I am becoming the ultimate demon.

"Father, it's now almost certain that this matter is related to the supernatural. This so-called Blood Lotus Holy Mother's messenger is very likely a demon slayer..."

Ji Lin told Ji Chang'an and the county magistrate about the findings of his investigation, holding the Blood Lotus Token in his hand and showing it to them.

"I never expected it to be the work of an aberrant individual, and it's very likely they've already infiltrated Xiong'an County!" Ji Chang'an said gravely.

"This is no small matter. We must strengthen the city's defenses and strictly check the refugees entering and leaving the city." The magistrate was greatly shocked.

The infiltration of cults cannot be solved by force or by a few awakened individuals; we must nip it in the bud, and prevention is better than cure.

Without delay, the county magistrate immediately returned to mobilize troops and manpower, encouraged public participation, mutual supervision, and mutual reporting, and prioritized the investigation of cult members in all county-wide work.

In short, Xiong'an County is the foundation upon which they have built their success, and the foundation of this city cannot be shaken.

The so-called foundation is none other than the people in Xiong'an County.

From then on, people entering and leaving the city were checked to see if they were carrying suspicious items or if they had lotus blood patterns on their bodies. People in Xiong'an County were also subject to questioning.

Ji Lin and the night patrol also joined the search mission.

Within just one day, Blood Lotus Tokens were found on the three individuals, and all of them had lotus blood patterns on their arms, making them veritable members of a cult.

One of them was quite clever; even after being caught red-handed, he tried to argue, "Why are you arresting me? So what if I'm a member of the Holy Church?"

The soldiers on the scene were stunned by these words. Yes, what crime had they committed by joining the Blood Lotus Sect? The magistrate hadn't had time to say.

"Boss, what should we do? We can't let them go. The superiors ordered us to arrest any suspicious individuals." One of the soldiers whispered.

The county magistrate was at a loss for words. He only knew that he was ordered to arrest people, and he didn't really understand these legal provisions. He had even gotten this position through connections.

"You are innocent!!" Ji Lin, who had been observing from the side, suddenly spoke up.

"See? I told you I'm innocent. Let me go now." The man looked smug.

"Young Master Ji, are you really going to let him go?" The county magistrate looked very embarrassed.

"No. You are innocent. You are only suspected of participating in treason. There are some things that require your cooperation in the investigation. If you dare to resist, then you are truly guilty!" Ji Lin said loudly.

He couldn't say it was because of an unusual event, since the imperial court hadn't yet issued a clear statement about what constituted an unusual event, and therefore there was no way to explain whether someone was causing trouble.

Participating in a cult's rebellion is a capital offense. Even if it's not this crime, but just suspicion of murder, robbery, theft, or peeping at the old lady next door taking a bath, he can still be arrested and interrogated.

The man immediately fell silent, but somehow managed to pull out a red pill from his person, his face filled with panic.

Ji Lin stepped forward, snatched the red pill, and handed it to the county magistrate. "This is the poison they used to commit suicide. Keep this too!"

"take away!!"

"Fortunately, Young Master Ji is here," the county magistrate said with relief.

"It's a small matter. There's no need to waste words with them in the future. Someone will talk to him about it when we take him back," Ji Lin said.

......

Because this matter involves a great deal of work, including mobilization, allocation of resources, and personnel screening, the Ji family had to convene another family meeting to conduct an internal investigation to ensure that no one in their family had been infiltrated by the Blood Lotus Cult.

"Recently, the Blood Lotus Cult has become extremely rampant and has even extended its reach into Xiong'an County. The situation is serious, and I hope everyone will take it seriously. I suggest we start by checking our own homes. Everyone must be checked, no matter who they are, even myself. If any cult members are found, they will be killed without exception." Ji Chang'an sat upright, his tone solemn.

Most of the tribespeople present agreed, and no one dared to object.

However, the lineage of the Third Uncle, represented by Ji Yongchang and Ji Changming, seized this opportunity to launch an attack, attempting to make a big fuss about the matter.

"The matter of the Blood Lotus Sect is a major event for the family and also a major event concerning all the people of Xiong'an County. Of course, it needs to be carefully investigated. But shouldn't we address the root cause first?" Ji Changming looked at Ji Lin.

Upon hearing his explanation of the source, the tribespeople were quite surprised, exchanging bewildered glances.

"Brother Changming, what do you mean by the source?" Ji Chang'an asked.

"I heard that someone saw Ji Lin recently obtain something from that old Taoist priest, which is why he turned into that inhuman and ghostly state. Could it be that the evil spirit came specifically to find our famous young master Ji from the Ji family?" Ji Changming said.

“That’s right. I suggest that Ji Lin hand over that ‘ominous object’ and have it kept by the clan elders,” Ji Yongchang added.

"Foolish!" Ji Lin couldn't help but curse.

They've already got a knife to their throats, and they're still thinking about infighting. Can't the villains in this world use their brains?

But how did they find out about the bone flute? It seems that no one else knew except Yun Cui and herself.

Yun Cui could never be a traitor!

Ji Lin's heart tightened, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Lin'er, don't talk nonsense," Ji Chang'an stopped him.

"These baseless claims about evil spirits are all unfounded; who can say for sure whether they're true or false?"

"But I have evidence here of someone secretly withholding relief funds and having overly close ties with the Li family. There's a traitor in our own ranks!"

"Should I open them one by one, check the accounts with you, and see who's in those letters?"

Ji Chang'an shouted loudly and slammed the account book and some letters onto the table.

Snapped!

The loud noise startled Uncle San and his entourage, causing their eyes to widen and their hands, which were holding teacups, to tremble.

Ji Changming turned his gaze to Ji Yongchang and saw that his father was also so shocked that cold sweat was pouring down his forehead. He could only lower his head slightly and dare not make a sound.

The original intention of this meeting was to expose the cult members. Ji Chang'an did not want to go too far, but only wanted to give Third Uncle's people a warning not to go too far.

The Ji family mansion hall suddenly fell into a deathly silence. The air seemed to freeze, and many people held their breath. No one dared to speak, and everyone was waiting for the family head, who was sitting in the center, to speak.

"Ahem, but we're in a bind right now, so let's put these minor issues aside for now and settle accounts with you later! Let's get back to our previous topic..."

Ji Chang'an made corresponding arrangements for the tasks assigned to each member of the clan.

Ji Yongchang sat to the side, his face ashen, constantly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, not listening to a single word.

Ji Changming was even more furious and embarrassed. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, so he simply left in a huff.

This incident at the meeting completely ignited the internal conflicts within the family. In the end, Ji Chang'an temporarily subdued the other side with his authority as the head of the family, but the rift could no longer be healed.

Ji Lin, however, realized that he needed to quickly acquire enough power to intimidate those within the organization.

He remembered the secret contact information left by the treasure trove steward Luo, and decided to try to find that circle and collect some necessary items or information, which might help him out of his current predicament.

So he followed the instructions on the note, copied down a string of strange symbols, and handed it to the shopkeeper of the antique shop in the market.

"Young Master Ji, please wait patiently for two days. We will have news soon," the shopkeeper said with a smile and a cupped hand.