From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

Yan Ruyu's eyes narrowed. Butler Wu's guilty look was just a cover-up, and there must be something fishy going on!

She grabbed Butler Wu's arm with such force that he couldn't help but gasp.

"Butler Wu, you've served me for so many years, don't you know what kind of person I am? Now that the epidemic is rampant and people are filled with fear, if someone else tries to sabotage things, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Butler Wu's face was deathly pale, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his eyes darted around nervously.

"Miss, this old servant...this old servant is only worried about your safety..."

Yan Ruyu snorted coldly, shook off his arm, and walked straight towards Doctor Chen's residence.

Night enveloped the entire mansion, and the shadows of the trees in the courtyard rustled softly, like ghostly whispers.

A faint medicinal smell permeated the air, mixed with an unsettling atmosphere.

Dr. Chen's door was tightly closed. Yan Ruyu raised her hand to knock on the door, but no one answered.

Her heart sank, and she pushed open the door abruptly. There she saw Dr. Chen sitting at the table, his face pale, clutching a piece of paper tightly in his hand.

"Dr. Chen, what's wrong with you?" Yan Ruyu asked in a cold tone, with a hint of accusation.

When Dr. Chen saw Yan Ruyu, he trembled with fright and dropped the note in his hand to the ground.

He hurriedly bent down to pick up the note, stuffed it into his sleeve, his eyes darting around, and stammered, "N-nothing, Miss, I'm just... feeling a little unwell..."

Yan Ruyu stared intently at Doctor Chen, her gaze sharp, as she approached him step by step.

"Dr. Chen, you'd better tell the truth, otherwise..."

Dr. Chen was so frightened that he backed away, his face turning even paler, his lips trembling, but he couldn't say a word.

Yan Ruyu looked around and her gaze fell on a cup of tea on the table. Ripples appeared on the surface of the tea, as if it had been tampered with.

A thought struck her, and she picked up the teacup, brought it to her nose, and smelled a faint aroma of bitter almonds.

"Dr. Chen, what did you put in this tea?" Yan Ruyu asked in an icy tone, her eyes sharp as knives.

Doctor Chen's face changed drastically, and he knelt on the ground with a thud. "Miss, spare me! Miss, spare me! I had no choice!"

Yan Ruyu sneered, "Forced into it? Who forced you?"

Dr. Chen trembled all over, staring out the window with a look of terror in his eyes. His lips moved a few times, but he couldn't say anything.

"Looks like someone doesn't want you to speak," Yan Ruyu sneered, then abruptly turned to look out the window.

Outside the window, a dark shadow flashed by and disappeared into the night.

"Steward Wu, prepare the horses!" Yan Ruyu said firmly.

"Miss, you mustn't! If you do this, it will..." Butler Wu's face turned pale as he hurriedly tried to dissuade her.

"Shut up! My mind is made up!" Yan Ruyu interrupted him sharply, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Butler Wu wanted to say something more, but was so frightened by Yan Ruyu's sharp gaze that he dared not speak again.

He watched Yan Ruyu's resolute back, his heart filled with worry and fear, but he could only sigh silently and turn to prepare the horse.

Night deepened, and the mansion fell silent, save for the echoing sound of horses' hooves fading into the distance...

"Giddy up!" Yan Ruyu spurred her horse and chased after the direction in which the dark figure had disappeared.

Suddenly, a scream came from ahead...

Yan Ruyu followed the shadowy figure and arrived at an abandoned temple on the outskirts of the city.

The temple was dilapidated, covered in cobwebs, and the air was filled with the smell of decay.

Moonlight streamed through the dilapidated roof, casting dappled shadows on the ground and adding to the eerie atmosphere.

She dismounted, drew her soft sword from her waist, and carefully entered the temple.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew by, swirling up the fallen leaves on the ground and making a rustling sound, like the whispers of ghosts.

Yan Ruyu felt a chill run down her spine, gripped the soft sword in her hand, and cautiously looked around.

"System, scan the surrounding environment," Yan Ruyu silently commanded.

"Ding! Scan complete. There are five life forms inside the temple, one of which has an unusually strong energy fluctuation." The system's voice rang in Yan Ruyu's mind.

Yan Ruyu's lips curled up slightly; it seemed the person she was looking for was right here.

She sheathed her soft sword, redeemed an "invisibility talisman" from the system shop, affixed it to her body, and her figure instantly disappeared into the night.

She silently approached the place where the energy fluctuations were unusually strong, and saw a person dressed in black and wearing a straw hat standing with his back to her beside a dry well.

"It's him!" Yan Ruyu thought to herself.

She held her breath and slowly approached the man in black, trying to hear what he was saying.

"How's it going?" the man in black asked in a low voice.

"Reporting to you, sir, everything went smoothly," a hoarse voice replied.

"Very good. As long as we get rid of Yan Ruyu, everything in this city will be ours." The man in black spoke in a cold tone, with a hint of smugness.

Yan Ruyu was shocked. So, their target was her!

Just as she was about to appear, she suddenly heard a soft footstep behind her.

She felt a chill and quickly dodged behind a pillar.

Xu, the male protagonist, walked over with a dagger in his hand and a cold look in his eyes.

He glanced at the man in black beside the dry well, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

"Anyone who wants to harm me will have to ask the sword in my hand for permission first!" The male protagonist Xu's tone was icy, and his eyes were sharp.

Hearing the sound, the man in black turned around abruptly and saw the male protagonist, Xu.

"Young Master Xu, what are you doing here?" The man in black asked, his voice tinged with panic.

"That's the question I should be asking you," Xu said with a sneer, approaching the man in black step by step.

“Young Master Xu, I advise you not to meddle in other people’s business, otherwise…” the man in black said threateningly.

"Otherwise what?" The male protagonist, Xu, raised an eyebrow.

The man in black's expression changed, and he was about to make a move when he suddenly sensed a powerful aura coming from behind him.

He was startled and turned around abruptly, only to see Yan Ruyu appear behind him at some point, holding a dagger that gleamed coldly in her hand.

"You..." The man in black's expression changed drastically.

Yan Ruyu sneered, pressing the dagger against his neck. "Sorry, your act is over."

The man in black was about to say something when he suddenly felt a chill on his neck, and blood gushed out...

"Are you alright?" The male protagonist, Xu, walked to Yan Ruyu's side.

"It's nothing." Yan Ruyu shook her head, glancing at the man in black on the ground.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats grew louder as they approached...

The sound of hooves stopped, and it was Steward Wu who dismounted, panting heavily and pale-faced.

"Miss, are you alright? This old servant was so worried!"

Yan Ruyu sheathed her dagger, dusted herself off, and said calmly, "I'm fine. Butler Wu, go tell those who are behind this that I know who they are. If they don't want to die a horrible death, they'd better stop now."

Butler Wu was stunned; he hadn't expected Yan Ruyu to handle the matter in this way.

He originally thought Yan Ruyu would expose them directly and bring them to justice, but he clearly underestimated Yan Ruyu's cunning.

Xu, the male protagonist, was also somewhat surprised. He looked at Yan Ruyu and knew that Yan Ruyu did this to intimidate those people, to make them more cautious, and not to act rashly again.

The surrounding guards were also stunned; they hadn't expected Yan Ruyu to be so decisive and domineering.

They looked at Yan Ruyu.

Yan Ruyu's warning had a certain effect, and the epidemic prevention and control work was able to continue smoothly.

People in the quarantine area received timely medical treatment, and the epidemic was gradually brought under control.

However, the forces behind the scenes did not stop there. They secretly sabotaged the supply of medicinal herbs in an attempt to continue creating panic.

Upon discovering this, Yan Ruyu did not panic; she immediately began searching for new sources of medicinal herbs.

"System, help me find the nearest medicinal herb supplier," Yan Ruyu silently prayed.

"Ding! We have found the nearest medicinal herb supplier, which is fifty miles away from here." The system's voice rang in Yan Ruyu's mind.

Yan Ruyu nodded and immediately set off for the location of the medicinal herb supplier.

She rode her horse at full speed, passing through mountains and forests and crossing rivers, and finally arrived at the residence of the herbal medicine supplier.

The herbal medicine supplier was an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor. When he heard that Yan Ruyu had come for the epidemic, he agreed to provide herbal medicine without hesitation.

Yan Ruyu was grateful

However, the forces behind the scenes did not give up. They sent people to follow Yan Ruyu, trying to prevent her from obtaining the medicinal herbs.

Yan Ruyu noticed their presence, but she ignored it.

On the way back, Yan Ruyu encountered Li the hunter.

Li the hunter was an experienced hunter who knew the situation in the mountains and forests like the back of his hand.

"Hunter Li, do you know of any special medicinal herbs around here?" Yan Ruyu asked.

Li the hunter smiled mysteriously, "I've heard that there's a magical herb in these deep mountains that can cure all diseases, but no one has ever seen it."

Yan Ruyu's heart stirred. She didn't know if the legend was related to the epidemic, nor did she know if she could find this mysterious medicinal herb, but she was filled with curiosity and anticipation.

"Hunter Li, can you take me to see it?" Yan Ruyu asked.

Li the hunter nodded. "Come with me."

They walked along a rugged mountain path, heading deeper into the mountains.

The surrounding trees grew denser, the light grew dimmer, and a mysterious atmosphere filled the air.

“It’s just ahead,” Hunter Li pointed to a deep, dense forest ahead. “The legendary medicinal herbs are deep within this forest.”

Looking at the dense forest before her, Yan Ruyu was filled with anticipation. She took a deep breath and said, "Let's go in and take a look."