So it turns out I'm the demon!

Not long after, a man wearing a white cloak and a mask walked up the hill, surrounded by several guards.

The masked man looked down at the believers below and waved his hand gently.

"Splash!"

The dozen or so cages that had been suspended were all lowered down.

As the black cloth covering the cage was torn off, Jiang Mu could see what was inside.

There were more than a dozen dying monsters.

There were wolf demons, fox demons, and several insect demons.

The masked man surveyed the dense, dark crowd below and slowly spoke:

"Fellow villagers, in this world today, demons run rampant and people are suffering! The Great Qing court is incompetent and tyrannical, and all it knows is to increase taxes, levies, and collect 'demon taxes'!"

Where did the money we handed over go? It went into the pockets of those corrupt officials!

As for the so-called Demon Slayer Division, they receive salaries from the imperial court and dress in a respectable manner, but have they ever truly protected you from a single demon?

No! They're all a bunch of useless slackers!

The crowd of believers below was struck where it hurt, and they were filled with righteous indignation, roaring in unison.

The masked man raised his arms high and shouted:

"But Heaven does not forsake people; the Lamp Fairy is merciful and has issued a decree!"

From this day forward, if the imperial court cannot slay a demon, I will slay it! If the imperial court cannot eliminate a monster, I will eliminate it!

"We, acting on the will of the immortals, will surely slay all the demons in the world and restore peace and order to the land!"

As he spoke, the man forcefully swung his arm downwards:

"cut!"

With swift strokes, more than a dozen executioners simultaneously swung their broadswords, chopping off the heads of the monsters in the cages.

Demon blood was spilled high above.

"Slay the demon! Slay the demon!"

Upon seeing this, the people below instantly erupted in cheers and jubilation.

Jiang Mu, who was at the front of the crowd, had no choice but to reluctantly raise her arms and wave so as not to look like an oddball.

The scene and the atmosphere gave Jiang Mu a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he had infiltrated an underground rock concert in his past life and was forced to wave glow sticks along with the enthusiastic fans.

Once everyone had calmed down a bit, the masked man waved his hand again.

A group of men in black cloaks dragged out a larger cage from behind using iron chains; the cage was still covered with black cloth.

Jiang Mu's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes sharpened:

"The main event is here. This should be Yan Zixiao, right?"

The masked man walked up to the cage, his tone chilling:

"Demons must be slain, and evil spirits must be eliminated, but in this world, there is a kind of beast even more hateful than demons and evil spirits! That is the beast who has betrayed the bloodline of the human race and secretly colluded with demons and evil spirits!"

They are human, yet they willingly become lackeys of demons, colluding with the court's henchmen to harm our fellow countrymen. Tell me, don't these treacherous beasts deserve to die?!

"Damn it!"

"Kill him!"

The crowd erupted again, with waves of anger rising higher and higher.

The masked man ripped off the black cloth covering the cage.

However, when Jiang Mu saw the scene inside the cage, he was stunned as he was about to take action.

The person locked in the cage is not Yan Zixiao.

It was none other than the peasant woman who had given him the lantern during the day!

The peasant woman huddled in a corner of the iron cage, her hair disheveled and trembling.

She was holding a tiny baby in her arms.

The baby was startled awake by the surrounding shouts, letting out a weak cry. The woman quickly covered the child's mouth with her hand, her face filled with despair and fear. Just as Jiang Mu was taken aback, the masked man's gaze suddenly fell on Jiang Mu, and he sneered mockingly:

"Lord Jiang, do you think that by taking off your official robes and suppressing your cultivation, you can deceive the Lamp Immortal's discerning eyes?"

If it weren't for the discerning eye of the Lamp Fairy who bestowed this divine decree, I truly wouldn't have known that you, the renowned Lord Jiang, would resort to such cowardly and despicable behavior to mingle among the believers.

"What, the Demon Slayer Bureau can't tolerate you anymore, so you've come to our backyard to freeload?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding people scattered in all directions as if avoiding a plague.

A large empty space immediately appeared around Jiang Mu, making him stand out all alone.

Now that she'd been exposed, Jiang Mu was too lazy to pretend anymore.

He chuckled softly and said:

"I really underestimated you bunch of charlatans. Since you've gone to so much trouble to find me, then release that mother and child. If you have any tricks up your sleeve, come at me."

"Release them?"

The masked man sneered repeatedly.

"This ignorant and foolish woman dares to casually bestow upon you, a mere lackey of the imperial court, a sacred protective object granted by the Lamp Fairy! Such a treacherous person, according to the rules of the Demon-Slaying Assembly, should be punished the same as the demon!"

He raised his right hand, and the lantern hanging high shone brightly, illuminating the pale faces of the woman and child in exquisite detail.

"kill!"

Upon receiving the order, a black-robed executioner standing beside the cage raised his broadsword and slashed at the mother and child inside the cage!

"court death!"

Jiang Mu's eyes turned cold, and his figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

When the executioner's blade was still an inch away from the peasant woman's head, Jiang Mu had already appeared beside him.

"Bang!"

The executioner flew through the air, knife and all, his back slamming against a pillar behind him. He coughed up blood and fell silent.

"presumptuous!"

The masked man flew into a rage.

He took a gourd from his waist, bit his tongue, spat a mouthful of blood onto it, and threw it at Jiang Mu.

In the blink of an eye, the gourd grew to the size of a house, and blood-red runes appeared on its surface. It then smashed down on Jiang Mu's head!

"You dare to show off this lousy magic weapon?"

Jiang Mu's right fist, imbued with the intertwining of Blood River True Knowledge and demonic energy, collided head-on with the falling gourd.

With a loud crash, the gourd shattered.

Jiang Mu turned around, grabbed the cage that was holding the peasant woman, and pulled hard.

He bent two iron bars, each about the thickness of a thumb, with his bare hands, creating a gap large enough for a person to crawl through.

He reached out and grabbed at the woman.

However, before his fingers could even touch the woman's clothes, the iron bars that had been pried open suddenly softened and turned into a dozen black snakes covered in barbs. These black snakes climbed and coiled along Jiang Mu's arm, binding his upper body in the blink of an eye.

Then, these black snakes hardened again, transforming into thick chains engraved with binding runes, binding Jiang Mu in place like a wrapped-up dumpling. "Hahaha!"

The masked man burst into laughter.

"Lord Jiang, do you really think we are unprepared? I knew long ago that you have reached the eighth realm. This 'Binding Dragon Lock' was a special gift bestowed upon you by the Lamp Immortal."

Jiang Mu tried to struggle for a moment, then sneered:

"You keep shouting about slaying demons and eliminating evil, but the magic weapon you use is actually a sorcery conjured from a demonic snake. Your ability to pretend to be something you're not is truly masterful."

"But do you really think these few broken chains can hold me back?"

With a thought, the blood-red armor plate embedded in Jiang Mu's chest melted away.

The crimson liquid spread along his torso, condensing into a hideous set of dark blood armor with each breath.

"Snap!"

Jiang Mu's bloodthirsty aura rippled out, shattering the [Binding Dragon Lock] binding him inch by inch.

"What?!"

The masked man was terrified, taking two steps back as if he'd seen a ghost, and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Attack! Kill him!"

A dozen or so black-robed guards wielding knives roared and pounced on him.

Jiang Mu didn't even bother to raise his hand; the true essence of the Blood Frenzy Blade Technique within his body circulated automatically, countless streaks of blood-red blade energy erupting from every pore of his body. "Puff puff puff..."

The guards who rushed forward were instantly shredded into bloody pulp.

The next instant, Jiang Mu's figure vanished from the spot.

When she reappeared, she was already standing face to face with the masked man, and grabbed him by the neck.

He clenched his five fingers and lifted it into the air like a chick.

"I'm in a hurry."

Jiang Mu's eyes, hidden behind his mask, gleamed with a fierce light, and his voice was icy cold, "Where is Yan Zixiao?"

The masked man kicked his legs wildly in mid-air, his eyes filled with fear.

He suddenly turned his head and roared at the believers and civilians below:

"This man is a demon! A wicked ghost sent by the imperial court to destroy our Lantern Fairy! Everyone, quickly... quickly kill him to protect our faith!"

Awakened by this shout, the believers were immediately filled with indignation.

"Release the Immortal!"

"Slay demons! Protect the lamp spirit!"

Accompanied by a frenzied roar, many people in the front row rushed upwards with red eyes.

Jiang Mu snorted coldly and stomped her right foot heavily on the ground.

"Zheng"

A crescent-shaped, blood-red blade of energy swept across the ground, passing right in front of the necks of the people rushing to the front.

Everyone felt a chill on their necks, followed by a sharp pain.

They stopped in horror, reached out and touched it, finding a trace of bright red blood on their fingertips.

The blade's energy merely grazed their skin.

The people in the front row froze in place, their legs trembling, their once fervent gazes replaced by the fear of death.

Jiang Mu said coldly:

"Don't think that just because I'm a member of the imperial court, I won't kill you. I've killed more demons than you've stepped on ants in your entire lives. I don't care about adding a few more human corpses. If you're not afraid of death, then take another step forward."

The entire room was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.

No matter how fervent the faith or how loud the slogans, they can never overcome the thin line on the neck that is still bleeding.

Faith is a matter of the soul; life is a matter of the body.

The saying "to face death without fear" mostly refers to the fact that the knife hasn't been put to one's own throat yet.

This immortal can't even protect his own life. He's being held up in mid-air like a dog. Who else can he be expected to protect?

Seeing that the situation had been brought under control, Jiang Mu directly grabbed the man's mask.

Then he froze.

What was revealed beneath the mask was a pig's face.

It had a thick nose, large, fan-shaped ears, and its lips were turned outwards, revealing two yellow teeth. It was panting heavily.

"this one?"

Jiang Mu sneered, picked up the pig demon, turned around, and waved it at the people below.

"Open your eyes wide and look! Is this the immortal you kowtow to and burn incense for every day? You've been worshipping this thing all day? You might as well go to the market and buy two pounds of pig's head meat; at least it'll go well with your drinks."

The people below were in uproar when they saw the face of the pig demon.

Just as Jiang Mu was about to press the matter further, he suddenly realized that something was wrong with the pig demon in his hand.

The other person's skin began to turn red and started to swell abnormally, like a balloon being inflated.

Without any hesitation, Jiang Mu threw the pig demon into the sky.

"Bang!"

The pig demon flew dozens of feet through the air before exploding!

There was no gruesome scene of flesh and blood flying everywhere.

It looked like someone had set off a firework in the night sky.

Red, green, and blue sparks scattered and flew everywhere, spreading out a magnificent flower across the sky, which looked quite beautiful.

Jiang Mu frowned slightly:

"They've been implanted with Gu worms; they're quite cautious."

He turned and walked to the cage with its bent iron bars, pulled the limp peasant woman out, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I took your lantern, but I didn't expect it to implicate you."

"Thank you so much for saving my life, sir!"

The peasant woman hugged the baby tightly in her arms, weeping with joy.

Suddenly remembering something, she looked up and said urgently, "My lord, what did you just ask about Yan... I know where he is!" "Where?" Jiang Mu's eyes lit up.

"I'll take you there!"

As she spoke, the peasant woman picked up her child and started walking.

Guided by the other party, Jiang Mu arrived at a well in the village.

The peasant woman pointed to the dark well opening and said:

"I was brought here for interrogation by them before, and there's someone else being held here. I heard the masked man call him something like Yan. I just don't know if he's still alive."

Jiang Mu peered into the well and saw a chilling aura emanating from it, its depths unfathomable.

He pondered for a moment, then released his shadow demon to guard the well, and instructed the peasant woman, "Stay here and don't wander off. I'll go down and check." "Okay, sir, please be careful."

The peasant woman nodded repeatedly.

Jiang Mu leaped into the well.

When the sole of the boot touched the bottom of the well, a layer of silt splashed up.

He looked up and saw that a dungeon had been dug out at the bottom of the well, with water droplets seeping from the stone walls and the air was damp and stuffy.

In the corner stood a bloodstained rack.

There was a person hanging from it.

The man had disheveled hair, his clothes were already torn to shreds, and there was hardly a piece of good flesh on his body. An iron hook pierced through his collarbone and nailed him to the rack like a piece of cured meat.

Jiang Mu took a few steps closer, and sure enough, it was Yan Zixiao.

"Old Yan."

Jiang Mu called out softly.

The figure on the rack trembled slightly.

Yan Zixiao struggled to lift her head and stared at Jiang Mu through her disheveled hair covered in scabs.

After seeing Jiang Mu's face clearly, a bright light appeared in his eyes.

"Lord Jiang...?"

Yan Zixiao's voice was filled with disbelief, "You... how did you get here?"

"The Imperial Guards searched the whole world for you, but they couldn't find you, so this job fell to me."

Jiang Mu took out a few top-grade healing pills and stuffed them into Yan Zixiao's mouth.

Then, he used his star power to pat his back and channeled a gentle spiritual energy into him to help activate the medicine.

After Yan Zixiao had recovered somewhat, Jiang Mu withdrew his hand and said:

"But I really didn't expect that a sword cultivator like you, who always talks about 'slaying demons and eliminating evil,' would end up in such a miserable state. And, you were imprisoned here to save a demon? Old Yan, you've changed."

Yan Zixiao smiled bitterly:

"Life is unpredictable. There are some truths I couldn't understand before, but now that I finally understand them, I almost lost my life. I hope you'll forgive me, Lord Jiang." "Alright, let's talk about your life insights outside."

Jiang Mu ripped off the iron chain on his arm and then gently patted his chest.

The iron hook that pierced through the collarbone flew backward.

Yan Zixiao groaned, gritting her teeth and not crying out in pain.

Jiang Mu took him off the rack and carried him on her shoulder, and the two of them leaped out of the well.

He had barely jumped out of the well and landed, not even having regained his footing, when a peasant woman beside him trembled and approached him: "S-Sir...look..."

Jiang Mu looked up and followed the peasant woman's terrified gaze.

They could see that the giant sky lantern had floated directly above them in the night sky.

Like a suspended, one-eyed creature, it was looking down on them.

Meanwhile, the townspeople and believers who had been intimidated by Jiang Mu gathered around him again.

A dense crowd formed a wall of people.

They were all expressionless and numb, like puppets whose souls had been taken away.

The giant lantern in mid-air suddenly began to twist violently.

A ghostly face slowly emerged from the paper of the large lantern, staring eerily at Jiang Mu, its voice booming like thunder:

"Jiang Mu, our Demon Slayer Society does not wish to be your enemy. This ends here. You may take the person with you. But you must swear an oath of your Dao heart that from this day forward you will never interfere in the affairs of our Demon Slayer Society, nor will you ever be an enemy of our Holy Sect!"

Jiang Mu shrugged and said:

"I'm really sorry, but I hate swearing. As long as you don't mess with me, I naturally won't bother with you. But..." Jiang Mu pointed to the half-dead Yan Zixiao beside him, her eyes turning cold.

"Yan Zixiao is at least half a friend of mine. You've tormented him into this state; you deserve an explanation today, right?" The features on the ghostly face twisted, and he laughed angrily.

"An explanation? What kind of explanation do you want?"

Jiang Mu said calmly:

"Answer me first, are you the mastermind behind the Demon-Slaying Guild? If so, then get down here and pay with your life. If not, then call your master out to be slaughtered."

"Arrogant!"

Enraged by Jiang Mu's arrogance, Ghost Face roared, "Since you insist on courting death, then don't blame me."

"By the way, I have some good news for you. Your two women aren't exactly safe right now. If you can't get out of here soon, you can expect to be collecting their corpses when you get back."

Before he finished speaking, all the lanterns held by the people present lit up at the same time.

Ghost faces appeared on the paper.

Immediately afterwards, black mist welled up in the eyes of the people and rushed towards Jiang Mu.

"They're really forcing me to go on a killing spree..."

Jiang Mu twisted her neck.

He pushed Yan Zixiao next to the peasant woman and instructed her, "Keep an eye on this mother and child."

"Whoosh!"

Jiang Mu's figure disappeared from the spot.

[Invincible Whirlwind Slash!]

Jiang Mu plunged headlong into the surging army of demon puppets.

In an instant, a blood-red tornado several meters in diameter rose from the ground, centered on him.

Thousands of dark red blades, like the blades of a meat grinder, raged and roared with the power to annihilate everything.

At this moment, in a guest room on the second floor of the Xiahe Town Inn.

The candlelight was dim and intoxicating.

Yuan Aqing leaned back in her chair, clutching the Other Shore Divine Sword in her arms, her pretty face tense as she stared at the tightly closed door as if facing a formidable enemy. Before leaving, the master had repeatedly instructed her to ensure Xiang-jie's safety.

She's now a fifth-level expert, she absolutely can't let the master down!

At the round table beside her, Bai Xiang was carefully sewing a cloth sock with a needle and thread in her hand.

During the day, when the woman went shopping with Jiang Mu, she specially ordered some fine cotton fabric from a fabric store.

As the weather grew cooler, she thought of making him two pairs of socks that fit his feet.

"Sister Xiang, you're so amazing! It feels like you can do everything."

Yuan Aqing looked at the woman's slender, white hands that deftly moved between the needle and thread, her face full of envy.

Bai Xiangchong smiled slightly, her long eyelashes casting soft silhouettes in the candlelight, adding to her gentle charm.

Yuan Aqing rested her chin gently on the hilt of her sword, a hint of melancholy flashing in her eyes. She muttered softly, "Sister Xiang, do you think... Master doesn't like me anymore?"

Bai Xiang tilted her head, her long, clear eyes asking a question.

Yuan Aqing made a small pouting gesture, hugged the sword tighter, and lowered her voice:

"I just feel that many times the master doesn't want me by his side."

In Fazhou City, they wouldn't even let me and Sister A-Li stay in his main courtyard. They insisted on sending us to the other side. Did I do something to annoy the master?

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiang couldn't help but smile.

She had initially thought this girl was a simpleton who only knew how to practice swordsmanship all day long, but she never expected that this young lady's mind could be so sensitive.

But she didn't know how to explain it.

You can't exactly tell this girl that her husband is busy fighting with other women in the house every night, and that the two of you are getting in the way.

Yuan Aqing sighed and continued to worry:

"Also, back in Huzhou City, the master used to have me go to the bathhouse to scrub his back. But now he won't let me go anymore, and insists that you, Sister Xiang, go instead."

Could it be that Sister Xiang's back-rubbing technique is even more comfortable than mine?

Upon hearing the girl's words, Bai Xiang's cheeks flushed as she recalled the scene from the previous night.

The dead memories have begun to attack again.

As the saying goes, old trees love to have deep roots.

She wasn't exactly an old tree, but she ended up getting hooked.

Just as Bai Xiang was secretly gritting her teeth, the candlelight on the table suddenly dimmed.

The shadows cast by the two people on the wall were stretched and distorted, like reflections in turbulent water, barely returning to their original shape after a few shakes.

Bai Xiang's gaze sharpened slightly, a chilling glint flashing in her eyes.

But her expression remained unchanged, and she continued to focus intently on sewing the socks in her hands.

At this moment, a chilling night wind swept across the long street outside the inn.

A man with an effeminate face was leisurely walking towards the entrance of the inn.

He was dressed in a dark red, tight-fitting outfit, with a broad-backed sword slung across his back. A red tassel trailed from the end of the scabbard, and as he walked, the tassel slapped against his lower back.

"Swish! Swish!"

Several dark figures emerged from the alleyways surrounding the inn and blocked the man's path.

They were all elite guards wielding sharp weapons.

Xun Xiaomo stepped out of the shadows and stared at the effeminate man.

His gaze swept over the man's blade, and his expression changed: "A blade from the Blood Blade Sect? You're Wei Jingxian, the Blade Demon's disciple?"

Since the decline of the Duanmu family's Heavenly Blade Sect, among all the sword sects in the world today, only the "Blood Blade Sect" stands out.

Its leader, "Blade Demon," is a renowned eleventh-realm expert.

Its ferocity was terrifying.

His most prized disciple, Wei Jingxian, is an extremely dazzling figure among the younger generation of geniuses in the world.

This person entered the Fifth Realm at the age of fifteen.

At only twenty-six years old, he has already reached the eighth realm!

While such talent for growth may not be comparable to that of Jiang Mu, who was a monster, it is still enough to make him stand out among 99% of his peers.

However, what truly made Wei Jingxian famous was not his cultivation level or swordsmanship.

This person has a peculiar habit.

He was obsessed with women's fingers.

Whenever he sees a beautiful woman with lovely fingers on the street, he can't help but go up and collect one.

Wei Jingxian stopped and said lazily:

"Excuse me, but I've been asked to come in and arrest someone. I would appreciate it if the Imperial Guards would give me the honor of making way." A murderous glint flashed in Xun Xiaozhang's eyes.

"You've got some nerve, daring to speak to the Daqing Imperial Guard like that. Wei Jingxian, what if I refuse to let you today? Dare to draw your sword and try?" Currently, the Imperial Guard still needs Jiang Mu to find Yan Zixiao and Yang Feifei's whereabouts, so naturally they need to protect the safety of the family in the inn in order to curry favor with Jiang Mu.

Moreover, she had already made up her mind to bring Yuan Aqing into the capital and train her to be a loyal bodyguard for His Majesty.

How could we just watch someone else take such a promising talent away?

"Lord Xun."

Just then, an old voice came from the other end of the street.

Xun Xiaomo was startled and abruptly turned his head to look.

Not far away, an old man in a blood-red robe stood with his hands behind his back.

With his appearance, a heavy pressure descended from the sky, making it difficult for everyone present to breathe.

The Demon of the Blades, Liu Qiantu.

Xun Xiaomo's pupils contracted, and he gritted his teeth, shouting sharply, "Blade Demon, how dare you openly defy the imperial court?!"

The Demon Blade laughed:

"Lord Xun, you flatter me. How dare I, a mere military man, oppose the imperial court?"

However, the members of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect have also arrived in this town, searching for their treasures.

In my life, I've never been one to see the Ten Thousand Swords Sect prosper, so I wanted to seize that treasure first and give them a piece of my mind. Therefore, I made a small deal with the Demon Slayer Society: I'd help them capture a woman.

Lord Xun is well aware of the deep-seated hatred between me and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. I humbly request that you grant me this favor and show some leniency in today's matter.

"What if I refuse to compromise?"

Cold sweat trickled down Xun Xiaomo's forehead, but he still gripped the knife hilt tightly.

The Demon Blade smiled faintly, offering no reply. He simply raised his chin slightly and said to Wei Jingxian, "Go."

Wei Jingxian and Xun Xiao bumped into each other.

Xun Xiaomo instinctively tried to draw her sword, but despite gripping the hilt and pulling several times, the sword remained firmly in its sheath, as if welded shut. The other guards were in the same predicament, finding it difficult to even move.

The inn lobby was quiet.

Wei Jingxian stepped onto the wooden stairs of the inn, feeling quite pleased.

He even picked up a plate of braised beef from the counter on the first floor as he passed by, not knowing whether it was leftover food that the staff hadn't had time to clear away or something that had been taken away from another table.

Carrying the dish, the man arrived at the guest room on the second floor where Bai Xiang was staying.

The door was gently pushed open.

Yuan Aqing, who was holding her sword and brooding over her "fall from favor," saw a strange man carrying dishes swaggering in. She was so startled that she almost reflexively jumped up from her chair.

The young girl drew her sword, stepping aside to block Bai Xiang, the tip pointing directly at the newcomer, and shouted:

"Halt! Who are you?"

Wei Jingxian stopped in his tracks, his gaze lingering on the pretty young woman with the sword before him, and exclaimed in admiration:

"To have such cultivation and spirituality at such a young age is truly rare."

As he spoke, he continued walking into the house with the plate in his hand.

Completely ignoring the girl's sword.

"Don't come any closer!"

Yuan Aqing gritted her teeth, and the Other Shore Sword transformed into a streak of light, piercing straight into the man's heart.

However, when the sword tip was only an inch away from Wei Jingxian's chest, it could not advance any further.

The wind pressure generated by the sword energy made the man's clothes flutter loudly, but the sword itself was like hitting an iron wall. No matter how hard Yuan Aqing tried to activate her star power, it was to no avail.

Wei Jingxian walked to the round table and sat down leisurely. While eating the cold dishes on the plate, he said:

"I came in a hurry and forgot to eat dinner. I'm really hungry. I hope you two ladies won't mind if I borrow your place to eat something." Bai Xiang glanced at the window.

Then she looked away, lowered her eyelashes, and continued to thread the needle through the cloth, completely ignoring the man in front of her.

A hint of surprise flashed in Wei Jingxian's eyes.

So calm.

The woman was unusually calm.

He spread his divine sense and carefully examined Bai Xiang again.

There was no fluctuation of star power, no demonic aura, no evil spirits... he was just an ordinary mortal with no cultivation.

Wei Jingxian couldn't help but laugh, praising in his tone:

"I've killed many people, but I've rarely seen a woman as calm as you. Is it because you believe your man will come back to save you?" Bai Xiang ignored her.

Yuan Aqing was sweating profusely with anxiety, constantly changing her sword moves, slashing, chopping, parrying, and thrusting... but no matter how exquisite her swordsmanship was, she still couldn't even touch the hem of her opponent's clothes.

Wei Jingxian swallowed the beef in his mouth and sighed softly:

"Actually, for someone like Jiang Mu, who is called a prodigy, the last thing he should have is family, and the last thing he should be ashamed of is having women."

I once loved a woman deeply. I protected her, thinking I could give her peace. But later, my enemies came after her, torturing her in an attempt to blackmail me and force me to submit.

It wasn't until then that I understood a truth: when you have someone you care about in your heart, you have a fatal weakness.

Those who possess weaknesses will never have any hope of reaching the pinnacle of the Great Dao in this lifetime.

He paused for a moment, then smiled.

"So, in order to sever my ties with the mortal world, for the sake of my Great Dao... I killed her with my own hands. Then, I cut off one of her fingers as a keepsake. From then on, my cultivation has never encountered a bottleneck again."

At this point, his gaze fell on Bai Xiang's hands, and he seemed somewhat lost in thought.

The woman was finishing her needlework when a section of her fair wrist slid out from her sleeve, revealing long, slender, and well-proportioned fingers with smooth knuckles and slightly upturned fingertips.

The candlelight shone from the side, making it beautiful and flawless.

Wei Jingxian looked up at Bai Xiang's ordinary face and said regretfully, "Your hands are really beautiful... They must be the most perfect and beautiful hands I have ever seen in my life."

"What a pity, your face is too ordinary to match those hands."

He took a narrow, long wooden box from his waist.

The box was opened.

Inside, there were neatly arranged slender fingers.

Each one was well-maintained, its pale skin still retaining the softness it had when it was alive.

Wei Jingxian gently stroked the severed fingers as if they were priceless treasures, and said with fascination:

"Look, these fingers are all very beautiful, and their owners were all great beauties in life. I have always kept them carefully. In my rules, if a woman is not beautiful enough, she is not worthy of having me collect her fingers."

"but·……"

Wei Jingxian changed the subject.

He pulled out a sharp dagger and stuck it on the table in front of Bai Xiang.

The dagger sank half an inch into the table.

The blade gleamed coldly in the candlelight.

"Today, I can make an exception for your perfect hands."

Wei Jingxian stared at Bai Xiang and smiled.

"Do it yourself, cut off one of your fingers and leave it as a souvenir for me. Then I'll only take this little girl with the sword, I won't harm you. I, Wei Jingxian, have always been a man of my word. You make the decision yourself."

"I hope you can put your severed finger on the table before I finish this dish. I hate trouble and don't like cutting things myself." After saying that, he lowered his head and continued to wolf down the leftovers.

The room fell silent.

The only sound was the smacking of Wei Jingxian chewing food.

"You perverted lunatic, I'll kill you!"

Seeing that the other party was about to harm her most respected sister Xiang, Yuan Aqing became completely enraged. The star power in her body poured out like boiling water, and even the sword blade was ignited with wisps of blood energy.

Bai Xiang kept her head down.

She bit off the last bit of thread, turned the sewn sock inside out, and carefully inspected the stitches.

Wei Jingxian caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye, frowned slightly, but didn't say anything, continuing to stuff the last few pieces of meat on the plate into his mouth. Soon, he finished the plate of leftovers.

He casually wiped the grease from his mouth with his sleeve, then rubbed his stomach contentedly before raising his head and looking at Bai Xiang with a half-smile: "It seems you've experienced something very tragic in the past, which has made you so calm. That's why you're so numb to death and pain, and don't know fear."

"But that's fine too. I actually hate it when women cry and beg for mercy in front of me; it disgusts me." He said, gripping the handle of the dagger on the table.

"Since you are unwilling to do it yourself, then I will have no choice but to reluctantly take it myself."

Don't worry, my knife is very sharp, it won't hurt much...

"Sister Xiang, get out of the way!"

Yuan A screamed and lunged at Bai Xiang again without hesitation.

However, just as the girl took two steps forward, her body suddenly went limp and she collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"Um?"

Wei Jingxian paused, his hand reaching for Bai Xiang, staring at the unconscious girl on the ground with a look of suspicion. He asked in astonishment, "What happened to her? Did she... faint from anger?"

Just as he was racking his brains trying to figure it out, Bai Xiang, who had been keeping her head down, finally put down the pair of thick cloth socks she had just sewn.

The woman slowly raised her head.

Her long, clear, and aloof eyes held a chilling, deathly coldness.

"What a pity..."

She sighed softly, and her clear, ethereal voice rang out softly.

"I was sitting here, trying to catch the big fish hidden in the deepest part. But I didn't expect... I didn't catch the big fish, and instead attracted a noisy fly. What a disappointment."

Wei Jingxian was stunned.

This was the first time he had heard this woman speak.

Her voice was very pleasant, clear and melodious.

"Oh well. We've been fishing for so long, it's time to pack up. Consider it a warm-up."

Bai Xiang said calmly.

Before Wei Jingxian could react, he suddenly felt something warm flowing out of his nose.

He instinctively wiped it with the back of his hand.

Red.

is blood.

Followed by.

Blood gushed from his nose, mouth, eyes, ears... all at the same time.

What... what happened?!

Wei Jingxian stared in horror at the woman sitting upright like a lotus in front of him, and opened his mouth to question her.

But when he opened his mouth, a mouthful of teeth mixed with thick blood clots fell out of his gums and were spat directly onto the ground. Fear finally caught up with him at that moment.

At that moment, he finally realized that the seemingly harmless, ordinary woman in front of him was a terrifying devil!

"Ahhhhhh!"

Driven to madness and despair, Wei Jingxian drew the blood-stained knife from his back and slashed it down at Bai Xiang, who was standing right in front of him!

Meanwhile, outside the inn.

Xun Xiaozhang gritted his teeth and warned sternly:

"Blade Demon! I advise you to think carefully about the consequences. The family members inside are the women of Jiang Mu, the deputy commander of Fazhou City!"

By condoning your disciple's actions, you are not only going against the Great Qing court, but you've also brought a living devil upon yourself!

"Heh..."

The Sword Demon stood with his hands behind his back, nonchalantly saying:

"Lord Xun, rest assured, I have lived to this age and naturally know what is important. Once I obtain the treasure of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, I will naturally give the court and that young man named Jiang Mu a respectable explanation."

Besides, I only asked my disciple to go in and borrow a woman from him today, and the Demon Slayer Society promised that they would not harm her.

Once the matter is settled, it will be returned to him intact.

"Bang!"

As soon as the Demon Blade finished speaking, a dark shadow traced an arc in mid-air before crashing heavily onto the street.

It landed squarely at the feet of the Blade Demon.

The sword demon was taken aback and looked down.

With just one glance, this eleventh-realm fiend, who was so powerful that he was awe-inspiring, was stunned, and then burst into fury.

Lying on the ground was the corpse of his apprentice!