A torch was lit on the rock wall, its eerie light dancing.
Wu Li's head was slightly lowered, the expression in his eyes obscured. Half of his face was hidden in the shadows cast by the light, leaving only the lower half visible.
His lips were deathly pale, devoid of color, trembling uncontrollably from severe pain. Despite this, he still managed a weak sneer, "Using my blood to raise these venomous creatures... aren't you afraid that one day, they will only answer to me and serve my purposes?"
The High Priest, entirely hidden within a heavy cloak, unhurriedly extended a hand and pointed at Wu Li's heart. "I only need to command you. If you don't obey me, I have ways to make you beg for death... Child, I don't want to treat you like this either."
"As long as you are obedient and carefully raise the treasures in this cave, I will allow you to raise a few Gu insects of your own. Don't you still want to avenge your mother against that heartless man?"
"Mother?" Wu Li slowly ground the word between his teeth, as if chewing on something tough and bitter.
"She was blind to entrust herself to the wrong person. Whatever grudges or grievances she had, she brought them upon herself... What does it have to do with me." His pale lips curled into a mocking sneer. "A woman I've never even met—what makes you think I would seek revenge for her?"
"You will." The High Priest slowly took two steps forward, his tone certain. "Otherwise, why would you study those Han texts so bitterly? Don't think I don't know that when you disappeared a few days ago, you sneaked off to see your biological father. You might even hate him more than Wu Ying does."
Wu Li clenched his jaw tightly, his eyes bloodshot. "Why should I hate him? He is nothing but a stranger."
"Because he has love to give, yet he never spared a single ounce for you."
"I don't care about any love!"
"All living things in this world crave love. When you are on the verge of death, wouldn't you hope for someone to shed a tear for you?"
As he spoke, the High Priest suddenly waved his hand. Two nails on Wu Li's shoulder blades fell out, leaving only the single nail in the center of his body, barely holding him up.
Blood flowed down the rock wall into the pool.
The Gu insects in the pool began to boil, the water's surface churning relentlessly.
"Tch! Tears are the most worthless things; rainwater is what's truly precious." Wu Li's arms hung limply, his forehead covered in a fine sheen of cold sweat, yet he still squeezed out a disdainful snort through his teeth. "Besides, I can't die anyway."
"Still stubborn. You have no idea what true death is."
The last nail flew out.
In an instant, Wu Li fell into the pool like a withered leaf with a splash.
The water quickly swallowed his frail body, the murky pool water rushing into his nose and mouth.
The pool wasn't too deep, but he hadn't yet reached his adult height. Coupled with his body being gnawed into a bloody mess and already completely drained of strength, he was submerged in mere moments.
A patch of dark red bloomed on the eerie blue surface of the pool, gradually spreading and blurring until it swallowed all traces.
He was like a puppet with cut strings, numb and stiff, showing no expression even at the very second he sank beneath the water.
"Wu Li—!"
Chai Xiaomi's heart suddenly flared with a sharp pain.
It felt as if it were being ruthlessly squeezed, suddenly making it hard to breathe.
Her body reacted before her mind did. She rushed to the edge of the pool and leaped into the freezing water.
In that instant, she completely forgot that in this current scenario, she was merely an ethereal existence unable to touch anyone, and she also forgot that Wu Li possessed an immortal body.
She only remembered the thin, small figure cupping and drinking filthy water by the stinking ditch; the focused gaze counting raindrops on a lotus leaf in the drizzle; the gentle fingertips decorating the treehouse with freshly picked wild daisies; the increasingly clear, heart-fluttering side profile bathed in the glow of the setting sun...
These scenes flashed rapidly through her mind one by one.
She groped desperately through the murky pool water, ignoring the black Gu insects wriggling all around her, wanting only to find him.
She hadn't expected the pool to be this deep. Her body kept sinking, the light dimming inch by inch, as if the bottom of the pool led to an endless abyss.
The moment she hit the bottom, the last glimmer of light pierced down from the surface, illuminating the broken body lying quietly in the darkness.
In the tranquil darkness, Wu Li lay peacefully at the bottom of the pool with his eyes closed.
Chai Xiaomi reached out her hand, and the second she touched his body...
Suddenly, a fierce, blinding light shot out from the scorpion tattoo on the back of her hand. Amidst the dazzling brilliance, her slender hand firmly grasped his scarred and battered wrist.
She froze.
She had actually... truly touched him.
However, the sensation transmitted to her fingertips was cold and stiff, devoid of any life.
With no time to overthink, Chai Xiaomi gripped his wrist tightly and swam upward with all her might. She had no other special talents growing up besides swimming, and at the age of eight, she had even stood out in a city-wide children's competition.
She had sneakily touched the gold medal before being dragged off the podium by her coach, subsequently receiving a keep trying certificate, which belonged to the person in last place.
Therefore, dragging Wu Li ashore nearly cost her half her life.
On the damp ground, the young boy lay there with a serene expression, his face unnaturally pale and completely motionless.
Trembling, Chai Xiaomi brought her finger close to the tip of his nose. There was no breath.
"Hey! Wu Li, wake up... don't die!" She grabbed his thin shoulders and shook him in a panic, her voice taking on a crying tone. "No... this isn't right..."
Wasn't he the great villain who would turn the world upside down in the future? Wasn't he destined to become the Gu King, the ultimate final boss who would rewrite the ending? How could such a powerful existence fall at the tender age of twelve?
Yet, no matter how she called out, he remained completely unresponsive.
Chai Xiaomi's eyes grew hot, and large teardrops smashed one by one onto his paper-pale face, landing right on the sleeping boy's long eyelashes, making it look as though they were his own tears.
"Aren't you immortal?! You can't be beaten to death by whips, you can't be bitten to death by Gu insects, how can you drown..." She cried and scolded at the same time, her face wet with a mixture of tears and pool water. "What kind of villain dies such a pathetic death... If word gets out, even the readers will laugh at you!"
She had once been proud of her swimming skills, but at this moment, Chai Xiaomi felt a bit angry with herself for swimming too slowly.
If only she had been faster, just a little faster.
Wu Li wouldn't have been soaking in the water for so long.
Chai Xiaomi knelt blankly on the ground, resting her forehead gently against his cold shoulder. A profound sense of powerlessness washed over her like a tide, completely swallowing her up.
She hadn't even been this sad when she found out she had been stung to death by a venomous scorpion.
Chai Xiaomi was the apple of her family's eye, the darling of her parents and elders. Growing up freely surrounded by the abundant love of her family, her life had been happy and complete, without any regrets.
But the boy in front of her—had he ever, even once, tasted the sweetness of life?
A bitter sorrow churned in her chest. The more Chai Xiaomi thought about it, the sadder she became. She hugged Wu Li's corpse and burst into loud, wailing tears.
"H-Host, I know you are very sad, but please hold off on being sad for a moment. Villains don't die that easily. The current situation is a bit bizarre, and this system's preliminary judgment is..."
Youtiao's voice rang out abruptly, only to be fiercely interrupted by Chai Xiaomi.
"Oh, right!"
She looked up with tear-filled eyes, as if clutching at a lifeline. That was it—he was the villain, the future Gu King. How could he die so easily in a pool?
Even though he was already as pale as a lump of dough, maybe he could still be saved?
Chai Xiaomi haphazardly wiped her face with the back of her hand. Her wet almond eyes fixated on the young man's bloodless lips.
Buddha forgive me, what a sin.
This isn't taking advantage of a minor, this is just CPR. She tried hard to convince herself, took a trembling deep breath, and leaned down.
