The sweetness of this candy had clearly soured.
In Xie Jing’s mind, Qin Jiu Jiu’s face appeared. He was a man who disliked reminiscing about the past, for those memories were too heavy, and he only encountered them in nightmares. Yet now, every frame flashing through his mind was of Qin Jiu Jiu.
He stared blankly at the Qiankun Bag in his hand. It was for this very Qiankun Bag that he had committed murder that day.
In Willow Creek City, the case of the beggar that Wei Ting was currently investigating was his doing.
That day, Qin Jiu Jiu had been taken away by the Nine-Tailed Fox, her whereabouts unknown. It was like this that evening too. He couldn’t sleep, so he stood by the Nanfeng Pavilion, the very place where they had watched fireworks together.
Looking down, the Nanfeng Pavilion was brightly lit, while the surroundings were shrouded in darkness.
This Qiankun Bag was his. Ever since it fell into his hands at the fortune teller’s house in Li Family Town, it had not been the same one.
This character, 'Jing,' was his mark.
He caressed the Qiankun Bag, feeling only a chill in his heart. Demonic energy surged within him, the seal clearly on the verge of breaking. He heard a voice whisper from within his heart.
“Cooperate with me! As long as you cooperate, she will return to your side!”
She?
Xie Jing’s expression changed drastically. He forcibly suppressed the surge of demonic energy, seemingly realizing who "she" was. He forcefully cast aside all attachments in his mind, instantly calming down.
The night he committed murder, his mind had been clouded by demonic energy.
Qin Jiu Jiu had another dream, and it was still of Xie Jing. She had almost overslept.
They had stayed at the Nanfeng Pavilion for many days since the day they saw the man behind the screen.
During these days, she had come to understand one thing. Chunfeng Du had a brothel named Nanfeng Pavilion, which was a chain connected to the one in Willow Creek City. However, Chunfeng Du had many clandestine dealings, hence, although Nanfeng Pavilion was outwardly a brothel, it had a secret entrance.
Beyond that secret entrance lay the underground, the very place they had arrived at initially.
It was worth noting that the underground Nanfeng Pavilion was virtually identical to its aboveground counterpart, but it was filled with hidden mechanisms. And those who entered the underground establishment were no ordinary people.
While those who frequented brothels were generally not considered respectable, those who knew of the hidden place beneath Nanfeng Pavilion were even more so.
These days, Qin Jiu Jiu had been relatively free, but her freedom was confined to the room she had been in since waking up.
During this time, although they were in a brothel, Yao Niang, the madam, had not forced them to entertain guests. They were provided with good food and drink daily, and Qin Jiu Jiu had even gained weight.
At night, with nothing else to do, Qin Jiu Jiu played a pebble-throwing game with Xiao Bai. It wasn't that she was diligently practicing for her bet with Xie Jing; she was never one to overexert herself. She was simply bored, truly just bored.
She couldn't speak, and although she had gotten somewhat used to it these days, she communicated with Xiao Bai by writing wobbly characters on paper, which made her feel less restless. Kuaishu Pavilion.
She passed her days by finding new ways to amuse herself, short of playing rubber band skipping ropes in her room, though she had genuinely considered it.
Every time she fell asleep, Xie Jing would appear in her dreams. Those erotic dreams were so stimulating that her blood raced. She used to read some explicit novels before bed, but never had she experienced such frequent erotic dreams every night.
So, for the past few days, she avoided sleeping whenever possible, often staying up until late at night before finally succumbing to sleep, only for the erotic dreams to return. She even wondered if she had been too lonely for too long and should find a boyfriend!
Xiao Bai, the little maid who brought her food these days, was around the same age as Qin Yun Wan. However, Qin Jiu Jiu was several years older, so she always treated Xiao Bai like a younger sister. All her intelligence was gathered from Xiao Bai.
Xiao Bai’s name was indeed rather simple. Qin Jiu Jiu surmised that this character wasn't originally in the author’s novel, but rather, she had accidentally triggered some plot points not present in the original, hence the casual naming.
Two nights ago.
【Xiao Bai, do you have a brother or sister named Xiao Hei?】
Qin Jiu Jiu wrote on the paper. Xiao Bai looked up at her after reading her words, her youthful innocence making her quite endearing.
“How did you know? I do have an older brother. It was for my brother to get married that my mother sold me here!”
Qin Jiu Jiu couldn't help but laugh. The girl's innocent and naive demeanor was amusing, but hearing such words from such a pure heart was somewhat heartbreaking.
Xiao Bai was still young and had not yet entertained guests. According to her, she would have to wait another year before she, like the other sisters, would start entertaining. Currently, she was doing odd jobs, which was how she had the opportunity to meet Qin Jiu Jiu.
Qin Jiu Jiu immediately stopped playing the pebble-throwing game. She looked at Xiao Bai with serious eyes, and after a long pause, she wrote, 【Do you want to leave here?】
Xiao Bai hesitated for a moment before shaking her head, causing Qin Jiu Jiu, who had been full of hope, to suddenly lose spirit. Qin Jiu Jiu was confused but soon heard Xiao Bai say, “My family is poor. Even if I leave here, I have nowhere to go…”
Qin Jiu Jiu could tell that she clearly wanted to leave, but the lack of hope for survival in the future made staying here seem like the better option, at least she could eat for now.
【Then, if I take you home, would you be willing to leave with me?】 she wrote again.
“…”
Xie Jing sat for a long time. They said that autumn nights were as cool as water, but he had been as cold as ice for a long time (ps: this was related to his childhood experiences), so he couldn’t feel the cold.
Glancing at the dark sky, Xie Jing suddenly recalled that night. It was on a warm night in Shangyang Town. Qin Jiu Jiu, wearing a white silk dress, as if she had just bathed and changed, had barged into his room.
The moment he opened the door and saw her, a thousand emotions flashed through his mind, but he himself hadn't expected to let her in.
After she entered, he quickly regretted it, but Qin Jiu Jiu had already grabbed a chess piece from his desk and sat on the floor, completely lacking the demeanor of a lady.
Indeed, if she had the demeanor of a lady, she wouldn’t have gone to his room that night and stayed for almost the entire night.
Xie Jing’s heart suddenly warmed. He heard his own heartbeat again, as he thought of their bet.
Yes, she still had a bet with him. He had to find her and make her admit defeat wholeheartedly. Thinking of this, all his troubles of the past few days seemed to vanish. His mind was focused on a single goal—to find her!
Xie Jing left swiftly, not noticing the sudden extinguishing of the light in one of the rooms in Nanfeng Pavilion. However, with so many rooms, the extinguishing of one light wouldn't attract attention.
Under Qin Jiu Jiu's instructions, Xiao Bai had been secretly exploring Nanfeng Pavilion these past two days. She was surprised that the map Qin Jiu Jiu had drawn was so accurate. She had never left her room, yet she knew the place better than Xiao Bai, who had been there for over a month.
Of course, she didn't know that all of this was thanks to the system. Although the system was usually dormant, it was quite useful if treated as a navigation tool!