Yao Wan ran to a forest outside the city and stopped. With a shake of her body, she returned to her original form.
The flute melody came from this very spot.
A figure stood within the darkness, clad in black.
From the shadow cast under the moonlight, it could be seen that this person was a man with half his hair down, a white jade flute at his lips.
Upon seeing the man, Yao Wan's attitude instantly became much more respectful, her downcast and submissive demeanor a stark contrast to her earlier self.
The man wore a golden hairpin in his hair, and his black robe trailed on the ground. Golden threads on the robe shimmered with light, depicting the pattern of a giant python, which appeared quite eerie in the deep forest.
The flute music abruptly ceased, and the man's voice drifted out, much like the earlier melody, carrying an unsettling quality in the night.
"Who allowed you to act rashly?"
"Qin Jiujiu, that woman, you don't want her dead too?"
The man in black never turned around, but his tone clearly changed.
He said, "Don't think you're clever! Otherwise..."
Yao Wan felt a burning sensation all over her body, and soon, her clothes began to ignite. She panicked, swatting at the black flames on her body, but the fire was inextinguishable, only causing her immense discomfort.
She began to roll on the ground, begging for mercy.
"I won't dare again! Let me go!"
With a gentle wave of the man's sleeve, the burning sensation on her body instantly vanished.
The fear on her face intensified. She struggled to stand up from the ground, the pain on her skin undeniable.
"That's good, you may go."
A light sentence, yet it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in Yao Wan's mind. This time, she would remember it well.
After Yao Wan disappeared, the man in black did not leave immediately. He brought the flute back to his lips and resumed the interrupted melody.
Wei Ting had the City Lord's mansion surrounded tightly. Except for the nine-tailed fox who had escaped, not a single person was allowed out.
That nine-tailed fox was no ordinary creature; with their skills, they couldn't even get close to her.
Xie Yun and the others rushed back to the front hall. Seeing the opera troupe and the guests safely protected by the City Lord's mansion guards, they finally relaxed.
Liu Jin and Liu Yu were among them. Seeing them return, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Liu Jin, upon seeing Qin Jiujiu enter, quickly ran over. The bruise on her neck was hard to ignore. As Liu Jin reached out to touch it, the person in front of her vanished before she could make contact.
Qin Jiujiu was pulled behind Xie Jing. She didn't quite understand his intentions, but since she couldn't see his expression, she didn't know why. She could only stretch her head to see Liu Jin's expression.
She saw Liu Jin looking at Xie Jing with a smile that suggested understanding and complicity.
Qin Jiujiu's scalp tingled. She truly hadn't expected that besides this flawed second male lead, there was also a second female lead!
At this point, she could only look to the male and female leads for comfort!
However, only Xie Yun was present. Bai Qianluo was nowhere to be seen.
"Brother Xie, where is Sister Bai?"
Just as Xie Yun was scanning the room and not seeing Bai Qianluo, about to go out to look for her, he saw Bai Qianluo enter with Jiang Yan.
For a moment, Qin Jiujiu felt as if she were witnessing a scene from a dramatic rivalry.
This was the first time the five of them were gathered together!
Except for Qin Jiujiu, who wore an expression of pure observation, Liu Jin, who should have been part of the situation, also looked like an onlooker.
However, her gaze seemed to circle around the four of them before returning to herself?
Qin Jiujiu felt a bit dejected. At this moment, she was more concerned about Xie Jing's reaction.
This man now had another love rival! And a gentle, handsome one at that!
She had to admit, no matter how she looked at it, Jiang Yan's appearance and demeanor were her ideal type! However, he was the female lead's man, and she wouldn't dare to harbor such thoughts!
Qin Jiujiu looked at Xie Jing and instantly felt a bit of pity for him. Jiang Yan might have less screen time than Xie Jing, but he could at least sincerely express his feelings to the female lead. In contrast, Xie Jing, as depicted by the author, had a love that couldn't see the light of day.
Qin Jiujiu then remembered that in the original novel, the great villain had never spoken the word "love" to Bai Qianluo, not even once!
Thinking of this, she felt somewhat selfish. She only wanted to prevent Xie Jing from getting close to Bai Qianluo for the sake of her mission. Just now, she had told him to stop liking Bai Qianluo. If emotions could be so easily set aside, then Jiu Ying and Li Muqing wouldn't have met their fates.
She suddenly began to ponder if her actions were truly right.
What Qin Jiujiu didn't know was that as she reflected, the system was busy fixing bugs in the background.
Xie Jing saw Qin Jiujiu staring intently at Bai Qianluo, and that suffocating feeling of his heart being clutched tightly returned. Recently, this sensation had become more frequent. Every time he was near her, his emotions would change easily, and the pain would intensify each time.
Lately, because of Qin Jiujiu, his emotions seemed to be amplified. At least, he himself could clearly feel it.
Bai Qianluo's gaze swept over Xie Yun and Liu Jin. She knew full well that this engagement was a pretense, yet she couldn't convince herself. She felt a pang of jealousy. This feeling not only made her unable to smile but also made Liu Jin's elaborate attire look incredibly jarring.
She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she felt unbearable and didn't want Xie Yun to see her like this.
Just a moment ago, in the back garden of the City Lord's mansion, she had encountered Jiang Yan.
After clearing her head, she felt much happier. The unsettling emotions were blown away by the night wind, and she felt a sense of lightness.
Yet now, in this room, she felt intensely agitated again.
Xie Yun spoke, addressing Bai Qianluo. He said, "Your injury has not healed, why are you not resting properly and running around everywhere?"
As he spoke, his eyes swept over Jiang Yan.
Qin Jiujiu and Liu Jin, as outsiders, clearly sensed the underlying sourness. Xie Yun, that blockhead, was clearly jealous but unaware of it.
Jiang Yan, on the other hand, smiled faintly. His smile was like a spring breeze, making Qin Jiujiu momentarily dote on him.
He said, "It is all my fault. If Miss Bai's old injury relapses, it shall be my fault!"
Jiang Yan's voice, like his person, was gentle and refined, easily drawing Qin Jiujiu into his charm.
Her gaze lingered on him, unmoving, which made a certain person increasingly agitated.
He watched with his own eyes as Qin Jiujiu quietly moved away from his side, creating a distance between them, and then her gaze fixed on Jiang Yan, refusing to shift.
A coldness flashed across his face as he looked at Jiang Yan with a hint of chill.
He truly harbored murderous intent towards Jiang Yan! As for Qin Jiujiu, he wanted to bind her to himself. But she was restless and likely wouldn't agree, so he would sever her tendons! Yet, she was so afraid of pain and would likely cry inconsolably. The thought of her crying brought about another strange sensation in his heart.
What Qin Jiujiu didn't realize was that as Xie Jing stared at her, countless methods to deal with her flashed through his mind.
If she had known, she certainly wouldn't have dared to entertain the idea of finding a boyfriend like Jiang Yan.
Liu Jin, truly a spectator, watched a splendid drama unfold. She smiled at Qin Jiujiu, realizing this girl had been targeted by this man for a long time! She had even been planning to introduce her fourth brother to Qin Jiujiu when he returned from the border!
However, Jiu Jiu might not like Xie Jing! Fourth brother might still have a chance!