105: Village access roads

The crocodile-like Source Beasts didn't seem to understand the current situation, so they didn't pursue Chu Jingyu when he left with the village chief and the two Source Beasts.

The largest one in the middle, a crocodile whose aura felt like it was at the Upper Tier of the Uncommon Rank, should be the leader of this group of Crocodile Source Beasts.

It slapped its tail on the beach, sending out some kind of signal, and then the rest of the crocodiles scattered to investigate the surrounding environment.

Chu Jingyu glanced at it from afar. The rift slowly closed up after over a dozen crocodiles crawled out.

What worried Chu Jingyu now was not just the passage that appeared on this shoal, but whether similar situations would occur in all three villages under the jurisdiction of the Chu Family.

If that were the case, the Chu Family's current population and strength would definitely be insufficient to cope.

Arriving at Qingsha Village, which was three kilometers from the shoal, Chu Jingyu instructed the village chief:

"Based on the observed habits of the crocodiles, those crocodiles should not venture too far from the shoal. First, tell the Villagers not to go out recently, especially not near the shoal.

I will report the situation here to the town, and people from the town will come to deal with it."

Liu Qinghe was still trembling slightly, recalling the scene when the dozen Crocodile Source Beasts appeared. "Y-yes... I beg... beg the Main Family to resolve this soon... for our Qingsha Village..."

The village chief's words were intermittent. Chu Jingyu waved his hand, telling him not to continue. "You go back and make arrangements. I need to get to the town quickly. The longer we delay, the greater the danger for you."

As he spoke, the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast used its pincers to clamp the mouth of the bound Crocodile Source Beast and quickly walked ahead. The White-Browed Mountain Eagle flew leisurely in the air, occasionally circling the front and back.

Without the ordinary person Liu Qinghe slowing them down, the man and his three Source Beasts rushed home at an extremely fast pace.

Just as Chu Jingyu arrived home, he ran into the equally hurried couple, Chu Qinhui and Jiang Nian. They looked like they were about to head out.

He frowned slightly, his tone showing displeasure. "Didn't I tell you to Guard the Ancestral Hall? Why are you going out now?"

Qin Hui looked up at his father, his expression excited, completely disregarding the implicit reprimand in his father's words.

He raised his palm, revealing a small, umbrella-shaped Jellyfish slowly floating in his hand. "Father, look, that rift has opened again. This is a Source Beast Xiao Yuan threw back. We need to go and take a look there now.

When the rift opens again, maybe Xiao Yuan will need our help?"

Recalling the sight of the rift opening and closing at the Qingsha River shoal just now, Chu Jingyu suddenly realized that this situation was likely similar to what Xiao Yuan was experiencing.

His worries were not accidental. This phenomenon of rifts opening and connecting the Inner Realm and Beyond the Border had begun appearing frequently throughout the entire Zhiyao County, starting at an unknown time.

He feared that an unknown number of Source Beasts from Beyond the Border were already hidden within the surrounding deep mountains and ancient forests.

Realizing this, Chu Jingyu instantly made a decision. He nodded. "Alright, you two go and check the situation over there first, but I estimate this mountain forest is not very safe. If anything unusual happens, you must return home and hide, understand?"

Seeing their father's serious expression, Chu Qinhui and his wife also sensed the gravity of the situation and nodded simultaneously.

Chu Jingyu bypassed them and walked toward the Central Hall, then gathered all the House Servants and Guards.

"You are to disperse. From today onward, you do not need to do any other work. Guard the main courtyards, and report any sign of trouble."

Chu Jingyu gave the Steward Wu Heng a look, instructing him to arrange the specific manpower.

This Steward was also brought back by Chu Jingyu from the town. He was only in his thirties now and was originally one of the many Stewards under Sun Chunchen.

After Sun Chunchen learned that Chu Jingyu urgently needed personnel with management experience, he recommended him. Although he was an ordinary person, he was experienced and decisive in his work—a rare talent.

After observing him for this period, his character seemed sound, so Chu Jingyu planned to observe him a little longer before performing the Spirit Opening ritual for him, allowing him to become a Contract Master.

Watching Wu Heng make proper arrangements, Chu Jingyu specifically instructed three Guards to patrol regularly to ensure the safety of the residence.

He then found Chu Shenghan and Xu Yinyue, who were still at home, and asked the two of them to Guard the Ancestral Hall, forbidding them from going out no matter what noise they heard outside the hall.

Seeing the solemn expression on her grandfather's face and the serious atmosphere in the house, Chu Shenghan also sensed an impending storm.

This made her feel uneasy, but she did not show it in front of her grandfather. Instead, she nodded, obediently following his orders.

Walking into the Ancestral Hall, Chu Shenghan silently went to the Offering Table, lit three sticks of incense, and bowed toward the stone book enshrined on the table.

After Chu Shenghan stood up, the spiritual light in Xu Yinyue's eyes slowly faded. She stared at Chu Shenghan and spoke softly,

"I think I saw them, Source Beasts covering the mountains and plains."

However, as she spoke, her expression carried a hint of confusion, as if there was something she couldn't quite figure out... After Chu Jingyu sent the two young girls into the Ancestral Hall, he rushed toward the town without stopping, heading straight for the Town Chiefs Mansion without any delay on the road.

After only a brief announcement, Chu Jingyu was allowed into the Town Head's office study. However, when he entered, there were already quite a few people inside.

Some familiar faces belonged to members of the Shi and Zhang Noble Families, and some were village chiefs from other villages. Most of them looked worried and didn't seem surprised by Chu Jingyu's arrival.

Chu Jingyu's gaze fell upon the Town Head. This was the first time he had seen Town Head Tang Cheng since escaping back from Beyond the Border. He noticed that Tang Cheng's complexion was pale, and he seemed to have many hidden injuries that had not yet healed.

Tang Cheng gave Chu Jingyu a mildly surprised look, seemingly not expecting to see him alive, given that the Clan Chiefs of the Shi and Zhang Families who went to Beyond the Border with him had not yet returned and had likely turned to dust.

A newly promoted Noble Family is truly impressive; their Luck is quite strong.

"What is the matter? Speak."

"A rift leading to the outside world has appeared in Qingsha Village, which is under the jurisdiction of my Chu Family. Over a dozen crocodile-like Source Beasts have emerged from it.

Furthermore, passages occasionally appear in the area of my Chu Family's back mountain, but no Source Beasts have emerged, suggesting the passages are unstable."

Tang Cheng closed his eyes briefly and said with a sigh, "It seems all your villages have encountered similar situations. However, the town lacks sufficient manpower to handle so many places simultaneously.

Therefore, we will deal with them one by one, according to the order in which they were reported. But those later in the queue should not panic. I will report this matter to the County Seat, and I believe they will provide a solution."

Chu Jingyu's expression turned grim. He truly hadn't arrived early enough. How long would he have to wait for his turn?

Moreover, who knew whether new passages might form while they were dealing with the current ones, or if a permanent passage to the outside world might appear.

Furthermore, it seemed that the places in the town with larger populations had not reported the appearance of any passages.

Having sharply noticed this point, Chu Jingyu even began considering whether he should temporarily move his family members to the town.

Tang Cheng did not stay long and soon left, leaving behind only a man who looked like a Strategist. He proceeded to register the situation of each village one by one.

Chu Jingyu listened silently for a while and found that some villages were indeed more severely affected. Some even had three or four passages appear near a single village, with several different types and races of Source Beasts emerging.

However, all the villages had discovered one pattern: these Source Beasts did not seem to have started harming people yet. Moreover, the places where they appeared seemed to be the production areas of the villages—the locations with the highest energy concentration in the Inner Realm villages.

But the fact that they weren't harming people now didn't mean they wouldn't later. Perhaps they weren't hungry right now, or perhaps they weren't interested in ordinary people who lacked special Spiritual Essence.

After completing the registration, Chu Jingyu knew he couldn't rely entirely on the town for help. He could only return to Qixia Mountain with an even heavier heart.