After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

It was the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), and many guests were having breakfast on the first floor. Huo Yu and Long Yucheng found a quiet corner and sat down at a table.

Before long, the waiter quickly served up the breakfast that Long Yucheng had ordered.

Two bowls of crystal-clear white porridge, two steaming baskets of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and two plates of tempting, perfectly pickled melons were neatly arranged on the table.

"Please enjoy your meal, esteemed guests!"

"I didn't know what Senior Brother Huo liked, so I ordered some according to my own taste. If Senior Brother Huo wants to eat something else, you can ask the waiter to add it."

As he spoke, Long Yucheng skillfully picked up a plate that was upside down in the dish basket, poured some vinegar on it, and dipped the xiaolongbao in it.

"It doesn't matter."

Huo Yu had been practicing abstaining from grains for nearly three hundred years, so long that he thought he had forgotten how to hold chopsticks, but his body clearly still remembered.

As the first spoonful of warm porridge slid down his throat, the long-lost aroma of white rice instantly awakened his taste buds, which had been dormant for hundreds of years, causing him to pause slightly in surprise.

Seeing this, Long Yucheng enthusiastically pushed one of the steamers of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) in front of Huo Yu.

"Senior brother, try this xiaolongbao. It's filled with corn and pork, with a thin skin and a generous filling. The taste is superb."

Huo Yu didn't refuse. He picked up a small steamed bun and gently bit open the paper-thin skin.

Instantly, the rich aroma of pork intertwines with the sweetness of corn, creating an intoxicatingly delicious flavor that is neither overly greasy nor overly greasy, perfectly satisfying the human palate's craving for meat.

Seeing a barely perceptible look of amazement on Huo Yu's usually calm face, Long Yucheng's eyes flashed with a smile. He then picked up a small steamed bun with his chopsticks and rolled it several times in the vinegar dish, as if he wanted to drown it in vinegar before putting it in his mouth.

Unlike Long Yucheng, Huo Yu, who prefers light flavors, didn't even touch the pickled vegetable dish, and drank most of the white porridge with the steamed buns.

This was the first time in his memory that he had enjoyed the process of "eating".

Just as the two were having a quiet meal, a commotion and disturbance suddenly broke out at the entrance of the inn.

Long Yucheng curiously raised his head, his gaze passing over the bustling crowd, but when he saw that familiar figure, his face instantly darkened.

Huo Yu continued to drink his porridge, sip by sip, as if the noise outside had nothing to do with him.

His divine sense remained fixed on the woman from last night. He was already fully aware of her repeated attempts to spy on him and Long Yucheng with her divine sense last night, and he was not surprised at all by her reappearance.

“It’s you.” Long Yucheng’s voice was low and hostile, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

The person who came was the Zoroastrian woman who had stolen his spiritual herb and almost led him astray into Vermilion Bird City.

At this moment, she was dressed in a bright red dress, and the silver ornaments on her body shimmered brilliantly in the morning light, swaying gently with her steps and making a crisp and melodious sound.

The voice seemed to possess a certain magic, causing the surrounding members of the opposite sex to involuntarily turn their heads, some even showing expressions of infatuation.

Upon seeing this, Long Yucheng's vigilance deepened.

[Target number one, Long Yucheng's favorability has decreased by five, currently at -35. Please be extra careful, host.]

Suddenly, a synthesized electronic voice from the system sounded in the woman's mind.

What's wrong with this person now? I haven't done anything yet!

The woman gritted her teeth inwardly, but maintained a calm demeanor on her face.

The red robes and silver ornaments of the Zoroastrian faith made her already fair skin appear even more flawless, like snow. Her delicate eyebrows were curved like a crescent moon, and her almond-shaped eyes added a touch of endearment to her exquisite face.

Only when she gently lowered her long, curly eyelashes would a calculating glint flash in her dark, inky eyes.

Sensing Long Yucheng's sharp gaze, the woman seemed a little timid, but she quickly composed herself and timidly looked up at Long Yucheng, her eyes filled with innocence and fear.

Then I heard the system notification sound again:

[Target number one, Long Yucheng's, favorability has decreased by five; current favorability is -40.]

Filled with utter confusion and doubt, the woman mentally asked the system:

What's going on? Does he not like these delicate, innocent girls? Isn't that the kind of character the female lead in this world is supposed to be?

The system replied emotionlessly:

[The world does not operate entirely according to the preset trajectory after it is generated. All initial character settings are for the host's reference only. Please adjust your strategy accordingly.]

[I knew asking your electronic brain wouldn't be of any use!]

The woman gritted her teeth, but there was no time to change her persona, so she had to stick to her original image.

Before Long Yucheng could speak, she spoke first, her voice trembling slightly:

"Fellow Daoist, I apologize for my previous offense."

Long Yucheng was completely bewildered by her sudden apology, having no idea what she was up to.

Huo Yu, however, never raised his eyelids, as if everything in front of him had nothing to do with him.

Without a moment's hesitation, the woman swiftly retrieved an exquisite box from her storage bag, gently placed it on the table, and slowly pushed it towards Long Yucheng, her eyes filled with sincerity and apology.

“I took your spiritual herb from you in that canyon earlier, but it was out of necessity, as I was in urgent need at the time. Now that I have finished dealing with my business, the herb should rightfully be returned to you.”

Long Yucheng glanced at the woman who looked like a completely different person after changing her clothes, then looked at the box on the table, but did not make any rash moves.

Upon seeing this, the woman lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering.

"Fellow Daoist, you must find it hard to believe me now, but I am a disciple of the Fire Worship Cult. In this Holy City, if I harbor even the slightest ill will towards you, I will have the Vermilion Bird Holy Lord reclaim all my cultivation and immortal destiny."

Seeing that Long Yucheng still didn't respond, the woman bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes, and said with a hint of sobbing:

"If you still have doubts, you can find a Fairy Spirit Shop in the city to have it appraised."

Immortal Spirit Market is a collective term for shops within Vermilion Bird City that provide goods for cultivators to trade.

Long Yucheng thought to himself, "I'm not stupid. Only the disciples of the Fire Worship Cult can use spiritual power in this city. This Immortal Spirit Shop can only be run by them. What problems can they possibly find out if I ask them to appraise my own people's things?"

Moreover, he didn't understand what the situation was. Why did it seem like he was bullying a weak woman?

This "weak woman" is actually in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, with a cultivation level higher than his!

However, he still opened the box, took out the dragon's saliva grass, and put it in his pocket. He definitely didn't plan to use the grass, but he could sell it to the system for points, so why not take it?

More importantly, once he obtains this dragon's saliva grass, it means he has successfully completed the task of acquiring it.

Looking at the Foundation Establishment Pill that had appeared in his temporary inventory, Long Yucheng's mood instantly improved.

[Target number one, Long Yucheng, has gained 15 points of favorability; current favorability is -25.]

Why only fifteen points?

The system notification sounded in the woman's mind, making her pause in surprise, and her perfect acting almost cracked.

According to her original script, even if Long Yucheng didn't immediately fall in love with her, his favorability towards her should at least drop to zero, since she had already acted so pitiful and harmless.

The woman managed to maintain a pitiful expression, glanced at Long Yucheng, hesitated for a moment, and then said softly:

"Then... the grudges between us are considered settled."

Just as Long Yucheng was about to speak, he saw the woman bite her lower lip again, take out a small pouch embroidered with the character "Xuan" from her bosom, and gently toss it to him.

"These spirit stones are only an apology. If you encounter any trouble in Vermilion Bird Holy City, you can come to the Fire Worship Sect to find me. Just say you are looking for Su Yixuan."

After saying that, the woman in red gracefully departed, leaving Long Yucheng with a face full of question marks.