Xu Xinghe stared at it for a while, then continued to stroll around the village.

She hadn't walked far when she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the distance—the man who had gone out earlier.

He strode over and said with concern, "Young lady, why are you still out there? The sun is blazing; you'll easily get heatstroke if you stay out in the sun too long."

"It's nothing." Xu Xinghe smiled faintly. "The weather feels a bit cooler now, and it's quite comfortable to bask in the sun."

The man waved his hand, "Come home with me and rest, it's cool inside."

Xu Xinghe obediently followed in his footsteps, but her gaze subtly swept in the direction the man had come from.

That wasn't a road leading to the fields outside the village at all; it looked more like it came out of a dense forest behind the village.

Could it be that... he didn't go to the field at all?

Back at Hanzi's house, the afternoon sun was gradually setting in the west, and the temperature had dropped slightly.

The man and his wife stayed at home, so Xu Xinghe didn't go out again. He just sat inside and looked at the two of them through the window.

One of them sat under the eaves twisting straw rope, while the other tidied up farm tools in the yard. They occasionally whispered a few words, mostly about everyday matters. They seemed no different from any other ordinary farming couple, with nothing out of the ordinary.

Not long after, Yi'an came out of her room and saw some firewood piled up in the yard. She took the initiative to go forward and said, "Brother, let me help you chop firewood. We're just sitting around doing nothing anyway."

The man quickly declined, saying, "No need, no need, I can do this myself."

"It's nothing, just something I was doing," Yi An said, picking up her wood-chopping knife and getting to work.

Seeing this, Xu Xinghe also got up and came out. "Brother and sister-in-law, I can help with any chores you need. Don't be shy."

The man's wife immediately walked over, grabbed Xu Xinghe's arm, and said warmly, "Sister, come inside and rest. How can we let you do any work? We can do these chores ourselves."

Without a word, she pulled Xu Xinghe into the house, saying as they walked, "Women should rest more when they have nothing to do, and take care of their energy. Otherwise, after you get married, there will be so much work to do at home that you won't have a chance to rest."

Xu Xinghe let her pull her along, and when they reached the doorway, she suddenly looked up at her and said, "Sister-in-law, I see that many families in the village have gone to the fields this afternoon. Aren't you going to the fields too?"

The woman paused for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Go ahead and go down. I usually work in the fields every day! But we have guests today, so I have to stay home to entertain you. My husband can go by himself."

"I see." Xu Xinghe nodded and said, following her words, "Then I'm really sorry to have troubled you, sister-in-law, and kept you from doing your work."

"No trouble at all," the woman said with a smile, waving her hand before turning back to her work.

Xu Xinghe slowly looked at her arm.

After consuming the spiritual spring, her five senses far surpassed those of ordinary people, and her sense of touch was also much more acute than that of ordinary people.

When the woman grabbed my arm just now, I could clearly feel that although her hands were a bit rough, they had almost no calluses.

These hands don't look like those of a woman who works in the fields year-round.

The women in the village, who hold hoes and sickles year-round, their hands calloused from wind and sun, are thick and hard. But this woman's hands are at most thin calluses from doing light work, which are incomparable to those of women who actually work in the fields.

She just said she works in the fields every day, which is obviously a lie.

Xu Xinghe returned to the house and sat down, her gaze once again turning to the courtyard outside the window.

The man was still twisting straw rope, and the woman went to fetch water to wash clothes. Everything seemed so peaceful and idyllic.

However, several doubts have now arisen.

This Shiwa Village seems a bit strange.

Night fell.

The last ray of sunlight in Shiwa Village was swallowed by darkness.

After having a simple dinner with the couple, Xu Xinghe and Yi An went back to their respective rooms.

The man specifically told them to get some rest, his tone warm and considerate.

As the kerosene lamps in each household were extinguished one by one, the entire village was plunged into a deathly silence of darkness, even the chirping of insects was unusually sparse, and the quiet was somewhat eerie.

Xu Xinghe lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), wide awake, listening intently to the sounds outside.

But not long after, she suddenly felt a heaviness in her head, and a strong drowsiness suddenly struck her. Her eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and she just wanted to fall asleep immediately.

This drowsiness feels so unnatural.

She had rested for a while in the afternoon, and the journey during the day wasn't particularly tiring, so it was impossible for her to suddenly be this sleepy.

Xu Xinghe sensed something was wrong. Before her consciousness completely blurred, she quickly took out a small bottle of spiritual spring water from her space, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp.

The spring water was refreshingly cool upon entering the mouth, and as it slid down the throat, a refreshing sensation instantly spread throughout the body.

In just a short while, my drowsy mind cleared up considerably, and the forced sleepiness receded like the tide, leaving only a little lingering fatigue.

She silently adjusted her breathing, maintaining her lying position with her eyes closed, while her ears alertly picked up every sound in the room.

About an hour later, a slight creaking sound came from outside.

The door was gently pushed open from the outside.

The footsteps were very light, almost inaudible.

Xu Xinghe's heart jumped into her throat, her body tensed, but she remained motionless, pretending to be fast asleep.

The next second, she felt a warm breath on her face, carrying a faint smell of smoke.

Someone was leaning down, staring at her face to face!

Those who are close enough can feel each other's breathing!

The heat blew against my cheeks in waves, carrying an uncomfortable sense of pressure.

Xu Xinghe forced herself not to open her eyes, silently counting the seconds in her mind.

After a long while, the heat slowly dissipated, and then, light footsteps sounded again, the door was gently closed, and the outside returned to silence.

Xu Xinghe waited for about a minute longer, making sure the other party wouldn't suddenly return, before slowly opening her eyes.

She got up quietly, walked to the window, and lifted a corner of the curtain to look outside.

Under the moonlight, the man and his wife walked out of the courtyard gate side by side.

Xu Xinghe waited for a while, and when she was sure that the person had gone far away, she immediately turned around and went out, tiptoeing to the door of Yi An's room.

The door wasn't locked; it opened with a push.

The room was pitch black, but by the faint moonlight from the window, she could see Yi An lying on the bed, fast asleep, her brows relaxed and her breathing even.

"Yi'an? Yi'an, wake up!" Xu Xinghe walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), called his name twice in a low voice, and then pushed his shoulder.

But Yi'an didn't react at all and remained fast asleep.

How could a hunter who spends his life hunting in the mountains and is extremely vigilant possibly sleep so soundly?

It seems that their food was indeed poisoned!

The unusual drowsiness she had felt earlier, and Yi An's current state, are the best evidence!