Don't mess with that Miao boy, he's sickly and perverted.

Amidst the chaos of people, the woman in red swayed and transformed back into a small, fiery red shadow, silently disappearing into the deep night.

The little fox ran for a long time before finally leaping onto the branch of an old locust tree in a family's yard.

Across the wide lake, it gazes into the distance at the flickering lights of the Huanyin Pavilion on the opposite shore.

Xiaoman's room was tucked away in the most remote corner, so far away that nothing could be seen clearly.

It lowered its head somewhat dejectedly, turned to leave, but then seemed to be drawn back by something, and suddenly looked back.

On the top floor of the Illusionary Sound Pavilion, a window was wide open.

The moonlight clearly illuminated the figure of a young girl inside the window. She placed a wooden basin on the windowsill, rolled up her sleeves to reveal her slender forearms, and was diligently washing clothes, her cheeks bulging with each stroke, showing her great focus.

The little fox shifted its gaze slightly.

On the eaves of the roof on the other side sat a handsome young man, looking rather lazy.

He sat cross-legged, holding a carving knife in his hand, intently carving a piece of wood.

The moon was bright and the stars were few; the clear, silvery light streamed down, softly covering him.

His lowered gaze and focused expression were so gentle.

It looked exactly like Xiaoman when she played chess and whispered stories to it.

But now, Xiaoman gives her gentleness to others, so to whom does this young man give his gentleness?

After gazing at it for an unknown amount of time, it suddenly noticed that the piece of wood in the boy's hand was gradually taking shape, clearly resembling a bow.

The little fox's eyes suddenly lit up!

Xiaoman has been making a bow recently, but the bow he was halfway through broke for some reason. During the day, he was seen staring at the broken piece of wood, lost in thought, silently trying to repair it.

The bow that the boy made is so exquisite. If only I could secretly take it and give it to Xiaoman.

The thought had barely crossed its mind when it shook its head. Xiaoman often told stories that one should not take ill-gotten gains.

Even though it is a demon, it cannot be taken.

A few months ago, the serious injury almost cost it its life. Now, in order to transform into human form, it must absorb the essence of men. But when it thinks of Xiaoman's teachings, it only dares to absorb a little bit each time, so as not to harm its life.

Therefore, its human form can only be maintained for a short while before it reverts to its original form.

The little fox flicked its tail in frustration, but its gaze involuntarily drifted towards the opposite bank.

The girl had probably finished washing the clothes, and her figure disappeared from the window. But the boy on the eaves was still bowing his head, carefully carving something on the bow handle by the moonlight.

The lights in the Illusionary Sound Pavilion went out one by one.

Is this person a god? He doesn't even sleep.

The little fox was really curious whether the boy would go to rest, so it perched on a branch and stared at him intently.

As it watched, it dozed off in a daze.

When I opened my eyes again, the sky was already tinged with a faint bluish-white.

The little fox looked towards the roof again.

He didn't sleep a wink all night!

At this moment, the boy carefully twisted a strand of horsehair he had found from who-knows-where into a bowstring, hooked it onto the bow tip, and finally a delicate bow took shape in his hands.

However, the size seemed too small in his own hands and was not suitable for him.

He seemed extremely satisfied, his eyes slightly curved, shimmering with a delicate, bright light in the rising morning glow.

Then, the little fox saw him carrying the bow, nimbly leaping down from the eaves, and in a flash, he climbed over the window where the girl had washed clothes.

The little fox's eyes widened instantly. Could it be a lecherous man?!

But then I thought, it's already broad daylight, what kind of lecherous person would visit in broad daylight? Besides, the boy doesn't look like a lecherous person at all.

It then felt a little relieved, turned around, leaped down from the branch, and ran towards the outside of the city.

*

Wu Li leaped into the room through the window, intending to quietly place the bow in his hand beside the bed.

But the bed curtains that had been hanging at the head of the bed when I left last night were now lowered, completely covering the inside.

He hesitated for a moment, then remembered that she usually slept in a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and prepared to lift the curtain.

The fingertips had just touched the soft fabric when they suddenly stopped.

What if... what if, like last time, she took off all her clothes and huddled under the covers? Otherwise, why would she have deliberately lowered the mosquito net?

Thinking of this, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his hand fell to his side again.

She had already thrown a tantrum and cried with him last night, and when she came back she didn't say a word. If she makes him angry again now, she doesn't know how long she'll stay sulking and ignore him.

He lowered his eyes, his fingertips slowly stroking the bow handle.

The wood is warm and smooth, polished smooth with repeated sanding, leaving no burrs to be found.

Wu Li stood quietly by the bedside for a long time, but the urge to immediately hand the bow to her became increasingly difficult to suppress.

Judging by the time, she should be awake by now, so he coughed lightly, seemingly casually.

The tent was completely silent.

He had no choice but to cough again.

Still nothing.

Fine, I'll just speak up. Even if she ignores me, the one who speaks first won't lose anything, and even if he does, he can heal.

"Are you awake? Weren't we supposed to be learning archery?"

His voice was low, and it sounded somewhat hoarse, perhaps because he had been out in the wind all night.

He started coughing for real, coughing several times before he calmed down, but there was still no sound from inside the tent.

Even if someone is sleeping soundly, this series of coughs should wake them up by now. It seems they are deliberately keeping quiet and ignoring him.

Wu Li stood silently for a long time, his fingertip accidentally touching the bottom inside of the bow handle, where two delicate characters were engraved, hidden so well that they could not be found without careful searching.

The reason I was so eager to put it in her hand was to see how long it would take her, being so careless, to discover this little secret.

But right now, she's ignoring him.

He didn't even have the chance to offer the bow out of his own hands.

Perhaps she simply doesn't want to learn anymore?

She wanted to learn archery only to participate in the New Moon Archery Competition. Since he had clearly opposed it, how could she possibly have any interest in it?

His five fingers gripped the bow handle tightly, his nails digging fiercely into his palm.

A strange and sharp stinging sensation, accompanied by a sour taste, suddenly pierced his chest.

Apart from his blood, there was nothing of value on his body.

He used his blood to feed the Crimson Silkworms in exchange for this rare piece of wood. He polished and carved it again and again, his mind filled with the light that would shine in her eyes when she took it.

But if she didn't like the bow, he seemed to have no other things that could please her.

A sense of almost desperate resentment silently spread from the depths of his heart, engulfing him.

A horrifying thought uncontrollably surfaced:

If it weren't for the love potion...would she even have the slightest chance of liking him?

Last night, she was so frightened just by seeing him take out the Crimson Blood Silkworm. If she saw his bones exposed and his inhuman state, or witnessed his cruel and ruthless appearance when he tortured and killed for pleasure, how would she feel?

Since she came to his side, he hadn't had the thought of killing her for far too long... far too long.

Because after he turned those people to ashes, he clearly saw the fear in her eyes, and from then on, he always kept his murderous aura hidden.

A fool who would even save a ghost baby, what if he knew that the person he kept calling "husband" was actually a bloodthirsty monster...?

He wasn't afraid of the dark at all; he loved the dark and gloomy environment.

Because he was originally a demon who crawled out of hell, born out of curse and revenge, he said he didn't want to avenge his pitiful mother, but in his heart he was plotting the most vicious and despicable scheme, using Song Yueyao to make his brother and father turn against each other and turn their knives against each other.

How interesting...

Just imagining that scene made him tremble with excitement.

She probably doesn't know that he is this kind of person, or rather, he can't even be called a person; he's just an empty shell. His soul has long been corrupted and poisoned, and his pleasure always comes from torturing and abusing others.

However, only with her did his desire to torment turn into teasing.

She had no idea that he had entertained the thought of eating her several times; he actually wanted to eat a person...

She shines like the warm sun, able to illuminate lakes, melt ice and snow, and make flowers bloom all over the earth, but she cannot shine into the cold, dark ditch deep in hell.

One is in the sky, the other is on the ground.

The distance that should have been the furthest, without the love potion, she would never have gone to hell.

He dared not think any further.

In a state of agitation, Wu Li suddenly yanked open the curtains.

It carried a hint of resentment.

At worst, we can let her participate in the New Moon Arrow Technique. While hunting the Moon Shadow Demon Spirit, we also need to spare some attention to protect her. It's quite difficult, but it's worth a try.

"Don't be angry, I'll let you go and participate—"

The words came to an abrupt halt.

Inside the curtained room, only a reddish-brown snake was coiled up in a ball, flicking its tongue and trembling as it looked at him.

The bed was made so flat without a single wrinkle that there was no trace of Chai Xiaomi.

"Where is she?" A dark aura suddenly surged in his eyes, his voice hoarse yet icy cold.

The red dragon's scales trembled softly.

The silence was conveying to its owner: she was fine, she was just going out for a bit.

But so what? Its owner's task was to protect her, and it failed to do so.

After a long silence, Wu Li slowly curled his lips into a bewitching yet eerie smile. He slightly raised his fingertips, and a thick, dark aura instantly condensed into a ball, silently swirling in his palm.

"Red Dragon, this is the second time you've failed in your duties." His tone carried a hint of pity as he sighed deeply, seemingly quite regretful.

"Tell me, what use are you to me?"

The red dragon's trembling snake eyes could clearly see the murderous intent in its master's eyes. It knew that he was referring to the last time it was asked to cover the girl's eyes, but she had easily pulled them off.

The master's appearance was like that of someone who had secretly visited his father in Lingyu Prefecture and, on his way back, slaughtered all living beings and demons that stood in his way, not even sparing an innocent bird.

It had been a long time since the master had shown such terrifying anger.

This time, however, seems more terrifying than ever before.

Beneath that rage, there was clearly a more sinister and complex emotion surging within, unable to find an outlet, so it vented all its fury on the creature.

The red dragon gazed at its master in despair.

It knew its death was imminent.

Once the master truly harbors murderous intent, he will never show mercy.

Even though it was a Gu snake that he had personally raised.