Qin Jiujiu had already found the situation troublesome, and now she didn't know how much the Demon King had overheard, or what misunderstandings would arise. All she knew was that she saw a deadly glint in the Demon King's cold eyes.
He wouldn't think she was showing off to the heroine about her time with Xie Yun in the dungeon, and threatening her to leave, would he?
Qin Jiujiu wished she wasn't so clever.
But unfortunately, this time, she guessed correctly!
Xie Jing felt that Qin Jiujiu had never changed; she was just too good at disguising herself.
Since that was the case, he would play along with her. It would likely be even more interesting to deal with her later.
Qin Jiujiu felt that even though he was smiling now, the smile on his face looked incredibly sinister.
Qin Jiujiu, who had been admiring his face, was instantly frightened by his gaze and lowered her head.
Meanwhile, Qin Jiujiu was busy explaining to Bai Qianluo and had no time to concern herself with the villain.
"Sister Bai, you've misunderstood. The day I found Brother Xie, he was unconscious, but I distinctly heard him call out your name. He called out 'Er,' as if he were worried about you being captured by Jiu Ying. That's why, even in his unconscious state, he was still calling for you."
Seeing that Bai Qianluo still looked somewhat unconvinced, Qin Jiujiu decided to press her advantage.
"Sister Bai, believe me, Brother Xie and I are just friends. He likes you, and I have no romantic feelings for him. I swear to the heavens, if I have any improper thoughts about Xie Yun, may thunder strike me!"
When Qin Jiujiu read about such oaths in books before, she would always mock them. But now, she found herself having to use one. She had to admit, in ancient times, it was quite effective.
"Jiujiu, you don't have to go to such lengths..."
Qin Jiujiu felt that her sincerity had once again moved the heroine. The system prompt indicated that the heroine's favorability towards her had reached one hundred percent. Qin Jiujiu no longer remembered Xie Jing; her heart was entirely filled with this joy.
"Sister Bai, do you believe me?" Although she knew Bai Qianluo would definitely believe her, she had to play the part for the sake of the play's completeness.
"Jiujiu, of course, I believe you. Don't make such oaths again in the future!"
Bai Qianluo felt that Qin Jiujiu was like her younger martial sister. They had grown up together, though Qin Jiujiu was a few years younger. She always liked to stick close to Bai Qianluo, and her smile was so endearing and innocent.
So, Bai Qianluo, as she would treat her younger martial sister, affectionately patted Qin Jiujiu's head. Xie Jing had left early and didn't know what happened afterward. If he had seen it, he certainly wouldn't have thought Qin Jiujiu would do anything to harm Bai Qianluo. The two of them seemed like a pair of good sisters.
The two of them went to the pharmacy to get medicine together.
Although Li Family Town was small, it had everything a small town could need, and there was indeed a small pharmacy. This trip out had indeed made the villagers notice that there were outsiders in the village, guests of Li Cuiya's family.
In the past two days, Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo's relationship had grown stronger. Qin Jiujiu was happy every day. Moreover, her purse had been returned to her by the heroine, and she was once again the Qin Jiujiu who didn't have to worry about food or clothing. This was even more pleasing to her than completing a mission.
Although she had to face Xie Jing's gloomy face every day, Qin Jiujiu still ate what she should and drank what she should, living her life at ease.
However, their good fortune was short-lived. After two days, someone came to the Li family. It was the same people who had taken Li Cuiya away for the sacrifice that day. She remembered that Xie Jing had almost killed those people then.
"Town Mayor, it's them!"
It was the same leader who spoke. Previously, they hadn't seen Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo, so "them" referred to Xie Jing and Qin Jiujiu. But this time, there was an extra person, the one they called the Town Mayor. This Town Mayor appeared to be in his forties, which was not the age one would expect for a town mayor.
When she thought of a town mayor, her mind conjured an image of a white-haired old man, perhaps in his sixties or seventies, a figure of great respect.
But this town mayor looked to be only in his forties. Far from being respected, he actually looked a bit like a ruffian.
So, not all town mayors in novels looked the same!
Their attention was entirely focused on Qin Jiujiu and Xie Jing. Bai Qianluo, perhaps worried that the commotion would frighten Qin Jiujiu, hid Qin Jiujiu behind her and stood in front, completely blocking the gaze of the group.
Seeing Bai Qianluo's action, Qin Jiujiu almost burst into tears.
The heroine was so touching, her "girlfriend power" was off the charts! With such a girlfriend, why would anyone look for a man? Qin Jiujiu looked at the heroine's tall figure and felt that she was exceptionally imposing at this moment.
Xie Jing remained silent, not even looking at them directly.
It was the villagers who, seeing Xie Jing's dismissive attitude and remembering the beating they received last time, felt humiliated if they didn't get revenge. They were about to raise their weapons and charge at him. However, before they could reach Xie Jing, they were restrained.
"Stop!"
The person who intervened was Su Yuqing, the Deputy Town Mayor of Li Family Town. This Deputy Town Mayor had served in Li Family Town for twenty years and was now in his forties.
The cadres in Li Family Town were not elderly people; they were all middle-aged. Qin Jiujiu found this quite interesting.
Her gaze shifted from Deputy Town Mayor Su Yuqing to Town Mayor Li Zheng. The Deputy Town Mayor was not surnamed Li, so he must have moved to Li Family Town in recent years.
Compared to Li Zheng, his appearance was much more refined. He looked like someone who had read many books, and his demeanor was not as rough as the other villagers. He appeared quite scholarly. Just by his demeanor, Qin Jiujiu felt a better impression of the Deputy Town Mayor.
"Su Yuqing, what are you doing here?"
Li Zheng was very displeased with Su Yuqing's appearance. Even the tone of his voice when speaking to him was very rude, suggesting he had always spoken to Su Yuqing this way. However, the latter showed no anger.
"Town Mayor, these people are not from Li Family Town, so they naturally don't know Li Family Town's rules. They must have mistaken them for bad people the other day and were determined to save Miss Li, which is why they injured someone. There's no need for further action, is there? After all, guests are guests, and it would reflect poorly on Li Family Town's reputation if word got out!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo realized that the Deputy Town Mayor was a reasonable scholar, and it would be easier to communicate with him. They did not want to escalate the matter, and it would be best to resolve it with an apology.
Therefore, Xie Yun quickly said, "Yes, brothers, we sincerely apologize. My brother, not understanding the situation, injured you brothers the other day. I will have my brother apologize!"
Xie Yun looked at Xie Jing, signaling him to apologize.
Xie Jing did not object and actually apologized to them, his tone quite sincere.
Seeing that Su Yuqing was handling the matter, the villagers said no more. After all, he had been the Deputy Town Mayor in the village for over twenty years, and he held a certain status in their hearts. The Town Mayor had only recently taken office, and they didn't want to offend him. Thus, they hastily left under the pretense of having something else to do.
Qin Jiujiu, standing behind Bai Qianluo, observed Su Yuqing. She felt that he was clearly more suitable to be the Town Mayor than Li Zheng. This was not only based on his appearance and demeanor but also on his conversation; Town Mayor Li Zheng was absolutely not as articulate as Su Yuqing.
Could it be that Li Family Town's criteria for electing a town mayor were different?
Qin Jiujiu felt that either Li Family Town's principle for selecting a town mayor was different, or they were all blind.
This matter was smoothly resolved due to Su Yuqing's intervention. Although Li Zheng seemed very displeased afterward, he couldn't say anything and left the Li family in a huff.
By this time, Xie Yun's injuries had almost healed, thanks to the medicine he brought from the Xie family.
Today, they had planned to discuss how to deal with the matter of Jiu Ying, as they were in a hurry to continue their journey. However, Jiu Ying was not an easy monster to deal with, and they were still at a loss.
As they were discussing, this farce interrupted their proceedings.