The male supporting character was actually myself.

As night fell again, the three of them huddled in He Yongqiang's house, which was in disarray except for a few intact rooms. The silence was filled with tension, excitement, unease, and a touch of fear.

"Mother, what did you say to that crazy old woman who summons the Weasel spirit? Is she reliable?" In the darkness, He Yongqiang asked in a low, trembling voice, "What if she's lying to us?"

Qian Shuandi huddled at the back of the kang (heated brick bed) and replied in a muffled voice, "She said it doesn't work and she won't pay. Stabbing someone with a voodoo doll is the fastest way to get results, but it's not fatal."

We're just waiting to see if He Jiangchen suddenly falls seriously ill tomorrow.

If she's sick, it means the crazy woman is reliable. We can just wait for He Jiangchen to kick the bucket and take over that courtyard.

If she's healthy and as lively as she is today, then she's just a crazy woman bragging, and we don't need to pay her a single penny!

"Is that crazy woman coming tomorrow?"

"Well, we agreed that she would pay after seeing results, so she has to see it for herself."

Silence fell once again in the pitch-black room.

"The magician really works, doesn't he? Things have been quiet at home ever since he performed the ritual today," He Gousheng muttered. "Why don't you go stay on the mountain for a while, Qiangzi?"

He Yongqiang immediately objected, "No! If you're scared, why don't you go live in the mountains? There's no place like home, I'm not going anywhere!"

"Sigh... If you don't go, we might not even be able to keep a few houses..."

Her husband's sigh triggered Qian Shuandi's heartbreak—the family had lost everything and was now drowning in debt. How were they going to survive? They had saved up for so many years, and it was all gone in just three or four days. Just thinking about it made her heart bleed.

"Son, you should take a nap first, and then find a chance to go to He Jiangchen's house later and take care of his wife first." She whispered, giving a bad suggestion. "Be smart then, and see if the crazy woman has succeeded."

Don't be too hasty and let him find out again!

As long as He Jiangchen doesn't find out, his wife, with her tiny waist and big butt (and no) bottom, is definitely not going to be a match for him. You'd better hurry up and get her to leave you an heir these next few days. You still have to go up the mountain, otherwise if she causes any more trouble, you might lose your life!

He Yongqiang was very resistant to going to the Taoist temple for spiritual cultivation. He sensed that his parents wanted to kick him out as a nuisance, which filled him with resentment. However, he dared not vent his anger on his fierce parents, and could only silently curse in his heart, "May He Jiangchen die soon," and "I want to rape that pretty woman He Jiangchen..."

"They're here!" In the flickering candlelight, Jiang Chen and his wife, a young couple who had just finished dinner, were sitting facing each other reading. The little white cat, which had been perched on its host's shoulder, perked up and stared excitedly in a certain direction, its fluffy ears twitching.

Jiang Chen looked up but obviously didn't see anything.

"It's a curse, hmm, let me see!" The fluffy ball nimbly jumped over and pounced with its paws, pressing down on a black mist that was wriggling like an insect. "Host, this is a curse enhanced by the protagonist's wicked mind."

It seems He Yongqiang really wants you dead. A curse that isn't very powerful normally would at most give you a serious illness, but with He Yongqiang's high expectations, its power is much greater.

"Ha, engaging in such selfish and harmful activities, do you really think my cute little kitten is just for decoration?"

With that, it slapped its paw hard, scattering the struggling black mist.

The little white cat patted its paws and licked them triumphantly, saying, "Don't worry, host, I've taken care of it. The scoundrel will suffer the consequences."

The amulet the bug gave you is somewhat useful; it can protect you from harm, but it's nowhere near as effective as the kitten's, and it can even make the bug turn on you!

It jumped onto its host's shoulder, purring proudly, "I want to eat sweet and sour fish and braised pork knuckle!"

Jiang Chen smiled and gave it an OK sign, mouthing "Great job!"

The fluffy dumpling jumped for joy after receiving the praise. Just as a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere filled the space between the person and the system, the main system's notification suddenly sounded.

[Mission: Go out for a walk with your dog alone for at least twenty minutes and return, leaving Liao Yuzhou at home to wait. Reward: One-time use B-grade item x1]

Chapter Fifty: Plan Hindered

Upon hearing the mission details, the little white cat was furious. "The main system is going too far! It's one thing to deliberately make my host go out to create opportunities for the protagonist, but to give such a terrible mission and only a B-grade item?"

Does the main system really not care about being cuckolded?!

"No, I have to file a complaint! The task and the reward are completely mismatched!"

The puffed-up little ball of fluff was busy writing reports and complaints, while Jiang Chen slowly got up and instructed Liao Yuzhou, "I'm going out to walk Big Yellow and relax a bit. Remember to lock the doors and windows when you're home."

"Going to walk the dog now?" Liao Yuzhou couldn't help but feel strange and looked outside at the already dark sky. Although the moonlight was good and the wind was cool on summer nights, it was obviously past the time for enjoying the cool air. Why did he suddenly want to walk the dog at this time?

Is something on your mind?

Unable to fathom her husband's thoughts, she obediently nodded and instructed, "It's chilly outside, so wear more clothes and come back early."

"Okay." Before leaving, Jiang Chen glanced at the fluffy ball of fur, which waved its little paws confidently and said, "Don't worry, host, I'll keep a close eye on you for the next twenty minutes and make sure He Yongqiang doesn't take advantage of your wife!"

The Horcrux was ready and waiting for He Yongqiang to take the bait. He whistled, called Da Huang, and went out, making sure to make his big iron gate clang loudly.

Sure enough, He Yongqiang, who was eagerly anticipating getting his hands on a beautiful woman and was having impure thoughts, immediately went to the window to look outside as soon as he heard the sound of the big iron gate.

When he saw He Jiangchen leading the yellow dog into the fields, he was overjoyed!

"Father, Mother, this is a golden opportunity! I've noticed that this kid goes out for ages whenever he walks the dog." He Yongqiang hurriedly got off the kang (heated brick bed), fumbled for his shoes in the dark, and said impatiently, "By the time he comes back, I'll have already succeeded!"

He Gousheng was still a little worried and asked in a low voice, "Why does He Jiangchen not seem sick to me? What if he comes back..."

"What are you afraid of? If the two of us help keep an eye on him and we go up against him together, we can't beat him!" Qian Shuandi sneered. "He married a beautiful woman but he's never home at night. If someone takes advantage of the situation, who can he blame?"

Maybe the crazy woman hasn't even made a move yet.

If he happens to fall ill in the middle of nowhere, that would be perfect; he could die out there and no one would know, and Qiangzi could just sleep with his wife. A lonely woman from out of town, doing something like seducing her brother-in-law—if word got out, she'd be drowned in a pig cage! She wouldn't dare disobey!

"The people will be ours, the house and all the money will be ours!"

Already driven by lust, He Yongqiang didn't care about anything else. His mind was filled with the captivating beauty next door, whose every smile and gesture was mesmerizing. He slipped on his shoes and dashed out. Once in the yard, the cool breeze made his small brain think for a moment.

"No, we can't go in through the main gate. Their big iron gate is a bit too noisy. He Jiangchen hasn't gone far yet; if he hears the noise, he'll turn around and come back."

Almost instantly, He Yongqiang decided to go over from the roof.

After finishing the business, return the same way you came, without anyone noticing!

Having made up his mind, He Yongqiang excitedly climbed up the ladder to his own roof in a few quick movements and bent down to reach the neighbor's house.

"Let's take a gamble, what if it works?" Qian Shuandi's palms were sweaty as she comforted herself in a low voice, "Anyway, if it doesn't work, there's no loss, but if it does, our family will be rich immediately."

He Gousheng nodded as he listened to the muffled footsteps on the roof in the darkness. "Go all in. If you win, you have everything. If you lose, it's just a few words of argument, no big deal. Let's just give up."

"Gudong! Gudong!"

Suddenly, heavy footsteps sounded on the roof. Liao Yuzhou, who had just locked the door and was about to go to sleep, was startled. He quickly pulled out an awl used for sewing shoe soles from under his pillow, sat up alertly, and kept his eyes and ears open.

Having been harassed by Wu Jiande from time to time, she had become accustomed to thinking about how to protect herself as her first priority.

Who could be the visitor?

A thief? Or... The image of He Yongqiang's shifty eyes as he peeked at her flashed through her mind. The two houses were very close and she could easily jump over them.

But Jiang Chen had gone out to walk the dog, and neither the man nor the dog who could keep the uninvited guest away were home, and it was unknown when they would be back. What should she do?

"Meow, don't be nervous or scared. With my soft and cute little kitten here, I guarantee no one can hurt you!" The fluffy ball of fur perched on her shoulder, full of confidence.

Liao Yuzhou's heart pounded nervously. He took the awl and groped around in the dark. The door latch was firmly in place, and the other end was locked with an iron lock. Unless he smashed the entire wooden door, he would definitely not be able to get in.

The windows were locked from the inside, and she curled up in the corner, trying not to make a sound.

"Damn it! Is He Jiangchen crazy? How come there isn't even a ladder in the house?!" He Yongqiang hopped and skipped all the way to the roof of the house in the neighboring yard, but after circling around, he couldn't find a ladder to get down from the roof, and couldn't help but curse inwardly.

But he felt it was too much trouble to go back and come in through the main gate. What if He Jiangchen came back soon?

Every minute wasted is a minute less of fun!

Driven by an intense, burning impulse, He Yongqiang glanced at the not-so-high rooftop, gritted his teeth, and simply jumped into the yard!

"Gudong!"

A louder sound came from outside the window, and Liao Yuzhou's heart skipped a beat; he didn't even dare to breathe.

At this moment, He Yongqiang was very proud. Fortunately, he was always running around playing, climbing trees, jumping over walls and never backing down. When it came down to it, he came in handy.

He knew the village custom—married couples would live in the best-located east-facing room.

Therefore, He Jiangchen and his wife's new room must be the room on the east side. He imagined the beautiful girl's fragrant bed in his mind, tiptoed to the window, dipped his finger in saliva, poked a hole in the window paper, and peeked into the room.

"Huh? Why is it so dark and I can't see anything?" He Yongqiang found it strange and poked it in again, only to have his finger blocked by something cold!

Damn it!

Aren't all the windows in our homes covered with a layer of paper?

What on earth did He Jiangchen do?!

Liao Yuzhou's heart was pounding with anxiety. Fortunately, her husband had decorated the new house very well, installing bright new glass windows and blackout curtains. Otherwise, the culprits might have been able to see exactly what was inside.

Seeing the protagonist's predicament, the little white cat covered its mouth and chuckled secretly, "Hehehe, my host's attention to detail is impeccable! This way, even if you wanted to break through the window paper and stick your hand in to open the latch, you wouldn't be able to!"

When the first plan was thwarted, He Yongqiang felt a surge of anger.

He held his breath, pulled a folding knife from his pocket, walked to the doorway, and used the blade to weave the latch, slowly moving it to the other side.

This is a common tactic used by thieves. He Yongqiang honed his skills by outsmarting his own mother to open the door and steal meat. The old-fashioned door latch was simply a wooden stick used to bolt the two doors together. As long as there was a gap in the middle, a sharp tool could be used to wedge the latch and slowly move it until it was finally opened.

However, his plan only went halfway through when the large iron lock on the door latch got stuck and he couldn't move it anymore!

Damn it, why is it so difficult to even get into a room?!

He Yongqiang swallowed hard and whispered into the house, "Wife, it's me! Open the door, I'll show you something fun!"

Chapter Fifty-One: Help!

The little white cat was stunned by his clumsy attempt, staring wide-eyed and meowing, "That's it? Such a half-hearted impersonation?"

But as a dazzling protagonist's halo descends, it's clear that the female lead's intelligence is being lowered!

The fluffy little dumpling quickly jumped up and squatted on Liao Yuzhou's head, like a furry hat to help block the influence of the protagonist's halo.

For a moment, Liao Yuzhou was stunned. He thought it was very likely that He Jiangchen wanted to consummate the marriage with him but was too embarrassed to say it directly. After all, he had refused at first, so he came up with a crooked idea to tease him and get things done at the same time...

But in that instant, she immediately realized what was happening and pinched herself, cursing inwardly: Liao Yuzhou, how shameless are you! Are you so eager to think about that kind of thing?

How could a gentleman like Jiang Chen possibly engage in crooked practices?

If he really wanted you, he would be honest with you instead of jumping off the roof in the middle of the night to break into your house!

You have no self-respect at all. A grown woman like you, thinking about sleeping with other men all the time, even when a thief breaks into your house, you still think about that kind of thing...

Having escaped the protagonist's halo and its brain-draining effects, Liao Yuzhou gripped the awl in his hand, listened to the chaotic footsteps outside the window, and silently prayed that Jiang Chen would come back soon!

"Wife, come open the door!" He Yongqiang was trembling with anxiety, trying to imitate He Jiangchen's voice to trick her into opening the door.

No matter what they said, the room remained completely silent, as if no one was inside.

Damn it, we can't waste any more time!

With his brain throbbing and blood rushing to his head, He Yongqiang made a desperate move, grabbed half a brick from the ground, and smashed it against the window. With a loud crack, a hole was smashed in the glass behind the largest window pane.