I am the villain in the book

As the urgent sounds of horses' hooves and wheels echoed from the end of the night, Xu Quan and Zhi Li had already left the post station, leading their horses side-by-side along the official road.

After a moment, the convoy slowly stopped, and a figure jumped down from the carriage, quickly walking up to the two and softly calling out:

"Brother."

"Little sister."

Having seen Xu Sui Sui again after more than a month, Xu Quan's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Although he didn't know why Wei Changtian had suddenly ordered Xu Sui Sui to come, after a few days of observation, he vaguely guessed that it wasn't for anything good.

Compared to Wei Changtian, Xu Sui Sui undoubtedly held a much more important place in Xu Quan's heart.

Even including Zhi Li, there was no one in this world who could compare to Xu Sui Sui.

Xu Quan would do anything for Xu Sui Sui, which could be glimpsed from his previous unhesitating departure from the Great Qian Demon Slaying Division to help Xu Sui Sui establish a dynasty in Xin Feng.

However, looking at his little sister's calm expression, Xu Quan sighed softly in his heart.

He wasn't stupid and could naturally see that since Xu Sui Sui had secretly run to "seek refuge" with Wei Changtian, she was no longer as close to him as before.

At least in her eyes, he probably wasn't as important as Wei Changtian...

"Brother, where is Young Master Wei?"

On the other side, seemingly to verify Xu Quan's guess, Xu Sui Sui looked around and the first thing she asked was—

"Didn't he come?"

"The Young Master is busy with military affairs, so he asked me to pick you up."

Xu Quan smiled and found a reason for Wei Changtian: "With the great battle imminent, the Young Master needs to handle everything in the army, making it difficult to get away."

"I understand."

Nodding lightly, Xu Sui Sui responded, then turned her gaze to Zhi Li beside Xu Quan.

"Brother, who is this?"

"Oh, this is Miss Zhi Li."

Xu Sui Sui looked Zhi Li up and down, then looked at Xu Quan, seeming to have noticed something, but similarly didn't ask further.

In any case, she had already been on the throne of the Xin Feng Empress for a year, and naturally was no longer the ignorant female college student she once was.

Or rather, the current Xu Sui Sui, except when facing Wei Changtian, could completely control her emotions at other times, knowing which words should be said and which shouldn't.

"Alright, let's go quickly then."

Nodding slightly, Xu Sui Sui turned and took a few steps, then looked back at Xu Quan and said:

"Brother, get in the carriage too, I want to talk to you."

"...Okay."

Xu Quan hesitated for a moment, then followed Xu Sui Sui into the carriage, leaving Zhi Li alone standing in place.

Although she didn't mention Zhi Li, by only inviting Xu Quan into the carriage, Xu Sui Sui's meaning was undoubtedly very clear.

Zhi Li knew that this was because Xu Sui Sui didn't trust her, so she felt somewhat uncomfortable.

But having left Changliu Mountain, no one here would treat her as a Demon King anymore.

"Glug, glug..."

The wheels turned, and under the protection of a hundred or so riders, the seemingly ordinary but actually very exquisite carriage moved again, slowly passing in front of her.

Zhi Li bit her lip, and even though such disregard made her very unhappy, in the end, she could only get on her horse and chase after the already distant convoy.

"Brother, that Miss Zhi Li should be your sweetheart, right?"

Inside the carriage, compared to the seriousness just now, Xu Sui Sui's face had a bit more of a smile.

She looked at Xu Quan, who looked a little embarrassed, and teased with a smile: "Oh dear, why are you nervous? When a man is of age, he should marry; when a woman is of age, she should be married. You should find me a sister-in-law too."

"Or are you looking down on Miss Zhi Li?"

"But I think she's quite pretty!"

Her eyes curved into crescents, Xu Sui Sui's eyes twinkling, and at this moment she finally looked a bit like a little sister should when facing her big brother.

But Xu Quan was even more embarrassed by her teasing, stammering for a long time and only saying:

"Don't talk nonsense, she's just a helper the Young Master invited."

"Is that so? But why does she look at you with such affectionate eyes?"

Xu Sui Sui pressed on relentlessly: "Brother, just confess honestly, where did you find such a beautiful wife?"

"I..."

Xu Quan's old face turned red, hesitating slightly.

This hesitation was partly because he hadn't thought about what his relationship with Zhi Li actually was, and partly because he was struggling with whether or not to tell Xu Sui Sui some things.

Normally speaking, he shouldn't tell Xu Sui Sui too much, after all, he wasn't clear about Wei Changtian's attitude.

However, as mentioned before, Xu Sui Sui's position in Xu Quan's heart far surpassed Wei Changtian's, so after a moment, he shook his head and briefly explained a series of things, including the Fifth Demon Land, Zhi Li, and Guan Kong.

Of course, Xu Quan wasn't completely clear about many things, and he didn't know anything about secrets like the Qi Gathering Array.

But just the content he said was enough to surprise Xu Sui Sui.

The Fifth Demon Land, the Mysterious Sacred Fruit, the Illusion Array, Guan Kong...

Judging from Xu Sui Sui's current expression, she was undoubtedly unaware of these things.

Therefore, after a long silence, she softly asked:

"Brother, what do you think is the reason the Young Master suddenly called me here this time?"

"I don't know."

Xu Quan shook his head: "But I think it must be related to these things. Think carefully about what the Young Master said in the message he sent you."

"He didn't say anything, he just suddenly told me to leave for Linchuan immediately. I thought they were short-handed here and asked if he needed me to bring some people, but he said no."

Xu Sui Sui lowered her head, hesitated for a moment, then added softly: "But before that, Chief Qin had just disappeared..."

"What? Senior Qin disappeared?!"

Xu Quan suddenly widened his eyes, his expression very shocked.

But gradually, this surprise turned into doubt.

Qin Zhengqiu's disappearance was certainly important, but the Young Master didn't need to have his little sister come all the way.

Whether it was to find someone or make some arrangements, it would be enough to explain it in a letter. What could Xu Sui Sui's arrival in Great Qian accomplish?

Frowning, Xu Quan pondered for a long time before slowly giving his analysis.

"Perhaps Chief Qin's disappearance is related to the recent events in Linchuan."

"Especially that Buddhist person named Guan Kong, and Lin Zhi beside him. Although I've never met them, from the Young Master's occasional mentions, I can tell that these two are a bit strange."

"Little sister, perhaps someone among them is like me..."

Lin Zhi, someone like me.

Lin Zhi's name and this half-sentence were like a muffled thunder, suddenly exploding in Xu Sui Sui's ears without warning.

In the noisy sound of horses' hooves, she stood there blankly for a long time, then said in a trembling voice with some difficulty:

"Brother..."

"I, I might have caused trouble again..."