The other villagers were startled, but they also looked around cautiously before lowering their heads.

Only Liu Liu's younger sister, Hua Hua, yelled, "Don't lock up my brother! My brother did nothing wrong!"

"He did nothing wrong, who did?" the male teacher scoffed. "If he hadn't insisted on keeping this outsider, saying that once she recovered from her injuries and started breeding, we would have a constant supply of food, why would she have run away!"

Hua Hua's face turned pale as she angrily shouted, "If you weren't tempted, would you have agreed?" She pointed at the others, "Would you have agreed?"

The female teacher scolded, "Shut up! Now you're feeling sorry for your brother? When you were fighting for food in the water, why didn't you show him any mercy?"

Hua Hua's expression changed instantly, but she still stubbornly insisted, "Is that the same thing? That's instinct!"

"Ha!" The female teacher scoffed coldly. She was about to say something when the male teacher stopped her with an outstretched arm. The male teacher bent down, placed his hands on Hua Hua's shoulders, and his expression softened. "Hua Hua, tell me, why did Liu Liu ask you to take the outsider away? How did he convince you?"

He stared intently at Hua Hua's expression, and seeing her hesitation, he immediately lowered his voice and coaxed her, "Look, your brother has been injured by outsiders and his life is in danger. Are you still going to hide it? Maybe the outsiders will sneak back to take revenge on you at any time!"

"You're lying, I'm so good to her!"

"Okay? I saw a big bowl of hot soup spilled on the bed yesterday at noon. It couldn't be what you wanted to eat!"

Hua Hua immediately turned her head away guiltily. The female teacher said meaningfully, "You wanted to scald her with hot soup, didn't you? And all that hair that fell on your bed, judging by the color and length, it's not yours. You're so naughty, you don't want to take care of her at all, you just treat her like a novel toy."

Cheng Shuang touched the back of her head, her eyes darkening.

Hua Hua felt a chill run down her spine. She glanced around inexplicably, then muttered in a low voice, "Brother... Brother said she has a special scent that made her my sister-in-law. We're family now, so... we can be even stronger!"

"What's that smell!" The male teacher's eyes lit up instantly, and he gripped Hua Hua's shoulders a little harder, causing Hua Hua to pout and show a pained expression as if she was about to cry.

"It's...it's a smell that's frightening and terrifying!"

The adults in the village had different expressions, and their eyes couldn't help but look towards the river.

Cheng Shuang looked in that direction, puzzled. Could it be the city?

However, the people in the city also look like human-headed fish at night, but their attack power is not as fierce as these human-headed fish.

"My brother wanted to understand what was going on, so he persuaded the teacher to lock up the outsider first."

Cheng Shuang was puzzled. Aside from an expired blessing from a mermaid princess, she had no connection whatsoever with aquatic creatures. If they were to become powerful, could it be her repair skills?

The repairman's skills were clearly frozen temporarily, and should not have revealed anything, much less let Liu Liu, the merman who couldn't even compete with her sister for food in the water, notice it.

Could it be that Liu Liu's appearance is different, causing this abnormality?

In the end, Liu Liu was still locked up, not in the dark room that Cheng Shuang had imagined, but in an underwater cage. A heavy object hung from the bottom of the cage, preventing it from drifting away or floating.

Hua Hua burst into tears. After everyone left, she sobbed and faced the water, clutching her sob-filled face. "Brother, don't be angry with me. I didn't tell on you. At worst, at worst, during tonight's hunt, I... I'll try not to eat it all! I'll leave some for you." With that, she cried even louder.

Cheng Shuang lay on the roof ridge, her gaze passing over Hua Hua's figure and looking at the river.

The small boat drifted downstream, carrying a brother and sister, a male and female teacher. Although Cheng Shuang didn't know where they were going, she guessed that it was most likely related to the person they had been trying to report to.

Having already traveled the amphibious vehicle once, she had some understanding of the downstream environment. The riverbanks were too wide on both sides, and the obstructed areas were quite far away, so it was not suitable to follow too closely.

The little girl simply waited for news from Luo An to arrive. Once she confirmed that Du Jun, Liu Juan, and the others had safely reunited, she sat cross-legged in the crevice and summoned back the ghost doll.

When Luo An saw Cheng Shuang, his turquoise eyes reddened, and he blinked as if tears were about to fall.

This was the first time it had gotten separated from Cheng Shuang since leaving the old school. They were apart for two days and two nights. If the little girl hadn't contacted it immediately, the ghost doll would probably have cried uncontrollably, just like that wailing flower.

Cheng Shuang patted its little head reassuringly, praising its bravery repeatedly. After returning it to the space, she turned her gaze to the baby bear lying between her legs.

The little girl pursed her lips tightly, her peach blossom eyes staring intently at the silent, tattered doll. Then, her hands trembling, she took out a needle and thread and carefully mended the teddy bear's damaged parts.

She sniffled, momentarily at a loss, unsure of what to do.

Even the most potent powder pills couldn't restore the baby bear's health. What should she do?

Cheng Shuang was desperate to find a return ticket, resorting to somewhat extreme measures in the hope of returning to the rest stop as soon as possible to check the attribute panel. At least she could know the status of the bear cub through the attribute panel, instead of being as lost and helpless as she was now, unable to do anything.

The little girl's handicrafts weren't very good, but she was incredibly patient. Her stitches were fine and neat, and while the cotton didn't leak out, she did leave a few marks of needlework on the teddy bear.

Seeing the visibly worn-out teddy bear, the little girl could no longer hold back. She hugged it to her chest and burst into tears, but because of her surroundings, she cried without making a sound.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!