Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

The monster's crafty thoughts were exposed, and it flew into a rage, "Then let's die together! Die together!"

The dark green sphere dissolved into a mist of threads, ignoring the fact that the strands of its body had already been absorbed by the Soul Refining Banner, and madly charged at its target.

Jiang Yuan was startled by the large face suddenly approaching, and instinctively swung his blade directly at it.

"Splat!"

The hit felt a bit bouncy. Before the creature could scream with its mouth full of fangs, he used the Instant Teleportation Technique to appear behind it and swung the blade twice more, tossing out a Vast Mountains and Rivers in the process.

The monster's wraith, struggling desperately, found its punch landing on something soft like cotton, making it howl in frustration, "If you're brave, fight me head-on! Why are you running?"

"Only a fool stands still to get hit." So far, Jiang Yuan had painstakingly developed the most suitable strategy of striking from the heart — hit once and change location. It felt so secure; why confront directly?

As soon as he finished casting the Vast Mountains and Rivers, he used Instant Teleportation again to move to the other side and continued attacking before the creature could locate him to retaliate.

"I, I refuse to accept this!" the monster's wraith roared, using all its strength to emit countless threads of slime to try and cling to a tree trunk for balance, but it couldn't resist the powerful suction of the Soul Refining Banner, and was eventually drawn in, leaving claw marks as it screamed.

"Boom!"

Its health bar hit zero with a dull thud, and before the last part was absorbed by the Soul Refining Banner, a few shiny items were "spit out".

[Golden Bell: A binding object of the Metal attribute in the western part of Spiders Valley. Jia Yi deceived an ignorant youth to steal it from beneath the western tower of Spiders Valley, thus destabilizing the Valley Protection Array, triggering a full-scale invasion. The item needs to be returned to its original place]

[A letter: Evidence of Jia Yi's communication with the Bee Clan]

[Small Enchanting Array: A set of array maps acquired from unknown origin, arranged by Jia Yi to conceal his movements in the Mist Forest. Can be used to confuse ordinary creatures of Intermediate or lower realms by dragging onto a suitable area]

[Task 1: Gather clues to identify the traitors in the Spider Race involved in the extermination battle and find physical evidence - Completed. Reward: Acceleration Card +1 issued]

[Task 2: Uncover the method used by Jia Yi to steal the binding object. Reward: Acceleration Card +1]

"I thought there'd be a twist, but it turned out to be that simple?" Jiang Yuan opened the letter and glanced at it; it was just Jia Yi complaining about feeling greatly wronged and wanting "justice".

Thus, he contacted the Bee Clan, proposing that he act as an inside man to bring in allies to wipe out the Valley Master and clan leaders, subsequently taking their place; in return, the Bee Clan would receive half of Spiders Valley, establishing a mutually beneficial cooperation.

"Practicing evil techniques and devouring your own kin to the point you'd catch a prion disease, are you out of your mind? To even contact an external race for invasion!" Stowing away the evidential letter, he noted it was late and decided to cook some dinner and bring his little sister back home for a rest, possibly getting help with farm work, deciding to temporarily set aside the investigation in the "sub-instance" of Spiders Valley and use the Teleportation Array to go directly to the cottage.

Bai Yunqi hadn't returned yet, and the Green Bird leisurely took a swim in the Spirit Pool before climbing ashore to slowly get dressed, "Brother, why do you seem so distracted early in the morning, did something happen?"

Jiang Yuan, still lamenting the disaster that befell Spiders Valley, absentmindedly asked, "Do you know what a binding object is used for?"

I must say, although his mischievous sister was hard to connect with, her side quests were the easiest and most rewarding.

The little one was tirelessly grinding the monsters, and at this pace, she'd advance realms in a few days. It was time to consider refining an Elixir for her to increase her advancement rate, ensuring smooth task completion while gaining some favor.

"Binding object?" Green Bird furrowed her eyebrow and gazed at the sky, trying to recall after the keyword was triggered — "If I'm not mistaken, binding objects fall under the category of geomancy.

They're generally used in cities or clan residences, having significant effects like Gathering Spirit to ensure the abundance of spiritual energy within a city; or protecting the clan's safety, with many City Defense Arrays based on binding objects."

Memories flowed like water through a loosened gate; the more she recalled, the more complete the picture became, "These represent human ingenuity. No matter the race, be it Demon Cultivator or regular, any serious city is built in a four-direction square form, with the northeast and southwest aligned properly.

Even if the outskirts become chaotic over time, the core City Lord's Mansion must adhere to the cardinal directions and have a garden with mountains and water, be it ever so small.

A proper layout simplifies binding object placement according to the Five Elements across the cardinal directions, typically overseen by the City Lord. Whether Gathering Spirit or defending the city, the City Lord is the primary beneficiary, followed by the living beings within the city.

If, and it's hypothetical here, you somehow acquire the binding object of a lordless city and successfully refine it secretly, you could become the lord of that city directly!"

"So according to this, if a binding object is stolen, the City Lord would notice immediately."

"Of course! If a City Lord fails to notice the theft of a binding object, they might as well drop dead." Green Bird added, "But if the City Lord were gravely injured and on the brink of death while not having passed the City Defense Array to an heir, then even if they knew of the theft, there's little they could do."

Jiang Yuan had more questions now: how did Jia Yi know the location of the binding object? How could he steal it so easily without the Valley Master noticing? Furthermore, as someone with unimpressive cultivation, how did he get in contact with the sworn enemy of his race?

Why would he trust the Bee Clan to share Spiders Valley with him? Could it be really just the prion infection causing brain dysfunction?

"Let's eat first, and after breakfast, try to finish the reclamation work today." Jiang Yuan brought out a banquet of fish from the kitchen to invite Green Bird for breakfast.

As soon as she entered the living room, she was drawn to the Flowing Cloud Sakura, "Brother! Where did you find this?! Wow, it's actually..."

Green Bird paused, unable to recall the name of the spirit plant, and could only marvel, "So beautiful and capable of Gathering Spirit, fantastic! Can I stay in the living room from now on?"

Looking at her big round eyes blinking repeatedly, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but smile, "If you like it, you can stay in the living room first. In a while, I'll try to get both you and Mingchuan a flower each in your rooms that are both beautiful and can release spiritual energy."

He wasn't exaggerating; once the courtyard reached Level Five and unlocked the Linglong Cave landscape, he could check what would unlock upon reaching Level Six.

Jiang Yuan then discovered that upon reaching Level Six, the courtyard could access the decoration store, selling specific bonsais and vases with effects pretty much matching those of the Flowing Cloud Sakura.

Not only for Green Bird and Wan Mingchuan's bedrooms, but even for Yun Mo's Tree House and Zhile's Linglong Cave, they'd have their share!

"Woo-hoo~ Brother, you're the best! I must've accumulated great merit in a past life to have such a wonderful brother!" Green Bird joyfully cheered and skipped around the house, soon bringing a quilt from her upstairs bedroom to make a little "bird's nest" beside the Flowing Cloud Sakura.

The little one stuffed herself into the "nest," took a deep breath of the rich spiritual energy, wiggled her little toes, and seemed almost to float up, "Such bliss!"