Qin Jiujiu waited for a long time, expecting the person to emerge from behind the screen. However, after speaking, the person said no more, merely continuing to sip tea.
Including Qin Jiujiu, everyone could only stand stiffly in place, not daring to move lest they lose their lives with a single misstep.
"Not bad. It seems you've taken my words to heart!"
The person put down the teacup, as if finished drinking.
Suddenly, a ball of black mist appeared behind the screen. This black mist then transformed into a human form. Qin Jiujiu was shocked but dared not look further, forcing herself to remain calm.
In the original novel, this black mist was described much later, after Xie Jing's descent into darkness.
This black mist was clearly demonic energy.
Was this person a demon?
Qin Jiujiu couldn't judge, but in the original text, only Xie Jing could control demonic energy.
She recalled that in the setting of the novel "Demon Hunter," demons were not accepted by humans or demons, being considered the most evil beings in the world, and thus were annihilated long ago.
Because of this, Xie Jing was born with demonic energy, which was the reason for his dark childhood experiences.
This black mist was demonic energy! Realizing this, Qin Jiujiu even suspected that the person behind the screen was Xie Jing after his corruption. Had the novel gone off track?
"Host, rest assured, the villain has not yet fallen into darkness, but the system has detected that the villain's corruption value is continuously rising. If the host cannot find a solution, that day may not be far off..."
It seemed this person was not Xie Jing. Just as she felt relieved about this, she belatedly realized that Xie Jing was always on the verge of corruption?
She felt a sense of despair. She was already struggling to save herself, and the villain was constantly on the brink of corruption.
Had something happened to the heroine? In the original novel, Xie Jing's several episodes of corruption were all due to Bai Qianluo, but the plot point of Bai Qianluo being severely injured saving Xie Jing had not yet arrived. It shouldn't be so early for him to fall into darkness.
"System, has something happened to the heroine?"
While Qin Jiujiu was conversing with the system, to others, it appeared as though she was lost in thought. This happened very briefly and generally wouldn't arouse suspicion.
"No."
Just as Qin Jiujiu was about to ask further, the system suddenly said, "Host, your most urgent task is to escape this place and prevent the villain from falling into darkness."
Although she didn't know how her escape would help prevent the villain's corruption, she indeed needed to get out of this place as soon as possible. The protagonist group did not know she was here, and she herself didn't even know what kind of place this was.
The figure formed by the black mist suddenly dissolved back into mist and vanished.
The others dared not watch and thus didn't notice the black mist earlier. They remained in place, their eyes vacant.
"The protagonists will soon arrive at this location, and the plot here will officially begin. Therefore, Host, you need not worry; they should rescue you at the critical moment..."
The system's words still echoed in her ears when Qin Jiujiu was startled by another voice from behind the screen. The system must have detected danger, for its voice trailed off and it vanished without a trace.
"Yun Yong."
The voice was not loud, but before it had even faded, a female figure appeared before Qin Jiujiu's eyes.
The person stood before the screen, not lifting it, leaving only a back view for Qin Jiujiu and the others.
She was dressed in black. Although dressed in male attire, her figure revealed her to be a graceful lady. Her hair was tied high, giving her a heroic aura.
Looking at her back, Qin Jiujiu's mind conjured the image of the female assassin from the novel. Turning her gaze, she saw a sword hanging at the woman's waist.
This was a classic portrayal of a female assassin!
Qin Jiujiu immediately averted her gaze. She had heard that such people had eyes on their backs and would gouge out people's eyes. She was afraid.
"Master!" The woman's voice, however, was not the sweet, delicate tone of an ordinary woman but had a certain masculine assertiveness.
Yun Yong bowed respectfully. Qin Jiujiu was even more certain that the person behind the screen was no ordinary individual, perhaps a young master from a noble family with multiple identities. By day, a dashing young man; by night, a shadowy young lord.
"Take her down and hand her over to Yao Niang for proper discipline!"
"Yes!"
Just as the person turned around, Qin Jiujiu hadn't even seen Yun Yong's face clearly when she felt a gust of wind and lost consciousness.
The young women all fainted to the ground. The screen was lifted, and a man emerged from within.
Yun Yong lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze. His eyes were fixed on Qin Jiujiu, his gaze like that of a predator upon its prey. If Qin Jiujiu were conscious, she would have gotten goosebumps.
That look was too intense, as if he were looking through her at something else.
"Discipline her well. I don't care about the lives of the others, but she must live until the 'Hui Hong Xiu' seven days from now. Her life is paramount, and nothing else matters!"
Yun Yong cupped his fists and responded, "Yes, Master!" Then, a group of black-clad figures suddenly appeared from the darkness. Each carried a beauty from the ground and vanished back into the darkness.
Xiao Yuan and Liu Qi, having searched for Qin Jiujiu's whereabouts for days, had already scrutinized the new arrivals in Chunfeng Du several times. Furthermore, they had turned every inn and other temporary lodging upside down, but found no trace of her.
Even entertainment venues had been thoroughly searched by the authorities, much to the displeasure of some establishment owners.
Xie Yun and his group had arrived at the General's Mansion in Chunfeng Du nearly two days ago, but there was still no sign of Qin Jiujiu. The City Lord's Mansion of Xiliu City had also dispatched people to search Xiliu City, but to no avail.
Wei Ting had been busy for days, not only with the case of the large number of beggars killed on South Street the night before Xie Yun and his group departed but also with the search for Qin Jiujiu. He truly had no free time.
It was heard that three days from now would be the full moon.
In Chunfeng Du, the night of the full moon was the most lively. On that night, many underground transactions also took place.
The Ghost Market was also said to be open all night on the eve of the full moon.
At the Ghost Market, people could enter by purchasing tickets in advance, where they could both buy and sell items. Because the items traded within were not those typically found in the market, rumors suggested some rather peculiar things.
It was said that there was a general store in the Ghost Market that could trade in both objects and information, though the latter was as precious as gold. The accuracy of the information was said to be impeccable, and the old woman in the general store was rumored to be able to glimpse heavenly secrets.
However, ordinary people did not know whether this was true or not.
Due to the prolonged lack of news about Qin Jiujiu, Xie Yun and his group decided to try their luck at the Ghost Market in three days.
Xie Jing stood on the eaves of the top floor of the Nanfeng Pavilion, looking down. The surroundings were pitch-black, casting an eerie atmosphere.
The Nanfeng Pavilion in Chunfeng Du was not much different from that in Xiliu City, except that the beauties here were all-encompassing, from gentle and charming women of the Central Plains to dancers and singers from distant lands.
Since arriving in Chunfeng Du, Xie Jing had gone out every night, leaping across rooftops in the city, though he himself did not know what treasure he was seeking.
He sat on the eaves, one leg bent, his spiky hair fluttering in the night wind along with his blue hairband. In his hand, a blue Qiankun bag appeared. Upon closer inspection, a small character was visible: "Jing."
This was clearly the Qiankun bag that Qin Jiujiu cherished dearly!
His fingers constantly caressed the character "Jing." His dark eyes were deep. After a long while, he took out a small packet of candy from it.
This candy had been carefully wrapped by Qin Jiujiu. At that time, she had portioned out a large box of strawberry candies, and this small, pink-wrapped paper packet was one of them.
His fair fingers slowly unwrapped the paper layer by layer. Seeing the candy inside, he picked one up with his fingers and gazed at the candy on his fingertip for a long time. He had intended to let go and drop the candy, but then he changed his mind.
As Xie Jing put the candy back, his fingertip accidentally touched his lips. Suddenly, his heart was stirred, and Qin Jiujiu's voice rushed towards him like a tide, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.