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

The sun doesn't shine on you every day.

Sometimes it's shrouded in clouds and mist, sometimes it's pouring rain.

Unable to take her out, he had to do other things.

After setting up a barrier around the room, Wu Li turned around and returned to the battlefield.

The chaotic open fields in front of the city gates had long been cleared away, and the city was gradually returning to its lively state.

Yet, even in the torrential rain, a solitary figure remained, searching inch by inch for something.

Under the gloomy sky, it resembled a wandering soul that refused to leave.

Wu Li held a multicolored stone in his hand, pieced together from countless fragments. It was just one last piece away from being complete. But despite his best efforts, he could not find that final fragment.

In the distance, under an oil-paper umbrella, Jiang Zhiyu frowned as he gazed at the figure in the rain.

"Master, what exactly is Wu Li going to do?"

He looked at the soaking wet boy, kneeling in the mud in a sorry state. The torrential rain had turned his dark hair into clumps that stuck haphazardly to his cheeks and forehead, with water droplets constantly dripping down his hair. His ten fingers were deeply embedded in the mud, his fingernails filled with black mud, as if he wanted to turn the whole earth upside down.

There wasn't a trace of sadness on that face.

Even so, he still wore that same indifferent expression as always.

It's too peaceful.

It was unusually calm.

Since Xiaomi left, Wu Li hasn't shed a single tear.

It's as if she's still alive.

On ordinary days, when he runs into him and his master, he still habitually makes a few sarcastic remarks, sometimes with a wicked smile on his face, his tone still as cheeky as ever, his eyebrows still raised as always, as if nothing has changed.

But the more this happened, the more Jiang Zhiyu felt a tightness in his chest.

He suddenly remembered something Xiaomi had once told him.

When she said that, her eyes were curved in a smile, and her tone carried a hint of helplessness, but mostly gentleness:

"Yu-ge, Li-li, he's just like everyone else. The words he wants to say always turn out hurtful; he's clearly upset inside, but he still has a smile on his face. He's just that kind of stubborn guy, so please be more tolerant of him."

The white cat, its tail drooping, lay listlessly on Jiang Zhiyu's shoulder: "It's all because your master is incompetent and couldn't break that magic array, otherwise we wouldn't be in this situation now..."

The magic artifact's formation was interrupted midway, resulting in the deaths of Xiao Mi and the treacherous villain, while Wu Li survived thanks to his immortal body.

The moment the white cat saw Wu Li desperately trying to restore the Illusionary Stone, it knew what he was going to do.

It sighed, jumped to the ground, turned around, took a few steps, and silently raised its paw to rub the damp white fur under its eye.

"Silly children... two silly children, walking the same path for each other. So be it, this old man can't interfere anymore, let him have his wish."

As the claws were lowered, a faint light condensed in the palm.

"The previous youth-preserving pills were all a bit lacking. Go and get this one for him."

Jiang Zhiyu accepted the pill that floated down from the sky.

He looked up and saw only the white cat's trembling figure walking away into the distance, as if it had aged a lot overnight. Raindrops pelted its white fur, pressing it flat and wrinkled against its skin and bones, making every step difficult.

This appearance is exactly the same as Yao Yao's.

By day, she devoted herself to state affairs, caring deeply for the people, always dignified and impeccable. Yet one night, in the stillness of the night, he stood quietly outside her bedchamber and could hear suppressed sobs coming from within.

They all cried for Xiaomi's passing.

But only Wu Li was smiling.

As he handed over the pills, he even lazily chuckled, "Senior brother, you're really free, aren't you? You even have time to come over and enjoy the rain?"

*

In the dead of night, when no one was watching, that smile could not last any longer.

As usual, Wu Li brought over flower petal water, wrung out a towel, and gently and carefully wiped the girl's body and washed her face.

He suddenly remembered the youth-preserving pill Jiang Zhiyu had given him, so he used his spiritual power to transfer it into her body.

A moment later, her torso seemed to soften a little.

He continued to wipe her down.

As he brushed his left hand, he was about to move away when he suddenly froze.

The tightly clenched fist suddenly loosened on its own.

His fingers were loosely clenched, and through the gaps, a faint glimmer of light flickered in his palm.

Faint, yet clear.

He stared blankly, holding his breath.

Carefully, he opened her fingers one by one.

Within that soft palm lay a fragment of a iridescent stone.

It was tiny, almost embedded in the lines of her palm.

"So, you hid it all along."

He suddenly scoffed and let out a ridiculous laugh.

He held that hand, his back bending down little by little, forming a bow, until his forehead touched her cold fingertips, and he curled up on the ground.

The bloodshot eyes were broken and fragmented.

He tried to smile, but his tears betrayed his emotions, telling of his heart-wrenching longing.

The cold moonlight shone in, falling on his violently trembling shoulders, outlining his thin frame with a sense of loneliness and desolation.

The boy buried his face in his knees, his suppressed sobs turning into desperate cries.

Like a young animal abandoned in the wilderness, no one can take him back.

*

"Hello, host. Please respond if you hear me."

Chai Xiaomi struggled to open her eyes and found herself floating in a pure white light. Countless images flashed around her like a carousel, moving too fast to capture.

"Who are you?" she asked.

It was the same mechanical voice, but she could tell it wasn't the voice of a fried dough stick.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Soy Milk, temporarily filling in for my colleague. I'm happy to inform you that your mission to save the storyline in the book has been successfully completed. The system will teleport you back to your world in ten minutes."

Chai Xiaomi was stunned for a moment: "I...I already died, didn't I?"

The soy milk remained silent for a moment.

It recalled what had happened at the system headquarters half an hour earlier.

At that time, it had just led its male host to dominate the novel, with the host's combat power skyrocketing like a rocket, reaching the T0 tier in just a few dungeons. Who could blame it for having so many points? From the system shop, it could buy any pay-to-win skills, god-level bloodlines, and supreme cultivation techniques it fancied, easily creating a killer combo with a few points.

Back at headquarters, I heard from other systems that You Tiao had fallen into a state of depression after his host died due to a failed mission.

It had intended to make a good laugh at the youtiao, but it was the first time it had ever seen youtiao cry so sadly.

Soy Milk suddenly felt embarrassed and started joking: "Hey cop, isn't failure just a regular occurrence for you? How many hosts have you sent away? What's there to cry about?"

Fried Dough Stick: "You don't know anything! Waaaaah! It was my friend who died! A friend! Not the host!"

Just then, an urgent notice came from headquarters—returning fried dough sticks to work.

This has never happened at headquarters before.

The host who had died had been resurrected!

Even more outrageous is that he was resurrected by the villain, and the notification showed that the villain used his own life to bring back the host!

Soy milk repeatedly checked the information on the headquarters screen, utterly bewildered.

However, the fried dough sticks didn't return to their original position; instead, they asked the soy milk to take over.

Youtiao used all his remaining points to exchange for a "Character Resurrection Card" in the system shop, which could be used on the villain in the book.

Soy milk remained completely bewildered upon seeing this.

But then You Tiao said with relief, "I promised Xiaomi I'd prepare a powerful move for her, and now it's time to use it. In a sense, the villain has already died once, so reviving him now means he won't be forcibly killed off by the plot again."

Soy milk remained silent for a long time before finally managing to ask, "What serious illness do you have?"

Youtiao: "You don't know anything! In my long digital life, this is the first time a host has genuinely treated me as a friend, instead of using me as a tool to serve humanity. Of course, I'll help my friend with what they want to accomplish."

......

Upon hearing this, Chai Xiaomi was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information.

She asked, "Didn't you say that the ultimate move could only be used once?"

Soy Milk grumbled speechlessly: "This guy has been watching too much 'The Little Monster of Langlang Mountain,' thinking he can only use his ultimate move once in his life. Does he think he's the Monkey King? His points are already pitifully low, yet he still insists on playing the hero. A system without points will be destroyed."

"Youtiao asked me to pass on a message—the villain is still alive, don't worry, Xiaomi! You're welcome, bye-bye!"