The night was as dark as ink, completely swallowing the dilapidated thatched hut.
By the dim glow of an oil lamp, Liu Xiaoman spread open the oil-paper-wrapped packet of beast-repelling powder in her palm.
She pinched a bit of the grayish-yellow powder and brought it to her nose. A strange smell—a mix of sulfur and pungent herbs—instantly rushed into her nostrils.
Her fingertips twitched slightly, and the system’s scan results immediately appeared in her mind:
【Warning: This mixture has a strong repelling effect on wild animals. It is mildly irritating to human skin. If inhaled or ingested in large amounts, it may cause nerve paralysis and organ failure.】
A cold curve slowly formed at the corner of Liu Xiaoman’s lips.
There was no warmth in her eyes.
“Mild irritation?” she sneered inwardly. “That depends on how it’s used—and on whom.”
Late into the night, Li Xiuxiu and Liu Congming had already fallen into deep sleep from exhaustion.
Liu Xiaoman softly told her mother, “I’m going out for a moment,” grabbed the short sickle from the corner, and slipped out of the hut like a nimble night cat, without making a sound.
The moonlight was pale, filtering through sparse branches and casting broken shadows on the ground, like countless prying eyes.
She didn’t go far. Relying on her memory from the day, she headed straight toward the spots where Liu Dabao was most likely hiding to spy.
Each of those places was carefully chosen—perfect for concealment while offering a clear view of the hut.
She crouched behind a half-person-high bush and focused her mind on the system shop.
Using her last few points, she quickly exchanged for and unlocked a Basic Plant Compendium of the surrounding area.
Countless images and pieces of information flashed through her mind, finally settling on one particular vine.
【Ghost Thorn Vine: A common local plant. Its sap is non-toxic but contains countless microscopic needle-like crystals. Upon contact with skin, they quickly penetrate pores, causing intense burning itchiness that can last three to five hours.】
“Perfect,” Liu Xiaoman thought, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
She didn’t want Liu Dabao dead—that would only escalate things and provoke retaliation from the entire Liu household.
What she wanted was fear.
She wanted him to believe, deep in his bones, that the back mountain was cursed—so that he would never dare step near it again.
She pulled out a pair of coarse cloth gloves she had prepared and carefully snapped off several thick sections of the vine, avoiding its thorns.
Using the back of her sickle, she crushed the vines. Dark green, sticky sap oozed out.
She mixed the sap with dirt into an unremarkable lump of mud, then patiently smeared it onto tree trunks and the inner sides of bushes—places Liu Dabao was most likely to grab or brush against.
These were all blind spots—impossible to notice without deliberate inspection.
While setting up her third trap point, a sudden bark echoed from the direction of the village, sharp and jarring in the silent night.
Her heart tightened instantly.
She lowered her body and melted into the shadows of the grass, even her breathing becoming nearly imperceptible as she listened carefully.
Fortunately, the barking didn’t continue.
After confirming it was safe, she resumed her work.
Not only did she apply the ghost thorn sap, but she also sprinkled the beast-repelling powder in an extremely fine, thin layer across the grass paths between the observation points.
When the night wind blew, the colorless, odorless powder would quietly cling to the pants and shoes of anyone passing through.
After finishing, she carefully checked everything, erasing every trace she had left behind—even a single out-of-place footprint.
Only then did she silently return to the hut.
“Xiaoman?” Li Xiuxiu stirred awake at the faint light from the door, sitting up anxiously.
“Mother, it’s fine,” Liu Xiaoman said calmly, tucking the blanket around her. “No matter what you hear outside tonight, don’t make a sound—and don’t let Congming make one either. Just sleep.”
Li Xiuxiu looked into her daughter’s steady eyes. Though full of worry, the trust she had built over the past days suppressed all her questions. She nodded firmly.
Just past midnight, a sneaky figure appeared at the edge of the village.
Liu Dabao hadn’t noticed anything unusual during the day, but Old Madam Tian and Wang Jinhua insisted something was off and forced him to come again at night.
Though extremely reluctant, the thought of earning two boiled eggs kept him going.
Familiar with the area, he quickly made his way to his chosen observation spot—beneath a crooked tree behind a large rock.
To get a better view, he reached out and pushed aside a bush blocking his sight.
A sticky, damp sensation spread across his fingertips. Under the moonlight, he glanced at it, assuming it was just mud mixed with dew, and wiped it off on his pants in disgust.
He found a comfortable position, leaning his back against the crooked tree. The back of his neck rubbed against the rough bark, picking up some of the specially prepared mud Liu Xiaoman had applied.
He waited there for half an hour, the cold wind making his nose run.
Aside from a few suppressed coughs from Li Xiuxiu, the hut remained silent—like a tomb.
“Tch! Damn bad luck!” Liu Dabao spat impatiently. Freezing and numb, he prepared to leave.
The moment he stood up—
A sudden, overwhelming itch erupted in his palm where he had touched the bush.
At first, it felt like a tiny insect crawling. He scratched instinctively.
But that scratch opened Pandora’s box.
The itch exploded like a bursting dam, spreading from his palm to his wrist, then up his arm.
Soon, his neck—where he had leaned on the tree—and his ankles—where the powder had clung—began to itch with the same unbearable intensity.
“Ugh—ah!”
Liu Dabao groaned, feeling as if he had fallen into an anthill, as though countless invisible insects were biting into his skin, devouring his flesh.
He began scratching frantically, his nails carving bloody streaks across his skin.
The more he scratched, the worse it became.
His skin quickly turned red and swollen, even oozing blood.
The torment drove him completely mad.
He forgot all about his surveillance task. Scrambling out of the bushes, he tore at his clothes while running wildly toward the Liu family home.
“It itches! I’m dying! There’s a ghost! Help!”
His shrill, pig-like screams echoed across the silent village, setting off a chorus of barking dogs.
Inside the hut, Liu Xiaoman listened to the fading cries, her expression calm—as if it were nothing more than a passing night wind.
She knew that, for a long time to come, Liu Dabao—their biggest surveillance problem—was completely dealt with.
At last, she could relax and devote all her energy to building their new home.
However—
Just as a faint smile appeared on her lips and she was about to lie down—
A sharp, piercing system alert suddenly rang out in her mind.
Urgent. Harsh. Filled with unprecedented danger.
Like a bucket of ice water poured over her head.
【Warning! A major change in world rules has been detected. Emergency main quest issued!】