After descending the mountain, the couple went their separate ways. Lu Baichuan went to the government office to find someone to go up the mountain to rescue the people, while Jiang Jiuniang tracked down Xun Yi's whereabouts and went to chase after him.
Those people are not suitable to appear before the emperor. Taking Xunyi back is the best way to explain things. He happens to be nearby, so why not arrest him?
Jiang Jiuniang discovered that Xunyi was in the most bustling part of the city. It was crowded and had a lot of smells, making it the hardest place to find. However, Jiang Jiuniang was not in a hurry. She found a good spot at a roadside stall and ordered several local specialties. Only after she was full did she go to find him.
She didn't go to any more upscale places, but went directly to the area where beggars gathered.
The smell here was the worst. As soon as Jiang Jiuniang arrived, she couldn't help but hold her breath. She had just finished eating and felt like throwing up.
Xun Yi hid among the beggars, his body filthy and his clothes tattered, looking no different from a real beggar.
Jiang Jiuniang glanced at him and said impatiently, "Come with me, or I'll beat you up."
Xun Yi had been hiding from people, but when he saw that it was Jiang Jiu Niang, he breathed a sigh of relief, came out of the beggars' group, and carefully followed her out of the alley.
A group of beggars watched with envy as the most timid and cowardly person was taken away by such a beautiful woman. Their eyes followed them until they could no longer see them.
Jiang Jiuniang led him to a secluded place, looked at his wretched appearance, and said with disdain, "How come you've become so pathetic after just a few days?"
Xun Yi, shameless and utterly unashamed, sat down on the ground and said, "As long as I can save my life, what does it matter if I'm dirty? Speaking of which, you've really gotten me into trouble this time!"
Jiang Jiuniang glanced at him sideways: "Tell me more."
Xun Yi had no idea that she already knew about those people, and said mysteriously, "You're in trouble yourself now, and you still have the mood to laugh at me. Do you know that those people came for you, and even thought I was in cahoots with you, and wanted to kill me. If I hadn't been quick-witted and run away, I don't know how I would have been tortured by now."
Jiang Jiuniang didn't intend to tell him the truth, and instead asked, "Aren't we in cahoots?"
She was referring to the consensus the two had reached previously.
Xun Yi didn't react at first, but realizing what she meant, he chuckled awkwardly, "You can't say things like that outside. It's enough that the two of us know..."
Jiang Jiuniang completely lost her patience and said, "What exactly happened? If you don't tell me, don't blame me for taking action myself."
Xun Yi dared not remain silent, but he couldn't reveal everything either. After thinking for a moment, he said, "They only want the treasure and the space on your body, and they'll stop at nothing to get it. But don't worry, I didn't have any designs on you. I only want the two jade tablets inside the treasure; I don't care about anything else."
Jiang Jiuniang wasn't interested in any of that; she simply asked calmly, "How is Ruozheng now?"
"How could you..."
Xun Yi almost let slip, and quickly corrected himself: "It's still the same as always, he stays in the lab all day and hardly ever comes out."
Jiang Jiuniang instantly grabbed his neck and said, word by word, "I want to hear the truth."
Xun Yi struggled for a long time, his face turning purple. Seeing that he had no way to break free, he had no choice but to nod and let Jiang Jiu Niang release him.
Jiang Jiuniang then let go and threw the person on the ground.
Xun Yi gasped for breath, looking at Jiang Jiu Niang with her back to him, unable to understand how things had turned out this way.
When he came, he was full of confidence, thinking that he could complete the mission quickly and make Lan Jiu willingly give him the Pangu Jade, and then go back to the future with him. But in the end, his plan failed completely. Not only did he fail to win Lan Jiu's favor and take the next step in their relationship, he also offended her to the point that she wanted to fight or kill him as soon as they met.
He felt like a failure, and knew he'd be scolded when he got back, but there was nothing he could do; the most important thing now was to stay alive.
Having caught his breath, he finally said, "Since you 'died,' Ruozheng has been imprisoned. Those people discovered that your body was a very good vessel and wanted to use you for experiments—implanting multiple chips at the same time to see if you would become the most versatile superhuman, in order to fight against zombies and protect the safety of humanity. Such an experiment would be extremely harmful to you no matter what. Either it succeeds, and you will become a mindless tool responsible for clearing out zombies, or you will not be able to withstand the control of so many chips and die a painful death from exploding."
"Ruozheng didn't want you to become a subject of their experiments, so he gave you his latest research results and then personally sent you into this world."
"Moreover, the timeline of this world differs from that of the future, and some unexpected events occurred along the way, which led to things falling out of her control and being discovered by those people, who are now desperately trying to capture you and bring you back."
He didn't explain it very clearly, because if he said any more he would expose himself. Anyway, he had said enough to let Lan Jiu know the general idea, so at least she wouldn't make things difficult for him anymore.
Jiang Jiuniang closed her eyes. If Xun Yi said the same thing, then it was probably true.
She had hated her for so many years, but she never expected that it was her who saved her, and now she was imprisoned because of her, living a life of darkness and despair.
Suddenly, she remembered what Ruozheng had said to her when they were at their best: "From now on, we will be each other's only family, and I will do my best to be good to you!"
For many years after she came into this world, she still felt ironic whenever she thought of those words, but she never expected that she would actually do it and continue to do so all these years.
Jiang Jiuniang felt a stinging sensation in her nose, sniffed to hold back her tears, pulled out a rope, tied Xun Yi up, and took him away.
Xun Yi showed no signs of struggling. At this moment, there was nothing safer than staying by Lan Jiu's side. Even if those people came looking for him, they would only pay more attention to Lan Jiu and wouldn't care about him, a nobody. Perhaps, when the snipe and the clam fight, he, the fisherman, would even benefit.
When Lu Baichuan returned in the evening, he saw Xun Yi locked by the table by Jiang Jiuniang. He was speechless for a moment, but at this time, it was not realistic to hand him over to the officials. No one could subdue him, so he could only endure it.
"I've investigated the government's side. This matter was framed. They deliberately stirred up trouble between the people and the government, hoping to force the people to start a riot. We've already sent people up the mountain to bring the people down. Once they recover and are sent home, everything will be fine."
As he spoke, Lu Baichuan looked at Xun Yi, his meaning clear: he suspected him.
"I didn't do it!"
"It was like this when I arrived; it must have been those people who did it!"
Xun Yi raised his hands, his face full of sincerity.
Jiang Jiuniang smacked him on the head with her chopsticks and scolded, "Did I ask you? You just keep nagging!"
Xunyi: ...
Left with no other option, he could only prove his innocence: "I know why they did it!"
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