So it turns out I'm the demon!

Looking at the girl's shy and timid, submissive appearance, Jiang Mu's fists inexplicably started to itch again.

It's so weird.

They're so cute, why do I just want to punch them?

He suppressed the urge, shook his head, and while stuffing a date into his mouth, steered the conversation back on track:

"Let's get down to business. When I killed that fish demon, I also interrogated it about why it slaughtered your entire family back then."

It said that back then they were just hired workers, doing things for money.

The mysterious person sent them to your house to find a magical treasure called the "Seven-Aperture Ginseng Fruit."

"Lingbao?"

Lan Rou'er blinked her misty eyes, looking completely bewildered.

"It seems you really didn't know. But then again, you were still young then. How could your parents casually reveal such rare treasures to you?" Jiang Mu spat the jujube pit into her hand, tossed it into the winnowing basket beside her, and continued,

"Since the fish demon was only acting on someone else's behalf, it means that the real mastermind behind the murder of your family has not yet been found."

But don't worry, I'll continue the investigation once I have a lead.

Lan Rou'er stood there blankly, her mind a complete mess.

She always thought that her family was just unlucky back then, and that they had encountered a group of greedy and bloodthirsty passing monsters who had robbed them.

Unexpectedly, this massacre involved a peerless spiritual treasure that no one had ever heard of before.

But her aunt never mentioned it to her before she passed away.

She probably didn't know the inside story either.

Lan Rou'er suppressed the bitterness in her heart and said softly:

"Brother Jiang, you've already done so much for Rou'er. Whether or not the mastermind is found in the future, it doesn't matter. Rou'er... Rou'er is already very content."

Jiang Mu licked her honey-dipped fingertips and said:

"It's alright. Finding this thing is purely a matter of fate. As long as I have a clue, I will definitely help you investigate."

As the two were chatting, the shadows of bamboo outside the courtyard flickered.

A graceful figure in emerald green skipped and hopped in.

It's Chu Lingzhu who's back.

The girl was carrying a small medicine box and humming a little tune.

Her skirt swirled lightly through the woods, and a faint blush rose on her fair cheeks from walking, radiating youthful energy.

Every time Jiang Mu saw this girl, his mood would unconsciously brighten up.

"Oh, boss, you're here!"

Chu Lingzhu smiled and jogged over to him, looking him up and down. "You look like you've lost a lot of weight."

The hardships someone endured day and night in the carriage are naturally not something that can be told to outsiders.

Jiang Mu ignored her comment and went straight to the point:

"I've come to see you today to inform you of something. In the next few days, please organize all the medicinal herbs and account books in the clinic. Sell off the herbs that need to be sold off, as we are preparing to move."

Chu Lingzhu and Bai Xiang are different.

Chu Lingzhu is an employee invested in by Jiang Mu with real money.

Therefore, in this matter, Jiang Mu, as the owner, naturally issued the notice directly without needing to discuss it.

move place?

The two women looked confused and astonished.

"Why are you moving all of a sudden?"

Chu Lingzhu put down the medicine box, her large eyes filled with confusion.

"Our clinic in Huzhou City is doing very well, business is booming, and we've gotten to know all the neighbors."

"He was transferred to France by his superiors."

Jiang Mu said succinctly, "Anyway, hurry up and pack your things. I still have a ton of mess to clean up here. We'll leave in about two weeks at most." Chu Lingzhu blinked, then suddenly remembered something: "What about Bai Xiang? Is she coming with us too?"

Jiang Mu said in a calm tone:

"She suddenly found a connection with relatives back in her hometown, Yancheng, and went back to handle some personal matters. She probably won't be coming back." Chu Lingzhu paused for a moment, then chuckled.

"I thought she was going to Yunzhou with you. Fine, wherever you go, we'll follow. Anyway, you're in charge of the money, so we won't starve. Rou'er's coming too, right?"

As she spoke, Chu Lingzhu turned her head and gently nudged Lan Rou'er, who was still in a daze, with her elbow.

Lan Rou'er snapped out of her daze, nodded vigorously, her watery eyes full of seriousness: "Yes, yes, we'll go together. Wherever Brother Jiang goes, Rou'er will go."

Jiang Mu nodded in satisfaction and made the arrangements:

"I'll go to town later to say hello to your father. I remember he used to have some business acquaintances in Fazhou City, and he's also been to Yunzhou to buy medicinal herbs, so he's quite familiar with the ways of the world there."

After the shop here is sold, I'll have him take the money over there and settle into a new shop.

As for safety on the road, there's no need to worry. I'll arrange for my men, like Zhang Datang, to escort you all the way.

Of course, if you two want to settle down there first, you can go with your father beforehand.

Jiang Mu had already made up her mind.

On this trip to Fazhou City, he took Zhang Dashao and his three loyal old subordinates with him.

They were the team I had personally trained; leaving them in Huzhou City would only lead to their being buried.

"No, no, no, we'll go with you."

Chu Lingzhu quickly waved her hand.

She didn't want to leave so soon. Traveling with her employer, she was sure there would be fun things to do along the way.

"Fine, whatever you want."

Jiang Mu stood up, preparing to leave.

He had just reached the courtyard gate when he suddenly stopped and turned to look at Chu Lingzhu: "By the way, how's your cooking?"

I remember this girl is good at making pancakes, but I don't know much about cooking.

Chu Lingzhu was taken aback by the question, and casually replied, "It's alright."

Jiang Mu thought for a moment, then stroked his chin and said:

"It'll do. Now that Bai Xiang is gone, there's no one to cook at home. Why don't you two move in with me for the next few days and help with the cooking?"

"No!"

Upon hearing that she was to cook and do hard labor, Chu Lingzhu immediately bristled, crossing her arms in front of her chest and making a big X shape with her hands.

"I still need to treat patients and earn money at the clinic, I'm not your housekeeper or maid."

Jiang Mu turned to look at the quiet Lan Rou'er beside him: "Rou'er, can you cook?"

"I know how to cook some home-style dishes."

Lan Rou'er answered softly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Jiang Mu made the final decision: "Then come on over. Consider it payment for helping you get revenge."

"Okay, Brother Jiang."

Lan Rou'er nodded obediently without hesitation.

Being able to do some small things for her benefactor made her feel much more at ease.

Seeing that her best friend had agreed, Chu Lingzhu helplessly pouted and conceded:

"Fine, fine, I'll go with you. It'll be sad if you leave alone. It's just feeding the pigs, right?" Jiang Mu glared at her.

Chu Lingzhu chuckled and jumped back half a step: "I wasn't talking about you, boss. I was talking about the pig, the pig!"

After leaving the bamboo hut, Jiang Mu went to the pharmacy to discuss moving with Chu Dahai in person.

Upon hearing that Jiang Mu was moving, Chu Dahai didn't say anything, but patted his chest and promised to take care of it.

Jiang Mu also entrusted him with managing her jewelry shop.

After finishing these trivial matters, it was nearly noon.

Jiang Mu headed straight for the Divine Sword Sect.

Next, we'll investigate Prince Sheng's case.

Although the exact location of Prince Sheng's rebirth is unknown, he was ultimately assassinated in the Sword Tomb of the Divine Sword Sect.

Such a grand production couldn't possibly have left no clues.

Go there to check, you can't go wrong.

Arriving at the Divine Sword Sect, one finds it rather deserted compared to its former prosperity.

Since He Qingyang's death, the Divine Sword Sect has declined considerably.

Fortunately, He Qingyang's daughter, He Shan'er, was quick to seize the opportunity and took the initiative to donate the sect's accumulated resources to the headquarters.

Only by cultivating some connections with officials could they barely save the mountain gate.

In addition, her eldest son, He Shuanghe, caught the eye of Princess Xiang Xiuxiu, giving her another layer of protection.

They wouldn't have fallen to such a miserable state as the Heavenly Blade Sect.

Jiang Mu used his Shadow Teleportation ability and stealthily infiltrated the Sword Tomb in a few leaps.

The Sword Tomb was in a state of ruin.

The blood pool that was once used to forge swords has completely dried up, leaving only a faint smell of blood.

On the cave wall, a few broken sword fragments hung scattered about.

Jiang Mu remembered that after the prince was assassinated, a demonic creature used for sacrificial purposes broke out of the blood pool.

This indicates that there is a demon's lair below.

"Let's go down and take a look."

He immediately jumped into the pool, then squatted down, placed his palms on the ground, closed his eyes, and carefully sensed the surface.

Divine senses permeated downwards like mercury spilling onto the ground.

"There is still room."

After confirming the location, Jiang Mu threw the teleportation shadow down.

The next moment, his real body and the demonic shadow instantly switched positions and disappeared from the spot.

Then they appeared in an empty underground nest.

Jiang Mu looked around and saw that the nest was extremely large, about half the size of a football field.

But it was completely empty inside.

The walls and dome are all made of natural rock strata, pitted and uneven, with scratches from the claws of monsters everywhere.

A putrid stench filled the air.

Apart from the piles of white bones of monsters in the corner, there was no sign of any living creature.

Clearly, after the incident, the Divine Sword Sect had already cleaned up all the demons they had been keeping here.

Jiang Mu carefully explored every corner of the nest.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.

Notice that faint dark red lines are drawn on the ground and the uneven rock walls around it.

These lines meander and intertwine, crisscrossing and overlapping.

If not observed carefully, it could easily be mistaken for dried demon blood.

Following the direction of these red lines, Jiang Mu bypassed several piles of animal bones and finally arrived at a junction deep inside the nest.

At the center of the intersecting lines, there is a black stone slab about half a foot square, with a pattern engraved on it.

"What is this?"

Jiang Mu squatted down and focused intently on identifying it.

A look of surprise flashed in his eyes when he saw the pattern carved on the stone slab.

The image clearly depicts a nine-tailed fox!

wrong!

It must be the kind of monster that he had seen before.

The ends of the nine tails were not ordinary fluffy balls, but nine twisted little faces, like nine screaming babies.

Jiang Mu stared at the pattern on the stone slab, her brows furrowing:

"Could this be a treasure of the Crab Clan, or some kind of totem symbol? Why would it be in a place like this?"

He reached out and touched the cold stone slab, but did not sense any special spiritual energy fluctuations or residual demonic energy on it.

He then tentatively infused a wisp of demonic energy.

The stone slab remained motionless and unresponsive.

"Never mind, let's put it away for now. We'll show it to Yue'er next time we see her. The Qingqiu clan and this crab nephew are mortal enemies, so they must know the origin of this totem."

Jiang Mu drew his sword, pried off the stone slab, and casually tossed it into his companion space.

After exploring the demon's lair and confirming that there were no other valuable clues, Jiang Mu used teleportation to leave the forbidden area for sword forging.

They evaded several perfunctory patrol guards and sneaked into the backyard.

As soon as Jiang Mu stepped into the backyard, she felt a chill in the air.

There were even a few wisps of demonic energy floating around.

Jiang Mu's gaze sharpened, her eyes becoming piercing.

It's not surprising that demonic energy lingers in the Divine Sword Sect, but it's rather strange that this demonic energy would appear in a place where people live in daily life.

Jiang Mu concealed his aura and began to search each room one by one.

When they arrived at a side room on the east side, the demonic energy was noticeably stronger.

Clearly, the source of the demonic energy was emanating from this room.

Jiang Mu probed the room with his divine sense and, after confirming that no one was inside, used teleportation to pass through the wall and enter again.

The doors and windows inside were tightly closed, and the room was dimly lit.

As soon as I entered the room, a decadent atmosphere hit me.

Jiang Mu was all too familiar with this taste.

He walked slowly toward the bed.

The bed was in a mess, with several hairpins scattered haphazardly on the pillow.

Jiang Mu clicked her tongue in amazement.

But it's not surprising.

He is clearly a very dissolute person by nature.

As Jiang Mu was observing, his divine sense suddenly detected a faint, weak breathing sound.

"There's someone inside!"

His expression hardened, and he turned around abruptly.

His gaze was fixed on the wooden cabinet opposite the bed; the aura was emanating from there.

Jiang Mu waved from a distance.

The cabinet door opened.

However, the scene before him shocked him greatly.

A man was trapped inside the wardrobe.

The man was completely naked, his limbs wrapped in clumps of viscous black liquid, like a moth caught in a spider web.

His mouth was also sealed with black liquid.

Jing is He Shan'er's second husband, Cao Renqi.

Upon seeing Jiang Mu suddenly appear before him, Cao Renqi, whose eyes had been unfocused, suddenly felt a surge of wild joy and a desperate will to survive. He twisted his body frantically, making "woo-woo" sounds in his throat.

Jiang Mu came to her senses.

He hesitated for a moment, then drew his Blood Mad Blade and slashed down at the black liquid.

The sensation of a blade piercing flesh came through.

The black liquid broke off immediately.

Before Cao Renqi could break free, countless fine black threads rapidly grew from the severed area, binding it back together.

They were even more tightly bound than before.

"Um?"

Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow slightly, flipped his hand to take out the bronze Buddha lamp, and tilted the lamp opening.

A few drops of dark golden lamp oil fell onto the black liquid.

"Sizzle sizzle"

In an instant, the black liquid clinging to the man's body dissolved rapidly, turning into a pile of grayish-white ash.

"Thump!"

Freed from his restraints, Cao Renqi leaned forward and fell to the ground.

"You two are really something else, aren't you?"

Jiang Mu said jokingly.

Cao Renqi breathed in the fresh air deeply, like a drowning person finally surfacing.

He lay on the ground for a while, recovering before angrily saying:

"Lord Jiang...that woman has found a new lover and is deliberately tormenting me!"

"Oh? A lover?"

Jiang Mu wasn't too surprised.

He Shan'er, that woman, changes men more often than she changes clothes.

Cao Renqi's face was filled with fear and resentment, his lips trembling as he bit them until they bled.

I, Cao Renqi, have lived a life of integrity and uprightness, yet I have never imagined that I would be so humiliated by this vile woman!

Jiang Mu glanced at the deliberately carved notch on the cabinet door, and her expression became quite strange.

He Shan'er's disgusting nature truly exceeded his expectations.

However, upon hearing Cao Renqi refer to his lover as a monster, Jiang Mu's heart skipped a beat, and she stared intently at him, asking:

Fear flashed in Cao Renqi's eyes, and he clenched his fists, saying hatefully:

"If that wretched woman had found a man like you, Lord Jiang, I would have accepted it. But the thing she found... is dark and ugly, like a child, a monster that appeared out of nowhere."

"Child?"

Jiang Mu was stunned.

He recalled the clues he had previously received about the Seven Deadly Sins.

Then I remembered the old monster "Skyhawk" from Skyhawk Fortress who had practiced a flawed evil technique and was eventually transformed into a child.

"Could it be...?"

Jiang Mu's pupils suddenly contracted, and he murmured, "This Prince Sheng was reborn here?"