Turns Out I'm the Real Monster?!

"So... earlier, to save you, I was a bit forward. Under the circumstances, I had no choice but to hold you... I hope you don’t mind."

Ling Ye’s pretty face flushed slightly red.

She struggled to maintain her usual icy composure, turning her face away as she spoke, her voice sounding a little unnatural:

"I’m the one who should be sorry. If you hadn’t been helping me, you wouldn’t have been afflicted by the Jade Cicada Cold Qi and put in such danger. I should be thanking you."

"What is Jade Cicada Cold Qi?" Jiang Mu asked curiously.

Ling Ye explained:

"It’s a latent ailment in my body, a consequence of failing to achieve a new Star Position years ago. I had to rely on a Cold Jade Cicada to forcibly stabilize my Divine Soul."

"Whenever the Jade Cicada Cold Qi flares up, I have to constantly suppress it with Star Power, or I’ll suffer a backlash. Last night... I don’t know what you did, but you somehow managed to absorb almost half of it for me."

"The cold qi in my body is much weaker now, so future flare-ups won’t be as frequent or severe. What’s more, my Cultivation Level is no longer suppressed; it’s even improved significantly.

Perhaps I might even have a chance to attempt for a new Star Position again.

Xiaojiang, I’m truly grateful."

Her face was filled with gratitude, her gaze gentle.

"Only half?"

Jiang Mu subconsciously turned his senses inward.

Sure enough, in his dantian, he found a vortex of cold qi spinning slowly.

He asked tentatively:

"Ling Ye, how about I try again? Maybe I can absorb all the rest of it for you. Get rid of it once and for all."

Ling Ye’s face reddened as she quickly shook her head:

"There’s no need. I tried just now, too. The Cold Jade Cicada has already fused with my Divine Soul Origin. As long as it’s there, the cold qi will be generated endlessly. It’s impossible to absorb it all.

But things are much, much better now. At least I can focus on my cultivation and breaking through without being tormented by it. If all goes well, I should be able to attain a new Star Position within a year or two."

"Congratulations, then, Ling Ye." Jiang Mu was genuinely happy for her.

Ling Ye murmured a soft "Mm," her beautiful eyes fixed on Jiang Mu. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked:

"Xiaojiang, how exactly did you do it? Why were you able to absorb the Jade Cicada Cold Qi? Also, while you were unconscious, the Star Power in your body was being consumed at a furious rate, as if it was fighting against something..."

Jiang Mu’s eyes darted away for a moment, and he let out a nervous laugh:

"Well... I’m not really sure myself. I probably just have a special constitution. You know how it is, I’m a genius, after all."

’Actually, he had a pretty good idea why.’

’It must be that the cold qi from the Dao Mansion in his dream got entangled with the real-world Jade Cicada Cold Qi. They must have had some strange reaction, forming a vortex that could devour and convert energy.’

’But the whole thing was just too bizarre.’

’Besides, it was tied to the fortunate encounter with that "Lady Peach Blossom," so he couldn’t go into detail.’

Although Ling Ye was still suspicious, she knew it wasn’t her place to press him further.

’Everyone has their secrets. As long as the outcome was good, that was enough.’

She looked up at the window. The sky was already beginning to brighten.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"It’s almost dawn. You should hurry back before someone sees you."

Jiang Mu knew he couldn’t stay any longer. He stood, straightened his clothes, and said, "Alright, Ling Ye, I’m heading out."

"Mm."

Ling Ye nodded.

Like a thief in the night, Jiang Mu slipped out of the room.

After he left, Ling Ye sat alone on the chair, lost in a daze.

After a long moment, she looked down and gently pulled aside the collar of her robes.

In the faint light filtering through the window, two rows of shallow teeth marks were clearly visible on the skin just below her collarbone.

Ling Ye bit her lower lip, her fists clenched tight:

’That damn brat... was it really an accident?’

...

The next morning, the group set off once more.

The time for parting had come.

A cool morning breeze stirred Ling Ye’s veil.

Holding the reins of her white horse, she stood silently by the side of the road, watching Jiang Mu, who was ready to depart.

"I’m leaving now."

Ling Ye’s voice was soft, laced with a hint of melancholy.

Jiang Mu felt a pang of reluctance himself, but he put on a carefree smile. "Safe travels, Ling Ye. Be careful on the road. We’ll see each other again."

"Mm."

Ling Ye murmured in agreement, looking as if she wanted to say more but held back.

Her eyes, usually as cold as frost, now seemed to have melted like autumn pools, filled with a soft, hesitant affection.

"Xiaojiang."

She suddenly spoke.

"Hm?"

"The next time we meet... I’ll be different."

"Different?"

Jiang Mu was baffled. "How different? Are you going to get fatter or thinner?"

Ling Ye didn’t explain. She just shot him an exasperated glare before vaulting onto her horse.

"Yah!"

She spurred the horse’s flanks. With a sharp neigh, the white horse bolted, vanishing in a cloud of dust.

Watching her dark figure recede into the distance, Jiang Mu felt a pang of emptiness, still puzzled by her final words.

’Be different?’

’Her watermelons aren’t going to get another upgrade, are they?’

’Women. Always speaking in riddles you can’t figure out.’

...

After Ling Ye’s departure, Jiang Mu and his party continued their journey toward Yan City.

Along the way, shadow falcons dispatched by patrol teams continuously flew in, delivering the latest intelligence on jade slips to Tian Wenjing.

As Tian Wenjing read the steady stream of reports, his brow remained tightly furrowed.

By evening, they were in the middle of nowhere, with no village or inn in sight. The group had no choice but to make camp in a relatively open clearing in the forest.

Everyone gnawed on hard, dry rations, huddled around a few campfires for warmth.

Tian Wenjing summoned the four Hall Masters, including Jiang Mu, to a campfire. His expression was grave as he said:

"I’ve just received the latest intelligence from the General Office. A branch hall under the Yan City Demon-slaying Bureau—a team of more than twenty—has gone missing while on a cleansing mission near White Deer Peak.

The General Office has ordered all nearby Demon-slaying Bureau personnel to be on the lookout and assist in the search.

We’re not too far from White Deer Peak at the moment. I intend to dispatch two halls to investigate."