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

Chi Lie's expression was one of extreme terror as he slowly turned around.

Suddenly, an old tree behind him, covered in vines, seemed to come alive, twisting and swaying.

Wu Li's arrow struck the tree trunk with perfect accuracy, the arrowhead deeply embedded in the bark, from which blood gushed forth.

Accompanied by hoarse, painful cries, the vines flared in the air like countless tentacles.

One of them quickly wrapped around Chi Lie.

"Ah—Help!!!"

"You bastard... Wu, Wu Li! Save me!!"

Chi Lie was suddenly hoisted into the air by the vines, his face as pale as paper.

He had only heard about the evil spirits in the deep forests of Chishan from the old people. Most of the spirits would not attack people unless provoked.

But that damned bastard shot an arrow straight into the trunk of the ancient tree demon!

He was able to tell that this tree was extraordinary.

Chi Lie's crotch was soaked with sweat; he was terrified and screamed, "Wu Li! You deliberately framed me! The High Priest will never let you get away with this!"

Wu Li, however, had already sheathed his bow and crossed his arms, leaning leisurely to the side, a hint of bloodthirsty excitement flashing in his eyes.

It's like watching a good show.

"That's right, I did it on purpose," Wu Li said leisurely. "But who would know, unless—"

He drew out his words slowly and deliberately, his gaze drifting lightly to one side.

"There is a third person in this forest."

Chai Xiaomi, who was hiding behind the tree, froze.

She hadn't planned to hide for so long; she originally intended to find an opportunity to ask Wu Li to take her to the temple.

But she noticed that another person was also following him, so she didn't show herself yet.

Who knew the situation would take such a sharp turn for the worse?

Just as she was in a state of utter confusion, a clear, cold voice rang out again.

"I already told you, you don't need to hide anymore. How long are you planning to keep hiding?"

It turns out that he wasn't speaking to the man in the Miao language at all, but to her.

Wu Li had already discovered that she could understand Miao language.

Chai Xiaomi slowly crawled out from behind the tree, and almost collapsed when she saw the scene before her.

The man, who had been roaring and cursing just moments before, now had his eyeballs squeezed out of their sockets and was bleeding from all seven orifices.

He looked like a zombie that had been drained of all its energy in an instant, with only a thin layer of skin hanging on his bones.

"Did you see that? This is what happens when you sneakily follow me."

Wu Li lazily sized her up, noticing her forced composure and the panic in her eyes.

He suddenly became malicious and shoved her towards the tree monster.

Chai Xiaomi was caught off guard and stumbled and fell under the wildly swirling vines.

As if sensing the presence of a living person, the vines instantly changed direction and attacked her!

"Mommy—!"

Was she some heinous sinner? Why does she have to suffer like this even after death!

Chai Xiaomi's calm facade shattered instantly. She lay on her side on the ground, clutching her head with both hands, curling up into a small ball.

Just as the vines were about to touch her, a faint light flashed from the scorpion tattoo on the back of her hand.

As if they had encountered something extremely terrifying, all the vines instantly retreated back to the tree trunk, tightly coiling into a defensive posture.

Chai Xiaomi kept her eyes closed and didn't see that the vines had already dispersed.

She only realized someone was approaching when the fallen leaves were rustling underfoot, and a figure stopped beside her.

A clear laugh fell from above, like a mountain stream:

"You're a bit better than him; at least you didn't wet your pants."

Chai Xiaomi lifted half of her face from her arms.

Wu Li was squatting beside her, tilting his head to look at her. Her still-shaken appearance seemed to amuse him.

The boy's beautiful eyes curved upwards, and his heterochromatic pupils shimmered with light, like stars reflected in a clear spring, their ripples sparkling.

Oh no! Absolutely!

Chai Xiaomi almost chewed her back molars to pieces.

She took a deep breath, bit her tongue hard, and forced the tears out of her eyes.

In the moment of Wu Li's astonishment, she suddenly threw herself into his arms.

Caught off guard, the boy slipped and the two of them fell into a thick pile of fallen leaves.

Don't you hate tears? Then I'll wipe all my tears on you!

Chai Xiaomi burst into tears, her scalding tears falling onto the boy's fair neck, flowing over the silver necklace and soaking into his indigo Miao clothes, leaving dark watermarks.

"I secretly followed you because I was worried about you. That long, steep mountain path gave me blisters on my feet, and you still wanted me to get sucked dry by the tree monster! Waaah, I really fed my whole heart to a dog!"

She cried so hard her body trembled uncontrollably. Although her sobs were not loud, because they were so close to his ear, every weak whimper pierced his eardrums with crystal clarity, tugging at his unfamiliar nerves.

At the same time, the faint, strange fragrance from last night became exceptionally vivid, lingering in the air.

"Hey, I didn't mean for you to actually get sucked dry by the tree trunk." Wu Li's Adam's apple bobbed painfully, his voice slightly hoarse.

If he were to eat, it would only be the poisonous creatures he raised in his Gu Cave.

The girl pretended not to hear and continued to sob into his neck.

As she wiped away her tears, her soft lips suddenly brushed against his ear.

Despite the slight coolness, Wu Li reacted as if he had been burned, abruptly pushing her away with such speed that he appeared somewhat flustered.

"Get out of my way!"

He suddenly stood up, his back to her.

The tone was so cold that even the tree monster not far away trembled, and the humble vines wrapped themselves around it even tighter.

Wu Li lowered her head, her reddened ear tips exposed in the thin morning light.

He felt as if he had just been bound by some invisible rope, and he was at a loss.

A strange feeling he had never experienced before, like being under the most bizarre spell, made him stiff all over, wanting only to indulge in it, yet instinctively wanting to escape.

"You also know witchcraft?" Wu Li asked her with a stern face.

Chai Xiaomi opened her big, wet eyes, her face streaked with tears, and innocently opened her mouth: "Huh?"

She's dull and stupid, clearly not smart at all, how could she possibly be?

Wu Li pursed her lips tightly, having drawn her own conclusion.

It was probably due to the backlash from his venomous scorpion love potion; the rapid heartbeat he felt just now was likely caused by the backlash.

It must be.

Wu Li stopped talking, silently shouldered his bow, and walked back.

"Wu Li, wait for me, wait for me!" Chai Xiaomi wiped away her tears and hurriedly caught up with him.

She noticed that Wu Li's pace was different this time; unlike the last time he left the cave without stopping, he had clearly slowed down.

Occasionally, after walking for a while, I would find that she had fallen too far behind, and then I would wait impatiently in place for a while.

His impatience was obvious; holding an arrow, he angrily chopped down all the surrounding branches and plants.

As if carrying a malevolent aura, the plants and trees would wither and die in an instant, eventually turning into black ash.

Wherever it passed, not a blade of grass grew.

Once she catches up, Wu Li will make a sarcastic remark:

"I could walk backwards faster than you even with my eyes closed."

"Even an eighty-year-old woman in the village is more agile than you when it comes to gathering herbs in the mountains."

"Where did all that energy go when you pounced on me?"

......

Chai Xiaomi was almost exhausted and had no energy left to deal with this sarcastic and mean-spirited younger brother.

She could only curse inwardly, "No wonder the female lead doesn't like you! You have a terrible personality, ruthless methods, and you don't even blink an eye when you use someone else to do your dirty work!"

The thought of Chi Lie eventually turning into a withered human skin, forever remaining in that deep mountain forest, sent a chill down her spine.