## [Village Square - 3:25 AM]
Zhang Kuang straightened up as the Shadow Moon Sect leader approached, trying to project the confidence of a successful bandit despite his terror. Chen Wei watched from his concealed position, using his Advanced Qi Sense to monitor everyone's emotional states.
**[Shadow Moon Leader - Detailed Analysis]**
**[Name: Elder Shadowblade Xu Ming]**
**[Cultivation: Foundation Building 3rd Level]**
**[Technique Specialty: Shadow Manipulation, Mental Intrusion]**
**[Personality: Cold, analytical, suspicious by nature]**
**[Current Mood: Expecting success but prepared for problems]**
The sect elder's pale face was emotionless as he surveyed the village square. His eyes took in the bound prisoners, the sacks of supposed loot, and the bandits standing around trying to look victorious.
"Zhang Kuang," Elder Xu Ming repeated, his voice carrying spiritual energy that made everyone present feel a chill. "I asked for a report."
"The... the village has been taken, Elder," Zhang Kuang replied, his voice only slightly shaky. "Minimal resistance. We have prisoners and loot as requested."
Chen Wei felt impressed despite himself. The bandit leader was doing better than expected under enormous pressure.
Elder Xu Ming's cold gaze moved to examine the fake prisoners. Zhang Min had her head down, shoulders slumped in convincing defeat. Chen Hao was doing an excellent job of looking terrified, which probably wasn't entirely acting.
"These are your captives?" the elder asked.
"Yes, Elder. The young woman has some cultivation potential. The young man is healthy stock."
Chen Wei's stomach turned at hearing his brother described as "stock," but he forced himself to remain hidden and silent.
The sect elder stepped closer to Zhang Min. "Look at me, girl."
Zhang Min raised her head slowly, her eyes showing the perfect mixture of fear and defiance that a real captive might display.
**[Zhang Min - Acting Assessment]**
**[Performance: Excellent - Drawing on Moonlight Palace infiltration training]**
**[Emotional Control: Perfect - Genuine concern channeled into fake terror]**
**[Cultivation Suppression: Complete - Appears to be ordinary villager]**
Elder Xu Ming studied her face for a long moment. "Qi Gathering 2nd Level? Barely trained, but with potential. Acceptable."
Chen Wei breathed a silent sigh of relief. The elder had detected Zhang Min's cultivation but misread her actual level due to her suppression techniques.
"And the loot?" Elder Xu Ming gestured toward the sacks and baskets the bandits had arranged.
"Grain, some silver coins, farming tools," Zhang Kuang replied. "The village wasn't wealthy, but we found what we could."
The elder's expression didn't change, but Chen Wei's spiritual senses detected a spike of dissatisfaction.
"That is all? No books? No cultivation materials? No items of spiritual significance?"
Zhang Kuang looked confused, which was perfect since it was genuine. "We... we looked, Elder, but this seemed like an ordinary farming village. If there were cultivation materials, they were well hidden."
**[Critical Moment: Elder's Suspicion Increasing]**
**[Deception Status: Holding but under strain]**
**[Need: Convincing explanation for lack of spiritual treasures]**
Chen Wei realized the deception was about to fail. The Shadow Moon Sect had come here specifically for cultivation resources, and the fake loot was too mundane to be believable.
He made a split-second decision that terrified him.
Chen Wei stepped out of his hiding place.
"Wait," he called out, trying to sound like a frightened villager who had been hiding. "Please don't hurt my family!"
Every eye in the square turned toward him. Zhang Min's face showed genuine alarm - this wasn't part of the plan.
Elder Xu Ming's cold gaze fixed on Chen Wei. "Another villager? Zhang Kuang, your men missed one."
"He... he must have been hiding," Zhang Kuang said, playing along despite his confusion.
Chen Wei forced himself to approach with trembling steps, projecting the image of a terrified young man desperate to protect his loved ones.
"Elder," he said, addressing Xu Ming directly and causing several bandits to gasp at his audacity, "if you're looking for old books and cultivation things... I know where they are."
**[Desperate Gambit: Chen Wei inserting himself into deception]**
**[Risk: Extreme - Drawing direct attention from Foundation Building 3rd Level enemy]**
**[Goal: Provide believable explanation for missing spiritual treasures]**
Elder Xu Ming's spiritual pressure focused on Chen Wei like a weight trying to crush him. But his cultivation breakthrough and the strengthening from the gathering stone let him stay upright.
"You know where cultivation materials are hidden?" the elder asked, his voice dangerously soft.
"Yes," Chen Wei lied desperately. "My... my grandfather used to tell stories about the old days, when cultivators lived in this village. He said they buried their treasures when the wars came."
This was complete fabrication, but it was based on patterns Chen Wei had read in hundreds of cultivation stories. Hidden caches, buried treasures, ancient secrets - they were standard elements.
"Your grandfather told you this?"
"Before he died last year. He made me promise never to dig them up, said it would bring bad luck. But..." Chen Wei let his voice break with fake emotion, "but if it will save my family, I'll tell you everything."
**[Deception Layer 2: Personal stakes and family motivation]**
**[Elder Xu Ming - Interest Level: Significantly increased]**
**[Believability: High - Matches expected human behavior patterns]**
Elder Xu Ming studied Chen Wei with the intensity of a predator evaluating prey. "These buried treasures... where exactly are they located?"
Chen Wei's mind raced. He needed to give locations that were plausible but would require time to excavate - time that might let the village prepare better defenses or get help.
"Three places," he said, trying to sound reluctant. "Under the old well behind the village - that's where grandfather said the sect library was buried. Under the big oak tree near the cemetery - that's supposed to be weapons and cultivation tools. And..." he hesitated as if afraid to continue.
"And?"
"Under the village shrine. Grandfather said that's where they put the most valuable things. Pills, spiritual stones, maybe even technique manuals."
Two of those locations were real places where Chen Wei's spiritual senses had detected hidden energy signatures. The third - the village shrine - was a complete guess, but every cultivation story had temples hiding secret treasures.
**[Elder Xu Ming - Decision Point]**
**[Options: Investigate claims vs. Continue with original plan vs. Suspect deception]**
**[Personality: Greed for cultivation resources vs. Natural suspicion]**
The elder was quiet for a long moment. Chen Wei could feel the man's spiritual energy probing at him, trying to detect lies or hidden cultivation.
Fortunately, Chen Wei's cultivation was still low enough to seem like natural village-level spiritual energy. His Reader's Eyes and other abilities weren't active techniques that could be detected.
"Zhang Kuang," Elder Xu Ming said finally, "have your men begin excavating these locations. Start with the well - if the boy is lying, we'll know quickly."
"Yes, Elder," Zhang Kuang replied, relief evident in his voice that the focus was off him.
But Chen Wei felt a stab of panic. The well was where he had found the Flowing River Sect's hidden chamber. If the Shadow Moon cultivators excavated there, they would find real treasures - and possibly evidence of his own recent presence.
**[Complication: Real treasures will validate story but reveal Chen Wei's prior knowledge]**
**[Time Pressure: Excavation will take 30-60 minutes]**
**[Need: New plan to handle discovery of actual cultivation site]**
"Wait," Chen Wei said quickly. "The well... grandfather said it was protected. There might be traps, or guardians, or curses. Shouldn't you be careful?"
This was actually true - many cultivation sites in stories had protective mechanisms. And Chen Wei desperately needed to buy time to think.
Elder Xu Ming's eyes narrowed. "What kind of protection?"
"I... I don't know exactly. Grandfather just said never to dig there alone, and never at night. He said the old cultivators didn't like grave robbers."
**[Psychological Warfare: Activating Elder's potential supernatural concerns]**
**[Basis: Even sect elders tend to be cautious about unknown cultivation site defenses]**
One of the other Shadow Moon cultivators, a younger man with Foundation Building 1st Level cultivation, spoke up: "Elder, the boy might be right. If this village was built on an old sect site, there could be defensive formations or spiritual guardians."
**[Support Character: Junior Elder Liu Feng]**
**[Personality: Cautious, academic, knowledgeable about cultivation history]**
**[Current Status: Inadvertently helping Chen Wei's deception]**
Elder Xu Ming considered this. "Liu Feng, what do you know about protective measures used by ancient sects?"
"Many possibilities, Elder. Buried formation stones that trigger when disturbed, spiritual creatures bound to guard specific locations, even curses that activate under certain conditions." The younger cultivator looked genuinely concerned. "Without knowing which sect originally occupied this site, we're excavating blind."
Chen Wei felt a surge of hope. The junior elder's caution was working in his favor.
"Then we proceed carefully," Elder Xu Ming decided. "Liu Feng, you will examine the excavation sites for defensive measures before we begin digging. Zhang Kuang, your men will assist but will not touch anything without permission."
"Yes, Elder," both men replied.
As the Shadow Moon cultivators began organizing their cautious excavation, Chen Wei caught Zhang Min's eye. She gave him the tiniest nod of approval for his improvisation.
But Chen Wei knew he had only bought time, not solved the problem. When they eventually excavated the well, they would find the hidden chamber and realize someone had been there recently. His fingerprints would be on the altar, his spiritual energy signature might linger in the space.
He needed a new plan, and he needed it before dawn.
**[Current Status: Deception partially successful but unstable]**
**[Time Bought: 1-2 hours while excavation proceeds cautiously]**
**[New Problems: Evidence of Chen Wei's presence will be discovered]**
**[Village Status: Still in extreme danger from superior force]**
Through his Advanced Qi Sense, Chen Wei detected movement in the darkness beyond the village. More spiritual signatures approaching - but these felt different from the Shadow Moon cultivators.
**[New Detection: 3 unknown cultivators approaching from southeast]**
**[Cultivation Levels: 2 Foundation Building, 1 Core Formation]**
**[Distance: 1 kilometer and closing]**
**[Identification: Unknown faction]**
Chen Wei's blood ran cold. A Core Formation cultivator was approaching - someone who massively outclassed everyone currently in the village.
The night was about to become much more complicated.
But as he watched the Shadow Moon elder organizing his careful excavation, Chen Wei realized something important: he was no longer just reacting to events. He was actively shaping them.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt like the protagonist of his own story.
The question was whether that would save his village or get everyone killed.
**[Personal Status: Chen Wei transitioning from support character to active protagonist]**
**[Story Role: No longer background character]**
**[Responsibility Level: Extreme - Village survival depends on his decisions]**
**[New Challenge: Core Formation level threat approaching]**
Chen Wei took a deep breath and prepared for the next phase of what was becoming the most dangerous night of his two lives.
**[Chapter 10 Complete]**
**[Next: Core Formation Arrival]**