The Verdant Spire Sect disciples were led down a hallway into a room where six people sat conversing with each other.

From outside, Nathan could hear them discussing mundane topics like trade, neighbors' children, and crop yields. He suppressed a visible frown, feeling increasingly uneasy. These people were discussing trivial matters despite the situation. He'd expected them to maintain silence instead.

Since this was a village, the room was rather makeshift, without one-way mirrors or soundproofing. When Elder An brought the disciples to the doorway, everyone inside became aware of their presence and fell silent.

Six pairs of eyes looked up at the newcomers.

"Please recount what you saw for these esteemed disciples," Elder An said.

Nathan moved forward, raising his hand to signal restraint from both sides.

"What are you doing?" Gideon asked.

Ignoring his teammate, Nathan addressed Elder An and the guard.

"We'd like to question each person individually, in private."

"Is that..." the guard began.

"Is all this really necessary?" Elder An asked calmly. "I don't believe this is a complex case requiring such tedious procedures."

While speaking, he kept looking at Gideon. Nathan stepped forward again, using his height—the tallest in the room—to block the elder's line of sight.

"It's just standard Verdant Spire Sect procedure," Nathan said, feigning naivety. "This is my first mission, and I want to follow protocol exactly to avoid any reprimands. Could everyone cooperate, please?"

Qingfeng nodded in response to the questioning looks from others.

Gideon had no choice but to comply, as this was indeed stated in the procedural manual.

A room to the right was requisitioned. Qingfeng stood guard outside the room with the six witnesses while information would be relayed via PsiLink through the team's internal channel. Simultaneously, Nathan used his spirit to check that he wasn't being monitored as he stood aside while Gideon conducted the interviews. He'd already played the "bad cop" effectively enough. Not only had Elder An shown clear irritation, but the first witness also appeared anxious under Nathan's scrutiny. He didn't even need to use spirit wave detection to read these people's expressions.

"Taru, my old friend." Gideon began." Don't worry. Just tell me everything that happened."

The thin, gaunt young man from Emberwood village with dark circles under his eyes but no glasses spoke in a mumbling voice.

"That night I was at the office doing inventory when a creature glided quickly past the window."

"Did you see its shape?"

"It looked cylindrical, probably a long snake."

"Was it large or small?"

"Very large." Taru spread his arms wide. "About this size."

"What happened next?"

"I returned to work." Taru fidgeted with his fingernails. "A few minutes later, I heard the alarm from the village. When I put away my papers and went outside, I learned that Ellia had disappeared."

Gideon continued asking about who else was present, the potential direction the creature might have gone, and pressed for more details about its appearance. Only when Nathan nodded, indicating he had no further questions, was Taru dismissed.

"I thought you'd have more suspicions?" Gideon asked, puzzled.

"I do," Nathan said. "But I need to hear more first."

"Are you being cautious around me because I'm from this village?" Gideon narrowed his eyes.

"Should I be?" Nathan countered.

They locked eyes for several seconds before breaking away. Gideon chuckled, waving his hand dismissively.

"The entire village couldn't defeat you even if they tried. I know better than anyone that I shouldn't be on your bad side."

Leaving Nathan in the room, Gideon invited the next witness. This time it was an elderly woman with a slightly hunched back and hair distinctly streaked with black and white. Her round, kind face couldn't be hidden behind the wrinkles.

Meida was the village herbalist. She had spotted the creature one evening while gathering herbs in her garden. Her description matched Taru's regarding its appearance. The victim was discovered shortly after.

Next, Maeve recounted the night she was disposing of trash from her bakery. A dark shadow had flashed by in the night. She noted that it seemed to have a purplish surface, though she wasn't sure if she was just seeing things after a long workday. No victim was reported that night.

Yet the following incident involved a pair of twins who disappeared. Nathan's face paled when he heard about the children who had gone to the stream to catch fireflies. That night before the incident, Farras, the village blacksmith, had spotted the creature while finishing his last job of the day. Like the others, he described a snake-like, cylindrical body with purple or black skin or scales.

Dorn Flatrock was the most recent victim, the owner of the house where Nathan and Qingfeng were staying. To be precise, the village had built the house as a wedding gift for Dorn and Ellia, the first girl who had gone missing. Dorn, overcome with grief, had wanted to leave the village and go far away, unable to bear staying any longer. Yet before he could escape his suffering, he encountered another disaster.

After completing the interviews, Qingfeng rejoined Nathan and Gideon.

"Did those two outside show any unusual behavior?" Nathan asked.

"If you count looking sleepy as unusual," Qingfeng replied.

"That could be something."

"You're being overly suspicious, Nathan," Gideon said. "All the testimonies align with each other and with what we've encountered. You're only making everyone more afraid, not making our mission any easier."

"Is it really that easy?" Nathan retorted, nearly blurting out about the poison.

Though he had checked every corner, he still wasn't entirely convinced. After all, they had managed to use a poison that bypassed Qingfeng's barrier. He couldn't yet conclude whether Gideon had been compromised.

Qingfeng, seeing the tense situation, raised her hand in reconciliation.

"I think the testimonies are consistent. We now know roughly what we're looking for. One thing we can conclude is that the creature only attacks at night. So let's patrol at night and explore possible locations during the day."

Nathan nodded, leaning back in his chair. These were necessary steps, so he didn't object. However, the testimonies were making him increasingly uneasy, especially when his [Improved Pattern Recognition] highlighted every detail.

The descriptions of the creature were too similar. All called it a snake—large, long, with purple or black scales. Everyone said it just glided past. No one described it differently, like a lizard, worm, or even a fish, despite Emberwood being near a stream. From his encounters with various monsters, Nathan believed a millipede was also a possibility.

He tested this by asking several times, receiving answers that they were quite certain it was a snake with a round belly. Only when he suggested a worm did they hesitate. Yet the next person still described it as a snake.

It seemed implausible that in their panic, drowsiness, and darkness, everyone would describe things so identically. Too perfect. And anything too perfect raised alarm bells, especially in an investigation.

Nathan wasn't sure why he was being drawn into this line of thinking. Perhaps it was the pressure from months of accomplishing little of value, or perhaps Earth movies had made too strong an impression.

Using his passive skill, he also discovered that the timing of the victims' disappearances aligned closely with the sightings. Seeing the creature didn't guarantee an incident, as six people had reported sightings. But the reverse was true—every night a disappearance occurred, someone had spotted the creature.

Such coincidences seemed suspicious.

In Nathan's view, finding victims should take longer than a few minutes to a few hours. It should be the next morning, afternoon, or even a full day later. Take Dorn Flatrock, a hunter—his absence from the village for a day or two wouldn't raise suspicions. Moreover, those who spotted the creature only related their stories after a disappearance was announced, not before. So Emberwood's precautionary measures seemed implausible.

Most troubling of all, Nathan couldn't detect any wavelength changes in emotional state through spirit observation. These villagers were ordinary people who shouldn't be able to mask their emotions from his scrutiny.

Were they telling the truth? Were his suspicions baseless overthinking?

Nathan refused to believe so. His encounter with Lachlan Rourke during The Shifting Trials had taught him he still had much to learn. Sometimes he needed to trust his instincts and verify them, just as Lachlan had tested him about Fortune Flow.

The mere fact that [Poison Processing] had activated surprisingly was grounds enough for him to distrust everything. This skill rarely reacted after he had exposed himself to poisons as part of Physical Cultivation. Common poisons from alcohol or fruit could be ignored. Only specialized poisons could breach his initial barrier to trigger [Poison Processing]. And who would ordinarily possess such potent toxins?

"Can you trust me?" he messaged Qingfeng via PsiLink, confident the village couldn't manipulate this channel. If they could, there would be no need for such elaborate deception. "Act normally, as if you haven't received this message."

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"Nathan, you still haven't let this go?" Qingfeng messaged back.

"It costs us nothing, and might even protect you."

Qingfeng, who was walking in another direction to guard the village, remained silent before finally responding.

"Tell me what's happening."

"Absolutely do not eat or drink anything in this village. Pretend to eat, but don't swallow. Can you do that?"

"Poison?"

"I suspect so," Nathan said.

"I'll follow your lead. It can't hurt to be careful. But if this turns out to be nothing, I reserve the right to ridicule you when we return to Verdant Spire."

"Can't you think of something else?"

"Disconnecting now."

Nathan sighed, looking toward the resting Cloud Glider. His team had stationed him there out of concern the monster might target the plump bird for food. Gideon would place Detecting Stakes around the village. If anything triggered them, all three would respond.

It was enough that Qingfeng had listened. He knew she was joking only because she found the whole situation confusing. He guessed she wanted to ask why he hadn't used the common channel to tell Gideon too, but had restrained herself. If they discussed it further, they inevitably would have raised the issue.

His silence wasn't due to suspicion of Gideon. Rather, Nathan felt that the wood-aspect mana user was the key to everything. After all, this mission was specifically designated for Gideon, addressed to him by name. Therefore, calmly observing developments seemed the best approach. Additionally, if everything turned out to be nothing as Nathan feared, having one fewer person mock him would be a blessing.

The morning sunlight danced with dewdrops, greeting Nathan. He yawned and stretched his muscles boredly. Nothing had happened all night. Fatigue wasn't an issue, especially after reaching Tier 2, when his body's frequency of exhaustion decreased markedly. Combined with Physical Cultivation, he estimated he could maintain high-intensity focus for a week if required.

He returned to his assigned house. Qingfeng was bathing, so he went outside to sit on a bench overlooking the stream. The sight of the white, flowing water like a treasure of silver lightened his mind.

However, before he could relax long, he stood up abruptly and began walking around the stream.

This was where the twin children had disappeared. According to what remained, Nathan had to accept they had been eaten.

He walked for some time, scrutinizing everything but finding nothing suspicious. Perhaps the creature's tracks had been erased by sun and rain, leaving no long marks or broken vegetation. Even dry branches gave him no clues.

Qingfeng approached, tapping his shoulder. The scent of herbal and floral shampoo flowed into his sensitive nose.

"What's our next move?" she asked, not mentioning their PsiLink conversation. She was perceptive enough to know not to speak openly when Nathan was so clearly restless. Initial concern was one thing, but persistent suspicion made her take notice. Though somewhat bitter to admit, someone capable of competing against thousands of people more talented than her must have reasons for his actions. And even if there was nothing, caution harmed no one.

Nathan skipped a stone downstream, squinting without answering. The current approach was to wait until night, patrol, catch the monster, report back, and return. This would take considerable time.

Throughout the night, Nathan had realized something about Gideon. If the target was Gideon, then those behind it—perhaps Elder An—must be eager to drive Nathan away. Thus, he needed to accelerate the process, to prod more deeply.

"Let's visit Meida," Nathan suggested.

"Oh, you had the same idea as me," Qingfeng exclaimed.

"Why's that?" he turned to ask.

"You go first."

"Yesterday, in the interview room. I noticed Gideon behaving differently around her. How should I put it? More submissive, much gentler."

"You have such sharp eyes?" Qingfeng stared, muttering.

"Just paying attention, and being in the same room with them."

They turned back, the sound of crushed grass and soil squishing beneath their feet. The sun was high, providing warmth. Temperature and humidity were at comfortable levels. A true vacation paradise.

"I learned that Meida was assigned to care for Gideon since childhood," Qingfeng said.

"I knew you weren't just having fun," Nathan praised.

"No need to make my nose grow," Qingfeng puffed her cheeks, but smiled immediately. "So, in a way, Meida is like Gideon's mother."

"If we want to probe anything, we should start with her," Nathan snapped his fingers.

"Most importantly, we shouldn't draw too much attention," Qingfeng nodded. "We can just say we're visiting our friend's mother."

"Brilliant, truly brilliant," Nathan raised both hands in applause.

"You'll learn eventually."

The two headed toward the center, exchanging a few words with villagers. Children swarmed around Qingfeng, asking her to play with them again. Nathan was completely ignored, as if the adults' discomfort had spread to the little ones. He could see parents pointing at him, warning their children to stay away from the "cursed uncle."

After some effort, they reached a large garden in the southern part of the village. Unlike the somewhat modern architecture around it, the house in the distance maintained an ancient, simple style, built with wood, grass, and various vines.

Stepping through the tall garden gate, a battlefield of pleasant and sharp scents assaulted his sense of smell.

With knowledge from [Cooking], Nathan quickly analyzed the plants growing around them. Though some species were poisonous, there was nothing unusual. They were used as balancing mechanisms and to ensure effectiveness. Overall, it was a normal garden for a herbalist.

Meida was watering plants when she noticed the two approaching. Both greeted her politely. Her round face radiated warmth as she happily welcomed them.

"How wonderful," her voice sounded like a lullaby. "I've been wanting to invite you both over, but feared Gideon wouldn't allow it."

Qingfeng swiftly moved forward, putting her arm around Meida, helping the woman move.

"No need to trouble him," Qingfeng chirped. "Let him meet with the villagers. We're just visiting you, that's all."

"Splendid!" Meida's eyes crinkled with delight as she patted Qingfeng's hand. "Come in, both of you."

The house interior matched the exterior—simple, with a wooden table and chairs for guests. Meida went to the back room and returned with a tray of drinks and cookies, setting them on the table.

"Sit down, you two," she waved. "I don't have much, but everything is homemade."

Nathan and Qingfeng complied. The young woman gave Nathan a meaningful look.

In response, he took a cookie and ate it.

No system notification appeared.

He swallowed and drank water to show Qingfeng everything was safe.

"I noticed Sunsteel Grass growing in your garden," Nathan smiled, trying to break the conversational ice. "You must have years of experience to care for it, right?"

"Oh, you know about herbal care," Meida's eyes brightened, then narrowed as if seeing through everything. "Or did you just pick up a few things from PsiLink?"

Nathan laughed softly. Qingfeng came to his aid.

"Nathan is a famous cook! People compete to have him prepare meals for them."

"Oh," Meida's voice clearly showed she wasn't convinced.

Seeing this, Nathan contemplated, then said:

"Sunsteel. A rather strange name. But that's the characteristic of this grass. Careless handling will slice your skin easily. Common knowledge fails to mention one thing—this mechanism exists to serve Sunsteel Grass's development. It needs blood from living creatures to grow optimally. In natural settings, that means insects or animals like rabbits and squirrels that aren't careful. Human blood works too. Actually, it's the best nutrient. This knowledge, I believe, cannot be found on forums of any kind. Caring for it must be quite challenging. Well, Meida? Am I just showing off knowledge I don't understand?"

The herbalist was beaming, her hands trembling with excitement. She seemed to have long awaited someone with such knowledge for discussion.

The two launched into a debate that Meida was clearly losing. Compared to the geniuses at Maelivar whom Nathan had faced, her questions and insights were much less challenging.

When the conversation had gone on for some time, Nathan signaled Qingfeng with his eyes.

"Meida," Qingfeng pouted. "Are you two going to leave me out completely?"

Meida clucked her tongue, stopped talking, looked at the young woman, and gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, dear. Got carried away."

"It's fine," Qingfeng placed her hands on her cheeks. "Tell me about Gideon. I only know he was raised by the whole village."

Meida looked out the door, as if looking into the past.

"I suppose it's all right to tell you, since asking around the village would reveal it anyway."

Nathan straightened his back, mentally adjusting to listen more attentively.

"Gideon isn't a child of this village," Meida continued. "Looking back, I feel remorse for our thoughts back then."

"Why is that?" Qingfeng probed.

"Before, we all considered killing Gideon or leaving the little one for forest beasts to devour."

This information stunned both Nathan and Qingfeng. They forgot to breathe for several beats.

Meida laughed bitterly.

"See how wrong such thinking was, don't you?"

"There must have been a reason," Nathan said, opening the way for Meida.

"Of course." Meida took a sip of tea, set down her cup, and rotated it on the table's surface. "Because Gideon was a child from a bandit group that raided our village."

Nathan swallowed a dry gulp. How had the story taken such an unexpected turn beyond his imagination?

Qingfeng likewise grew serious, asking:

"Should we know this story? Will Gideon mind?"

"Quite a dilemma, isn't it?" Meida said sadly. "Not telling means no one will understand the boy. Telling risks hurting him. What do you think?"

"Please continue!" Nathan nodded.

Qingfeng looked at him doubtfully, unsure if this was appropriate.

Meida looked directly into Nathan's eyes as if probing. Then, she yielded, recounting the origin of the most beloved young man of Emberwood.

"Eighteen or nineteen years ago, our village was targeted by a bandit group. They had a Tier 2 cultivator, so they thought we would be an easy target. And they were right. They came, burned, plundered, took our young women without mercy. For an entire day, Emberwood was like a graveyard surrounded by smoke and fire. I was already too old to be targeted. But when they learned I was a herbalist, their greed surfaced, and they wanted to take me with them."

Meida's fingers trembled. Even her voice couldn't maintain its composure.

Nathan and Qingfeng understood to sit quietly, not rushing, giving the aged woman time to process.

"When everything seemed to be falling apart, Elder An called upon the village deity. A red beam of light struck the Tier 2 Cultivator directly, killing him instantly. After that, the village men finally had a chance to rise up. Though we lacked a Tier 2 cultivator, we did have a few brave Tier 1s. Sadly, we lost a few more lives before driving them away."

"The village deity?" Nathan asked.

"Emberwood! The deity Emberwood!" Meida's voice was reverent. "We named our village after this deity. It's the tree at the temple at the end of the road you saw. Unfortunately, after the invasion, Elder An said the tree had died. Our protective deity had died."

"And in that anger, the proposal to kill Gideon was made?" Nathan guided the conversation back to its original track.

"That's correct," Meida's gaze was distant. "While cleaning up, we discovered a crib inside the carriage of the Tier 2 bandit leader. A child with sparkling, gleaming eyes, not understanding why the flames of destruction danced in its vision."

Meida poured herself another glass of water. The story seemed to weigh on her shoulders, aging her a few more years.

"The little one was barely over a year old but already walking, making noises, looking at everyone with big, bewildered eyes. The person who found him wanted to strangle him because their own child had just died in the raid. Only when the child's cry caught the attention of the exhausted Elder An..."

Meida turned, pointing to a framed photo on the wall. A healthier version of Elder An, his right hand holding a toddler sucking his thumb.

"Elder An demanded we keep the child. Revenge through love, not hatred. Emberwood needed to show others they weren't like those heartless bandits. The child bore no guilt and shouldn't bear punishment meant for the previous generation."

"Poor Gideon," Qingfeng exclaimed.

"Indeed," Meida nodded. "The little one was truly unfortunate to be caught in this cycle."

"No wonder he acts like a little old man," Nathan said.

"Sad but true," Meida looked at him like a mother scolding someone for speaking ill of her child. "At his age, he shouldn't be like that. But he learned everything too early. His cultivation talent quickly emerged. Villagers interacted with him more because of it, placing their hopes in him. But they also made sure he knew the dark history of his origins. You can't imagine the day he came home after being berated by other children. He flew into a rage, destroying everything in the house."

"How did he calm down?" Qingfeng asked.

"He went to see Elder An. After their conversation, he became much calmer. And the gossip gradually faded under the village head's influence."

Afterward, the two continued listening to Meida describe Gideon's upbringing. About a child like any other—sad when isolated, hurt because his birth parents were bad people, and then happy under the nurturing of strangers. Emberwood thus became Gideon's home and sacred place. He cherished Meida and Elder An, and everyone for giving him a chance. Now that he was grown, Gideon understood things better and no longer harbored as many negative emotions.

As Nathan saw Meida lowering her guard more and more as their conversation grew increasingly animated, they even forgot about lunch while Meida remained enthusiastic.

Throughout those hours, he covered his mouth, whispering so only he could hear, targeting Meida.

"You're gonna slip," he again covered his mouth.

Triggered [Bad Juju] successfully. One credit given.

He seized the opportunity immediately, cutting off Meida mid-sentence.

"So tell me, Meida. Who told you to describe the monster that way for us?"

"Elder An instructed me to say so if asked. I'm old and weak, how could I be out at night? Raya was the one who—"

Meida stopped, her eyes widening as she stared at the young man.

One side smiled awkwardly. The other smiled with hidden meaning.

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