Courtyard House: My Long and Hard Body Makes Me Play with All the Women in the Courtyard

"What happened?" a middle-aged woman asked anxiously.

Chapter 562 Preventive Response

Chapter 562 Preventive Response

“We discovered someone performing an unexplained ritual in the forest,” Leah explained, “but thankfully it has been stopped.”

"Was it done by the old hunter?" someone in the crowd asked in surprise.

The old hunter lowered his head and remained silent. Su Ting stepped forward and said, "He has realized his mistake and promised not to do it again. Please rest assured."

Although the villagers were still somewhat worried, they gradually calmed down after seeing Su Ting's determined expression.

The old priest stepped forward and said loudly, “There’s no need to be too nervous. We will keep a close eye on the situation and ensure the safety of the village. Everyone should get some rest early tonight, remain vigilant, but don’t worry too much.”

The villagers gradually dispersed, leaving only a few key figures discussing how to strengthen defenses.

“I think we should increase patrols around the village, especially at night,” Walker suggested.

Lucia nodded. "That's a good idea; it allows us to detect any unusual situations promptly."

"I'll arrange for people to patrol in shifts," Leah volunteered.

"We also need to strengthen safety awareness education for the villagers," the old priest added, "so that they know to report anything unusual immediately."

"Then it's settled." Su Ting nodded in confirmation.

After discussing their plan, the group went their separate ways. The old hunter silently walked towards his dwelling, his back revealing a hint of loneliness.

In the dead of night, most of the villagers were asleep, but a few volunteers still began their night patrol according to the previously agreed plan. Lucia and Sutin were on the first shift, carefully checking every corner along the edge of the village.

"Do you think tonight will pass peacefully?" Lucia asked softly.

“It’s hard to say,” Su Ting replied, “but as long as we’re here, the village will be safe.”

Just then, the two suddenly heard a faint sound of footsteps ahead and immediately stopped and became alert.

“Who’s there?” Lucia called out.

After a while, a familiar voice rang out: "It's me, Leah."

Emerging from the darkness was indeed the archer Lia, bow and arrow in hand, her eyes warily scanning her surroundings.

"You're out on patrol too?" Su Ting asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yes, I’d like to check it again,” Leah explained with a smile. “After all, it’s always safer to have an extra person.”

The three walked side by side, discussing recent events and future plans during their inspection.

“Actually, I’ve been wanting to talk to you two about the old hunter,” Leah paused, then continued, “He may have had his reasons for doing this, but how should we handle this situation?”

“I think he should be involved in the village’s defense,” Su Ting replied after thinking carefully. “It would make him feel valued and also ensure that his actions are monitored.”

“Good idea. This way we can utilize his knowledge and skills while preventing him from trying those dangerous things again,” Lucia agreed.

Just as they were getting into a lively conversation, a sharp scream suddenly came from afar. The three of them exchanged a glance and quickly ran towards the direction of the sound...

Meanwhile, at the old priest's dwelling on the other side of the village, he was not asleep but was preparing for some kind of ritual—seemingly a preventative response to some potential threat…

Chapter 563 Similar Incidents

Chapter 563 Similar Incidents

The next morning, the village gradually returned to its usual tranquility. Sutin, Lucia, and Lia finished their night patrol and returned to their respective homes as the sun rose.

“Last night was so quiet,” Leah said with a smile as she walked. “It was like nothing had happened.”

"This isn't necessarily a bad thing," Lucia chimed in. "It means our preventative measures have been effective!"

"Hmm... I hope every day goes this smoothly from now on," Su Ting replied thoughtfully, his gaze involuntarily drifting into the distance—the direction from which he had heard the strange noises the previous night...

At this moment, the old hunter stood alone at his doorstep, gazing at the slowly rising sun on the horizon, his mind replaying memories of his time with his companions. Suddenly, he turned and walked out of the village…

Meanwhile, in a secluded spot, several mysterious figures were conversing in hushed tones:

“It seems the plan needs to be readjusted…” one of the deep voices said.

As the conversation faded away, a new storm was quietly brewing...

As soon as Su Ting, Lucia, and Lia returned to the center of the village, they saw several villagers anxiously discussing something at the village entrance. They seemed to have discovered something amiss.

"What happened?" Su Ting asked immediately.

A young villager looked up at them, his voice trembling with panic: "This morning someone found several dead animal carcasses in the woods, and..."

“What’s even stranger is that they didn’t have any external injuries,” another villager added.

Upon hearing this, the three men's expressions turned serious. This strange situation was clearly related to the old hunter's actions yesterday.

“We need to go check it out right away,” Lucia said.

The three immediately rushed towards the woods. When they arrived at the scene, they found several animals lying on the ground, their exteriors intact, but they had clearly been dead for some time.

"What's going on?" Leah frowned as she looked at the animals. "How could this happen?"

"Could it be something like a curse or magic?" Su Ting guessed.

Lucia shook her head: "If that's the case, then the security measures we implemented beforehand are probably not enough."

"So what should we do?" Leah asked.

“First, we need to determine exactly how these animals died,” Su Ting said, “and then decide on the next steps.”

Just then, a familiar figure approached from not far away—it was the old hunter. He stopped when he saw Su Ting and the others, looking somewhat uneasy.

"Do you know what's going on?" Su Ting asked directly.

The old hunter remained silent for a moment before speaking: "I might know a clue... but I'm not sure if it's really related to this matter."

“You must tell us everything you know, no matter what,” Lucia said firmly.

“Well,” the old hunter sighed. “I was indeed researching a new potion a few days ago to deal with the wild animals in the forest… but I didn’t expect it to cause such consequences.”

"So you admit that this whole thing started because of you?" Su Ting questioned sternly.

"It wasn't intentional!" the old hunter protested loudly. "I just wanted to protect our home from harm!"

Seeing this, Leah tried to ease the tension between them: "Don't rush into arguing, the most important thing now is to find a solution."

After some discussion, the three decided to take the animals back to the village to be examined by more experienced people, and to increase surveillance in the surrounding area to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Chapter 564 We need to find the source quickly

Chapter 564 We need to find the source quickly

As night fell, the entire village was enveloped in silence. Although most villagers were asleep, many took turns keeping watch to ensure safety.

"Do you think there will still be danger tonight?" Lucia asked softly while on patrol.

“Hopefully not,” Su Ting replied, “but we must not let our guard down in any way.”

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from afar, and the two immediately became alert. "Who's there?" Lucia shouted.

A moment later, a voice came from the darkness: "It's me, Leah."

Sure enough, there stood Lia, holding a bow and arrow. "I came out to help too," she explained with a smile.

So the three of them continued along the established route, discussing along the way how to deal with any new threats that might arise.

Just as the conversation was in progress, a piercing scream shattered the surrounding tranquility. Almost simultaneously, Su Ting and the others rushed towards the source of the sound…

Meanwhile, in the old priest's quarters on the other side, the old priest also heard the scream. He quickly rose, a glowing staff in his hand, ready to deal with any unexpected situation...

"It seems tonight is destined to be no peaceful night," the old priest muttered to himself, a resolute glint in his eyes.

Su Ting, Lucia, and Lia rushed towards the direction of the screams. In the darkness, their figures darted among the trees, their hearts filled with tension and unease.

“What was that sound?” Leah asked, her eyes fixed on the darkness ahead.

“Someone must be injured or in danger,” Su Ting replied. “We need to find the source quickly.”

The three quickly arrived at the edge of the village, where they saw a woman holding an injured child, her face filled with terror.

"What's wrong with the child?" Lucia asked immediately.

The woman said, trembling, "I don't know what happened... He suddenly collapsed to the ground, his whole body was convulsing, and now he still has a high fever that won't go down."

“We need to take him to see a doctor right away,” Su Ting said decisively.

Just then, the old priest arrived at the scene. He held a glowing staff in his hand, and his eyes gleamed.

"What happened?" the old priest asked anxiously.

“The child fainted for no apparent reason,” Lucia explained quickly. “It could be poisoning or something else.”

The old priest immediately went over and carefully examined the child. His brows were furrowed, he chanted incantations softly, and his hands gently brushed over the child's body.

After a moment, the old priest looked up at the three of them and said, "The poison in this child is very strange; it seems to be related to the potion developed by the old hunter."

"The old hunter's potion?" Su Ting exclaimed in shock. "How could he use such a potion?"

The old priest shook his head: "I can't be sure right now, but this child's symptoms are somewhat similar to the deaths of the animals we've seen before."