With only 8 years to live at the start, I'm going all in.

Ding Yi stroked his chin and pondered for a while. Then he took a small piece of wood from the bed, broke it in half, and stacked them together in a cross shape.

Then Ding Yi tore a small piece of the bed sheet into a rope and tied it to both ends of the horizontal wooden board.

Finally, Ding Yi tore off a few thin strips of wood from the plank and placed them together with the contraption he had just made, trying to arrange them into the shape of a crossbow.

Finally, Ding Yi thought for a moment, then used his fingernail to carve the two characters "mechanism" on the wooden board. He then looked at the simple contraption he had made with some nervousness, wondering if the enhancement prompt would still appear.

This time, the enhancement system did not disappoint Ding Yi. The next moment, a familiar notification appeared in Ding Yi's sight.

[Enhancement can be done by consuming lifespan. This enhancement will consume 30 days of lifespan. Enhance now?]

"Holy crap! It really works! But how come my lifespan is being depleted so quickly?"

Ding Yi excitedly pumped his fist, but at the same time fell into deep thought.

"At present, we can only speculate that the things I made were too rudimentary, which increased the cost of strengthening them. We will have to verify this later when we have the opportunity."

Ding Yi pondered for a moment, then chose yes.

[Enhancement successful, remaining lifespan: 8 years and 2 days]

The next moment, the simple crossbow on the ground was instantly enveloped in a beam of light. After a breath, the light gradually dissipated, revealing a strangely shaped object.

[Exquisite crossbow mechanism]

This crossbow, crafted from fine iron and equipped with a tethering wire and poisoned arrows, is truly a deadly weapon for murder and robbery!

Upon seeing the exquisitely designed object in front of him, which exuded an air of high-end goods, Ding Yi's face immediately lit up with joy, and he quickly walked over to it despite the pain in his legs.

"It even has a traction wire; it really is a crossbow."

Ding Yi stroked the cold killing machine on the ground, his heart filled with excitement. This enhancement could actually materialize what he wanted; it was simply the ultimate cheat, the ultimate cheat!

Thinking of this, Ding Yi quickly picked up the crossbow from the ground and hid it under the bed.

Although the spot under the bed wasn't exactly hidden, Ding Yi only wanted to create a fleeting opportunity. Besides, there wasn't a better place to put something so conspicuous.

"Alright, alright! Now let's see how you play this game!"

Ding Yi grinned, then removed another piece of wood and, following the same procedure, made another crossbow.

Perhaps due to experience, the lifespan consumed by this enhancement was reduced by one day, and the enhancement was completed in just 29 days, which surprised Ding Yi.

In just a few minutes, Ding Yi created two crossbows. Although it cost him two months of his lifespan, he had never felt so safe before.

"Not enough, not enough."

Ding Yi looked at the crossbow hidden under the bed sheet, muttering to himself. Then his gaze swept around the room before finally settling on the floor by the door.

After a brief moment of thought, Ding Yi broke off another piece of wood, then walked to the door, bent down, and began digging in the soil with the wood.

Fortunately, the elderly couple was very poor; their room didn't even have floor tiles, just black soil, emphasizing its all-natural nature.

So, not long after, Ding Yi dug a small, shallow pit in front of the door with a wooden board. Then, Ding Yi tore off a lot of wooden strips from the block of wood in his hand and stuck them into the pit. Finally, he tore off a small piece from the bed sheet and covered the shallow pit with it.

Let's just do it this way, a trap that's as simple as it gets, one that's purely symbolic.

"Okay, okay, let's see if this can be strengthened."

Ding Yi stared at the crater in the ground, and sure enough, after a breath, the enhancement prompt appeared again.

[Enhancement can be done by consuming lifespan. This enhancement will consume 60 days of lifespan. Enhance now?]

"I've realized how terrifyingly strong I am!"

Ding Yi was overjoyed and immediately chose "yes".

[Enhancement successful, remaining lifespan: 7 years, 10 months, and 7 days]

The next moment, a flash of light appeared before Ding Yi's eyes. When the light faded, the conspicuous homemade trap in front of the door disappeared, replaced by a smooth ground.

A sophisticated trap

A seasoned hunter must know how to make traps. Clearly, this trap was made by a skilled hunter; trust it, no prey can escape its cage!

"My grass!"

Ding Yi looked at the flat ground in front of him and could hardly believe that there was a trap here, and that there was an even more terrifying weapon hidden in the trap.

The thought of what would happen to anyone who rushed in and fell into the trap made Ding Yi feel a chill in his groin, and he couldn't help but clench his legs together.

"Okay, okay, we're safe now."

Ding Yi looked around the small room with satisfaction before climbing back onto the bed and waiting quietly.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of chains rattling came from outside the gate, followed by Old Man Wei's familiar howling voice reaching Ding Yi's ears.

Such heavy breathing suggested that Old Man Wei must have gone through something during his trip, which piqued Ding Yi's curiosity.

What exactly did those two go out to do?

"Brother Ding?"

As soon as Old Man Wei entered the house, he shouted towards the inner room, and then Ding Yi's voice came from behind:

"Is it Old Man Wei who's back?"

"Yes, Brother Ding."

Upon hearing Ding Yi's response, Old Man Wei's face immediately relaxed.

The old woman next to her seemed a little anxious. She glanced at the wood-chopping knife in the corner and was about to walk over to it.

But Old Man Wei grabbed the old woman and whispered:

"If the meat isn't fresh, the price offered by the Taoist temple will be discounted tonight."

The old woman nodded blankly upon hearing this, then took the things she had just brought back and went into the kitchen next door.

Before long, the sky had darkened, and the light coming through the window had gradually taken on an eerie black hue. Old Man Wei quickly got up and went to the window, lowering the shutter as usual.

"We're running out of blood candles, but thankfully we can get a lot this time."

The old woman noticed the commotion and muttered something under her breath.

"Shhh."

Old Man Wei glared fiercely at the old woman, then glanced at the door where Ding Yi was, and only after finding no movement did he speak:

“This kid hasn’t come out all day. I’m worried he’s found out something.”

"Hehe, only mice that can jump are valuable."

The old woman, however, didn't take it seriously. Instead, she revealed a set of dry, yellow teeth and let out a chuckle.

"Put some medicine on me tonight."

Old Wei pulled out a small bag from somewhere and tossed it to the old woman, saying something.

"No need, I'm going to eat some more. Such tender meat is a rare sight."

The old woman chuckled strangely and shook her head as she spoke.

"Hehe, too."

Old Wei chuckled, and then the two fell silent, with only the oil lamp on the table emitting a depressing dark red light.

As night fell, Ding Yi, who had been lying quietly in bed, suddenly seemed to sense something and his body trembled involuntarily.

Yes, that nauseating breathing sound appeared again.

"Damn it, this is never going to end!"

In the darkness, Ding Yi clenched his fists tightly, then slowly turned around, staring intently at the wooden door.

Under the dim moonlight, Ding Yi's eyes were filled with tension, but also mixed with a hint of madness and anticipation.