Qi Zhu Seeks Help

In the deep and silent alley, Fang Mu walked, clearly hearing his own breathing and footsteps.

Suddenly, a swift black shadow shot out from the intersecting alley ahead without any warning, thrusting a sword at him.

With a loud bang, the black shadow spat out blood and flew backward, leaving a trail of blood before vanishing into the darkness.

Fang Mu retracted his Zen Staff, not pursuing the shadow, feeling puzzled about who the attacker might be.

He had sensed someone following him earlier.

The opponent's movement technique was extremely mysterious and elusive; if Fang Mu hadn't possessed such a powerful perception, he might not have detected them at all.

He had suspected Tu Shan or Huihai, but judging by how heavily the black shadow was injured by his single blow, it couldn't have been either of them.

This left Fang Mu wondering, besides Tu Shan and Huihai, who else harbored murderous intent towards him?

Turning down a dark alley, Fang Mu saw several women nearby trying to solicit customers.

These women were heavily made up, looked very young, and wore thin black dresses that seemed somewhat sheer, inviting suggestive thoughts.

Fang Mu didn't continue forward. Instead, upon reaching the alley entrance, he turned without hesitation and quickly walked away down another alley.

It wasn't that Fang Mu was immune to temptation or abstained from women, but rather he detected a faint scent of blood.

Through his dark pupils, he saw a very faint trace of Demonic Energy on those women.

If he remembered correctly, when he acted as bait to lure out a demon fox some time ago, he had encountered this brothel.

He had later heard that there were many skeletons within the compound where the brothel was located, and the women who served customers at night had all disappeared.

After Fang Mu left, the brothel closed its doors, and the men who were ushered inside turned into withered bones, smiling all the while.

Inside the brothel's compound, in a dark room, two black figures were present.

"Next time you speak, can you find somewhere else? It's too bloody here, I don't like it."

"No choice. They need blood to maintain their human form. Eating these people lost in lust is better than randomly killing in the city."

"Let's talk business! Have you really decided to target his sister? Aren't you afraid he'll hate you to the bone when he finds out the truth?"

"If I had a choice, I wouldn't resort to this."

"We've already wasted too much time and still haven't found it."

"To prevent other forces from noticing, we can only use him as a lure to provoke demon attacks, destroy the Divine Wall, and bring about darkness."

"Try to keep it from him, don't let him hate you."

Fang Mu walked through the slums under the cover of night. Although he could occasionally hear the sounds of roars and growls from outside the city, he encountered no demons along the way.

Upon returning to his courtyard, Fang Mu didn't open the door. With a light leap, he was inside.

"Xiao Jing!"

Fang Mu walked towards the inner room and knocked softly on the door, calling out.

As candlelight flickered to life in the inner room, the door creaked open.

Fang Mu was taken aback to see Qi Zhu, her eyes red as if she had been crying.

"What's wrong?" Fang Mu closed the door, glanced at Fang Jing inside, and then asked Qi Zhu.

Qi Zhu suddenly threw herself into his arms, sobbing, and whispered, "Woody, take me away! I don't want to get married!"

Fang Mu was stunned for a moment, wondering if Qi Zhu's brain had short-circuited today.

"What happened? What's going on?" Seeing Qi Zhu's seemingly uncontrolled emotions, Fang Mu still asked.

"My father wants me to marry Tu Lang. I protested and disagreed, but he's adamant, so I ran here in anger."

"Who is Tu Lang?"

"Tu Shan's newly adopted son. He's said to be a First Rank Realm expert."

"Why would they want to marry you off to him?"

"I don't know! Tu Shan proposed to my father, and my father actually agreed."

Fang Mu led Qi Zhu to sit on a stool in the inner room, telling her to calm down.

Then he sat on a separate stool to the side, pondering.

Based on what he observed when he hid in the dry well cave, Ye Tian should care deeply about Qi Zhu and wouldn't force her to marry.

The only possibility was that Tu Shan had discovered Qi Zhu's Half-Demon identity and was using it to threaten her.

Of course, things might not be that simple; Tu Shan might have some inside information that Fang Mu was unaware of.

Tu Shan was ambitious, and becoming in-laws with Ye Tian might just be his first step.

His next move would likely be to figure out how to kill Ye Tian and take his place.

Therefore, whether for Qi Zhu or for the peace of Qingzhu City, Fang Mu had to stop Tu Shan.

After thinking for a long time, Fang Mu finally looked at Qi Zhu and said, "Go find your father and tell him I have a way to remove the Demonic Energy from your body."

"Ask him if freeing you from the Demonic Energy will grant you freedom and stop him from forcing you to marry."

Hearing Fang Mu's words, Qi Zhu was clearly taken aback and asked suspiciously, "There's Demonic Energy inside me? How come I didn't know?"

"You believe me?" Fang Mu didn't answer Qi Zhu, instead staring at her and asking back.

"Mhm!" Qi Zhu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Close your eyes!"

"Do what?"

"Close your eyes!"

"Oh."

Fang Mu looked at Qi Zhu, whose face was flushed with shyness, red as a monkey's backside, and felt a bit speechless.

He thought, I just want to draw out the Demonic Energy, why is she so worked up?

As streams of greenish-blue gas were drawn out by the Vital Energy controlled by Fang Mu, he was about to use his Black Eyes to absorb the Demonic Energy.

Suddenly, a suction force emanated from the watermelon-patterned rune on his right hand, absorbing the greenish-blue gas.

Xixi seemed very interested in the Demonic Energy within Qi Zhu, transmitting a feeling of excitement.

Fang Mu placed his hand on Qi Zhu's shoulder. Before he could make any move, a powerful suction force came from the rune on his right hand.

That suction force was frantically absorbing the Demonic Energy within Qi Zhu.

Qi Zhu was startled when Fang Mu placed his hand on her shoulder, deeply afraid Fang Mu would do something improper.

But after a while, Fang Mu made no further moves, which made Qi Zhu a little disappointed that Fang Mu hadn't acted inappropriately.

The conflicting emotions made Qi Zhu's face even redder. She could sense a hidden aura within her body being drawn out.

At this moment, with the Demonic Energy no longer affecting or suppressing her cultivation, Qi Zhu's cultivation broke through directly, advancing to the Fourth Rank Martial Artist realm.

Fang Mu extended his divine sense into Qi Zhu's dantian. He discovered the Demonic Energy that had been absorbed.

It was merely some demonic energy that had accumulated in Qi Zhu's dantian over the years.

After all the Demonic Energy was absorbed by Xixi, wisps of Demonic Energy still overflowed from Qi Zhu's body.

Clearly, absorbing the Demonic Energy from Qi Zhu was only a temporary fix.

Thus, Fang Mu thought of the Demonic Scripture, which could refine Demonic Energy for one's own use, making it practically tailor-made for Qi Zhu.