Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

The people in front of them stopped less than ten meters away from Li Xiangqian and Chen Dazhi. The leading man stopped moving forward and looked at the two coldly. His eyes were deep, as if there was no emotion, but his gaze made Li Xiangqian feel an inexplicable chill.

"What are you doing here?" the man spoke in a low voice without any emotion. Every word seemed to carry a sense of oppression, making Li Xiangqian feel suffocated.

Chen Dazhi's expression became more solemn. He tried to appear calm, but his tone already revealed uneasiness: "Nothing, I just want to tidy up the yard and do something."

"Do work?" The man smiled contemptuously, with a hint of subtle sarcasm in his eyes, "Tidy up the yard? How much energy do you have left to do these things? You might as well stay here and avoid exposing yourself."

Li Xiangqian's heart skipped a beat, and a trace of astonishment appeared on his face. He wanted to explain something, but when he met the man's eyes, he suddenly felt a strong fear. The aura emanating from the man was suffocating, as if it had suppressed all of Li Xiangqian's intentions to resist.

Chen Dazhi seemed to notice Li Xiangqian's shock. He whispered, "Stop talking. Don't let them think we are weak."

Li Xiangqian forced himself to take a deep breath, suppressed the anxiety in his heart, and barely regained some composure. His mind was working quickly, trying to find a way to deal with this situation. But he knew clearly that these people in front of him were not just threats, and their appearance might mean a deeper conflict.

"What do you want to do?" Li Xiangqian gritted his teeth, suppressed his inner fear, and tried his best to make his voice sound calm.

The man raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he was interested in Li Xiangqian's reaction, and smiled: "What? Actually, it's nothing, just to see what you are going to do. Life is hard enough for people like you, why do you still want to farm? You should understand that resources are limited, and you won't be the ones who can survive."

"We just want to do something on our own." Li Xiangqian said this, but his heart was already in a mess. The people in front of him, with an irresistible aura, seemed to have forced all the choices in front of him. His body stiffened and his breathing became rapid. The little hope that had just emerged was instantly suppressed by this powerful aura and disappeared without a trace.

"Do it yourself?" The man seemed to have heard something funny and sneered, "Well, since you are so determined, let's see what you can do."

There was no threat in his words, but it seemed to have limited Li Xiangqian and Chen Dazhi's choices to a certain extent. In their current situation, they could not escape the control of these people at all, and any resistance might lead to more serious consequences.

Li Xiangqian's heart was beating violently, and the cold laughter in his ears made it almost impossible for him to hear any sound around him. He raised his head, trying to make himself look less panicked, but the threatening indifference in the man's eyes made him feel cold all over. The fear in his heart began to become more and more difficult to suppress, but he still forced himself to stay calm.

He secretly told himself: "Don't panic, don't waver." However, his mind became confused because of the atmosphere around him. He knew that if these people decided to take action, he and Chen Dazhi would probably have no chance to resist.

"What do you think you two can change?" The man's words were as sharp as a knife, with a hint of provocation. He moved closer, and the breath on his body became heavier and heavier, almost suffocating Li Xiangqian. He tried to look away from the man, not daring to look at him for too long, for fear that the fear in his heart would be exposed.

Chen Dazhi lowered his head, bit his lips tightly, and said nothing. He obviously knew better than Li Xiangqian that these people were not simple. Li Xiangqian looked around. The walls of the courtyard were already dilapidated, and the scene in the courtyard was extremely desolate - it seemed that even these dilapidated objects were silently witnessing their powerlessness and despair.

At this moment, Li Xiangqian suddenly discovered a detail - the steps of those people were not as steady as he had imagined before, especially the leader, who had a slight unnatural shake in his steps. Li Xiangqian was instantly alert, this kind of uncoordinated movement was not common, and there seemed to be something abnormal about the leader.

He frowned slightly, trying to concentrate and observe these people. The clothes that the man was wearing looked shabby. Although not conspicuous, some places seemed to have been temporarily repaired, with obvious holes and stitching marks. Li Xiangqian remembered that a few months ago, people outside had also worn such clothes. The material of this rag was obviously not ordinary cloth, but some old clothes that had been simply modified. It can be seen that the man did not choose these clothes randomly, but had some special reasons.

Not only that, Li Xiangqian also noticed that the leader's slightly unnatural movements seemed to carry some hidden burden. His shoulders drooped slightly, and there was a slow rhythm in his steps, as if he was carrying something heavy. Li Xiangqian's heartbeat suddenly accelerated a bit, and this unusual detail made him have strong doubts.

He once again glanced at the other people following behind the leader and found that their eyes and movements also implied something wrong. One of them in particular seemed to have some inflexible nerves in the corners of his eyes, and his face was filled with anxiety that could not be concealed. What was even more alarming was that the anxious man seemed to exchange glances with the person next to him from time to time, and there was a hint in his eyes that made Li Xiangqian feel uneasy.

"What's going on with you guys?" Li Xiangqian suddenly couldn't help but ask in a low voice. Although his tone was calm, his words carried a warning that could not be ignored. A trace of uneasy speculation began to emerge in his heart. The state of these people in front of him did not look like ordinary people trapped by famine, but more like people in some special circumstances, as if they were carrying some unknown secrets.

The leader did not answer immediately, but just smiled with a hint of amusement in his eyes: "We are not the kind of people you think." He gently shook the rag in his hand and showed a hidden smile, "But if you really want to know, then look for yourself."

At this moment, the man's eyes suddenly changed, and Li Xiangqian caught a glimpse of something strange - his steps suddenly quickened.