**A Phantom in the Woods, Heart Trembling**
Lín Xiāoxiāo stood frozen, all her blood rushing to her ears, allowing her to clearly hear her own pounding heart. That icy gaze from the depths of the woods felt like tangible needles, sending chills down her spine.
She tightly gripped the broken sickle in her hand, her eyes fixed on the swaying shadows of the trees. The moonlight was a pale white, casting the branches' shadows on the ground, looking like grasping claws.
Was it the "shadow guards"? Had they found her? Or… wild beasts from the mountains?
Time seemed to stretch, each second an agony. The shadows moved again, as if something was slowly shifting.
She couldn't stay outside any longer!
Lín Xiāoxiāo abruptly turned, using all her strength, almost tumbling and scrambling back into the dilapidated hut. With a bang, she slammed the wooden door shut, bracing herself against it, gasping for breath.
**Night Alarm, Secret Alliance Meeting**
Her commotion disturbed the light-sleeping Xuán Mò.
"What's wrong?" he woke instantly, his voice sharp with alertness, his right hand already reaching for the short blade under his pillow.
"O-outside… in the woods, I think someone's there!" Lín Xiāoxiāo's voice trembled as she recounted her experience in fragments.
Xuán Mò's eyes instantly became as sharp as an eagle's. He motioned for Lín Xiāoxiāo to be quiet, then concentrated, listening intently to the sounds outside the hut. The sound of the night wind blowing through the thatch, the chirping of insects, and besides that, absolute silence.
But this silence was more unnerving.
"Light the lamp," Xuán Mò whispered.
Lín Xiāoxiāo lit the dim oil lamp with trembling hands. The faint light pushed back a small area of darkness, but made the unknown outside seem even more profound.
"It might be scouts," Xuán Mò said, his voice very low, a cold glint in his eyes. "The "shadow guards" are secretive and skilled at concealment. If it is them, we've already been targeted."
"Then… what do we do?" Lín Xiāoxiāo's mind was in turmoil, the crisis of the corvée labor not yet resolved, and a more terrifying threat had arrived.
"Don't react, observe the situation." Xuán Mò was unexpectedly calm. "Since they're only watching and haven't acted directly, it means they either haven't fully confirmed my identity yet, or… they are waiting for an opportunity. The corvée labor is a crisis for us, but perhaps also an opportunity to divert attention and shake off any followers."
**Dawn Approaches, Undercurrents Swell**
In the latter half of the night, neither of them could sleep.
Lín Xiāoxiāo leaned by the door, her ears pricked, listening for any movement outside. Xuán Mò closed his eyes to rest, but his tense body indicated he could spring into action at any moment.
The stifling atmosphere only eased slightly when the sky began to show the first light of dawn. Lín Xiāoxiāo, gathering her courage, peered out through the crack in the door. The yard was empty, and the woods had returned to their peaceful state, as if everything last night had been just a nightmare.
But she knew it wasn't.
She made a simple meal, and she and Xuán Mò ate in silence. Only two days remained until the corvée labor assembly.
"I'll go see Tiě Zhù again and tell him the situation so he can be prepared too," Lín Xiāoxiāo said, clearing the bowls and chopsticks, her tone one of desperate resolve.
Xuán Mò nodded. "Be careful."
She climbed the mountain again, more vigilant than ever, looking back frequently. Fortunately, she found no further signs of anything unusual.
Tiě Zhù's recovery was better than expected; he could already walk with the aid of a wooden stick. Hearing the new information from Lín Xiāoxiāo — that they might be watched by mysterious figures — his dark face also showed a grave expression.
"Don't worry, boss. I, Tiě Zhù, have no other skills, but I have strength and sharp ears! If anyone dares to approach, I'll be the first to notice!" he said, patting his chest with sincere loyalty.
Lín Xiāoxiāo felt slightly relieved. She gave him the food and herbs she had brought and reminded him again about the details of supporting each other during the corvée labor.
**Final Push, Standing Ready**
Back in the dilapidated hut, Lín Xiāoxiāo began the final "performance" sprint.
Under the pressure of the herbs and the "KPIs," Xuán Mò's injuries healed at an astonishing rate. The wound on his shoulder blade was no longer bleeding and was beginning to scab. The swelling in his left leg had also subsided considerably with the splint. With Lín Xiāoxiāo's help and "coercion," he could now stand on one leg for a moment, leaning against the wall.
"Good! Hold it! Breathe! Feel your leg muscles engage!" Lín Xiāoxiāo directed from the side, like a strict fitness coach. "Tomorrow, we'll try moving with crutches!"
She fashioned two thick branches into simple crutches. She then prioritized the last bit of nutritious food she could find for Xuán Mò.
The entire hut seemed like a command center before battle, filled with an atmosphere of tension and determination.
**Unexpected Visitor, Trouble Brews Again**
On the morning of the third day, the day before the corvée labor assembly.
Lín Xiāoxiāo was hanging washed strips of cloth in the yard, mentally going over her final preparations. Suddenly, a voice from outside the gate, slightly obsequious and yet familiar, was heard:
"Sister Xiāoxiāo? Are you home?"
Lín Xiāoxiāo looked up and saw Zhào Sì, the ruffian who had caused trouble before. He was rubbing his hands, a strange smile on his face, standing outside the fence. Behind him were two unfamiliar men with shifty eyes, clearly not from Huáishù Village.
Why was Zhào Sì here again? And with strangers?
Lín Xiāoxiāo's heart tightened. She gripped the wooden stick in her hand and asked warily, "Brother Zhào Sì, is something the matter?"
Zhào Sì chuckled, but his gaze couldn't help but drift towards the hut. "It's nothing major. It's just… I heard your cousin is recovering well? We brothers specifically came to see him, and also… to discuss some "good things" with him."
He deliberately emphasized the words "good things," but his tone carried a hint of malice.
Inside the hut, Xuán Mò had clearly heard the commotion, his eyes instantly turning cold.
**Chapter Twelve (End)**