Xu Ning stared at the map on the furnace wall, his expression constantly hesitant.

Last year, he explored the Qinghepu area and discovered the Dajue Temple. He immediately sent someone to report back to Xia City, and he still remembers the Minister's reply.

'Dajue Temple must be related to the Deceitful Monster, be extremely cautious in your actions.'

Because of this sentence, he has been very careful and cautious for the past six months.

But the problem is, in the half year he lived in Lower River Village, he hasn't found anything related to the Deceitful Monster.

"Torch, Solidified Fire Oil, silverware—I have so many methods to sense the Deceitful Monster, yet haven't found a single issue. This basically concludes that all fifty thousand people in Lower River Village, including the twenty-seven Cold Resistance Level who entered Dajue Temple, are all normal humans. But their spirits have been completely controlled by the Dajue Temple."

Thinking about this, Xu Ning lowered his head to look at the only female among the five, smiled, and asked softly: "Qiaoru, they must be urging you to have a baby again, right?"

Since they are undercover, there must be danger, finding other women to act as a family is neither safe nor easy to maintain, so Xu Ning simply brought his own wife.

Hong Qiaoru is Hong Guang's eldest daughter. Great Xia Yuannian Year, the two met through Hong Guang's matchmaking, and the next year got married. Now they have two sons and a daughter.

Originally, Hong Qiaoru was living with three children in Xia City, but in recent years as the importance of Wuyuan station increased, Xu Ning as the Defender has naturally become busier, with no time to return to Xia City.

The two have not been married long, and Hong Qiaoru couldn't stand such a long-term separation, so after this year's Cold Yuan Festival, she simply brought the children directly to Wuyuan to find him, just in time for this event.

When Hong Qiaoru sees the other four looking at her, she blushes slightly and nods: "Not a day goes by without urging, the women in this camp are all like they've gone mad, always talking about how great it is to be pregnant, it drives me nuts. If I weren't afraid of exposing the plan, I really wouldn't want to talk to them."

Xu Ning couldn't help but chuckle at his wife's words, but after the chuckle, his expression immediately became serious.

Interestingly enough, among the six of them, the one who gathered the most information happened to be Hong Qiaoru, who was able to interact with the adult women of Lower River Village.

For a simple reason, everyone in Lower River Village seems possessed, continuously having children. As soon as one enters the camp, almost all women are either visibly pregnant or confirmed to be expecting, and they not only give birth themselves but also persuade others to do so.

Moreover, they are having children for the sole purpose of raising them to six years old, and then sending them every February to the Dajue Temple.

Previously, Xu Ning thought only Lower River Village was like this. However, after staying for six months, he was astonished to find the entire Qinghepu's three villages and eighteen homes are doing the same.

According to the information Hong Qiaoru heard, when these children reach six years old, every February, they are taken away in batches by people sent by Dajue Temple. Those who pass the test can become Bhikkhus and learn under the master's guidance. Even those who don't pass still have a chance to become Bhikkhus with Hair, bringing their families to live around Dajue Temple, benefiting from a worry-free life; if they're unsuccessful, Dajue Temple claims they will return these children to their respective camps after they turn twenty.

The crazy baby-making just to send children to Dajue Temple, solely on this premise, even though Xu Ning hasn't discovered anything related to the Deceitful Monster in Lower River Village during the past six months, he still fully trusts the Minister's "Dajue Temple must be related to the Deceitful Monster" phrase.

There must be a problem, what kind of parents purposely have children for the sole purpose of sending them away? And the promises made by Dajue Temple are suspect as well; if they pass, they stay there, and if they don't, they can only return after twenty.

Which means, regardless of passing or not, the children don't return.

"Returning after age twenty, Dajue Temple has been in Qinghepu for only seven years total. Seven years ago, the first batch of children taken are now only fifteen years old; who knows if they'll be sent back after five more years? Based on the current fanaticism towards Dajue Temple seen in the three villages and eighteen homes, when the time comes, even if they don't return them, it's doubtful anyone will object."

Bai Shanqiu hearing Xu Ning's statement immediately responds: "You can't blame these people, from what we've gathered, seven years ago there wasn't even a single large camp here. If Dajue Temple hadn't come, they definitely wouldn't have their current good fortune."

Hong Qiaoru also nods: "Every child they hand over grants them 10,000 pounds of Beast Meat, 1,000 pounds of Beast Blood. Dajue Temple even assures them their children can return at fifteen. Given such significant resources, if we took this to most weaker camps, even openly buying children would likely get plenty of willing people."

Xu Ning and the other four hearing this all sigh slightly.

Hong Qiaoru's statement is on the conservative side. Great Xia has also progressed through tough times step by step, so they understand how difficult it is for those weaker camps.

10,000 pounds of Beast Meat, 1,000 pounds of Beast Blood, with such terms, most people would readily agree in weaker camps to sell a child.

"Moreover, previously around Qinghepu's surrounding territories, water-based Cold Beasts frequently came ashore causing trouble; it's said this problem was also resolved by Dajue Temple. Based solely on these few points, if those six-year-old children taken away truly have no issues, aside from enticing these women to have children, regarding other matters, I really can't see anything amiss with Dajue Temple."

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