Xie Jing stopped in front of Qin Jiujiu. He stared at her face, and she, in turn, stared fixedly at his, like a little rabbit observing its master's expression.
Xie Jing grabbed her arm, holding it tightly as if afraid she would disappear. Qin Jiujiu, unaware of the scene he had just witnessed under the influence of demonic energy, naturally did not understand his motives at that moment.
Her arm was slender, and within his palm, she could not break free. His thin lips formed a line, as if deep in thought, and his sharp gaze lingered on her for a long time.
"You're pinching me!"
Qin Jiujiu's voice broke the silence. Xie Jing loosened his grip, the crimson in his eyes receding. He realized that what he had seen were illusions, and that she had pulled him out of the darkness.
He released his hold on her arms, his hand slowly moving down to grasp hers, their fingers interlacing, inseparable.
Xie Jing had never felt this way before—he feared her leaving, yet he was unwilling to turn her into a puppet. If he did, she could always stay by his side, obediently accompanying him.
He had once seen a room full of marionettes in a secret chamber within that palace. Each one was strikingly similar in form and appearance. The person there had told him, "Humans cannot be controlled; one wrong move, and they slip through your fingers! But these puppets are different; they not only don't decay for years but also don't harbor any other thoughts!"
As soon as Liu Qi recovered, he saw Xie Jing approaching Qin Jiujiu. Worried that Xie Jing might harm Qin Jiujiu, he hurried over. Qin Jiujiu also noticed him and instinctively reached out to let go of Xie Jing's hand.
"Miss Qin!" Seeing the worry in Liu Qi's eyes, Qin Jiujiu knew she had to find a plausible excuse for Xie Jing's recent behavior.
"System, how can I help the villain fabricate a lie! If his demonic energy is exposed, won't he just turn completely evil!"
"Host, here's a hint! The reason the villain and the male and female leads came to this forest is to capture the black bear demon! Their relationship also heated up through this experience."
Qin Jiujiu couldn't help but inwardly grumble, isn't this just a description of a monster designed to promote the male and female leads' relationship!
Looking at Xie Jing again, he was always an outsider. The second male lead was always just that; at certain times, he simply had to be absent!
Qin Jiujiu looked at Liu Qi. "General Liu, Young Master Xie was just under the black bear demon's sorcery, which caused him to lose control..." She hoped he would believe this nonsensical explanation.
Liu Qi glanced at Xie Jing and noticed that his complexion had indeed improved considerably, different from before. His gaze seemed a little unfriendly, but compared to moments ago, it was as if he had just been bewitched.
Liu Qi did not pursue the matter further. After all, Xie Jing was Xie Yun's brother, and they had been helping the government considerably in hunting demons in the city these days.
They had captured many demons who aided and abetted evil, thus ridding the people of harm! He was also aware of today's black bear demon incident.
This black bear, having lived for so long, had become a demon, causing recent disturbances. People nearby had reported to the authorities, so it was likely Xie Jing and his companions had come here to slay the demon today.
"Has Young Master Xie recovered?"
Qin Jiujiu quickly nodded. She felt the strength in her hand; Xie Jing held hers so tightly, as if he wanted to embed it into her flesh.
Xie Jing watched Qin Jiujiu's interaction with Liu Qi. His body instinctively moved to block Liu Qi's line of sight towards Qin Jiujiu. Qin Jiujiu, however, was completely oblivious to his displeasure, even turning her body to converse with Liu Qi.
It wasn't until she felt pain in her hand that she looked at it in surprise. Why was Xie Jing holding her so tightly?
Qin Jiujiu was confused. She wanted to find the answer on his face, and their eyes met.
"Miss Qin and General Liu seem quite familiar now? Even more so than I, who has known you for several months!"
Qin Jiujiu detected the sarcasm in his words but didn't know how to respond. Liu Qi spoke first, his gaze falling on their clasped hands, a look of surprise on his face.
"Miss Qin and I have only met a few times because of Ah Jin! However, Miss Qin is a very interesting person, so everyone likes her."
As soon as he said this, Qin Jiujiu felt an even stronger grip on her hand, causing pain.
"Be gentle!" she whispered to Xie Jing, a voice only they could hear. Then, considering the intimacy of the situation, she looked at Xie Jing with confusion, only to see his expression unchanged. He even squeezed the flesh of her hand.
It was as if he were playing with her fingers!
Qin Jiujiu had never been treated like this before. She blushed for a moment but felt no strong urge to resist. So, she suppressed her emotions and adopted a serious demeanor.
Liu Qi ignored the strange feeling that arose from seeing this scene. He maintained his gentle expression and said to Xie Jing, "It's good that Young Master Xie is alright. Shall we head back together?"
However, there was only one horse.
"Fourth Brother, Jiujiu!"
Liu Jin's voice came from behind Qin Jiujiu. Liu Qi had already seen her, so he wasn't surprised. Upon hearing Liu Jin's voice, Qin Jiujiu's first reaction was to pry Xie Jing's hand away.
Liu Qi might not be bothered, but Liu Jin was different. If she saw this, it would be a disaster!
So, regardless of whether Xie Jing was willing, she said to him, "Young Master Xie, you're hurting my hand!" Then, she used her other hand to pry his fingers away from hers.
Xie Jing didn't resist this time, so with a gentle tug, their hands separated. Xie Jing felt the warmth from Qin Jiujiu's hand disappear, leaving his own chillingly cold. He unconsciously tightened his grip.
A flicker of coldness crossed his face. Liu Jin was a big trouble!
Qin Jiujiu was naturally unaware that both during their previous boat trip and this time on horseback, Xie Jing had coincidentally witnessed her in the company of Liu Qi, even in seemingly intimate conversations. He had also observed their rare physical contact.
System: I'm not taking the blame for this!
Liu Jin naturally saw the scratch marks on Liu Qi's neck, which were currently red. It was easy to imagine the purple and blue marks the next day, which looked terrifying.
"Fourth Brother, what happened to your neck?"
"It's nothing..." Liu Qi instinctively touched his neck and replied as if nothing had happened.
Qin Jiujiu briefly explained to Liu Jin. Although Liu Jin found it somewhat incredible, she eventually believed it. Xiao Yuan, however, looked at Xie Jing with suspicion. But he was never one to make a fuss without solid evidence, so he didn't say much, though his attention towards Xie Jing naturally increased.
If this person was dangerous, he couldn't rest assured leaving him by Ah Jin and Xian Qing's side!
Furthermore, he could clearly sense hostility from that person!
But with five people and three horses, they were at an impasse.
Xie Jing spoke first, "The three of you ride ahead. Miss Qin just told me she has something she needs my help with, so we won't be going with you."
Qin Jiujiu: "..."
Her face was filled with shock. Liu Jin also looked surprised, waiting for her explanation. But Xie Jing suddenly said, "Miss Qin, do you still remember when you got drunk..."
Qin Jiujiu immediately covered his mouth. This was clearly naked blackmail!
Xie Jing did not dodge or resist her action of covering his mouth. The others, however, looked at her in shock. After a few seconds of thought, she finally said, "Yes! I just! Actively asked Young Master Xie! To help me again!"
Liu Jin wanted to say something, but Liu Qi had already intervened, stopping her from asking further questions. "In that case, Ah Jin, Yu Heng, we'll be going ahead!"
"Young Master Xie, Miss Qin, we'll meet again at the manor later!" Qin Jiujiu quickly nodded as Liu Qi spurred his horse away.
Liu Jin could only pout and followed behind Liu Qi.
Qin Jiujiu turned her head to look at Xie Jing. "How shall we get there, Young Master Xie?"
"Don't you love to drink? Shall we get drunk again tonight? Perhaps you'll remember what happened that night!"
Why did Xie Jing seem so annoying right now! He had a rather roguish air about him! She really wanted to hit him!