowly sailed away from the lake shore and went upstream along the main channel of the Wushui River.

With the Crocodile Armor Submarine Guard searching underwater, the efficiency was far greater than before.

Halfway there, a guard suddenly surfaced to warn them. Lin Qiang looked closely and saw a large, armored beaver gnawing on a tree trunk on the bank, hidden among the water plants ahead.

It was a third-rate monster that we missed last time.

"Don't make a move!" Lin Qiang raised his hand to stop everyone, and Tian Han commanded the two crocodile armored guards to go forward and probe.

The two submarine guards moved at the command, their backs slightly lowered, leaving only a pair of cold eyes locked on the target, and quickly approached in the water.

The copper-armored beaver seemed to sense something, and suddenly raised its head, its copper bell-like eyes scanning the water's surface, but saw nothing unusual, assuming it was just an ordinary swimming fish.

However, in the next instant, a dark shadow burst out of the water like an arrow. The left-hand guard opened its huge mouth full of fine teeth and accurately bit the beaver's hind leg, dragging it into the deep water amidst the surging stench.

The guards on the right flanked from the other side, their sharp claws leaving several bloody scratches on the beaver's back, forcing it to roar and struggle, but the heavy shell made it difficult to break free.

In just a few dozen breaths, the originally ferocious third-rate demon beast was completely suppressed by the two guards, and could only twist its body in vain, with no power to fight back.

Then, they suddenly exerted their strength, like whipping a giant whip, spinning the beaver's body at high speed in the air.

"Boom—Splash!" Water exploded, and the beaver's roar was torn into intermittent wails.

Its bronze armor creaked under the strain of the violent rotation, its muscles and bones were torn apart inch by inch by the centrifugal force, and blood mixed with foam spread around it.

After a few laps, the beaver's movements suddenly stiffened, its massive body was twisted into a broken mess, and then it was thrown into the water by the two guards, stirring up another wave of blood.

The Crocodile Armored Guards are more formidable than expected.

With everyone more confident about the upcoming encounter with the Azure Poisonous Python, Lin Qiang ordered the fleet to continue its journey.

The fleet slowly passed by Shitie Town. Lin Qiang looked into the distance and saw that some farmland outside the town had been reclaimed.

In the town, several plumes of black smoke rose slowly, indicating that a blacksmith's furnace was forging iron blocks.

Several fully loaded flatbed carts shuttled back and forth on the town road, their wheels creaking as they rolled over the dirt road. It seemed they were transporting iron ore. Iron mining had resumed, and the town's production was back on track.

During this time, Lin Tie remained in Shitie Town, leading craftsmen and townspeople to clear the ruins, rebuild houses, and restore workshops. Now the town is gradually regaining its vitality.

Lin Qiang recalled Lin Ye's instructions before he left.

This trip was solely for the purpose of clearing the waterway and avoiding unnecessary casualties, so officials from various regions were not sent along. They will all take up their posts once the waterway is cleared.

The Liu family, who had been wiped out in Shitie Town, served as a warning to others. Seeing this fate, most of the gentry in other towns restrained their ambitions and dared not make any further moves.

When the steward takes office in the future, he only needs to bring some ordinary guards. There is no need to trouble the guard team to escort him in a big way. Otherwise, there are so many towns, the guard team will not be able to handle it.

The fleet slowly sailed past Shitie Town. After passing Shitie Town, everyone became vigilant, their eyes fixed on the banks and the water. The lair of the Azure Poisonous Python was not far ahead.

The fleet slowly entered the bend in the waterway, and a faint, sweet, fishy smell permeated the air; the lair of the Azure Poisonous Python was approaching.

Suddenly, with a loud "splash," a huge bluish-black shadow burst out of the water, causing the river to churn.

The Azure Poisonous Python was nearly three zhang long, its scales shimmering with a ghostly green and dark purple hue in the dim light. Its golden-brown vertical pupils were fixed on the fleet, clearly regarding them as intruders.

"Prepare for battle!" Lin Qiang shouted.

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, eight crocodile-armored guards surged up from different directions, instantly closing in on the frost python.

The Azure Poisonous Python showed no weakness, suddenly opening its mouth and spitting out a thick, emerald-green venom, which rained down all around.

However, the crocodile armor was densely packed with scales, and the venom would slide off upon contact, failing to hinder their attack in the slightest.

With poison attacks proving ineffective, the frost python was forced into close-quarters combat.

Its massive jaws snapped shut on an approaching guard, its sharp teeth embedding into the gaps in its scales, producing a screeching sound like metal scraping.

Its tail swept across like a steel whip, directly flinging the two guards away.

Its massive body swept over the fourth guard, gripping it tightly with such force that it nearly crushed it.

The remaining four guards did not retreat, but instead took the opportunity to get close to the frost python.

They evaded the venomous fangs and tail strikes, attacking from the side and below simultaneously, opening their large mouths filled with fine, sharp teeth, and biting down hard on the anaconda's flesh.

Immediately afterwards, the four guards exerted their strength in unison, suddenly rotating the part they were biting—the death spin was staged once again.

Large chunks of the python's flesh were forcibly torn off, and its emerald green blood gushed out like a spring, quickly staining a large section of the riverbed red.

The guards relentlessly shifted positions, biting and spinning, each attack taking away a piece of flesh. The python's struggles gradually weakened, its movements slowed, and its golden-brown pupils began to dilate.

Before long, the enormous body of the anaconda slowly floated up from the water, its head and neck no longer visible.

The eight guards worked together to bite off its head.

Although the enemy was defeated, a price was paid.

The scales on the two guards were shattered, and one of them had a deep wound that exposed bone and was oozing blood, clearly indicating that it had been severely injured by the fangs of the frost python during the fierce battle.

The other one had multiple fractures, likely caused by being squeezed and constricted by the python. Had the python not been bitten and released prematurely, it might have died from the compression.

The river surface was a deep crimson, and blood slowly spread along the current.

The eight crocodile-armored guards joined forces and quickly killed the second-rate monster that had previously baffled everyone. Although two of them were injured, it was still quite a shock.

The guards, especially the third-rate captains, thought back to how they had only received some spiritual plant rewards before. Compared to Zhou Wu's glorious appearance, the gap between them was like a chasm.

Seeing the Crocodile Armored Guards' combat prowess firsthand, a fire suddenly ignited within me.

The desire to make a name for oneself was no longer just a vague thought, but had transformed into an urgent drive. The river had to be cleared, the territory had to be expanded, and the monsters had to be eliminated. One could make a name for oneself anywhere, but one could no longer afford to fall behind.

Early meritorious service will earn better rewards, grant you Dao soldiers, and lead to a higher status.

For a moment, everyone was filled with excitement.

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