The sky was as clear as freshly washed silk, with no clouds in sight.
In the Wolra Forest on the Tagore Continent, beneath towering ancient trees tens of meters high and overshadowed by rampant lianas, a deep black snake was swiftly slithering through the vast expanse of dense greenery and gaps among thorny bushes.
Swift as lightning, it was extremely conspicuous.
Suddenly, the originally swift black snake stopped, its body flickering with black light.
The next second, it transformed into a man.
His flying eyebrows pierced the temples, his expression was arrogant and detached. His nose was high and sturdy, his countenance firm and decisive. His thin lips curled up slightly.
Complemented by a pair of emerald-green sinister eyes, he appeared diabolical and demonic.
His black, unkempt hair cascaded over his shoulders, further accentuating his towering physique. A palpable, indescribable aura of wildness enveloped him.
"Abandoned female?"
The man looked down at the thin, weak woman lying beneath the ancient tree. Her dry, yellowish-brown hair was a mess, covering her face in an unorganized manner.
He crouched down, reaching out to part the black hair covering her face. His sinister green eyes watched with interest.
"You look decent enough, but you're too thin, like you haven't reached adulthood, and it seems you're ill too. You're going to be hard to keep alive."
"Alright, take her back to the witch doctor and see if she's worth anything. Females are valuable."
In an instant, the man vanished.
Suddenly, an incredibly massive black snake coiled on the ground, its eerie green eyes casting a glance at the thin woman lying on the ground.
With a flick of its long snake tail, the black snake picked up the thin woman and began to race through the forest.
The rustling sound startled the birds on the trees, causing all the animals around to scatter.
In a state of blurred consciousness, Yu Yao felt a cold wind sweep past, harsh and howling. This eerie sensation prompted her to instinctively open her eyes.
Looking down, she realized that she was being carried by a black python at high speed through the forest.
What's going on?
Why was she being carried by a black snake?
Is this to take her back to the cave as food?
Thoughts of this kind made Yu Yao's hairs stand on end, and her instinct for survival made her immediately launch an attack on the snake.
She condensed her spiritual awareness into a needle and struck out fiercely towards the snake's head.
No matter what form it takes, the spiritual awareness remains unchanged.
Mo Jue was racing at full speed when, suddenly, his soul felt as if it had been pierced by something.
Instantly, the emerald-green eyes darkened and became menacing.
Yu Yao could feel the snake's body tremble for a moment, but it quickly returned to normal.
Damn, it's still holding on? Could it be a snake spirit?
Thinking of this, Yu Yao's expression became serious.
She quickly exchanged a dagger from the system store.
With a cold expression, she stabbed towards the snake that was tightly wrapped around her waist.
Just as the system's consciousness had just regained consciousness and was sorting out world information, it saw a scene that almost made it scream.
"Host, please don't, this black snake is the task object of your world. You"
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Yu Yao's dagger had already deeply penetrated.
"Sputter."
The sound of the dagger sinking into flesh, the hot blood spurted out instantly, splattering blood all over Yu Yao's face.
She was stunned, wiping the snake blood off her face, she finally remembered hearing the system's voice just now.
But she didn't pay much attention to what was said.
Never mind, ask later when there's time; let's kill this snake first.
"Hissing."
Mo Jue was in agony, his body shaking violently, his eerie green eyes condensing into frost, cold and malevolent.
Damned woman, daring to attack me with a weapon.
He fiercely swung his snake tail.
In the next second.
Yu Yao was flung through the air.
With a "thud," she slammed into the trunk of an enormous tree, and then tumbled down.
Her body rolled over and over in the fallen leaves, finally collapsing on the ground in a messy and pitiful heap.
"Wa—!"
The entire chest was as painful as being on fire, and a mouthful of blood couldn't be held back.
Her face, already without any color, became increasingly pale.
Yu Yao was in so much pain that she felt like fainting. She saw stars and her mind wasn't very clear.
Mo Jue's snake tail moved rapidly, making 'ssss' sounds, directly rushing in front of Yu Yao and assuming the most fierce attack stance.
Her mind instantly cleared, and when she opened her eyes, she met a pair of emerald-green slit pupils that were staring at her and flicking out their tongues.
She was scared and sat up, shifting her bottom back a bit.
"Hey, big snake brother, look at me, I'm so thin and weak. I don't have much meat on me, just bones. You might find it difficult to chew. As a generous person, you should let me go, right?"
With one hand supporting herself on the ground, her body shivering slightly, a smile that was as fake as it could be plastered on her face, she said.
As soon as her words trailed off, the system was so angry that it spat her face with a scolding, "That's the world's male lead, your task object. He wanted to take you back to the tribe. It's no wonder he's angry after you stabbed him!"
Yu Yao finally managed to hear what the system was saying this time.
"What did you just say? This is the world's male lead? My task object? Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"
Thinking about how she just wanted to kill him, she felt terrible all over.
Now, her favorability with him must have dropped to a negative number.
The system was amused by her anger, "I had just finished sorting out world information when I saw my host trying to kill the snake. I did remind you, but your actions were too fast. Should I be blamed?"
The voice was laced with a thick dose of sarcasm.
Yu Yao's face stiffened, and she asked timidly, "Then how much of a positive favorability does he have towards me?"
Although she knew it would probably be low, she still wanted to ask.
"It was originally 20 points of favorability, but after your stab with the dagger, it dropped to negative 20."
The system couldn't help but start laughing again.
She felt awful. Negative twenty? This was a hellish starting point!
Oh my God, let me die, how could this be so coincidental?
Yu Yao was at a loss for words, she had a hunch that this task would be extremely difficult.
This snake probably hated her to death, how could it let her near? No way was it going to let her have a baby.
Mo Jue didn't know about her internal struggle; he saw the woman crying and laughing.
In his heart, he thought: Could she be a fool?
She wasn't exactly the easiest to conceive with, and now that she was also an idiot, even if females were valuable, there was no way she was worth anything.
No wonder she was abandoned.
However, thinking about how this woman dared to use a weapon against him, Mo Jue's green slit pupils became cold and malevolent again, as if he had an urge to swallow her whole.
"I'm indeed quite thin and have little meat on me, but I'm perfectly hungry now. I guess it would be okay to have a little snack to fill my stomach."
Mo Jue's green slit pupils scanned her up and down a few times, and he spoke in human words.
He was indeed considering whether to eat this woman.
Yu Yao widened her eyes in shock, staring at the big snake.
She was so scared she wanted to die; what would it be like to be eaten by her task object?
The strategy can be made later, but it's more important to save my life first.
After thinking it through, she instinctively tried to flee.
However, she had no strength left in her body and didn't know how long the original owner had been hungry.
Yu Yao didn't make a sound as she glanced around, spotting a small stream not far away. With difficulty, she got to her feet and said, "I'll go and catch fish for you."
Before she could even stand up, Mo Jue's voice, like a death curse, echoed again.
"The thing is full of spines, hurts when it gets in your mouth, and isn't very tasty."
Yu Yao endured and humbly said, "It's okay, be careful when you eat and it won't get stuck in your mouth."
It seems worried that he won't agree, so she panders even more: "The fish I grilled smells delicious and tastes great. You can try it?"
Mo Jue's green slit pupils flickered with surprise when he heard that the woman had roasted fish. Firewood was extremely precious on the Beast World Continent, and there was no firewood around.
He was curious about what this woman would use to roast fish for him.
"Alright, go and catch some fish for me."
He hesitated for a moment and agreed.
He hesitated for a moment, but then agreed. However, he did not change back into his human form. He remained coiled in place, his massive snake head raised high, his green eyes cold and menacing, which was quite frightening.
Yu Yao felt like she was given a reprieve, and she quickly got up from the ground.
But as soon as she stood up, she almost collapsed the next second. It took her a lot of effort to stay upright.
Her stomach was burning with pain, and she felt completely exhausted. She doubted if the original owner had starved to death.
She endured her body's discomfort and walked towards the nearby stream.
The shimmering water surface reflected the towering sun, and the occasional breeze gently scattered it, only to reassemble moments later, creating a scene that was breathtaking.
