Turns Out I'm the Real Monster?!

Jiang Mu slowly regained consciousness.

His eyelids fluttered open.

The first thing that came into view was a hazy halo of light, followed by a watermelon.

’Yep, a big watermelon.’

Ling Ye was sitting on a wooden stool by the bed.

She was eating from half a watermelon cradled in her arms.

She held the round watermelon in one hand, its dark green rind making her fingers look even more pearly white.

"You’re awake?"

Ling Ye swallowed a mouthful of watermelon, her voice light. "I was starting to think you were just pretending to be unconscious."

Jiang Mu rubbed his throbbing temples. "What happened to me?"

In truth, he had indeed intended to feign fainting at the time.

But the moment his head touched that astonishingly springy softness, his vision went black, and he actually blacked out.

’Don’t tell me... I fainted from the... softness?’

"Demon poison."

Ling Ye scooped up a small, juicy piece of watermelon flesh and brought it to her lips.

Her lips parted slightly, revealing a hint of pearly teeth and the pink tip of her tongue as she took the crimson morsel into her mouth.

"What?"

Jiang Mu didn’t understand.

"You were afflicted by demon poison. You’ve been unconscious for a full day."

Ling Ye extended the tip of her tongue to lightly lick away a drop of watermelon juice from the corner of her mouth, adding lightly, "As for when you were poisoned, I’m not sure."

Jiang Mu froze.

The figure in red flashed through his mind.

’You’ve got to be kidding me.’

’That Little Demon... she actually poisoned me?’

Ling Ye dug out another spoonful of watermelon. The cool juice seemed to make her squint in satisfaction for a moment before her expression returned to its usual icy calm.

"Luckily, it was discovered in time. I’ve already helped you expel the poison. This can be considered evidence that the demoness did indeed want to kill you, which also indirectly clears you of suspicion of colluding with Demon Fiends.

"In any case, I must remind you: she may no longer be your sister. She is a Demon, without a doubt. And she is the prime suspect in your family’s murder."

Jiang Mu tried to sit up but found he had no strength. "Sister Ling," he said helplessly,

"could you spare a bite of watermelon?"

Ling Ye’s movements paused.

She looked at the half-watermelon in her hand, then back at Jiang Mu.

She remembered the time on the inn’s roof when they shared a watermelon, and her ears inexplicably grew warm.

She stood up, brought over the other half of the watermelon from the table along with a clean spoon, and placed them by Jiang Mu’s pillow.

"I can’t move my hands," Jiang Mu said, resigned.

Ling Ye pressed her lips together, sat on the edge of the bed, scooped up a spoonful, and brought it to Jiang Mu’s mouth.

’Ling Ye, oh, Ling Ye, you’ve really stooped low,’ the woman thought, speechless. ’To think you’d fall to the level of personally feeding a man.’

’This is the last time.’

’Absolutely the last time. There won’t be a next time!’

Jiang Mu opened his mouth and took the spoon.

The cool watermelon flesh melted in his mouth, its sweet juice soothing his throat and clearing some of the fog from his mind.

After swallowing, he asked, "Did you report this to the Demon-slaying Bureau?"

"Yes."

Ling Ye nodded. "Lord Ran went personally with his men. They found a demon nest in a hidden cave behind the Divine Sword Sect."

Jiang Mu breathed a sigh of relief.

’Old Ran is still reliable.’

He let out a long sigh. "So the Divine Sword Sect is going to be wiped from the martial world. How tragic."

"The Divine Sword Sect still exists."

Ling Ye scooped another spoonful and held it out.

Jiang Mu was stunned. "It still exists? They weren’t shut down?"

"The investigation has currently concluded that it was Yuan Wugen and his son, He Shuangying, who were secretly raising Demons without the Sect’s knowledge. Elder Sect Leader He was unaware of this and is said to be appalled by it."

Ling Ye fed the watermelon into his mouth and said,

"And Yuan Wugen, knowing the gravity of his sins, has committed suicide out of guilt. That’s the official conclusion."

"And people actually believe that story?" Jiang Mu nearly choked.

Ling Ye said lightly,

"A document has already come down from the General Office stating they will send a special envoy to review the case.

"Furthermore, the Divine Sword Sect has ’donated’ some of its secret manuals to the Demon-slaying Bureau, covering Pills, Talismans, and Artifact Refining techniques. They’ve also promised to hand over a portion of their annual income to assist the Court in exterminating demons.

"Elder Sect Leader He also contributed during the fog demon invasion, and the Court currently needs the assistance of powers from the martial world... so that’s how it is."

Jiang Mu was speechless for a long time.

’Shady.’

’So damn shady.’

’Crows are black the world over. The Court and the martial world are all just one big corrupt stew.’

He looked at Ling Ye. "What do you think about it?"

Ling Ye was taken aback.

She turned her face slightly, avoiding Jiang Mu’s intense gaze.

Outside the window, the shadows of bamboo swayed.

The sunlight filtering in cast a slanted glow on her profile, tracing the elegant bridge of her nose and the soft curve of her lips with a hazy golden edge.

After a moment, she scooped up some watermelon, brought it to his mouth, and said softly, "All that matters is that you’re safe."

Jiang Mu opened his mouth to accept the spoonful of watermelon and suddenly started to laugh.

"You too."

Ling Ye paused, her eyes on the smile at the corner of his mouth. Her own thin lips, usually pressed into a cool line, unconsciously curved upward.

It was like the first thaw of winter, like ten thousand pear trees blossoming at once—utterly breathtaking.

She instinctively pulled her hand back and, out of habit, scooped another spoonful from the watermelon and popped it into her mouth.

The moment the spoon was in her mouth.

A faint, strange feeling came over her.

She suddenly froze.

’Wait...’

She looked at the spoon in her watermelon.

Her pupils contracted.

’Did I... not switch spoons?’

Ling Ye abruptly pulled the spoon from her mouth, a faint blush creeping up her ears.

Jiang Mu noticed it too and couldn’t help but roast her inwardly.

’She dares to slurp from my spoon now.’

’I really don’t dare to imagine what she’ll be slurping next.’

Jiang Mu asked, "Yuan Wugen didn’t fake his death to escape, did he?"

Ling Ye forced down the surging embarrassment in her heart and shook her head.

"No, the body has been personally inspected. It’s definitely him. As for whether it was suicide out of guilt... that’s hard to say."

Jiang Mu nodded, feeling quite shaken inside.

’That Elder Sect Leader He is ruthless.’

’To preserve his Sect’s foundation, he didn’t hesitate to throw his own son-in-law under the bus to take the fall, even having him silenced.’

’A ruthless character like him is a major liability.’

He opened his mouth again like a baby bird waiting to be fed. "Ah—"

Ling Ye’s hand, holding the spoon, stiffened.

She stared at the spoon the two of them had "shared," an internal war raging within her.

’Switch it? Or not?’

’If I switch spoons now, won’t it look like I actually cared about it? That would be a dead giveaway.’

’But if I don’t switch...’

’Forget it! I’ve already used it, so what’s the big deal!’

Having decided to just go with it, Ling Ye dug a large mouthful with her spoon and forcefully stuffed it into his mouth.

’That should shut you up!’

Jiang Mu smacked his lips. ’It really is sweeter.’

After eating some watermelon, Jiang Mu felt a good deal of his strength return.

He looked around and suddenly found the room’s furnishings familiar.

The bamboo window, the scent of medicine, the dried herbs hanging on the wall...

’Isn’t this Lingzhu’s bamboo cottage?’

Ling Ye explained,

"I was originally going to take you back to your home, but Miss Chu said you have a tigress living there.

"If she saw me bringing you back, that tigress would definitely get jealous and might even try to scratch me.

"I figured it was best to avoid trouble. Besides, this girl’s medical skills are quite good, and she can help you recuperate, so I brought you here."

"Tigress?"

Jiang Mu felt a bit helpless.

’Why do Lingzhu and Bai Xiang have to clash so much?’

’Looks like I’ll need some powerful glue to get them to stick together.’

"I have some other things to attend to, so I have to go. You should rest some more."

Ling Ye stood up.

"By the way, regarding you obtaining an orthodox Star Position, not many people know about it besides me and Ran Qingshan.

"This was also one of Ran Qingshan’s bargaining chips in his negotiations with the Divine Sword Sect. To save face, the Divine Sword Sect has tacitly accepted this outcome and won’t publicize it.

"After all, if outsiders found out you’ve obtained an orthodox Star Position, it would bring you a lot of trouble."

A warmth spread through Jiang Mu’s heart.

’Old Ran is really a guy you can count on.’

Ling Ye’s pink lips moved as if she wanted to say more, but in the end, she didn’t. She walked out of the cottage, pulling the door closed behind her.

The room fell silent once more.

Bored with nothing to do, Jiang Mu picked up the remaining watermelon and started eating, contemplating his next steps for cultivation.

As he was eating, the temperature in the room suddenly dropped a few degrees.

Jiang Mu seemed to sense something and snapped his head up.

The young woman in red was perched on a roof beam, having appeared there at some unknown time. She was watching him with a playful smile, her eyes shimmering.

"Well?"

"How are you planning to thank me?"

’Thank you?’

’You poisoned me, and you expect me to thank you?’

Jiang Mu gave a cold, dry laugh. "I’ll be thankful as long as you don’t shove that filthy foot of yours in my mouth."

The young woman’s expression turned glacial in an instant. She said in an icy tone,

"You think I wouldn’t dare!?"

The young woman leaped down from the beam, kicking off her small boots.

Revealing her small, snow-white feet.