**Roof Anomaly, Danger Rekindled**
The faint rustling from the rooftop was like a cold awl, piercing the brief tranquility of the dilapidated hut. Lin Xiaoxiao's blood seemed to freeze instantly, her breathing ceasing, her eyes exchanging fearful glances with Xuan Mo.
Xuan Mo's eyes were sharp as a falcon's in the darkness. He silently shook his head, signaling Lin Xiaoxiao to make no sound, his right hand already gripping the short blade hidden beneath his pillow. His body was tense as a drawn bow. Though still recovering from serious injury, the potent energy he exuded assured Lin Xiaoxiao that anyone daring to descend from the roof would be met with a thunderous strike.
Time crawled by in the deathly silence. The sound was incredibly faint, intermittent, as if someone was moving cautiously, or perhaps... listening to the movements inside the room.
Could it be a "shadow guard"? Were they finally making their move? Lin Xiaoxiao's heartbeat thundered in her ears, nearly drowning out the strange noise from the roof.
**A Stone Cast to Test the Waters, Survival Amidst Peril**
Amidst this suffocating standoff, Xuan Mo suddenly moved. Without looking at the roof, he slowly, silently pinched a small stone he was using as a cushion into his hand. Then, his gaze swept to another corner of the room—where a pile of dried corn stalks, gathered by Lin Xiaoxiao for firewood, lay stacked.
With an almost imperceptible flick of his wrist, the small stone accurately struck the edge of the cornstalk pile.
"Clatter." A subtle sound, and a few cornstalks slid down.
This sound was startlingly clear in the silent night!
The rustling from the roof stopped abruptly!
A more chilling silence fell upon the inside and outside of the room. Clearly, the presence on the roof had been alerted by the sudden noise and was assessing the situation.
Xuan Mo and Lin Xiaoxiao held their breath, concentrating entirely on sensing any movement from the roof.
After what felt like an eternity, the rustling resumed, but this time, it was gradually moving away! The person on the roof, seemingly disturbed by the unexpected sound, had temporarily abandoned their probe and chosen to retreat.
**Analysis and Deduction, a Treacherous Path Ahead**
Only when they were certain there was no longer any sound from the roof did the two simultaneously exhale a long breath, their backs already drenched in cold sweat.
"They're gone?" Lin Xiaoxiao whispered, her voice still trembling slightly.
"Mm." Xuan Mo released the short blade he had been gripping, but his brow remained furrowed. "Cautious in their actions, striking and fleeing—that's the style of a scout. It seems they weren't entirely certain, or... they had reservations."
"Reservations? Reservations about what?"
"Perhaps because my identity is unknown, or perhaps because of the official corvée labor in this village... they might not want to escalate things and attract official attention." Xuan Mo analyzed, his eyes deep. "But this means that for tomorrow's corvée labor, they might still be mixed in with the laborers, or watching from the periphery."
The pressure hadn't lessened; it had intensified. Open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against.
"Regardless, dawn is approaching," Lin Xiaoxiao said, looking at the nascent blue light outside the window. "We have no retreat."
She forced herself to cheer up and began a final check of Xuan Mo's "equipment"—were the wound medicines hidden properly, did his facial disguise need touching up, was there enough dry food. Her movements were meticulous and focused, as if this could dispel the fear in her heart.
**Dawn Assembly, Stepping into the Unknown**
As dawn broke, the village head's gong and shouts to assemble could be heard from the village entrance, mingled with the clamor of voices and the bleating of livestock.
The time had come.
Xuan Mo, leaning on a crutch and supported by Lin Xiaoxiao, slowly stood up. He cast one last look at the hut, which, despite its dilapidation, had offered him brief refuge, his gaze settling on Lin Xiaoxiao's worried face.
"Wait for me to return," he said softly, his tone calm yet possessing an unshakeable strength.
Lin Xiaoxiao nodded heavily, slipping the last flatbread into his embrace. "Be careful with everything."
She supported Xuan Mo, and together they walked step by step towards the village entrance. Villagers they passed, seeing Xuan Mo's "pitiful" state, cast looks of either sympathy or schadenfreude.
On the open ground at the village entrance, over a hundred laborers had already gathered, most of them sallow and emaciated, with numb expressions. Officials were loudly shouting, organizing the ranks, and maintaining order. Lin Xiaoxiao immediately spotted Tie Zhu among the crowd, also leaning on a wooden staff but appearing significantly better in spirit. Tie Zhu saw them too and gave a subtle nod.
The village head, Liu Daniu, saw Xuan Mo and sighed, murmuring a few words to an official beside him. The official glanced at Xuan Mo and waved dismissively, "Go wait over there! Don't delay the journey!"
Xuan Mo was assigned to the end of the line, with the elderly, weak, and infirm. Tie Zhu also quietly moved closer to him.
Lin Xiaoxiao stood at the periphery of the crowd, watching Xuan Mo merge into that drab throng. His figure appeared exceptionally thin in the dawn light, yet it radiated an ineffable resilience.
**A Piercing Gaze, Hidden Danger Within**
With an order from the officials, the long line of laborers began to crawl like a slow river towards the river construction site.
Lin Xiaoxiao stood in place, watching the procession depart until Xuan Mo's figure was no longer visible. Her heart felt hollow, filled with unease.
Just as she was about to turn back, the corner of her eye caught sight of a figure standing quietly behind a large tree at the other side of the village entrance, dressed as an ordinary villager and wearing a bamboo hat. The figure's gaze seemed to follow the departing laborers.
As if sensing Lin Xiaoxiao's gaze, the figure slowly turned its head.
Beneath the bamboo hat, a pair of cold, sharp eyes, like those of a falcon, met Lin Xiaoxiao's across the noisy crowd!
Lin Xiaoxiao's heart leaped!
Those eyes... were definitely not those of an ordinary villager!
The person merely cast a cold glance at her, then lowered their hat and quickly disappeared between the houses.
Who was it?
Was it the person from the roof last night?
Or... another force?
Xuan Mo's journey into corvée labor was, from the very beginning, fraught with unseen eyes and dangers!
**Chapter Fifteen (End)**