The Imperial Guards, like Yama, slaughtered until the Empress cried out for help.

The wolf struggled incessantly in my hands, but it was completely useless.

This was the first time Shen Qing had seen a ferocious beast since arriving in this world, and he tightened his grip on the wolf's head.

Gradually, his power reached the realm of the Innate Realm.

Bang!

A sound of flesh exploding rang out as Shen Qing crushed the wolf's entire head.

Shen Qing raised an eyebrow. Wild Wolf did not have any true qi or internal force in its body, but its physical body alone had the strength of the Acquired Realm.

The term "ferocious beast" really does suit them quite well.

Although fierce, they were not very intelligent. Their companion was so easily crushed to death by Shen Qing, yet the other wolves showed no fear.

The smell of blood actually made them even more frenzied, and they pounced on Shen Qing like madmen.

Shen Qing narrowed his eyes. Including the wolf that had just died, there were four wolves left.

Shen Qing didn't even have the thought of taking action against something that couldn't even speak.

With a wave of his hand, the sound of air being cut rang out all around, and several arrows flew straight toward the four wolves, most of them aimed at their waists and abdomens.

Although these wolves can no longer be considered ordinary wild animals, they still fit the popular perception of them as having "copper heads, iron bones, and tofu waists."

Sure enough, arrows that hit the waist and abdomen pierced easily, while those that hit the head only slightly grazed the skin.

"net!"

In the darkness, a flag bearer shouted, and several Imperial Guards threw out four large nets, tightly trapping the four wolves.

This time, Shen Qing only brought a small squad to Lijiapo. The squad leader was Pang Xiyuan, who had previously been under Ma Kui's command to deliver the message. This squad of Imperial Guards was also previously under Ma Kui's command.

However, with their grasp of the opponent's weaknesses and the advantage of a sneak attack, a small team of flag bearers was more than capable of dealing with four ferocious beasts at the Acquired Realm.

Moreover, this group of Imperial Guards was hacking at the wolf demons like madmen, and they didn't even care about defense.

Their eyes were bloodshot as they slashed at the wolves with their knives.

The reason was simple: they had just been released from prison, and they had heard about Shen Qing's deeds while they were in jail.

At the same time, they realized how ignorant they had been, actually going against Shen Qing and inexplicably getting caught up in the scandal of murdering a centurion.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, getting rid of this layer of clothing would be the best outcome.

But now that they actually have the opportunity to go on a mission with Shen Qing, they immediately realized that this might be their only chance in this lifetime.

They must seize this opportunity to perform well.

Sparks flew as the captains' swords struck the wolf bones.

Your subordinates have slain a ferocious beast at the Acquired Realm, successfully plundering the attribute: Resilient Arm Bone (Green)

Shen Qing raised an eyebrow. The shipment was successful!

It seems that in this world, killing people doesn't just trigger new stats; killing any living creature should trigger new stats as well.

Without giving it much thought, Shen Qing walked towards the old farmer, wanting to learn more about the wolves.

There must be more than just five wolves, otherwise the government wouldn't have needed to ask the Imperial Guard for help.

The old farmer guessed that the person in front of him must be someone extraordinary, and quickly bowed.

"This humble subject greets Your Excellency."

"Old man, do you know where these beasts came from, and do you know their number?"

"My lord, the town's yamen runners came to investigate and said they came from across the Red Date River. I don't know the exact number. Everyone in the village who saw the wolves is dead. Others said there were ten or twenty, but I don't know the exact number."

Shen Qing nodded. Whether it's ten or twenty, as long as it's more than five, that's fine.

Shen Qing glanced at the map of the area before leaving the Hundred Household Office, and remembered the surrounding terrain clearly.

After crossing the Hongzao River from Lijiapo, there are no more villages or towns, but if you go forward for several dozen miles, you will reach Bailuze.

Therefore, this pack of wolves most likely came from Bailuze.

However, once you cross the Red Date River, the territory becomes vast, and finding the pack of wolves becomes another problem.

Suddenly, Shen Qing thought of something and turned to look at the old farmer.

How wide is the Red Date River?

The old farmer paused for a moment, wondering why he was asking that, but he quickly answered.

"The narrowest part of the Red Date River is about five or six zhang, and the widest part is probably more than ten zhang."

"Do you know where in the village there is still incense used for ancestral worship?"

"There's a shop at the east end of the village. It's inconvenient for us to travel to and from town, so we usually buy things there. We left in a hurry this time, so we probably didn't bring any of these with us."

Shen Qing nodded, having already made his calculations, and turned to look at the group of Imperial Guards who were still cutting down wolves.

"Hey, hey, stop chopping! If you keep chopping, you could make dumplings!"

The group of Imperial Guards, their eyes bloodshot, finally stopped.

"Pang Xiyuan, send one of you to go with the old man to get some incense, and then take him to town."

"Scholar, take a few men and go to the village to find some live chickens."

After a short while, a large group of people arrived at the Red Date River.

Everyone was completely baffled.

The scholar, holding a chicken in his left hand and a handful of incense in his right, was also completely bewildered.

"Boss, aren't we going to find wolves? What are we going to do with these?"

Shen Qing smiled mysteriously, offering no explanation.

"No need to ask further, I have a brilliant plan."

"Scholar, light these incense sticks, one every three meters, for a total of five."

"Black Dog, go and kill the chicken, put the blood in the river, and after the blood has drained, throw the chicken in too."

Without the slightest hesitation or doubt, the black dog grabbed the chicken and headed towards the river, ignoring everything else; Shen Qing was right.

The scholar also lit all the incense.

The group of Imperial Guards were puzzled.

"What are we doing? It looks a bit like an ancestral worship ceremony."

"Are your ancestors in the river? I think Lord Shen is definitely invoking the gods."

Pang Xiyuan glanced at the two of them and said, "You two, shut up."

While everyone was arguing, the black dog was calmly killing the chicken.

One chicken, two chickens...

It wasn't until the fifth chicken that there was movement on the river surface, with several bubbles the size of human heads rising up.

"Hey, look! There's movement in the river. It looks like something's about to float to the surface!"

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Could Lord Shen have really summoned a deity?!"

Black Dog gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, took a few steps back, and stared intently at the river.

A shadow slowly appeared on the shimmering river surface under the moonlight, and then quickly grew larger.

A splash of water erupted, and a huge object surfaced.

Once the splash subsided, everyone could see clearly what was on the river: a huge red carp, probably five or six meters long.

"What is this thing?!"

"A monster! It must be a monster!"

Shen Qing looked at the red carp, her voice calm.

"Are you the River God of this place?"

The red carp glanced at the group of Imperial Guards with some disdain before answering.

"I am the River God of the Red Date River, and you may also call me Li Yu. Did you not tell these filthy men about the River God before you summoned me?"

When Li Yu spoke, everyone was stunned, feeling as if thunder had exploded in their heads.

Not only is it because this red carp can talk, but what's even more shocking is that the voice it makes sounds like that of a teenage girl.

In modern terms, they are lolis.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "It's too much trouble to explain. It will be much easier to explain if I call you out first."

Shen Qing then briefly explained the matter of the River God.

After the founding of the Great Wu Dynasty, ferocious beasts kept appearing in various parts of the country. The ferocious beasts on land were easy to deal with, but the army could press on the border. No matter how powerful the ferocious beasts were, they could not withstand the large population of the dynasty. If ten people were not enough, then a hundred would be used. If a hundred people were still not enough, then the army would press on the border.

But things are more complicated in the river. Warriors lose some of their strength when they go into the water, so forcibly killing them would be counterproductive.

In the end, they chose to offer amnesty, specifically selecting some powerful and intelligent ferocious beasts to be recruited. Of course, the court didn't just make empty promises; there were definitely benefits to be given.

Every year, the imperial court would give these river gods some precious medicines, and these river gods also had a merit system.

Therefore, the River God system has been passed down ever since, and the River God exists in various places throughout the dynasties.

However, due to its status as a ferocious beast, commoners and low-ranking officials were unaware of the existence of the ferocious beast Hebo.

As for cannibalism, there's even less to worry about. How long can you eat people? Let alone whether they'll run away, the imperial court will come and kill you if you eat too many.

Submitting to the imperial court not only guarantees a supply of precious medicines every year, but there's also a merit system that allows you to exchange them for more precious medicines. Even a discerning beast can see which option is more sustainable.

Once a ferocious beast gains intelligence, none of them are fools.

I can still tell the difference between a full meal and a full meal.