A moment of showing off, a world of difference between life and death.
Chi Yu hung her head, her breathing light.
That Great Demon still had some Cultivation Base. Its dying roars were infused with True Qi, shaking her entire body and making her feel as if her bones were shattered.
If heaven gave her another chance to start over…
She’d still show off.
Showing off brings momentary pleasure; keep showing off, keep the pleasure coming.
System: “Host, don’t worry, you won’t die.”
“See that chest in the corner opposite you? It’s filled with Spiritual Herbs collected by the Great Demon, along with spiritual medicines plundered from various places. Take one or two, and even shattered bones can be healed.”
Chi Yu let out a long breath, blood still frothing at the corner of her mouth.
She couldn’t even stand steadily, so she could only crawl with effort toward the chest.
But when she reached it, she lacked the strength to open it.
Suddenly, a pair of hands reached over. She instinctively looked up and saw Shen Yanzhou opening the chest.
He was also severely injured. As he picked up the Spiritual Herbs, blood dripped from his arm, his hand trembling slightly, and his breathing was shallow. Yet, he first brought all the Spiritual Herbs to her.
The young man’s face was pale: “Which one can save you?”
His deep eyes gazed at her, worry evident in his gaze, as if he feared she might die.
Meeting that look, Chi Yu suddenly felt a surge of energy.
No, with a handsome guy right in front of her, she couldn’t die.
Especially since this handsome guy was worth ten billion and seemed genuinely concerned about her. If she died now, she’d never rest in peace.
After asking the System which one could save her life, she looked at Shen Yanzhou and spoke weakly: “The blue one.”
Shen Yanzhou then carefully tore off pieces of the Spiritual Herb and fed them into her mouth.
As the juice entered her mouth, Chi Yu felt her entire body’s Meridians repairing themselves. Spiritual Qi gradually returned, and the bleeding from her wounds stopped.
Shen Yanzhou cautiously fed her another Spiritual Herb and a few Spiritual Elixirs. Chi Yu’s complexion gradually regained some color.
Seeing this, he seemed to relax, sitting down beside her and whispering, “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Chi Yu felt a flicker of emotion.
She thought it was the words she had spoken to him earlier that had made Shen Yanzhou care for her so much.
They had already established a good friendship, just waiting for it to evolve into something more.
Little did she know, Shen Yanzhou was thinking nothing of the sort.
He had already decided how to play this lifetime.
Wasn’t Chi Yu here to seduce him?
Then he’d counter-seduce her instead.
From now on, he would be considerate and attentive to her, prioritize her in everything, treat her as the most important person, and protect her at all times.
Over time, Chi Yu would fall in love with him.
After all, she had come here to seduce him in the first place.
Once she fell in love with him, he would personally kill her. She would surely be more despairing than the previous Task Executors.
So, he had to show concern and save her with Spiritual Herbs.
Watching the emotion in her eyes, Shen Yanzhou felt a surge of mockery in his heart.
Who would emerge victorious was already decided at this very moment.
A short while later, Chi Yu regained her vitality, lively and energetic.
Just as she was relieved she didn’t have to die, the System spoke up: “Host, please look back. The male lead is about to breathe his last.”
Startled, she realized Shen Yanzhou seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
Chi Yu: “Holy crap.”
She grabbed a few Spiritual Elixirs and shoved them into his mouth, nearly choking him to death.
A vein throbbed angrily at Shen Yanzhou’s temple.
Are all Task Executors nowadays this rough?
Couldn’t she learn a bit of gentleness from what he had just done?!
Yet he was acting, so he could only swallow his anger and cooperate by taking the Spiritual Elixir, at least to heal his injuries.
Seeing his complexion gradually turn rosy, Chi Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as she turned around, intending to search for any other Spirit Treasures, her sleeve was tugged.
Turning back, she met Shen Yanzhou’s anxious gaze: “Where are you going?”
As if realizing this was inappropriate, he grew flustered, seeming to want to let go of her but instead gripping tighter, murmuring to himself.
“Don’t leave me behind…”
The young man’s lips trembled slightly, as if pleading, yet feeling he didn’t deserve to be cared for, carrying a sense of self-loathing.
Then, his eyes returned to cold indifference and aloofness, his hand slowly loosening.
Having been ostracized since childhood, he was already accustomed to being abandoned.
Chi Yu felt as if her heart was about to melt.
His features were exquisite, yet so fragile, as if on the verge of shattering.
Clearly striving to maintain aloofness, yet revealing a longing for love—this contradictory feeling was utterly captivating.
She reacted almost instantly, grasping his hand as it was about to withdraw: “I won’t leave you behind.”
He seemed stunned, somewhat disbelieving, then steadied himself, holding onto her tightly, the corners of his eyes slightly red as he stared intently at her.
Chi Yu’s breath caught.
Shen Yanzhou took in her reaction completely, appearing fragile on the surface while inwardly sneering.
This woman really fell for this act.
Just as this thought flashed through his mind, he heard her communicating with the System.
“System.”
System: “Hmm?”
She consciously changed her address for him: “If this were modern times, I’d dress Zhouzhou in a white shirt and have him lie on the bed.”
“Then unbutton his shirt, revealing his defined collarbone, slender legs, and lean waist, tie his hands with a necktie, and have him look at me with reddened eyes, powerless to resist, tsk…”
Who could resist that?
Shen Yanzhou: “”
System: “What the hell! Get rid of those dirty thoughts right now!”
Looking at Chi Yu’s gaze, Shen Yanzhou suddenly regretted his earlier act.
Previous Task Executors had all been focused on the mission, paying little attention to his appearance.
But this person before him seemed like a pure pervert.
Hiss, not sure, let’s observe a bit more.
Under the System’s warning, Chi Yu withdrew her gaze.
After calming Shen Yanzhou, she shared a portion of the Spiritual Herbs with the severely injured Cultivators. While they were meditating to recover, she found a Storage Bag and looted all the belongings the Great Demon had accumulated in the cave dwelling.
Watching her pack everything away, the System paused: “Wait, Host, aren’t you going to share these with Shen Yanzhou?”
Previous hosts, upon obtaining Spirit Pills and Miraculous Medicines, would always give them to Shen Yanzhou.
On one hand, to boost his Favorability Level; on the other, to help him improve his Cultivation Base, become an Immortal Emperor sooner, and complete the mission.
Chi Yu thought for a moment, then pulled out a bottle of Spiritual Elixir from the Storage Bag and placed it in the young man’s hand: “This is for you.”
Shen Yanzhou: “”
Wait, just one bottle?
He remembered there were at least fifty bottles of Spiritual Elixir in this Great Demon’s cave dwelling.
Chi Yu grinned, reaching out to pat his head: “From now on, you’ll stick with me. If I have a bite to eat, you’ll have a bowl to wash.”
“…”
He suddenly thought, with someone this stingy, why bother acting? Maybe he should just kill her.
But in the end, he forced a smile: “Alright, I’ll follow you from now on.”
The System was also complaining, but Chi Yu was unapologetic: “My Cultivation Base is higher than his right now. If we encounter danger, I’ll be the one protecting him. So, of course, the good stuff for boosting Cultivation Base should go to me first.”
Otherwise, if she died, what was the point of doing the damn mission?
The System was left speechless.
The Cultivators who had consumed the Spiritual Herbs had also regained their vitality and now looked at Chi Yu with a hint of awe.
Their mission to hunt down the demon was not only to rid the people of a threat but also to obtain the Demon Core.
A Demon Core could aid in cultivation and advancement.
This Great Demon was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, so its Demon Core was extremely valuable.
However, it was Chi Yu who had slain it, and she had just saved them.
Moreover, they didn’t know she had relied on a System item to kill the Great Demon. They thought she was a master and didn’t dare act presumptuously, so they settled for taking a few Spiritual Herbs.
As everyone left the cave, Chi Yu paused at the foot of the mountain and thought for a moment. “Everyone, I won’t be traveling with you. Farewell for now.”
Seeing her like this, a Cultivator in green robes couldn’t hold back any longer: “Fellow Daoist, what did you mean in the cave when you said you were here to offer yourself as a sacrifice for someone?”
They had wanted to ask about this earlier.
Chi Yu had been waiting for this question. Her expression turned sorrowful and pained: “To be honest, I am a concubine-born daughter of the Chi family.”
“Before coming to Yao Mountain, my father told my mother that this place was very dangerous. Shu Yun is the hope of the Chi family. Her talent is better than mine, so she shouldn’t risk her life. That’s why I came in her place.”
As she spoke, a tear fell.
The Cultivators’ eyes filled with sympathy, never expecting the head of the Chi family to be so ruthless toward his own daughter.
Chi Yu seemed to remember something and hurriedly wiped her tears: “Please pretend you never heard these words. Before I left, my father warned me not to let any of you know.”
The Cultivators were stunned, and after a moment, anger surged in their hearts.
What a cunning plan by the head of the Chi family—sending an ordinary concubine-born daughter as a sacrifice while expecting them to risk their lives!
Seeing their grim expressions, Chi Yu bit her lip: “My father definitely didn’t look down on you or think you would all die here. He just couldn’t bear to let Shu Yun come…”
The Cultivators grew even angrier.
If he hadn’t looked down on them or doubted them, why would there be a need for someone to offer themselves as a sacrifice?
As their expressions grew increasingly dark, Chi Yu comforted them a few more words and added that she didn’t want to go home.
The Cultivators felt great sympathy for her and immediately assured her they wouldn’t interfere.
They were in a hurry to return and settle the score with the head of the Chi family.
After they left, Chi Yu gloated with delight.
The Chi family was in for trouble now. The bigger the fuss these people made, the better.
She turned to Shen Yanzhou: “From now on, we’re good friends.”
Shen Yanzhou hesitated but nodded.
Just as Chi Yu was about to lead him away, he suddenly stopped: “I want to return to Shen Family Village.”