Liu Jin was the only daughter in her family, with four older brothers. Three of them were already married, while the fourth was a general who often led troops in battle and was nearing the age of marriage but remained unmarried.
Now, he spent his days with General Xiao Yuan, known as Cloud Eagle, yet showed no interest in women, which inevitably led to speculation.
It was said that Xiao Yuan also had no interest in women and was a cold-blooded demon. The mere thought of him sent shivers down her spine.
Her own brother, however, was a gentle soul, quite similar to Xie Yun's temperament. She figured Jiu Jiu would like someone like him.
Qin Jiu Jiu was unaware of what Liu Jin was imagining. If she knew, she would probably want to discuss it with her. Perhaps they could chat about these two handsome men and even imagine them as a couple.
For a moment, the room fell silent, and the atmosphere among them was far from pleasant.
Although she couldn't pinpoint why, Qin Jiu Jiu felt something was amiss. Especially Xie Jing, his gaze was chillingly cold, even more so than it had been outside.
The guests soon grew tired of their polite exchanges and began clamoring to leave.
The engagement ceremony had been interrupted, and the opera "Farewell My Concubine" had not yet begun. Xie Yun seized the opportunity to say, "Please don't rush, esteemed guests. A good show is yet to unfold. Kindly wait here. Once the arrangements are made outside, you are welcome to move to watch the performance!"
The crowd had nothing to say for the moment. After all, this was the City Lord's mansion. Although the City Lord was not present, the Princess and her husband were, and their words carried considerable weight.
Soon, the din of voices once again filled the City Lord's mansion, and the courtyard returned to its former liveliness.
However, a message soon arrived from those guarding the Wen family, reporting that Wen Zhanxin had disappeared.
The guards had only seen a fleeting shadow emerge from his room before vanishing quickly.
How could a living person disappear into thin air? This was too strange. Xie Yun could only temporarily dispatch Wei Ting to search for Wen Zhanxin, leaving them and a few guards to secure the City Lord's mansion.
But if Wen Zhanxin had been captured by the killer who flayed people alive, then Wei Ting and his men would be no match for him. Coupled with the interference of the Nine-Tailed Fox, it would likely not be an easy task.
Yet, he was truly stretched too thin!
Bai Qianluo noticed Xie Jing's worry and said, "My health has greatly improved. I will watch over the City Lord's mansion. Chen Zhi, you can go find Wen Zhanxin!"
Xie Yun, initially wanting to refuse out of concern for Bai Qianluo, quickly heard her add, "Besides this, there is no better solution!"
Her gaze was resolute. Xie Yun hesitated for a moment before finally compromising.
"If that is the case, then let Yan Xing remain in the mansion as well!"
"Yan Xing, you will stay to protect A Luo!"
This address of "A Luo" not only shocked Bai Qianluo herself but also rendered everyone present dumbfounded.
Bai Qianluo called him Chen Zhi, a name she used before Qin Jiu Jiu transmigrated. Xie Yun, on the other hand, had always referred to Bai Qianluo as Miss Bai. Qin Jiu Jiu didn't understand why the author had written it this way; this "A Luo" was excessively intimate!
Although, in the later parts of the story, the male lead did indeed call the female lead this.
Qin Jiu Jiu, however, felt that Xie Yun's action was a clear display of possessiveness out of jealousy. For a straightforward man like him, achieving this was not easy, proving the significant role Jiang Yan played.
She stealthily glanced at Xie Jing. He showed no outward change, but Jiang Yan seemed momentarily lost in thought.
Although Xie Jing's demeanor remained unchanged, perhaps his blackening value was silently increasing.
She had been observing Xie Jing more frequently recently, much to the system's delight. Before she could even inquire about the villain's blackening progress, the system began broadcasting, "The villain's blackening value has been fluctuating greatly recently, but his blackening value is currently stable."
Did this mean Xie Jing hadn't blacked out due to jealousy?
"Host, please follow Xie Yun to trigger the next plot point and complete the mission!"
"Nani? Why am I doing this mission now? Triggering plot points is supposed to be the protagonists' task. By all rights, Qin Yun Wan should no longer have any scenes!"
"Please obey the arrangements! Otherwise, the mission will be deemed a failure!"
"Will I be in danger if I go?"
"Unknown for now. Please take care of yourself!"
Qin Jiu Jiu: "..."
She desperately wanted to curse, but she forcefully suppressed it and turned to Xie Yun, saying, "Brother Xie, I want to go with you!"
"No! This time, the risk is very high. I cannot let you take this risk!"
Xie Yun said sternly. After all, they didn't know the opponent's capabilities. The Nine-Tailed Fox alone was difficult to deal with, let alone an unknown factor!
Bai Qianluo also interjected, "Jiu Jiu, this operation is too dangerous. You shouldn't go!"
At this moment, her only emotion was concern for Qin Jiu Jiu's safety. She thought Jiu Jiu was just looking for excitement and wanted to join the fun.
Qin Jiu Jiu felt miserable. She naturally knew that going would be dangerous. She just wanted to be a lazy lump, lying flat here, and didn't want to go. But the system threatened her with mission failure, leaving her no choice but to diligently complete the task.
However, Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo were adamant, and there was no way to sway them. The mission had to be done. If she didn't, she would die immediately. By going on the mission, she might die, but at least there was a chance of survival.
She had to go!
She touched the Qiankun bag at her waist, which contained many talismans given by Xie Yun. An idea struck her, and she said to Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo, "Alright then! Brother Xie, please be careful!"
And so, after Xie Jing set off, Qin Jiu Jiu pretended to go back to her room to sleep, but halfway there, she suddenly turned back and took a detour out of the mansion.
The people in the front hall were still drinking tea and watching the show, completely unaware of their actions. Liu Jin, also restless, followed Qin Jiu Jiu. She had intended to go to Qin Jiu Jiu's room to find her but saw her returning midway.
"Jiu Jiu!"
Following her to the door, Liu Jin understood what she intended to do. She called out, startling the sneaky Qin Jiu Jiu, who then rushed towards her after seeing it was Liu Jin.
"Sister A Jin, please be quiet!"
Seeing Qin Jiu Jiu deliberately lowering her voice and acting demurely, Liu Jin couldn't help but smile.
"Are you going out?"
Qin Jiu Jiu nodded and replied, "I want to go and check out the Wen family."
Liu Jin sighed, "I thought you had truly let go of Hero Xie. I didn't expect you to..."
Before she could finish, Qin Jiu Jiu clamped a hand over her mouth. Because she was shorter, she had to stand on tiptoe in her haste.
"Sister A Jin, it's not what you think! Why don't you come with me?"
Upon hearing there was excitement to be had, Liu Jin stopped speaking. She gestured that she wouldn't say anything more and, after Qin Jiu Jiu removed her hand from her mouth, she finally let go.
The two left together. After walking some distance, Qin Jiu Jiu suddenly stopped, rummaged through her Qiankun bag, and pulled out a teleportation talisman.
"Is that a talisman?"
Liu Jin had heard of the Xie family's talismans and had even seen them in her childhood, so she recognized it immediately.
Qin Jiu Jiu nodded and replied, "This is a teleportation talisman, Sister A Jin. Grab my hand!"
Liu Jin then took Qin Jiu Jiu's free left hand. Qin Jiu Jiu's lips moved, and after saying something, the talisman suddenly floated above their heads, emitting a yellow glow.
Soon, they arrived at their destination.