If someone were to ask him what the most interesting thing in the world was?
He would answer without hesitation: an angry Chai Xiaomi.
It seemed that before she appeared, aside from ruthless and brutal slaughter, he had never found pleasure in anything.
He had always felt that everything in this world was dull and tasteless.
But now, he even felt that teasing her until she was mad was more interesting than torturing his prey.
It was just that this "limit" was extremely hard to grasp.
He wanted to make her puff up with anger, but he couldn't push her too far.
If he went too far, those round almond eyes would well up with a watery light, tears threatening to fall. Then he wouldn't find it amusing anymore; it would only make him inexplicably frustrated, his chest feeling tight.
Therefore, Wu Li rubbed her head with somewhat clumsy movements.
His voice softened a bit, carrying a hint of gentle coaxing that even he himself failed to notice:
"Are you really not going to look? The sunset glow in the valley is absolutely beautiful."
The head in his arms moved imperceptibly, but her voice was still muffled: "...I'm not looking!"
"Then, do you want to meet A'nan?"
He raised his fingertips to his lips and blew a clear, long whistle.
Before long, a loud, sharp cry pierced through the wind and the clouds, approaching from afar.
Chai Xiaomi's eyelashes fluttered.
Finally, out of curiosity, she opened her eyes to a narrow slit.
She saw a majestic falcon spreading its broad wings, circling around them, its sharp hooked beak carrying some kind of fruit.
And they were indeed still in the air!
Unusually steady.
She looked down and found that beneath her feet were hundreds and thousands of pitch-black bats, tightly clustered and flapping their wings, forming a surging, coalescing dark cloud floating in the sky.
Wu Li just held her like this, standing leisurely on this floating dark cloud supported by bats.
Help!
Her trypophobia was about to act up.
There were even more of them than the amount she had seen in the cave the first time.
She opted to look at the falcon instead, only to suddenly realize that this bird looked a bit familiar.
She felt like she had seen it somewhere before.
Seeing the strong interest flashing in Chai Xiaomi's eyes.
Wu Li immediately called out: "A'nan, come here!"
The falcon obediently circled and landed on his shoulder.
His eyes curved, his brows tinged with a flying radiance, looking exactly like a high-spirited young man as he asked the girl in his arms like he was presenting a treasure: "Do you want to pet him?"
Chai Xiaomi loosened her grip on his collar, a little hesitant: "Then..."
"Then you have to hold onto me tightly, you absolutely must not let me fall."
Actually, she didn't really want to pet the bird, because right now her two hands only wanted to firmly grasp her lifesaver. But when she saw his expression, her heart skipped a beat, and she fell into a momentary daze.
His youthful aura revealed a pure, childlike pride and showiness, as if he were introducing his friend to her.
His handsome and captivating face magnified before her eyes, his starry eyes shining brightly beneath long eyelashes, smiling sincerely.
In an instant, the light was dazzling.
Even more dazzling and eye-catching than the afterglow of the setting sun on the horizon.
Wu Li felt that this coward was really troublesome. "Aren't I holding you? Could it be that you're afraid I'll throw you down?"
It would have been better if he hadn't said that.
Once he did, that little hidden worry in Chai Xiaomi's heart was immediately confirmed. Coupled with his half-smiling expression, the more she looked at him, the more she felt that he was absolutely capable of doing it!
"Wu Li."
She suddenly called him by his full name.
He was slightly startled, letting out a lazy hum from his nose, reluctantly responding to his full name: "Hmm?"
"If you scare me again, I will—" Chai Xiaomi rolled her eyes, but her momentum inexplicably weakened by half.
How awkward, it seemed she had absolutely nothing that could threaten him.
Seeing her get stuck, he seemed to think of something. His face darkened slightly as he pressed: "You will what?"
Will...
Chai Xiaomi's expression froze for a moment.
Damn it.
So embarrassing.
She dropped half a harsh threat, only to find she had nothing to back it up with.
"You just won't talk to me?"
Unexpectedly, Wu Li finished the sentence for her.
He laughed contemptuously: "Just like last time, deliberately playing deaf and dumb and ignoring me, right? Just because I didn't apologize to you. Wasn't it just that I accidentally caught a glimpse of two... ahem..."
The young man's voice paused, and his arrogant attitude suddenly weakened.
His cheeks grew slightly hot, and his gaze dodged awkwardly as he unexpectedly turned to muttering softly: "It's not like I really saw anything. You have so much long hair, don't you know? It draped over your shoulders like a piece of black gauze, covering you up completely. It would be a miracle if I could see clearly, yet you insisted I apologize."
"Women are really troublesome, making a fuss out of nothing."
Chai Xiaomi's face turned ashen; she felt like someone was frantically dancing on her landmines.
"You're the unreasonable one! You're Wu Li! Wu Li makes a fuss!"
"..." Wu Li was left speechless, actually unable to retort. "Alright, alright! I promise I won't throw you down."
"If I let go, I'll be your dog for the rest of my life, letting you boss me around. Is that okay?" Saying this, the arm wrapped around her waist tightened a bit more.
There was hardly a breath of air left between the two of them.
Chai Xiaomi blinked, her clear black and white eyes staring straight at him, trying hard to confirm she hadn't misheard a single word.
This guarantee coming out of the mouth of this proud and conceited youth.
It had more lethal power than any poisonous oath.
Make him someone else's dog?
Unless he died.
But he just so happened to be unkillable.
So this possibility would never stand.
Very well.
Only then did Chai Xiaomi feel relieved enough to loosen the hand that had been gripping his clothes, turning to reach toward the falcon perched on the youth's shoulder.
"He won't peck, will he?"
This question was truly a bit redundant, as she was already boldly stroking A'nan's head over and over like she was petting a cat.
The feathers were smooth and clean, docile to the touch, and shimmered with a warm golden light in the setting sun.
Chai Xiaomi was quite good at petting cats, and she didn't expect it to work on this big bird as well.
Her gestures were familiar and her strength was gentle. A'nan was petted until he was almost intoxicated. His originally slightly open wings gradually closed, and he simply shut his eyes. Standing on the youth's shoulder, he lowered his head to get a bit closer, his tail tilting up in a posture of submission.
Wu Li glanced at A'nan's cheap-looking appearance and replied: "No, he only carries things in his beak."
Hearing this, Chai Xiaomi's gaze fell on the cluster of purplish-red spherical fruit held in his sharp beak. It looked strange, like a pineapple but not quite.
"When I was young, A'nan would often bring me wild fruits to eat," Wu Li said. "This is called the Black Tiger. The Miao people call it 'Bufuna', which symbolizes beauty and longevity."
Hearing his name, A'nan tilted his head and gently rubbed the fruit against Chai Xiaomi's palm.
She understood and took the wild fruit. A hint of bitterness welled up in her heart; it turned out that he often relied on such wild fruits to fill his stomach in his childhood, which was why he was malnourished and skinny as a rail.
Growing up to be this tall, with broad shoulders and long legs, she didn't know if it was good luck or strong genetics.
The youth lowered his eyes to look at her, the corners of his lips hooking up slightly, his tone provocative: "It's very bitter. Do you dare to taste it?"
"What's there to be afraid of?"
She didn't hesitate to open her mouth and take a big bite, almost breaking her teeth.
"You!" Before the words of warning he was about to say could leave his mouth, she had already recklessly bitten into it.
This fruit was full of seeds and had a large pit, so how could she just take such a massive bite?
"Your stupidity is really going to be the death of me! Does it hurt?" Wu Li asked with a frown.
He watched as she cupped one side of her jaw with her hand. Her small face was slightly contorted in pain, the corners of her mouth were drooping, and her lips were trembling.
Growing a bit anxious, he urged, "Open your mouth and let me take a look."
