The two of them were just about to step out of the mountain forest.
Wu Li stopped again. Chai Xiaomi thought he was waiting for her.
As she quickened her pace to reach his side, she saw a reddish-brown patterned snake slither out from his sleeve.
Chai Xiaomi remembered this snake; it had once silently crawled onto her neck.
Now, the thick snake lazily coiled itself around Wu Li’s lean waist.
Although the youth was tall and had a broad frame, his waist was perfectly narrow, boasting elegant lines.
He whispered ancient and mysterious incantations under his breath, as if giving a command to the snake.
In an instant, the snake began to swell until it took the shape of a vine, looking exactly like those of the tree monster.
Then, it suddenly tightened its grip with immense force.
Wu Li bit his lip, enduring the pain.
Chai Xiaomi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Big brother, what are you doing? Self-mutilation?
Wu Li let out a muffled groan.
She heard a crisp snap—the sound of a rib breaking!
"Wu Li!" Ignoring everything else, Chai Xiaomi grabbed the vine wrapped around his waist and pulled outward with all her might.
"What are you doing? Stop it! Do you want to die?"
"I won't die." Wu Li’s lips moved slightly. Fearing she might throw herself at him and weep again, he awkwardly forced out a sentence: "Don't worry."
At that moment, the snake that had transformed into a vine loosened its grip.
It flicked its tongue and slithered back into Wu Li’s sleeve.
Such a large snake caused the fabric of his sleeve to bulge into a lump, but after a few wriggles and ripples, the fabric smoothed out as if the creature had vanished instantly.
"Even if you won't die, it hurts! Are you crazy? Your rib is broken!"
Wu Li forced a pale, sinister smile: "I need it to be broken."
Only then could he prove that he had narrowly escaped death.
Madman! His bone was broken, yet he remained so expressionless—he could even smile.
Chai Xiaomi panicked completely. She began fumbling with his belt regardless of the consequences. "Let me see, Wu Li. You can't let anything happen to you, do you hear me? If you die, I won't survive either."
If the villain died, how was she supposed to follow the main plot?
He couldn't die now, not before the male and female leads had even appeared.
Just as Chai Xiaomi unfastened his belt, she suddenly realized it was an internal injury. Even if she stripped him, she wouldn't be able to see anything useful.
So, she began to fasten his belt again.
Suddenly, she heard a deep voice ask, "Why did you stop undressing me?"
Chai Xiaomi’s movements froze. Startled, she looked up and collided straight with the youth's slightly lowered gaze.
Beneath lashes as dark as raven feathers, those heterochromatic pupils were staring at her intently.
His left eye was a deep, mysterious purple, like an iris soaked in moonlight; his right eye was a clear amber, currently reflecting her anxious face.
His pale face gained a touch of the supernatural from these mismatched eyes, yet his gaze was as clean as a child's.
"Why did you stop?" Wu Li asked again. His voice carried a post-injury rasp, and the corners of his lips quirked up ever so slightly.
That hint of a smile was like a pebble dropped into a still lake, gently rippling through the depths of his eyes.
Chai Xiaomi’s heart skipped a beat, and her fingers instinctively tightened around his belt.
Only then did she realize that in her desperation, she had actually started stripping him.
This gesture made her look exactly like a famished wolf taking advantage of a heavily injured youth to have her way with him.
It’s over, it’s all over.
Youtiao let out a sharp intake of breath in her mind: "Hiss, Host, the way you were acting just now... it looked like you were going to pin him down and devour him."
Chai Xiaomi stood there, slack-jawed. "I—I was just panicking! Do you really think I’m that kind of person???"
The man’s bones were literally broken, and she was supposedly thinking about forcing herself on him?
Wu Li was the psychotic madman. Not her!
Youtiao let out a snicker, its tone sounding particularly mischievous. "Host, don't bother trying to wash your hands of this. I can monitor your vitals in real-time. From the very first second you laid eyes on the villain, your heart rate spiked to 200 beats per minute. According to science, there is only one answer for such a reaction—attraction."
"Just admit it. When you told him it was love at first sight, you weren't trying to trick him. You were telling the absolute truth, weren't you?"
"I want to file a complaint," Chai Xiaomi snapped. "This system talks too much. I'm applying for a transfer to a different system—give me Doujiang instead! Send the feedback to the backend right now, thank you."
Youtiao jumped in shock. "Moragu??!!"
Chai Xiaomi let go of Wu Li and tucked her hands behind her back, intertwining her fingers awkwardly. She looked at him with a sheepish expression. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see if you were okay. I didn't have any other intentions, so please don't misunderstand."
To her surprise, Wu Li didn't get angry.
Instead, he asked with a touch of curiosity, "You said earlier that if I died, you wouldn't be able to live either. Why?"
Chai Xiaomi rubbed her nose. She couldn't exactly tell him that his "lunch box" wasn't ready yet—that if he, the villain, died prematurely, the entire world would collapse, her along with it.
"Because," she said slowly, letting the words hang in the air, "I would die of a broken heart."
Wu Li remained quiet for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. Then, he spoke. "That sounds rather nice."
It sounded far more interesting than simply feeding her to his poisonous creatures.
To have someone willingly offer themselves as a sacrifice for his death, just as his mother had sacrificed herself for his life.
Wu Li stared straight at her. "Don't worry. When I die, I'll be sure to take you with me."
Though his tone was light, it carried a paranoid, unwavering resolve, as if he were swearing a solemn vow.
Chai Xiaomi shuddered. "Well... thank you."
"You're welcome," Wu Li replied.
*
Stilt houses rose along the contours of the mountain, arranged in neat, overlapping rows.
As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, the entire village was bathed in a golden glow, and curls of cooking smoke began to rise.
Suddenly, a shrill, piercing cry echoed through the settlement.
"A-Lie—!"
Figures hurried between the dark brown wooden buildings. The news that A-Lie had been eaten by the Tree Monster spread through the village like wildfire.
Several hot-blooded young men grabbed their gear on the spot, shouting that they would charge into the forest to bring back A-Lie’s remains.
"All of you, stand down!"
The Clan Leader arrived, flanked by several men, his staff striking the ground with a heavy thud.
"You think you can eradicate a Tree Monster with those?"
His white brows furrowed, and his aged yet sharp gaze swept over the crossbows, machetes, and axes held by the men.
Although the Witch-Ghouls were famous for their mastery of venomous insects and curses, most of the clansmen today only knew a few petty tricks. Those truly proficient in the arts of controlling insects and exorcising evil were few and far between.
Currently, in the entire clan, only the Great Priest possessed the strength to contend with the mountain’s malevolent entities.
But the Great Priest was currently in seclusion, refining venomous insects in a process that lasted fifteen days. If he were interrupted now, all his efforts would be wasted.
The Clan Leader’s gaze moved past the crowd, landing on a thin, withered figure slumped in a corner.
Wu Li’s face was as pale as paper. Cold sweat, brought on by intense pain, rolled from his brow down to his chin.
"You should be grateful for the Five Venoms the Great Priest is cultivating in your body," the Clan Leader said, walking over to Wu Li. He used his staff to tilt the young man's chin up, looking down at him from a height. "Ordinary demons wouldn't dare touch you. That is the only reason you kept your life."
There was no hint of relief in his eyes for the survivor's narrow escape; instead, there was only harsh reprimand.
"Do not forget that you are the dog of this stockade. A dog’s duty is to protect its master. The life of every clansman is more precious than yours. Even if you couldn't save Chi Lie, you should have at least brought his remains back!"
What kind of bullshit was this?!
Chai Xiaomi, who had been crouching behind Wu Li and carefully supporting him, couldn't help but look up and glare at the old man.
The Clan Leader’s clouded gaze swept over at that exact moment, noticing the girl shrinking behind Wu Li.
In his eyes, a medicinal human was no different from a venomous insect.
They were lower than dogs.
"So, she managed to come back with you without a single scratch?" The Clan Leader’s face darkened.
As he spoke, the wood-grain staff in his hand, carved with totems, suddenly swung upward. It whistled through the air, hurtling toward Chai Xiaomi.
She instinctively ducked her head, but the expected pain never came.
The staff stopped abruptly half a foot away from her.
Its end was gripped firmly in the youth’s pale hand.
Wu Li looked up, his lips curling into a submissive arc.
"Clan Leader, she didn't go."
