Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

Once this absurd idea took root in Bai Zhi's heart, it began to grow wildly and could no longer be contained.

Yes.

After thinking about it this way, all of the man's unusual behavior seemed to have a reasonable explanation.

He was kind to his ugly face.

They were very attentive, sending money and grain as gifts.

And then there was that seemingly unintentional, yet actually deliberate, touch of fingertips when he handed me the water bowl...

It's widely rumored that Lin Mo is incredibly powerful and skilled.

Who would have thought that he had such a twisted fetish?

I like ugly things...

Wouldn't my face now be exactly what they wanted to feel?

Thinking of this, Bai Zhi felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

When they looked at Lin Mo again, the probing gaze he had been giving had changed its meaning.

That wasn't admiration; it was a hungry wolf eyeing its prey before it was about to devour it.

Lin Mo's gaze towards Bai Zhi was indeed somewhat intense.

But this burning sensation was neither due to the peculiar fetish that Bai Zhi imagined, nor was it a deliberate pretense after he had seen through the truth.

Instead, after Bai Zhi opened the door and he was startled by that face, he quietly activated his Glazed Eyes.

With the analytical power of the Glass Eyes, comparable to makeup remover, all of Bai Zhi's pretense was instantly eliminated.

What appeared before Lin Mo at this moment was a face so beautiful that it could make all the words in the world pale in comparison.

She's even more beautiful than Qianqian from Liaozhai!

Lin Mo stared straight at Bai Zhi, his mind not quite processing what was happening.

After figuring out the "truth," Bai Zhi was clearly flustered.

She abruptly took two steps back, creating what she thought was a safe distance between herself and Lin Mo.

"Thank you very much for the money and provisions, sir. You are busy with official duties, so I will not keep you any longer."

Bai Zhi's voice trembled slightly as she politely and tactfully gave the order to leave.

Hearing this, Lin Mo finally snapped out of his daze, captivated by her breathtaking beauty.

But he remained rooted to the spot.

It's not that I don't want to leave, it's just that my mind is blank.

How should I start the conversation?

"Hello beautiful, I see you have extraordinary talent, a once-in-a-million assassin genius. Would you like to work for me?"

"I have a position for the head of the Zhenwu Division, with a monthly salary of three... three meals a day, plus social insurance and housing fund. Want to consider it?"

No, no, I'm lucky if they don't think I'm crazy.

Lin Mo frantically tried to organize his thoughts, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't come up with a suitable opening line.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, without uttering a single word.

However, Bai Zhi interpreted his reluctance to leave and his hesitant manner as something else entirely.

This person was indeed up to no good!

He just wants my ugly face!

Bai Zhi's heartbeat quickened.

She nervously took two steps back, her right hand hanging down almost imperceptibly.

A tiny knife, as thin as a cicada's wing, slipped silently from her sleeve into her palm, where it was tightly held by her fingers.

The blade was cold and translucent.

At this moment, Bai Zhi had made up her mind.

If the other party dares to act recklessly, even if he is the city lord and has superb combat power, she would rather... die a glorious death!

The atmosphere in the room instantly became awkward and tense.

One of them is thinking about how to approach the poaching process.

One was thinking about how to strike and kill the opponent in one blow.

However, just as this strange balance was about to be broken—

"Cough...cough cough!"

Inside the room, a suppressed and painful cough suddenly shattered the deathly silence.

Bai Zhi's whole body trembled violently.

The color drained from her face, and she could no longer care about Lin Mo beside her. She turned into a blur and rushed into the inner room in a panic.

Lin Mo was taken aback.

Everything was fine a second ago, what happened?

Filled with doubt, he subconsciously followed him inside.

The light in the inner room was even dimmer, and a faint, bitter medicinal smell filled the air.

On a small earthen bed, a little girl named Nannan was curled up in the quilt.

Her face was ashen, and her body trembled violently.

Every cough feels like it's trying to cough up my entire lungs.

"puff……"

A small amount of bright red blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, staining the faded thin blanket beneath her.

Lin Mo could clearly see that there were many dark bloodstains on the quilt that had been washed, but still left faint traces.

It seems this isn't the first time this little girl has coughed up blood.

At this moment, Bai Zhi rushed to the bedside.

She frantically pulled a small white porcelain bottle from under her pillow and expertly poured out a pill.

"My little girl, my sweetie..."

"Open your mouth and take your medicine quickly."

Bai Zhi held the little girl tightly in her arms, her voice filled with barely suppressed panic and fear, yet she forced herself to remain calm as she fed the pill to the child.

"Mother...I'm cold..."

The little girl was burning up with fever, but she kept shrinking into Bai Zhi's arms, her teeth chattering.

"Don't be afraid, baby, don't be afraid. You'll be fine after taking the medicine, and you'll feel better after a nap..."

Bai Zhi held her daughter, warming her with her own body heat, and kept repeating comforting words that even she herself didn't believe.

Lin Mo stood at the door, looking at this heartbreaking scene, feeling somewhat at a loss.

He didn't know what had happened.

But his ever-activated Glass Eyes automatically provided the answer when he focused his attention on the little girl.

A brand new panel suddenly popped up.

Name: Chu Nianxin (Nannan)

[Status]: Cold poison attacking the heart (endangered)

[Etiology]: Congenital cold meridian, later injected with "Mysterious Ice Gu", the two conflict, the Gu poison takes effect on the night of the full moon every month, and erodes the heart meridian.

[Symptoms]: Body temperature loss, stagnation of blood and qi, and a rapid decline in vitality...

[Treatment]: It is recommended to use "Nine Yang Melting Snow Pill" or a pure Yang pill of the same level to suppress the illness, otherwise you will not survive the night.

Congenital cold pulse?

Black ice Gu?

What is all this about?

No, now is not the time to dwell on these things.

His gaze was fixed on the last line of text on the panel, his mind blank.

"...Won't survive tonight?"

What's going on here?!