Sir! Don't close the net!

Yoran's house was located on the outskirts of Gowerton. It was a standard two-story wooden house, but half of the first floor was used as stables, and the second floor was where they lived.

Li Yili peeked into the stable, but it was empty; Yoran was clearly still working.

Li Yili straightened her collar, raised her hand to knock on the door, and raised her voice, "Is anyone home?"

With a series of footsteps coming downstairs, the old wooden door opened a crack, revealing a pair of brown eyes. Only after seeing Li Yili's sheep village work uniform did the door open halfway, and the person cautiously lowered their head, asking, "Excuse me, who are you?"

“Levi’s Est. Richard, Yolan’s employer, hasn’t he mentioned me?” Although she was very curious about what Yolan’s parents were like, out of politeness, Li Yili restrained her urge to peek and took a step back, leaving some space.

“Ah… Yolan mentioned it, hello Mr. Richard, I am Amy.”

The woman suddenly realized what was happening and opened the door. Only then did Li Yili see the woman's clothes clearly. She was dressed in the simple attire of a Guoweiton woman, with patches on her clothes. Li Yili subconsciously frowned. He had given Yolan gold notes, and more than one. It was understandable that he didn't want to change houses, but surely he could afford to change his clothes.

Seeing that Li Yili remained silent, Amy shrank back, somewhat nervously, "Did something go wrong with Yolan at work? Please don't blame me..."

“Mr. Yolan is usually very diligent in his work, and I am very satisfied with him. It’s just that I troubled him a little today, and I feel a little sorry,” Li Yili said, shaking the two full gift bags in her hands.

"what……"

Amy tilted her head, looking puzzled. After hesitating for a while, she tentatively reached out and took the gift bag from Li Yili. The heavy weight brought Amy back to her senses, and she became a little nervous.

"Please, please come in and have a cup of tea. No, I'll go buy some tea right away."

Seeing Amy pacing back and forth at the door, Li Yili quickly waved her hand.

"It's alright, it's alright. I just took some time to come and visit. Since Yolan isn't here, I can come again next time. Goodbye, goodbye."

"This... thank you."

Amy looked down at the two overflowing gift bags, somewhat bewildered, but still bowed slightly to Li Yili's retreating figure, turned and walked up the stairs, the dilapidated door slowly closing behind her.

On her way home, Li Yili kept replaying her conversation with Amya in her mind. She wondered what Amya would say to Yolan when he got home, and how Yolan would react. She couldn't guess, because she always managed to make Yolan's face all wrinkled without him even realizing it.

Normally, he would have thought about it carefully, but the situation was not very optimistic. Yeroboam, the chosen one, was like a bomb that could blow up his planned peaceful life at any time.

Back at the ranch, Li Yili realized that the real worry now might not be for Yerobo An, but for his ranch, which had been ravaged by the cloud horde. The wooden fence was trampled to pieces, and several sections of the road he had carefully paved leading directly to his house were overturned. As for the direction of the farm…

The moment those crowds rushed in, he decided to change the enclosure to free-range farming.

"Let them roam freely, there aren't any wild animals around anyway."

Li Yili staggered to her front door, her hands hanging limply. She grabbed the doorknob and pulled, and the door came down.

I almost forgot, his door was kicked down during the day.

Of course, what really increased his stress was...

"Hey, you're back! We can finally renovate our house."

While lying on her side on the sofa, Valkyrie waved the half-empty wine bottle in her hand at Li Yili. Perhaps finding the skirt of a respectable woman too inconvenient, she tore one side of her gray long skirt up to her thigh, revealing her snow-white long legs.

Li Yili raised her hand and slapped her forehead hard. Before she could speak, Valqiu Lei interrupted, "Don't worry, I've been keeping a low profile while they're around."

Indeed, when he drove the Cloud Crowd back to the Sheep Village Building, Valkyrie's dress was still intact.

“Judging from your expression, it doesn’t seem like you’re here to get revenge,” Valkyrie tilted her head. “What happened?”

Chapter Forty-Seven: The Nighttime Visitor

"Uh! So you're already doomed!"

Valkyrie's eyes widened. She stopped lying on the sofa like a salted fish, sat up straight, and stared intently at Li Yili with her pale golden eyes.

“You rascal…” Li Yili raised her eyes, “You’re not planning to run away, are you?”

“Ha—look at what you’re saying,” Valkyrie crossed her legs and shrugged nonchalantly. “We agreed that I’d only get into your bed if I could live a life of luxury in Guoweidun. Now that you’re finished, of course I’m pulling up my pants…”

Valkyrie glanced down at her exposed thighs due to her sitting posture, thought for a moment, then lifted the torn skirt and covered her thighs with it, her face dignified.

"Let's repackage it and get ready to leave. Of course, those pieces of jewelry were bought for me by you; we agreed on that."

“Thank you for being so frank,” Li Yili said, slapping her forehead before giving Valkyrie the middle finger. “But sorry, I’m not going to fall like this. I’ve decided to enjoy all the riches and honors in Guoweiton until I die.”

Valkyrie blinked, smiled brightly, and moved her hips toward Li Yili with great enthusiasm, lifting the skirt covering her legs.

So, how confident are you?

“Uh…” Li Yili’s gaze shifted upwards, and after pondering for a moment, she shrugged somewhat dismissively, “Who knows.”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After confirming that the stables were locked, Yolan, supporting his stiff back, walked up the dimly lit stairs to the second floor. Just as he was about to greet his wife, Amya, his attention was drawn to two full gift bags placed on the table.

"This is?"

“Ah, this was sent by Mr. Richard,” Amy, who was knitting, stood up, her expression somewhat subtle. “Is it an apology?”

Yolan was taken aback. After thinking for a long time, he finally found that memory in his mind. His expression became subtle. He had always thought that Li Yili's words about coming to apologize later were just casual remarks. He never thought that Li Yili would actually come to apologize, let alone that Li Yili would buy so many things.

“This… seems to be the case,” Yolan raised his hand to scratch his face, pulled out a chair, and waved his hands back and forth over the gift bag, changing the angle many times, but he never touched the gift bag.

"What's wrong with you?" Amya noticed her husband's unusual reaction and asked with concern.

“I’m just wondering whether I should accept it,” Yolan said, looking somewhat awkward.

"Hmm? Is something the matter?"

Yolan hesitated, the situation that had happened today was too sudden for him to understand, but he still understood that Li Yili's fate was sealed, since she had moved directly to the small pavilion outside the building.

After holding it in for a long time, Yoram finally uttered a sentence.

“Mr. Richard and I weren’t that close…”

"Is that so?" Amy placed her hands on the sweater, frowned, and then nodded. "Since our relationship isn't that good, there's no need for us to accept this gift. I respect your principles, so let's find an opportunity to return it tomorrow."

Yolan turned her face away and replied vaguely, "Yes, I understand. Mr. Richard has been quite busy lately, but I'll visit him when he has some free time."

It's not really a matter of backbone; Li Yili might just make a comeback.

------

At one o'clock in the morning, the piercing crowing of a rooster startled Li Yili so much that she sat up straight in bed. Cold sweat soaked the back of her clothes, and her mind became incredibly clear. She raised her hand and gently shook the shoulder of Valkyrie Lei beside her. "Hey—did you hear any strange noises?"

Another piercing cry of anguish rang out, even more deafening than a rooster's crow, accompanied by the sound of a wooden fence being smashed. It was the mournful cry of his dairy cow.

Even in her conscious state, Li Yili was startled, because the cow's mournful cry was so piercing.

But Valkyrie simply licked her lips, rolled over, and showed no sign of waking up.

Li Yili's lips twitched violently, and she simply lay back down with a thud, pulling the blanket over her head and trying to fall asleep while smelling the fragrance of Valkyrie.

He wasn't the kind of guy who could blow a zombie's head off with a crowbar in his left hand and load a shotgun with his right. The situation was clearly wrong, so he figured he was in a safe place...

Li Yili sat up abruptly, her expression stiff as she turned to look at the door of the room.

Speaking of which... his door was kicked open and he even took it off.

So, is a safe house without a door still considered a safe house?

And, a mournful sorrow

The chirping stopped a moment ago, and it was as quiet as if nothing had happened.

Li Yili took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the unease in her heart. Holding onto the bed, she slowly lowered her feet to the ground. To avoid making any noise, Li Yili deliberately walked barefoot and slowly towards the window.

Li Yili was extremely grateful that they were willing to spend money when building this house, so it wouldn't creak and groan like those old, dilapidated houses.

"So, it's not some kind of wolf, is it...?"

Li Yili quickly turned around and pressed herself against the wall, then shuffled to the window. Just one glance made her heart clench.

Under the strange halo of light falling from the starry sky that could even coexist with the sun, this world was not like the dark nights he remembered. Everything was clearly visible. Li Yili originally thought that nothing could be seen, and that the mysterious and unknown darkness was the most terrifying thing, but he was wrong.

The real terror lies in being able to see everything clearly and understand what is happening right before your eyes.

Under the eerie glow, countless poultry carcasses came into his view. Grass stained with black blood swayed in the evening breeze. A cow lay on its side on the ground, its limbs twitching slightly. He was certain the cow was dead, because its stomach had been emptied, and something was squatting beside it, crunching and eating something.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Li Yili's forehead.

The thing had long limbs, and although it was covered in blood, it was clearly visible under the glow of the light. The thing was smooth and hairless, and he couldn't find any illusions to deceive himself that the thing was a person.

It was a human being, but the scene, which completely contradicted the behavior of a human being as he perceived them to be, made Li Yili's stomach churn.

Even as the sun rose the next day, Li Yili did not leave that window, staring intently out the window, even though the thing had long since left.

"Mmm—it feels so good to wake up naturally."

Valkyrie yawned as she got up, stretched in the sunlight, and her fair, well-defined V-line abdomen seemed to shimmer faintly in the sunlight. Still sleepy, Valkyrie reached out and touched her side.

"Hey—Li Yili, get up and make breakfast... huh?"

Valkyrie was stunned for a moment before realizing that her bedmate, who usually slept even more soundly than she did, was gone.

"You're sleeping quite soundly."

Li Yili raised her hand to support her head and struggled to turn her stiff neck back into place.

Chapter Forty-Eight: The Invaded World

Li Yili bent down and gently touched the bloodstains on the ground with her fingers.

"Wow—they've really been eaten clean, not even bones are left. Did we run into a pack of wolves?" Valhae Leila, standing far away, tugged at the coat draped over her shoulders and complained, "What bad luck. I told you to build the wooden fence higher and wrap some wire around it."

"Unfortunately, there is no wolf pack in Guoweidun, not even a lone wolf."

Li Yili raised an eyebrow slightly and pulled a hard object from the bloodstains—a human tooth.

Li Yili's eyes flashed as she clenched her teeth in her hand, stood up, stuffed them into her pocket, and shrugged at Valhou Lei.

"Perhaps it is a bizarre creature beyond the realm of common sense."

Valkyrie blinked and chuckled, waving her hand at Li Yili, "What are you talking about? This is Guoweidun, a nearly abandoned temple. You wouldn't even find a single piece of the lowest-level artifact here, so how could there be anything like that?"

"That's true. It's precisely because of this isolation that I plan to enjoy my youth, prime, middle age, and old age here."

Standing amidst the eerie bloodstains, Li Yili counted on his fingers, planning the next few stages of his life. Li Yili tried to relax his body, telling himself that the world he resisted had not invaded the safe zone he had finally found. However, Li Yili's eyes couldn't help but look at the wooden fence that had been trampled when the Yunzhong attacked his house.

His ranch was vast, and only a small section was trampled, but a piece of the defenses he had built to protect his world was broken, and that very day, the most unusual thing he didn't want to face invaded his territory, eating his dozen or so poultry and a cow in a rather cruel and bizarre way.

"Then hurry up and contact a carpenter to fix it. Remember to build it a little higher this time, and wrap it with some wire. Oh, and the door too," Valkyrie waved to Li Yili before yawning and staggering back to the cabin.

"Ha...this woman..."

"Oh, right!"

Valkyrie peeked out again, looking at Li Yili with a serious expression.

"If you can't make a comeback, you must tell me!"