Turns Out I'm the Real Monster?!

When Lord Chief Ran Qingshan rushed into the courtyard with several elites from the Demon-slaying Bureau, the scene before him left him stunned.

Corpses filled the courtyard, and the stench of blood hung heavy in the air.

That familiar figure was sitting alone beside a headless corpse, a long saber across his knees, his expression impassive.

Although Shi Lang had already reported the incident to him on the way, witnessing this scene with his own eyes shook Ran Qingshan far more than just hearing about it.

Killing a low-level Demon was, of course, nothing worth mentioning for the Demon Slayer Envoys present.

But the problem was, the person who had done it was Jiang Mu.

That hedonistic young master who had been shoehorned into the Bureau, all thanks to his father greasing the wheels with money.

This stark contrast made the few veterans from the Demon-slaying Bureau who had followed him exchange bewildered glances, their expressions turning strange.

It was as if they were meeting this mascot Hall Master for the first time.

"Lord Chief."

Seeing Ran Qingshan arrive, Jiang Mu rose and cupped his fist in a salute.

The village chief and the Pawnshop Accountant, who had been hiding somewhere, also scurried out to bow upon seeing Ran Qingshan.

They just didn’t dare to get close to Jiang Mu.

Ran Qingshan walked up to Jiang Mu and first glanced down at the corpse of the Demon, Elder Wu. Then he drew Jiang Mu’s saber and carefully inspected the nicks and bloodstains on the blade.

Next, he reached out and pressed a few key points on Jiang Mu’s arms and shoulders, feeling the muscles and bones. His eyebrows shot up.

"First Realm... When did you break through?"

Jiang Mu’s expression was calm. "Just today. I was lucky to break through."

A complex emotion flickered in Ran Qingshan’s eyes.

He slid the saber into its Sword Scabbard. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Jiang Mu recounted the events, only omitting the part about absorbing the Demonic Qi. As for the ruffians, he just said they were infected with demonic poison and that he had dealt with them all at once.

After hearing the report, Ran Qingshan looked at Elder Wu’s corpse on the ground and nodded slightly.

"To be so calm in your first encounter with a Demon, and even slay your opponent in battle—you did very well. The Bureau will credit this achievement to your Eighth Hall.

Alright, leave this to us. You should go back and rest. Are you injured?"

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Chief. Just some superficial shock and bruising. Nothing serious."

Jiang Mu cupped his fist.

"Mm, go on," Ran Qingshan said with a wave.

"Yes."

Jiang Mu knew he still lacked the professional expertise to be of any help here, so he turned and left.

He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly paused, turned back, and cupped his fist toward Ran Qingshan.

"Lord Chief, I have one more thing to report."

"Speak."

Jiang Mu glanced at the dilapidated house and said,

"Elder Wu’s family... After this incident, they are left with only the old, weak, women, and children. They truly cannot afford to pay the demon tax."

Ran Qingshan was taken aback.

His gaze swept over the ruffians’ corpses in the courtyard, then to the bleak poverty all around. He was silent for a moment before finally just waving his hand, saying nothing.

Jiang Mu said no more and walked away.

Just as he was about to step over the threshold of the courtyard gate, Ran Qingshan’s voice came from behind him again.

"Tomorrow, go to the Bureau’s Merit Affairs Hall and find Chief Clerk Zhou to collect your identification token and resources. Get a new saber and pick a suitable set of Martial Arts."

"Also... don’t come here again. I’ll have someone else handle the tax collection. We’ll deal with those who can’t pay as we see fit; you don’t need to worry about it. And don’t even think about paying out of your own pocket out of charity. It’s useless.

You should stay home and focus on your cultivation. The Bureau will have an important mission for you when the time comes."

Ran Qingshan’s tone was somewhat commanding.

"Yes, sir."

Jiang Mu turned, gave a bow, and walked out of the gate.

At that moment, the village chief sidled up. "Lord Chief, about those thugs just now, they were actually..."

"They were infected with demonic poison, weren’t they," Ran Qingshan said, staring at him.

The village chief froze. Feeling the pressure radiating from Ran Qingshan, he broke out in a cold sweat and nodded like a chicken pecking at grain. "Yes, yes, they were indeed infected with demonic poison."

Ran Qingshan ignored him. Gazing at Jiang Mu’s retreating figure, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and thought to himself,

’My mistake. I never should have sent the kid here.’

Back at the Jiang residence, Jiang Mu changed out of his blood-soaked uniform and asked Bai Xiang to prepare a hot bath.

Soaking in the steaming wooden tub, which was filled with medicinal herbs to soothe his muscles and tendons, the warm water enveloped his weary body, and his frayed nerves gradually began to unwind.

He closed his eyes, but scenes from the day flashed through his mind.

Elder Wu’s crimson eyes, the old woman’s desperate wails, the terrified and helpless looks of the brother and sister... and that gray, dreary village that seemed as if it would never see the sun.

"Great Qing... Great Qing..."

Jiang Mu scrubbed his face hard and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

’Great Qing my ass!’

Having washed away his fatigue and changed into clean casual clothes, Jiang Mu went to the side hall.

Bai Xiang had already prepared dinner and was waiting quietly by the side.

Jiang Mu glanced at the table.

Several exquisite side dishes were laid out: a plate of glistening, braised deer tendon; a bowl of black chicken soup with codonopsis root; a platter of stir-fried seasonal vegetables; and an appetizing dish of pickled cucumbers.

A pot of fine, mellow wine was warming beside them, its aroma rich.

"Wow, this is some incredible cooking."

Jiang Mu picked up a piece of deer tendon with his chopsticks. It was tender yet springy, with a rich flavor. He couldn’t help but praise, "If you ever get tired of staying here, you could open up your own restaurant. I guarantee customers would be flocking to your door."

Bai Xiang’s eyes curved into crescents as a gentle smile graced her lips.

She was wearing a simple, lotus-root-pink dress today. The style was plain, but it complemented her slender figure.

It gave her a hazy, beautiful aura, like that of peaceful, quiet years.

Jiang Mu picked up the wine pot, filled a cup for himself, then took an empty cup and poured one for Bai Xiang as well.

"Come, have a drink with me."

He raised his cup.

The amber liquid sloshed gently in the cup.

Bai Xiang looked at the wine in her cup, her slender, willow-like eyebrows furrowing slightly. She seemed to hesitate, but seeing Jiang Mu’s gesture, she extended a delicate hand and picked it up.

She gently clinked her cup against Jiang Mu’s.

Then she tilted her head back and downed the wine in one go.

After one cup, a flush rose to the woman’s cheeks, like a late spring sunset reflecting on white snow. She looked so exquisitely delicate that Jiang Mu found himself staring, slightly dazed.

Jiang Mu picked up some food with his chopsticks and asked casually,

"By the way, you said before that you’re from Yan City, right?"

Bai Xiang nodded lightly.

"I heard recently that things aren’t peaceful in Yan City. The commoners are rioting, and they’ve even killed Officials and people from the Demon-slaying Bureau. Do you know why?"

Jiang Mu looked at her.

Bai Xiang tilted her head in thought, then put down her chopsticks and began to gesture with her hands.

First, she pointed to her stomach and made a shrunken gesture. Then she pointed to the sky and spread her hands wide. Finally, she made a throat-slitting motion.

Jiang Mu understood.

’Natural and man-made disasters. No food, couldn’t survive. So they rebelled.’

He laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Right. Fucking hell, if they could make a living, who’d be crazy enough to put their life on the line and start a rebellion?"

His gaze fell on Bai Xiang’s quiet face.

"I suppose your family must have fallen on hard times too, for you to have been sold."

Bai Xiang neither nodded nor shook her head.

She just picked up her chopsticks and silently ate her food.

’Looks like her whole family is gone,’ Jiang Mu sighed inwardly. ’Another pitiful soul.’

The atmosphere grew a little heavy.

After a while, Bai Xiang suddenly put down her chopsticks, stood up, and picked up the wine pot. She filled a cup for Jiang Mu, then held it with both hands and presented it to him.

Jiang Mu paused, then took the cup and chuckled.

"Why the sudden toast?"

Bai Xiang pointed to the house, then to the food on the table. Finally, she clasped her hands to her chest and gave Jiang Mu a curtsy.

Jiang Mu understood.

She was thanking him for taking her in.

"You say that as if you weren’t the one who insisted on staying," Jiang Mu joked, then tilted his head back and drank the wine down.

Then, he also stood up and returned the toast with another cup.

"And thank you for your company these past days, and for this meal. Honestly, in a house this big, having someone else around... it really does feel different."

Bai Xiang was taken aback for a moment, then her face broke into a smile.

She took the cup and drank it down with gusto.

After a few cups of wine and some idle chatter, Jiang Mu felt the weight on his chest lighten, and his mood improved.

During their conversation, he asked offhandedly,

"Tell me, how do you stop all the common people in the world from going hungry?"

Bai Xiang’s beautiful eyes looked distant as she signed, "If they eat until they are full, they won’t be hungry."

It was a statement of the obvious.

Jiang Mu first shook his head with a low chuckle, which then turned into a loud laugh.

Bai Xiang smiled along with him.

Why were they laughing?

Because in a world like this, that statement was indeed hilarious.

...

After dinner and a short rest, Jiang Mu went out to the sandpit in the courtyard, as was his routine. He took off his outer robe, leaving him in just his trousers, and began his Body Tempering cultivation.

His Qi and Blood circulated, his bones and tendons humming in unison...

Sweat soon drenched his body once more.

After clearing the dishes, Bai Xiang brought a small stool and sat under the eaves.

She held a book of stories she hadn’t finished the day before, reading quietly in the dim light, occasionally lifting her eyes to watch the man who was training in the sandpit, sweat pouring off him like rain.

Only when the night grew deep and the last sliver of light on the horizon was devoured by darkness did she close her book.

She didn’t return to her room. Instead, she tilted her head up and stared blankly at the night sky.

The moon was a hazy sliver, and a gentle breeze played with her sleeves.