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

The shopkeeper, ignoring the waiter's words, rushed to the landscape stone. There were four sandalwood screens with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums. Sure enough, one of the screens was slightly tilted and shifted.

This means that a hole has been found in the formation.

He felt as if all his bones had been removed, and he collapsed to the ground, his face turning pale and ashen. He screamed in despair and collapse, "They're out! How...how did they get out?!"

"Manager, what went out?" The waiter was quite frightened by the commotion.

The shopkeeper was always very particular about his appearance. He would dress in fine silks and satins, and would often spend a long time getting ready in his room before coming out. Although he was fat and greasy, he exuded an air of wealth comparable to that of a young master from a prominent family.

When have I ever seen him in such a disheveled and utterly terrified state?

"Useless trash!" The shopkeeper sprang to his feet, his whole body trembling, and pointed at the waiter's nose, yelling, "Didn't I tell you to guard the outside windows? Which window is open?! Tell me!"

"I..." The waiter's tongue was tied, and he couldn't utter a single word.

There's an unwritten rule at the inn: never open the windows after nightfall.

So whenever guests come, the waiter always has to put on a smile and say something to remind them to close the windows at night.

However, there were some who wouldn't listen to advice, so the shopkeeper assigned his employees to take turns keeping watch every night, specifically targeting the windows. If they saw a window that wasn't properly closed, they would quietly use a long, thin bamboo pole to lift it up and close it for the person.

If asked the next day, just say "it was windy at night, and I ran into it" and let it go.

It was his turn to be on duty tonight, but he ate something he shouldn't have and got an upset stomach, so he kept running to the outhouse.

Knowing that the shopkeeper wasn't in the shop, he became lazy and simply stayed in the outhouse to while away the time.

After all, it was windy and dewy outside, and although the outhouse was a bit smelly, at least it provided shelter from the wind and cold.

Seeing the waiter's shifty eyes and evasive words, the shopkeeper became so anxious that his eyes turned bloodshot, almost spitting blood. He stamped his foot and roared, "You—you've ruined everything!"

"What major event was delayed?"

A gentle voice came from the second floor, and a young man in a moon-colored robe and jade gown was slowly walking down the steps. He was the same person who had given him the talisman earlier.

But at this moment, the warm smile on the young master's face had vanished, replaced by a cold and stern expression: "Shopkeeper, are you afraid that you'll ruin your wicked 'borrowing luck to make money' scheme?"

"You lied to us earlier, saying that the array in this hall was to protect the inn. Who would have thought that what's suppressed inside is actually the spirit of a newborn infant?"

Jiang Zhiyu stepped down the last step and approached the shopkeeper. He solemnly said in a low voice, "Even if he dies, he will not be allowed to enter the cycle of reincarnation. He will be bound to this small place and become a money tree to bring you good fortune."

"Has your conscience ever felt even a little uneasy? Such wickedness and misappropriation of destiny—aren't you afraid that one day you'll be devoured and reduced to nothingness?"

"That's right!" Chai Xiaomi echoed softly, unable to resist applauding Jiang Zhiyu's scathing rebuke.

In her opinion, Jiang Zhiyu always exuded a greasy, deliberately flirtatious air when he waved his fan, but when Song Yueyao chased him, he was cowardly and had no image to maintain.

But whenever it comes to such chivalrous moments, one can really see some of the qualities a male protagonist should have. His awe-inspiring righteousness and extraordinary demeanor are very fitting for his title as the young master of Lingyu Prefecture.

"laugh."

Suddenly, a very soft, cold laugh rang in my ears, indifferent and disdainful.

"Pretentious and hypocritical."

Chai Xiaomi only then realized that someone had been standing next to her without her noticing, and her heart, already overwhelmed, trembled.

Good heavens, she really can't take any more frights.

She leaned on the railing with her arms crossed, turning her head to look at the boy. Could this guy teleport?

He was sitting in the guest room just a second ago.

With such a commotion outside, everyone else came out and went downstairs to confront the shopkeeper.

But he seemed deaf, standing there in a daze. She called out to him twice but got no response. She muttered to herself, "I only sucked two drops of his blood, how did it make him so dazed?"

If it weren't for waiting for him, she would have gone down with them long ago. Why would she be leaning alone on the second-floor railing, staring longingly at the standoff below?

"Isn't your malice towards Jiang Zhiyu a little bit excessive?" Chai Xiaomi gestured with her index finger and thumb, trying to be tactful. "Why don't you tell me? What exactly did he do to upset you?"

Stop hiding it, just tell me Song Yueyao's name! I've already figured out how to comfort you!

She had already prepared a set of earnest words of advice, ready to slowly brainwash this little bitter gourd step by step and persuade him to give up, based on the principles of "forced love is never sweet" and "relationships require mutual affection."

As long as the grudge between him and Jiang Zhiyu is eliminated, the villain will not want to kill the protagonist group. If the villain does not want to harm the protagonist group, then he is not a villain—perfect logic!

But Wu Li looked at her without saying a word, his heterochromatic eyes churning with dark and unfathomable emotions.

Suddenly, he bent down to look her in the eye.

The shadow instantly enveloped her.

The boy tilted his head and leaned closer, his hair, tied up at the back of his head, falling down and touching her cheek. It was icy cold, and a chill seemed to seep out from his hair.

Chai Xiaomi watched as a strange, sinister smile slowly curved his lips, accompanied by an uncontrollable loathing: "His very existence makes me uncomfortable."

"The pampered young master is indeed different."

Wu Li extended his index finger and flicked at the Qiankun bag hanging at Chai Xiaomi's waist, his movements as frivolous as if he were teasing some toy. "He was born with everything. Magical treasures that others could never touch in their entire lives, he could give away casually. No wonder he's so good at winning a girl's heart."

"You really like it, don't you? You wear it with you every day."

As he spoke, he seemed to unintentionally pinch the bag with his fingers, and the bloodstains that had been left on his fingertips were smeared onto the dark brown surface of the bag, leaving a glaring red mark.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry." The boy smiled, his eyes crinkling, his tone innocent and naive, yet a distinct wickedness lurked beneath. "I think I... made it dirty."

His bright smile, revealing his little tiger teeth, might fool others, but Chai Xiaomi knew his true nature long ago.

She snatched the Qiankun bag back from his hand. She always treated gifts given sincerely with care, and by extension, she did not want her own gifts to be treated so lightly and carelessly.

"The value of a gift lies in the sentiment, not its monetary worth. The same applies to receiving gifts." She looked up, gazing earnestly into his eyes. "The sentiment is what matters most."

"I've been wearing the gift you gave me all this time." Chai Xiaomi raised her hand and gently touched the hair ornament in her hair, her fingertips playing with the dangling tassels, the clear, delicate sound echoing between the two of them.

"I can't bear to take it off even when I'm sleeping."