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

"His body is dirty; it's disgusting!"

The tree spirit's voice carried a hint of anger, its words laced with disdain: "So young, yet already engaging in such sordid acts; the world is going to the dogs!"

Chai Xiaomi was stunned for a moment, and then a nameless anger suddenly surged to the top of her head.

This old monster eats people and yet she's so picky? She's always loved cleanliness, but after living here, she's been covered in dirt and grime. She's finally managed to take a bath, which is already frustrating enough, and yet she's being called "dirty"?!

Although she understood that the tree spirit had something else in mind, the word "dirty" was like a thorn, piercing deep into Chai Xiaomi's heart. She completely broke down, forgetting even her fear, her eyes wide open, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and whose fur had stood on end.

"You're the filthy one, your whole family is filthy! You old monster, you've lived to such an old age and still don't know how to maintain personal hygiene, you don't even take a bath, no wonder the branches are rotting and smelly, the bark is oozing sap, and you still have the nerve to complain about others?!" Chai Xiaomi's voice almost cracked from shouting, "I hate unhygienic, slovenly things like you the most! Bah!"

Despite her fierce verbal abuse, her body betrayed her true intentions, shrinking even closer into Wu Li's embrace, her hands gripping his clothes tightly as if she wanted to embed herself within him, while warily watching for any cunning branches that might sprout from their surroundings.

Wu Li was taken aback by her sudden outburst. She was clearly more timid than a mouse, and was now trembling and shaking against him, but she had quite a temper.

He couldn't help but recall the past few days, all those little things—getting angry when teased, getting angry when someone accidentally saw her body, getting angry even when he hung out the laundry for her. So many things…

In all his life, he had never seen a woman who was more prone to anger than her. Could it be that all girls in the Central Plains were like this?

Now that she had been insulted by this monster, she was so angry that her face turned blue and purple, and her bright almond-shaped eyes widened even more, as if two small flames were crackling inside.

Wu Li lowered his head, his gaze falling on her face, which was particularly vivid with anger.

So she really hates dirt.

No wonder she was frowning the past few days, and only became happy like a butterfly when she changed into clean clothes. It seemed that taking a bath was her top priority.

Especially when she saw filth, the disgust in her eyes almost overflowed.

If... if she saw him as a child, crawling in the mud drinking foul water, fighting with dogs for food, his body gnawed by Gu worms until his flesh was a bloody mess and his bones were visible, yet he couldn't die, with rotten new flesh repeatedly growing from his rotting flesh... how disgusted she would be?

Like everyone else, I imagine they would cover their noses, vomit, and curse incessantly.

Wu Li's eyes darkened, and the scattered points of light in his heterochromatic, glass-like eyes seemed to shatter and fall silent.

A sudden warmth spread across my face.

He snapped out of his reverie, his gaze slowly lowering.

Suddenly, Chai Xiaomi cupped his face in her hands, tilting her little face up and smiling at him.

Those eyes were clear as water, sparkling, like a little daisy stubbornly emerging from withered branches, fallen leaves, and rotten mud, radiating a fresh and vibrant life, as if it could shine brilliantly with just a little sunshine, pure and lively.

"Forget it," she said seriously, each word clear and distinct, "you old monster, no matter how you wash, you can't get clean! You can cut off rotten branches, but if the roots are completely rotten, there's no saving you."

She paused, then gently pulled Wu Li's face closer to hers, her smile radiant: "Unlike my husband, even if a pearl is temporarily covered in dust, a little polishing reveals it to be a perfectly beautiful pearl!"

Wu Li froze, staring blankly at the smiling face so close to his.

The girl's voice was uniquely crisp, yet it also carried a deliberately softened gentleness. Like small pebbles, it landed precisely on the most tranquil corner of his heart, creating ripples that he himself was unaware of.

He slowly raised his hand, his large palm covering the back of her hand that was cupping his cheek. His fingertips casually brushed over the lifelike scorpion tattoo on the back of her hand, lingering for a brief moment.

Chai Xiaomi felt a slight burning sensation on the tattooed area on the back of her hand, along with a stinging pain similar to when she was stung.

Suddenly, her chin was gently grasped by two slightly cool fingers, and her face was lifted up a little.

Caught off guard, they stumbled into Wu Li's eerie eyes, which were leaning closer, as if they had fallen into a dreamlike sea of ​​stars, but deep within this sea of ​​stars lay an intense, unyielding gloom and darkness.

"Then how do you know what's inside the pearl after it's been cut open?" His expression was calm, his voice low and slow, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Perhaps it's dirtier than the dust covering it, rotten to the core, and stinks so badly that you'd want to vomit just looking at it."

Knowing full well that the "sweet words" she uttered were mostly driven by a love potion, he still insisted on being so aggressive, almost self-destructive, in an attempt to tear away that facade.

Instead of loosening her grip on his clothes, Chai Xiaomi pulled them forcefully to the sides.

The boy's delicate collarbone was suddenly exposed to the cool air, and his skin gleamed with a cold, white sheen in the dim light.

"Isn't that easy?" She blinked, her tone light. "You can peel it open and let me see how dirty and rotten it is inside. I need to see it with my own eyes to know if it can still be cleaned up."

"You!" Wu Li grabbed her mischievous hand, speechless for a moment.

Chai Xiaomi smiled, her eyes crinkling like a little fox who had just stolen some fish. Since he insisted on trying to put her in a difficult position, she decided to play by her own rules.

"Husband~~ don't be so stingy! We're like family, let me see what's wrong?" She dragged out her words, her voice sweet and cloying, calling him "husband" so smoothly, deliberately teasing him.

"Oh my, we even have a 'baby' now, what are you still shy about?"

"Huh? Husband, why is your face so red? Your ears are red too... Do you have a fever?"

Wu Li felt an urge to kill, but was suppressed by some unfamiliar emotion. He pursed his thin lips and ultimately did nothing.

......

"Enough—!!!"

The tree spirit let out a furious roar that echoed throughout the pavilion, the sound reverberating in all directions.

The surrounding walls, floors, and beams seemed to come alive, with countless thick, gnarled, dark brown vines and branches bursting out of the wood, their surfaces covered with strange, uneven patterns, like the veins of some living thing.

The air instantly became thick, damp, and cold, filled with a strong, rotten smell.

The banana spirit was already annoyed by the girl's barrage of disdain and ridicule, but to her surprise, the girl started flirting with her young master in a clingy manner, oblivious to everyone else.

A figure emerged from the deepest shadows of the Drum Tower, staggering out in an extremely strange posture.

His gait was stiff, and his joints seemed extremely uncoordinated.

As the figure drew closer, Chai Xiaomi could barely make out that it was none other than the clan chief of the Ribai clan, Qi Lao!

The two sections of his legs that were exposed below the hem of his clothes looked like branches, no wonder his walk looked so strange.

Youtiao's analysis came at the opportune moment: "The real Qilao should have died long ago. The current Qilao is a banana spirit in disguise. This demon is hermaphroditic, and to permanently become a purely female body, it must devour one hundred virgins. No wonder it marries so many brides; it wants them to be both beautiful and virgins."

"I was hoping to enjoy my food in peace here, but you've ruined my plans! Tonight, none of you are leaving!"

Qi Lao's face was distorted, and as he spoke, the skin on his face was wrinkled and looked as if it might fall off at any moment.

Chai Xiaomi immediately pressed, "What about the other two?"

Naturally, she was referring to Jiang Zhiyu and Song Yueyao, whom she hadn't seen since she stepped into the Drum Tower.

"Those two? Let them linger in the illusion a little longer for now." The banana spirit's gaze was fixed on Wu Li's handsome yet cold face with great interest. "This handsome young man is quite capable. Over the years, I've seen all sorts of Taoist magicians and sorcerers, but you're the only one who hasn't entered my illusion."

"Her appearance suits my taste. I only need to consume two more virgins to become a woman and remain young forever. It seems you have little interest in your wife."

"Why don't you come with me?"

The banana spirit, with Qi Lao's aged face, uttered these extremely incongruous remarks.