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

At this moment, Chai Xiaomi crouched down and hid behind the shop's signboard.

In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character died without a burial place because she interrupted the villain's attempt to cast a love potion on the female lead.

Not even a complete corpse was left behind.

In the original, normal plot, the villain failed to plant the love potion, and thus became completely corrupted.

Ultimately, he was consumed by his own poison and died, while the male and female protagonists walked hand in hand towards a happy ending.

The system detected that in the collapsed plot, the villain successfully planted a love potion in the female lead. This caused the love-obsessed male lead to be completely changed, allowing war to rage and evil spirits to run rampant, leading to the complete collapse and destruction of the novel's world.

"Therefore, host, you must ensure your personal safety while preventing the villain from planting a love potion on the female lead in order to successfully complete the mission. Otherwise, you will lose your chance to be resurrected and will also disappear from this world."

Chai Xiaomi suddenly hesitated: "If I successfully complete the mission, what will be Wu Li's fate?"

You Tiao: "Of course, it follows the established plot. Death—is the villain's fate."

"Besides, he's just a character, a two-dimensional figure. Why do you care about his ending?"

Chai Xiaomi: "Youtiao, so in your own eyes, what do you see yourself as?"

The fried dough stick was stunned. No host had ever asked it this question before: "I am just an auxiliary system that was programmed by humans."

It paused, its mechanical voice carrying a hint of humor: "Hey, I'm just a broken little chip. If you saw the chip in this system, you'd definitely laugh out loud, because I'm the original and haven't been upgraded, so I'm really broken, hahaha! Even the programmer who created me has died from overwork, but I'm still running, isn't that awesome!"

"But you said that once the system's performance points are depleted, it will be destroyed. In my eyes, you are not only a system, but also a digital life form and the first friend I made after coming to this world. So I don't want you to be destroyed. I will work hard to help you earn back your performance points."

"But Wu Li isn't some two-dimensional character to me; he's me... In short, I hope he has a happy ending. Do you understand?"

The fried dough stick suddenly fell into a long silence.

Chai Xiaomi sighed softly. Was it too demanding of a digital life form to consider human emotions?

"You are the first host to treat me as a friend."

It finally spoke.

Chai Xiaomi: "Huh? Don't you consider me a friend?"

"I'll treat you like a crispy shell, thank you."

Youtiao paused for a moment, then continued:

"The villain's fate is sealed. If he doesn't turn evil, there might be a glimmer of hope. The system hasn't detected any signs of him turning evil yet. Just for calling you a friend, I'll prepare a powerful move for you starting today. However, this system can only be used once in a lifetime, so it's best if I don't have to use it. Okay, Q~"

She realized that You Tiao wanted to help her change Wu Li's fate, so she said earnestly, "Okay, thank you, You Tiao."

Youtiao paused slightly before replying, "...You're welcome. If you really want to thank me, then work hard to complete the mission and resurrect, so that the neighbor's soy milk can stop laughing at me for being useless!"

Chai Xiaomi: "Okkk!"

Inside the shop, Song Yueyao's clear voice rang out:

"I'll take this bow."

"Alright, young lady, seeing that you're a straightforward person, I'll give you thirty taels of silver!"

Song Yueyao took out her money pouch, looking troubled. Most of their silver was stored with Xiao Mi, and she could only take out twenty taels on her at this moment.

I thought twenty taels would be enough, but I didn't expect that the bows here are not cheap at all.

As she was contemplating whether to go back to Xiaomi to get the money, she heard the boy's calm voice beside her:

"Sister, I have some here, I'll make it up for you."

Wu Li calmly gazed at her, opened her palm towards her, and smiled innocently.

Just then, a blazing fire suddenly erupted across the street corner.

It was a juggler performing fire-breathing with qigong. The man took a big gulp of strong liquor, thrust the torch in his hand forward, and "whoosh," a wave of golden and red flames shot out.

The flames suddenly surged across the street, illuminating the boy's profile for a moment.

Chai Xiaomi was taken aback.

She had never heard Wu Li speak in such a tone before; it was three parts polite and seven parts submissive, a completely respectful tone.

It sounds so refreshing.

I thought he was inherently wicked, but it turns out he can speak nicely.

Song Yueyao looked down at the ten taels of silver handed to her.

She lay quietly between the boy's long, slender fingers, held steadily by him.

Although his palms were facing upwards, a closer look would reveal an inconspicuous dark color beneath his fingertips; his nails were jet black with slightly sharp edges.

A chill ran through her when she first noticed it.

The fingernails of an ordinary person are like the hidden claws of a fairy or a wild beast, their dark depths hinting at a secret danger.

I once heard Jiang Zhiyu mention that the witchcraft tribe in the southern border region is skilled in using Gu magic. Some even go so far as to feed their bodies to Gu, and over the years, the Gu poison seeps into their muscles and bones, eventually condensing into this black color between their fingernails.

However, such people often do not live long.

Wu Li was certainly not like that. Although he looked somewhat strange, he was full of life, and there was no trace of the impending death in his eyes.

What's more, when Xiaomi was bored on horseback, she loved to play with her husband's nails, sometimes exclaiming, "What cool manicure!"

Although she didn't understand what it meant, judging from Xiaomi's expression, Wu Li's fingernails were definitely not caused by evil energy. Otherwise, how could Xiaomi, who was so timid, not be afraid at all?

Thinking of this, Song Yueyao's concerns lessened somewhat.

"Thank you, then consider it a loan from me."

She took a deep breath, preparing to reach out and take the silver ingot.

But where she can't see—

Beneath the boy's sleeve, on the inside of his forearm, among the five poisonous tattoos, the lightest-colored scorpion faintly glowed with an eerie light.

The dormant lines seemed to come alive, gleaming with an eerie light beneath the skin.

Wu Li lowered his eyes, watching Song Yueyao's hand slowly extend.

Her fingertips were getting closer and closer to the silver coins in his palm; if she moved just half an inch further, she would touch his skin.

Even if it's just for a moment.

This was her initiative in touching him, a perfect opportunity to plant the love potion.

He only needs to remain calm and let her touch him, and the lurking scorpion will silently enter her bloodstream along with the warmth of her fingertips.

Once they arrived at Youquan Town, they retrieved the remaining Gu power from Chai Xiaomi's body and reinjected it into Song Yueyao's body.

Only then will the scorpion be fully returned to its original position, and the love potion will take root completely.

Then he could go to his unfaithful father and complete his final revenge ritual.

Everything was clearly ready.

It was clearly only a hair's breadth away.

Just as Song Yueyao's fingertips were about to touch the edge of the silver ingot, Wu Li abruptly withdrew his hand.

Under Song Yueyao's astonished gaze, he casually tossed the silver ingot into the boss's arms.

The boss didn't react for a moment, and hurriedly shook it a few times before catching it.

Song Yueyao stood frozen in place, her outstretched hand still suspended in mid-air.

She looked at Wu Li, her eyes filled with confusion.

The boy lowered his head, staring blankly at his empty palm.

What's wrong with him?

That was such a rare opportunity.

But why... why did that familiar, overwhelming feeling of nausea suddenly surge up when Song Yueyao's hand was about to touch him?

Just like that night in the brothel, when the woman in the light gauze approached with a seductive smile, her fingertips almost touching his cheek, a sudden feeling of nausea gripped his throat.

He always disliked being touched, but never to this extent.

It was clearly a trap he set for himself, yet he avoided it.

Just now, all he could think about was Chai Xiaomi's delicate, white hand, her fingertips tinged with a faint pink, as if a slight pinch would leave a mark.

It carries a delicate, sweet jasmine fragrance.

A faint, ethereal fragrance drifted in; at that moment, he could even smell the sweet scent that belonged only to her.

It was as if only when her unique, clean, and soft scent lingered around him could the surging unease in his heart gradually subside.

Apart from her, his body seemed to instinctively reject any contact from anyone, even for just a moment.