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The insect carried traces of blood on its body, but after leaving Miao Linyuan's hand, the blood seemed to be absorbed by the insect, leaving no trace on the pastry.
No one could tell the pastry had been tampered with.
The corners of Miao Linyuan’s lips curled into a faintly malicious smile. Hearing the chopping sounds in the backyard cease, he silently covered the pot lid and vanished from the kitchen.
Before long, footsteps echoed as Miao Ciyu and Ruan Qing returned.
Miao Ciyu tossed the firewood beside the stove, washed his hands, and lifted the pot lid—the rice and pastries were already steamed.
He took out the pastries, arranged them on a plate, and handed them to Ruan Qing before turning to prepare the dishes.
Ruan Qing had been hungry for a while, but he lowered his gaze at the pastries without immediately eating them.
The pot lid had been used for many years, its surface covered in old, irregular scratches—something most people wouldn’t notice.
But Ruan Qing did. When Miao Ciyu lifted the lid earlier, the scratches weren’t aligned with their position before they left.
Someone had entered the kitchen and moved the lid.
Neither the rice nor the pastries were missing, and the pastries’ placement was unchanged. That left only one possibility.
Poison.
There was no visible abnormality in either the pastries or the rice. Ruan Qing couldn’t tell whether the poison had been added to the pastries or the rice.
The safest choice was to avoid both until he was certain.
The original owner of this body had a sweet tooth, but his mother rarely indulged him, never making desserts. Since he was too lazy to make them himself, no one knew about his preference for sweets.
An unknown detail meant he could freely act as he pleased.
For example, claiming to despise sweets.
Ruan Qing shot the pastries a disdainful look and went back to playing on his phone, every bit the image of an internet-addicted teenager.
Miao Ciyu said nothing, only chopping vegetables a little faster.
To stay alert to his surroundings, Ruan Qing kept his game muted. Suddenly, he heard movement in the yard and glanced up.
A large black dog had entered.
It wasn’t baring its teeth, nor was it a particularly fierce breed, yet it exuded an unsettling aura as it headed toward the mourning hall.
However, halfway there, it abruptly stopped, as if sensing Ruan Qing's gaze. It turned its head and looked directly toward the kitchen.
At that moment, Ruan Qing's hair stood on end, as if some dangerous and terrifying presence had locked onto him.
Yet it was just a dog.
It probably looked over simply because of the smell of food. After all, the kitchen wasn’t just filled with the aroma of pastries but also the rich scent of cooked dishes.
The large black dog stared quietly in Ruan Qing’s direction—whether it was looking at him or the pastries in front of him was unclear.
A few seconds later, the black dog moved. It changed direction and slowly walked toward the kitchen.
Toward… Ruan Qing.
There were villagers in the mourning hall at the time, and they were used to the black dog’s presence. Every time a villager in Miao Village died, this large black dog would appear.
But this was the first time it had ever walked in a different direction.
The villagers in the hall stared fixedly at the black dog as it changed course, their lifeless eyes flickering with a trace of surprise, as if witnessing something unbelievable.
And it truly was unbelievable.
No one in Miao Village kept pets—pets simply didn’t survive long there. The black dog’s existence was utterly bizarre.
Moreover, it only appeared when a villager died, as if patrolling for something.
In the past, many villagers had tried to follow the dog, only to find that after leaving the mourning hall, it would disappear into the northern part of Miao Village.
The north—that was the village’s forbidden zone.
The black dog came from the forbidden zone. The villagers no longer dared to follow it, and from then on, they stopped questioning its existence.
It was something they were not allowed to be curious about.
Anyone who attempted to investigate the forbidden zone would soon meet their death, and the other villagers of Miao Village would suffer a near-death agony in turn.
The pain came without warning, and aside from death, there was no way to treat or alleviate it.
Ruan Qing was unaware of this. As he watched the black dog approach, his entire body tensed inexplicably.
Danger.
He trusted his instincts, but his face betrayed nothing. When the dog was still two or three meters away, he picked up a pastry from the nearby plate and tossed it over as if offering alms.
He had tossed it casually, yet the pastry landed right in front of the big black dog, blocking its path.
The big black dog paused slightly, lowering its head to glance at the pastry on the ground. But instead of eating it, it looked up again at Ruan Qing.
Ruan Qing tightened his grip on his phone. Dogs usually weren’t picky about dirty food—so the dog probably wasn’t looking at the pastry.
…It was looking at him.
Ruan Qing forced himself to stay calm. His beautiful eyes flickered with a trace of disgust as he stared at the dog, his tone laced with disdain.
"Truly, the dog reflects its owner."
"Ungrateful creature."
Whether the dog understood his words or simply caught the scent of the pastry, it finally lowered its head and quietly ate the treat off the ground.
Dogs usually weren’t elegant eaters, but this one was different—it picked up the pastry gently, not even touching the dirt.
Yet, the moment it swallowed, the dog froze unnaturally before suddenly becoming frenzied.
Its fur bristled, and its front claws dug violently into the soil, as if struggling to suppress something.
Like a rabid dog, its eyes even began to glow red—dangerous and terrifying.
The pastry had been poisoned after all.
Ruan Qing’s heart pounded. Before he could process it, he noticed the dog’s gaze locked onto him again.
The vicious look in its eyes suggested it might lunge at any second and rip out his throat.
Ruan Qing stiffened under its stare, his grip on his phone turning white-knuckled, his delicate face tense with caution.
"What’s wrong?" Miao Ciyu noticed his unease.
He had been chopping vegetables, his back turned to the door. Setting down the knife, he walked slowly toward Ruan Qing.
Hearing Miao Ciyu’s voice steadied Ruan Qing slightly. He tilted his chin toward the dog at the kitchen entrance.
"That dog’s gone mad."
Miao Ciyu finally saw the dog outside—and his brow furrowed deeply the next second.
That didn’t look like madness.
It looked more like… a curse.
The boy’s action of throwing the pastries had also caught Miao Ciyu’s attention, but there was nothing left on the ground—clearly, the big black dog had eaten them.
Had someone laced the pastries with gu poison?
Miao Ciyu’s eyes darkened completely, his entire body radiating a terrifying aura. He swiftly stepped out of the kitchen and turned, his sharp gaze locking onto the roof.
“Oh dear? Seems I’ve been spotted.” Miao Linyuan sat perched on the rooftop, wearing an exaggerated grin.
He tugged at his hair in mock frustration and added, “Guess I’ll have to be more careful next time.”
