After all, it's best to save lives as soon as possible. If she chatted with the system a little longer, it might not be his turn to save Xiaoxiyou.

【Liuli Alley. Honey, go quickly.】The system kindly prompted Zhou Zhizhi.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xiyou rushed to Liuli Alley, which was pitch black and exuded an eerie atmosphere.

Xiao Xiyou stopped in his tracks, thinking: Liuli Lane is a bustling main street. Although the curfew has just ended and the surrounding shops are closed, there are no pedestrians on the road. There's nothing strange about it.

Xiao Xiyou concealed himself as he withdrew from Liuli Alley.

Then why were all the inns in Liuli Alley extinguished? It's impossible for an inn to be completely empty. There must be a trap involved.

Having figured this out, Xiao Xiyou prepared to head home.

Since this trap was specifically set for him, the person behind it cannot succeed unless he shows up.

Just as Xiao Xiyou turned around, he saw a familiar figure.

"Zhou Zhizhi, she really is here!"

Xiao Xiyou stopped in his tracks on his way back to the mansion, staring intently at Zhou Zhizhi, wanting to see what she was up to.

"Strange, why is Liuli Alley so quiet? There isn't even a night watchman." Zhou Zhizhi lightly touched the ground with her toes and landed at the entrance of Liuli Alley. She also vaguely sensed something was amiss.

The system only told her Xiao Xiyou's approximate location, so she could only search little by little from the alley entrance.

"It is said that Xiao Xiyou's combat skills are not low, and he will not easily encounter life-threatening danger."

Zhou Zhizhi was completely baffled, but she had no choice but to be on high alert, unsure of what she would be facing next.

Xiao Xiyou watched Zhou Zhizhi from the rooftop as she groped her way forward, a question nagging at him.

"Isn't it her? If Zhou Zhizhi invited me here, why didn't she just walk into the third turn in the alley, but instead started from the alley entrance, as if she was looking for something?"

Just as Zhou Zhizhi was about to reach the third turn, the lights in the street suddenly came on.

"Welcome, Your Highness the Second Prince!"

"Welcome, Your Highness the Second Prince!" A loud and majestic voice resounded through the sky, and about four or five hundred soldiers knelt down in a rush.

Zhou Zhizhi was startled and immediately realized that this was the trap she was about to face.

"You should leave quickly!" Zhou Zhizhi turned to Xiao Xiyou beside her and said, but what she saw was an unfamiliar face.

It was too dark just now, and Zhou Zhizhi was under too much stress, so she mistook the person who suddenly appeared next to her for Xiao Xiyou.

All of this was observed by Xiao Xiyou from afar. Just moments ago, he had captured the night watchman of Liuli Alley, controlled his mind, and exchanged clothes with him.

He had seen the secret technique of controlling people's minds in an ancient book before. He had practiced it for many years but had not achieved the desired result. Since he helped Zhou Zhizhi practice the Beiming Divine Art last time, he discovered that the two of them had an extraordinary level of tacit understanding in their swordsmanship, and his own internal strength had also greatly increased.

With a try-it-out mentality, he practiced the secret technique again, and unexpectedly succeeded in mastering it. However, due to the incompleteness of the ancient method, he could only control a person's mind for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and it greatly exhausted his own energy.

However, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn is enough.

"Hahahaha, look closely who this is!"

Although Zhou Zhizhi didn't know who this person was or why he was wearing Xiao Xiyou's clothes.

But she quickly realized that the male protagonist must have discovered the trap, which was why he hadn't shown himself; he must be watching from a distance.

Meanwhile, the Third Prince, sitting in the inn, watched the scene unfold with bated breath, his hand almost crushing the cup in his hand.

What he didn't know was that his scheme had attracted not only Zhou Zhizhi, an insignificant person, but also the eldest prince, who had recently been at odds with him at every turn, and he brought his army with him.

Xiao Xiyou, who was watching from the side, saw the soldiers kneeling down before the person impersonating him, and his suspicions were very close to the truth.

Xiao Xiyou quietly left the place. He knew in his heart that since this trap was aimed at him, and Zhou Zhizhi had only stumbled in by accident, she should not be in great danger. With her intelligence, she would surely be able to escape safely.

The male protagonist is out of danger.

The male protagonist is out of danger.

The system's mechanical voice echoed in Zhou Zhizhi's mind.

"What the hell?" Zhou Zhizhi asked, puzzled. "I didn't do anything! But it's good that he's out of danger; at least I won't have to die with him."

Regardless of how Xiao Xiyou escaped danger, the outcome was ultimately good.

"And what about my reward?"

This lousy system gives very few rewards. In the past, when the system gave rewards, I would tell her a thousand times over as soon as possible. But this time it's so quiet.

【Smite, Zhizhi-chan.】 Hearing this speechless opening, Zhou Zhizhi knew that what the system was about to say was not a good thing.

"Don't tell me it's gone, you're kidding me!?"

Very well, Zhou Zhizhi has started to get angry.

【I'm so sorry, dear, the male lead escaped danger entirely due to his own willpower. You didn't provide any assistance, so the system can't determine that it was your contribution and therefore can't issue a reward.】

Seemingly to prevent Zhou Zhizhi from losing her temper again, the system quickly began to make amends.

[To make up for the kiss, the system has decided to reward you with an additional thirty beauty points.]

But clearly, this plan did not satisfy Zhou Zhizhi.

"Beauty points again! What good is this garbage thing to me! I want to live! To live!"

"You pushed me into a dangerous pit, with four or five hundred soldiers in front of me, and who knows what wolves and tigers are watching from the shadows, and then you just casually tell me that it has nothing to do with me?!" Zhou Zhizhi's anger had reached its peak.

There's a feeling of utter helplessness like buying a Rolls-Royce from a luxury car dealership only to find out you've received a used tractor instead, and the customer service representative can only apologize and say, "Dear customer, we can only offer you a three-yuan coupon as compensation."

Seeing Zhou Zhizhi's frantic state, the system offered a second solution.

【Honey, perhaps you can also choose the system reward of a thousand taels of gold.】

After hearing what the system said, Zhou Zhizhi asked in confusion.

"You offer cash rewards here? I've never heard you mention that before?"

That's because these are my personal system points, accumulated by completing many tasks.

[Sobbing~]

The system's voice had changed to a sobbing tone; if it had a face, tears would have already filled Zhou Zhizhi's head.