Inside the space, Xu Xinghe looked at the watch on her wrist and began to calculate the time.

Judging from the previous log entries, this man in black came to record almost every day, each entry containing exactly the same number of words and taking about ten minutes.

But just to be on the safe side, she decided to wait a little longer and hide for half an hour before going out.

Time flowed quietly within the space, and Xu Xinghe waited patiently.

Half an hour later, she had a thought and instantly withdrew from the space, still hiding in the shadows.

Fortunately, the man was gone, the notebook and water tank on the table had been tidied up, and the oil lamp had been extinguished.

Xu Xinghe breathed a sigh of relief, turned on the flashlight again, quickly walked to the table, and continued copying the remaining content.

This time she was more cautious, keeping an eye on the outside while copying, and strictly controlling the time.

After confirming that he had temporarily copied down some of the key information and restored everything to its original state, Xu Xinghe glanced at his watch. It had been exactly one hour since he entered the cubicle.

She dared not linger, and quietly left the cubicle, walking along the passage towards the cave entrance.

The journey was smooth, and I didn't encounter anyone else.

When Xu Xinghe returned to the courtyard, it was still completely silent.

The man and his wife were still unconscious, breathing evenly, clearly indicating that the effects of the drug had not yet worn off.

"You're back!" Yi An hadn't dared to sleep, and upon hearing the slight sound of the door opening, she immediately got up. "Did something happen?"

"No, everything is going well."

Yi An looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and then couldn't help but ask, "Where exactly is this place? Who are those people...? Can you tell me?"

Xu Xinghe looked up at him, but ultimately shook her head. "I'm sorry, this is confidential, I can't tell you. Just know that the people here are not good people, and we should leave as soon as possible."

She didn't want to involve Yi'an too much.

The more you know about these secrets involving espionage, the greater the danger.

"Okay." Yi An was a little disappointed, but she understood and didn't ask any further questions.

"Go to sleep early." After saying that, Xu Xinghe turned around and went back to her room, putting the copied secrets into her spatial storage.

One night passed.

The man and his wife finally woke up the next morning.

The lingering effects of the drug left them slightly drowsy, but they didn't notice anything unusual.

When Yi'an and the others woke up, the two warmly invited them to have breakfast, saying, "Come on, we made rice today."

The food on the table was still steaming.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Xu Xinghe brought up the matter of leaving again, saying, "Brother and sister-in-law, thank you for your hospitality. We really have to go back to Lijia'ao today; we still have some things to take care of at home."

The man put down his chopsticks, coughed lightly, and looked somewhat troubled. "Miss, there's something I'd like to ask you for help with. I don't know if it's convenient for you?"

Xu Xinghe's heart sank.

The other party still wants to keep them!

Did the person who went to Lijia'ao to investigate not return?

Or did they already know she was a recent outsider and wanted to test her further?

She suppressed her wariness and pretended to be completely unaware, saying, "Brother, if you tell me, I will definitely help if I can."

"Well, someone in our village is injured, badly injured." The man rubbed his hands together, his voice anxious. "But we don't have a doctor in this remote place. I was wondering if you know anything about herbs? You often go up the mountain, so you should know some herbs that can be used in emergencies. It would be good to help them get through this."

Xu Xinghe shook his head. "It's really unfortunate, I'm afraid I can't help. I haven't been in Lijia'ao for long. I've always lived in the city before, and I've never been to any mountains. Since I came here, I've only been cutting firewood. I can't even tell the difference between wild grass and wild vegetables, let alone identify medicinal herbs."

She simply revealed her background and continued to feign ignorance based on the other party's possible inquiries, saying, "You'd better hurry up and send the person to a village with a doctor, don't delay."

"It's too far!" the man sighed, his face full of worry. "It's a bumpy ride over three mountains to get to the town. I'm afraid we won't make it there."

At this moment, the man's wife stood up and said, "I'll go check on the situation first. Sister, will you come with me? You can lend a hand too."

Yi An immediately frowned and declined on Xu Xinghe's behalf, "She's just a young lady and doesn't know anything about these things. She probably wouldn't be of much help if she went. I've been hunting a lot and happen to know a few herbs. Why don't I go with you?"

"Just have the girl accompany me. The vegetables you ate yesterday were picked from his garden, so you've done him a favor. It's only right that you go and visit him."

The man chimed in, "Since you recognize herbs, that's great. Time waits for no one. Why don't we go up the mountain and see if we can pick something? Otherwise, it won't do if you go without any herbs."

Yi'an remained silent.

Xu Xinghe gave him a reassuring look, indicating that he shouldn't worry, "Okay, then I'll go with you to take a look. I won't refuse to lend a hand if I can."

Seeing this, Yi'an could only agree, "Alright, let's go pick some herbs first."

The four of them walked out of the courtyard, parted ways at the gate, and went to opposite sides.

Xu Xinghe followed the man's wife around two corners and arrived at a villager's house.

As soon as I pushed open the courtyard gate, a strong smell of blood hit me and filled my nostrils.

Xu Xinghe's heart stirred, and she went into the house. There she saw a woman lying on the earthen bed. Her legs were covered in blood and flesh, and the wounds were gruesome, as if she had been caught in a trap. She was only bandaged with simple strips of cloth, and the blood seeping out stained the bedding black.

She immediately pretended to be unable to bear it, abruptly turning her head away, her brows furrowed tightly, her eyes filled with fear.

She had seen this woman in the cave last night; she was clearly a member of this spy base!

These injuries look frightening, but they are most likely a decoy trap.

Even if it's a real injury, it's the spy reaping what he sowed; it would be better if he died. Why should she help?

"Please, please help!" A man suddenly rushed over from the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), grabbed Xu Xinghe's arm, his voice choked with sobs, his eyes red-rimmed. "We really have no other choice. If this continues, she'll be beyond saving! Aren't you from Lijia'ao? I heard people from Lijia'ao know some medicinal herbs!"

Xu Xinghe forcefully pulled her hand away from his, took two steps back, and feigned panic, "I'm sorry, I really don't know anything about treating illnesses or saving lives, and I don't recognize any herbs. I can't help you. You should take her to the town or another village with a doctor as soon as possible!"

The man was still crying and pleading, while the woman on the bed was groaning in pain, her voice weak and pitiful.

But Xu Xinghe's heart was as hard as steel; she had already guessed the other party's intentions.

They must have found out from Lijia'ao that she was an outsider, and since they were unsure of her identity, they used this method to test her.

If they were real soldiers, unaware of the truth, they would surely be unable to resist helping ordinary civilians who were seriously injured.

Moreover, most of the female soldiers are medics, which is what they know best.

But she knew everything, so naturally she wouldn't fall into that trap.

Xu Xinghe pretended to be unable to bear watching, her body trembling slightly, but she never relented in saying a word.

That means they can't say anything, they don't understand medicine, they can't bandage, they can only look.

Just then, the woman on the bed suddenly tilted her head to the side, fell silent, and completely lost consciousness.

The people inside immediately surrounded them, wailing and shouting.

Xu Xinghe sighed and tugged at his wife's clothes. "Sister-in-law, let's go. I really can't stand it anymore, I'm getting anxious."

The daughter-in-law also sighed, her eyes full of regret, "Alas, if only there were a doctor here, things wouldn't have come to this."

“Yes, it’s a pity I don’t know anything, otherwise I could have been of help.” Xu Xinghe said, following her words, then suddenly changed the subject, “Why don’t you climb the mountain from the direction I came from to find the people in Lijia’ao? That road is much shorter than going to town, which will save a lot of time, and maybe we can even find an old man who knows a little about medicine.”

She deliberately offered this suggestion, both to show that she genuinely cared about the other person and to further dispel their doubts.

The daughter-in-law paused for a moment, then nodded, "That's a good idea. I'll talk to them about it later."

Xu Xinghe didn't say anything more and quickly walked out of the house with his wife.

She only breathed a sigh of relief when she was far away from the sound of crying.

She should have weathered this round of probing.