If Worse Comes to Worst, I’ll Marry You

Xu Qin recognized it immediately.

The voice belonged to... that grunt.

"Has the wait finally come to an end?"

The joy on her face instantly reached an unconcealable level. Previously huffing with anger, she now stood straight up, even deliberately striking her best posture, ready to welcome the horse owner of her imagination.

What kind of person would he be?

Handsome and dashing, with a cold and stern face?

Or domineering and fierce, with a broad chest?

Unlike Xu Qin's optimism, the restaurant owner was somewhat dumbfounded and even more devastated at this moment.

Just as the people from the Huaian City Love Mutual Aid Alliance forced them to open for business, military officers showed up in the blink of an eye?

Moreover, it seemed that these soldiers were not local troops of Huaian City, but most likely the imperial court's forces that had just entered the city.

They did not come with good intentions!

The restaurant owner hurriedly put on an apologetic smile: "Officers, I only have one table of guests here. I don't know if the person you're looking for is among them."

"Brothers, search the place!"

Upon hearing this, Bangchui wasted no more words. Leading the soldiers, they swarmed upstairs and soon spotted the group from the Huaian City Love Mutual Aid Alliance.

Especially... Xu Qin.

Standing there complacently like a proud little rooster, she looked as if she were a princess waiting for her guards to escort her.

"That's her!"

Bangchui pointed his finger, and the soldiers surged forward. Under the dumbfounded gazes of the Love Mutual Aid Alliance members, and before Xu Qin could even react, they directly pinned her arms behind her back.

When soldiers make a move, they know no restraint, especially towards someone like Xu Qin who had committed a major taboo; they showed absolutely no mercy.

Thus, with a crack, the fragile Xu Qin instantly let out a pig-slaughtering scream.

"Ah!"

The sound pierced to the bone, shaking the roof tiles.

It also completely stunned Xu Qin.

For the first time, an expression of disbelief appeared on her face. Being dragged along like a dead dog, she finally felt a trace of fear in her heart.

But accompanying the fear was mostly...

Anger!

Anger from the bottom of her heart!

"What are you grunts trying to do?"

"Do you know who I am?"

"Do you know what I've done?"

"Does the horse owner know you are being so impolite? The horse owner won't let you off."

The members of the Huaian City Love Mutual Aid Alliance also stood up, their faces full of disbelief.

This was a gathering of their Love Mutual Aid Alliance; even the Lord of Huaian City had to give them some face.

Now there were actually grunts coming directly to arrest someone?

Were they rebelling against the heavens?!

Led by Young Master Qi, several people stood up, ready to speak up to inquire, or even shout a stop to it!

However, before they could open their mouths, they saw the leading soldier slap her fiercely.

Slap!

A crisp sound echoed!

The slap was extremely heavy!

A slap landed squarely on Xu Qin's face.

Xu Qin's face visibly swelled up and turned red in an instant.

Immediately after, Bangchui's voice, as cold as ice and snow, rang out.

"I know all too well who you are. The General's peerless precious horse was deliberately fed poison by you. The fact that you weren't chopped down on the spot is only because the General wasn't there. You son of a bitch got lucky. Now..."

"Come stay in the prison with me."

"Wait for the General to return and deal with you!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qin was unyielding: "I'll just pay for that horse..."

"Can you afford it? Even if you were sold, it wouldn't be worth a ten-thousandth of that precious horse."

"At worst..." Xu Qin already had an idea. Speaking of these topics now, her heart actually settled down quite a bit, and she said firmly: "At worst, I'll pledge myself to him."

"It's just a horse, could it be more precious than me!"

Slap!

Another slap landed. After Bangchui helped make Xu Qin's left and right cheeks symmetrical, he coldly snorted: "You sure know how to fucking dream!"

"Go sit in jail!"

He wasted no more words, ordering his brothers to exert force together to drag away the kicking and screaming Xu Qin, who looked like a pig being slaughtered for the New Year.

They arrived fiercely and left domineeringly.

The people from the Huaian City Love Mutual Aid Alliance were all frightened; no one dared to stop them.

Most importantly, these people had heard clearly.

Xu Qin was arrested because she deliberately harmed the General's warhorse.

Among the Huaian City Love Mutual Aid Alliance, some had good family backgrounds. For instance, Young Master Qi, whose family was in the book printing and selling business, knew very well the value of a warhorse.

The value of a warhorse was unimaginably high, and moreover, it was a General's warhorse, which made it even more terrifying.

Deliberately destroying a warhorse, if it happened in Yunjing, would absolutely be a crime punishable by beheading.

Therefore, everyone watched helplessly as Xu Qin was dragged away, though none of them were convinced.

"Xu Qin might be guilty of harming a warhorse, but we are holding a gathering of the Love Mutual Aid Alliance. Daring to come here to arrest someone, do these officials not want to live anymore?"

"Right, it's too impolite. Let's find a way to tell the Tongxin Alliance and have them step forward."

"I feel there must be an inside story. Sister Xu Qin definitely did it for love, which is why she acted like this. And here with us, love is innocent."

"Brothers and sisters, how about we all pull some strings to ask clearly. If it's because of love, we must make the government release her."

"Just releasing her isn't enough; we have to make them apologize!"

...

The people of the Huaian City Love Mutual Aid Alliance quickly agreed on a plan. They swarmed out of the Wangchun Restaurant just as they had swarmed in, leaving not a single copper coin behind as they dispersed completely to make various inquiries.

This left the restaurant owner feeling utterly helpless, but he could only endure it. In his heart, he began to pray, hoping that the imperial army that arrived this time could properly discipline these civilian organizations attached to the Tongxin Alliance.

First of all, they should properly discipline that ringleader, Xu Qin.

Obviously, this wish of the restaurant owner could completely be satisfied, because no matter how much Xu Qin expressed her dissatisfaction or struggled, she was still dragged into the prison like a dead pig.

With a clang, the iron bars were closed and the chains were locked. In the blink of an eye, Xu Qin transformed from an employee at a horse rest stop into a prisoner in a jail cell.

She was still unwilling to accept it and harbored strong expectations.

"How dare you treat me like this? Does the horse owner know about this? Go tell him, I want to see him."

"At most, he will make me his personal maid to pay off the debt. He absolutely wouldn't be so rough and impolite to me. Hurry up and go!"

Smack!

A horsewhip lashed out.

In this dark and sunless prison, the behavior of Bangchui and the other soldiers was even more ferocious than outside. This whip strike was ruthless, lashing directly onto Xu Qin's hand, leaving a red whip mark.

Xu Qin cried out in pain and instantly fell silent.

"You fucking shut your mouth. Just wait. When General Zhang Shi returns, you'll be in for it."

Bangchui coldly snorted and turned to leave, only to see a man wearing a specific uniform with a curved blade at his waist leaning casually against the wall. It was none other than Xie Changfeng, the current Deputy Demon Suppressing Envoy of the Demon Suppressing Department.

Xie Changfeng said to Bangchui: "Brother Bangchui, after General Zhang Shi returns, if there is anything inconvenient for him to handle, you can notify our Demon Suppressing Department."

"Our Demon Suppressing Department is best at dealing with these things."

"I guarantee that I can make this Miss Xu Qin sincerely repent and devote herself to goodness."

Bangchui glanced at Xie Changfeng and said, "We still need General Zhang Shi to return and handle this. Everything depends on General Zhang Shi's wishes."

"I wonder how far General Zhang Shi has chased that Xu Shang?"

Just as the words left his mouth, one of his brothers came jogging back with a beaming smile. "Bangchui, General Zhang Shi has returned."

"Oh?" Bangchui's eyes lit up. "Let's go, we need to find General Zhang Shi right away."

...