Qin Jiujiu felt she must have missed something. This wasn't just deviating from the original plot; it was veering off course. Shouldn't Xie Jing be inexplicably drawn to the light of justice, Bai Qianluo? At least, that's how she understood the novel.
But Tianwu looked so pathetic at the moment. Qin Jiujiu could empathize. She felt the same way when Xie Jing stared at her. The worst part was that she had to pretend not to be afraid, all while being at risk of being killed by Xie Jing at any moment.
Qin Jiujiu sighed inwardly. Because of this shared feeling, she shifted her body slightly, perfectly blocking Tianwu. Xie Jing's gaze then fell upon her.
Qin Jiujiu felt a chill run down her spine. Every time Xie Jing looked at her, she felt like she couldn't breathe, the suffocation on her neck intensifying. Could this really be a lingering effect from the novel?
Qin Jiujiu suppressed her discomfort and looked up to meet Xie Jing's eyes. A flicker of confusion seemed to flash in his eyes, but he wasn't angry. Qin Jiujiu breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he wasn't intending to kill Tianwu.
Did Tianwu have something he cared about?
When Qin Jiujiu saw Xie Jing retract his gaze, the oppressive feeling from Tianwu vanished abruptly. Although Tianwu was still displeased with Qin Jiujiu touching him, he was very grateful to this woman at the moment.
After Xie Yun finalized the plan to defeat Jiuying, he intended to head to the room where the women had been held captive. After all, rescuing them was the most important thing.
"You'll probably need this."
A bow and arrow suddenly appeared in Tianwu's hand. He handed them to Xie Yun, and amidst everyone's bewildered gazes, he said, "This bow and arrow were forged specifically to kill Jiuying. They are ancient divine artifacts, but there are only twelve arrows left now. You need to fire nine arrows consecutively, striking all nine heads of Jiuying simultaneously. If even one arrow misses, he will not die. Instead, he will be enraged and unleash even greater power. Use them with extreme caution!"
Tianwu's expression was grave. This matter was indeed very serious. Qin Jiujiu subconsciously glanced at Xie Jing. This time, she had to keep a close eye on him.
Xie Yun immediately formulated a plan: Bai Qianluo would fire the arrow, while he and Xie Jing would attack Jiuying. Bai Qianluo would launch a surprise attack. As for Qin Jiujiu, she was originally supposed to be sent back with the other women. But how could Qin Jiujiu leave? Even if it was perilous, she couldn't leave. Although protagonists had plot armor and didn't need to worry about their lives, she would die if she didn't complete her mission! Qin Jiujiu pestered them relentlessly, promising she wouldn't participate and would only watch from afar. Xie Yun had no choice but to agree.
"Yan Xing, do you remember what we practiced? When the time comes..."
Although Xie Jing was not permitted to learn the Xie family's cultivation techniques and talismans, Xie Yun had taught him from a young age. Therefore, he knew most of what Xie Yun knew, and they had the greatest rapport.
However, Qin Jiujiu feared Xie Jing might secretly cause trouble. Even though the person in front of them was his elder brother, in Qin Jiujiu's memory, Xie Jing had eventually acted against this brother with whom he had grown up. While she hadn't yet detected any malice from Xie Jing towards Xie Yun, Qin Jiujiu felt he was too adept at deception. Perhaps he secretly harbored immense hatred for the golden-child protagonist!
Xie Jing nodded, indicating he understood. Qin Jiujiu also inwardly resolved to keep a close watch on Xie Jing.
They reached the place where the women were held without any obstacles. Everything seemed too unusual, but at this point, there was no other way but to press on.
Xie Yun opened the door with ease, but no one was inside. It was as if they had found the wrong room.
Bai Qianluo and Xie Yun exchanged a look. They hadn't mistaken the room, which meant there was only one possibility: the people inside had been moved!
Just as Xie Yun was about to say something, his body suddenly felt weak, and he collapsed to the ground. Simultaneously, all of them, including the transformed young Tianwu, fell to the ground.
Before he lost consciousness, Xie Yun noticed a peculiar scent in the room. Although faint, Xie Yun recognized it as a hallucinogenic aroma. He had been too tense and failed to notice the smell.
Mèi mèng was different from ordinary rosemary. Its medicinal properties were potent and effective on gods, demons, and humans alike. The scent was subtle, making it difficult to detect. Inhaling even a small amount could quickly induce unconsciousness.
"Commencing protective measures..."
"Three, two, one..."
"Host, protection successful. Please continue completing the mission..."
Qin Jiujiu vaguely heard a series of mechanical beeps from the system. As soon as the beeping stopped, her consciousness returned.
So cold!
As soon as her consciousness returned, Qin Jiujiu felt a bone-chilling cold.
As expected, she saw herself lying on a stone slab bed. Next to it seemed to be an ice bed, surrounded by hibiscus flowers. A scene from ancient dramas flashed through Qin Jiujiu's mind. Could there be someone lying on this ice bed?
As she tried to get up and investigate, she discovered she was tightly bound to the stone bed. No wonder her limbs felt so sore; she had been tied up.
Qin Jiujiu tested her restraints. It seemed they were serious this time, binding her securely. But what about the others? Qin Jiujiu was certain the others were not imprisoned here, and this place was extremely secluded, making it difficult to find.
Just as she was fretting about whether she would die here, someone arrived.
Pretending to be asleep was the best course of action now, so she closed her eyes again, feigning unconsciousness.
Jiuying Zhuqiu only glanced at Qin Jiujiu upon entering. Finding no abnormality, he walked directly to a stool beside the ice bed. His previously sinister eyes suddenly softened.
"Qing'er, I've come to see you."
Looking at the woman with closed eyes on the ice bed, he moved his lips, spoke a single sentence, and then quietly gazed at the woman. Her face was so pale it was devoid of color, and a layer of frost had formed on her eyebrows.
The man seemed younger than the woman, appearing to be barely past his coming-of-age. The woman was gentle and lovely, appearing to be in her late twenties. Yet, the young man's gaze towards her was so tender it could melt into water, as if they were lovers.
Zhuqiu seemed to recall something, and his emotions suddenly fluctuated noticeably, as if with joy. He slowly reached out to caress the woman's cheek, only to feel an icy desolation.
He sighed, then became excited like a child. He continued, "Qing'er, I have found the purest body for you. By sacrificing these thirteen young girls and using forbidden arts, you can be resurrected within her!"
Qin Jiujiu listened secretly, suddenly feeling a scorching gaze fall upon her. It was from this person.
Although her heart was pounding with nervousness, she gritted her teeth and continued to feign sleep to avoid being discovered, naturally accepting the gaze.
This must be Jiuying!
Although Qin Jiujiu dared not open her eyes to see his appearance, she was extremely sensitive. This gaze had appeared on Su Yuqing before, but the voice was not Su Yuqing's. It was likely that Jiuying had changed his appearance again, or he had transformed into someone else's form, or this was his true appearance.
If Tianwu could transform into a human, then Jiuying surely could too!
This discovery further convinced her that the Su Yuqing, the stranger who now appeared here, must be the legendary monster, Jiuying.
Then, who would be the person called Qing'er on the ice bed?
Qing'er? Qin Jiujiu found the name very familiar. Soon, she remembered. Could this be an affectionate nickname for Su Yuqing's wife, Li Muqing?
She recalled that Su Guqiu had told her before that the coffin was empty when Madam Su was buried!
Although she couldn't be sure, in this story, the only person she knew with the character "Qing" in her name was Li Muqing. Furthermore, Li Muqing had died a few years ago. Hearing him speak of resurrection just now, Qin Jiujiu suspected this was Li Muqing's corpse.
Jiuying stole Li Muqing's remains?
Even though she found this speculation hard to believe, Qin Jiujiu felt it was highly probable at the moment.
Zhuqiu felt something was amiss with Qin Jiujiu, but she was just a mortal, and the medicinal power of Mèi mèng was so potent. He didn't believe Qin Jiujiu could wake up so quickly.
He only had to wait for the full moon tonight to perform the ritual and transfer Qing'er's soul into Qin Jiujiu's body. Thinking of this, Zhuqiu withdrew his probing gaze and once again looked tenderly at the woman with closed eyes.
Qin Jiujiu naturally didn't know what the situation was, but she could feel the man withdrawing his gaze. Only then did she dare to relax her tense body.
"Qing'er, wait for me to return..."
Footsteps sounded again. After saying this, the man left. Qin Jiujiu felt a great deal of relief. The prolonged tension had made her feel uncomfortable all over.
She didn't know how Xie Yun and the others were faring, but with their protagonist's halo, they should be safer than her.
And now that they were drugged, this time, she had to find a way to save herself!
However, the Qiankun bag at her waist had no ears or legs; it couldn't possibly come out on its own at her command. As Qin Jiujiu was struggling, she thought of the system.