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

Li Liang kicked the corpse of a bandit at his feet, becoming increasingly angry as he thought about it, and spat out a curse.

"Cut off the heads of those three leaders and put them in bags. Once we get to the county town, see if there's a bounty on their heads; maybe we can exchange them for some money. As for the rest of the trash, just drag them far away and throw them away; let the monsters eat them clean."

Lin Ye squatted down beside him, his fingertips brushing against the bloodstains on the ground. He looked up and said, "Senior brother, shouldn't we send someone back to the sect to report the news and explain what happened here?"

The Northern Xiongnu are pulling strings behind the scenes, supporting bandits to disrupt Gongchang Prefecture. If the imperial court and the imperial clans are unaware, these bandits will surely cause even bigger trouble the next time they invade.

Li Liang stared at the distant remains of the Wilderness Wolf Shield, his brows furrowed, and after a long while he said, "Junior Brother has thought things through thoroughly."

He turned around and called over an outer disciple who was following him, whispered a few words of instruction, and then handed the disciple a sect token.

"Ride back at daybreak and report this matter to the Hall of Affairs in detail. Tell them that the Northern Xiongnu may have intervened, and that the sect should prepare accordingly."

The disciple gripped the token tightly, gave a heavy "Yes," and went to prepare the horses. Li Liang then turned back and patted Lin Ye on the shoulder: "Let's go, let's deal with the leaders' heads first. We need to make things difficult for the Northern Xiongnu."

Lin Ye tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep well. At dawn, he was even mocked by Li Liang.

A few days later, the convoy arrived at the city of Gongchang. The guards at the city gate were fully armored and armed, and they conducted a very strict inspection.

Li Liang looked into the distance and whispered, "This place is not safe to stay for long. Just send someone in with those three heads to collect the reward."

He immediately selected an outer disciple and ordered him to bring the heads of the three bandit leaders into the city. The disciple received the reward money and then divided it equally among the other disciples.

It was just some loose change, better than nothing, so no one paid much attention to it.

On the way, the disciple who had been sent to the sect to report the news returned. He said that the sect elder had learned that the Northern Xiongnu might be involved in the bandit affairs, and only replied with a faint "I know" before saying nothing more.

Lin Ye listened but didn't say much, only thinking that the sect might have its own considerations.

After that, the journey was uneventful, and the convoy slowly drove away from Gongchang Prefecture and into Qingyang Prefecture.

Upon entering Qingyang Prefecture, everyone immediately sensed the difference. Although it was still not as prosperous as Xining Prefecture, where the Sword Sect was located, there were already scattered villages along the roadside.

The crops on the field ridges are growing vigorously, and wisps of smoke rise from the village, no longer the desolate and lifeless place of Gongchang Prefecture, but exuding a vibrant human atmosphere.

Li Liang pointed out the window, his tone tinged with pride: "Our Qingyang Prefecture is still the best!"

Although it can't compare to Xining Prefecture, which has a first-class sect's lair to suppress the monsters, and has more monsters, our Wang family in the prefecture city has a second-class lair called "Mountain-Splitting Rhinoceros," whose aftershocks alone can suppress a large number of monsters, making it much stronger than Gongchang Prefecture.

Even in your Xiang County, although there's no lair there, it's not far from a second-rate lair, so the monsters don't dare to run rampant, and life is generally more peaceful.

As Lin Ye gazed at the gradually denser villages outside the car window and listened to Li Liang's words, the tension in his heart eased somewhat.

The closer you get to home, the stronger that familiar, homey feeling becomes; even the wind seems to carry the warmth of your homeland.

On this day, the caravan finally arrived at the city of Qingyang Prefecture.

The group discussed bypassing the prefectural city and stopping in Jing County for a rest. After passing Jing County, they would travel for two more days to reach Yun County, and then further on, they would reach Xiang County, Lin Ye's hometown.

As we approached home, the atmosphere in the train carriage became much more relaxed.

Li Liang suddenly spoke, his tone tinged with reluctance: "Junior brother, we have to part ways here."

He scratched his head, his ear tips turning red. "I have to go to the prefectural city first—I received a letter from home saying that I've been appointed as an outer sect steward, and they've arranged a marriage for me with the eldest daughter of a family in the prefectural city. I should go and meet her while I'm passing through."

He smiled sheepishly again: "I still need to buy some things. When I get back to Yun County, I have to take care of the new town, there's a lot to do. So I won't accompany you any further, junior brother."

He paused, his smile fading, and then bowed respectfully: "Once you've settled down in Xiang County, please be sure to come find me in Yun County. If you ever need my help, just say the word."

Before Lin Ye could reply, Li Liang had already turned around, jumped off the carriage, mounted his horse, and waved to him: "Junior brother, take care!" The sound of hooves faded into the distance and soon disappeared from sight.

Lin Ye watched Li Liang's disappearing figure, then looked back at the caravan—originally six carriages, now only three remained. He took a deep breath and patted the side of the carriage: "Let's continue on our way and try to get home as soon as possible."

The convoy moved slowly forward. When they passed Jing County, the guards at the city gate lazily raised their eyelids, far less imposing than those in Gongchang Prefecture. Further ahead was Yun County, and beyond Yun County was Xiang County.

As soon as I entered Xiang County, the scenery before me gradually overlapped with my childhood memories...

But upon closer inspection, a sense of desolation pervades the landscape: large tracts of land lie abandoned on the ridges of the fields, villages along the river are sparsely scattered, there is far less smoke from chimneys than I remember, and even the leaves on the trees by the roadside are gray and lifeless, lacking the vibrancy of previous years.

"It's not quite the same as when I was little," Lin Ye said softly.

Tian Han sighed: "Five years ago, the Northern Xiongnu attacked and broke through the lair in Xiang County, and the monsters were no longer restrained. They often came down the mountain to eat people, and at night the howling of the monsters could be heard for ten miles."

Humans naturally love their homes, but Xiaozhuangzi couldn't hold on. Some families moved to neighboring counties, some went to stay with relatives, and those who stayed were just trying to get by.

"Now that we're home, Tian Han, you should all go home and visit your families. Don't follow me anymore. Once you're settled in and have figured out the changes in Xiang County over the past few years, come find me in Linjiawu, and we'll discuss our next steps."

Lin Ye turned to Tian Han and the other two outer disciples and said.

Tian Han scratched his head, somewhat hesitantly, "How about we escort you back first, and then go check on our own home?"

"No need," Lin Ye smiled. "This place is not like Gongchang Prefecture; it's not that dangerous. Besides, I am a deacon of the Sword Sect, and I have Dao soldiers with me, so I'll be fine."

"You three have been away from home for so long, you must be missing home a lot. Go back and reunite with your family soon."

Tian Han and the other two looked at each other, finally nodded in agreement, cupped their hands in farewell, and each rode their horses in different directions.

Lin Ye watched them leave before leading the remaining three carriages toward the Lin Family Village he remembered.

After traveling another ten miles or so, the familiar hills and field ridges gradually increased, and the fields along the roadside became denser.

Among the fields, several farmers who were working in the fields saw three horse-drawn carriages slowly approaching. They stopped what they were doing and looked at them with curiosity and vigilance.

Although these vehicles were not luxurious, they exuded an air of otherworldly grandeur, unlike the farm vehicles commonly seen in the area.

Lin Ye sat on the edge of the car, his gaze sweeping over those familiar yet unfamiliar faces, a warm and bittersweet feeling welling up inside him.

The closer he got to home, the clearer the outlines in his memory became, yet the scene before him reminded him of the changes his hometown had undergone in the past five years. He sighed softly and urged the carriage to continue forward.

Just as the convoy rounded a bend in the mountain, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from the dirt road ahead.

Five swift horses galloped in, raising dust. The man in the lead was about forty years old, wearing a coarse cloth headscarf and short, tight-fitting clothes, his temples already streaked with white. Behind him followed four young men in their teens, each with agile figures and carrying machetes or short sticks at their waists.

The older man reined in his horse, stopping in front of the caravan, and stared at Lin Ye: "May I ask who you are? What brings you to Linjiawu?"

Upon hearing the voice, Lin Ye jumped off the carriage. Looking at the white hair at the other man's temples, her heart warmed, and her eyes welled up with tears: "Second Uncle! It's me, Lin Ye. Don't you recognize me?"

"It's the young master!" Lin Qiang's eyes widened suddenly as he looked Lin Ye up and down, his voice trembling.

"Young Master, it really is you! We've been waiting for you so long! We received your letter two months ago, and the whole clan has been waiting for you! Especially my sister-in-law, she goes to the gate of the fortress every day to look out, sometimes she doesn't even go back inside after dark..."

As Lin Qiang spoke, he grabbed Lin Ye's arm: "Quick! Let's go back right now! Lin Hu—"

He turned and yelled at a burly-looking young man behind him, "You ride back and report that the young master has arrived! Tell everyone to come out and greet him!"

"Yes!" The burly-faced young man was Lin Hu. Upon hearing this, he mounted his horse and spurred it forward like an arrow. The other three young men followed immediately, obviously to inform the clan members.

Lin Ye looked at the backs of Lin Hu and the others and suddenly realized—no wonder they looked familiar, it turned out to be those guys.

Five years have passed since we last met, and they have all grown into tall and handsome young men, though the childishness in their eyes and brows has not yet completely faded.

The convoy set off again, and as the terrain rose higher, the familiar outline of the fortified village in the distance finally became clear.

Although the bluestone wall is somewhat mottled, it still stands majestically. The gate is wide open, and a large crowd of people, men, women, and children, are standing at the entrance, craning their necks to look in this direction.

Three figures stood out prominently in the center of the crowd.

In the middle was a woman in her thirties, wearing a blue cotton dress. Her gaze was fixed on Lin Ye, and her lips trembled slightly, as if she were about to cry or laugh.

Beside her was a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old, whose features resembled Lin Ye's, who was standing on tiptoe and waving frantically.

Beside her was an even smaller girl, about seven or eight years old, with pigtails, timidly hiding behind others, but unable to resist peeking out half her head.

Those were his mother, brother, and sister.