Everyone fell asleep amidst the screams, but their sleep was restless. The sound rose and fell, each scream more despairing than the last, leaving a significant impact on them.

Had they been in the outside world, none of them would have stayed put; at the very least, they would have called the police.

However, this was the world of challenges, and everything could just be part of the plot; whether they could get out alive was still a question, so they couldn’t act impulsively.

As soon as daylight broke, the sound finally stopped. In truth, most of them didn’t have deep sleep; the sound lingered faintly in their ears throughout the night, leaving them quite uncomfortable.

Looking at the brightening sky outside, they felt a little sleepy, and their heads were heavy, but they couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. They had finally endured a difficult night. Thinking about the next two nights made their hearts heavy. In such an environment, it was no wonder adventurers wanted to go see what was going on.

"Sigh, I couldn’t sleep well all night," Wei Wenlan sat up, yawning, "The sound made my heart tremble. If it weren’t for my clear mind, I might have gone out to see what’s going on."

"Did you feel that way too?" Qin Lin rubbed her head. The noise had been disturbing all night. She still had a headache and became alert again. The second round was indeed harder than the first.

During the first round, they slept relatively well that night.

Thinking about having two more nights like this, she felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

"The sound is a bit misleading," Ah Chen spoke up, "If my guess is correct, there might be changes tonight, so everyone needs to be careful."

Qin Lin and Wei Wenlan’s faces grew serious. Did this mean it wasn’t just about wanting to go out or not?

"You mean the sound’s misleading power might be stronger tonight?" Qin Lin asked.

Ah Chen shook her head, "Not necessarily. This is only the second challenge; adventurers don’t have much in their hands yet, so it probably won’t reach that level—there might be another situation. In any case, remember one thing: unless we decide to go out ourselves, don’t agree to go out no matter who asks. Even if you want to go out, do so secretly when no one notices, otherwise, there’s a good chance something unexpected will happen."

"Understood," Qin Lin said, "Let’s go and tell this to the others."

She noted that Ah Chen didn’t stop her and had no other objections. She took a deep breath. Actually, Li Chen wasn’t that hard to get along with; as long as things were made clear, it was fine. If the other party intended to mess with them, they could have ignored them yesterday.

Everyone gathered, and Qin Lin relayed Ah Chen’s speculation once more. They all looked uneasy.

What they might encounter tonight was unknown. Now wasn’t the time to consider whether to go out or not.

Huo Jingchen’s heart tightened. This was an unpredictable place; it wasn’t like he could do whatever he wanted.

"Sister Chenchen, are you guys up yet?"

As everyone walked into the courtyard, Qu Rou’er just came in from outside, holding a bunch of greens in her hands: "Let’s just eat some noodles this morning, how about it? Soon each household will start displaying the village’s delicacies, and you can enjoy them to your heart’s content. It’s not good to eat too much in the morning, but you should have a little something."

"Of course," Ah Chen followed Qu Rou’er into the kitchen, "Do you need any help?"

"No need. The fire’s already going; just add some firewood when needed, and once the water boils, you can cook the noodles," Qu Rou’er said quickly, "You’re guests; how can you be doing these tasks?"

"Just wait for the noodles to be ready. You can come to the kitchen and serve yourselves, and season according to your taste," Qu Rou’er added, "The kitchen’s a bit small, so you can wait in the main room and we’ll call you when it’s ready."

"Oh, and those two red bottles contain hot water; cold water can be fetched from the well in the courtyard. The basin is there as well," Qu Rou’er pointed to a spot, "The towels and toiletries are clean; the village elder reminded us to prepare them."

Since Ah Chen had helped to draw Qu Rou’er’s parents yesterday, she showed considerable goodwill, speaking mostly to Ah Chen.

"Alright, we will. Go ahead with your work," Ah Chen said. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The well water this time of year was quite chilly, so it was indeed better to use some hot water.

Even on a summer morning, the chill of the well water was enough to give you goosebumps all over.

Everyone finished washing up, and Qu Rou’er’s voice came from the kitchen, followed by her emergence at the kitchen door: "Sister Chenchen, it’s ready."

Everyone headed into the kitchen one by one and took their noodles to the main room to eat.

The small bowl of plain noodles was surprisingly delicious, making everyone marvel at the Food Village’s reputation.

Originally not having much appetite, they nonetheless finished every last bit.

After eating, they suddenly remembered the information they got yesterday: the Food Village dislikes those who waste food, which made them feel relieved. With the upcoming food festival, they would have to pay attention to this.

"Rou’er, did you hear any sounds outside last night?" Ah Chen asked.

Qu Rou’er was taken aback for a moment, looking at Ah Chen, then paused: "Did Sister Chenchen hear something? The village nights are usually not peaceful, so if you hear anything, don’t pay attention, or you’ll be in danger."

"Alright, last night we heard some tragic screams and came to knock on your and Granny Li’s door, but you both must have been asleep."

Qu Rou’er replied softly, "Mm."

Everyone exchanged glances; from Qu Rou’er’s reaction, it seemed the villagers knew something but clearly didn’t want to reveal it to them.

Qu Rou’er’s good attitude was clearly due to Ah Chen’s help in drawing her parents yesterday.

Even if they’re NPCs, they have their own triggers. Whether inherent or programmed, this was an advantage for these adventurers.

"Let’s go check on Shi Lingmeng’s side!" Huo Jingchen said.

He was still keen to find out more about their situation there, and knowing that the situation outside at night wasn’t simple, he needed to strategize about the rewards; the more they got, the better their chances of getting out.

When they arrived, Shi Lingmeng’s group was just heading out with buns in hand, looking like they planned to eat on the go.

The two groups exchanged greetings and walked together in a tacit agreement.

The villagers did not follow them. The village was only so big and they were only reminded not to leave it; nothing more was said.

"Did you guys eat yet?" Shi Lingmeng asked.

Huo Jingchen replied, "Yes, we’ve all eaten."

"We had noodles," Wei Yao chimed in, "True to its name, the Food Village; the noodles were delicious."

"I think these buns are pretty good too," Jiang Le said, taking big bites of a bun, holding two more in his hands. He had a big appetite and had taken two extra to make sure he was full. Knowing there would be plenty more to eat later, he wasn’t worried about filling up now.

Otherwise, how could three buns suffice for breakfast?