Daylight offered a clearer view, and the arrangement of that courtyard was indeed exquisite. The plants currently in the yard hadn't bloomed yet; Qin Jiujiu mused that it would be a spectacular sight once those unknown flora blossomed.
She scanned her surroundings carefully, ensuring no one was nearby, before stepping into the courtyard. Once inside, Qin Jiujiu deliberately softened her footsteps and quickly approached the window.
She had glanced earlier and realized that, perhaps to prevent Su Guqiu from escaping and getting into trouble, the room was locked. Although the door was shut, the room was quite bright. Qin Jiujiu leaned closer and saw everything inside much more clearly than the previous night.
Su Guqiu seemed lost in thought. Although there was a book on the table, Qin Jiujiu couldn't believe a madwoman would read, so she assumed she was simply spacing out.
As Qin Jiujiu pondered how to introduce herself so that Su Guqiu would believe she wasn't a bad person and wouldn't alert anyone, the person who should have been sitting by the table rushed towards her. Even through the thin paper of the window, Qin Jiujiu could clearly see Su Guqiu's face.
Su Guqiu was indeed a beauty, with willow-leaf eyes and delicate eyebrows, unadorned by makeup. Yet, Qin Jiujiu marveled at her pure and graceful beauty; Su Guqiu was the epitome of a classical beauty.
Qin Jiujiu couldn't help but gaze a few more moments. Su Guqiu's appearance was the type that grew more pleasing the longer one looked. Her features weren't striking or ostentatious, but they were exceptionally enduring – a truly understated beauty.
"Sister, I've never seen you before!"
Suddenly being called "sister" by this beauty, who looked slightly older than her, Qin Jiujiu snapped back to reality and remembered her purpose.
So, Qin Jiujiu smiled and said, "Oh, I just arrived in town. I was visiting your home and got lost, so I ended up here..."
Qin Jiujiu touched her head, feigning embarrassment for intruding on her courtyard.
Su Guqiu was like a familiar acquaintance. Qin Jiujiu's few words revealed her current mental age. She believed she was still eight years old, the year her mother passed away.
It was likely that her mother's death had dealt her a severe blow, causing her to believe her mother was still alive and that Li Muqing simply hadn't visited her. Su Yuqing also seemed unable to bear telling his daughter the truth, only saying that her mother was away on a long trip and wouldn't be home for a while. Qin Jiujiu felt a pang of sympathy for Su Guqiu, lamenting what a clever and gentle woman she must have been...
Su Guqiu wasn't truly mad; her mind had simply regressed to the age of eight. However, communication was still normal, albeit in the manner of an eight-year-old.
"Do you know what's happening in this village?"
Qin Jiujiu decided to ask her question quickly, as she couldn't stay here for too long. Su Guqiu's expression suddenly changed, and Qin Jiujiu felt certain she knew something.
Watching her frown, Qin Jiujiu's heart felt as if it were twisting into a knot.
But Su Guqiu's brow soon smoothed. She looked genuinely confused, then turned to Qin Jiujiu and asked innocently, "Sister, is something wrong? Qiu'er has been locked up at home for so long and hasn't been out. Is there something fun outside...?"
Qin Jiujiu: "Nothing... haha, it's nothing..."
She had been overthinking it. She shouldn't always place her hopes on children. While they wouldn't lie, they often wouldn't know about many things!
Just as Qin Jiujiu was about to take her leave, Su Guqiu's expression changed again. She suddenly clutched her head and began hitting it repeatedly, appearing to be in great pain. Qin Jiujiu grew anxious. Was something going to happen to Su Guqiu?
"What's wrong?"
Qin Jiujiu became even more anxious. The room was locked, and she couldn't get in. She needed to find someone for help. As she was about to go out, she saw the previously pained Su Guqiu instantly return to normal.
"Miss, are you talking about the matter of the River God?"
"..."
When Qin Jiujiu left the Su mansion, Su Yuqing had not yet returned. She hurried away from the Su mansion, intending to return to Li Cuiya's home to find Xie Yun and the others. She had just learned something significant!
After leaving the Su mansion, she ran all the way back to the Li residence. The journey from the Li residence to the Su residence was quite far, with a stretch passing through a bamboo forest. Though the bamboo forest wasn't large, it was rarely frequented. Qin Jiujiu was solely focused on returning to tell them what she had discovered and paid no mind to her surroundings.
As she passed through the bamboo forest, there was almost no one around, but suddenly, the system sounded an alarm.
"Host, danger detected..."
Before she could hear the system finish, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head, and then her vision went black, and she knew nothing more.
It was already dark when Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo returned to the Li residence. Qin Jiujiu and Xie Jing had not yet returned. They assumed Qin Jiujiu was with Xie Jing and thought nothing of it, retiring to their rooms.
The Nine Infants had not shown themselves these past few days, and the fortune teller had also disappeared. If there were no further leads tomorrow, they would have to explore the underwater palace again.
Bai Qianluo waited in her room for Qin Jiujiu to return. For some reason, she felt uneasy not seeing Qin Jiujiu return today. By midnight, when Qin Jiujiu still hadn't returned, Bai Qianluo sensed something was wrong. She intended to find Xie Jing, but before she could, she heard a knock at the door.
Opening the door, it wasn't Qin Jiujiu but Xie Yun and Xie Jing.
Soon, the three of them understood: Qin Jiujiu was definitely in trouble!
Bai Qianluo was the most anxious. She truly considered Qin Jiujiu a sister. Now that she was missing, and she had initially thought she was with Xie Jing, but Xie Jing said he hadn't seen her since leaving Li Zheng's house that day, Bai Qianluo felt she hadn't protected her well. Coupled with worry for her safety, especially in this unstable environment, she was consumed by self-blame.
"I'm going to look for her!" Bai Qianluo grabbed her sword, ready to leave. Seeing Bai Qianluo's urgent demeanor, Xie Yun quickly stopped her.
Xie Yun: "We don't know where Jiujiu is. Let's discuss our next steps."
Bai Qianluo finally sat down. Although Xie Yun remained relatively calm, Qin Jiujiu's disappearance was indeed unsettling and bizarre this time.
Xie Jing, however, remained as usual, seemingly unfazed by Qin Jiujiu's disappearance. Xie Yun glanced at his younger brother but said nothing. Xie Jing had always been this way, indifferent to everyone. He wasn't surprised by his reaction; it would be more abnormal if he were as anxious as they were.
"She must have been captured. Could it be the Nine Infants?"
Bai Qianluo's words, however, served as a reminder to Xie Yun. Xie Yun immediately realized that although the Nine Infants hadn't appeared, there might be many entrances to the underwater palace. What if Qin Jiujiu had stumbled into it again, like last time?
Xie Yun suggested they first scout the underwater palace to assess the situation. The three of them set off for the underwater palace. This time, however, they decided to enter through the same entrance Qin Jiujiu had used previously, which was through the painting in the fortune teller's house.
After scaling the wall, the three found nothing out of the ordinary. Although the fortune teller's house was large, it was indeed deserted. There were no maids or servants, suggesting how eerie it would be after nightfall.
In the past few days, Bai Qianluo and Xie Yun had thoroughly explored the fortune teller's house. The fortune teller spent her days in a room adorned with peculiar talismans. The room was exceptionally eerie, but they couldn't glean anything from it; it only appeared strange. Xie Yun examined it and found that the talismans were merely on white paper, inferior even to the most basic talismans from the Xie family.
This time, the three of them headed directly for the room with the painting.
As they approached the painting, it began to emit a blue fluorescence. The light intensified until nothing could be seen. Xie Yun quickly grabbed Bai Qianluo beside him.
"A'Luo!"
Unable to open his eyes, Xie Yun blindly reached for Bai Qianluo's hand. This was a reaction born of urgency, to prevent them from separating, and he hadn't had time to think.
After the light subsided, Xie Yun saw Bai Qianluo beside him. Realizing his impropriety, he quickly apologized, "Miss Bai, please forgive my rudeness. I was just in a moment of panic..."
Xie Yun was about to explain further, but Xie Jing cast a cold glance at them, then withdrew his gaze and said, "Let's go."
Hearing Xie Yun's words, Bai Qianluo suppressed her turbulent emotions. The blush on her face had not yet faded. Her heart had nearly leaped out of her chest just moments ago. It probably started from hearing "A'Luo," and she felt completely frozen. When she felt the warmth on her hand, she felt as though she were about to combust, incredibly hot. Despite this, she was unwilling to let go of that source of warmth.
Was this the behavior of a woman in love, as Jiujiu had described?