The Great Demon Luo Qingdie

A few days later, Chu Lu arrived at a large city called Hundred Years City. According to Luo Qingdie's introduction, it was the largest and most prosperous city in the vicinity.

Casting a simple spell to alter his appearance, Chu Lu then strode into the city.

It was still morning, and the streets were bustling with life.

Street vendors were hawking various breakfast items.

"Hey, hey, hey! Esteemed customer, would you like some Fried Luo?" Chu Lu was stopped by a vendor as he walked.

The strange name piqued his curiosity.

"What did you say you have?" Chu Lu asked.

"Fried Luo! It's a new popular breakfast item. Golden and crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. It makes a 'crunch' sound with every bite, absolutely delicious," the vendor promoted enthusiastically.

Chu Lu became interested and took a look, only to be stunned.

Isn't this just youtiao?

"Vendor, why is this called Fried Luo?" Chu Lu asked.

"Ah, esteemed customer, don't you know? It's because of Luo Qingdie."

Chu Lu: "??"

"That Luo Qingdie is truly a wicked person, a great demon. She was jealous of the virtuous and caused the downfall of the Inquiry Sword Sect, bringing suffering to us common folk. In a fit of anger, someone used dough to represent Luo Qingdie, threw it into hot oil, and it turned out to be quite tasty. Thus, Fried Luo was born."

Chu Lu: "What the heck? No, tell me in detail how..."

However, before Chu Lu could finish, a group of people arrived, holding copper coins and shouting in a clamor.

"Give me one Fried Luo."

"I want ten."

"Damn it, I want five, I'm going to bite this Luo the Demon to death."

The vendor's eyes lit up with a smile. He immediately got busy, pushing Chu Lu aside.

At this moment, Luo Qingdie's voice emerged, "Chu Lu, I have a bad feeling about this."

Chu Lu said, "I do too..."

Although Chu Lu had killed countless people, he still had principles. While he really wanted to understand the reason behind it, seeing how busy the vendor was, he didn't want to cause trouble by forcing an interrogation.

Since the matter seemed to be widely spread, he figured he could find out elsewhere.

Therefore, he quickened his pace.

After walking a bit further, he saw a crowd gathered by the roadside, unusually lively.

Upon closer inspection, he found a wooden sculpture standing in front. The sculpture was about the same size as a person, but crudely carved, barely resembling a woman. A piece of paper was pasted on its face, bearing the words: 'I am the great sinner Luo Qingdie.'

In front of the wooden sculpture, a group of people, faces full of excitement, were whipping it fiercely.

Beside them, someone who seemed to be the organizer was shouting loudly, "Whip Luo Qingdie! Whip Luo Qingdie! For one copper coin, you can draw a stick of incense! For one copper coin, you can vent your anger! Come quickly, everyone!"

Chu Lu: "..."

Luo Qingdie: "..."

They continued walking and then saw a bookstore selling popular books.

Chu Lu went over and discovered that eight out of ten books were related to Luo Qingdie.

The Downfall of Luo Qingdie, Who Harmed the Loyal and Righteous, The Legend of the Vicious Fiend Luo Qingdie, Luo Qingdie: A Wicked Bone and a Mad Heart, My Story of Battling Luo Qingdie, The Unspoken Stories Between Me and Luo Qingdie, Luo Qingdie's Secrets, With Leverage, I Successfully Made Luo Qingdie Submit, Luo Qingdie's Fall.

Chu Lu: "..."

Why do the titles seem increasingly strange?

Luo Qingdie's voice trembled slightly, "Chu Lu..."

Sensing that Luo Qingdie was not in a good state, Chu Lu decisively abandoned the idea of flipping through the last book.

He called the shopkeeper over and asked, "Shopkeeper, I'm new here and don't quite understand the situation. What's going on with this Luo Qingdie?"

The shopkeeper, clearly a businessman, smiled cheerfully and said, "What's the point of me telling you? Why don't you buy a book and read it yourself to find out?"

As he spoke, he picked up the last book and said with a lewd smile, "Buy it, you definitely won't regret it."

Chu Lu immediately refused, fearing Luo Qingdie would break down. He then picked up a book that seemed more decent, My Story of Battling Luo Qingdie, and said, "No, I'll buy this one. But I still want to know what's going on."

"Alright." Seeing that Chu Lu was willing to spend money on a book, the shopkeeper's attitude became much more enthusiastic. "Go straight ahead, turn right, then right again to Fulai Teahouse. The storyteller there has been recounting Luo Qingdie's deeds every day recently. Buy a bowl of tea there, and you can listen for free. You'll know everything then."

"Thanks." Chu Lu paid for the book and went to Fulai Teahouse.

The teahouse was quite crowded. Chu Lu chose a seat in a corner, ordered a bowl of tea, and then quietly listened to the storyteller's dramatic intonation from the stage.

"It is said that Luo Qingdie received much favor from the Inquiry Sword Sect. She was originally an unfavored daughter from a remote, small family. Her Master, the former Sect Leader of Inquiry Sword Sect, Ji Xiangshan, took pity on her and accepted her as a disciple, training her by his side."

"Although Luo Qingdie's talent was mediocre, she was deeply scheming, ruthless, and insatiably greedy. She found ways to extract benefits from her Master. Her Master, being a loyal and kind person, was soft-hearted and gave her whatever she asked for. As a result, he was completely drained of his wealth, and eventually even lost his position as Sect Leader."

"After Luo Qingdie became the Sect Leader, she became even more tyrannical, oppressing men and bullying women. She indulged in debauchery within the sect, harming countless innocent male cultivators. As the saying goes, outward appearance reflects inner nature. Perhaps because of this, Luo Qingdie was extremely ugly. A pig's head, a pig's brain, a pig's body, and a pig's tail – she was practically a pig spirit transformed into a human."

The audience burst into laughter.

Then someone shouted, "Stop the nonsense and quickly tell us how she destroyed the Inquiry Sword Sect."

"Right, right, hurry up. Tell us something interesting."

"Alright, alright," the storyteller said with a helpless expression, then began. "As everyone knows, the destruction of the Inquiry Sword Sect originated from a disciple named Liu Yan'er. This person was exceptionally beautiful, possessed immense talent, and was of impeccable character, widely beloved. You could say she was the complete opposite of Luo Qingdie. But precisely because of this, she incurred Luo Qingdie's jealousy and hatred."

Afterward, the storyteller recounted the entire process: how Luo Qingdie became enemies with Liu Yan'er, how she caused chaos at the Inquiry Sword Sect, how others tried to stop her but were all killed by Luo Qingdie.

The overall flow was similar to reality, except… the roles were completely reversed.

In the storyteller's telling, it became Luo Qingdie using all sorts of schemes and tricks to frame Liu Yan'er. The other disciples of the sect, unable to bear it any longer, helped Liu Yan'er resist Luo Qingdie, and then, like moths to a flame, they were all killed by Luo Qingdie.

What's more, this storyteller was quite skilled. He narrated this segment exceptionally well, stirring up emotions and fully showcasing Luo Qingdie's cruelty, as well as the nobility and tragic heroism of the other Inquiry Sword Sect cultivators in their final moments.

The audience listened, tears streaming down their faces, and they began to curse vehemently.

"Beast Luo Qingdie, you beast."

"I will be your sworn enemy for life!"

"Luo Qingdie, you are devoid of conscience, a scourge upon the nation! We wish we could devour your flesh and drink your blood to quench the hatred in our hearts!"

"Detestable Luo Qingdie, you wicked and treacherous villain, your name will be reviled for eternity, and your descendants will be shamed!"

Inside Chu Lu's body, Luo Qingdie had been trembling with rage as the storyteller recounted the distorted version of reality. Upon hearing the audience's heartfelt curses, she completely lost her composure.

She rushed to the chat group to vent.

"Family, who understands? I've become the number one great demon in the Nine Provinces!"

Hua Honglian: "?"

Xu Liniang: "?"

Zhu Shanlin: "?"

Liu Ruyue: "?"

Then Luo Qingdie began to explain. As she spoke, her grief and indignation grew. After explaining, she accused, "They're spouting nonsense, they're twisting the facts. They're deep-frying dough balls and calling it me, making wooden carvings and calling them me, they're even writing erotic novels about me! Erotic novels about me!"

Hua Honglian: "Tell us more about the erotic novels."

Xu Liniang: "Tell us more about the erotic novels."

Zhu Shanlin: "Chu Lu, you're watching, right? Go buy them quickly and upload them to the group. I'll pay!"

Liu Ruyue: "Me too."

Luo Qingdie: "You, you… wahhhhh!"

The chat group descended into chaos. After they fussed for a while, it finally quieted down, and they began to seriously discuss the problem.

Hua Honglian: "But just going around killing indiscriminately really isn't the way to go."

Xu Liniang: "Yeah, it's not that simple after all."

Zhu Shanlin: "There's always a price. The more casual the plan, the more troublesome the follow-up."

Liu Ruyue: "Equivalent exchange."

Luo Qingdie: "Then what should I do? How can I restore my reputation?"

Zhu Shanlin: "You'll have to find a major power and explain the situation, then have them clarify things. Which is the strongest righteous sect in your area? Do you have a good relationship with them?"

Luo Qingdie: "The strongest is the Heavenly Profound Immortal Sect. But I don't have much interaction with them. I only helped maintain the Magic Severing Array and killed demonic cultivators who came to harass us."

Zhu Shanlin: "That's enough. Go explain the situation to them."

Luo Qingdie: "But if I tell them, will they believe me?"

As soon as she said this, the few jokers in the chat group, as if injected with chicken blood, said in unison: "Then we'll dig out our bones in advance to prove our innocence!"

Hua Honglian: "If that's still not enough, then we'll dig out our Dao foundations."

Xu Liniang: "And the Phoenix Bone."

Zhu Shanlin: "Our life-bound magical artifact."

Liu Ruyue: "Jump off a cliff and break a leg."

Upon hearing this, Luo Qingdie also made up her mind: "Okay, let's do it then."

Chu Lu: "?"

Because the storyteller concluded the sect's destruction with a postscript-like segment, detailing what the fleeing cultivators were up to and how the demonic cultivators rejoiced upon hearing the news and planned to attack the mortal cities protected by the Inquiry Sword Sect, he joined the chat group a little later than Luo Qingdie.

He never expected that in just this short while, they would have cooked up such a heaven-defying plan.

"Are you guys crazy?" Chu Lu complained. "If you do this, then my Inquiry Sword Sect's sacrifices were all for nothing, right?"

Luo Qingdie: "But there's no other way. If your reputation isn't restored, you won't be able to complete the mission either, right?"

Hua Honglian: "Yes, this is a necessary sacrifice. Without it, there's no way to wash away the infamy you've incurred."

Xu Liniang: "Same here."

Zhu Shanlin: "Same here."

Liu Ruyue: "Same here."

Chu Lu couldn't help but retort, "Can you stop messing around? This bad reputation has nothing to do with me. It's obvious someone's pulling strings behind the scenes. Don't you guys think about it? It's only been a few days since this happened! How could it have spread so widely? Is communication this advanced here? And how can the rumors be the complete opposite of reality? Why haven't the Inquiry Sword Sect cultivators who fled come out to clarify?"

Hua Honglian: "This... that actually makes some sense."

Xu Liniang: "It really is a bit too fast."

Zhu Shanlin: "But who did it? And why would they do that?"

Liu Ruyue: "It's shrouded in mystery."

Chu Lu: "Who cares why! We'll find him and ask him, and then we'll know. The mastermind behind this wouldn't have caused such a big fuss without leaving any clues. If we follow the clues, we'll definitely catch them. So Luo Qingdie, stop crying. I said I could help you fix this, and I will!"

Luo Qingdie: "Okay..."

Hua Honglian: "Hey... do you guys feel it? Chu Lu sounds quite overbearing when he speaks."

Xu Liniang: "Indeed."

Zhu Shanlin: "Resolute and aggressive."

Liu Ruyue: "I'm a little tempted."

Chu Lu: "?"

The atmosphere in the chat group suddenly became strange, and Chu Lu felt uncomfortable all over, so he proactively exited.

He put the matters of that bunch of jokers behind him and prepared to deal with the current situation.

At this moment, the storyteller was also about to go off stage for a break.

Chu Lu quietly followed him and pulled him into a deserted corner. A moment later, he walked out as if nothing had happened.

"See? I wasn't wrong, was I?" Chu Lu said to Luo Qingdie in his mind. "Someone was indeed fanning the flames behind the scenes."

He had just apprehended the storyteller and interrogated him. As a mere mortal, the storyteller couldn't handle such a situation and immediately spilled everything like a popped bean.

The script for his storytelling wasn't something he had gathered himself, nor did he write it. Someone had actively given it to him, and that person had also demanded that he tell it over and over again, with the sole purpose of ruining Luo Qingdie's reputation.

And that person was the City Lord of Hundred Years City—Zhang Yongyan.

Zhang Yongyan also possessed some strength, with his cultivation reaching the Nascent Soul Mid-stage. However, in front of Chu Lu, that strength was no different from an ant by the roadside.

He broke into the City Lord's mansion, confronted Zhang Yongyan, and grabbed him to question him.

It was sorted out in a few moves.

It turned out he was also acting on someone else's behalf.

The mastermind was the City Lord of Qingyun City, who was a thousand miles away from this place. He provided the script and a complete set of slanderous procedures, paid a large sum of money, and demanded that Zhang Yongyan carry it out.

Chu Lu listened with a puzzled expression and asked in his mind, "Does this Qingyun City Lord have a grudge against you?"

Luo Qingdie also looked confused, "I don't know. I don't even know him."

"Forget it, let's just go ask him directly." After saying that, Chu Lu left the City Lord's mansion under the fearful gaze of a group of servants.

After he left, a servant responsible for cleaning in the mansion suddenly hid, took out a carrier pigeon, tied a message tube to its leg, and then released the pigeon.

The pigeon flew all the way outside the city to a certain location, where it was received by someone.

After reading the contents of the letter, that person immediately used a communication spell to transmit the information.

A moment later, at the Heavenly Profound Immortal Sect.

The Heavenly Profound Sect Master received the intelligence, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly as he said, "Luo Qingdie has taken the bait!"