So it turns out I'm the demon!

"Lord Jiang, you can't just say things like that."

The alluring woman raised her hand to cover her red lips and chuckled sweetly, "Where is there even a trace of bewitching aura about me? Don't believe me? Come closer and smell me!"

Jiang Mu snorted coldly and said disdainfully:

"With such a seductive appearance, she's obviously a lewd monster."

The woman remained unperturbed by the scolding, her smile radiant as she pulled the terrified girl in the purple dress behind her, shielding her protectively.

"Lord Jiang, although this girl is not related to the royal family, her status is still very noble. Today's matter arose from a small misunderstanding. How about we each take a step back?"

Before the woman could finish speaking, Jiang Mu suddenly vanished from the spot.

"not good!"

The woman's expression changed, and she opened her mouth and spat out a small talisman.

In the blink of an eye, Fu Ji transformed into a semi-transparent light shield, enveloping her and the girl in the purple dress behind her.

However, Jiang Mu did not appear in front of her as she had expected.

His target was that eunuch, Eunuch Chen!

"Whoosh!"

Jiang Mu appeared out of nowhere beside Chen Kuai.

Before Chen Gonggong could even see the other person's shadow clearly, he felt a chill in his chest.

A towering statue of the God of Fire, several tens of feet tall, rose majestically behind Jiang Mu.

A giant fist formed from crimson flames, carrying immense power, slammed into him. A cracking sound erupted as Chen Po was sent flying, his protective star power shattered, and he coughed up blood.

Before he even landed, Jiang Mu arrived like a shadow.

He stomped heavily on Eunuch Chen's chest with a kick in mid-air!

"Crack!"

Eunuch Chen's chest immediately caved in.

The heart and spine were crushed together, extinguishing all life!

At the same time, a shadowy figure silently emerged and appeared behind the woman.

The demonic figure, wielding the shadow blade, unleashed a leaping slash!

"when!"

The shadow blade struck the water barrier, creating a ripple.

"That brat has such a fiery temper."

The woman cursed under her breath and shook her wrist.

A string of gold bells on her wrist made a clear, crisp sound.

Jiang Mu felt a wave of dizziness, and the scene before her eyes blurred as if ink had been poured into water.

When he looked up again, he was astonished to find himself standing in the old Jiang family mansion in Huzhou City.

The sun is shining brightly right now.

The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, where Bai Xiang, wearing an apron, was busy at the stove.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Yuan Aqing was practicing her swordsmanship.

A vague and inexplicable sense of disorientation welled up in Jiang Mu's heart.

At that moment, he truly had a strong illusion that he had always been in this peaceful and cozy old house.

The sound of cypress stir-frying vegetables, the sound of Ah Qing practicing swordsmanship, the rustling of leaves in the wind...

All these sounds overlapped, dragging him deeper into his memories.

However, Jiang Mu had practiced the "Cold Moon Ice Heart Technique," making his spiritual platform more stable than that of ordinary people. Moreover, he was currently carrying the Heavenly Origin Chess Piece, which gave him a certain degree of resistance to illusions.

Therefore, he always harbored a strong sense of unease.

However, the woman's bewitching techniques were quite sophisticated.

With each ring of the bell, the illusory images pierced deeper into his mind, and the sense of incongruity was gradually eroded. Seeing that he was about to completely fall into the illusion, Jiang Mu bit his tongue tightly, relying on the last bit of clarity remaining in his mind, and forcibly plunged his consciousness into Madam Peach Blossom's icy and snowy dojo.

Upon entering the dojo, he headed straight for the main gate.

Then, he began to gulp down the stream water.

The moment the [Stream Water], imbued with the extremely cold and clear energy, entered my stomach, a chilling sensation shot straight to my head.

"Cool!"

Jiang Mu shuddered.

The confusion and chaos in my mind quickly faded, and my mind instantly became crystal clear.

"Sure enough, this water is the most useful thing in a pinch."

Jiang Mu sighed inwardly.

As her consciousness left the dojo, Jiang Mu opened her eyes, and the illusion before her eyes shattered into pieces like a broken mirror.

The old house, the locust tree, the young cook in the kitchen, and A-Qing practicing swordsmanship outside the courtyard...

All the images shattered into countless pieces.

He returned to the courtyard of the Demon Slayer Division.

The woman was still shaking the string of bells in her hand, trying to maintain the illusion.

Jiang Mu's eyes turned cold, and he flipped his right wrist and pressed down!

【Qianjinshan】!

Boom!

A towering, golden mountain appeared above the woman's head, crashing down with an overwhelming force capable of suppressing everything.

"What?!"

The woman's pretty face changed drastically, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.

She never imagined that Jiang Mu could break free from her illusion in such a short time.

In her haste, she flung the girl in the purple dress behind her, reached for her waist, and unleashed a butterfly-shaped scimitar.

The butterfly-winged blade spun above her head, transforming into a silver-white ribbon stretching several meters across, cleaving the majestic golden mountain in two. But this brief obstruction gave Jiang Mu an opportunity.

The next moment, Jiang Mu had already closed in.

The star power and blood energy were compressed and condensed into a blood-red longsword, which was then slashed down at the woman's slender waist!

Before the blood-red blade could fall, it had already cut a slit in the fabric of her clothes at her abdomen, revealing her fair skin.

The woman swung her wrist rapidly.

The butterfly blade, which had been knocked away, flew back like a bird returning to its nest, narrowly blocking its way in front of its abdomen.

"Clang!"

The blood-stained blade struck the butterfly blade.

To the woman's astonishment, Jiang Mu, after absorbing the recoil from the collision, vanished into a cloud of black mist. "A shadow?!"

not good!

The woman felt a chill run down her spine, and a cold sensation rose from her back.

Before she could turn around, she grabbed the girl in the purple dress behind her and tried her best to dodge to the side.

Chi!

A cold, sharp blade of light suddenly appeared from the void, like a deadly silver streak.

"ah!!!"

The girl in the purple dress let out a piercing scream.

Her right arm was severed cleanly by the blade's energy, and blood gushed out like a fountain!

At the same time, Jiang Mu's true form appeared beside the woman, raised his long leg, and delivered a powerful kick to her abdomen. "Pfft!"

The woman spat out a mouthful of blood, and her body flew backward like a kite with a broken string.

In the instant she was sent flying backward, the woman flicked her head, and a strand of long, black hair emerged, wrapping around the girl's slender waist in mid-air and pulling her back into her arms.

Immediately afterwards, she crushed a teleportation talisman in her hand.

His figure blurred in mid-air and then disappeared from the spot.

When they reappeared, the two were already standing on a rooftop ten zhang away.

The girl in the purple dress clutched her severed arm, which was bleeding profusely. Her face was ashen, and she let out a pig-like wail.

The woman reached out and knocked her unconscious, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and stared coldly at Jiang Mu below:

"Lord Jiang, leave a way out for others. Are you really going to rebel against the court by being so ruthless today?"

Jiang Mu sneered: "Don't make baseless accusations. I only took action because I suspected you of impersonating royalty."

He pushed off with his foot, about to give chase, when he saw the woman suddenly raise her hand and throw a silver bell in the direction of Yuan Aqing.

The bell rang loudly in mid-air, and then its silver shell exploded, revealing a giant python as thick as a water bucket.

The giant python opened its blood-red maw, revealing its venomous fangs, and lunged at Yuan Aqing.

"court death!"

Jiang Mu appeared in front of Yuan Aqing, grabbed the girl's slender waist, and pulled her aside to dodge.

At the same time, he swung the blood-stained blade upwards.

The sharp blade energy cleaved the giant python in two from head to tail, turning it into a scattered mass of spiritual energy that dissipated.

When Jiang Mu looked up at the roof again, the woman and the girl in the purple dress had vanished.

Only a few lingering notes of silver bells remained, tinkling in the wind for a moment before fading away completely.

"You run pretty fast."

Just as Jiang Mu was about to use his divine sense to track the other party's aura, the demon slayers around him suddenly went berserk, brandishing their swords and rushing towards him!

These demon slayers had bloodshot eyes and blank expressions.

He was clearly bewitched by the woman's lingering illusion of bell sounds.

Jiang Mu frowned, but with a thought, dozens of tiny, willow-leaf-shaped blade energies bloomed around her.

The blade's energy grazed the arms of the demon slayers who were holding their swords.

The pain caused the red light in the eyes of these demon slayers to fade, and they clutched their arms, looking around blankly as if waking from a dream.

"Jiang Mu!"

At this moment, Tian Wenjing rushed over.

Looking at his late-arriving former boss, Jiang Mu had a strange expression and said with a half-smile, "Old Tian, ​​your timing for this appearance is really precise."

The commotion was so loud that it could be heard halfway down the street.

With Tian Wenjing's level of perception and speed, how could he have taken so long to arrive?

This old man is probably just watching the show on purpose.

Tian Wenjing said irritably:

"Don't try to provoke me, kid. It's not that I didn't want to come, but someone stopped me from intervening."

"Who?"

Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow.

"I."

A slightly lazy and magnetic voice sounded behind Jiang Mu.

Jiang Mu suddenly turned around, her expression one of astonishment.

Beside the damaged artificial hill, a man was standing.

The other person was dressed in a light blue brocade robe, the hem of which fluttered in the wind, and his handsome appearance was so striking that it was difficult to tell whether he was male or female.

He was holding a gourd of wine in his hand and looking at Jiang Mu with a smile.

It was none other than Quan Shanhai, the Commander-in-Chief of the Daqing Inner Guard!

Jiang Mu suppressed his surprise and said calmly, "I didn't expect to see Lord Quan here."

Tian Wenjing waved his hand, signaling the other demon slayers present to disperse.

He walked over to Jiang Mu and explained in a low voice:

"Those people you chased away earlier were from the Imperial Observatory in the capital. That little girl in the purple dress with the broken hand has a very powerful background."

She is the direct disciple of the current Grand Astronomical Observatory Director, and is said to have been born with "exquisite star-gazing eyes," which make her extremely sensitive to the positions of the stars and the fortunes of heaven and earth.

He was being groomed by the Imperial Observatory as their successor to the next Director.

"Future supervisor?"

Jiang Mu suddenly realized.

No wonder that girl is so arrogant.

After all, the current emperor relies heavily on the people in the Imperial Observatory.

Jiang Mu chuckled inwardly:

"If that kind of fool who bullies others were to actually become the future supervisor, the fate of Daqing would probably be sealed," Quan Shanhai said with a smile as he walked up to Jiang Mu.

"Their trip to Yancheng was originally for the opportunity to inherit the legacy of Jiang Chaoxi, who was about to be born in Fazhou City. They were just delayed on the way, so they stopped here to take care of some personal matters."

"You escorted them?"

Jiang Mu was somewhat puzzled.

How could the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard be sent to be a bodyguard for a mere young girl from the Imperial Observatory?

Quan Shanhai laughed out loud at his words, his peach blossom eyes filled with undisguised contempt:

"They are not worthy of my personal escort. I originally planned to go to Yunzhou City to find you, but I stopped by here on the way and chatted with Elder Tian about his brother. I didn't expect to run into you by chance."

"What do you want from me?"

Jiang Mu looked wary.

Every time this guy contacts me, it's never anything good.

Quan Shanhai did not answer, but instead shook the wine gourd in his hand:

"A new tavern has opened on East Street in Yancheng. I've heard their wine is exceptionally flavorful. How about it? Interested in joining me for a couple of drinks?" "No interest."

Jiang Mu refused without hesitation.

"It's on me," Quan Shanhai said.

Jiang Mu chuckled and said, "Sorry, I lack everything, but I'm not short of money."

Quan Shanhai continued, "The proprietress of that tavern is a newly widowed woman. I heard she's beautiful and still has a lot of charm..." Jiang Muyi retorted righteously:

"Sorry, I'm not interested in pretty women at all!"

After an incense stick has burned.

Inside a small tavern called "Zuifenglou" on East Street in Yancheng.

A faint aroma of wine wafted through the shop.

Quan Shanhai sat at a table by the window, broke the clay seal on a jar of new wine, brought it to the mouth of the jar, inhaled the aroma, and exclaimed in admiration:

"This is truly fine wine. It's a pity that this wine shop has a strange rule: each person is only allowed to buy one small jar per day, and they are not allowed to take it away. Otherwise, I would have bought at least ten or eight jars to take on the road, which would have been perfect for satisfying my craving."

Jiang Mu, sitting opposite him, seemed oblivious to the fine wine on the table.

His gaze swept over the proprietress behind the counter not far away.

To be fair, Quan Shanhai really wasn't lying.

The proprietress is indeed quite attractive.

The woman appeared to be around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, wearing a plain-colored coarse cloth ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her figure graceful and voluptuous. Her slender waist, lifted by the edge of the counter, formed an alluring curve.

"How is it? Pretty, right?"

Quan Shanhai, holding a wine bowl, smiled teasingly.

Jiang Mu withdrew her gaze, picked up the wine bowl in front of her, took a sip, and said irritably, "Who said they were treating? But when it came time to pay, I ended up paying the bill!"

Quan Shanhai laughed heartily, showing no embarrassment, and began to gossip on his own:

"The last time Yancheng was besieged by the demon army, it happened to be the proprietress's wedding day. As a result, on the way to pick up the bride, the groom heard that the demon army was coming and was so frightened that he abandoned his bride and fled in panic."

Ironically, he didn't run far before he ran into a small group of demons and died at their hands.

This woman was quite headstrong; she went to her husband's family and made a scene, getting a large sum of compensation. She used that money to rent a shop here and opened a tavern.

Jiang Mu listened listlessly, but secretly grumbled in his heart.

Why are you talking to me with all this useless nonsense?

Lao Tzu didn't have any particular fetish for widows.

If we're really talking about the charm of widows, Aunt Shui Miaozheng from Fazhou City is truly the pinnacle of elegance.

Judging from her looks, demeanor, and the dignified yet alluring charm ingrained in her very being, she was clearly a widow. The tavern owner, though somewhat attractive, paled in comparison to Aunt Shui.

Quan Shanhai deliberately brought him here, telling him stories of widows and praising the proprietress's beauty, all in an attempt to use his cheap charm to seduce him. This man was a cunning schemer, completely at odds with his handsome appearance.

Jiang Mu put down his wine bowl and said directly:

"Lord Quan, we've known each other for a long time. If you have something important to say, please get straight to the point. There's no need to test me with these roundabout methods."

Quan Shanhai put away his joking expression and said:

"Last time I sent you to kill Prince Sheng, you did a very good job, I'm very satisfied."

Jiang Mu felt a chill run down her spine, but remained outwardly calm.

Quan Shanhai tapped his long, slender fingers lightly on the table and continued:

"However, you only know one side of the story about Prince Sheng. He is extremely cunning and has been secretly plotting in the past to achieve his great ambitions."

Over the years, he has recruited countless assassins and extended his reach into every corner of the imperial court.

Even in heavily guarded areas like the Inner Guard and the Demon Slayer Division, he had secretly planted loyal spies.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mu felt a lump in his throat, and he had to get it out.

These violent institutions of the Daqing court are riddled with holes, aren't they?

The Red Umbrella Cult can plant traitors, and those who rise to the rank of Prince can also plant pawns. In a few days, will even Grandpa Zhang, who sells meat buns on the street, be an undercover agent for some secret organization?

If a major investigation were to be conducted someday, it's likely that they'd all be internal traitors.

We can't even find a single good person who gets things done.

"besides……"

Quan Shanhai picked up the wine jar and poured Jiang Mu a bowl of wine, saying in a solemn tone,

"Even within the deep palace and among the million-strong army guarding the border, there are his hidden agents. It can be said that this is a vast dark network capable of shaking the very foundation of the Great Qing Dynasty."

Fortunately, once Prince Sheng died, this group of people were like headless flies, having lost their leader.

Without a leader, they wouldn't dare to act rashly, and the net would become a useless trap, posing no threat whatsoever.

At this point, Quan Shanhai's eyes suddenly sharpened as he stared at Jiang Mu, emphasizing each word:

"But what if one day this Prince Sheng, who is clearly dead, suddenly comes back to life... that would be a huge problem." Hearing this blunt implication, Jiang Mu simply stated her opinion clearly:

"Does Lord Quan also believe that Prince Sheng is not dead?"

Quan Shanhai looked at Jiang Mu meaningfully: "It seems you already knew all along."

Jiang Mu shrugged and said frankly:

"I did have some doubts at the time, but I wasn't entirely sure. After all, I personally severed his body."

If he truly has some life-saving trick up his sleeve that could bring him back to life, the only possibility is to be reborn through He Shan'er's womb.

However, He Shan'er is currently hiding in Princess Xiang Xiuxiu's Lonely Cloud Manor, under heavy protection. As an outsider, I cannot force my way in and investigate.

"If Your Excellency is willing to personally take charge, the investigation should be much easier with the power of the Imperial Guard."

Quan Shanhai picked up his wine glass but didn't reply. He simply swirled the wine in the glass, and his overly handsome face, illuminated by the light from the window, possessed a strangely alluring quality.

It's clearly a man's body, yet it somehow gives off a somewhat beautiful vibe.

Seeing this, Jiang Mu couldn't help but feel confused again.

Is this guy even a man?

"I knew I hadn't misjudged you, Jiang Mu."

Quan Shanhai put down his wine glass, crossed his hands on the table, leaned forward slightly, and looked directly at Jiang Mu with his peach blossom eyes.

"Interested in joining the Inner Guard? It's not about pledging allegiance to the court, but simply working for me. I guarantee the resources and power you'll receive will be a hundred times greater than being a deputy commander in the Demon Slayer Division."

Jiang Mu shook her head decisively, without the slightest hesitation:

"No interest. I'm used to being carefree and can't stand the dark and oppressive rules of the inner guards. I much prefer to bask in the sun outside and slay demons."

Quan Shanhai wasn't angry that he refused so readily.

He leaned back in his chair and said calmly:

"Actually, you know what? From the moment I entrusted you with the task of finding Prince Sheng, I knew very well in my heart... that you simply couldn't kill him."

üの」

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mu frowned deeply.

"So you forced me to kill him within twenty days? Were you making a fool of me, or were you deliberately sending me to my death?"

Quan Shanhai shook his head:

"It's simple, because I need you to help me buy time."

Each time he was reborn through a second womb using the Seven Deadly Sins technique he practiced, a crack would appear on his original foundation.

If you hadn't killed him that time, his demonic cultivation would have advanced rapidly, quickly reaching a higher realm. At that point, the price to pay for dealing with him would have been far too high.

And now, you've ruined him once, forcing him to pay a huge price to be reborn through surrogacy.

This is tantamount to forcibly interrupting his growth process, making it very difficult for him to recover to his peak cultivation level. This buys me valuable time for my next plan.

Jiang Mu felt a chill run down her spine.

These power-hungry bastards are all incredibly ruthless.

He asked, puzzled:

"I don't understand. If you're so afraid of him, why don't you take action yourself?"

With your extraordinary cultivation, why not just storm the Divine Sword Sect or Lonely Cloud Manor and kill him and his vessel together, ending it all? Why go through all this trouble?

A glint flashed in Quan Shanhai's eyes:

"Because His Majesty dreams of Prince Sheng's death; it's a deep-seated worry for him. But... I need Prince Sheng to live. If he dies so easily, all the grand scheme I've laid out will be meaningless."

Jiang Mu was completely confused: "What kind of riddle are you talking about?"

Quan Shanhai stared intently at Jiang Mu:

"Jiang Mu, I plan to make you the new Prince Sheng of Daqing. From now on, you are Prince Sheng!"

Jiang Mu blinked, seriously doubting whether she was hallucinating:

"What did you say? You want me to become a prince?"

Quan Shanhai stopped speaking in riddles, his gaze deep and unfathomable, and said directly:

"I want to thoroughly uncover all the hidden agents and assassins behind Prince Sheng. Relying solely on external investigations is too slow, so I need you to impersonate him and infiltrate the lion's den."

As he spoke, he casually picked up the wine pot and poured a small cup of wine for Yuan Aqing, who had been obediently standing in the background.

The girl was startled, her clear, beautiful eyes looking timidly at Jiang Mu.

Seeing Jiang Mu nod slightly, Yuan Aqing carefully picked up the wine glass, brought it to her lips, and took a small sip.

Next second,

The girl's delicate face scrunched up, her pink tongue sticking out incessantly, her eyes watering from the spiciness of the liquor, yet she struggled to maintain her composure.

Jiang Mu chuckled softly at A Qing's teasing, then turned to look at Quan Shanhai:

"You haven't had too much to drink, have you? Why are you talking nonsense? How am I supposed to impersonate Prince Sheng?"

Konzan Kaido:

"I had already obtained his physical body and used his corpse to do some things. Later, I gave you twenty days to kill the new body of Prince Sheng who had been reborn."

Firstly, it was to buy time and prevent him from mastering his evil and demonic arts. Secondly, during this time, I had already mastered a secret technique that could disguise his aura and destiny.

As for the second point...

Quan Shanhai paused, then looked at Jiang Mu with a smile.

"It's so that you'll kill him with your own hands, thus becoming tainted by the karmic force connected to his destiny."

Only by bearing the karma from his death, and using my secret technique, can you achieve a flawless impersonation, undetectable even to his closest assassins. That's why I insist you kill him.

cause and effect?

Jiang Mu's brows furrowed suddenly, and her eyes turned cold: "So, you've been setting a trap for me from the very beginning?"

"It can't be called design."

Quan Shanhai raised his wine bowl and gave him a perfunctory toast.

"It can only be described as a stroke of good fortune for you, or a win-win cooperation, and incidentally... a test of your abilities."

Prince Sheng has been operating in the shadows for many years, and he has a lot of resources and valuable assets behind him.

If you were to take his place, wouldn't all those resources, magical treasures, and even the exquisite furnaces be yours for the taking?

Such a windfall, even if you just grab a handful, is worth more than ten years of hard work.

"No need."

Jiang Mu sneered and refused.

"I have a bad temper and I hate it when people plot against me behind my back."

I don't care about cause and effect. Right now, I'll find a way to kill the reborn Prince Sheng. After all, he and I are mortal enemies.

But to impersonate him and become your spy? Hmph, Lord Quan, you'd better find someone more capable.

This guy is more cunning than a hornet's nest. If you work for him, you might get sold out one day and still end up counting the money for him.

Jiang Mucai wasn't going to get involved in this mess.

Quan Shanhai gazed intently at Jiang Mu:

"Jiang Mu, actually I've been observing you in secret for a long time. I wouldn't say I completely understand you, but there's at least one thing I see very clearly. You have absolutely no reverence or faith in the Daqing court or the emperor on the dragon throne."

"If the time is ever right, you will surely rebel."

Hearing such treasonous words from the current commander of the Imperial Guard, Jiang Mu's expression turned strange.

He sized up Quan Shanhai, his gaze suspicious:

"Why do I get the feeling that you're the one who wants to rebel?"

"Perhaps."

Quan Shanhai was known for his outrageous remarks; a smile curved his lips.

"At least in some ways, we're kindred spirits. So, I believe you'll agree to my proposal sooner or later. Go back and think it over carefully, and I'll come back to you when the time is right."

After saying that, Quan Shanhai stood up, straightened his brocade robes, and left the tavern leisurely like a gentle breeze.