That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

Jiang Jingming felt a chill run down his spine from his gaze.

Shen Zhuo sighed.

Locals say the murderer of the entire family was a vicious and wicked witch.

Why?

Jiang Jingming raised an eyebrow, somewhat curious.

After all, the words "extremely vicious" and "causing havoc on humanity" are usually used to describe the Duyue Cult.

"Because the murderer left his signature at the crime scene."

"What's the signature?"

Only murderers who are extremely confident in their methods would do such a thing. In the world before Jiang Jingming's transmigration, there was a representative figure called Jack the Ripper.

Just as Jiang Jingming's thoughts were drifting away, he heard Chen Zhuo's reply.

"The wife of the young master of the Crossing Moon Sect..."

"???"

Chapter 2 Crossing the Moon

"But where did I get a wife?!"

"If even you, young master, don't know, then we certainly don't know either."

Shen Zhuo rubbed his furrowed brows.

After a while, he squinted and looked at Jiang Jingming warily.

"Young Master, have you been secretly running off somewhere to fool around lately? The dancers of Shulan City can fetch hundreds of taels of gold in Zhongzhou. Could it be that someone had a one-night stand with you and then claimed to be my mistress?"

"Uncle Shen, your imagination is really too rich. You should be the one to write 'The Ruthless Swordsman and the Unfeeling Sword'."

Jiang Jingming remained expressionless.

"Could it be that the intelligence we brought back before was also embellished by ourselves?"

"Cough cough."

Shen Zhuo turned his face away, avoiding the topic.

"When I was reporting to the leader just now, I applied several times to let me investigate this family massacre case, but he kept saying that there was no rush... I wonder what his plans are."

"Maybe, like you, you're wondering if I'm the one who had romantic entanglements with other women."

Jiang Jingming sighed, took two steps into the hall, but couldn't help turning back.

"Uncle Chen, did you see Aqing on your way back?"

"No."

Shen Zhuo thought for a moment, then shook his head in denial.

"Although the bandits are elusive and have multiple burrows, they are still no match for Miss Aqing. However, it is normal for it to take a little longer, so young master need not worry too much."

"understood."

Jiang Jingming lowered his head, took down a candlestick, and walked down the steps to the ground.

......

The tomb was shrouded in darkness, filled only with the smell of dust and ash, and the burning candle wicks crackled softly.

Jiang Jingming navigated the maze-like tomb by turning left and right, finally arriving at a closed stone door.

Although the tomb has a complex terrain, it is spacious enough to accommodate everyone in the Duyue Cult. However, apart from the cult leader, who has an unusual way of thinking, no one is willing to live inside.

Jiang Jingming placed his hand on the stone wall and pressed down on a protruding bluestone brick.

"Boom!"

The stone gate opened with a sound.

Jiang Jingming walked into the brightly lit inner room, waved his hand to disperse the strong smell of alcohol, and looked up to see the cult leader on the main seat, snoring loudly and sleeping soundly.

It's hard to imagine that this is the same person as the god of death in my dream this morning.

Jiang Jingming weighed the candlestick in his hand, then turned sideways to gather his strength and hurled it at the person seated with the force of throwing a spear.

The person who had been sleeping suddenly sat up with lightning speed and sat upright.

The flying candlestick just missed him and shattered with a bang.

Good morning, son.

Jiang Wuwang casually ruffled his wild, lion-mane-like hair, revealing a hearty smile like a reliable old father.

This once-powerful villain no longer looks young; only his eyes remain bright.

Jiang Jingming took a few steps closer, leaned against a long table, and stood with his arms crossed.

"Uncle Chen just went out, and you've fallen asleep again so quickly?"

"To be honest, I didn't quite understand what he was saying just now. I drank a bit too much last night... Ha! Ha!"

Jiang Wuwang forced a couple of dry laughs to cover up his embarrassment.

“Listening Waterfall Manor, Righteous Alliance, and the young master's wife of the Crossing Moon Sect.”

Jiang Jingming repeated himself succinctly, his face expressionless.

"Ho!"

Jiang Wuwang rubbed his hands together excitedly, his eyes shining.

"That's truly double happiness!"

"?"

A question mark appeared on Jiang Jingming's face.

"Those bastards from Listening Waterfall Manor are all dead, and you've gained a wonderful wife! Isn't this a double blessing?!"

"..."

Jiang Jingming looked around, wishing he could find something more lethal than a candlestick to smash onto his beaming face.

Jiang Wuwang raised his hands in surrender, smiling obsequiously.

"Just kidding! Why do you always look so preoccupied, a handsome young man like you?"

Jiang Jingming habitually ignored his banter and frowned as he pondered.

"This massacre must have been framed against us, but why would someone do it? And who could possibly have wiped out Tingpu Manor so quietly? How will the Righteous Alliance handle this case?"

"what."

Jiang Wuwang chuckled and shook his head.

"In the end, the truth is not important; what matters is what people are willing to believe."

"I know."

Jiang Jingming lowered his eyes, concealing his complex thoughts.

The war ten years ago ended with the withdrawal of the Duyue Sect from Zhongzhou. In people's imagination, the Duyue Sect members must be hiding somewhere practicing demonic arts, forging swords and sharpening knives, ready to fight their way back to Zhongzhou at any time.

Now that this case has come to light, regardless of who the murderer is or what their motives are, the Duyue Sect is destined to take the blame until the truth comes out.

After all, the murderer must be an enemy of the righteous alliance, not a friend, and must have the strength to wipe out the entire Listening Waterfall Manor, and also arrogantly left his identity at the scene.

Jiang Jingming thought that if he were a member of the Righteous Alliance, he would also feel that this was a provocation by the Crossing Moon Sect announcing its imminent return.

"The other day you asked Aqing to investigate the bandits, wasn't it because you felt something was unusual?"

Jiang Wuwang leaned back on the stone chair, propping his forehead up with one hand.

"Ah."

Jiang Jingming nodded.

The place where the Duyue Sect hid was called Mangya by the locals in Yongzhou, and it was the place where the souls of the guilty died.

If a living person mistakenly enters, they will be cursed, lost in the sandstorm, thinking they are moving forward when in fact they are just standing still, and eventually become a dried-up corpse walking in the sandstorm.

Life and death are uncertain, and thoughts are cut off at the precipice; this is the meaning of "uncertain cliff".

Neither herders nor caravans had any reason to come to Mangya, so the bandit gangs that made a living by burning, killing, and looting were even less likely to be interested.

But since a few days ago, groups of bandits have been entering Mangya, coming prepared, as if they were looking for something.

Jiang Jingming had a vague feeling that something was wrong. Although the bandits were not a big deal, the person who asked them to do this business must have impure motives.

At that time, Shen Zhuo, who was in charge of intelligence reconnaissance, was in Zhongzhou, so A Qing volunteered to go out and investigate in his place. He was gone for more than half a month and has not returned yet.

"The person behind the scenes is most likely trying to tell us in this way that he knows we are here."

Jiang Wuwang's smile had a sly, mischievous quality to it, as if he was enjoying watching a good show.

"It's interesting that all these unusual things have come together."

Jiang Jingming didn't find it interesting.

All these events point to the Duyue Cult, and the murderer's motives are now crystal clear.

That would intensify the conflict between the Righteous Alliance and the Moon Crossing Cult, causing a repeat of the war ten years ago.

Ten years ago, the corpses on the battlefield were just strangers to Jiang Jingming, but now it's different; everyone is alive and well to him.

Jiang Jingming couldn't accept that the person who had been smiling and calling him "Young Master" that morning had turned into a cold, lifeless corpse in the blink of an eye. Therefore, he had to find out the truth of everything.

After a long while, he suddenly looked up at Jiang Wuwang.

"I haven't asked you, Dad, why you saved me back then?"

Chapter Three: Wu Jiu

Jiang Wuwang seemed not to have expected Jiang Jingming to ask this question at this time.

Through the flickering candlelight, the two gazed at each other silently, as if they had been pulled back to that battlefield.

Jiang Wuwang gazed at the clear-eyed boy below the steps, and the image of the child standing amidst the pile of corpses gradually surfaced in his mind's eye.

At that time, I was carrying a long sword and slowly walking towards him.

Even the most seasoned assassin would tremble uncontrollably when faced with such a menacing blade.

But the child didn't flinch or turn to run away; he just looked at him quietly, his eyes clear as water.

Jiang Wuwang stopped, slowly extending the long sword in his hand, pointing it directly at his heart.

The child suddenly raised his hand and grasped the blade.

Blood seeped from his palm, making the crimson blade appear even more sinister.

Jiang Wuwang stared into his eyes, and for a moment the world fell silent.

......

Ten years have passed, and neither of them has forgotten this encounter.

Jiang Wuwang sighed deeply, feeling utterly helpless.

"Actually, when you were eight years old, you fell off a horse and hit your head. I was really looking forward to you getting some kind of amnesia and forgetting all those messed-up things from the past."

Jiang Jingming was startled and then furious.

"No wonder you suddenly agreed to let me ride your big red horse! It had just kicked a fat mule to death with one hoof!"

"So what if you're eight years old! You dare to take my knife, are you afraid of a horse's hooves?"

Jiang Wuwang slammed his fist on the table and refuted him with righteous indignation.

Jiang Jingming still remembers the fear of being dominated by that horse. It perfectly inherited its master's madman temperament, and no one could predict when it would go crazy.

Unfortunately, that accident of falling off his horse didn't make him forget anything.

Jiang Jingming, who transmigrated from another era, possessed the memories and understanding of an adult from birth, so the past events remained vivid in his mind.

Although he was the son of the sect leader, he had hardly ever seen his parents since birth, and apart from a few servants who took care of his daily needs, he did not receive any of the care that a young sect leader should have.