Wooden Figurine

To cover up the pain he had suddenly shown, Fang Xiao said he had a headache and needed to rest.

Yu Xing then helped the "weak" man back to Fang Xiao's bedroom.

Fang Xiao took off his coat and lay down on the bed. Yu Xing covered him with a blanket, tucked the corners in, and sat on the side of the bed to check Fang Xiao's forehead temperature.

"No fever or anything..."

Fang Xiao stared at him with her eyes wide open, tilting her head to look at him expectantly.

Yu Xing raised an eyebrow:?

"I've never been taken care of by my younger brother before." Fang Xiao stared intently at everything, as if the harder he looked, the more deeply he could remember what he felt at that moment.

"It's not really taking care of him." Yu Xing paused for two seconds, then frowned slightly. "Brother, think about it carefully. Is it because you're trying to manage such a large town that you're having headaches?"

"... Perhaps." Fang Xiao's dark eyes flickered. "So, with you back, you can take half of my 'work,' right?"

"I..." Yu Xing's breath hitched. Logically, he should have said that since he had decided to stay, he would do his best to share the burden or help others.

However, Yu Xing simply tucked the blanket around Fang Xiao again—a gesture that was unnecessary.

Fang Xiao's hand under the blanket was about to move when Yu Xing pressed it down. Since Yu Xing wasn't using much force, Fang Xiao let him hold it down, but his expression gradually became strange. "You hesitated?"

Yu Xing lowered his head, his stray hairs obscuring his brows and eyes, making his expression somewhat unclear in the shadows.

Fang Xiao narrowed his eyes and strained his arms, as if he was about to prop himself up.

"Elder brother."

Yu Xing's low voice stopped Fang Xiao's movements like a pause button. He looked up, and his young face, expressionless, revealed an unusually sinister and dangerous aura.

You should know that I feel nothing but disgust for the Fang family.

"If I stay, it can only be because of you."

He placed his hand over Fang Xiao, smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

He, Fang Xing, San, is not some naive and innocent person, nor is he someone who gives in after being scared once... a person without any experience.

He's a unique ghost painter who has been to Coffin Village and even Tomb Palace.

Yu Xing met Fang Xiao's gaze without flinching, and even suddenly said, "I'm sorry, brother, I've also kept some things from you, some... harmless things."

Fang Xiao Xiaotong shrank back.

In those dark eyes, it was hard to tell whether the look was Fang Xiao's bewilderment or the snake's chilling aura.

I'm not as weak as you see me.

Yu Xing's lips curled into a smile, "You twisted my perception with your voice in my ear, and I couldn't resist. But once I calmed down, I realized that you were trying to slowly change my mind and make me stay at the Fang Mansion. I could have left, but because of you, I pretended that you were threatening me so I couldn't leave."

Why did he suddenly reveal this?!

[What's going on? I don't understand again. Everything was fine before, so why did Xing expose herself like this??]

[Won't this just make the snake distrust him again? After hearing this, the snake will definitely realize that the distortion he's currently experiencing isn't as deep as it thought!]

[Wait a minute, no, he said he couldn't resist Fang Xiao's forceful cognitive manipulation in his ear, but I just can't believe it...]

The chat erupted with excited comments as people watched Yu Xing on screen, who had deliberately transformed her demeanor from harmless to sinister, and expressed various expressions of shock.

Fang Xiao was also taken aback by these words and immediately tried to sit up. He was not "weak" at all; when his muscles were tense, his movements were quick and ruthless.

The blanket was lifted, and vaguely, it seemed as if a snake hissed past. Fang Xiao's eyes transformed into a snake child, and a powerful hand struck directly at Yu Xing's neck.

The younger brother's words and actions were unexpected, and Fang Xiao's first reaction was to subdue him.

"Smack!"

Yu Xing was even faster, stopping Fang Xiao with just one hand, grabbing Fang Xiao's wrist so that he couldn't advance even half an inch further.

This stark contrast makes the scene of Yu Xing to break free from Fang Xiao's confinement not long ago seem utterly absurd.

"Do you believe me now?" Yu Xing was still smiling, but a hint of sadness was faintly revealed.

He bent down and hugged the stiff Fang Xiao: "Actually... I stayed here voluntarily."

His sigh, filled with complex emotions, as he stroked Fang Xiao's back. "Because brother is too lonely."

"But I'm still not sure if you're using me..."

Fang Xiao's apple bobbed, as if he too sensed the danger emanating from Yu Xing.

He couldn't even understand how their roles seemed to have been reversed in just a moment.

"If you take advantage of me, I'll be very angry, and it will be hard for me to pretend nothing happened and be that happy little brother again."

Yu Xing released Fang Xiao and stared at him with a cold face.

"It's best if I don't find out..."

"Once I find out you have ulterior motives, I will punish you."

Fang Xiao wanted to explain.

Before he could even speak, the image of a snake coiled and slithered in his mind. He heard himself speak, but the words that came out were completely out of his control. "How should I be punished?"

Not wanting her expression to frighten her "brother," Yu Xing rubbed her face and then put on the same smile as before, but the chill in her tone sent shivers down Fang Xiao's spine. "Of course, take over the Fang Mansion."

"Anyway, these are all rights snatched from that old bastard Fang Deming. If you can take them from him, I can take them from you. I doubt the giant python in your story will mind."

The snake's tail slowly coiled in his mind, and Fang Xiao's breathing became rapid.

"Since you insist on provoking me and reminiscing about our brotherhood, then whether it ends or not is not up to you." Yu Xing blinked. "Once I take over everything here, I'll keep you by my side. If you try to stay away from me, those 'characters' in town will send you back."

"You've been trapped for so long, you don't care about freedom, right?"

"Oh, right, you still care about your sister-in-law? Then let her keep you in check. You can choose whether you're with me or her every day. Am I good to you?"

A blush rose to Yu Xing's face, as if his reason had been overtaken by morbidity and paranoia. "Of course, this is punishment for deceiving me. If you don't intend to treat me badly, I'll still be your good little brother."

Fang Xiao fell into a long silence.

The live chat was also silent.

After a long while, a few lines slowly passed by.

[Turning the tables?]

[What is he doing...? I have a strange feeling, like he has other ideas.]

[Did he realize something because Fang Xiao suddenly acted strangely?]

[This kind of thing can't be taken over just like that. If they want to take over the Fang Mansion, isn't that just taking over control of Nanshui Town? Isn't that just actively welcoming that snake to control their consciousness?]

[But according to his character, Fang Xing doesn't know as much as Xing, who is a diviner, which is why he said he would take over the Fang Mansion. This actually proves that he was unaware of the snake's conspiracy...]

Yu Xing waited for Fang Xiao's reply.

After a long silence, he seemed to understand. "You really have designs on me?"

"No, I never wanted to hurt you!" Fang Xiao could only manage to utter this one sentence. However, he understood that the Snow Festival was designed specifically for his younger brother. If this wasn't harming him, what was?

"Then let's go out and have fun together tomorrow." Yu Xing patted Fang Xiao's head. "I'll be waiting for you at the hotel tomorrow morning. Remember to pick me up, okay?"

"Are you leaving?" Fang Xiao understood the meaning behind his words.

He also knew that the current situation was indeed not suitable for continuing the talks.

They both need to calm down and think about what this situation really means for each other.

Too.

This is the Fang Xing that his quiet and abusive younger brother from his childhood was most likely to grow up to be: shrewd, good at pretending, and only when he had enough strength to back him up did he dare to return to Nanshui Town.

"Although it's still early, I don't want to disturb my brother's rest." Yu Xing gently patted the blanket, her eyebrows curving into a smile. "After all, isn't my brother feeling unwell?"

"... Okay, see you tomorrow then." Fang Xiao hesitated, the words on the tip of his tongue, but his mind went blank, he forgot what he wanted to say, and in the end he could only reply with a soft "yes".

Yu Xing then got up, preparing to leave.

This time, he didn't tuck the blanket Fang Xiao had obediently lay down.

This further exposes the secret that lies between the two brothers, making their relationship as fragile as a bubble, easily broken.

Yu Xing hadn't forgotten to bring his travel bag, which he'd left behind. He opened the door, and just as he was about to step out, Fang Xiao on the bed suddenly asked:

"Aren't you going to see Fang Deming?"

The tone was extremely calm; one could immediately tell that it was the snake asking the question through Fang Xiao's mouth again.

"Fang Deming," Yu Xing repeated, each word carefully uttered.

His chuckle was tinged with coldness, "I originally intended to come back and torment him myself, but you and Xu Wan have already made your move."

"That's not enough for me; I haven't yet enjoyed the pleasure of tormenting him."

"But it's okay, brother, I won't go see him today. There's plenty of time later..."

After saying that, the door was closed.

Yu Xing still didn't release any aura related to the power of the curse. Instead, she released her perception, looked in the direction, and went straight to the location where Medusa and Yan Li were.

Since we're going, of course we should take our friends with us.

As he stepped out of the courtyard, he began to hear the scraping sound of a huge object sliding behind him.

A chilling aura was approaching him, making no attempt to hide, and it was getting closer and closer. Before he had taken more than a few steps, the voice was already right behind him, like a shadow.

He paused, looking back suspiciously.

A giant, translucent snake tail swayed behind him.

The thick snake tail required almost three people to encircle it, its scales gleaming with a cold, eerie light. The tail extended upwards, ending at the upper body of a human woman.

This human body was also like a giant, equally ethereal and transparent, with a tight, narrow abdomen, and long hair covering the private parts above. A pair of smooth arms were casually draped at the sides, and at the very top was a cold yet beautiful face.

The woman with a human body and a snake tail was three or four times the size of Yu Xing, which explained her incredible speed. Her body was low above Yu Xing's head, creating a powerful sense of oppression.

A pair of emotionless, cold snake children looked down at him.

Yu Xing's gaze passed through its body and landed on the ground behind it. She looked around and, not seeing anything special, her suspicion deepened.

"Someone's watching me...?" He pretended to be blind, turned his head, but didn't quicken his pace.

He pretended not to see anything, but the giant Snake Woman behind him had no intention of letting him go so easily. The Snake Woman silently slid past his shoulder, bringing with her a chilling wind that sent shivers down one's spine, swayed twice, and blocked Yu Xing's path.

Sharp fingernails were connected to puppet-like strings that extended from the Snake Woman's hands into the void in all directions. The Snake Woman's inhuman face revealed a ferocious expression, and she slowly grinned, revealing two sharp fangs that gleamed coldly in her suddenly enlarged maw.

Yu Xing remained expressionless, raised his hand to rub his arm, and passed directly through the Snake Woman who was in an attacking stance, without even the slightest hesitation.

His disguise was very successful.

No one could see any trace of the Snake Woman in his behavior. He was like a person who was oblivious to everything. He clearly felt the coldness that was different from usual and had doubts, but he just couldn't see the Snake Woman's presence.

Yu Xing walked out of Fang Xiao's courtyard. The Snake Woman's phantom did not follow him. Instead, it stopped in place and stared at his back until his figure disappeared around the corner.

[Oh my god, is that a snake? It's evolved into a human!]

[I'm in love! What a beautiful Snake Woman!]

[They're all snakes, but they're nowhere near as Medusa...]

[Medusa is beautiful, but what I like is that inhuman feeling of the Snake Woman, right? Is there a problem?]

[I pretended not to see her, haha, her acting skills are definitely good enough to play a blind person.]

[Did anyone notice? When the Snake Woman opened her mouth to threaten him just now, it seemed like she didn't have a tongue...]

Yu Xing could see it more clearly than the comments section.

The Snake Woman possessed immense power; her intense ghostly aura was almost tangible.

But when she opened her mouth, it was empty except for her fangs, adding to the eeriness of the situation.

The Snake Woman in her memory is probably the same one Medusa remembers. Although the one Medusa saw was slightly smaller, the size of this illusory figure should be something the Snake Woman can change at will.

Tsk, now that you mention it...

The Snake Woman, also known as the giant python in the story, is a snake with the power of Qianjie. In fact, she probably recognized Medusa the moment she stepped into the Fang Mansion.

It was only then that Yu Xing realized this oversight: how strong Medusa? Strong enough to tear a piece of flesh from the Snake Woman's body.

Although the Snake Woman in her memory was probably not her complete form, but only a clone that was summoned by the townspeople, she must have vivid memories of Medusa and hated her to the core.

However, ever since he entered the Fang Mansion, Medusa has also disguised herself as an ordinary person. The Snake Woman knew this, but she didn't expose her, which must have been because she was observing what they were planning to do.

Fortunately Medusa didn't contact him, otherwise his so-called disguise would have been exposed by the Snake Woman right before he revealed it.

No wonder.

Snake needed Fang family son; he was a necessity. So even though the woman among his two friends was quite suspicious, Snake let her in.

The initial struggle between him and Fang Xiao gradually reassured Snake. At that time, Snake was probably thinking that although Fang Xing was easy to control, his two friends were very difficult to deal with, so he wanted to separate Fang Xing from his friends.

It was precisely because of this expectation that Fang Xiao, who was being controlled by the snake, reacted somewhat overreacted when Yu Xing revealed that he wasn't that weak.

Even when he was about to leave temporarily, the snake would deliberately create an afterimage to test whether Yu Xing's strength was sufficient to see her.

Now that the probing is over, the Snake Woman should have a new assessment of Fang Xing's true strength.

What exactly is your new plan?

Would doing this really save Fang Xiao's life?

Yu Xing's actions were very bold, and the system couldn't resist any longer. After all, this concerned what it wanted to obtain. Although it couldn't stop Yu Xing from doing anything, it still wanted to find out the details.

"It's very simple."

Yu Xing walked towards Yan Li and the other person, answering in his heart. "Fang Xiao's body can no longer maintain the operation of Nanshui Town. Xiao Qian... the Snake Woman wants me to be her new puppet, so she will gradually give me control of Nanshui Town. As her control over me deepens, the control will lean more and more towards me until the handover of control is completed."

This is the choice the Snake Woman make if everything proceeded as planned.

At that time, Fang Xiao will become a pawn just like Fang Deming —at most, he will also have the task of having a child with Mingzhu.

For Fang Xiao, this could save his life, but such a life was impossible in the first place. The system sent Yu Xing here to break the status quo.

"I played myself as a younger brother who loves and listens to his older brother. The rest of the process was Fang Xiao took me to the port, showed me the filming equipment, explained the principles of controlling this small world, and then I revealed my true intentions: to destroy the filming equipment. Fang Xiao was then conscripted by Qianjie to fight me."

"I want to destroy the equipment for you, and that means destroying Fang Xiao's body first. He'll die by my hand."

"So, if you want him to live—all you need to do is make sure Fang Xiao isn't present when I see the equipment."

As long as Fang Xiao is not present, even if the Snake Woman tries to stop Yu Xing, it will not affect Fang Xiao, and she will not actively destroy the Fang family's body, which is still barely usable.

[If he wasn't there, who took you to the port?]

A smile spread across Yu Xing's eyes.

"If I know nothing, the Snake Woman will always worry about my Cognitive Recovery, which is why she needs Fang Xiao to constantly reinforce the degree of my cognitive distortion."

"But what if I actually know everything, and only stayed voluntarily because of Fang Xiao, and even have the ambition to seize power from Fang Xiao and take over the Fang Mansion?"

"And the cunning and obsession I display will also be my shackles, the origin of my greed. I possess both ability and weakness, yet I am even more ruthless Fang Xiao."

Yu Xing strolled leisurely along the pebbled path in the courtyard.

"Fang Xiao's weakness is me, which makes him even waver in his own perception when facing me. The Snake Woman must be very dissatisfied with his performance."

"On the contrary, what about me? I'm arrogant. Before I even understood the situation, I dared to claim that I had taken over the Fang Mansion and controlled Fang Xiao. I'm sick; my biggest weakness is my mental instability. But this doesn't hinder Qianjie's power system. On the contrary, it provides an excellent starting point for distorting perceptions."

"Most importantly, Fang Xiao would make any sacrifice for me, but I'm selfish and used to being the one who gets sacrificed for me. I'll only accept Fang Xiao's kindness, and if Fang Xiao disagree, I'll be the one who stands up for myself."

The system paused for two seconds, then suddenly realized.

[This is your purpose. You don't want to be a substitute for Fang Xiao; you want to be a substitute for Fang Deming.]

Yes, that's the difference between his two different performances.

In Yu Xing's original plan, he, like Fang Xiao, was resistant, helpless, and passive. The Snake Woman wouldn't mind this. She only needed a new puppet. With Fang Xing, she could wait for Fang Xiao and Mingzhu to have a child, or even wait for Fang Xing to have a child with... or some unknown woman.

In the new plan, Yu Xing aims to become someone like Fang Deming.

He wanted the Snake Woman to see his inherent evil and greed, pretending to be forcibly kept by his brother, actually just to make his brother feel more guilty. Even without understanding the so-called belief, he was already tempted by the mere prospect of controlling a small world. Therefore, for him, the Snake Woman could transform coercion into cooperation.

Unless the Snake Woman is stupid, she should have already realized the difference between being proactive and reactive when the small world of Nanshui Town showed signs of collapse in the past two months.

Yu Xing, for some reason, also willingly accepts the Snake Woman like Fang Deming, then she will obtain a new puppet that she doesn't need to worry about escaping and can use for a very long time.

This "cooperation" is only temporary. Unless Yu Xing is exceptionally powerful, he will not escape the Snake Woman's subtle and gradual distortion. In the end, no matter how much ambition he has, he will only become the Snake Woman's plaything.

[You want the snake to skip the middle steps and choose you directly, abandoning Fang Xiao.]

The system has caught up with his train of thought.

[And you simultaneously displayed a controlling nature towards Fang Xiao, his older brother. Therefore, once the Snake Woman takes the bait, and you bring up the idea of wanting the complete Fang Xiao, she will no longer try to control Fang Xiao in front of you.]

The Snake Woman wouldn't really give up controlling Fang Xiao, otherwise, given Fang Xiao's personality, the first thing he would do if he broke free of control was to carry his younger brother and run away.

She will pretend to let go of Fang Xiao, but in reality, she will maintain Fang Xiao's distorted perception.

But all you need is "not in person".

"At that time, she can simply stay in the consciousness of 'the me who actively accepted her,' guiding me to the port to access the filming equipment and gain overt control of Nanshui Town," Yu Xing thought to herself with a smile. "Once she discovers that I'm going to destroy the equipment, she'll only have two choices: either forcibly alter my perception for a short period to stop my actions, and discuss other matters later, or fight me in her true form."

No matter which choice she makes, Yu Xing is not afraid.

The cognitive manipulation performed by the Snake Woman herself must be extremely powerful and difficult to resist, but Yu Xing may not be without countermeasures.

Fighting in his true form would be even better; Yu Xing loves to risk his life for others, and his life is meant to be used.

As for Fang Xiao, he's still at the Fang Mansion. It's so far away; by the time the Snake Woman controls Fang Xiao and arrives, it'll be too late.

[This is indeed a way for Fang Xiao to survive, but how can you be sure that things will go exactly as you plan?]

"Then... let's see what I'm capable of."

Yu Xing wiggled her fingers, her stray hairs concealing the interest in her eyes.

No plan has a 100% success rate.

Whether he Snake Woman she can outwit the Snake Woman from beginning to end, or be discovered halfway through, depends on who understands "human nature" better.

He didn't think he would lose to a snake.

The fact that the Snake Woman followed behind him to test his strength was evidence that he had successfully lured Snake Woman into the trap.

The Snake Woman was clearly already considering whether to abandon Fang Xiao and cooperate with him directly; only in this way would she need to test him so obviously and urgently.

As for the increased risk causing the system some concern... what does that have to do with him? He's not the system's son; he's already doing a good job by helping out, why is he being so picky?

[...]

The system didn't want to talk anymore, but at least it got Yu Xing's train of thought, so it wasn't so uncertain. It simply sent Yu Xing an eye-rolling emoji and pretended to be dead.

Yu Xing raised an eyebrow and called out to the system several times in his mind, but the system did not answer him. It probably thought that out of sight, out of mind, and was paying attention to the movements of other predictors.

Only then did Yu Xing reveal a triumphant look in his eyes. He stretched and stepped into the front yard.

"I think I messed up this part!"

"It's okay... you can design this dent into something else."

From afar, he could hear Medusa and the old gardener chatting animatedly.

Their conversation, one after the other, was a dialogue between Medusa and the old gardener, where Medusa was asking the gardener for advice on carving techniques.

It wasn't until they saw people that they realized Yan Li was also there.

The three of them sat on chairs, occupying a corner of the table. The gardener was carving the old tree roots he had been carving, Medusa and Yan Li each held a piece of wood about the size of a forearm.

Yan Li remained silent, his long legs unable to fit, so he could only bend them somewhat aggrievedly. He stared intently at the wooden sculpture, his eyes full of seriousness, a stark contrast to Medusa's incessant chatter.

Carving knives were scattered everywhere, and wood shavings were falling down. Luckily, they were both wearing aprons that the old gardener had found, otherwise they would probably be a mess by now.

You guys seem to be having a lot of fun.

Yu Xing walked over, and the others all turned to look at him.

Yan Li was momentarily surprised to see that he had changed his clothes and was carrying a bag casually, as if he could walk out of the Fang Mansion at any time without them having to run out desperately.

"Little Xing..." The old gardener was quite surprised to see him like this, "What's wrong with you?"

"Hey, Grandpa Gardener." Yu Xing walked over casually, intending to plop down on the table and look at the satisfying sawdust, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"I've had enough time here, I'm about to call my friend to go back together."

"Go back?" The old gardener involuntarily put down his carving knife and stood up in shock. "Xiao Xiao actually let you go—Xiao Xiao actually let you leave?"

Clearly, since Fang Xiao was the one in charge of the Fang Mansion, the old gardener thought of him first, and then Xu Wan: "Where is Madam Xu? Didn't she try to keep you?"

"Huh? Are they leaving already?" Medusa, who had seen Yu Xing and Fang Xiao before, wasn't too surprised by this outcome. She knew that Yu Xing was very capable when she saw how well he could coax Fang Xiao.

She held up the wood carving she had only partially completed. "I'm not finished yet."

Yan Li glanced at her, then remained silent.

Yu Xing smiled and answered the old gardener first, "I'm just going back to the tour group for a while. I've made plans with my brother to go see the Snow Festival tomorrow. After the Snow Festival, I'll go back to live with the Fang family."

"Anyway, I'm coming back soon. Even if they're reluctant to let me go, they wouldn't be so stingy as to not even give me this little bit of time."

The old gardener was stunned.

After regaining his senses, a predictable sadness appeared on his aged face.

"Sigh... it's come to this."

Yu Xing feigned ignorance. "What? How far have we progressed?"

"It's nothing." The old gardener shook his head and sat back down.

It's come to this.

The runaway young master, after growing up, once again stepped into this cage where there is no escape.

Moreover, in just half a day, their thoughts have already been changed.

He unconsciously looked up at the sky.

Was that giant snake that had once appeared before his eyes really that terrifying? Xiaoxiao couldn't escape, and Little Xing couldn't avoid it either.

Why...

Perhaps, this was just the Fang family's fate.

"Are you really determined to stay here?" Medusa knew this wouldn't be Yu Xing's true choice, but she still had to put on an act. A struggle flashed across her face as she hesitantly asked, "I seem to remember... you told us before that your family treated you very badly... didn't you say that?"

"I did say that," Yu Xing didn't deny it. He lowered his head, then suddenly smiled. "But I had a very happy day today."

"My father, he got what he deserved. And another person I utterly despised, the nanny Li, she's dead."

The old gardener was startled.

Is that "eye" that was constantly watching others dead?

Yu Xing looked up again, her smile particularly bright, almost radiating an innocent naiveté: "My brother killed her for me, right in front of me. Her eyes were smashed to pieces, her head was mangled too, she was so ruthless. How about that, isn't Fang Xiao very good to me?"

Yan Li twitched his fingers, put down the wooden carving in his hand, and nodded. "Since you've made up your mind, I won't interfere. I'll go get my and her travel bags, and leave as soon as I get them. Wait here for me."

"Good."

The two men's backpacks were still in the guest room. After Yan Li left, Yu Xing sat in his seat and admired their wood carvings under the old gardener's complicated gaze.

"Pfft, what you sculpted is a bit abstract." The first thing he noticed was the half-finished human figure in Medusa's hand; calling it half-finished was really giving it too much credit.

"This is my first time making this, it's already quite an achievement, okay?" Medusa tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and said irritably, "Do you think everyone is so good at crafts?"

Yu Xing glanced at him again and could only make out that the person looked male. Leaving aside his pockmarked face, his physique was also rather messy, making him completely unrecognizable. "So, who did you cast?"

"Lan Wu," Medusa chuckled, "But it is indeed very ugly. I won't take it with me. It can't even be given as a small gift."

Ah, Lan Wu.

Yu Xing glanced at what Yan Li had left on the table.

Yan Li may not have done wood carving before; the woman he carved looked remarkably like Medusa, without even needing to ask.

However, Yan Li's wood carving was very rough, lacking in detail, and it was also a half-finished product, with a large part of it completely unfinished.

Tsk.

No wonder Yan Li was so indifferent just now, not even wanting to glance at Medusa's work. He must have asked the same question and been killed by the answer.

"Heh." Yu Xing was amused by the scene she had imagined. Seeing that there was some wood that had already been polished, she picked it up and began to carve it decisively and skillfully with a carving knife.

His movements were so casual, like a child scribbling a few lines with a paintbrush, that the old gardener Medusa assumed he was just bored and playing around while waiting for Yan Li to return.

However, the outline of a person was quickly formed, followed by the upper body, legs, and feet. The details of the clothes and the texture of the muscles exposed outside the clothes were all formed at a rapid pace. Yu Xing seemed to make cuts without thinking, and the small carving knife, which was unruly in other people's hands, was as easy to him as the body parts.

"Huh?"

Medusa became increasingly confused as she looked at the wood carving. She put the ugly thing in her hand on the table and stared intently at the wood carving in Yu Xing's hand, which looked different every second. She was truly shocked.

"You've studied this?"

The old gardener was also shocked. His grief had not yet subsided when he witnessed such an outrageous event. For a moment, he could only sit there dumbfounded, his mouth slowly opening wide.

"How could I possibly have studied it?" Yu Xing answered Medusa's question absentmindedly, but his hands didn't slow down at all. He could almost effortlessly grab the carving knife and other tools he needed to change. "It's just a hobby. I quite enjoy carving things."

Yes, in this world, Fang Xing has never studied carving, only painting.

However, this wasn't the first time he had displayed skills related to carving. Yu Xing remembered correctly, when he was at the bottom of the tomb, he saw a stone carving that looked like it had been carved by him outside a tomb. That stone carving was also broken.

"This you sculpted..." Medusa leaned closer to examine it for a while.

This overly detailed wood carving also depicts a man, wearing a modern short-sleeved shirt and what appears to be loose work pants. The man's exposed forearm muscles are clearly defined, and one hand is pulling up the hem of his short-sleeved shirt to wipe the sweat from his cheek, thus revealing his deep and taut abdominal muscles.

"So lifelike." Medusa couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. This wasn't an act; it came from the bottom of her heart.

Even among the wood carvings she had seen in the real world, few could depict a human figure so lifelike. Yu Xing had even carved out the thin, lifted hem of the garment and the tiny gap between it and the clothes on the chest.

The wood carving doesn't actually depict the sweat on the person's face, but the movement is so realistic that one can naturally understand and imagine the meaning of the work.

Next is the head; the shoulder and neck lines are sharp, and the face is also angular, but it doesn't have facial features yet. The slightly long hair seems very fluffy and soft.

Medusa was waiting to see Yu Xing carve out a face from the wood, but Yu Xing ignored the face and went to carve out the other hand instead.

The wooden sculptor's arm, which had been hanging limply at his side, gradually separated from the wood, his fingers curling up as if he were holding something.

Yu Xing carved the small piece of wood he had saved into a tiny dagger.

After finishing carving, put down the carving knife.

"Call."

Yu Xing blew away the excess debris, shaved the piece of wood connecting the wooden figurine's feet flat, and placed the hastily completed work on the table.

It was rushed. While it is lively and dynamic, all parts are just lines without any detail processing or polishing. It doesn't look smooth and feels rough to the touch.

However, compared to the results of Yan Li Medusa's hard work, it already felt like human evolution hadn't taken them along.

"Tsk tsk tsk, broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs—did you get sculpted according to the handsome standards I told you about?" Medusa was convinced and teased, "Or is it yourself?"

She glanced at Yu Xing: "No, this little guy's muscles are much more defined than yours. That's someone you know."

Yu Xing stroked his chin. Actually, when he first touched the carving knife, he was just doing it casually. He only realized it after the outline was already formed. Why did he subconsciously start carving...?

"Amazing!" Medusa exclaimed repeatedly, but with one complaint. "Where's the face? Why aren't there any facial features?"

"No, if I remove any more facial features, it will infringe on someone's portrait rights. But as long as I don't remove this face, no one will have any evidence." Yu Xing raised an eyebrow.

He didn't think too much about it and accepted it well. He probably just subconsciously chose the best-looking person as a model. Art students, whether they are painting or sculpting, always tend to find a body that matches their aesthetic sense as a model.

The next second, Yan Li returned.

When King of Hell returned, carrying a bag on his back and another bag in his hand, he saw Medusa squatting next to Yu Xing without any regard for her image, very close to her.

He paused, then walked in and looked at the table with a similar curiosity.

"...?"

Is there something extra?

He stared silently at the brand-new wooden ornament that hadn't been there before, examining it for a moment. "This is... Xing Diao's?"

Unlike Medusa, Yan Li had a certain understanding of Yu Xing's various skills.

Because their team has someone who's practically a data bug.

Yan Ming's ancient books had already clearly revealed Yu Xing's special skills. When the Widow Investigation Team was studying Yu Xing, they had already seen a series of keywords, some big and some small, some normal and some strange, such as "painting", "carving", "sound imitation" and "lock picking".

Actually, the information about other people in ancient books is not this bizarre.

The fact that Yu Xing's page doesn't show Yu Xing past or introduce Yu Xing core abilities indicates that this information is of a high level and the ancient book cannot automatically include it for the time being.

It's unclear whether the ancient book went mad or not, but in order to prevent that page from appearing too empty, it insisted on filling it with things that seemed outrageous to the members of the Widow Investigation Team.

There are even stories of Yu Xing earning millions by writing and selling his own screenplays in recent years.

I remember when I saw this, Lu Xiaorong in the team was completely devastated. This fat guy was really pitiful. Because of the effects of his "hunger ghost" constitution, his favorite food had been taken away from him. And to make matters worse, he was someone who couldn't make money. No matter what he invested in in reality, he could only lose it all in the end.

The fat guy was always lamenting his experiences in the team's villa, never expecting that the captain, who was researching a broken mirror, could break through his defenses.

Thinking of this, Yan Li smiled slightly.