At this moment, Chai Xiaomi was bending over, hiding behind the signboard outside the shop.
In the original novel, the cannon fodder female supporting character died without a proper burial precisely because she interrupted the villain from planting the Love Gu into the female lead.
She didn't even leave behind an intact corpse.
In the original, normal plotline, the villain failed to plant the Love Gu and completely turned to the dark side as a result.
Ultimately, he died from the backlash of his own Gu poison, while the male and female leads walked hand-in-hand toward their happy ending.
Youtiao reminded her, "The system has detected that in the collapsed plotline, the villain successfully planted the Love Gu into the female lead. This stimulated the hopelessly romantic male lead to change completely, allowing the flames of war to rage and evil spirits to roam everywhere. The novel's world entirely collapsed and headed toward destruction."
"Therefore, Host, you must thwart the villain's attempt to plant the Love Gu into the female lead while ensuring your own personal safety. Only then will you successfully complete the mission. Otherwise, you will lose your chance at resurrection and simultaneously disappear from this world."
Chai Xiaomi suddenly fell into hesitation. "If I successfully complete the mission, then what will be Wu Li's ending?"
Youtiao replied, "That will naturally follow the established plotline. Death is the villain's destiny."
"Besides, he is just a character, merely a paper person. Why do you care about his ending?"
Chai Xiaomi asked, "Youtiao, in your own eyes, what do you think you are?"
Youtiao froze for a moment; no host had ever asked it this question before. "I am just an auxiliary system born from programs set by humans."
It paused, its mechanical voice carrying a bit of humor. "Sigh, I'm just a broken little chip. If you saw this system's chip, you would definitely laugh out loud, because I'm the first generation and have never been upgraded, so I'm really shabby, hahahaha! Even the programmer who created me died of overwork, yet I am still operating. Awesome, right!"
"But you said that once a system's performance points are fully deducted, it will be destroyed. In my eyes, you are not just a system. You are a digital lifeform, and at the same time, the first friend I made after transmigrating into this world. So I don't want you to be destroyed. I will work hard to complete tasks and help you earn back your performance points."
"And to me, Wu Li is no paper person. He is my... Anyway, I hope he gets a good ending. Do you understand?"
Youtiao suddenly fell into a long silence.
Chai Xiaomi sighed softly. Was it too harsh to ask a digital lifeform to ponder human emotions?
"You are the first host to treat me as a friend."
It finally spoke up.
Chai Xiaomi said, "Hmm? Don't you treat me as a friend?"
"I treat you as a squishy mortal, thank you very much."
Youtiao paused for a moment before continuing.
"The villain's ending is doomed. If he doesn't turn to the dark side, there might be a glimmer of hope. Currently, the system hasn't detected any signs of him turning dark. Just for calling me a friend, starting today, I will prepare an ultimate move for you. However, this system can only use it once in its lifetime, so it's best you don't make me use it. Thank you next!"
She could tell that Youtiao wanted to help her change Wu Li's ending, so she said earnestly, "Okay, thank you, Youtiao."
Youtiao blanked slightly before replying, "...You're welcome. If you really want to thank me, work hard to complete the mission and resurrect back home, so that Doujiang next door stops laughing at me for being useless!"
Chai Xiaomi said, "Okkk!"
Inside the shop, Song Yueyao's clear voice drifted over.
"I'll take this bow."
"Alrighty, miss. Seeing as you're a straightforward person, I'll charge you thirty taels of silver!"
Song Yueyao took out her coin purse, looking troubled. Most of their silver was kept with Xiaomi, and right now she could only scrape together twenty taels on her person.
She had thought twenty taels would be enough, never expecting the bows here to be so expensive.
Just as she was wondering whether to go back and get money from Xiaomi, a young man's calm voice sounded beside her.
"Sister, I have some here. I'll make up the difference for you."
Wu Li gazed at her calmly, opening his palm toward her. The corners of his lips curved slightly, revealing a harmless smile.
Right at that moment, a ball of scorching flames suddenly flared up from the opposite street corner.
It was a street performer doing a fire-breathing act. The man took a massive gulp of strong liquor, thrust the torch in his hand forward, and with a whoosh, spewed out a wave of intertwined golden and red fire.
The firelight suddenly flooded across the street, illuminating the young man's side profile for a fleeting moment.
Chai Xiaomi was stunned.
She had never heard Wu Li speak in such a tone before—three parts polite and seven parts docile, an entirely respectful demeanor.
Hearing it truly made one feel as if bathed in a gentle spring breeze.
She had thought he was inherently wicked to the bone, but it turned out he could actually speak nicely.
Song Yueyao looked down at the ten taels of silver offered to her.
It lay quietly between the young man's long, slender fingers, held steadily in his palm.
Although his palm was facing upward, if one looked closely, they would notice the inconspicuous dark hue beneath his fingertips. His nails were pitch-black, their edges slightly sharp.
The first time she noticed it, a trace of a chill had swept through her heart.
Nails unlike those of an ordinary person, resembling the retracted dark claws of a demon or a wild beast, exuding a hidden danger within their gloomy depths.
She had once heard Jiang Zhiyu mention that the Gu-Witch Clan of the Southern Frontier excelled in Gu sorcery. There were even those who did not hesitate to feed the Gu with their own bodies. Over the years, as the Gu poison eroded into their flesh and bones, it would condense into this ink-like color between their nails.
However, such people usually did not live long.
Wu Li naturally wouldn't be one of them. Though he looked a bit peculiar, he was full of vitality, and his eyes lacked the murky aura of a dying person.
What's more, when Xiaomi was bored riding on horseback, she loved playing with her husband's nails the most, sometimes even clamoring, "What a cool manicure!"
Although she couldn't understand what that meant, judging by Xiaomi's demeanor, Wu Li's nails definitely weren't caused by evil energy. Otherwise, with Xiaomi being so timid, how could she not be the least bit afraid?
Thinking of this, Song Yueyao's misgivings dissipated somewhat.
"Thank you. I'll consider this a loan."
She took a soft breath and prepared to reach out and take the silver ingot.
But in a place she could not see—
Beneath the young man's cuff, among the Five Poisons tattoo on the inner side of his forearm, the lightest-colored venomous scorpion was faintly gleaming with an eerie light.
The dormant pattern seemed to come alive, exuding a bizarre, Gu-infused glimmer from beneath his skin.
Wu Li lowered his eyes, watching as Song Yueyao's hand slowly reached over.
Her fingertips drew closer and closer to the silver in his palm. Just half a fraction more, and she would touch his skin.
Even if only for an instant.
This was her taking the initiative to touch him—a perfect opportunity to plant the Love Gu.
He only needed to remain composed and let her touch him. The dormant venomous scorpion would then follow the warmth of her fingertips and silently cross into her bloodstream.
Once they reached Youquan Town, he would retrieve the remaining Gu power from Chai Xiaomi's body and inject it into Song Yueyao anew.
At that time, this venomous scorpion would be fully restored to its proper place, and the Love Gu would thoroughly take root.
Then, he could go find that heartless father of his and complete his final revenge ritual.
Clearly, everything was ready.
Clearly, he was only a hair's breadth away.
But right at the instant Song Yueyao's fingertips were about to graze the edge of the silver ingot, Wu Li violently pulled his hand back.
Under Song Yueyao's astonished gaze, he casually tossed the silver ingot into the shop owner's arms.
The owner didn't react in time, fumbling and juggling it for a few moments before finally catching it.
Song Yueyao stood frozen in place, her outstretched hand still suspended in midair.
She looked at Wu Li, her eyes brimming with confusion.
The young man, however, had already lowered his head, staring blankly at his empty palm.
...What was wrong with him?
It had clearly been such a rare opportunity just a moment ago.
But why... why was it that the moment Song Yueyao's hand was about to touch him, that familiar, overwhelming wave of nausea suddenly struck?
It was exactly the same as that night at the brothel. When the woman clad in sheer silk had approached with a seductive smile, her fingertips inches away from caressing his cheek, a sudden urge to retch had seized his throat.
He had always loathed being touched by others, but it had never been as severe as it was in this moment.
It was a trap he had set himself, yet he had recoiled from it.
Just now, his mind had been entirely consumed by the image of Chai Xiaomi's small, fair, and delicate hand. Her fingertips were tinged with a faint pink, looking so fragile that even the slightest squeeze would leave a mark.
It carried the faint, sweet scent of jasmine.
Drifting ethereally... Even now, he could almost smell that sweet fragrance that belonged solely to her.
It was as if only when her uniquely clean and soft presence lingered around him would the churning discomfort in his chest miraculously begin to fade.
Aside from her, his body seemed to instinctively reject the touch of anyone else, even if only for a fleeting second.
