So it turns out I'm the demon!

Jiang Mu followed Shui Miaozheng to the Demon Slayer Division.

Inside the hall, a familiar figure had been waiting for some time.

It was Xun Xiaozhang.

Upon seeing the two enter, she stood up, cupped her hands in greeting, and greeted them with a smile: "Miaozheng, Lord Jiang."

After informing Lin Anchang of the urgent report of Yuancheng's fall, this woman stayed in Fazhou City, clearly waiting for Jiang Mu. However, her patience in waiting so long before finally visiting was commendable.

"Is there something you need, Lord Xun?"

Shui Miaozheng's tone was cold and distant.

Ever since witnessing the other's actions towards Jiang Mu in Yancheng, she found it difficult to feel any closeness to this former friend. Some friendships are broken and that's it; forcing them back together would only leave an unsightly crack.

Xun Xiaojin didn't seem to care about Shui Miaozheng's attitude, and her smile remained unchanged:

"I came here specifically to see Lord Jiang. I've been busy with things in the city these past few days and haven't had a chance to offer my congratulations."

"I heard the imperial court has officially issued the appointment document, and Lord Jiang is now the deputy commander of Fazhou City. Congratulations!" Jiang Mu ignored her flattery, sat down in his chair, and said calmly, "Lord Xun still intends for me to go find Yan Zixiao?"

"That's right."

Xun Xiaomo nodded and asked directly, "I just wonder if Lord Jiang has any free time right now?"

Jiang Mu gestured for Shui Miaozheng to bring over tea, then looked at her and asked:

"Lord Xun, I'm actually quite puzzled. Your Imperial Guards are so determined to find Yan Zixiao, simply because they want to use the magical artifact in his possession to find the whereabouts of your Commander Yang's sister, Yang Feifei."

But haven't you ever thought about this? So much time has passed, and there's still no news of Yang Feifei. Could she already be dead?

Xun Xiao smiled slightly:

"But her star position has never returned to the sea of ​​stars. Since the star position hasn't moved, it means that Fei Fei might still be alive, right?" "Yes... if the star position is still there, then she must be alive."

Jiang Mu sneered inwardly.

He took the tea that Shui Miaozheng brought him, took two sips, and then slowly spoke:

"These past two days have been dedicated to post-disaster reconstruction in Fazhou City, and I have some pressing official business to hand over. Please wait two more days, and I'll give you an answer in two days." He didn't completely refuse.

After all, he would take that woman's star position sooner or later.

When the right opportunity arises, it will naturally not be missed.

"Alright, then I'll wait for Lord Jiang's news." Xun Xiaomo didn't press the matter further. Shui Miaozheng smiled, turned, and walked out of the hall. Shui Miaozheng watched her departing figure, a hint of worry appearing in her phoenix eyes.

She walked to Jiang Mu's side and whispered:

"Little Jiang, although you are currently riding high and even the imperial court is trying to win you over, no one dares to touch you openly."

But Yang Qintian is, after all, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, and he has always had a grudge against you. This woman insisted on dragging you out, so…”

"Don't worry, Aunt Shui, I know what I'm doing."

Jiang Mu stood up with a smile, gently patted the beautiful woman's smooth and rounded shoulder, and gave her a reassuring look. "Who will eat whom is still uncertain."

After leaving the Demon Slayer Division, Jiang Mu returned to her residence.

The first thing to do was to sort through the pile of resources bestowed upon him by the imperial court.

Apart from the armor he had modified into "Armor Hero," the rest were almost all pills, talismans, spirit stones, and some other fancy gadgets of various grades.

These things might be treasures that ordinary cultivators would fight tooth and nail to get their hands on.

But for someone like Jiang Mu who relies on "magic slots" to level up, most of them are useless and pointless.

He planned to give all of these things to Chu Lingzhu.

Rather than letting these resources gather dust here, it's better to let that girl use them to make her strange and wonderful poisons and murmur to her heart's content.

Speaking of which, Jiang Mu had previously been thinking about whether to allocate a portion of these rewards to subsidize the Demon Slaying Division of Yunzhou City.

Consider it a welcoming gift to win people's hearts as a new official taking office.

As soon as the suggestion was made, it was rejected by Shui Miaozheng.

In the words of this domineering female boss: "Why should my man's things be confiscated?"

Not only that, Shui Miaozheng even took advantage of her position to secretly withhold some top-quality medicinal herbs and materials from the Tanzhou City warehouse and secretly gave them to Jiang Mu under the pretext of "losses".

The main point is to blatantly embezzle public funds.

Since Fazhou City is currently in dire need of reconstruction, she can confidently ask the capital headquarters for supplies while feigning poverty.

But the men in my own family must be the best.

At this moment, various resources had been piled up into a small mountain inside the courtyard.

Chu Lingzhu and Lan Rou'er were squatting in front of the hill, like two happy little magpies, chirping and chattering as they helped sort and classify the food.

Meanwhile, from the side courtyard, the sounds of swords clashing and delicate shouts could be heard from time to time.

Yuan Aqing and Duanmu Li were engaged in their daily sparring practice.

"Master, look."

Chu Lingzhu held up a pill that emitted a pungent odor and proudly showed it off.

"This is a new type of poison pill that I recently developed. I call it 'Seven-Step Deadly Yama Powder.' It has a paralyzing and corrosive effect on fifth and sixth-tier demons."

While it won't kill them outright, it can certainly inflict serious injuries.

"Oh? That's amazing?" Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow.

"Of course."

The young woman, hands on her slender hips, continued to plan her grand scheme.

"And coincidentally, there's a batch of Thunderfire Talismans here. I plan to combine these poison pills with the Thunderfire Talismans and bury hundreds or even thousands of them in this courtyard. If any bad guys dare to launch a sneak attack in the future, I'll just detonate them, hehehe..."

Hundreds or thousands?

Jiang Mu felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this:

"Dr. Chu, take it easy. Don't let the enemy get blown up and send A-Qing and the others to their deaths first."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Chu Lingzhu patted her chest and said confidently,

"I still have a good grasp of poisons. And recently I've discovered that in addition to my talent in toxicology, I also have a good understanding of the formations of Qimen Dunjia."

I plan to combine those ancient texts to set up several interconnected killing formations in this courtyard, along with my unique poisons...

"Tsk tsk, we'll be invincible then, okay?"

Seeing the girl's beaming face, Jiang Mu felt that she seemed to be getting a little carried away.

But on second thought, this girl does indeed have the right to be arrogant.

"Fine, you're invincible."

Jiang Mu shook his head, then reached out to Lan Rou'er, who was squatting obediently beside him, "Give me a date to soothe my throat."

Lan Rou'er blushed and secretly glanced at Chu Lingzhu.

Then, somewhat awkwardly, she reached into her skirt and pulled out two jujubes, radiating vitality, placing them in the man's palm.

Jiang Mu popped the candied date into her mouth, then turned to Chu Lingzhu and said:

"If you're really interested in formations, I'll go find Aunt Shui and have her pick out a few top-notch formation diagrams for you from the Demon Slayer Bureau's treasury. You can figure them out on your own."

But like I said, take it easy and don't make any big noise at home.

"Okay."

Chu Lingzhu readily agreed and couldn't wait to grab a pile of top-quality medicinal herbs and dash back to her private "poison laboratory" in the side courtyard to continue her crazy research.

The courtyard fell silent.

Only Jiang Mu and Lan Rou'er, who was still tidying up, remained.

The girl's movements were exceptionally meticulous. She sorted the different pills according to their grade and placed them one by one into different small porcelain bottles, then neatly wrote the names of the medicines on the bottles with a pen.

This quiet and refined demeanor is as captivating as a painting.

Jiang Mu squatted down, his gaze falling on the other's moist and radiant cheeks. He couldn't help but pinch her soft cheeks and teased, "Rou'er, why do I feel like your stamina has improved a lot recently?"

In our several encounters, you didn't faint, nor did you cry and beg for mercy like before. Tell me honestly, did you secretly take some medicine that girl Lingzhu prepared for you?

Upon hearing the man's question, Lan Rou'er's already rosy face turned even redder, the blush extending all the way to her delicate earlobes.

She lowered her head and murmured softly:

"No...no..."

Jiang Mu chuckled and pulled the girl into his arms.

Lan Rou'er was petite and light to begin with. When he hugged her, she was like a flower petal being swept up by the wind, with very little weight.

He lowered his head, inhaling the natural, fresh scent of herbs in the girl's hair, and said softly with a smile:

"Silly girl, if you really feel you can't handle it, don't force yourself. Your constitution is special; what if you overdose on those random medications or cause health problems?"

"..."

The girl obediently nodded her little head.

Looking at the girl's delicate appearance, Jiang Mu couldn't help but have wicked thoughts again.

Just as they were about to take another step, out of the corner of his eye he suddenly caught a glimpse of a small head with a high ponytail peeking out from behind the door of the side courtyard.

Duanmu Li's large, dark, and aloof eyes were staring at the two of them without blinking.

He didn't say anything, just stared straight at me.

Like a little black cat secretly observing.

Jiang Mu's face flushed, and he immediately felt embarrassed.

He quickly pulled his hand out of Lan Rou'er's clothes, his face darkening as he sternly reprimanded, "What are you looking at? Instead of cultivating properly in the courtyard, you're peeping at your elders from behind the wall! What kind of behavior is this!"

Duanmu Li pursed her delicate pink lips and said irritably:

"You think I want to see this? I'm here to tell you... Ah Qing seems to be about to break through again."

üの」

Jiang Mu was stunned, a huge question mark popping into her head.

Another breakthrough?

This girl is too fast! Even a rocket wouldn't be this amazing!

Duanmu Li said:

"We were just practicing our moves in the yard when she suddenly said she felt a surge of energy within her body that was about to break through her meridians, and that she was about to achieve a breakthrough."

She was sitting on the ground, not moving at all, that's why I ran over to call you.

Jiang Mu felt a chill and quickly pushed the girl in his arms away, heading towards the side courtyard.

really.

Upon entering the courtyard, one could see Yuan Aqing sitting cross-legged on the ground with her eyes closed, completely in a meditative state.

The surrounding spiritual energy was converging on her, swirling around her as wisps of white mist.

Even more astonishingly, the divine sword [Other Shore] that she carried with her was currently hovering above her head, constantly circling around her. Jiang Mu's brows furrowed, her expression grave:

"That's strange. In the past, when Ah Qing broke through a realm, she would just sleep and wake up the next day and inexplicably break through. She's never had to go through a regular meditation session like this before. Why is there such a big commotion this time?"

Duanmu Li shook her head:

"I don't know, it just happened suddenly."

Jiang Mu observed for a moment and saw that the girl's expression was calm and her aura, though surging, was not disordered, so he was slightly relieved.

He moved a bamboo chair over, sat down not far from Yuan Aqing, and said in a low voice:

"Don't touch her yet. When you're in a meditative state, it's crucial to avoid external disturbances. Forcibly waking her up can damage her meridians. Just watch from the side."

Duanmu Li responded and moved a small stool to sit next to Jiang Mu.

Time passed by, second by second.

The sun gradually set in the west, and night fell.

In the middle of the night, Duanmu Li moved her stool half an inch closer to Jiang Mu. Her back was still straight, but her little head drooped down little by little.

Jiang Mu glanced at her, then reached out and gently pressed her head against his shoulder.

The girl's breathing gradually became long and even.

As dawn approached the next day, the strange phenomena surrounding Yuan Aqing finally changed.

"Zheng"

First, the hanging sword emitted a tremor.

Immediately afterwards, countless fine, silvery-white sword energies roared out from the pores of the girl's body.

The sword energy crisscrossed in the air, resembling white waves.

Countless points of light flickered amidst the surging waves, each point of light a sharp edge of sword energy.

Jiang Mu quickly flicked his sleeve, releasing a layer of protective energy barrier to shield Duanmu Li and Chu Lingzhu and the others who rushed over upon hearing the commotion, preventing them from being accidentally injured by the indiscriminate storm of sword energy.

"Is it really necessary to make such a huge fuss over just breaking through to the fourth realm?"

Jiang Mu mentally complained.

But what shocked him even more was that as the sword energy gradually subsided, Yuan Aqing's physical body was also undergoing a transformation.

Previously, this girl had been well taken care of by Jiang Mu's family for more than a year, and had gradually grown from a thin and weak orphan girl in the countryside into a pretty, fair-skinned, and graceful young woman.

And this moment.

After this baptism, it felt as if I had undergone a complete transformation.

She grew taller, and her once somewhat immature figure became even more slender and well-proportioned.

In particular, the front of the shirt was more bulging and upright than before.

She is in no way inferior to Chu Lingzhu.

If things continue like this, it's not impossible for him to surpass Ling Xigua in the future.

In particular, the aura she exuded became ethereal and otherworldly, like a sword being sharpened.

A flash of cold light, and its sharp edge was just beginning to emerge.

As the last wisp of sword energy entered her body, Yuan Aqing's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

A sharp glint of light flashed in her clear eyes, then she returned to her usual gentle and pure demeanor.

"master!"

Upon seeing Jiang Mu, the girl's exquisitely beautiful face blossomed into a bright and joyful smile. "I think I've made another breakthrough."

"You're more of a genius than your husband."

Jiang Mu stepped forward, smiling, and reached out to ruffle her hair.

The girl's hair was slightly disheveled by the sword energy, with a few stray strands sticking up near her ears, feeling fluffy to the touch.

"I thought it might take you a few months to break through, but it's happened so quickly. Good, good, keep going..."

However, Jiang Mu suddenly froze halfway through her sentence.

He grabbed the girl's slender wrist and examined it closely.

A moment later, he gasped, stared at Yuan Aqing with the look of someone staring at a monster, and blurted out:

"The Five Realms!"

This girl didn't go through the transition of the four realms at all, and directly jumped from the third realm to the fifth realm.

The other girls standing nearby were also stunned.

Duanmu Li's cherry lips were wide open, her face full of disbelief.

She looked down at the tomb knife in her hand, a complex expression appearing on her cold and beautiful face.

A dazed state of shock, envy, and self-doubt.

"I thought Jiang Mu was a genius."

Duanmu Li murmured, "So, Ah Qing, you're the real genius."

Yuan Aqing blushed with embarrassment.

She lowered her head and said in a soft, sweet voice:

"Ah Li, don't talk nonsense. I'm just lucky. I can't compare to the master. I'm far inferior to the master."

Jiang Mu stood in the wind, disheveled, her feelings a mix of emotions.

He even suspected that this girl might have been secretly possessed by some powerful being.

Or perhaps this girl actually has a cheat system hidden inside her body?

"Never mind, no matter what, your rapid breakthrough is a great thing."

Jiang Mu suppressed his shock. "At least in the future, I won't have to worry too much about your ability to protect yourself and the family if we encounter danger." He then thought of the star points he had accumulated and added:

"Perfect timing. Now that you've broken through to the fifth realm, I'll bestow upon you a legitimate Heavenly Star Position."

As they were talking, Jiang Mu suddenly exclaimed "Huh?" and looked at Yuan Aqing with surprise:

"Wait... something's not right! You've broken through two realms, so the [Earthly Hidden Star] star position within you should have automatically separated and returned to the Star Sea. Why does it seem like there's still the aura of that star position?"

Yuan Aqing answered honestly:

"This star position will indeed leave me when I break through. But I think, this star position is a gift from the master. How can I lose it?"

So... I mentally held it back, determined not to let it go. And then, it obediently stayed.

Did you manage to grab it?

This works?!

The star-position mechanism descended by the laws of Heaven—this girl actually cracked it just like that? Could it get any more outrageous?

Jiang Mu's lips twitched; for a moment, she didn't know how to describe her feelings.

In my mind, I silently labeled Ah Qing.

The favored daughter of Heaven, exempt from the laws of the plane, an officially certified bug.

"However, since this girl still has the Earthly Fiend Star position in her body, I wonder if she can continue to bind other Heavenly Dipper Star positions." "Never mind, let's try it first and see."

So Jiang Mu had Yuan Aqing sit down cross-legged again and placed the Star-Locking Egg in front of her.

Then he selected [Tianjie Star] from his own star position, released it back into the star sea, and asked Yuan Aqing to sense and verify it.

The main effect of Tianjie Star is to enhance the ability of flying swords.

He rarely uses it, so it's perfect for this girl.

Unlike last time, when it took her three full days to successfully prove her star status, this time Yuan Aqing succeeded in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Moreover, the Earthly Hidden Star that she had "held onto" still existed and was not ostracized.

The two stars each occupy one side, running parallel without conflict.

"Alright, alright, so Ah Qing, you're the true chosen one of this cultivation world, aren't you?"

Jiang Mu fell silent.

He had originally planned to take back the [Earth Concealment Star].

But after trying it, they found that it had been welded into Ah Qing's body, as if it had taken root, so they had to give up.

Anyway, he has plenty of star positions now, so he doesn't need one more.

At worst, we can wait until Ah Qing grows up and then get together again; maybe then we can get it back.

To celebrate Yuan Aqing's breakthrough, Jiang Mu personally went to the kitchen.

He, Chu Lingzhu, and Lan Rou'er spent half a day working in the kitchen, preparing a sumptuous feast that was both visually appealing and delicious. Everyone sat around the stone table, laughing and chatting happily.

Looking at the table full of food, Jiang Mu ate, but couldn't help thinking of a woman far away.

"What a pity, Chef Bai Xiang isn't here. If she could show off her skills here, the taste of this meal would be several levels higher," Jiang Mu thought with regret.

After a hearty meal and celebration, Jiang Mu sent Duanmu Li and Yuan Aqing back to their secluded courtyard to rest.

He continued playing mahjong.

Of course, it could also be described as the Three Heroes battling Lü Bu.

The morning sun was warm.

Shui Miaotian returned to the Demon Slayer Division to handle official business just before dawn.

After getting up, Jiang Mu first went to the west wing to carefully examine Yuan Aqing's physical condition.

Only after confirming that the girl's star position was stable and there were no signs of instability in her foundation did they feel relieved.

After washing up, he prepared to go find Xun Xiaozhang to set a departure time.

This time, Jiang Mu plans to bring Yuan Aqing along with her.

According to the information provided by Xun Xiaomo, Yan Zixiao's last known location was in the Yancheng area.

Jiang Mu remembered that there happened to be a remnant of a fortuitous encounter there.

That place is guarded by the wolf demon Mu Zilang, who says it's an opportunity left behind by a sword cultivator before his reincarnation thirteen years ago.

Since this girl's cultivation has progressed so rapidly, let's take her to try our luck.

Anyway, it's on the way.

Of course, the core purpose of this trip is still to kill Xun Xiaomo and seize the star position.

The two are not in conflict.

In the courtyard across the street, the door to the main house slowly opened.

After being confined indoors for many days and forced to listen to countless free erotic performances, Bai Xiang finally finished her healing process.

The woman at this moment had disguised herself as she had looked in Huzhou City.

She has ordinary facial features, but her figure and temperament exude a gentle and graceful air.

She planned to take advantage of the fine weather today to go out and wander around Yunzhou City, hoping to follow the clues and sense the exact location of the great demon Jiang Chaoxi's inheritance cave.

Of course, we should also find a quiet courtyard while we're at it.

I just can't stand the donkey on the other side anymore.

Taking a deep breath of the cool morning air, Bai Xiang walked lightly toward the courtyard gate.

"Squeak"

The two large doors facing each other were opened almost at the same time.

Just as Jiang Mu stepped one foot out of the threshold, Bai Xiang also leaned half her body out of the door.

Hearing the sound of the door opening from across the street, the two instinctively looked up.

Then, their eyes met.

Both sides were stunned.

They stood on their own doorsteps, staring blankly at each other.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

The soft morning light slanted down from between the towering eaves on both sides, creating a clear chasm of light and shadow between the two people. Like a shallow river, it separated two islands that were each other's opposite shore.

Sometimes, fate in this world is just that wonderful and illogical.

You thought you were forever separated from someone you'd never see again, but then, on an ordinary morning, you bump into them right outside your own door. It's as if fate has suddenly twisted two diverging paths together.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

After staring at each other for more than ten seconds, the two of them turned around and stepped back into the yard at the same time, as if they were on the same wavelength.

With a bang, the door slammed shut.

"It's rising rapidly, absolutely rapidly!"

Jiang Mu leaned against the door and rubbed her face vigorously. "I told you you couldn't take on three opponents at once last night. Look, I'm even hallucinating."

opposite.

Bai Xiang also leaned against the courtyard gate, her chest heaving.

One hand pressed against her pounding heart, while the other pinched her thigh hard.

The pain instantly spread throughout my body.

Is this not a dream?

Bai Xiang's eyes widened, her mind a complete mess.

What the hell is this bastard doing here?

After a while, the two doors were opened a crack again.

Four pairs of eyes peered out from behind the crack in the door, and then met each other once again.

An awkward silence spread through the alley, and even the wind deliberately avoided the area, taking a detour.

The two stared at each other for a while before finally opening the door.

"Cough... Good morning."

Jiang Mu broke the silence first.

Bai Xiang gently tugged at a strand of hair that had fallen to her temple, her clear, cool eyes darting around.

He looked at the sky, he looked at the ground, but he wouldn't look at Jiang Mu's face.

Of course.

She doesn't speak because she is mute.

"The weather is nice today."

Jiang Mu smiled and then slowly added, "But the weather here in Yancheng is always pretty good."

Yancheng?

Bai Xiang was taken aback.

Immediately, the woman's almond-shaped eyes narrowed.

That bastard is deliberately making sarcastic remarks to mock her.

She initially said her hometown was Yancheng, and hinted at returning there when she left.

As a result, they just stared at each other blankly.

Bai Xiang gritted her teeth.

How can this man be so petty?

Didn't you swear back then that you wouldn't leave Huzhou City? Now you've come to Fazhou yourself, and you still have the nerve to talk about me? The alley fell into a long silence again.

A morning breeze blew in from the alley entrance, causing the hems of their clothes to flutter.

Have you had breakfast yet?

Jiang Mu suddenly asked.

Bai Xiang nodded slightly, indicating that she had already eaten.

"I haven't had breakfast yet, so you can treat me." With that, the man turned and walked towards the bustling main street outside the alley.

Bai Xiang stood frozen on the doorstep.

Before her mind could process it, her feet had already involuntarily stepped forward, following behind the man.

The alleyways in the early morning still had dew left from the previous night.

The two walked silently, one in front of the other.

Jiang Mu's footsteps left shallow footprints on the road.

Bai Xiang's gaze fell on the footprints.

As if possessed, she deliberately lifted her foot and stepped on the spot where the man had just stepped, like a naive child.

One step, two steps, three steps...

It was as if by simply following in his footsteps, one could continue walking peacefully, without having to worry about the heavy burdens of national and personal grudges, or the turmoil of this chaotic world.

As he walked, the man deliberately slowed his pace.

The woman had unknowingly caught up with him.

The two walked side by side.

Just as the two were about to walk out of the alley, Jiang Mu reached out and took the woman's cool, soft hand.

Then they intertwined their fingers.

Bai Xiang's body trembled, but she did not pull her hand away.

She turned her head, her gaze passing over the man's shoulder, and fixed on his profile.

In that instant, countless memories of the old Jiang family mansion in Huzhou City seemed to surge forth like a tide.

A night spent huddled together for warmth on the rooftop.

A ring forced onto my finger amidst the city's fireworks.

That innocent kiss in the dawn light...

These fragmented yet warm memories overlap with the scenes before my eyes, like scattered jigsaw puzzle pieces, piecing together the bond between the two into a picture called "destiny".

Bai Xiang raised her head and looked up at the sky.

The morning sun had already risen above the eaves, and the light was somewhat dazzling.

But it's not annoying.

Because it feels warm on your face, warm on your shoulders, and even warm in your palms...

The woman couldn't suppress the slight upturn of her lips.

The weather is really nice today.