I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

After some cleaning and tidying, the two dilapidated houses on South Street barely resembled "homes." The slightly larger one became the residence of Master Zhao, along with several elderly people and children; the smaller one served as shelter for Lu Zhao and a few other able-bodied men. The conditions were simple, but at least they had rooftops to protect them from the wind and rain, and a temporary place to rest.

After settling down, the primary issue was survival. The refugees had very little dry rations left and needed to find a stable food source as soon as possible. Lu Zhao gave the few pieces of silver he had obtained from Li Gang to Master Zhao, who used them to buy some coarse grains and salt, but this wouldn't last long.

Labor was the only capital. Lu Zhao arranged for several physically capable vagrants to find manual labor jobs such as carrying loads and repairing walls at the South Market. He himself was not in a hurry to find odd jobs.

He needs more efficient and profitable "tasks".

The next morning, Lu Zhao returned to the market bulletin board and carefully examined the bounties. Hunting wild animals was too risky for him, as he lacked the skills and knowledge of the area. Collecting herbs was too inefficient, as he didn't recognize them. Ultimately, his gaze fell on the bounty for the "Missing Child of Li Family Village."

Thirty taels of silver, if successful, would be enough to sustain their group of several dozen people for several months, and if they were frugal, they might even be able to survive the winter. But the risks were also great; the previous groups had failed miserably, some even losing their lives, indicating that the matter was far from simple.

"I need to know more information." Lu Zhao didn't rush to the garrison headquarters to take the notice. He turned and left the notice board, then casually strolled around the streets.

Instead of going to bustling shops, he specifically sought out unassuming teahouses and snack stalls with few customers. These places were a melting pot of all sorts of people and a source of information. He ordered the cheapest bowl of tea, sat in a corner, and silently activated his [Turtle Breathing Technique] and [Spirit Refining Technique], maximizing his hearing to gather the scattered information coming from all directions.

"Have you heard? The Liu family in the west of the city was haunted last night! They said they kept hearing a woman crying and saw a white shadow floating around, which scared the whole family so much that they moved to another place overnight..."

"Alas, the world is not peaceful these days. I heard that a Black Wind Stronghold has appeared in the mountains to the south, specializing in robbing passing caravans. The Changfeng Escort Agency lost many men last time..."

"Hey, if you ask me, the weirdest thing is what happened in Li Family Village! Three kids have gone missing in half a month, neither alive nor dead. Reporting it to the authorities is useless. What can those old men at the garrison do besides offer a reward?"

Lu Zhao perked up and started listening intently.

"Who says otherwise! I heard from my wife's cousin's second uncle that he went hunting near Lijia Village. When he passed by at night, he saw green will-o'-the-wisps floating around in the cemetery behind the village, and he also heard children crying! He was so scared that he ran away as fast as his pants could!"

"The cemetery behind the mountain?" Lu Zhao noted down this key location.

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't gossip! This is really weird! I heard that the day the first child went missing, someone saw an old woman in a black robe, leaning on a cane, wandering around the village entrance, and then she disappeared! That old woman's face was full of wrinkles, she didn't look human at all!"

"An old woman in black robes?" Lu Zhao frowned slightly. Was she just an ordinary old woman, or... something else? Could she be a heretical sorcerer in disguise?

Fragments of information flooded his mind, and combined with the bounty's mention of "evil spirits," the clues seemed increasingly clear: a supernatural force was involved, and it might be entrenched in the cemetery behind the mountain.

After finishing his tea, Lu Zhao visited a few more places. He came to the notice board next to the garrison headquarters, where, in addition to wanted posters and government decrees, there were some old notices, including a faded, rough map of the town and its surroundings. He carefully examined it, memorizing the location of Li Family Village and the general terrain of the cemetery behind the mountain.

He wandered to the west end of town, where there were several shops selling miscellaneous items, talismans, and cheap magical artifacts, and even a simple shed with a sign that read "Blacksmith Shop." Lu Zhao didn't go in, but observed from the outside. He noticed that most of the people entering and leaving these shops were armed and imposing martial artists, or strangely dressed "outsiders" with gloomy expressions. They were probably "players" of this world, or rather, rogue cultivators or demon hunters who had stepped into the realm of the extraordinary.

"It seems that there are indeed traces of extraordinary power in Qingmu Town, but the level is not high, and it's a mixed bag." Lu Zhao made up his mind. He needed an identity, an identity that could reasonably understand and try to resolve this kind of thing.

Back on South Street, he first went to check on Master Zhao and the others. The refugees were cooking porridge with the grain Lu Zhao had brought back; although it was thin and watery, it at least had a semblance of human warmth. Master Zhao was earnestly teaching a few children to read on the muddy ground with a twig. Lu Zhao didn't disturb them and turned to go to the Changfeng Escort Agency's branch in the east of the town.

The branch headquarters was a spacious courtyard with a flagpole in front of the gate bearing the words "Changfeng". There were guards at the gate. When they saw that Lu Zhao was dressed in tattered clothes, they were about to stop him, but when Lu Zhao introduced himself and said that he had come to visit Li Gang, the head镖师 (bodyguard), one of the guards went in to inform him. A short while later, Li Gang came out to greet him personally.

"Brother Lu is here! Please come in!" Li Gang warmly ushered Lu Zhao into the side hall, where they sat down as host and guest, and tea was served.

"Chief镖李, I've come here abruptly to inquire about the disappearance of children from Li Family Village," Lu Zhao said, getting straight to the point.

Upon hearing this, Li Gang's expression turned serious, and he sighed, "This matter... is indeed strange. Li Family Village is about thirty li from the town, not large, with only about a hundred people. Half a month ago, the blacksmith's youngest son was playing in front of his own yard at night, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Then the next day, the carpenter's daughter next door also went missing. The villagers thought it was a kidnapping, so they organized people to patrol day and night. But on the third night, the village head's grandson was sleeping in his own room, with all the windows closed, and he was gone in the morning. On the wall, there was a strange symbol drawn in blood, like... a snake coiled in a circle."

"Our escort agency also accepted the commission from the garrison headquarters and sent people to check. There was nothing unusual in the village, and no signs of fighting or struggle. Those children seemed to have vanished into thin air. Later, someone went to the cemetery behind the mountain at night and did see green flames and hear strange noises, but they didn't dare to go deep. The two skilled men we sent guarded the back mountain entrance at night, but the next morning they were found unconscious at the entrance. When asked, they couldn't say anything, as if they had lost their souls. We asked the town's renowned doctor, Liu, to use silver needles to revive them for three days. They only said that they saw a dark shadow and smelled a strange fragrance, and then they knew nothing more."

Li Gang shook his head: "We suspect it's the work of evil spirits, but they're quite powerful, capable of abducting people without anyone noticing and even bewitching them. Ordinary martial artists would be easy prey if they went. That's why the garrison issued a reward to see if any capable individuals would be willing to help. But to be honest, not many of those who accepted the reward before were truly skilled, and those who were skilled mostly backed down after seeing the situation. Thirty taels of silver is a lot, but you need to be alive to spend it."

"Does the镖头 (镖头 is a person's name or title) still remember what the blood-drawn symbol looked like? And has anyone seen the face of that old woman in black robes?" Lu Zhao pressed.

Li Gang thought for a moment, then used his tea to draw a twisted, interconnected snake pattern on the table: "The symbol is roughly like this. As for the old woman in the black robe, it's said that only an old man who got up early to fetch water caught a glimpse of her from afar. He didn't see her face clearly, only that she walked a little unsteadily, not like a living person. No one has seen her since."

"Thank you for the details, Chief Escort Li." Lu Zhao already had a rough idea of ​​what was going on. The child, the disappearance, the absence of a trace, the bewitching, the snake-shaped symbol, the old woman in black robes, the graveyard on the back mountain, the will-o'-the-wisp... Combining these clues, it was almost certain that it was "evil spirits," and more likely, it was more like "ghosts" or "monsters," unlike the way the evil sorcerers he had encountered before controlled the walking corpses.

"Brother Lu," Li Gang looked at Lu Zhao and said seriously, "You're asking such detailed questions, could it be that you want to take the bounty? Let me give you a piece of advice, this is a dangerous place. You're skilled, but dealing with those treacherous and evil spirits, brute force alone won't suffice. Why not take some safe, short-distance escort missions at my escort agency first? You can earn some money to make a living, familiarize yourself with the routes, make some friends, and then proceed slowly."

Lu Zhao knew Li Gang meant well, but he had his own considerations. Safe missions yielded low rewards and slowed growth. The mission in Li Family Village, though dangerous, perfectly suited his current abilities (divine arts and talisman techniques). If he could solve it, the rewards would be immense. He would not only gain money, but more importantly, he would build a reputation, gain "experience," and might even obtain special items or information related to "demons and evil."

"I appreciate Chief Escort Li's kindness. However, if this evil spirit is not eradicated, many more children will suffer. I know a little about exorcism techniques and would like to go and see. If it is not possible, I will retreat." Lu Zhao's tone was calm, but his eyes were firm.

Li Gang looked at Lu Zhao and saw that his eyes were clear and not impulsive. He sighed and said, "Very well, everyone has their own ambitions. Since you insist on going, I won't stop you. Here's what I'll do: I'll send an old porter who knows Li Family Village well to guide you. He knows the terrain there and can help you out by handing you things. Also, here's a small bottle of 'rooster blood,' which is extremely yang in nature and can ward off evil spirits. It might be useful against ordinary ghosts and spirits. Take it with you." As he spoke, he took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and handed it to Lu Zhao.

[Received: Rooster Blood (Normal) x1]

[Effect: Blood containing a trace of yang energy can be applied to weapons or used to draw low-level exorcism talismans, having a weak restraining effect on ghosts and spirits.]

"Thank you very much, Chief Escort Li!" Lu Zhao accepted the porcelain bottle and thanked him sincerely. This rooster blood was exactly what he needed right now, and he could try to draw a more powerful "exorcising talisman".

"Remember, if things are not going to work, retreat immediately! Saving your life is the most important thing!" Li Gang reminded him again.

Leaving the escort agency, Lu Zhao already had a preliminary plan in mind. Instead of immediately accepting the challenge, he returned to his dilapidated house on South Street, locked himself in the inner room, took out the book "Detailed Explanation of Basic Exorcism Talismans," and retrieved the rooster blood given to him by Li Gang. He began attempting to draw more advanced talismans. He needed further preparation before venturing into the unknown, potentially life-threatening darkness.