"What? Chen Family Village has been breached?"
Qin Hu sprang to his feet, a look of utter shock on his face.
The Qin Family reigned supreme among the four major families of Cyan Peak County, with the remaining three being the Wang Family, the Zhao Family, and the Chen Family. As a whole, the four major families were relatively matched in strength. As a family that had relocated to Cyan Peak County less than a century ago, the Qin Family’s rise to the top of the four major families relied heavily on the small profound iron ore mine directly beneath their feet.
Through their connections with the Commandery City’s Zong Family, they had signed a weapon supply agreement with the Bishui City Demon Suppression Bureau Army, allowing them to gradually grow and expand. In terms of sheer martial strength, they were actually not far ahead of the other three major families.
The Chen Family, serving as a deeply entrenched local faction, operated a large-scale village outside the city. Their primary focus was sending people into the mountains to harvest medicinal herbs, essentially monopolizing Cyan Peak County’s medicinal trade.
How could the defenses of such a vital location be lacking? The more than one thousand people stationed there were undoubtedly the absolute elites of the Chen Family!
"Yes. This morning, merchants went to Chen Family Village to purchase medicinal herbs, only to find the village reeking of blood and littered with corpses. They hastily fled to the county to report the incident," Qin De said, his expression grim. "The county has already sent people to investigate. They found the footprints of many powerful demon fiends. The corpses had all been gnawed on by the creatures. Even the Chen Family Elder, the Thunderbolt Blade Chen Huo, is dead. His internal organs were entirely hollowed out. I need to head over there as well."
Over a thousand people had died at the maws of demon fiends!
As the County Captain of Cyan Peak County, he would undoubtedly be held accountable for such a catastrophic event. Of course, that was a matter for later. If they couldn’t survive this wave of demon fiends, the Qin Family Manor might very well meet the same fate.
"You go on ahead first! Then, immediately seek reinforcements from the Bishui City Demon Suppression Bureau. If the experts from the Demon Suppression Bureau don’t arrive within two days, our Qin Family will temporarily abandon Cyan Peak County and retreat entirely to the Qin Family Manor. Or, we might just relocate to Bishui City altogether," Qin Hu said.
His expression shifted between dark and light, revealing a trace of hesitation, but his resolve quickly hardened.
Cyan Peak County was merely a small county town with low city walls. Those few hundred County Soldiers and yamen runners would be of little use in a real crisis. The true high-end combat power lay with the four major families and the experts from the county’s three major martial arts dojos. If the demon fiends were to attack the city, they wouldn’t be able to hold them off!
Staying in the county town meant waiting for death!
In contrast, as the main headquarters of the Qin Family, the Qin Family Manor boasted walls that were thirty feet high. Furthermore, as a weapon forging site, it suffered no shortage of weapons or sharp arrows. Though its footprint was small, it was actually much easier to defend. During the demon fiend attack last night, he had immediately pulled out their hidden ace—the bed crossbows—forcing the creature to retreat.
As for fleeing to Bishui City?
That was an absolute last resort. Cyan Peak County was eight hundred miles away from Bishui City. A massive migration of over a thousand Qin Family members would be nothing more than a traveling feast in the eyes of the demon fiends!
"Abandon Cyan Peak County?"
Qin De looked startled. That was the Qin Family’s century-old foundation! Moreover, tens of thousands of commoners resided there. However, recalling the numerous reports of demon fiends wreaking havoc across the region, he realized that a Great Demon Nest must have appeared in the mountains.
Without the swift assistance of experts from the Demon Suppression Bureau, they simply wouldn’t be able to hold out.
Gritting his teeth, Qin De spoke up, "Alright!"
At worst, he would send his wife, children, and the elderly to the Qin Family Manor while he, as the County Captain, died in the line of duty defending the city. As long as he didn’t flee, the Demon Suppression Bureau wouldn’t hold the Qin Family responsible afterward.
As the County Captain, he shouldn’t have even come here. But as a Qin Clan Member, how could he not come when the Qin Family Manor was besieged by demon fiends and Ouyang Xue had pleaded for help?
"Yu, I heard about what you did. Well done!"
After briefly leaving a few instructions, Qin De didn’t dare delay any further. He patted Qin Yu on the shoulder, turned around, and left.
Watching his uncle’s silhouette gradually recede into the distance, Qin Yu’s momentarily relaxed mood grew tense once more.
"Father, I need to go out for a bit to breed more Rapid Insects. As long as we have a sufficient number of Rapid Insects, those demon fiends won’t be able to do anything to us," Qin Yu said calmly.
Offense was the best defense. As long as he could nurture another Insect Nest in the mountain forests, he could breed Rapid Insects on a massive scale.
A Demon’s Nest?
When thousands upon thousands of Rapid Insects charged forward, even a Great Demon comparable to the Qi and Blood Realm would be sent to its grave!
"Where are you going?" Qin Hu’s expression shifted slightly.
Chen Family Village wasn’t located too far from the Qin Family Manor—only a few dozen miles away. Although the mountain paths were difficult to traverse, this posed no obstacle for the demon fiends.
"Just to the abandoned mine cave on the back mountain. It’s not far from the Qin Family Manor, which also makes it convenient for the Rapid Insects to go hunting. Rather than waiting for the demon fiends to attack, it’s better to seize the initiative!" Qin Yu explained.
He was extremely familiar with the terrain within a few-mile radius of the Qin Family Manor. The most suitable location to establish an Insect Nest was an abandoned mine cave on the back mountain. Deep inside, there was a cavern over thirty meters high—more than enough space to accommodate an Insect Nest.
The mountains were teeming with wild beasts, providing ample sustenance for the early development of the Insect Swarm. Furthermore, he wanted to see if he could have the Worker Insects mine some profound iron ore to enhance the claws and fangs of the Rapid Insects. The evolutionary capabilities of the Insect Race were incredibly potent. Ores and other materials could be utilized effectively as well.
After pondering for a moment, Qin Hu nodded without raising any objections. With Qin Yu’s Muscle Refining Realm cultivation and Micro Arrow Technique, his son’s strength was already on par with his own. Moreover, the ferocity of those Rapid Insects gave him hope.
"There’s no need to worry about Mother for now. I bred ten Rapid Insects to stay with her. If anything goes wrong, I’ll know immediately," Qin Yu added after a brief moment of hesitation.
While he had been rushing back, his mother, Ouyang Xue, had continued collecting the flesh and blood of poultry for the Insect Nest to consume, subsequently spawning another ten Rapid Insects.
"Good!" Qin Hu’s eyes lit up. He had been somewhat worried about the situation in Cyan Peak County, but with ten Rapid Insects—each rivaling the Muscle Refining Realm—protecting her, their safety would be vastly improved.
Cupping his hands in a salute to his father, Qin Yu wasted no more time. He slung his longbow over his back, turned around, and departed.
CREAK.
The heavy manor gates swung open, and over ten Rapid Insects filed out. Qin Yu followed closely behind, flanked tightly by two Worker Insects. Aside from three Rapid Insects scouting the path ahead, the rest carried large chunks of butchered demon fiend flesh on their backs. A few had even hauled up the fully intact corpses of Wolf Demons.
"Let’s go!" Qin Yu shouted in a low voice, swiftly departing with his swarm of Rapid Insects and the two Worker Insects.
This time, he didn’t bring any guards, choosing to travel entirely alone.
The establishment of an Insect Nest was absolutely not something he could let others discover easily. The one situated in Cyan Peak County had been created out of pure necessity during an emergency, and only his mother knew about it. Once this new Insect Nest was fully established, he would need to destroy the old one; leaving it in the county town posed far too great a risk of exposure.
The mountain paths were slick and perilously steep, but the Rapid Insects were extraordinarily adapted to such complex terrain. Even while hauling heavy loads, they moved as if they were walking on flat ground.
Qin Yu was intimately familiar with this stretch of mountain forest. After weaving through the trees for over ten minutes, his field of vision suddenly opened up. It was an untamed gorge. Dense thickets blanketed the area, completely obscuring any walkable paths. Without deep knowledge of the terrain, finding the entrance would be downright impossible.
Upon entering the valley, he spotted a mine cave hidden behind a tangle of thick vines on the right-hand slope.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The three scouting Rapid Insects lunged forward, wildly slashing their scythe-like limbs. They severed the vines, revealing the rotting wooden beams that supported the mine cave’s entrance, before charging straight into the depths.
As the most fundamental combat unit of the Insect Race, the Rapid Insects possessed exceptional adaptability in all regards, allowing them to see clearly even in pitch-black environments.
SQUEAK! RIP!
A flurry of shrill squeals and ripping flesh echoed outward. The venomous snakes, rats, and other vermin nesting inside the mine cave were instantly slaughtered by the Rapid Insects. Anything that could potentially pose a threat to Qin Yu was thoroughly eradicated.
Qin Yu, on the other hand, methodically crafted a makeshift torch. Once the flame was lit, he navigated several winding turns before arriving at the deep interior of the mine cave, with the remaining Rapid Insects and two Worker Insects following close behind.
"Perfect, this is the spot. I’ll spawn another Insect Nest here and then expand outward! These mere demon fiends are nothing more than rations for the Insect Swarm," Qin Yu declared.