Miss Shu clenched the long spear in her hand.
She looked at Jiang Wang's back.
She felt that something was wrong.
Although she was delighted to have guessed Jiang Wang's identity as a Monster,
if he meant to silence her, why had he deliberately exposed a flaw?
Jiang Wang had been waiting all along.
He had already heard Miss Shu's slightly hurried breathing.
She must have been ready to make her move.
"The flowers here are beautiful, and the lady even more so. There could be no better place to bury you. But I must consider whether to eat your little feet first or gnaw on your head."
Jiang Wang decided to add more fuel to the fire.
The moment his words fell, the sound of wind suddenly rushed up.
Jiang Wang beamed.
But his smile soon froze.
Why was there only the sound of wind, with nothing after it?
He instinctively turned around.
There was nothing before him.
Where had she gone?!
He looked around.
He only saw Miss Shu's figure vault over the wall, leaving behind nothing but the grass atop it swaying in the wind.
Jiang Wang's mouth twitched violently.
What did this mean?
I gave you an opportunity, and you still couldn't make use of it?!
Could it be that I had acted too hard?
Miss Shu ran straight out of Qixia Street, secretly rejoicing.
That Monster Jiang Wang was indeed sinister.
He had deliberately revealed a flaw and even provoked her with words.
Had she truly attacked, she would surely have lost her life.
Good thing this young lady was clever.
She had slipped free of danger with ease.
But this matter could not be left at that.
The Garrison Headquarters feared Jiang Wang, so they clearly could not be relied upon.
She had to find reinforcements.
Going straight along Pinglan Street led out of the city.
Just as she was about to leave Pinglan Street,
a figure suddenly rushed out from the tavern off to one side.
"Junior Sister, where in the world did you run off to? How could you leave the group without permission? If you ran into danger, how am I supposed to explain it to Teacher when we return?!"
Miss Shu froze for a moment, then said in delight, "Fourteen, you came at just the right time!"
She grabbed Ning Shisi by the sleeve and was about to head back to Qixia Street.
"Junior Sister, what is the meaning of this?" Ning Shisi looked at the people gradually emerging from the tavern and said, "We came to Hun City on a mission. Because Junior Sister ran off, we spent a great deal of time searching for you. We were already late to begin with, so we must not delay any further."
Miss Shu said, "Stop nagging. I found traces of a Monster and nearly lost my life. The Monster is plotting against all of Hun City, and the common people are in mortal danger. That is what matters most. Hurry and come slay the demon with me!"
Ning Shisi was greatly shocked. He hurriedly grabbed Miss Shu, who was about to run off again. "Junior Sister, are you hurt? Before we set out, I promised Teacher that I would protect you. If even a single hair on your head is missing, Teacher will surely skin me alive..."
Miss Shu was speechless. She said irritably, "Are you worried about me, or are you worried Old Fu will beat you up?"
Ning Shisi said, "Naturally both, but I am more worried about Junior Sister's safety. Since there is a Monster, Junior Sister must not act rashly. We need to make a long-term plan."
Thinking of how both her reckless actions had landed her in "peril," Miss Shu felt somewhat embarrassed.
Ning Shisi pulled her back toward the tavern. "Junior Sister, tell me about this Monster first, then we can devise a way to deal with it."
While they discussed how to slay the demon,
Jiang Wang was eating in Xunyang Marquis Manor.
He was in a terrible mood.
Why had Cai Tanggu still not come to take revenge?
And the stronger demons Ao Yin had mentioned were nowhere to be seen either.
The road to invincibility was truly long and arduous.
Zhao Si held his bowl as his gaze swept back and forth between Jiang Wang and Xiaoyu.
He finally realized the problem.
Since childhood, he had been well versed in the books of sages. At thirteen, he had become obsessed with painting, practicing day and night until his hands nearly broke from exhaustion.
He was stubborn and persevering.
He was clever and handsome.
In Xunyang Marquis Manor, he was Jiang Wang's attendant.
He was the laborer who carried rattan chairs and sharpened blades.
He even had to wash clothes and cook.
He had become terribly dejected.
His wisdom had gathered dust.
That was why he had only now noticed something so obvious.
He slowly set down his bowl and chopsticks, looked solemnly at Jiang Wang, and said in a deep voice, "At the entrance to Qixia Street, you said you could control Monsters. When facing that Su Lingyi, you really did control his movements. Before the Marquis Manor, you toyed with Cai Tanggu as you pleased. And just now, simply because you touched Xiaoyu's head, she broke through her realm."
Xiaoyu tilted her head to look at Zhao Si.
Jiang Wang's expression grew grave.
He was even a little nervous.
He wondered how he should explain these matters to Zhao Si.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Si suddenly slammed the table and sprang to his feet.
His eyes widened with excitement as he stared directly at Jiang Wang. "That's right! There is only one truth!"
Jiang Wang swallowed.
"You have a blessed mouth!"
Zhao Si burst into laughter and said excitedly, "You said you could control other people's bodies, and Su Lingyi really was controlled by you. You said you could defeat Cai Tanggu, and you really defeated him. When you touched Xiaoyu's head, you must have said something too. That's right, this is the truth!"
Jiang Wang: "..."
Though this so-called truth seemed rather impressive, hadn't he gotten something wrong?
I did say those things, but only after they had already happened.
Zhao Si thrust his head over and said eagerly, "Quick! Say that I am definitely a great painter, destined to leave my name in history, rise high in the imperial court, possess boundless wealth, and fill my courtyard with beautiful wives and lovely concubines!"
Jiang Wang was impressed. "...You really have no shame."
But he could not resist Zhao Si's persistence, so he could only stroke Zhao Si's head and cooperate by saying it once.
Zhao Si was deeply satisfied, feeling that his dreams might soon come true.
He had to spruce himself up properly.
He immediately ran out.
Seeing Xiaoyu across from him looking full of hope,
Jiang Wang held his forehead.
In the entire Marquis Manor, there was probably not a single normal person besides Uncle Tong.
Uh... besides Uncle Tong and me, there was probably not a single normal person.
At the third quarter of the Hour of the Goat,
Shan Qiyu returned to Xunyang Marquis Manor.
"Master Tao has a Wangliang hidden in his home. Had it not been promptly suppressed with talismans, the Garrison Office's constables would have nearly lost their lives. Constable Zhou intends to eliminate that Wangliang as soon as possible, but Master Tao does not seem very willing."
As usual, Jiang Wang lay in his rattan chair. Hearing this, he frowned and said, "It seems Master Tao does have some skill."
Master Tao had become famous in Hun City at around the same time the Xunyang Marquis led the Black Flame Army into Hun City, yet Shan Qiyu had never dealt with Master Tao.
Jiang Wang asked, "What do you think he intends by deliberately hiding a Monster in his home?"
"The Marquis once said that so-called celestial masters are able to sense the existence of Qi, yet cannot forge a Yellow Court to cultivate Qi like cultivators, nor use Qi to temper their bodies like martial artists. They can only use talismans as a foundation to communicate with Qi, and even that process is not easily achieved."
Shan Qiyu pondered for a moment. "Across the entire mortal world, those capable of displaying miraculous methods through talismans, even rivaling martial artists and ordinary cultivators, are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Master Tao's ability to draw talismans and drive away demons already proves that he is deeply versed in this path, but it is difficult to say exactly what level he has reached."
"Though Wangliang is formed from the remnant soul of a great demon, it is still only a remnant soul. Compared to other Monsters, its abilities are meager. It is said that a hundred years ago, there was once a Grand Celestial Master whose art of talisman-drawing surpassed even cultivators of the Dongming Realm. Before him, even the demon Ao Yin was like a toy. Yet in today's Sui Kingdom, there is only one celestial master at that level."
Shan Qiyu paused briefly, then continued, "Master Tao has not reached the pinnacle. Perhaps he hid the Wangliang Monster in order to use it to explore stronger talismans. But if that is his method, then his means must surely be filthy."
Jiang Wang frowned slightly.
He did not understand talismans, so it was difficult for him to guess Master Tao's intentions.
Just as Shan Qiyu had said, perhaps he was using the Monster to test talismans. The process naturally would not be a pleasant sight.
"What was the Garrison Headquarters' conclusion?"
Shan Qiyu said, "Naturally, they demand that Master Tao destroy the Wangliang. Regardless of his purpose, the Wangliang's existence is ultimately a tremendous threat to the nearby common people. No matter how unwilling Master Tao may be, he likely cannot withstand the Garrison Headquarters."
Jiang Wang smiled. "If Master Tao firmly objects, and the Garrison Headquarters has no ability to destroy the Wangliang, then they can only reach an impasse. Go tell Constable Zhou that I can help them eliminate the Wangliang."
It was not that he wanted to oppose Master Tao. Rather, he knew full well that the Wangliang hidden in Master Tao's home could not be kept. If the Garrison Headquarters had no solution, they would surely resort to force. He might as well reap a benefit.
Shan Qiyu's expression shifted slightly.
Remembering the faint rumors that Cai Tanggu had been defeated by the Young Marquis, as well as Xiaoyu's inexplicable breakthrough, he realized that the Young Marquis was not as useless as he had imagined.
If Jiang Wang had not been the Marquis's biological son, and if the Black Flame Army had not always been loyal, then given Shan Qiyu's character, it would have been difficult for him to accept a master like the Young Marquis.
But if the Young Marquis had merely been concealing his abilities and was actually very powerful...
Shan Qiyu immediately clasped his fist and said, "This subordinate will go at once!"
Watching Shan Qiyu's briskly departing back, Jiang Wang felt that his tone just now had been somewhat different from usual.
But Jiang Wang paid it no mind.
Not long after Shan Qiyu left,
Miss Shu and her group arrived at Qixia Street.
"Xunyang Marquis Manor..." Ning Shisi raised his eyes, frowned, and muttered, "It feels strangely familiar. I seem to recall Teacher mentioning it."
He grabbed Miss Shu, who was about to push the door open and enter, and said, "Junior Sister, according to your description, this demon is likely far from simple. I have no foolproof plan either. Fortunately, before we departed, Teacher gave me a demon-suppressing talisman. We can try it for now."
He earnestly warned her, "Junior Sister must not act rashly. Leave the matter of slaying demons and eliminating evil to me. Just follow behind me. If danger arises, you may flee first. There is no need to worry about me."
Though Miss Shu found Ning Shisi's always-preachy tone very annoying, she did not argue now and silently nodded.
Ning Shisi took a deep breath.
He gestured to the other companions.
They immediately dispersed.
They took up advantageous positions around Xunyang Marquis Manor.
Ning Shisi stepped forward and politely knocked on the door.
They all unconsciously held their breath.
Yet even as their faces turned red from holding it, the manor gates did not open.
Miss Shu shook her head and directly vaulted over the wall, as familiar with the route as if she had done it many times.
The reason she had not broken down the door was naturally to avoid alerting the enemy.
She felt that she was rather clever at certain times.
Ning Shisi was helpless.
He could only follow her over the wall.
The moment he landed,
he saw a rattan chair before him. A very handsome man sat atop it, glaring wide-eyed at him.
Before you continue