【Wooden Amulet:

Category: Item

Rarity: Common

Effect: Detects strange beasts within 30 meters; the higher the beast’s level, the brighter the light it emits.】

Cen An wasn’t lying; the Wooden Amulet was indeed the most ordinary of items. Its materials—one piece of wood and one strand of thin grass rope—were simple and easy to come by.

Yet its function was far from useless. Detecting beasts within a 30-meter radius was exactly what the current team of ability-users needed.

Most of the time, ability-users can sense the presence of beasts, but there are also those skilled at hiding and launching surprise attacks—and these are often the moments when members of the Ability-users Evening Squad are most vulnerable.

It’s safe to say this item hit the mark with the squad members.

And of course, Cen An’s purpose wasn’t merely to hand out a batch of ordinary items…

He took out a plain, unadorned wooden amulet. “I’ll put these on for you. Come on, line up.”

“Brother Cen is going to bestow honors on us!” Wang Lie laughed, scrambling to be first in line.

Cen An stood up. He had been sitting at the very top to begin with, so now that he was standing, he towered over everyone else.

Wang Lie obediently bowed his head, letting him hang a wooden amulet around his neck.

Sure enough, the others formed a long line, chatting and laughing as they waited for Cen An to give them their amulets.

Cen An’s gaze casually swept over the backs of their necks; his heart skipped a beat, but his hands remained steady.

Suddenly, his movements paused as his gaze fell upon a petite figure.

It was a female ability-user—Cen An didn’t know her name, but he remembered her surname was Ji. She was a water-type ability-user, usually quiet, with a reserved and shy disposition.

On the back of her neck was a clear, distinct circular bruise.

Just as he’d suspected… Cen An wasn’t sure whether to breathe a sigh of relief or hold his breath.

The ability-user squad had been infiltrated as well… Come to think of it, if even Shi Long, the deputy squad leader, could be controlled, the rank-and-file members naturally wouldn’t escape it either.

What Cen An wanted to know was whether there were any limits to this control—could they control anyone they wanted?

And what was the mastermind’s objective? Yongning Village was just a tiny hamlet with barely more than twenty ability-users.

Although Cen An hadn’t left the village since his arrival, he knew full well that the world was vast, and there were surely many factions larger than Yongning Village. If the enemy possessed such elusive abilities, why would they confine themselves to such a small village?

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Cen An remained impassive, hanging the wooden talismans around everyone’s necks one by one.

What gave him some relief was that only three members of the entire ability-users squad had been taken over. Besides the girl surnamed Ji, there were two boys.

Like the girl, these two were also introverted, spoke little, and had few friends.

Cen An noted down the identities of the three and gave Qu Yue a subtle nod.

Qu Yue couldn’t claim to know Cen An inside out, but she sensed something unusual in his movements. She immediately used the excuse of splitting up to patrol the mountains to send everyone out, leaving only herself, Zhao Wu, and Wang Lie behind.

Once everyone had left, Wang Lie immediately asked, “What did you notice, Brother Cen?”

Cen An was taken aback by his words. “How did you know?”

Wang Lie smiled. “Brother Cen, you hate trouble more than anything. You’d rather go up the mountain to chop wood than come to the Ability-Users Squad. You could’ve easily had me or Sister Qu pick up the supplies from your place. Coming here yourself means something’s up.”

Cen An felt a bit awkward. Clearing his throat, he explained the situation.

The lighthearted atmosphere vanished instantly. The members of the Ability-Users Squad looked grim. “Even people within the squad have been taken over?”

“If that’s the case, there are probably quite a few in the village too… No, I have to check everything.” Wang Lie turned and ran out. This matter required immediate action. As for the discussions that would follow… whatever he needed to know, his friends would naturally tell him.

Cen An then recounted what he’d learned from Shi Jie and asked Old Geng, “Regarding Captain Shi’s inspection of the cave during the rainy season three years ago, do you have any leads?”

“Three years ago…” Old Geng frowned. “Back then, Old Qi and I were still on the Supernatural Abilities Squad, but I honestly don’t recall anything like that happening…”

He pondered for a moment, then said helplessly, “Xiao Shi is a very responsible person. If he’d known there were supernatural beasts in the cave, he might have gone in on his own even if no one else was around.”

Qu Yue and Zhao Wu nodded in unison; if it were the Shi Long of the past, that would be entirely possible.

Cen An asked in confusion, “And Old Qi?”

Old Geng explained, “My old partner—another ability-user who retired from the squad.” He sighed. “Old Qi is even less capable than I am; his health has deteriorated so badly that he hasn’t been able to leave the house lately.”

Cen An nodded. He still held deep respect for these ability-users who had spent their entire lives protecting the village.

Qu Yue said, “The cave they burst out of three years ago might still have traces. I’ll keep an eye out for it during our patrols these next few days.”

Cen An nodded helplessly; that was all they could do.

Now that the enemy was in the open and they were in the dark, there wasn’t much they could do. Moreover, with the monster tide approaching, there were still many preparations they needed to make.

Over the next few days, observant villagers noticed that the Ability-Users squad’s patrol frequency had increased once again.

More and more monsters were gathering on the mountain; on several occasions, small-scale monster tides began to form, only to be promptly discovered and dispersed by the Ability-Users squad.

In this, the wooden talismans sent by Cen An played a major role.

Although he, as a player, looked down on this low-level item, for the ability-user squad—who were using such items for the first time—this thing could do so much!

With every member of the squad carrying a wooden talisman, they could accurately pinpoint the location of hidden beasts based on the talisman’s brightness.

Not only that, but they even came up with a new tactic: having the wind-elementalist fly around in the sky while holding the talisman. Wherever it lit up… no, wherever it lit up, they’d rush over—and they actually managed to spot several monster swarms before they even formed!

The squad members were thrilled, giving Cen An a thumbs-up nonstop. “Our Brother Cen, you’re the best!”

Cen An wanted to give them a thumbs-up, too. The idea of flying through the air while carrying a wooden talisman? He couldn’t have come up with that even if he’d had a hundred years… Well, the main thing was, he had plenty of tools, far more useful than wooden talismans.

In any case, with the wooden talisman’s protection, several more days passed. The Ability-Users Squad hadn’t yet faced a single monster wave, and no fully formed monster waves had appeared around the village.

For the first time, the villagers were able to enjoy such peaceful days before a monster wave struck, and they grew increasingly grateful to Cen An.

Consequently, the supplies in front of the small, dilapidated house kept piling up; almost every morning when he woke up, they formed a ring around the courtyard.

Some people, in an attempt to curry favor with the Strangling Vine, even tossed crystal cores into his yard… It took only two or three days before the Strangling Vine had grown plump.

Cen An curled the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself, If only I could teach it not to accept bribes so casually…

By now, he had gathered all the wood and hay needed to upgrade his house. Three small mountains of supplies were piled up in the yard, a sight that was actually quite impressive.

The members of the Ability-Users Squad had contributed a great deal to this. Although Cen An had repeatedly emphasized that they didn’t need to bring supplies, the squad members acted as if they hadn’t heard him; every time they returned from the mountains, they’d toss a pile of supplies over.

When he caught them, they’d grin and take their scolding. After he finished scolding them, they’d take the items away, only to toss more in the next time he wasn’t looking.

This bad habit has even started spreading among the villagers… so far, Cen An hasn’t found a good solution…

He rubbed his temples in frustration, then continued his tally: over two hundred stone blocks still needed, over two hundred hardwood logs, and over a hundred softwood logs—these were the categories with the largest shortfalls. Additionally, he hadn’t started collecting clay yet, but long leaves and broad leaves were everywhere, so gathering them would be relatively simple.

And then there was tree sap…

Cen An closed the system interface. “Today we’ll collect hardwood and stones, and pick up some leaves while we’re at it. Sound good?”

Su Rui sat beside him, gnawing on a chicken carcass, and shook his head to indicate it was fine.

Yesterday, Xiao Yi and the Green Shade Mouse caught three half-grown chicks together, so Cen An boiled them and made a cold chicken dish.

There was one left today, and Su Rui happened to catch it just in time.

This guy gnawed on chicken bones differently from everyone else. Those thick chicken bones—he snapped them in two with a crunch, making Cen An’s teeth ache just watching.

He lifted his foot and gave Su Rui’s calf a gentle kick. “Hurry up.”

Su Rui shoved the last bone into his mouth, stood up, and grumbled, “You’re getting rougher with me.”

“And you’re so polite to me?” Cen An retorted irritably. “You’ve got several red bean buns stuffed in your shirt—don’t think I didn’t notice.”

Su Rui’s expression immediately turned serious. “Let’s hurry up and head up the mountain. It takes a long time to cut hardwood.”

Cen An’s lips twitched slightly. He scooped a few honey-glazed jade berries from a small jar nearby, wrapped them in a leaf, and handed them to him.

Tian Yuan had brought over half a jar of honey yesterday, so Cen An had used the last few Emerald Crystal Fruits to make these. They were way too sweet for his taste, but Xiao Yi and the Green Shade Mouse absolutely loved them.

The two of them headed up the mountain.

Actually, Cen An had been making frequent trips up the mountain these past few days. The approaching Beast Tide was one thing, but life still had to go on.

According to Qu Yue and the others, two-thirds of the year in this world is spent in the Beast Tide period. Was he supposed to just stay cooped up at home for that long? So, not only him, but even ordinary villagers, organized by the Ability-Users Squad, were doing their best to maintain their previous foraging frequency.

As Qu Yue put it, you can’t just stop farming because you hear the cicadas chirping, can you?

With his friends’ protection, Cen An had ventured farther afield these past few days, mapping out several nearby mountains and discovering several new hardwood growth sites. Today, he was here to harvest them all at once.

The two walked deep into the mountains. Cen An whispered, “Is he still there?”

Su Rui shook his head. “He stopped following us after we entered the mountains.”

Cen An nodded slightly. Just like the past few days.

Yes, ever since he returned from the mine shaft—no, actually, long before that—he’d noticed someone occasionally tailing him. And lately, it’s been happening every single day without fail.

And the ones following him were precisely those with bruises on the back of their necks.

In addition to the three members of the Special Abilities Squad, Wang Lie’s investigation revealed that two others in the village had also been compromised.

One of them was Diao Qi, the same man who, during the Rainy Season, had incited the villagers to demand Wind-Cold Fruit from Cen An.

The other, however, had never had any contact with Cen An, but his residence was quite peculiar… he was Team Leader Liao’s neighbor.

Once these individuals were identified, everyone almost immediately deduced the two people the mastermind valued most: one was Cen An, and the other was Liao Yongzhi.

In fact, Cen An was even more important to the mastermind than Liao Yongzhi! After all, the mastermind had taken an interest in Cen An from a very early stage.

“We’re here. Up ahead is a stand of hardwood trees, with a few softwoods nearby. We can just cut them all down together.” Cen An pulled out his axe, and Su Rui also conjured one.

When it came to chopping hardwood, Cen An’s strength was practically negligible. Not wanting to make a fool of himself, he stuck to the softwood, leaving the hardwood for Su Rui to handle.

Soon, the sound of chopping echoed through the woods.

With the monster tide approaching, the mountains and forests were filled with a sense of impending doom; there were far more monsters than before.

They hadn’t been working long when a massive, fiery-red tail burst out of the woods.

A Level 3 beast, the Red-tailed Fox—a creature Cen An could only handle with Illusory Light Mist—was pinned to the ground by Su Rui with a single iron nail.

Noticing Cen An staring, Mr. Big Wolf kindly advised, “We’re in a hurry today. When I have time, I’ll catch one for you to play with.”

Cen An muttered to himself, thinking, Who’s playing with it? Do you think I’m you?

He just felt that this Red-tailed Fox seemed to have a slightly swollen belly—almost as if it were pregnant. Come to think of it, how do beasts reproduce? Is it the same as ordinary animals?

Seeing him still staring over there, Su Rui clicked his tongue, strode over, grabbed the red-tailed fox by the tail, and hauled it to its feet, shoving it toward Cen An. “Alright, go play. I’ll take care of the rest.”

If Yin Xiang were here, he’d surely be in tears over his brother’s double standards. Why is it that when he wants to play while he’s working, he just gets a good beating?

Cen’an felt both annoyed and amused. He took the red-tailed fox to put it in his backpack… but when she touched it, something felt off. “Why is this fox’s belly hard?”

It wasn’t the kind of stiffness that comes after death, but a hard, angular firmness. It felt as though… Was there something inside the fox’s belly?

Cen An gave Su Rui a nod, and Su Rui materialized a small knife, slicing open the belly from top to bottom. Click—a green box fell out.

“Is this… a Secret Chest?”

Cen An recognized it immediately. Secret chests were fairly common items; they usually contained quest items, and opening one meant accepting a quest.

He was quite curious about the Secret Chests in this world, but opening one required a copper key. Although he had the recipe for a copper key, he hadn’t brought any copper ore with him, so he’d have to wait until he got back.

So he put the Secret Chest away, and the two continued chopping down trees.

This small patch of hardwood forest yielded 22 pieces of hardwood and 5 pieces of softwood for Cen An. The two gathered the wood and hurried on to the next patch.

In a dark room, a figure lay on a narrow wooden bed. Anyone who saw this person’s first reaction would likely be: “How old?”

This person was so old that they were barely recognizable. Their skin hung loosely over their frame like sagging chicken skin, and their face was no different—their features drooped like those in the famous painting *The Scream*, with eyelids so heavy they could barely open. He looked like a withered human skin, slumped on the bed, clinging to life by a thread.

Yet, kneeling respectfully before the wooden bed was a man.

If the members of the Special Abilities Squad were here, they would likely be utterly shocked—this man was none other than Shi Long, who was supposed to be locked up in the stone dungeon!

How did he get out?

Shi Long, however, was now filled with reverence, even devotion. “Greetings, Master. Thank you for saving me.”

“It’s nothing.” The old man spoke, his aged vocal cords producing a voice more grating than a crow’s caw. “You want to live, and I want to live. We’re in this together now.”

A look of fervor flashed across Shi Long’s face. “If you say so, Master, does that mean the plan has already succeeded?”

“Heh heh heh…” A hoarse laugh echoed through the darkness, like some flesh-eating ancient demon. “The plan is still one step away from completion… All right, come inside and rest for now. There will be a time when I need you later.”

Fingers like withered branches fumbled at his waist, where a string of black stones was hanging. These stones resembled obsidian, yet their color was deeper, exuding an ominous aura; even when sunlight fell upon them, they reflected not a single glimmer of brightness.

Shi Long bowed respectfully. Suddenly, a black shadow emerged from his body and burrowed into the stones.

His body collapsed as if a garment had been stripped away, leaving only a faint breath rising from his chest.

“He’s still alive…” The old man lowered his eyelids, speaking as if to himself, yet also as if recalling a memory. “I’ve seen someone like this before… I advise you to give up. Living is nothing but suffering for nothing.”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Cen An and Su Rui kept chopping until they had gathered 120 pieces of hardwood before stopping.

They had already cleared the hardwood grove they’d found earlier, so if they wanted to collect more, they’d have to find a new one.

“We’ve got 30 pieces of softwood now… Next up, broadleaf trees or… Huh?” Cen An looked up and realized they’d come full circle—they’d actually ended up back near the village.

The place looked somewhat familiar. He thought hard for a moment—wasn’t this where he’d collected clay before?

This was the upper reaches of the village stream. Further downstream was a reed bed where wild vegetables could be foraged, and just beyond that was Yu Fei’s home—the very spot where Cen An and Yu Fei had become friends after a scuffle.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “It’s getting late anyway. Let’s go gather some clay; we can head home right after.”

Of all the materials—clay, leaves, and the like—these were actually the easiest to gather, so Cen An planned to save them for last. As for hardwood, softwood, and tree sap, which required quite a bit of effort, he put those at the top of the list.

Tree sap, in particular, was the most time-consuming and labor-intensive to collect. Cen An had hung countless small wooden tubes for collecting sap all over the place, yet he still hadn’t gathered much. It was a matter of time; there’s no rushing it.

Su Rui, of course, did whatever Cen An told him to do, following along without objection as Cen An led the way.

The once golden reed beds were already turning green. Cen An walked through them with ease, found the clay, and began digging it up with a small shovel.

With Su Rui there, everything went faster; the two of them quickly dug up fifty or sixty portions.

As the sky began to darken, Cen An was about to suggest they come back tomorrow… when he suddenly heard a pained moan carried by the wind.

He paused, listening intently, and indeed heard the cry of pain. “There’s a sound—did you hear that?”

Su Rui nodded as if it were obvious. “If you heard it, I definitely heard it too.”

Cen An was speechless. “If you heard it, why didn’t you say so sooner!” He listened intently again. “It sounds like someone’s injured. It might be someone from the village. Let’s go check it out.”

Su Rui swiftly scooped up the remaining clay with two shovelfuls, then wrapped his arm around Cen An’s waist and floated up low.

Since they could hear the sound, it naturally couldn’t be far away. A minute later, Cen An spotted an old woman in the reed marsh, clutching her ankle and moaning in pain.

“It’s the old lady who sells wild vegetables.” Cen An frowned. “Grandma, what happened to you?”

The old woman looked up. “Oh, it’s young Master Cen.” She sighed. “I’m old and useless now. I came out to dig some wild vegetables, but I ended up twisting my ankle.”

Cen An took a look and was relieved; her ankle was slightly red and swollen, but the injury wasn’t serious. He took out a moss bandage and was about to wrap it around her ankle.

The old woman quickly refused. “This… this is medicine, isn’t it? Oh my, I’m just an old woman—I’m not worthy of such fine medicine. Young Master Cen, please keep it for yourself, for yourself…”

“It’s not anything fancy,” Cen An smiled. “It’s just made from moss—it’s not worth much.”

Without waiting for a reply, he wrapped the bandage around the old woman’s ankle and said, “Where do you live, Grandma? I’ll walk you home.”

The old woman felt the burning pain in her ankle fade away, replaced by a soothing coolness. “Young master, you’re such a kind soul…” She had intended to refuse, but then thought better of it—having Cen An come to her home would give her a chance to offer a token of gratitude, so she agreed.

Cen An and Su Rui accompanied the old woman home, only to discover to their surprise that they lived right next door to Yu Fei’s house.

As soon as the two pushed open the door, the old man came out to greet them, scolding his wife while thanking Cen An, looking as if he’d been worried sick.

The old woman bickered with her husband for a moment, then said, “Old man, don’t we still have two bird eggs at home? Bring them out to serve as a side dish for the young boss. If it weren’t for these two young people, I’d have been eaten by a monster tonight.”

“You don’t have to tell me that,” the old man retorted defiantly. He immediately wrapped the two quail eggs in leaves and tossed in a large handful of wild greens.

The house was so bare it was practically just four walls—how could Cen An possibly accept anything from two elderly people? Naturally, he refused.

Just as they were exchanging polite refusals, another person walked in from outside. Cen An instinctively looked over.

It was a man who looked to be in his late twenties, somewhat thin, with regular features and a composed expression. However, his gait was different from that of an ordinary person: while his left foot stepped out normally, his right foot dragged along the ground, as if he had a disability.

Realizing it was rude to stare at his disability, Cen An quickly looked away. “Who is this?”

“He’s my grandson,” the old woman said with a proud smile. “He must have gone out looking for me.”

The man walked in and, sure enough, called out “Grandpa” and “Grandma.” Noticing Cen An’s awkwardness, he exchanged a few words with them and sent the elderly couple off to rest.

Cen An immediately breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took out the bird eggs, finding a place to set them down. With a room full of the elderly, the weak, and the infirm, they might as well keep them to help restore their health.

The man said, “My name is Xie Xiuping. Thank you, Mr. Cen, for bringing my grandmother back.”

“No problem, it was just a small favor,” Cen An said with a smile.

Xie Xiuping shook his head, his tone steady and measured: “I still have to thank you.”

He knew full well that Cen An wouldn’t accept something as slightly valuable as bird eggs, so he wrapped a bundle of wild vegetables in leaves and added a small wooden tube. “I found these in the woods; they’re not worth much. Please don’t look down on them, Boss Cen.”

The wild vegetables were one thing, but when Cen An opened the small wooden tube and took a look, he was surprised. “Tree sap?” It was nearly half full—about twenty portions’ worth.

Xie Xiuping said, “As you can see, my condition prevents me from hunting, so I usually gather some tree sap and resin in the woods to sell.”

The other items were one thing, but the tree sap really piqued Cen An’s interest. Over twenty portions would take him half a month to collect. But gathering this stuff wasn’t easy, and the man had mobility issues—to just take it like this…

Xie Xiuping seemed to sense Cen An’s hesitation. “Don’t worry, Boss Cen. Collecting tree sap isn’t hard for me.”

He tapped his finger, and the sap inside the wooden tube began to sway. Drop by drop, they lined up, spun in a circle, and fell back into the tube.

Cen An was taken aback. “Are you a water-type ability user?”

“Just a run-of-the-mill ability user,” Xie Xiuping replied without a hint of offense. He pressed his two fingers together, and a spray of water shot out.

Hmm… It was indeed a bit bigger than Shi Jie’s water spray.

He said, “My ability isn’t strong—it’s not even Level 1—so I’ve developed a new way to use it.”

Cen An realized: normally, collecting sap meant cutting a slit and using a wooden tube to catch it, which was inevitably slow—you could only collect a few dozen drops in a night. Xie Xiuping, however, could use his water-type ability to collect it directly, which was naturally much faster.

No wonder he produced nearly half a tube on his first try.

He just hadn’t expected water-type abilities to be used this way. He glanced back at Su Rui and was instantly speechless—the guy was staring into space, looking so vacant that it felt like you could see right through him from his ear holes… clearly, he had zero interest in this conversation.

Cen An sighed in exasperation, turned away, thought for a moment, and said, “How much sap do you have left? I’ll trade with you.”

He took a close look at Xie Xiuping’s condition—he showed no signs of 【Disability】 or 【Serious Injury】. Uncertain of what to make of it, he asked, “I don’t know if you’ve heard of this, but I have some vegetables with rather unique properties.”

Xie Xiuping froze. “What do you mean…?”

Cen An simply pulled out a handful of sweet asparagus and a few colorful tomatoes. “These vegetables can temper the body. I don’t know if they’ll be of use to you. Would you be willing to trade with me? I need 100… no, 200 portions of tree sap.”

Xie Xiuping’s expression immediately turned serious. He thought it over carefully for a moment, then took a deep breath. “I’m willing to trade! And I promise you, I won’t breathe a word about this—not even my grandparents will know!”