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

Thinking of this, Lin Ye could no longer lie still. He suddenly sat up in bed and paced back and forth in the room.

Do you want this nest?

I want to, I really want to.

Although they have their own family nests and can contract two Dao soldier nests for each grade, no one would complain about having too many nests.

Moreover, the conditions for him to manifest a second-rate nest are now very demanding.

The family needs three second-rate martial artists, and he himself must defeat five second-rate Dao soldiers.

Given the current strength of the family and my progress in challenging the third-rate gargoyles, I wonder when I will be satisfied.

But how can I get it? There are many questions.

The first problem is that the location is unknown.

Just like the Northern Xiongnu spies this time, he had no idea where the lair was.

Although the Dao soldiers that are bred in the nest will move within a hundred meters of the nest, and finding the Dao soldiers will allow you to locate the nest, they will not go far away, since they are not foraging for food and will not run far.

Moreover, their nests are born in the wilderness, making them even less likely to be encountered by humans.

Gongchang Prefecture is vast, comparable to two or three prefecture-level cities in my previous life. To search within such a large area is like finding a needle in a haystack.

The second question is, is the Lin family powerful enough right now?

It was absolutely impossible for a large force to enter Gongchang Prefecture. The Qingyuan Sword Sect members in the fortified village couldn't be kept in the dark, let alone outside eyes.

The Qingyuan Sword Sect cannot steal a contracted nest, but an unclaimed nest will not follow the rules.

If a small elite force is sent, the Lin family can currently muster less than ten third-rate martial artists and a few third-rate Dao soldiers, which is far from enough to conquer a second-rate lair.

There are only two paths now.

One option is to conceal it for now, waiting until the Lin family has sufficient power before sending people to search for and conquer it. However, during this time, the lair is very likely to be discovered by others.

Secondly, he could report to the imperial court or a sword sect in exchange for benefits. But Lin Ye was unwilling—why should he hand over the opportunity he had gained? He was unwilling to give it up even to a sword sect.

Lin Ye stayed up all night, pondering the matter repeatedly in her room until the sky outside the window began to lighten, before dragging her tired body back to bed.

In the end, he made up his mind to keep it a secret for now.

Once I successfully challenge the gargoyle and reveal its third-rate lair, I will try to place it in Gongchang Prefecture. Only by establishing territory there can I search for it slowly and discreetly.

If the nest is discovered by others during this period, then it can only be said that the Lin family is not destined to have it.

In short, he doesn't want to report it now.

Perhaps in the future, if something happens, I might report it to the Sword Sect and get their help, but that's a matter for the future.

Now, I still want to give this opportunity a shot.

To prevent the information from leaking, Lin Ye ordered Sun Qian to execute the two bandits, but took no further action. Although he also wanted Sun Qian to send someone to Gongchang Prefecture to gather intelligence, he ultimately did not give the order in order to reduce the risk of trouble.

Time flows like water, neither fast nor slow, and a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Lin Ye, along with Li Shi, Lin Qiang, Lin Yi, and other core members of the Lin family, arrived at a small courtyard next to the fortified village.

This courtyard was originally Lin Ye's former residence. It was renovated after he placed his nest under his bed and was granted the title of lord.

A high wall was built around the perimeter, all nearby houses were moved out, clearing out an open space where no one could approach. Furthermore, the true disciples and inner disciples of the sword sect were stationed there year-round, making the area heavily guarded.

As the group entered the house, they saw a hole about half a person's height in the ground.

The winding tunnel extends underground, with tiny holes densely packed on both sides—this is the nest of the productive road soldiers, the "Rotten Soil Ants."

Above the cave entrance, a phantom round egg floated silently, its body shimmering with a faint light. It was the first Dao Soldier embryo that had been born from the nest.

"It's done!" Lin Qiang couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice. Li Shi's eyes also showed joy, and even the usually calm Lin Yi held his breath.

Lin Ye stared at the illusory egg, communicating with the nest in his mind. The illusory nature of the egg gradually faded, solidifying into a physical egg, which landed on the ground with a "thud".

He picked up the egg and handed it to Lin Yi, who was standing next to him.

The family had previously discussed that Lin Ye had reached the upper limit of the third-rate Dao soldier contract and could not sign another one.

The spiritual plants are managed by the Li family, and it would have been appropriate for her to be the one to contract them, but she has not yet broken through to the third-rate martial artist level and is unable to control a third-rate Dao soldier.

After much deliberation, this important task fell on Lin Yi's shoulders.

He is currently in charge of the construction of the new county town, which is close to the fortified village, making it convenient to dispatch Taoist soldiers to assist in the planting of spiritual plants. Moreover, he is also a third-rate martial artist, which makes it a good opportunity to form a contract.

Lin Yi took the egg with trembling hands, took a deep breath, pricked his fingertip, and a drop of blood fell onto the eggshell.

The egg slowly rose into the air and shattered with a "crack".

In a soft light, a Taoist soldier resembling an ant appeared, growing larger with the wind, and in an instant transformed into a colossal creature half the height of a person.

Its entire body is covered with a hard, dark brown to black carapace, the surface of which is covered with fine, scale-like patterns, each scale having a dull metallic luster, like the cold, hard texture polished from years of digging in the soil.

The edges of the carapace are slightly upturned, and there are light yellow natural patterns at the joints, like the sedimentary marks of tree rings.

Its head is broad and slightly flattened trapezoidal, with prominent compound eyes composed of dozens of small, dark red, hexagonal eyes, which can detect subtle movements in dim environments.

The antennae are thick and long, segmented, with the first segment being robust and the last segment being slender and curved, trembling slightly from time to time, as if sensing the vibrations of the air and the ground.

Its mouthparts are strong, with thick, curved upper jaws that gleam with a cold light, making it easy to see that it can easily crush rocks, soil, or tough roots.

It has six legs. The forelegs are thicker than the middle and hind legs, with the front end shaped like a shovel, suitable for digging and pushing. There are obvious wear marks at the joints of the carapace. The middle and hind legs are long and powerful, with muscle lines faintly visible under the carapace, and the hind legs are particularly well-developed.

The crowd gathered around the newly born rotting soil ant servant, their faces filled with joy. This was the first Dao soldier that the Lin family had conceived on its own, making it of extraordinary significance.

Everyone looked at it from left to right, marveling at it and praising it incessantly.

Some say its carapace patterns resemble fine armor, others say its compound eyes are piercing, and still others solemnly declare, "This is the most beautiful Taoist soldier I've ever seen!"

Lin Ye's lips twitched as she listened, but she didn't interrupt, only suppressing her laughter as she waited for them to finish praising her.

"Alright," he gestured, "let's go to the spirit plant field and see how the humus ant servants take care of the spirit plants and increase yields."

Lin Yi nodded, and led his rotting soil ant servants out of the courtyard, heading towards the spirit plant field outside the fortress.

Along the way, tribespeople kept seeing them from afar, stopping in their tracks with joy and curiosity in their eyes, and following the group forward.

Hearing that it was going to the Spirit Plant Garden to demonstrate its cultivation, everyone rushed to follow along, afraid of missing this novel experience.

The procession grew longer and longer, and after leaving the fortified village, even many outsiders stopped to watch. Seeing its peculiar appearance yet imposing presence, they followed the crowd forward.

Lin Ye did not have anyone drive them away; instead, he secretly observed everyone's reactions.

It's good to let outsiders see it; it's a good opportunity to promote our Taoist army.

One ant servant can be conceived in a month. The family's own spiritual plant fields don't need that many. Sooner or later, they will have to trade with other territories or even the imperial court.

First, establish a reputation so that everyone knows that the Lin family's Dao weapons are both practical and rare, which will naturally fetch a better price in future transactions.

Under the sunlight, the rotting soil ants moved steadily, their carapaces gleaming with a cold, hard luster. Their six legs pounded the ground silently, drawing more and more curious and amazed gazes as they slowly walked towards the spiritual plant field.