The items in the room, although somewhat old, were clearly not abandoned, and were neatly arranged.

"Brother Yu, why are you being lazy today? You used to get up at this time and get ready to go hunting with Dad," Mai Mai looked at Yu Xing, waving her little hand in front of his eyes.

Yu Xing came to his senses, not showing any outward surprise at this situation. He knew that he had jumped through time again. Backwards.

Judging from Mai Mai's tone, it seemed like he had been living at Old Zhang's house for quite a while now. And, Mai Mai was calling him by his name, indicating that at this time, he was on this side of Old Zhang's family, so he shouldn't have amnesia.

In other words, he was in a timeline that was not affected by his amnesia? Was it the things that happened after he arrived in the small village in reality, without his amnesia?

He looked down and saw that he was still wearing the black jacket that the shaman had told him to put on. But Mai Mai didn't show any surprise at his outfit, nor did she ask why he was dressed so warmly for sleeping.

Could it be... that these people's thoughts were under the control of that "power," selectively ignoring what was reasonable?

"Brother Yu, if you keep lying in bed, Dad will be leaving soon!" Mai Mai spoke to him in a familiar and casual tone, much better than when they first met.

Yu Xing shook his head, got up from the bed, and found that his hair was tied up with a cloth, which made it much more convenient to move around.

He replied, "I'm going now."

If he had jumped back to a past timeline, then this day must be meaningful. He had to take a good look at what benefits this day could bring to his investigation.

A quick look at "paw𝑟ead.com" will leave you more fulfilled.

However, just as he was about to ask Mai Mai something, there was suddenly a commotion outside the door.

Yu Xing's ears perked up, and he focused his attention, vaguely hearing the content of the commotion.

A strange male voice said in a bad tone, "Your family has more food here, so I'll borrow some meat. How stingy!"

Then, Old Zhang's wife's voice came, indignant, "Are you borrowing? Do you ever return the things you borrow?"

The man shouted, "Your family is living so well, what's wrong with sharing a bit?"

What's going on?

Yu Xing glanced at Mai Mai, who looked somewhat uneasy, and walked out of the bedroom, out the door, and saw Old Zhang wiping a very sturdy longbow.

Old Zhang had an axe around his waist, dressed neatly, and wore rudimentary armor on important parts of his chest, which was very much in line with the image of a jungle hunter in Yu Xing's mind.

There was also a soft tube by his feet, with many wooden arrows inside, some of which still had dried bloodstains on them. It seemed that these were old arrows that had been shot out and not damaged.

It was originally a very normal scene of preparing to go hunting, but now, Old Zhang was frowning, looking somewhat annoyed and helpless as he argued with his wife and three or four men.

The men were of different builds, some tall and some short. The leader had a sharp mouth and monkey-like cheeks, glaring at them as if it was only natural, "Look at our village, ever since it was built, we can't even have a decent meal every day. Only your family can hunt and get some meat. What about us? We have to eat vegetables until our mouths go bland! And you still want money for some meat? Which family in the neighboring village isn't better off than us?"

"What's the use of money for you? There's no place here for you to spend money! If you're not willing to share, just say so. What's with the excuses... Hmph, your family's character is really something," Old Zhang's wife retorted, her hands on her hips.

The man with the sharp mouth and monkey-like cheeks chuckled, full of sarcasm, "Oh, your family, still thinking about sending Mai Mai to school? Since a wild man came to your house and taught Mai Mai a few words, you've had these unrealistic ideas? Hahaha... Maybe he's just playing around, who knows if he's taken a liking to your wife, or your ten-year-old daughter!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Not only was Old Zhang's wife about to explode, but Old Zhang also darkened his face and cursed, and the situation became tense.Yu Xing had just stepped out of the door, and heard every word clearly.

Mai Mai, who followed behind, let out a slight sob, obviously frightened, and also understood the nonsense that Li Fugui was saying.

The words were really dirty.

Yu Xing squinted his eyes and walked out.

He was always the most conspicuous person wherever he went, and the few people at the door noticed his appearance. Immediately, Li Fugui took a step back, and no longer had the confidence to spread rumors behind his back.

This was a habitual retreat, and Yu Xing realized that he, who had not lost his memory, was not in a very good mood at the moment.

When Old Zhang's wife saw him, she hurriedly said, "Yu Xing, don't be angry, don't misunderstand, none of us have ever thought of you this way!"

She also saw Mai Mai sobbing, her face changed, and she went forward to hold Mai Mai in her arms and comforted her, "Good child, don't be wronged, don't cry, don't cry. Your big brother Yu is very good. Don't listen to what others say. Mom will take you back to the room..."

The two men in the house had also come out, leaving it to the men to resolve. She was originally afraid that her husband, with his kind heart, would give away the meat he had hunted at no cost. She felt relieved when Yu Xing came out.

This child would never let their family suffer losses.

Listening to Mai Mai's quiet complaint, "I'm not afraid, but they said bad things about Big Brother Yu," Yu Xing raised his eyes and looked at the villagers who had come to ask for meat but left with dirty mouths.

Although he had just returned from jumping through the timeline and had no emotional connection with Old Zhang's family, he did not want to disappoint the trust shown by this family.

"Why stop talking? Cat got your tongue?" Yu Xing's eyes gleamed with a cold light, facing the villagers with an expression that was almost never seen on his face in modern times.

Li Fugui, thinking that he had been caught anyway, didn't care about saying more. Instead, he gained some confidence and said, "Yu Xing, do you really think that everyone is afraid of you just because you're a little stronger? No one says it to your face, but in reality, which family doesn't gossip about your background behind your back? Do you dare to say that you stayed at Old Zhang's house and didn't have any intentions towards Mai Mai?"

Yu Xing glanced at them, and Old Zhang's wife had already taken Mai Mai into the house.

Old Zhang was obviously very angry, and his hand was almost on the handle of the axe, but he still suppressed his temper and didn't do anything out of line.

It was clear at a glance that Old Zhang, who was not good with words, had suffered a lot at the hands of people like Li Fugui, who loved to force others into a corner.

Tsk, I really want to kill this kind of person.

Yu Xing's mind couldn't help but have such a cruel thought. After his mental alienation, dark thoughts almost constantly swirled in his mind.

But he didn't become a pure lunatic and villain, because he still controlled the kindness in his heart.

In a situation like this, he was even willing to argue with these people based on the information he had just heard. "Whether I have any intentions towards Mai Mai, Old Zhang knows best. As for you unimportant people, if you want to gossip behind our backs, then keep your words to yourselves. If you say one more word in front of Old Zhang and Mai Mai, I don't mind cutting out your tongues."

"You're not afraid, you can leave whenever you want, but what about Mai Mai? How can she get by after losing her innocence? Have you ever cared about that?" Li Fugui coldly snorted, trying to make Yu Xing's tough attitude disappear.

Yu Xing looked at him as if he was looking at a dead person, a corpse, a piece of trash. "Mai Mai's innocence is only lost in the mouths of maggots like you, right? Since you're so disgusting, don't pretend to care about Mai Mai. Oh, and you still want meat? Where do you get the nerve?"

Li Fugui and the other men looked at each other, realizing that the topic had strayed far from the original. Just then, they didn't dare to confront Yu Xing head-on, so they took this opportunity to steer the conversation back. "Right, the meat! Old Zhang, the few of us together need five rabbits. Is it difficult for you to give them to us?"

Old Zhang also didn't expect that after insulting his daughter, his wife, and the people his family had taken in, they still had the face to ask for rabbits.

He cursed fiercely, then warned, "While I still have the patience to talk to you, get lost!"

"Oh, the good guy has finally shown his true colors, huh? You won't give it without money, so heartless. We have no meat to eat! Who was it that stopped us from going to the neighboring village before?" Several villagers taunted, because they knew that Old Zhang was a good person. Even if that weirdo named Yu Xing wanted to do something to them, Old Zhang would stop him.

"I've said it before, that neighboring village is not right. If you go there, something will definitely happen!" Old Zhang argued.

"No money, no meat?" Yu Xing asked coldly.

"What's wrong? Shouldn't it be that way?" A sturdy man behind Li Fugui retorted.

"Then you guys are really pitiful, needing to beg to survive." Yu Xing asked coldly.

"How so? Is that not right?" The sturdy man asked nervously.

Despite being angry at the word "begging," no one dared to stop him.

In the nervous gaze of the sturdy man, Yu Xing placed his hand on the man's shoulder.

Then, he pressed down hard!A tremendous force brought the burly man to his knees on the ground. With a cry of pain, Yu Xing said ominously, "But since you're begging, show some professionalism. At the very least, kneel down, kowtow a few times, then wait for someone's charity, and leave with tears of gratitude while still kneeling."

"You!" The burly man gritted his teeth in pain, but none of the people who seemed to be on good terms with him, including Li Fugui, came forward to rescue him; they all kept their distance.

The farce finally ended under Yu Xing's intimidation.

Yu Xing knew he was currently filled with a fierce aura, but he also understood that adjusting his mindset wasn't something that could be done overnight. Given the extent of his recovered memories, resolving the situation this peacefully was already quite good.

Old Zhang apologized to him and then asked if Yu Xing would still go hunting with him today.

"No, I'm a bit tired today. I want to rest." From Old Zhang's tone, Yu Xing could tell that he wasn't being forced to go hunting. Old Zhang's family treated him with great respect, as evidenced by letting him sleep until he woke up naturally.

The "always hunting together" that Mai Mai mentioned was probably voluntary on his part.

And his decision to stay now was prompted by the neighboring village mentioned by the villagers.

It seemed, apart from Old Zhang, that the people in this small village were envious of the material conditions at the witch's place?

Old Zhang took his tools and set off, leaving Yu Xing alone with his thoughts.

The betrayal and jealousy spoken of by the witch.

The little girl from the neighboring village that Xiao Hu said was kidnapped.

The desolate village in the future timeline.

All these clues led him to think of a rather unpleasant series of events.

"Could it be... that the people from the small village, in order to join the witch's larger village and gain her approval, kidnapped Mai Mai as a gift to the witch while Old Zhang and I were out hunting? Old Zhang's wife certainly wouldn't stand by and let this happen; she must have been harmed while resisting," Yu Xing murmured, "When we returned and found Mai Mai missing and Old Zhang's wife in trouble, did we go to the larger village to seek people, thus getting involved in the affairs of the deities?"

"What would I have done back then..."

He furrowed his brows, trying hard to simulate and guess his own actions.

If in the real timeline, I only came into contact with the witch and learned about the existence of the deities and the larger village's custom of flesh offerings after going to the witch's village with Old Zhang, and then discovered that Mai Mai had been eaten by the Ghost...

How likely would I have been to lose my sanity...

Perhaps because he was thinking too seriously, and this time he was trying to recall and speculate on his own, Yu Xing could feel that the force restricting his memory barrier seemed to be loosening slightly.

A brief image flashed before his eyes.

It was Old Zhang, with a ferocious expression, raising an axe high in the house and chopping Li Fugui to death.

Yu Xing could almost hear Old Zhang's agonized roar.

"Indeed, I guessed right." The disturbance in his memory indicated that at least he wasn't wrong in the general direction.

And the day he had returned to might just be the day when Mai Mai was kidnapped.

Did the morning's dispute prompt Li Fugui and the others to lay hands on Mai Mai and the fellow villager's wife?

It seems that in reality, I must have gone hunting with Old Zhang and not stayed in the village; otherwise, I would never have allowed those wretches to harm Old Zhang's family.

But now, in this false world, his choices were different from before, so this time, he was curious to see what actions these villagers would take.

With that thought, a cold smile appeared on Yu Xing's lips. He didn't head towards the haunted house but walked into the woods, not going far before squatting down in the bushes.

This way, others would think he had left with Old Zhang.