So it turns out I'm the demon!

In the following days, Jiang Mu returned to her secluded cultivation routine.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Ran Qingshan gave him a strict order, instructing him to keep a low profile and stay home to cultivate during this period.

This was clearly to avoid the limelight emanating from the Chang family.

Jiang Mu knew perfectly well what was going on, so she went along with it and stayed home.

Anyway, there's still some left in the magic tank, enough to sustain me for a few days of cultivation.

Fortunately, Ling Ye made it clear that he would not leave the city for the next few days, which inadvertently fulfilled the request of the demon sister Qiu Yuexin to "hold her back".

To prevent that old lady from climbing onto the roof beam in the middle of the night and scaring people again.

His current cultivation level is approaching the mid-stage of the third realm, which is truly astonishing.

After all, the arduous perseverance required for 24/7 offline cultivation is beyond the reach of ordinary people, and it exhausted Jiang Mu.

The "Spirit Snake's Wandering Steps" technique has also broken through the minor achievement level.

Jiang Mu discovered that this set of footwork and swordsmanship had a strange complementarity.

First, use the nimble snake step to entangle and maneuver, accumulating sword momentum, and then suddenly unleash the Heaven-Shattering Slash, which is much more powerful than simply drawing the sword.

As for the "Purple Extreme Technique," it is still in the introductory stage.

Jiang Mu had absolutely no idea what this technique was for.

It did not help his cultivation in the slightest, but the special aura in his dantian continued to accumulate, showing signs of forming a dantian.

Jiang Mu didn't bother to care; after all, it was the shadow practicing, so it wouldn't tire him out.

"We need to find a way to slay more demons to power up 'Hang' and upgrade it. Right now, we only have two demonic shadows, which is really not enough."

Jiang Mu gazed at the two diligent figures inside the bubble and secretly made plans.

In a few days, I'll go find Ran Qingshan to ask for the mission.

In the past few days, besides staying at home to cultivate, he would occasionally go to the government office to spar with the Zhang brothers.

I learned from Zhang Xiaokui that his brother Zhang Daxiao had reached the threshold of breaking through the realm and was preparing to break through to the fourth realm.

This is a joyous occasion.

If the Eighth Hall could produce a master of the fourth realm, it would look good on their reputation.

As the leader, Jiang Mu naturally couldn't be stingy. With a wave of his hand, he exchanged his merits for a bunch of pills and talismans to aid in breakthroughs and threw them over.

The two rough-looking brothers were so moved that they had tears in their eyes.

He almost knelt down and called out to his godfather on the spot.

……

Time flies like water, and several days pass in the blink of an eye.

That afternoon.

Jiang Mu, shirtless, moved nimbly and darted around the courtyard.

The blood-stained blade in his hand splashed out a dazzling display of cold light.

As the speed increased, it left behind several afterimages that were difficult to distinguish from reality, the wind howled, and sand and dust were stirred up like mist.

Yuan Aqing, who was not far away, was dazzled by the sight, her mouth slightly agape.

Swish!

Jiang Mu suddenly stopped.

The lingering shadows gradually dissipated, like bubbles bursting.

The next instant, he suddenly drew his sword—

"Sky-Shattering Slash!"

The crimson blade energy surged like an angry dragon emerging from the sea, its power terrifying, as if it could cleave the sky in two.

The Serpent's Movement Technique, now mastered!

Jiang Mu's eyes gleamed: "Just as I thought, as long as the footwork is mastered, its power will be even greater when combined with the Heaven-Shattering Slash."

These past few days, he's been single-mindedly working on countering the Spirit Refining Serpent Step.

The main body and the two demonic shadows all trained simultaneously, at an extremely fast pace.

"Wow! Master is amazing!"

Yuan Aqing's eyes were full of admiration, and her little hands clapped until they were red.

In the vegetable garden, Bai Xiang, who was bending over to tend to the seedlings, looked up and a complex emotion flashed across her beautiful eyes:

"This guy... he really is a cultivation prodigy."

Jiang Mu sheathed his sword, took the towel handed to him by Yuan Aqing, and casually wiped the sweat from his muscular chest.

Without putting on a shirt, he strolled to the edge of the vegetable garden, shirtless.

"Do you need any help?"

Jiang Mu grinned.

Bai Xiang's gaze lingered for a moment on the man's well-defined chest and abdomen before she looked away and gently shook her head.

"Fine, I'll water it for you."

Jiang Mu noticed a water ladle placed by the edge of the plot, picked it up, and used it to water the seedlings.

Although he lost face when his marriage proposal was rejected last time, Jiang Dashao, being magnanimous, decided to temporarily "pardon" her, considering that this woman had been cooking all sorts of delicious food to apologize for days.

Bai Xiang didn't pay any attention to it.

After watering, Jiang Muchong, who was squatting down pruning the cypress branches, teased:

"I've done all the work for you, shouldn't you thank the master?"

Bai Xiang smiled gently, rose, and gave a graceful curtsy.

As a thank-you gift.

Her posture was gentle and graceful, like ripples on spring water, so gentle that it made one unable to feel the slightest bit of anger.

Over time, the two developed a tacit understanding and playful camaraderie.

Just as Jiang Mu was about to say something more witty, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

Yuan Aqing ran to open the door, then turned back and said in a clear voice, "Master, it's Miss Chu."

Chu Lingzhu?

Jiang Mu was taken aback.

What's this girl doing here? Inviting us to dinner?

The other day, that girl wanted to treat everyone to a meal, saying it was to thank her sister Wen Rou'er for saving her, but Jiang Mu refused.

Eating is not as important as spiritual cultivation.

Jiang Mu grabbed a coat from the rack, put it on, and walked to the door.

A graceful figure stood outside the door.

The young girl wore a light green dress, her black hair tied up with a simple hairpin, looking delicate and beautiful, but there was a hint of worry between her brows.

"What's up?"

Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow. "If you're going to treat me to a meal, then forget it. You might as well just give me the cash payment for the meal."

"Who's inviting you to dinner!"

Chu Lingzhu rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "I have something important to tell you."

"Oh? Then come in and talk." Jiang Mu stepped aside to make way.

"No."

Chu Lingzhu glanced into the courtyard, her small nose wrinkling. "I hate seeing that woman."

She pulled Jiang Mu aside and whispered the whole story.

It turns out that a while ago, a businessman who runs a pharmacy in Yancheng ordered a batch of precious medicinal herbs from another place.

However, because there was a rebellion in Yancheng and the journey was not safe, he asked Chu Lingzhu's father, Chu Dahai, to help keep it safe.

Because the two had done business together before and were quite familiar with each other, Chu Dahai agreed and stored the medicinal herbs in the shop's warehouse.

But these past two days, when Chu Lingzhu went to the warehouse to sort her own medicinal herbs, she always felt that the batch of stored goods smelled a little off.

She practiced medicine with her father from a young age and has a sensitivity to the smell of medicinal herbs far exceeding that of ordinary people.

It could even be described as an extraordinary talent.

She suspected there was something wrong with the medicinal herbs, but since they were someone else's sealed goods, she couldn't open them herself.

This shop is owned by Jiang Mu.

If the medicinal herbs get damp or something goes wrong in the warehouse, Jiang Mu, the owner, will ultimately have to take responsibility and compensate for them.

The girl couldn't keep things to herself, and the more she thought about it, the more worried she became, which is why she came to Jiang Mu to discuss it.

"What did your father say?" Jiang Mu asked.

"Father said it's normal," Chu Lingzhu said, sounding a little aggrieved. "But I'm sure the taste is definitely wrong."

Jiang Mu pondered.

This girl certainly has a talent for medicinal herbs.

If something goes wrong with the medicinal herbs in your own warehouse, it could cause a lot of trouble.

"Let's go take a look."

Jiang Mu made a decisive decision.

He turned around, greeted Bai Xiang and Yuan Aqing, and then followed Chu Lingzhu to the herbal medicine shop.

……

Shortly after Jiang Mu left.

In the distance, a weasel, covered in filth, scurried out of a hole in the wall of a dark, narrow alley.

"Ptooey! Ptooey! It stinks!"

The little weasel demon rubbed the dirt off its face vigorously while cursing.

It hid by the latrine for several days, its body stinking, waiting for the right moment.

They don't want to live anymore.

Looking towards the Jiang family's courtyard, the little demon's lips curled into a ferocious grin:

"Heh heh, that guy's finally gone."

"You dare kill my Fourth Grandfather Huang, and you dare ruin Grandma's plans? I may not be able to beat you, but killing a servant like you is more than enough!"

With a kick of its hind legs, it transformed into a yellow blur and darted toward the courtyard wall.

Other demons might not dare to harm the families of officials in the Demon Slayer Division, but it does.

It's incredibly brave!