"Little Jing?"
Xie Jing's eyes were filled with displeasure, a dark ink that couldn't be dispelled in his gaze. Qin Jiujiu remained in her original position, unmoving.
He opened the door, but only a sliver. Xie Yun's gaze swept into the room, only to be blocked by Xie Jing.
With a guess in his heart, he said, "Little Jing, you..."
Xie Jing cut off his unfinished words, "I like Miss Qin."
Xie Yun's pupils dilated in an instant. He stared at Xie Jing, who remained expressionless but extremely serious. Xie Jing continued, "I hope my elder brother can propose to Miss Qin for me!"
Xie Jing's eyes met Xie Yun's directly. Although Xie Yun found it somewhat unbelievable, seeing his younger brother's earnest expression, he was genuinely happy for him.
What if Jiujiu liked him too! Wouldn't that be a match made in heaven? With a kind and optimistic girl like Jiujiu by his side, it might be a great thing for Xie Jing!
"Are you serious?" he confirmed again.
"Naturally!"
Xie Jing showed no hesitation, but his eyes were filled with other emotions. Xie Yun felt a strange unease, and his gaze seemed to hold a hint of anger.
"Is Jiujiu inside?" Xie Yun's gaze once again probed into the room. Xie Jing shifted his body and said, "She's inside. We are discussing marriage."
Xie Yun couldn't discern the truth from his eyes, but he was genuinely happy and didn't suspect anything. He simply instructed, "It's a good thing you two love each other, but maintain proper boundaries before the wedding. You cannot bully Jiujiu, or I won't show you any favor and will forbid her from marrying you!"
Xie Jing, however, smiled. He only registered the latter half of the statement. Thinking of Qin Jiujiu's feelings for Xie Yun, he became agitated, and his expression suddenly turned dark and terrifying.
His face was obscured by the light from the room, making him appear blurry.
"That day will never come!"
Xie Yun interpreted this to mean that the day he bullied Qin Jiujiu would never come, completely overlooking the frenzied tone in which the words were spoken.
He would never let her leave, even in death!
That was his true thought!
"That's good. It's getting late, let Jiujiu come out. Qianluo is waiting for her to return and rest!" Xie Yun patted Xie Jing on the shoulder, feeling a sense of relief that his brother had truly grown up.
Qin Jiujiu still stood there blankly, her gaze vacant as she looked towards the doorway. However, her vision only held Xie Jing's back.
Suddenly, a wisp of black energy rose from the top of her head, gradually dissipating into the air. As the black energy dissipated, the love curse on her was lifted, and her eyes gradually regained clarity.
"Host, your love curse has been broken!"
Qin Jiujiu: "You're stating the obvious! Acting as if you were the one who broke it!"
Qin Jiujiu's inner thoughts clearly conveyed her disdain for the system.
"Jiujiu, you should go back to your room!" Qin Jiujiu looked at Xie Yun and Xie Jing, who had appeared at the doorway, in shock. Xie Yun entered first, with Xie Jing behind him. He was hidden in the darkness, his eyes downcast, and Qin Jiujiu couldn't see his emotions.
"Brother Xie?" Qin Jiujiu didn't know what had just happened, nor what the two of them had discussed at the door. She had only just regained consciousness, and her mind was still a bit sluggish.
"System, this love curse, will it affect my intelligence?"
She asked earnestly, and the system didn't know how to respond.
But she really cared about her intelligence!
"Host, logically speaking, it shouldn't. However, using it for too long might lead to dementia!"
The first part of the statement put Qin Jiujiu at ease, but the latter part struck her like lightning.
"Jiujiu, you must have been frightened tonight. Go back and get some rest!"
Qin Jiujiu let out an "Oh~" and quickly left the room.
Xie Jing had not uttered a single word from beginning to end, his thoughts unknown.
"Little Jing, I'll write to Master Qin to inform him of this matter!" Xie Yun always acted according to rules. Marriage, like the arranged marriage with Zhang Shirong, was a matter of parental decree and a matchmaker's word. Therefore, it was natural to officially inform the parents first, and then formally propose!
Xie Jing's expression changed, but he didn't stop him.
What did their matters have to do with Master Qin? If Master Qin disagreed, would he then be unable to marry her? If so, it would be easier to simply kill them... that would save a lot of trouble!
Xie Jing didn't understand what marriage entailed; it was simply what the storybooks described!
Once married, two people would be together forever, never separated for all eternity!
Xie Jing's heart was filled with love, yet he didn't know how to express it. For Qin Jiujiu, his love might not bring joy, but rather pain.
The letter was sent out, and the bamboo house gradually quieted.
Xie Jing disappeared halfway because he discovered those bugs. He had always been a free spirit and had no habit of reporting his whereabouts to anyone, so he chased after the bugs alone.
According to him, these bugs were a type of black ant, larger than ordinary ants, and they were carnivorous, feeding on the flesh of humans and animals alike!
The four continued to move forward, constantly observing their surroundings. The forest was strange; ordinary plants could potentially consume human flesh and blood.
After walking for a long time, it was time to rest. Qin Jiujiu took out the stored provisions from her Qiankun bag, but to her surprise, the little spirit snake, which had been silent all along, slithered out.
Qin Jiujiu sat cross-legged, and the little spirit snake happened to lie on her lap, stretching its body and flicking its forked tongue.
Suddenly, the little snake's seven-inch mark was gripped, and with a slight squeeze, it could lose its life!
The little spirit snake writhed its tail, as if begging for mercy.
Xie Yun initially thought the little snake intended to bite Qin Jiujiu and almost killed it. Fortunately, Qin Jiujiu reacted quickly and rescued the little spirit snake from Xie Yun's grasp.
The little spirit snake then lay on Qin Jiujiu's lap again, appearing rather cute. Qin Jiujiu took out some pastries and asked it, "Do you want to eat?"
After all, it hadn't eaten for so long; it must be hungry? But seeing that the little snake didn't seem interested in the pastries in her hand, Qin Jiujiu assumed it didn't eat such things, as snakes were supposed to be carnivorous. She then thought of eating the pastries herself.
The little snake suddenly extended its head, making Qin Jiujiu think it was going to bite her. If such a tragedy were to occur, it would be a real-life rendition of the farmer and the snake!
Fortunately, the little snake merely snatched the pastry and stuffed it into its mouth in one gulp, showing no sign of its earlier haughtiness. Its ravenous eating amused Qin Jiujiu, and she chuckled.
"Eat slowly... do you want some water too?"
It was the water she had drunk.
Seeing that the little snake didn't respond, Qin Jiujiu assumed its proud nature had resurfaced and took out her water flask to give it water.
System: Can it even talk?
Suddenly, the little spirit snake flew several miles away from her lap.