Xiahou Xuanyu stepped out of the large carriage and saw the second male lead embracing the female lead who should have belonged to him, sitting on a horse.

The two looked like a pair of lovers. His eyes darkened, and his murderous intent instantly skyrocketed. The system had no choice but to display a warning - "Warning, your malice towards the female lead of this world is too high. If you harm the female lead, it will lead to a loss of fortune, causing unknown chaos, which will be very unfavorable for you."

Xiahou Xuanyu completely ignored the warning panel that popped up. He reached out to Tang Li, who seemed to be frightened, his expression arrogant: "Chu Li, come back with me."

Xun Nu, whose eyes had turned pitch black due to Tang Li's dazed state, heard the two words "Chu Li" from Xiahou Xuanyu's mouth. He subconsciously held the person in his arms even tighter.

Tang Li came back to her senses. Noticing Xun Nu's actions, she didn't even bother with the floating panel in front of Xiahou Xuanyu. She quickly grabbed the young male god's hand to comfort him first, "Don't misunderstand, I'll explain to you later. I really only like you, and I definitely won't leave you."

Although Xun Nu didn't say anything, Tang Li had obviously grasped the key point. His grip loosened slightly. However, the murderous intent in his eyes towards Xiahou Xuanyu was not the slightest bit less than Xiahou Xuanyu's. As an assassin, he was most sensitive to killing intent and could naturally see Xiahou Xuanyu's intentions.

This person had murderous intent towards both of them.

Xiahou Xuanyu: Displaying affection in front of me, do you think I, the male lead, don't exist?

"Chu Li, don't make me angry. Come back with me, and I won't pursue your previous escape."

Tang Li: Previous escape? Wait a moment, in the original work, it seems that at this time, the female lead Chu Li and Xiahou Xuanyu were still in the early stages of a love-hate relationship and weren't dating yet, right? Why does the male lead have an angry expression as if his wife had cheated on him?

He should still be thinking about that sleeping white moonlight Nangong Qin, and his attention to the female lead is only because she looks like Nangong Qin.

Previously, she was in the North City, and it was said that her identity was a slave girl. Tang Li previously thought that Xiahou Xuanyu wouldn't go to great lengths to find a mere slave girl, but now the facts were in front of her.

He seemed to have come for her, and the unreasonable aspects must be related to that panel. Tang Li quickly deduced that this Xiahou Xuanyu was very likely aware of the plot; otherwise, his attitude wouldn't be so strange. Then, he probably didn't know that the female lead Chu Li's body had been swapped with someone else.

While thinking about these things in her mind, Tang Li spoke, "City Lord Xiahou, I didn't escape privately, but was thrown into the Ghostly Crying Forest by your cousin."

Xiahou Xuanyu: "Then why didn't you return to the North City after leaving the Ghostly Crying Forest?"

Tang Li: "Oh, to go back and die?" She had a polite smile on her face, thinking that he was indeed the kind of domineering male lead she had disliked before, with a head full of taken-for-granted male chauvinism.

He had been domineering all the time in the early stages. How on earth did the female lead fall in love with him? While unable to understand, Tang Li couldn't help but glance at her own Xun Nu again.

Xun Nu was still better.

Xiahou Xuanyu was softly blocked by Tang Li, his face as deep as water. "Don't forget your identity. You are still a slave girl of my North City."

Tang Li: "City Lord Xiahou is indeed worthy of being the city lord, attending to everything personally. For the sake of a mere slave girl, you actually brought people to capture her in person. It's said that City Lord Xiahou is obsessed with martial arts, but it seems that it's just a rumor. The city lord is obviously very idle."

She spoke with a smile, as if she didn't see Xiahou Xuanyu's increasingly cold expression. "How much money did the city lord spend back then? I can return it to the city lord. In order to thank the city lord's manor for taking care of me, how about I return ten times the amount to the city lord? I still hope the city lord can spare this little slave girl."

Tang Li couldn't remember how the female lead became a slave girl in the North City. Now, saying these words, firstly, she was tired of this idiotic "I am the center of the world" theory. Secondly, it was because of that panel.

She noticed that on the panel, as Xiahou Xuanyu's anger became more and more obvious, the words on it became more and more vividly red when she angered Xiahou Xuanyu, and another line of words even appeared. She couldn't see it clearly, but felt that it must be very important.

So, she gritted her teeth, kicked the horse's belly to make it move forward, and at the same time took out silver from her bosom, pretending to send it to Xiahou Xuanyu, taking the opportunity to read the words on the panel clearly.

Xiahou Xuanyu was almost driven mad by Tang Li. In his eyes, this female lead Chu Li was no longer as reckless and unreasonable as before, but instead had become gentle like water. However, beneath this gentleness was a kind of unyielding firmness. She even dared to speak sarcastically and insult him.

With his aura surging around his body, Xiahou Xuanyu had the intention of resorting to violence at the slightest disagreement. Tang Li finally saw the words on the panel clearly and couldn't help but lower her eyes to conceal the shock and confusion in her heart.

At the same time, she subconsciously grabbed Xun Nu's hand and shielded him behind her.

As the panel said, she should be safer compared to Xun Nu.

Xun Nu was puzzled. Seeing Xiahou Xuanyu's anger erupt and Tang Li shielding him, his heart stirred. He gripped his long blade tightly and protected her instead.

Sensing Tang Li's feeling of disgust, Xiahou Xuanyu felt that something seemed amiss. He temporarily suppressed the anger in his heart and carefully observed Tang Li's expression.

A flash of inspiration suddenly crossed his mind, and he narrowed his eyes slightly, saying, "Are you Chu Li?"

Tang Li squeezed Xun Nu's hand, her expression unchanged, not revealing the slightest clue. "Does the city lord not recognize me?"

Xiahou Xuanyu wasn't so easily dismissed. Once the doubt was planted, Xiahou Xuanyu began to feel that something was off everywhere, even with Liao Tingyan from the previous world... He was too arrogant and had never thought that such a big mistake would occur in his world.

His female leads had all undergone some kind of change and might not be his original female leads anymore.

"Interesting." Xiahou Xuanyu gritted his teeth. Now he should bring this female lead back even more to figure out what was going on with her.

His gaze at Tang Li became even more meaningful and determined to succeed. As for Xun Nu, he didn't even spare him a glance. After all, his identity was the protagonist, more important than any supporting character. Other characters were born for him and didn't need to be cared about.

Xiahou Xuanyu's attack was very sudden. Tang Li didn't have time to react. She only heard the horse beneath her let out a neigh as it knelt forward. Xun Nu held her with one arm as he flipped off the horse, his blade sweeping away Xiahou Xuanyu's long sleeve.

After exchanging a move, Xiahou Xuanyu didn't attack again. Instead, he waved his sleeve and said leisurely to his subordinates, "Go, kill this number one assassin of the Refining Realm realm and bring Chu Li back to me."

Having said that, he sat upright in the large carriage while the group of people around him raised their weapons and looked towards Xun Nu and Tang Li.

Tang Li looked around and felt the situation was grim. No matter how detestable Xiahou Xuanyu was, he was still the male lead in that book with formidable abilities. Now that he was determined to kill Xun Nu, it would be very difficult for them to escape today.

If it was just Xun Nu alone, perhaps he could still flee from the siege of these people. But with her present, the situation was completely different.

"Xun Nu, can you escape?" Tang Li clutched Xun Nu's lapel and asked tentatively.

Xun Nu didn't look at her. His sharp and silent gaze observed the weaknesses of the surrounding enemies. "I will not leave you here alone."

Tang Li gave a wry smile. As expected. She didn't try to persuade further and instead called out to Xiahou Xuanyu in the large carriage, "City Lord Xiahou, if you want to kill Xun Nu today, I will die together with him. I mean what I say."

She only hoped that Xiahou Xuanyu would have some regard for the information on that panel.

Who knew Xiahou Xuanyu was not threatened by this. On the contrary, he looked down with a mocking gaze, his tone full of certainty of victory. "With me here, even if you want to die, you won't be able to. You want to die for this man? Rest assured, once he's dead, you will forget him. When the time comes, even if you don't want to forget, you will."

The profound meaning in his words made Tang Li's heart tremble. What exactly did this Xiahou Xuanyu want to do? Now she and Xun Nu were at a disadvantage. What should they do?

Seeing her eyes full of anxious worry, Xun Nu didn't say anything but his movements became even more fierce. Even Xiahou Xuanyu's trusted aides couldn't do anything to him for a while.

Not only that, several people died under his blade. Over twenty highly skilled experts were forced to retreat by him alone. It looked like the encirclement was about to be broken.

"Indeed worthy of being the infamous assassin of Refining Realm realm. This old man will take you on!" A black-robed old man standing beside the large carriage flew into the battle like a bat. His withered hands clashed with Xun Nu's blade, emitting a metallic sound as he clamped down on the blade.

Xun Nu didn't withdraw his blade. Instead, he stabbed downward with the momentum. The force of his blade made the black-robed old man's eyes reveal surprise. In a moment of distraction, the cold light had already shot up from below like a ghost, stabbing towards his face.

The old man had no choice but to release the blade and retreat. Xun Nu suddenly surged forward in pursuit. With one slash, he severed the old man's wrists, causing everyone to cry out in alarm.

Even Xiahou Xuanyu finally looked at Xun Nu with wariness in his eyes. He had originally thought it would be easy to capture him, but didn't expect him to be so difficult to deal with.

With a glance, another gray-robed middle-aged man beside him also drew his sword and stepped forward, engaging in a fierce battle with Xun Nu. In terms of skill, Xun Nu was not inferior to him and might even be slightly better. However, he had Tang Li in his arms and couldn't fully utilize his abilities, thus suppressed by the gray-robed man.

Gradually, wounds appeared on Xun Nu's body, but Tang Li remained unscathed. Seeing Xun Nu injured, Tang Li was anxious with worry. When she saw the sword light slashing over, Xun Nu turned to block it for her.

Tang Li was filled with great hatred. The feeling of becoming a burden was very unpleasant. She finally understood why in the TV shows she had watched before, when people were trapped, there was always someone who would bitterly plead for the other person to abandon them and quickly leave.

Because at this moment, she had also fallen into an abyss of self-blame and guilt.

"Don't cry, I can take you out." Xun Nu's hoarse voice sounded by her ear. Only then did Tang Li realize that she had shed tears.

"Mm." She buried herself in Xun Nu's embrace, hugging him tightly, trying her best to lighten his burden.

Xun Nu was not flustered by the current disadvantage. From beginning to end, the hand holding the blade remained extremely steady. Instead, it was the gray-robed middle-aged man who became more and more wary the more he exchanged moves with Xun Nu. His opponent was a natural-born blade wielder. The blade in his hand seemed to have a life of its own, rapidly absorbing nourishment, patiently waiting for the moment he revealed an opening.

He was truly a terrifying opponent. What was even more frightening was that he was only at this young age. If he was allowed to continue living... The gray-robed middle-aged man somewhat understood the wariness of that leader in Refining Realm realm. With such an unpredictable fierce beast by one's side, those who had done evil deeds would naturally feel uneasy.

The gray-robed man's momentum was gradually suppressed. The spectating Xiahou Xuanyu finally couldn't sit still. He didn't expect Xun Nu to erupt with such terrifying killing power. His gaze swept over Tang Li in Xun Nu's arms and he understood.

With a cold laugh, Xiahou Xuanyu suddenly struck out with a palm.

The moment he made his move, everyone else, including the gray-robed man, retreated. He seized the timing well, precisely when Xun Nu had stabbed out with his sword and was unprepared. That palm strike was aimed at Tang Li.

Xun Nu's pupils suddenly contracted. Without any hesitation, he used his own body to protect Tang Li, taking the palm strike head-on. He silently spat out a mouthful of blood, soaking Tang Li's shoulder.

In the original novel's setting, Xiahou Xuanyu's combat power surpassed Xun Nu's. Now that he had made his move, Xun Nu was at a disadvantage. Seeing Tang Li's gaze that was filled with hatred to the point of wanting to kill, Xiahou Xuanyu's lips curled up in a pleasant mood.

He was no longer in a hurry to kill Xun Nu, toying with him like a cat playing with a mouse, slowly tormenting him. Every strike left a wound on Xun Nu.

"Chu Li, how could you fancy such a useless man? You should understand, in this world, I am the most outstanding existence. Well, do you regret it now?"

Tang Li understood what he meant. He was saying that he was the male lead, and no one could compare to him.

Seeing that Tang Li was unwilling to pay attention to him, Xiahou Xuanyu's competitive spirit rose. He was determined to make this woman submit to him. He stretched out a hand and slowly clenched it into a fist. "Then wait until I kill him. We'll talk slowly then."

Xun Nu was heavily injured, barely withstanding Xiahou Xuanyu's thousand-pound fist. He opened his mouth and spat out another mouthful of blood, the blood containing crushed bits, clearly indicating internal organ damage.

Even so, he still held Tang Li tightly and once again held his blade in front of him. Tang Li's eyes were completely red, her hands clutching his lapel turning deathly white from using too much force.

Xiahou Xuanyu raised an eyebrow. "Still able to take another of my punches? Not dying from this, I'm even getting a bit annoyed." Suddenly, a surge of lightning-like green light gathered around his body, converging on his fist as he fiercely struck towards Xun Nu.

He felt that Xun Nu definitely couldn't dodge this strike and revealed an arrogant smile on his face. However, in just a moment, the smile on Xiahou Xuanyu's face froze. His fist pierced through Tang Li's chest, causing blood to gush out.

"Warning! Warning! The female lead is about to die! Abnormal death! System chaos! Beep—" The system panel turned bright red. Xiahou Xuanyu's face suddenly turned deathly pale as he felt an intense pain, as if his soul was being torn apart, causing him to fall backwards.

Before collapsing, he saw Tang Li give a cold smile towards the panel and said intermittently, "You hurt... Xun Nu, even if I die, I won't let you... off easy..."

She could see his system panel! Xiahou Xuanyu's vision went black as he completely lost consciousness.

The scene was in chaos. After Xiahou Xuanyu fell, the North City guards all rushed forward. As for Xun Nu, he looked at Tang Li who had fallen in front of him, momentarily unable to react to what had happened.

He knew there was no avoiding it, so he had just shielded Tang Li in front of him. But Tang Li, who had been quiet, suddenly pushed him away—using the clever force technique he had taught her. She had never learned it well, always unable to get the force right. That push just now was the most standard she had ever done it.

Perhaps due to his severe injuries, Xun Nu's vision was a blur of dizziness. He couldn't even see Tang Li's face clearly, only a large patch of striking red blood.

He reached out and held Tang Li, one hand covering the bloody hole in her chest. That hand was instantly soaked in blood, his blood and Tang Li's blood, mixed together.

"My name isn't Chu Li, it's Tang Li... I didn't lie..."

From barely audible to completely silent.

Some of the North City people who had reacted saw Xun Nu in this dazed state and thought he was defenseless, a good opportunity to kill him to eliminate future troubles. But before the sword could fall, they were beheaded.

Covered in blood, Xun Nu stood up holding his blade, looking at the unconscious Xiahou Xuanyu being protected in the middle. The blade trembled slightly, emitting bursts of wailing.

"...You killed her."

"You killed her." His already hoarse voice now sounded even more desolate, sending chills down the listeners' spines.

No one expected that Xun Nu, who seemed to be at the end of his rope, could still take dozens of lives. In the end, more than half of this North City squad died here, with only a few people escaping while protecting the unconscious Xiahou Xuanyu.

At some point, dark clouds had gathered in the sky and it began to snow, the snowflakes dancing and covering the scattered corpses and blood.

Xun Nu, holding his bloody blade, his face deathly pale, walked over to Tang Li's corpse. He wanted to reach out and hold her, but after staggering a few steps, he collapsed to his knees, drained of strength.

Snowflakes stuck to his temples. That pair of jet-black eyes was also filled with the vast snowy sky. The snow melted into water, gently rolling down.

Xun Nu suddenly fully remembered what his master had said. He said, "You will not feel sad for lives that have passed, will not shed tears because of death. So in this life, you are just a slave driven by the blade."

"If one day you understand, you will no longer be 'Xun Nu'..."

Author's Note: It's really hard to say who the protagonist of this story is.

Seeing this, old readers will say, "Ah, you damn author, you can't get over the 'protagonist must die once' trope, can you!"

I can solemnly tell everyone, yes.