Why are you following my wife? [Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader "So Ren Jian Bu Chai"]

The scene seemed to fall into a brief silence.

After another pause, suddenly, a voice rang out in unison from within the room: "What's that over there?" Chu Liang and Madam Ming both pointed their left hands behind each other, while hiding their right hands behind their backs. Then neither of them turned around. Their moves had clashed.

The atmosphere grew awkward.

"Heh heh." Madam Ming let out a laugh. "Fine, since it's come to this, I won't waste words with you. From the moment you entered this room, the candle I lit was laced with Illusion Heart Poison. If you want the antidote, leave here obediently and don't meddle."

"Since I dared to walk in, I naturally came prepared. In fact, from the moment you lit that incense candle, I've been holding my breath and sealing my inner energy, careful not to inhale a trace." Chu Liang said.

Madam Ming's smile faded. In that instant, she realized she might have four hundred tricks up her sleeve... but this seemingly young lad before her had no fewer, if not more.

"I've never harmed anyone in all these years. I only want to live a peaceful life with my husband. Since you've completed your task, can't you just leave and pretend nothing happened?" Her tone turned somewhat pleading.

Chu Liang said, "But this is ultimately improper."

The next moment, the situation shifted like a storm!

The seemingly delicate woman suddenly lunged forward, her right hand flicking out a long, dark whip that coiled toward Chu Liang like a serpent's tongue, aiming to snare him in one move!

Chu Liang shook his left arm, and with a clatter, his bracelet transformed into a sword, clashing against Madam Ming's whip. He twisted it a few times, trying to sever it.

But the whip was made of some unknown material—even the Shushan Flying Sword couldn't cut through it.

Bang—

Both sides pulled at their respective ends, momentarily locked in a tug-of-war.

The bedroom was cramped, and as their true qi surged, bangs and cracks rang out incessantly, shattering furniture and decorations.

After a brief stalemate, Madam Ming raised her left hand, which instantly transformed into a sharp claw, slashing out three razor-sharp streaks of black light.

Chu Liang dodged aside, raising his left arm to shoot out a streak of Red Light in return.

Madam Ming nimbly evaded, but the Red Light seemed to possess a will of its own. As she sidestepped, it whistled around, bending back to swiftly envelop her.

Turtle Shell Bind!

Demon-Binding Rope!

At such close range, dodging the Demon-Binding Rope was truly difficult. Madam Ming's cultivation was likely far higher than the Cat Spirit from last night, yet she was still caught in one strike!

Bang.

Bound tightly in a Turtle Shell Bind by layers of dense red ropes, Madam Ming immediately lost her balance and collapsed to the ground, the black whip falling from her hand.

But she still lifted her head, gritting her teeth as she glared at Chu Liang. "You..."

Just as the battle came to an end, a voice called out from outside the door.

"Wife? What was that noise? Are you alright?" Estate Master Ming shouted as he stepped into the bedroom.

Then.

He saw the scene before him.

The room was a mess, and his wife was lying on the floor, tied up in a strange and rather prominent position...

"Ah." Estate Master Ming stumbled back two steps, pressing a hand to his forehead, his eyes dazed. He couldn't help but blurt out, "This this this... what are you doing with my wife?"

Chu Liang quickly stopped Estate Master Ming, telling him not to panic—the situation wasn't what it seemed... He had him sit down to calm his nerves first, then helped him lift Madam Ming from the floor.

With her graceful figure bound up like that, Madam Ming was indeed rather alluring, and Chu Liang dared not lend a hand himself.

"Young Master Chu, aren't you going to untie my wife first?" Estate Master Ming asked.

"This..." Chu Liang said. "I'm afraid not."

Then, he explained that Madam Ming was a demon.

"Ah?" Estate Master Ming was shocked. "My wife is a demon? How is that possible? You... don't slander her!"

Chu Liang said, "If Estate Master Ming doesn't believe me, I have a way to make her reveal her true form."

"No need!" Madam Ming, who had been silent since her husband entered, suddenly snapped, making Chu Liang put away the half-brick he had pulled out.

"Husband, actually... I've always been afraid to tell you." Madam Ming said in a low voice. "I truly am a demon."

"Ah? This this this... how can this be? You're so gentle and kind..." Estate Master Ming still refused to believe.

"Who says all demons are evil?" Madam Ming raised her eyes again, now streaming with tears.

"I grew up with my parents and brothers in the mountains outside the city. Though we were demons, we never dared to harm a single human life. We lived like that for nearly a hundred years, until one day, I met you..."

"Me?" Estate Master Ming was stunned.

"That's right, you." Madam Ming gazed at him tenderly. "You naturally don't remember—who would recall a little mountain cat they saved twenty years ago?"

"Ah, that was you!" Estate Master Ming exclaimed.

"Yes. At the time, my cultivation was incomplete, and I encountered a vicious wolf in the mountains, nearly losing my life. I fled to a grove, only to be caught in a hunter's trap. That was when a young boy passed by and rescued me." Madam Ming said softly.

"When I was very young, one day I truly had no heart for studying, so I slipped out of the schoolhouse and went to play in the mountains, where I rescued an extremely adorable little mountain cat... I remember!" Estate Master Ming nodded repeatedly. "I wanted to take you home to treat your injuries, but as soon as you were free, you ran away."

"After that, I cultivated diligently for another ten years before I mastered the art of taking human form." Madam Ming gazed at her husband. "I didn't even dare tell my elder brother. I couldn't wait to go down the mountain and into the city to have fun. Who would have thought I'd run into you again, just like that? You'd grown up, but you were still the same."

"I thought that was our first meeting... I never imagined it was actually the second." Estate Master Ming said in sudden realization.

"Yes. After that, I fell in love with you, we married—it was all like a dream. I could hardly believe that living as a human could be this happy." Madam Ming smiled bitterly. "Until that day, when I became pregnant."

"Madam, you... you can get pregnant?" Estate Master Ming was shocked once more.

"Of course I can, but I didn't dare..." Madam Ming said. "Because I can never truly attain the Dao and take form. What I carried was a Demon Fetus. The moment the child was born, my identity would be exposed immediately... So I lied to you, saying I was visiting my family, but in truth... I secretly went into the mountains and aborted the child."

"Madam, you..." Estate Master Ming held her hand, tears streaming down his face as well. "Even if you are a demon, what of it? After all these years of deep love between us, how could it turn false just because you are a demon or a human?"

"I never expected our child would become a Vengeful Spirit..." Madam Ming said mournfully. "That I was exposed because of it—I suppose it's my retribution."

"No!" Estate Master Ming wept. "What fault is yours? If there is retribution to be had, let it fall on me!"

"To have had ten years of fate with you in this life is already enough for me." Madam Ming looked toward Chu Liang. "If you want to kill or maim, come at me."

"No, no!" Estate Master Ming suddenly fell to his knees, grabbing Chu Liang. "Young Master Chu! I am willing to give you my entire family fortune in exchange for letting my wife and I live! I beg you! Spare my wife!"

Chu Liang looked at the deeply affectionate couple before him, his gaze profound.

If he struck down Madam Ming with one sword, it would be perfectly reasonable to explain to others. A demon living in a human city was already something the world could not tolerate.

And afterward, he could still claim a reward from the White Tower.

If he let her go and left with Estate Master Ming's fortune... that wouldn't be a bad choice either. Even for a mortal landowner, the wealth accumulated over several generations was not easily obtained.

Either way, it was a huge profit.

But...

Chu Liang shook his head without hesitation.

Just as the couple's eyes were turning to despair, he immediately added, "If Madam Ming has truly never harmed anyone, then the two of you can return to my sect with me. Perhaps... I can petition for a title on Madam Ming's behalf."

Thanks to "So Ren Jian Bu Chai" for becoming the book's first patron—an extra chapter for the good big brother.