Tick-tock—tick-tock—

Gu Qingqiu was awakened by the sound of dripping water. She felt damp and sticky all over her body, which made her a little uncomfortable, but she didn't rush to open her eyes. Instead, she couldn't help but recall the last scene she saw before she fainted.

It was a giant python standing upright, about three or four meters tall. Its eyes were golden vertical pupils, and it was staring at Gu Qingqiu menacingly. Its long forked tongue almost jumped directly onto Gu Qingqiu's face.

Gu Qingqiu thought she was just generally afraid of snakes, but seeing such a huge creature for the first time still terrified her. It might also be because she was now a "rabbit" and one of the snake's prey, so she had a natural fear of snakes from the food chain.

"System 057, did you do this on purpose! Are you getting revenge on me?!" Gu Qingqiu felt like crying but had no tears left, and even regretted her provocative behavior over the past few days.

No, I'm not as childish as you. If you really can't stand it, then I'll teleport you back to the standby space station.

Despite saying that, Gu Qingqiu detected a subtle hint of schadenfreude in No. 057's voice.

No! We can't lose!

Gu Qingqiu gritted her teeth and opened her eyes in one breath. She seemed to be by a pool of water. She didn't see the giant python. She didn't know if it had gone out to hunt for food, but she was sure that it had dragged her to this place.

The bottom of the pool is covered with pebbles of various shapes and sizes, round and flat, in a vibrant array of colors. Under the sunlight, the colors of the pebbles are dazzling, adding a touch of life to the pool.

All around were various green plants, interspersed with wildflowers of different colors, including white, red, and yellow, making the place look like a paradise.

Gu Qingqiu tentatively stood up, preparing to walk towards the light outside the pool. Her lower limbs were still sore and swollen, which made her movement speed obviously slower. However, she had only taken two steps when she felt a cold gaze watching her from behind, and she immediately got goosebumps.

It's that feeling again...

Animals seem to have much sharper instincts than humans, which made her realize the danger almost instantly. She slowly turned her head, only to find the giant python's enlarged golden pupils pressed against her back, less than 20cm away.

"Ah!" Gu Qingqiu was genuinely terrified this time, her legs went weak and she sat down on the ground, facing the giant python's magnified face.

"Hello..." Gu Qingqiu greeted him tremblingly, even considering whether to disregard his pride and call System 057 to take him away. Unexpectedly, the giant python suddenly lowered its body and surrounded Gu Qingqiu in circles.

Good heavens! This move looks like he's about to devour her whole!

Gu Qingqiu's voice calling out to System 057 was stuck in her throat. Just a second before she was about to utter it, the giant python disappeared, as if everything just now was an illusion.

What's going on?

Gu Qingqiu looked around in confusion, but then she heard a gurgling sound coming from the pool. A handsome man emerged from the water and stared straight at Gu Qingqiu.

Gu Qingqiu originally wanted to ask him who he was, but she quickly noticed his golden vertical pupils, which were exactly the same as those of the giant python.

“Come here, little bunny,” the man said in a commanding tone.

Gu Qingqiu dared not refuse, but she was so frightened that her legs went weak. She could only crawl a few steps toward the pool like a rabbit. The man chuckled and seemed to find Gu Qingqiu's appearance rather cute.

A black tail coiled around Gu Qingqiu's waist and dragged her into the pool.

"Ah!" Gu Qingqiu cried out again, her legs tightly wrapped around the man's waist, her eyelids tightly closed and trembling.

"Don't be afraid, this pool is only 1.9 meters deep, you won't drown," the man casually reassured him.

"1.9 meters isn't deep enough? 1.7 meters would be over my head!" Gu Qingqiu thought speechlessly, and kicked even harder.

Helpless, the man had no choice but to turn Gu Qingqiu around so that her back could lean against the stone wall of the pool.

Feeling a little more supported, Gu Qingqiu's unease lessened slightly. She opened her eyes and looked into the man's eyes, "Why did you bring me here?"

The man looked at Gu Qingqiu with great interest: "Don't you know what I want?"

The man before her hadn't appeared in Gu Qingqiu's background information, but she knew he must be the male lead. After thinking for a moment, she decided to use her pitiful, manipulative skills to try and evoke his pity, and...

"Don't eat me..." Gu Qingqiu's red eyes were filled with tears. "I don't taste good! And I've only just cultivated into a human, I want to live a few more years, sob sob sob... I'll do anything you want... please don't eat me!"

"You really want anything?" the man asked maliciously. "Would you even be my bandit queen?"

Gu Qingqiu's fear had almost subsided. As long as she was human now, she didn't care what her true form was!

She nodded quickly: "Sure!"

A nimble snake tail climbed up Gu Qingqiu's calf. Suddenly, Gu Qingqiu thought of something, her expression a mixture of embarrassment, curiosity, and fear: "I heard... snakes can have two... um... is that true?"

The man's smile grew even more wicked: "Why don't you try it and see?"

Try it and you'll die.

Gu Qingqiu felt that her life was about to end. She didn't know if she had fainted three or five times, but when she woke up, it was still not over.

That's terrifying!

Judging from the changing sky, three days and three nights may have already passed.

It's finally over! That was Gu Qingqiu's thought. She slept for another day and night until the man woke her up. However, her expression changed drastically the moment she saw him, especially when he approached...

I've heard that snakes are inherently lustful, so if she stays for another three days and three nights, she'll probably become one of the most ridiculously dead hosts.

I need to moisturize it right away!

"System 057! What's the experience bar progress? Is it 100% yet? If it's full, send me away quickly!"

【……OK.】

When she returned to the standby space station, Gu Qingqiu felt a sense of relief. After calming down, she even started to bargain with System 057.

"Hey, hey—I've suffered severe psychological damage in this world! I was so scared I fainted! Shouldn't you take care of my heartbroken host and compensate me with some gold coins and life points?"

[You've already been paid according to top-tier data. You've received gold coins and 3650 days of life points. What more could you want?]

"Really?" Gu Qingqiu immediately rallied her spirits. "I think I can do it again! Let's go to the next world!"