Chu Chu Is Quite Displeased

Chapter 8

He Yunxiao stood with his hands behind his back against the wall of the secluded courtyard behind Spring Breeze Tower. This place was shielded by the three massive buildings of Spring Breeze Tower and was quite a distance from the bustling street. It was said that this area was the private property of the owner of Spring Breeze Tower. He Yunxiao was unaware of the specifics, but it had been unlit and rarely visited for years.

The moonlight quietly cast the shadows of trees and people at the same angle, while a gentle breeze rustled the leaves continuously. He Yunxiao watched the swaying shadows on the ground and the hazy lights of Spring Breeze Tower in the distant night. Suddenly, he felt as if he had been transported to another world. 

Not long ago, he had been an ordinary worker, living a routine life: working to get off work, and then resting to prepare for the next day’s work. Though mundane, he found joy in the repetition. If not for Chu Xiaoxiao, the Soul-Devouring Pill, and his entanglements with the protagonist, what would he have done as the son of a marquis? He had no grand ambitions, merely planning to marry a few beautiful wives and live a stable life.

[T/N- "merely" "few"😑]

He Yunxiao was very candid about his lustfulness. Was it wrong for him to want a beautiful, gentle, and virtuous wife? Selfishly desiring for oneself is shortsighted. His lustfulness was for the benefit of all people! The idea of "sharing beauty for universal harmony" encapsulated this philosophy. 

Moved by this thought, He Yunxiao, standing with his hands behind his back, felt a surge of passion, compelling him to take action. He turned around, just in time to see Chu Xiaoxiao arriving as expected.

This was a story where idealism was defeated by reality. He Yunxiao swiftly transformed into a sycophant, standing at attention before the unparalleled and regal Chu Xiaoxiao. He abandoned all pretenses of dignity, keeping his hands still and eyes steady. After all, this was a dangerous character who would kill anyone who dared to touch her.

"Boss Xiao! I have something to tell you..."

A dangerous aura emanated from Chu Xiaoxiao.

"Who gave you permission to call me that?"

He Yunxiao was taken aback. He couldn't call her by her name directly or address her as the protagonist did with "Xiaoxiao," could he?

"Then how should I address you?"

"Whatever you like."

Damn, was this the ultimate test? When a girl says "whatever," it means "say whatever you want, but only what satisfies me will be acceptable."

He Yunxiao's scalp tingled. He feared that another wrong word would result in Chu Xiaoxiao ringing her bell and bringing pain upon him. Though his resistance to poison had improved and the pain from the Soul-Devouring Pill was no longer unbearable, as a normal person, he preferred to avoid pain whenever possible.

"Miss Chu?" he ventured.

Chu Xiaoxiao closed her eyes.

Oh no! "Whatever" was the wrong answer!

"Miss Xiao? Beautiful Xiao? Master Chu? Esteemed Chu? Sister Xiao?..."

*Ding!* 

Chu Xiaoxiao couldn't even be bothered to move her hand and simply shook her bell. This time it was not a warning but a punishment!

The bell rang continuously, and the relentless pain made He Yunxiao collapse to the ground, his back arched in agony.

"Ah! Beautiful Xiao, I was wrong..."

He Yunxiao immediately begged for mercy. Chu Xiaoxiao frowned slightly; the sight of He Yunxiao pleading seemed particularly displeasing to her.

╠Chu Xiaoxiao's favorability decreased from 30 to 10╣

Damn, he had forgotten that she admired men who embraced the "don't underestimate a young man" spirit.

Quickly changing his approach, He Yunxiao shouted, "Chu Xiaoxiao! Don't push me too far. Though I am at fault, your relentless torment is against all that is righteous. Heaven and earth will not tolerate such injustice!"

"The strong dictate the world; the weak appeal to their righteousness."

"Good deeds are rewarded, and evil deeds are punished. Those who commit too many injustices will meet their end!"

"Instead of pleading to the heavens, you should beg me."

Chu Xiaoxiao looked at He Yunxiao, who was lying on the ground. She squatted down and extended her delicate hand to him.

The bell stopped ringing, and He Yunxiao could move freely again.

"As long as you become my dog, I will give you the antidote for the Soul-Devouring Pill," Chu Xiaoxiao said, her palm facing downward with her fingers naturally hanging. This wasn’t a gesture for a handshake but an order for He Yunxiao to bow down and lick her hand like a dog.

Looking at her delicate fingers, He Yunxiao actually didn’t mind. With flexible enough morals, no rules could bind him. But he wasn’t a fool. If he really did that, Chu Xiaoxiao would undoubtedly chop off his head on the spot.

With determined eyes, He Yunxiao slowly crawled towards Chu Xiaoxiao's outstretched hand.

╠Chu Xiaoxiao's favorability decreased from 10 to 5╣

"Will you really give me the antidote?" He Yunxiao asked in a low voice.

Without wasting words, Chu Xiaoxiao threw out a pill. He Yunxiao caught it, not questioning its authenticity, and placed it in his mouth, pretending to chew while secretly keeping the chewed remains in his mouth.

Then, he brought his face close to her jade-like hand.

╠Chu Xiaoxiao's favorability decreased from 5 to 1╣

To avoid arousing suspicion, He Yunxiao did not use any internal energy. He took a moment to prepare, then suddenly bit down on Chu Xiaoxiao's hand with all his might.

No matter how invincible her martial arts were, she was still a delicate girl when bitten.

Knowing Chu Xiaoxiao's unparalleled martial arts prowess, He Yunxiao showed no mercy and bit down hard. His teeth pierced her skin, and blood instantly appeared. The residual poison from the chewed pill in his mouth began to corrode Chu Xiaoxiao's skin.

He Yunxiao had never believed that a villain like Chu Xiaoxiao would truly give him an antidote. This twisted woman cared for no one except Chu Fan. If he hadn't been somewhat useful, she would have killed him long ago.

Chu Xiaoxiao, deserving of her reputation as the pinnacle of martial arts, reacted instantly. Her other hand struck He Yunxiao's abdomen hard. She quickly used her internal energy to expel the pill's poison from her skin.

The bleeding stopped quickly, but He Yunxiao's bite marks remained. The skin was severely corroded, and the bite marks were deep and ugly. Though it could be healed, it would take time and effort. For the first time, this indifferent woman frowned.

╠Chu Xiaoxiao's favorability increased from 1 to 20╣

Despite being heavily struck by Chu Xiaoxiao, He Yunxiao managed to stand up again. Thanks to the life force overdraft from the Soul-Devouring Pill, his body recovered quickly.

"If you kill me now, all our efforts against Chu Fan and Du Yinyun will be in vain," he said.

"Are you threatening me?" Chu Xiaoxiao covered her injured hand with a thin veil from her outer garment, her expression still cold.

Seeing that she had no intention of attacking again, He Yunxiao felt relieved. He had figured out Chu Xiaoxiao's temperament: she was like a cat that liked to get riled up. Her claws must always be on top, and she had to be fiercer than anyone else.

He Yunxiao had his own way of dealing with such a cat. First, stand your ground to gain her respect. Then, flatter her to smooth things over. Finally, give her a treat to lower her guard and leave her a box to crawl into herself.

"Standing your ground" meant not showing weakness, making her see you as an equal. "Flattering her" involved giving sincere compliments. He was now in the second phase.

He straightforwardly said, "Your martial arts are unrivaled; no one could threaten you."

Chu Xiaoxiao showed no expression and said nothing.Her lack of response was already a form of acknowledgment.

He Yunxiao didn’t push his luck and immediately moved to the next phase, "giving a treat."

He added, "Du Yinyun now has a great liking for me. If all goes well, she won’t interact with Chu Fan anymore."

At the mention of Chu Fan, Chu Xiaoxiao uncharacteristically did not lash out.

"Mm."

He Yunxiao then set up the "box."

"However, although Du Yinyun likes me very much now, Chu Fan is too outstanding. It will be hard to make him completely disappear from her mind unless we lower her affection for Chu Fan. Then, they will be like strangers, and she will no longer pay attention to him."

Chu Xiaoxiao, not knowing how to achieve this, still wouldn’t let He Yunxiao get the better of her verbally.

"Speak plainly. I don't like beating around the bush."

"Alright. But first, I still don't know how to address you. Calling you 'Miss' all the time is really inconvenient."

Chu Xiaoxiao seemed in a good mood, perhaps because the matter with Du Yinyun seemed hopeful.

"Whatever."

He Yunxiao twitched his mouth. Another "whatever."

As if in defiance, He Yunxiao said, "Chu Fan calls you 'Xiaoxiao,' so I will call you 'Chuchu.'"

Silence.

He didn’t dare to breathe.

"If you can really make Du Yinyun give up on Chu Fan, I will spare you this once," she finally said.

"It can be done, but I need your cooperation, Chuchu."

*Bang!*

Chu Xiaoxiao struck He Yunxiao with a powerful internal force, causing him severe internal injuries and forcing him back ten steps.

"You don’t keep your word!"

"I always keep my word."

"You said you’d spare me!"

"Not this time."

"Chuchu!"

*Bang!*

"Chuchu!"

*Bang!*

Holding his chest, He Yunxiao decided not to play games anymore. This woman was too unreasonable; when words failed, she resorted to violence.

He spoke directly, "You need to cooperate with me. I plan to provoke Chu Fan into beating me up. Du Yinyun won’t like someone who bullies the weak. This will lower her affection for him. But I’m afraid Chu Fan might kill me, so I need your help."

Chu Xiaoxiao didn’t respond.

"Chuchu?"

"Let's see your performance."

She said, then sent another wave of internal force at He Yunxiao. Having been struck several times, He Yunxiao was now skilled at countering it, using his own energy to offset the force. He only staggered back a step.

Finally, the purpose of this "meeting" was settled, but He Yunxiao suddenly realized something important.

"Chuchu, you said you always keep your word?"

Chu Xiaoxiao sent out another wave of internal force.

"You don’t believe me?"

"Then the antidote you gave me for the Soul-Devouring Pill, was it real?"

Chu Xiaoxiao didn’t bother to answer, turning back towards Spring Breeze Tower.

He Yunxiao panicked. Damn, the antidote was real!

"Chuchu, do you have more?"

As usual, she sent out internal force, showing no interest in answering.

Realizing the antidote was gone, He Yunxiao scratched his head in frustration. "How long can I live now?"

Chu Xiaoxiao, disinterested, said, "A year at most."

~~~End~~~