So it turns out I'm the demon!

Chapter 440 Whipping the Disobedient Ru Meng

When Jiang Mu returned to the riverbank where he and Qiu Yuexin had rested, the latter was already waiting there, sitting on the rock with her legs crossed, looking every bit the lady.

Upon seeing Jiang Mu, a smile bloomed on the girl's naturally alluring face: "What a pity. Seeing someone being swallowed up, I thought he was being eaten as a midnight snack. I was just about to put on a heroic rescue for my brother, but you didn't even give me the chance."

"I'll definitely give you that chance next time, so you can save the hero like a beautiful woman."

Jiang Mu said.

Qiu Yuexin stood up and moved closer to him, raising her pointed chin as she said, "But speaking of which, aren't you afraid that crazy woman will go back and badmouth you and retaliate against you for humiliating your colleague like that? Or—should I go back and kill her for you?"

"There's no need."

Jiang Mu waved his hand and said, "He's just a narrow-minded clown; he can't cause any trouble."

He took out the small golden crow pearl he had taken from Ran Chun'er and examined it carefully.

The beads are the same size as regular pills.

It is said to contain the true fire of the sun, but it feels icy cold when held in the hand.

After Jiang Mu infused it with spiritual power, the smooth surface of the pearl emitted a dazzling and bright light, as if he were holding a miniature sun in his hand.

Inside the bead, a tiny golden crow with three legs is faintly visible.

Its wings are slightly folded, as if it might fly out of the bead at any moment, so lifelike.

"This magic weapon is pretty good."

Qiu Yuexin's beautiful eyes sparkled as she leaned closer, scrutinizing the bead.

The girl's unique orchid fragrance wafted into the man's nostrils, perhaps with a touch of foxy allure, causing Jiang Mu's heart to inexplicably warm, and he instinctively looked at the girl's slightly open collar.

The sun hidden there seems far more alluring than the Golden Crow Pearl.

The young girl extended her slender, white fingertips and gently hovered them over the edge of the blazing flames. As she felt the true fire of the sun within, she said, "These kinds of magical treasures are usually used by cultivators to help forge their own Dao foundation. For example, the Yin-Yang Origin Star Lords have two major star positions, the [Sun Star] and the [Moon Star], who are most eager for such divine objects."

As for us demons, we obtain it to temper our demonic souls, or to comprehend fire-based demonic arts. Of course, it also has some unorthodox uses.

"Will this thing be useful to you?"

Jiang Mu withdrew her gaze and handed over the little golden crow, saying, "If it's useful, I'll give it to you."

Qiu Yuexin's expression was strange. She stared at him as if he were an idiot, and couldn't help but poke Jiang Mu's forehead, looking at him with a disappointed expression: "This is an ancient treasure. Countless people have fought tooth and nail for it. What is the first priority for a cultivator? It's to cherish treasures and to be thrifty. Who would give away a divine object so casually like you?"

Jiang Mu laughed, grabbed the girl's finger that was poking his forehead, and held it in his palm, saying, "You're not an outsider, you're one of my closest people, so it's only right that you give me a gift."

"Who says we're not strangers?"

Qiu Yuexin pulled her hand back and spat lightly, her pearly white teeth gently biting her lower lip. Then, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up, unable to suppress her laughter.

She had no choice but to bury her head even lower, kicking at the pebbles on the bank with her toes, her voice muffled, "I am a demon, you are human, our fate is sealed—"

"What's destined? To become enemies?"

Jiang Mu asked.

The girl didn't continue. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "Keep it. It'll definitely come in handy. I don't need it; it's useless to me."

Jiang Mu didn't stand on ceremony. Seeing that the girl insisted on refusing, he withdrew his hand.

He tried to infuse a trace of demonic energy into the bead.

As expected, the demonic energy could not enter the bead. So he put the bead away, intending to use it later when forging the foundation of his Dao.

Qiu Yuexin suddenly remembered something, and her beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly: "However, there is one very strange thing. Such a treasure of heaven and earth must be guarded by very powerful beasts."

But I just searched the surrounding area, and apart from that golden roc, I didn't find any other powerful demons' auras.

"He was probably killed by the Golden Roc Demon," Jiang Mu said casually.

"impossible."

Qiu Yuexin shook her head, her expression serious, and said, "That Golden Roc demon's cultivation level has only just broken through to the eighth rank. If it really faces a ferocious beast guarding a treasure, this level of cultivation is not enough."

Based on my estimation, the guardian beast of this little golden crow is at least at the tenth rank. I reckon something must have happened to that beast, allowing the great golden roc demon to steal it and secretly refine it here.

Jiang Mu seemed to be deep in thought.

If the guardian monster didn't die, and I now possess the Little Golden Crow, will it come looking for me?

After resting for a while, the two continued on their journey.

Jiang Mu rode on his own demon sister as usual.

The fox spirit was surrounded by a dreamlike pink glow, and its nine beautiful fox tails swayed and curled behind it.

As it ran, the fox's tail suddenly straightened, as if casting nine dazzling streaks of light and shadow behind it.

The two finally arrived in Hailing Prefecture the following afternoon.

Jiang Mu planned to visit the tree spirit Si Rumeng in the city first, and then give her a good talking-to.

He didn't want this rebellious woman to become too ambitious after he'd been gone too long and start to disregard him as her master.

Furthermore, he doesn't know much about the Blood Sabre Sect, so he needs to investigate first.

If you rush up recklessly and end up losing your life, that would be incredibly embarrassing.

Before entering the city, Jiang Mu disguised himself as Chu Jiang.

Although Hailing Prefecture is now practically his territory, not only did Si Rumeng obtain the people's incense offerings and prayers by pretending to be a garrison commander, but Zhao Xian, the head of the Demon Slayer Division, was also recommended and promoted by him.

But the more this is the case, the more necessary it is to keep a low profile.

Because the imperial court is very likely to send spies to keep an eye on things here, if you are too high-profile, it will only cause unnecessary trouble.

The city was even more prosperous than he had imagined.

The main street was lined with taverns and teahouses, and the shouts of vendors filled the air. The merchants coming and going were all dressed in bright clothes.

"This place looks quite lively, much better than Yunzhou City."

Qiu Yuexin had clearly not been to a market in a long time; her foxy eyes sparkled like a bird just released from its cage.

The girl looked around, glancing here and there.

Occasionally, she would stop in front of a jewelry stall, pick up a hairpin and hold it up to her temples, then smile at Jiang Muyan, her charming smile revealing a captivating liveliness.

Jiang Mu casually paid for it for her, but his eyes were scanning the people around him.

He discovered that these people all possessed a certain amount of Buddhist power.

This Buddhist power differs from orthodox Buddhist baptism; it also contains a faint trace of demonic energy.

"Did Si Rumeng do all of this?"

Jiang Mu pondered to himself.

Just then, a suona horn sound came from the other end of the street, accompanied by Buddhist chanting and the sound of sacred music.

In an instant, the bustling street fell silent.

The vendors, servants, and even the diners in the restaurants all knelt down on the ground.

"What's going on?" Qiu Yuexin asked, looking completely bewildered.

"Go look from the side."

Jiang Mu pulled her along and slipped into the shadow of a teahouse's banner.

As the suona and chanting grew closer, a grand procession slowly approached.

Leading the way were about twenty devout men and women dressed in monks' robes.

The female devotees, holding clean vases, sprinkled fragrant flower water along the way. The male devotees, carrying incense burners or scriptures, chanted prayers with devout and solemn expressions.

Further behind, eight strong men carried a huge palanquin with a light veil hanging down.

A gentle breeze blew by, causing the gauze curtains to flutter and part, revealing the figure inside the sedan chair.

The woman's face was exquisite and holy, her eyebrows and eyes were lowered, one hand gently held a glass jade bottle, and the other hand made a hand gesture of plucking flowers. Her face was like a full moon, and her whole body radiated a warm and vast golden wheel of merit.

It was as if a Bodhisattva had descended to earth, with a majestic and dignified appearance.

"Is this Si Rumeng?" Qiu Yuexin squinted and asked softly.

Not entirely.

Jiang Mu stared at the woman in the sedan chair and shook his head, saying, "This is not her in person, but just a white jade statue. It has been blessed with some kind of illusion magic, and divine power and incense have been placed on it, so it looks almost like a real person."

"That's impressive."

Qiu Yuexin looked solemn and sincerely admired, "I have never seen a demon that is a plant spirit, able to absorb the resentment of incense offerings and make the people of the whole city willingly kneel and worship.

"I'm the one who helped her get to where she is today."

Jiang Mu's tone carried a hint of pride, "At this rate, it won't be long before she reaches the eleventh or even twelfth level."

Qiu Yuexin glanced at him sideways and pouted her pink lips: "Aren't you afraid of raising a demon that will cause trouble?"

"Don't worry."

Jiang Mu watched the missionary group gradually disappear into the distance, and smiled mockingly, "I dare to keep even a fox like you as a pet, what other demonic threat am I afraid of?"

The girl gave him a coquettish glare, turned her head away, and ignored him.

The two strolled around the city for a while, and then Jiang Mu led Qiu Yuexin to the front of Jingtan Temple.

However, the temple has now been renamed Chaomu Temple.

Clearly, Si Rumeng had simply copied the name of the temple from the original small world.

The temple was filled with worshippers, and the fragrant aroma of incense permeated every corner.

In the center of the temple stands a colossal statue, hundreds of meters tall, formed entirely from the power of incense offerings and prayers. With solemn features, it overlooks all living beings and is the golden body of a Bodhisattva sculpted by Si Rumeng.

Qiu Yuexin looked up at the statue, examined it carefully, and suddenly said, "This demon is probably not easy to tame. She looks like a female demon with great ambition."

"As expected, demons understand demons best."

Jiang Mu smiled and strode towards the main hall.

But before they had taken more than a few steps, the hundred-meter-tall statue behind them suddenly burst out with a burst of white light, and at the same time, countless Sanskrit characters appeared on the ground, beginning to emerge and circulate, surrounding Jiang Mu and Qiu Yuexin inside.

The surrounding scenery also distorted and collapsed. After the world spun around, the once noisy temple disappeared.

They appeared in an open area behind the temple.

Directly in front is a lotus-shaped platform.

A woman sat on the stage; it was Si Rumeng.

At this moment, she was dressed in white, her long hair cascading down to her waist like a waterfall. Her face was compassionate and holy, and she was surrounded by an ethereal aura, exuding divinity.

stern.

It makes people only dare to admire it from afar, and dare not harbor the slightest thought of desecration.

Before Jiang Mu could speak, the woman's jade-like finger pointed lightly in the air.

Swish!

Half of the lotus on the lotus platform suddenly detached and transformed into sharp leaf blades in the air, heading straight for Jiang Mu and Qiu Yuexin to kill them.

"Haven't seen you in a while, want a beating again?"

Jiang Mu said calmly.

Before the words had even finished, black iron chains suddenly appeared in the void, wrapped around the woman on the lotus platform, bound her limbs, and suspended her in mid-air.

The next moment, several whip shadows pierced the air and arrived.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

With a few lashes, the holy aura emanating from the woman was shattered.

The originally ethereal dress was now torn, revealing her fair and delicate skin, adding a touch of alluring charm.

"Master, spare my life!"

Si Rumeng quickly begged for mercy, her voice pitiful and melodious, "Mengnu was just joking with Master."

Just as Qiu Yuexin said, this tree demon has great ambitions.

The sneak attack that seemed like a joke was actually a test to see if Jiang Mu could be subdued by her when she was off guard, so that she could turn the tables and take control.

Watching this scene unfold, Qiu Yuexin found it utterly absurd.

This is a level 10 great demon!

He could be a powerful ruler anywhere, but now he was hanging in the air by Jiang Mu, powerless to resist.

As expected, Jiang Mu cannot be judged by conventional standards.

The girl thought to herself, and subconsciously moved to the side, getting a little further away from the man.

She doesn't want to end up in that situation someday.

Only when Si Rumeng was completely powerless to resist did Jiang Mu put away the spiritual rope and lower the woman down.

The woman lay limply on the ground, her black hair disheveled, panting heavily.

Jiang Mu walked forward with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Not bad. I thought you wouldn't recognize me because I was disguised."

Suppressing the humiliation and resentment in her eyes, Si Rumeng revealed a charming and ingratiating smile: "Master is joking. No matter what Master becomes, Mengnu can still smell your scent. There is no man in the world who can make Mengnu dream of you more than Master."

"Alright, stop flattering me."

Jiang Mu was too lazy to listen to the other party's flattery, and casually tossed over some demon cores, "Take these."

Si Rumeng once hoped that he could obtain more demon cores to help her cultivate, and Jiang Mu had been collecting them ever since.

This can be considered a slap followed by a sweet treat.

Si Rumeng reached out and caught it, her face immediately lighting up with joy. She quickly expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Master. I could never repay your kindness, even if I were to serve you like a cow or a horse."

Get up.

Jiang Mu then pointed to Qiu Yuexin beside her, "I don't need to introduce her, do I? Although you don't seem to have met her before, you've probably already investigated the people around me."

Si Rumeng stood up, straightened her tattered clothes, and gave Qiu Yuexin a graceful bow: "Greetings, Miss Qiu."

Qiu Yuexin nodded slightly.

She turned to Jiang Mu and said, "You guys chat first, I'll just wander around."

After saying that, the girl turned and left.

As she was leaving, she glanced back at Si Rumeng, a strange feeling creeping into her heart.

For some reason, even though the woman was begging for mercy, she inexplicably felt that the other woman seemed to be enjoying it, which was really strange.