"What? You want us to leave?"
"What nerve! This old man has roamed the Jianghu for decades and never encountered anyone this arrogant. I'd like to see what means you have to make this old man leave!"
"There's no one called Zhang Yun in the Jianghu at all. Some nobody who popped up from who knows where dares to be so arrogant?"
"Steward Fang, since this brat is speaking so rudely, don't blame us for being impolite..."
Upon hearing "Zhang Yun's" arrogant words, the twenty-odd Jianghu people in the hall all burned with fury.
Some even drew their weapons, ready to teach "Zhang Yun" a proper lesson.
Ji Qing swept his gaze around the room. He said nothing further, merely slowly reaching out to grip the hilt of his blade.
The moment his hand closed around the hilt.
Boom.
A terrifying aura erupted.
In the eyes of everyone in the hall, "Zhang Yun" vanished without a trace, as though he had transformed into a razor-sharp blade.
Even sensing just a thread of that aura made them feel as if their bodies were being sliced apart.
In that instant, the hall fell silent.
All the previous clamor vanished in a moment.
The entire hall was so quiet that a needle dropping could be heard.
"Blade aura... You're Ji..."
Before he could finish, he abruptly covered his own mouth, as if he had realized something. His voice trembled as he said, "Hero Zhang, forgive the disturbance. I'll leave at once..."
He was an old man, even leaning on a cane, yet he could withstand Ji Qing's blade aura long enough to turn around with difficulty and totter out of the Fang residence.
A man's name was like a tree's shadow!
The others had clearly thought of something as well.
Terror appeared on every face.
They no longer dared show any righteous indignation.
One after another, they turned and slunk out of the Fang residence.
In the blink of an eye, the entire hall became utterly empty.
All twenty-odd Jianghu people had left the Fang residence, leaving only three behind.
Steward Fang was not a member of the Jianghu, so he had no idea what had happened.
But so many Jianghu people had not even dared utter one harsh word to "Zhang Yun" before slinking away. Reading the room, Steward Fang naturally understood that "Zhang Yun's" identity was likely extraordinary.
"You three aren't leaving?"
Ji Qing asked calmly.
The three people who remained were far from ordinary.
Since they could withstand Ji Qing's blade aura for so long, they were surely Second-Rate Martial Artists as well.
"Steward Fang, were you the one who invited people from Anyang City's Listening Wind Tower?"
The leader among the three suddenly spoke.
He had actually identified Ji Qing's origins in a single breath.
"Hero Wang, this... I only did it for my daughter's sake. Besides, you are all from the Listening Wind Tower. You shouldn't mind, should you?"
Steward Fang nodded and admitted it.
After giving it some thought, Ji Qing immediately understood the identities of these three.
They were from Copper City's Listening Wind Tower. Otherwise, they could not have immediately known that Ji Qing came from Anyang City's Listening Wind Tower.
"Fine. Shopkeeper Yu certainly has impressive methods, to have invited Hero Ji. We willingly concede defeat. Let's go!"
The three cupped their hands toward Ji Qing, then left the Fang residence.
Seeing this, Steward Fang's gaze grew even more fervent.
These three were Copper City Listening Wind Tower's trump cards.
Yet they were actually so respectful toward "Zhang Yun"?
Then "Zhang Yun" was clearly even stronger!
Ji Qing was thoughtful as well.
He had not expected that merely relying on his "reputation" now could make three Second-Rate Martial Artists retreat.
It could even make more than twenty Jianghu martial artists flee in disarray, without daring to leave behind a single harsh word.
This was his current reputation in the Jianghu.
To say that he shook the Jianghu was no exaggeration at all!
After the battle with Du Chen in Anyang City, Ji Qing truly shook the Jianghu.
So long as First-Rate Masters did not emerge, who could contend with Ji Qing?
As for retaliation?
Or notifying the Government Authorities?
Ji Qing feared those even less.
If the Government Authorities could have captured him, they would have acted long ago. Why wait until now?
Even if someone reported that the great Demon Lord "Ji Qing" was in Copper City, Copper City's Government Authorities would likely pretend they knew nothing.
"Steward Fang, can you invite Miss Fang out now?"
Ji Qing asked.
"This... may be somewhat difficult. I'll have to ask Hero Zhang to come and see for yourself."
"Lead the way."
Thus, Steward Fang led Ji Qing to the rear courtyard.
Inside Miss Fang's "boudoir" in the rear courtyard, Ji Qing saw many maids and old servant women.
Miss Fang herself was disheveled and tied to a chair.
The expression on her face was even more ferocious and bizarre, enough to make one shudder at a glance.
"How did Miss Fang become like this?"
Ji Qing asked.
"It's a long story. Back then, my daughter insisted on going into the mountains for fun. There are many strange caves in the mountains here, and plenty of people go to those caves to explore. But after my daughter made one trip into the mountains, she became increasingly deranged after returning."
"At first, we thought she had developed a mental illness. We invited many renowned physicians to treat her, but none of them could do anything. Later, an eccentric Jianghu figure said it might be the work of demons, and only then did we think to invite Jianghu people to deal with the demons."
"But the demons were not eliminated, while my daughter only grew worse. Now she is not only deranged, but also harms herself. Maids and old servant women must watch her at all times, and she has become aggressive toward people as well."
After Steward Fang finished speaking, he wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeve.
He had only one son and one daughter.
This daughter had been the treasure of his heart since childhood.
Yet she had unexpectedly become like this. The sight of her broke his heart.
Buzz.
At that moment, the Demon Record in Ji Qing's mind trembled violently.
Ji Qing immediately understood that it would only react this way when encountering demons.
It seemed Miss Fang had indeed become like this because demons were at work.
Ji Qing had encountered demons before. Most of the time, he would simply rush in and fight.
But how could he act now?
The demon was inside Miss Fang's body.
To solve the problem once and for all was actually simple: he only needed to cut Miss Fang down with one stroke.
But Steward Fang would likely refuse.
Forcing the demon out while preserving Miss Fang's life was indeed very difficult.
Jianghu martial artists had come to look before.
Things like Internal Force and threats definitely would not work.
Thus, Ji Qing said to everyone, "All of you, move back."
The maids and old servant women all retreated behind Ji Qing.
"Miss Fang," who had shown no movement just moments ago, suddenly raised her head to stare at Ji Qing, an eerie smile curling at the corners of her lips.
Ji Qing reached out and gripped the hilt of his blade.
Boom.
His blade aura erupted.
Ji Qing seemed to become a blade himself, its edge fully revealed.
It seemed to be invisibly slicing at Miss Fang.
Blade aura was a power existing purely on the spiritual level.
Any being with a spirit could sense blade aura.
The moment Ji Qing unleashed his blade aura, Steward Fang, the maids, the old servant women, and the rest all went pale, terror filling their hearts.
As for Miss Fang, she was directly targeted by Ji Qing's blade aura.
Nearly ninety percent of the blade aura's pressure descended upon Miss Fang.
"Ah..."
"Martial artists... can't kill me..."
Sounds emerged from Miss Fang's mouth.
Like an infant who had yet to learn how to speak, every word came out haltingly.
Yet her eyes were incomparably vicious. She did not resemble a human woman at all.
Instead, she was more like a wild beast.
Ji Qing immediately understood that the blade aura was indeed effective, but not effective enough to make the demon voluntarily leave Miss Fang's body.
"If you won't come out, then die!"
Clang.
Ji Qing drew his blade.
The blade flashed, reaching Miss Fang's head almost instantly.
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