So it turns out I'm the demon!

Jiang Mu eventually reached a deal with the old man.

This is how he learned the other person's name.

His name is Luo Wuming.

However, Jiang Mu guessed that the name was most likely just something the other party made up on the spot. This old man looked like the kind of sly fellow who used to sneak over walls to peep at widows bathing when he was young.

Exchanging a single Star Pill for a clue is a huge loss no matter how you look at it. After some bargaining, Jiang Mu also obtained a superior cultivation technique from Luo Wuming.

[Overlord's Crushing Kick]

According to Luo Wuming, this technique was created by a cultivator who was disabled and born with a limp.

The opponent, crippled in one leg and bound by the constraints of his physical body, comprehended this killing technique in a desperate situation.

He abandoned the agility and elegance of his movements, focusing all his bloodthirsty and ferocious energy on his lower body, and used the heavy and devastating power to kill his opponent.

His moves are powerful and sweeping; a single stomp can shatter rocks.

Domineering and fierce.

The only problem is that this technique has very strict requirements for practitioners.

For ordinary people to cultivate themselves, the first step is to break their own legs, then use a secret medicinal solution to rebuild their bone marrow and forcibly alter the pathways of the meridians in their legs. After that, they still need to undergo years of relentless hammering and tempering.

Day after day, year after year

Without twenty or thirty years of hard work, one cannot master the skill.

Therefore, very few people are willing to practice this skill.

But Jiang Mu didn't care.

Nothing special, just a cheat code.

What he liked most was this kind of ruthless and domineering technique; he could simply let the Demon Shadow hone it slowly.

What frustrated Jiang Mu was that Luo Wuming's delay actually gave Fang Yuanhao a chance to escape.

He also underestimated the masked woman's cultivation level. By the time he turned back to look for her, she had already disappeared.

Jiang Mu wasn't too upset.

Anyway, since they're on his own turf, as long as those guys dare to show their faces, they won't escape his grasp.

In his search for Beitang Batian, he returned to the inn and searched it thoroughly, but still couldn't find a trace of him. However, he did find two young male corpses, their yang energy and life essence drained, in a storage room in the backyard.

This proves that the previous clues were correct, and Beitang Batian did indeed hide here.

The night was deep, in the alley.

The three who escaped, Wen Li, Duan Shuang'er, and Meng Zhen, are now hiding in a secluded narrow alley, still shaken.

Hearing the distant rumbling sounds, I felt quite apprehensive.

"Who exactly is this Chu Jiang?"

Duan Shuang'er muttered under her breath, "One minute he's a fourth-realm cultivator, the next he's an eighth-realm cultivator. How could someone so young have such cultivation? Could he have been possessed by some powerful cultivator?"

Wen Li didn't reply. Holding the sleeping baby in her arms, she looked at Meng Zhen, who had remained silent beside her, and asked:

"Are you really Yuan Xiaoshun?"

Meng Zhen leaned against the wall, looking like a sculpture in the shadows.

Upon hearing Wen Li's question, he glanced at the woman expressionlessly and replied indifferently:

"I've never seen anyone as foolish as you, causing such a commotion over someone. This is the first and last time I'll save you. Get out of Fazhou City now, and don't let me see you again."

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Duan Shuang'er immediately bristled, her eyebrows furrowing, and pointed at Wen Li, saying...

"She's your own sister-in-law. Your brother sent us to find you. If you didn't want to acknowledge us, you should have said so earlier. Why make us search everywhere like this? Now, who are you trying to impress with this act of cutting ties?"

"Shuang'er".

Wen Li spoke up to stop the girl's accusations, then turned to Meng Zhen and apologized:

"If our visit has caused you any trouble, I apologize. We were indeed too rash. Your brother did remind us to look for you privately, and we were wrong to do so."

She bowed deeply to Meng Zhen.

"Don't worry, we won't cause you any more trouble. We'll leave Fazhou City now."

"Sister Wen Li!"

Duan Shuang'er grew anxious. "Who knows if Chu Jiang has completely dealt with the Phoenix Feather Sect members? What if we leave the city now and they catch up with us from behind? Wouldn't we be like lambs to the slaughter?"

"Let's go."

Wen Li sighed helplessly.

Seeking refuge with her brother-in-law was originally the only way out her husband had suggested before his death. Now that this path was blocked, there was no point in continuing to drag it out.

"I'm sorry, you probably won't be able to leave."

Just then, a leisurely voice suddenly drifted from the darkness.

Jiang Mu emerged from the shadows, his hands clasped behind his back. The moonlight cast his shadow across the wall beside him, making it appear somewhat eerie. Upon seeing Jiang Mu, the three men reacted with varying expressions.

Meng Zhen's face turned pale, and he subconsciously took a step back, placing one hand on the hilt of his knife.

Duan Shuang'er lowered her head, feeling very ashamed.

Only Wen Li showed gratitude, stepped forward, and bowed.

"Thank you so much for saving my life, senior. Counting the previous times, you have saved me several times already. I don't know how to repay such a great favor. If you have any orders, senior, I will do them without hesitation, even at the cost of my life."

"Oh? Really?"

Jiang Mu stared at the woman with amusement. "You're willing to do whatever I say?"

Wen Li nodded and said:

"As long as my child is not harmed, I would gladly give up my life without hesitation."

"How about you offer yourself?"

Jiang Mu said.

Upon hearing this, Duan Shuang'er's face flushed red with anger, and she opened her mouth to retort. Wen Li, however, spoke first, calmly saying:

"I know you were joking, senior. After all, you wouldn't even look at my disheveled body. But I must make it clear: if I am truly humiliated, I will die to preserve my integrity."

Jiang Mu smiled:

"Alright, I was just kidding. I'm not interested in you. You can leave, but..."

His gaze fell on Duan Shuang'er, and he said meaningfully, "She has to stay. I'm quite interested in her now."

"I?"

Duan Shuang'er was stunned, then took several steps back in fright, stammering:

"You...you mustn't do anything reckless. I...I'm telling you, I know Lord Jiang from the Demon Slayer Division, he's very powerful..."

Jiang Mu ignored her shouts, turned to look at Meng Zhen, and reverted to his original voice: "Master Meng, now that you've already guessed, what are you still fantasizing about? Do you really think you can escape from me?"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Meng Zhen's last shred of hope was shattered.

He closed his eyes in pain and knelt down on the ground:

"This humble servant greets Lord Jiang."

The alleyway fell into a deathly silence.

Wen Li and Duan Shuang'er stared wide-eyed at Jiang Mu, their faces blank.

As the disguise on Jiang Mu's face gradually disappeared, the two women were completely stunned.

"How could this be...?"

Duan Shuang'er murmured, looking utterly lost.

It turns out that Chu Jiang, who was with them all along, was actually Jiang Mu.

Thinking back to how she had just been using Jiang Mu's name to intimidate others, only to find the real Jiang Mu standing right in front of her watching the show, the girl wished she could disappear into the ground. Jiang Mu looked down at the kneeling man, his eyes indifferent: "Tell me, is your name Yuan Xiaoshun?"

Meng Zhen said, "Before joining the Demon Slayer Division, my name was indeed Yuan Xiaoshun."

"So, are you an inside agent for the Demon-Slaying Society, or a spy for the Red Umbrella Sect?"

"Neither."

"Neither?"

Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow slightly. "Could it be that you're one of the Imperial Guards?"

"I am not a member of the Imperial Guard either."

Meng Zhen shook his head.

Jiang Mu sneered:

"Neither a traitor nor an imperial guard, you must be a loyal and upright member of our Demon Slayer Division. Since your background is so clean, what have you been doing hiding your identity for twenty years? Are you perhaps a wanted criminal with a name that cannot be brought to light?"

"This subordinate is..."

A look of struggle appeared on Meng Zhen's face.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally said in a hoarse voice, "This humble servant is the prince's man."

Jiang Mu's smile froze.

Prince?

Which prince?

Of course, he should be promoted to prince!

Jiang Mu couldn't help but recall the words Quan Shan Hai had once said:

If Prince Sheng were to rebel, he would have undoubtedly amassed a vast underground force, with his pawns planted in the Imperial Guard, the Demon Slayer Division, and the border army. At the time, Jiang Mu did not take it seriously.

Only now did he truly feel the weight behind Quan Shanhai's words.

A chill ran down Jiang Mu's spine.

He tried to suppress his turbulent thoughts and wanted to continue asking questions, but out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the two women beside him who were still dumbfounded. He then changed the subject: "Let's go back to the Demon Slayer Division first. You two come back with me."

The two women exchanged a glance and did not refuse.

Of course, they didn't have the right to refuse.

Back at the Demon Slayer Division, Jiang Mu recounted the whole story to Shui Miaozheng and then ordered her to send people to search the entire city to see if they could find Fang Yuanhao and his group.

After settling Wen Li and the other woman in, Jiang Mu took Meng Zhen to the signing room alone.

Shui Miaozheng was equally shocked to learn that Meng Zhen was actually a pawn planted by Prince Sheng.

After the initial shock, a deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside the woman.

Who else in the Demon Slayer Division is truly loyal to the imperial court?

There's no one here.

But then again, she isn't really either.

After all, she, the head of the department, has now become Jiang Mu's private property, and she has long since lost her loyalty to the imperial court.

"Come, sit down."

Jiang Mu pulled up a chair for Meng Zhen to sit down, and then sat in front of him to begin the interrogation.

"Are you aware of the feud between me and Prince Sheng?"

Meng Zhen shook his head: "I don't know."

"You must have heard the news that Prince Sheng is dead, right?"

"I've heard about it."

Jiang Mu scoffed, "So Prince Sheng is already dead, and now you're just a useless piece of pawn."

Meng Zhen clenched his fist and said in a low voice:

"We will not believe that the prince is dead until we receive specific instructions from above."

"above?"

Jiang Mu leaned forward slightly, staring intently into the other person's eyes. "Who else is up there? Where?"

Meng Zhen fell silent.

Jiang Mu stared at him for a moment, then leaned back in her chair and said:

"Don't force me to use torture. Besides, to prevent you from committing suicide, I have sealed your acupoints and meridians, and I have also checked your body. There are no Gu worms that can take your life remotely."

Of course, if there are truly methods that even I can't detect, then I'll just have to accept it.

Meng Zhen raised his bloodshot eyes and looked directly at Jiang Mu:

"Lord Jiang, no matter if you use torture or soul-searching techniques, you will not get anything useful from me."

I am merely a pawn passively waiting for the right moment.

I don't know where the other pieces are hidden, nor do I know where the people on them are or who their real identities are.

All I can do is wait. Wait for the day someone gives me orders. Either to remove me from the chessboard as a sacrifice, or to send me on a momentous occasion.

He looked down at his hands and smiled wryly.

"To put it bluntly, if I hadn't gone to rescue them tonight, my identity wouldn't have been exposed, and Lord Jiang wouldn't have known I was the Prince's man." "That's right."

Jiang Mu said, "Even though I have long suspected you, I cannot be certain that you are Yuan Xiaoshun without solid evidence."

This also explains why you were unwilling to acknowledge Wen Li and the others before.

"And you intervened tonight because Wen Li is, after all, your brother's widow, and that child is a member of the Yuan family. Deep down, you still cherish that familial bond, right?"

Meng Zhen did not deny it.

Jiang Mu gave Shui Miaozheng a wink, signaling her to pour a cup of tea and place it on the table next to Meng Zhen.

I believe you.

Jiang Mu said calmly, "Since we can't get any useful information out of you, why don't you tell us how you became Prince Sheng's pawn?"

Meng Zhen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said:

"Twenty years ago, I was just a laborer at the dock, working myself to the bone every day, earning only a few copper coins."

Later, someone approached me and said they could arrange a job for me, to become an official in the imperial court.

Meng Zhen gave a self-deprecating laugh:

"How could a tiny ant resist such a tempting climb to the heavens?"

However, before I started working for them, they tested me several times, and I passed each time. Then, they changed my name, fabricated my family background, and sent me to the Demon Slayer Division.

In fact, those recruited halfway through, like myself, are at best mere pawns on the periphery.

As far as I know, Prince Sheng also specially raised a group of children, trained them from childhood, and they were extremely loyal to him.

Now, those children have long since scattered to different places.

Some became hall masters like me, some worked secretly in the palace, some became officials, or were in charge of a certain prefecture or state, some joined the inner guard, and some even became generals in the army.

Even the leader of a martial arts sect could be promoted to a prince.

Is it really that exaggerated?

Jiang Mu listened and grimaced.

But then he thought about it again and found it absurd.

Since the emperor in the Golden Palace already knew that Prince Sheng harbored ulterior motives, how could he not take precautions and allow Prince Sheng to infiltrate in this way? However, he soon figured out the key to the matter.

When the new emperor ascended the throne, many princes vied for the throne, making the court very unstable.

It was precisely because of Prince Sheng's strong support that the new emperor was able to secure his position on the throne; otherwise, who knows which prince would be sitting in that chair today. Therefore, Prince Sheng must have already laid out his plans before the new emperor ascended the throne.

This is precisely why the emperor was so wary of him, making it difficult to eliminate Prince Sheng's power.

If too much force is used, Daqing may fall into turmoil and collapse.

The reason why Quan Shanhai wanted Jiang Mu to replace Prince Sheng was ultimately because the court was incapable of uprooting the pawns that Prince Sheng had placed there.

That's why we need to find another way and replace him.

Thinking of this, Jiang Mu's heart suddenly stirred.

If he really agreed to Quan Shanhai's request to impersonate Prince Sheng, wouldn't he have half of the country in his own hands?

But the question is, will he become a pawn in Quan Shanhai's hands?

This guy is dangerous.

Every time Jiang Mu saw the other person, he felt that the guy was like a spider, slowly weaving a web around him.

"It's a pity she's not a woman, otherwise I could have just taken her in and made her one of my own, which would have saved me a lot of trouble."

Jiang Mu thought with a hint of regret.