CHAPTER 1157: CHAPTER 1153: SHADOW OUTSIDE THE COURTYARD

Chen Yang and Dai Annie watched Wu Kexin eat with satisfaction, feeling quite happy themselves.

Quietly watching Wu Kexin finish her meal.

"Alright, I’m done eating. I need to get back to work. Are you heading back now, or would you like to stay for a while?" Wu Kexin asked Chen Yang and Dai Annie before going back to work.

Chen Yang and Dai Annie didn’t have anything to do back home, so they decided to stay for a while and head back later.

"Okay, then take a seat. I’m going to start working."

Wu Kexin nodded, then returned to her desk and continued writing her report.

Chen Yang and Dai Annie sat by themselves in the office.

Chen Yang occasionally stood up to browse through the village archives in the cabinets, getting familiar with the village situation.

Dai Annie wasn’t interested in that, so she just sat on the sofa playing with her phone, chatting, and watching videos.

The three of them were in the office, but the atmosphere was very quiet.

This quietness lasted until around ten o’clock at night.

By this time, it was getting late, and the village was silent.

Chen Yang glanced outside, then turned back to Dai Annie and asked, "Annie, it’s getting late. Shall we head back?"

"Sure."

Dai Annie was fine watching her phone anywhere, so when she heard they were heading back, she had no objections and stood up immediately.

Seeing this, Chen Yang turned to Wu Kexin again and said, "Kexin, it’s late. You should get some rest. This matter isn’t urgent and can be done slowly."

Chen Yang was quite worried about Wu Kexin because she had to deal with all the village matters, keeping her very busy.

At this rate, he feared it might affect her health.

Wu Kexin, hearing Chen Yang’s concern, immediately looked up and smiled, "I’m almost done here. Once I finish, I’ll rest."

"You... Alright then, Annie and I will head back first. Don’t overwork yourself."

Chen Yang initially wanted to persuade her more, but upon realizing she’d almost finished, he decided not to say more.

"Okay, you two go ahead. Be safe on the road." Wu Kexin smiled and nodded, not getting up to see them off.

"Bye Kexin, rest early."

Dai Annie waved goodbye to Wu Kexin.

Chen Yang also acknowledged briefly, then left the office with Dai Annie to return to the clinic.

Once back at the clinic, Dai Annie went straight to her room.

Chen Yang was about to join her, but suddenly noticed some movement in the backyard, so he let Dai Annie go to her room first while he went to check the backyard.

As soon as he stepped out, he noticed Wāngcái standing in the yard, staring intently at something beyond the wall.

Chen Yang found this scene puzzling.

This guy should be resting in his nook at this time, why was he standing there daydreaming?

Chen Yang walked over.

When he got closer, he petted its head and said, "What are you up to, buddy? Missing the other village dogs, wanna go out?"

Wang...

Wāngcái turned its head to see Chen Yang coming and immediately barked softly with a serious expression.

Chen Yang thought this meant the dog was agreeing with him.

He thought about it; after all, this dog had been obedient for quite some time now and maybe was feeling it was somewhat demanding.

So he agreed.

"Fine, tonight you can go, but be careful not to come back too late."

Chen Yang patted Wāngcái’s head with a smile, preparing to go back to his room.

But as he stood up, Wāngcái remained where it was, unmoving.

Logically, if it wanted to go out, upon hearing agreement, it should have bolted like an arrow released.

Why wasn’t it moving?

"What’s the matter, Wāngcái? What’s up with you tonight?"

Chen Yang sensed something strange, so he crouched down again and asked.

Wāngcái barked twice toward the outside wall, seeming to indicate something was out there.

Chen Yang got the gist of its meaning, and just as he was about to speculate further, it suddenly dashed out.

Wāngcái was a spirit beast, so its speed was much quicker than an average dog.

And its agile form made climbing over the almost two-meter high wall as easy as walking on flat ground.

When Chen Yang saw this, he quickly stood. Watching Wāngcái dash out of the yard, it immediately rushed into a nearby bush not far from his home.

Once in the bush, it started barking fiercely.

The sound was aggressive, a clear sign of confrontation with something.

"No wonder this guy acted weird, turns out there was something there."

Chen Yang observed and chuckled.

He then considered climbing over to see just what was in the bushes.

But just as he prepared to move, sounds came from the bush direction again.

A startled shout, filled with panic, hinted someone was bitten by Wāngcái.

"Ah! Where did this dog come from!"

It was a man’s voice. Chen Yang looked up and saw a shadowy figure being chased out of the bushes by Wāngcái.

Wāngcái was fiercely trying to bite the man’s leg, but the man fended it off with something in his hand, preventing Wāngcái from biting him.

Seeing this, Chen Yang prepared to jump over to help Wāngcái apprehend the man, but to his surprise, the guy had parked a motorcycle right next to the bush. After fleeing the bush, he quickly mounted and sped off.

Although Chen Yang was swift, the two were a distance apart, and the man had a motorcycle, so Chen Yang opted not to chase in futility.

Woof woof!

After the dark figure sped off on his motorcycle, Wāngcái stood and barked twice in its direction.

Only when the shadowy figure vanished from sight, leaving Liuhua Village entirely, did Wāngcái reluctantly hop back into the yard.

"Wāngcái, impressive! You could sense it from that far? Getting braver by the day."

Watching Wāngcái return, Chen Yang’s eyes flicked with a hint of appreciation.

This little guy was getting quite capable, its nose sharper and its courage bigger.

The proactive attack earlier, chasing and snapping at the shadow, hadn’t gone unnoticed by Chen Yang, showing how much Wāngcái had changed.

Wāngcái, understanding Chen Yang’s praise, immediately looked proud.

Chen Yang chuckled, pulling out two pill-sized Elixirs from his pocket and tossing them as a reward to Wāngcái.

Wāngcái cheerfully ate the Elixirs, delighted, spinning a few circles around the yard before returning to its nook.

Chen Yang stood in the yard and peeked at the bushes from where the activity originated a few moments ago.

Only after ensuring there were no other movements did he turn and head back inside.

Despite his curiosity about who the person was and why they’d been near his garden at night, he recognized the individual had fled, and dwelling on the matter now was fruitless.

If that person had ulterior motives, they would surely reappear another time, so he wasn’t in a rush to uncover their identity.

Without overthinking it, once back indoors, Chen Yang headed to the bathroom for a shower.