As the young girl stumbled to Xie Jing's side, a group of burly men suddenly lunged at them, seemingly in pursuit of the bride-dressed woman.
Though their attire suggested they were ordinary villagers, each man was fierce and menacing, their faces contorted with extreme anger.
Qin Jiujiu knew that if the girl was taken back by them, something irreversible would surely happen. Although the burly men claimed they were chasing a runaway bride, Qin Jiujiu had a gut feeling that today was far more complicated than just a wedding.
But she too was a frail woman, and saving the girl seemed to depend solely on Xie Jing. The young girl appeared to understand this as well, for after a brief glance at Qin Jiujiu, she ran directly to Xie Jing's side and pleaded for his help.
Yet, the cold-faced demon remained impassive, showing no intention of intervening.
"Li Cuiya, aren't you coming back with us? If you delay the auspicious hour and anger the River God, your father and sister will suffer for it!" The threat was blatant, and the villagers' expressions grew even more savage. The woman called Li Cuiya glanced at Xie Jing. Seeing that he had no intention of getting involved, she pondered for a moment, then gave up struggling and prepared to leave with them.
"Wait!" Qin Jiujiu, seeing the girl about to leave with them, had heard of river god sacrifices. There were always some superstitious people who held such rituals during severe droughts, with countless innocent girls becoming victims of their blind faith.
Though she was also in a precarious situation, as a youth raised under the core socialist values, she could not stand by and watch this happen without trying to stop it.
The villagers quickly shifted their gaze to Qin Jiujiu. Reason with them was impossible. Unless they were subdued, it was unlikely this tragedy could be prevented today.
"What do you want! If you delay the auspicious hour and the River God is angered, can you bear the responsibility?"
The leader of the villagers shouted at Qin Jiujiu in a hostile tone, even casting a glare at Xie Jing beside her. They had been together just moments ago, which could easily make people assume they were allies.
Just as Li Cuiya was about to be taken away, Qin Jiujiu, with a surge of strength she didn't know she possessed, rushed forward and placed the talisman Xie Jing had given her onto Li Cuiya.
It was a teleportation talisman. In an instant, Li Cuiya vanished from her spot. Qin Jiujiu knew she should now be transported before the male and female protagonists. Qin Jiujiu could only hope that they would arrive quickly to rescue her.
After all, Xie Jing was difficult to count on, and she had just offended him.
Upon witnessing this, the villagers were first terrified, then their expressions changed, and they turned their ire towards Qin Jiujiu.
"Where is Li Cuiya? You sorceress, since that's the case, you shall take her place and marry the River God!"
The villagers moved as if to seize her, but Qin Jiujiu nimbly dodged, temporarily evading them.
She remembered Xie Jing disliked being touched. If she deliberately led these people to touch him, perhaps she could be saved. She deliberately dodged to Xie Jing's side, staying extremely close, almost reaching out to embrace him.
Alas, Xie Jing had only given her one teleportation talisman, originally meant for her own survival. Now that it had been used on Li Cuiya, she herself had become their target. There was no choice but to try her best under the circumstances!
Before the attackers could get close, Xie Jing's face became clouded with a storm.
The villagers, now convinced that the two of them were in league, turned their attention back to Xie Jing.
Wielding clubs, they fiercely attacked Xie Jing. However, before they could even get close, before they could even touch the hem of his clothes, they were sent flying dozens of meters away by an invisible force.
Qin Jiujiu knew that once Xie Jing made a move, he would leave no survivors. But now, facing mere villagers, if Xie Jing were to lose his temper, their lives would surely be in peril. Although she wasn't a saint, and these people were far from virtuous, she couldn't bear to see Xie Jing kill them like this. Thus, Qin Jiujiu decided to risk it again.
Seeing the unfavorable turn of events, the villagers turned and fled.
"Brother Yan Xing, you scared them away!"
Seeing that Xie Jing's hand showed no sign of retracting, Qin Jiujiu knew he still intended to kill. She made as if to grab his hand, and with that touch, the atmosphere froze.
Apart from the suddenly activated system, "Host, the villain truly intends to kill you this time. Please find a way to resolve the predicament and complete the mission quickly. If you are killed by the villain prematurely, the mission will fail..."
Qin Jiujiu was well aware of the villain's current intentions. A dark undercurrent flowed in Xie Jing's eyes, his face devoid of expression. Yet, Qin Jiujiu could feel the sudden chill radiating from him; he was indeed harboring murderous intent.
The original text described Xie Jing as a ruthless villain who killed without batting an eye. Once he acted, blood would flow like rivers. Simply put, Xie Jing was addicted to killing!
Qin Jiujiu almost believed she was going to die there, but the system reassured her, "Host, there's no need to worry. The male and female protagonists will appear in thirty seconds, and the crisis will be resolved!"
Qin Jiujiu had never appreciated the system's voice as much as at this moment. Its words were like heavenly music, instantly calming her previously terrified emotions.
"Finally, you have some conscience!" Qin Jiujiu thought to herself.
As expected, before Xie Jing could make a move, Li Cuiya arrived with the male and female protagonists.
Looking at the arriving male and female protagonists, Qin Jiujiu's eyes lit up as if she had seen her reborn parents. Heaven knew how terrified she had been just moments ago. Now, seeing her saviors, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Perhaps sensing her relief, Xie Jing leaned down and brought his lips to her ear.
"You're afraid of me?" Qin Jiujiu was all too familiar with this question; it was the villain's death knell.
In the original text, Xie Jing later became a complete demon king. He viewed people as ants, and the powerlessness and fear displayed by his victims before he killed them was what he most enjoyed. He relished the feeling of crushing them under his heel.
While reading, Qin Jiujiu found such a beautiful and tragically strong villain compelling. But experiencing it firsthand, she realized that in reality, encountering such a pervert would require running away and urgently calling the police!
Bai Qianluo and Xie Yun rushed over. These two were unaware of the brush with death Qin Jiujiu had just experienced. They didn't see the bullies and assumed Xie Jing had simply driven them away.
The young girl, named Li Cuiya, was the daughter of a family in the nearby Li Family Town. Sixteen years old, today was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but she was not marrying the person she was betrothed to. Instead, she was to be offered as a sacrifice to the River God.
Li Family Town had been sacrificing to the River God for over a year. Each month, a young maiden was chosen. The girls, dressed as brides, were tied to boats by the villagers and then set adrift on the river.
The boats would drift to the middle of the river, where a thick fog would descend. The fog obscured everyone's vision, and they could see nothing. When the fog dispersed, the maiden would have vanished. The villagers believed that the River God, who guarded the waters, had taken the bride.
Li Cuiya had been betrothed to Xu Shen from the same village since childhood. Today, she thought it was the day of her wedding to Xu Shen, but she never imagined she would be offered to the River God as a sacrifice by the villagers.
She had escaped amidst the chaos and reached the village entrance, where she encountered Qin Jiujiu and Xie Jing.