That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

"Gu worms, such sinister creatures, should indeed not appear in the Central Plains, especially not in the hands of righteous people."

Lu Zhao frowned and sheathed his sword.

"No wonder the other four sects of the Righteous Path Alliance keep their distance from Tingpu Manor and are unwilling to have much interaction with it. They must have seen through the Shun family's ambition and unscrupulous methods."

"Who would want to associate with someone like that? Who knows if he might secretly cast a curse on you when you're not looking!"

Miss Xie, who hated evil as if it were her enemy, gritted her teeth, only regretting that all of Shun's family members were dead, and that there was no one for her to kick a few more times to vent her anger.

"It's one thing to practice hidden weapons and puppetry normally, but now they've even started raising Gu poison like the Cenzhou tribe. If this continues, the entire Central Plains will be in chaos, and there will be no place for the righteous path of the martial world to stand!"

Jiang Jingming listened to Miss Xie's generous words without saying anything, but found them somewhat amusing.

Despite bearing the infamy of being a demonic sect for so long, the Duyue Sect has never engaged in poison or witchcraft.

Jiang Wuwang, the leader of the Crossing Moon Cult, wielded his broadsword with unparalleled skill and righteousness.

Although he usually acted carefree and irresponsible, Jiang Jingming had seen him when he was serious; he was absolutely a generous and tragic figure, untouched by any evil.

Each of the Seven Star Guardians has its own strengths.

He Quan used a curved sword shaped like a full moon, and most of the followers' swordsmanship came from his personal instruction.

Shen Zhuo practices assassination and stealth techniques, emphasizing killing with a single blow. A Qing usually trains with him.

This is somewhat similar to the stereotypical image of a demonic cult, but many people in the righteous path also learn this kind of swordsmanship, only their level is insufficient, and in the end they can only confront people head-on.

Master Han was a scholar, not a martial artist, but he taught profound principles that surpassed even those of sages.

Madam Song uses a soft sword, which she usually wears around her waist. It resembles both a sword and a whip, and a single lash can send someone flying.

Gu Tinghan, needless to say, with his long, curved sword, standing there exudes the aloofness of a chivalrous swordsman, completely unrelated to the Demonic Sect.

Grandpa Du was always cheerfully fiddling with his abacus, and for a long time Jiang Jingming thought he was just a fat old man who wasn't good at martial arts.

Until one day, he casually picked up an abacus bead, flicked it with his finger, and a bird in the sky fell down in response.

Grandpa Du scurried over and picked up the dead bird, secretly telling him that they should roast it and eat it separately, but not to tell anyone else, as this bird was the best.

Jiang Jingming then realized that Grandpa Du was also hiding his true abilities.

There is also a final protector codenamed "Yaoguang".

This person's identity is a top secret; only Jiang Wuwang in the entire sect knows who he is.

Yao Guang is the shadow of the Du Yue Sect, and can issue orders on behalf of the sect leader when necessary.

The price is signing a blood pact; if one betrays it, they will instantly explode and die.

Jiang Jingming couldn't imagine who would sign such an unequal treaty.

Perhaps it was because He Quan held two positions, after all, he seemed ready to sacrifice everything for the Duyue Sect at any time.

Perhaps Yao Guang was just an ordinary follower who would smile and greet Jiang Jingming with a "Good morning, young master" when they passed each other while herding cattle in the morning.

……

From this perspective, there are righteous people like Miss Xie who hate evil and are loyal, as well as people like those from Tingpu Manor who will stop at nothing.

Not all members of the Demonic Cult are bloodthirsty monsters; there are also a group of people who simply want a place to get a good night's sleep.

The demon is not the demon, the way is not the way; right and wrong reside in the hearts of men.

Jiang Jingming suddenly thought of this sentence and realized that it was indeed true.

He paused, then turned to look at Fang Zhiyi.

Is there any way to destroy this patch of Crimson Bone Flowers?

"Should we destroy it?"

Fang Zhiyi turned to the side, looking at him with a smile in her eyes:

"Each of the surviving Gu worms here is priceless. The Burning Heart Gu is just the most common type. There might even be Gu worms that can bring the dead back to life among them!"

Jiang Jingming knew that Fang Zhiyi's words were not a joke.

The Gu that the Shun family painstakingly transported back from Cenzhou must have involved a great deal of effort; there must be more than one type.

"Moreover, the Crimson Bone flower is an extremely precious and difficult-to-cultivate flower, and it rarely succeeds in sprouting even after being planted for ten months. The reason why this patch of flowers is blooming so well is probably because it has been well-nourished."

Fang Zhiyi's tone was relaxed, even somewhat cheerful.

While the others understood what she meant, they felt rather disheartened.

The blood of over a hundred people killed in the massacre seeped into the ground, which ironically caused the Crimson Bone Flower to bloom.

Jiang Jingming imagined the roots in the soil, like human blood vessels, greedily absorbing the living blood flowing into the ground.

He paused, his resolve growing stronger.

"That's precisely why we must destroy them."

"..."

Fang Zhiyi's smile paused slightly.

"Jingming, you truly lived up to my high expectations!"

Xie Yunqi nodded vigorously, tears welling in her eyes. She was terrified that he would be persuaded.

Fang Zhiyi sighed softly, seemingly with some regret.

"I'd also like to catch a love-kindling gu to play with."

"A Heart-Connecting Gu?"

Jiang Jingming subconsciously asked a question in return.

"The Heart-Binding Gu is a two-in-one creature, shaped like a butterfly, and is very beautiful."

Fang Zhiyi looked at him with a smile, her eyes sparkling.

"Give one to your lover and keep the other for yourself. The Heart-Connecting Gu will live in each other's hearts, and the two will be connected in spirit. If the host of one of them dies, the other will not live alone. It will break open the heart of its host and die with it."

At this point, she sighed softly, seemingly longing for it:

"I heard that such a scene is like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, and it is very beautiful."

"I really want to see it with my own eyes!!"

Xie Yunqi seemed to have suddenly lost her fear of Gu worms; the Tongxin Gu was more like the Gu she had read about in storybooks before.

It's not only beautiful, but also romantic.

Even Aqing seemed quite interested; a hint of unease suddenly appeared in her indifferent and cold expression.

"..."

Jiang Jingming remained silent for a while, then Lu Zhao suddenly nudged his lower back and sighed softly:

"Women are truly terrifying! No wonder everyone says they're femme fatales!"

"Why do you say that?"

"Brother, I bet you."

Lu Zhao looked serious.

"The three ladies here are all the type who would cast a love spell on their sweethearts."

Chapter 103 Before My Eyes and in My Heart

"Aqing won't."

Jiang Jingming shook his head, denying his statement without hesitation.

Fang Zhiyi is a very difficult person to understand. Although they have spent some time together, Jiang Jingming feels that he can't figure out what she is thinking at all.

Judging from appearances alone, she is clearly the kind of person who would use witchcraft.

But if everyone makes that guess, then she might surprise everyone again.

Xie Yunqi might use the curse out of fun or excessive curiosity.

The young lady is a naive girl; her reason for using the curse might be "to find out if you love me."

But she is also truly willing to live and die with you, even if the young lady's life is very precious.

Of the three of them, Jiang Jingming was certain that A Qing would not.

Because Aqing is the kind of silly girl who would be willing to die for him.

"Hey!"

Lu Zhao scratched his head, feeling a little uneasy under his confident tone.

But he still insisted on his opinion:

"Hey bro, maybe you just don't understand women? For most women, the thought of you not loving them anymore is harder to accept than your death."

"If you truly love someone, wouldn't you be willing to die so that the other person can live a good life?"

Jiang Jingming thought for a moment and then asked this question in return.

"That's true..."

Lu Zhao continued to grab his head, muttering:

“I used to think that way too, but after almost dying, I realized how terrifying it is to die alone. The road to the underworld is so long, it must be so lonely to walk alone… If my wife goes before me in the future, I will definitely accompany her on her journey.”

"However, if you were to die first, would you really be willing to let her go with you?"

Jiang Jingming looked at A Qing's slender back in front of him and said calmly.

Lu Zhao remained silent for a long time, deep in thought, while Jiang Jingming continued speaking to himself.

"Ever since you met her, she's just followed you around like a fool. She probably hasn't eaten anything good or seen many interesting things. She gets so happy when she sees a lantern that her eyes light up... even though no one else can tell she's happy."

"When I first met her, she was as thin as a newborn bird. Even encountering a slightly larger dog on the roadside was a life-or-death situation for her. But she dared to kill wolves with a knife, simply because someone told her that only by learning to use a knife could she protect herself."

"From then on, she silently followed you, day after day for ten years. She rarely spoke, and no one but you truly understood her; everyone thought she was like a fleeting shadow. Only you knew that she was just a sixteen-year-old girl. When she had her first period, she bled heavily and thought she was sick and about to die, so she secretly left you a suicide note..."

At this point, Jiang Jingming took a deep breath.

He had never told anyone these things before, and now it was as if a box of memories had been opened, and the past events were surfacing one after another from the bottom of his heart.

"How could you bear to let a girl like that die with you?"

Jiang Jingming lowered his head, and the falling rain brushed past him like silk threads.

"Of course you want her to live well, to see many beautiful sights... She has been your shadow for too long, and you want to see what she looks like, even if you are just a ghost wandering the world and unwilling to leave."

At this point, he realized he had said too much, and the people around him had been silent for too long, so he didn't know if they were still listening.

Jiang Jingming turned to look at Lu Zhao, only to see a tough man's face covered in tears.

"Jingming, you really touched me..."

Lu Zhao wiped away her tears fiercely and took a breath:

"I can't believe there's such a beautiful relationship in the world. Now I have the motivation to live. Do you think I'll ever have a relationship like this in my life? To be able to die to protect a woman like this is the most fucking manly thing in the world!"

Jiang Jingming listened to him sobbing and saying fierce words, and for a moment he wanted to laugh.

However, he didn't mean to be sentimental; what he said just now was his true thought.

Outsiders might think that Aqing's feelings for him were far greater than his feelings for Aqing, but only Jiang Jingming himself knew that wasn't the case.

But then again, who could bear to treat Ah Qing badly?

This girl only has eyes for you and in her heart.

……

"I've heard that some Gu gu have a mother Gu and a child Gu. When the mother Gu dies, the child Gu dies immediately, but the death of the child Gu does not affect the mother Gu."

At this moment, the girl is asking about something scary with a serious expression.

"Yes, there is, but the Heart-to-Heart Gu is different; it is a Gu that is absolutely fair."

Fang Zhiyi answered with a slight smile.

"Sister Fang, Sister Fang, is there any kind of curse that turns people into fools? Like, after you cast it, the person will obey you completely. If you tell them to go east, they won't dare to go west. If you tell them to act like a puppy, they'll bark!"

Xie Yunqi was also in high spirits, his bright peach blossom eyes sparkling.