Observing the Demon Transform into Human Form, the Dao Fruit Gives Birth to a Jade

In the early morning after the spring rain, sunlight streamed through the thin clouds, draping the world in a warm, golden veil.

Inside the courtyard, a woman in simple cloth clothing, her back to An Le and Huang Xian at the entrance, was tending to her potted plants. Washed by the spring rain, the flowers and plants were even more vibrant and alluring. Bathed in the morning sun's golden light alongside the woman, the scene exuded a sense of peace.

An Le's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the woman.

It wasn't due to her beauty, nor her impressive figure that even her coarse clothing couldn't conceal.

It was because the woman possessed wisps of "time qi" that rose and coiled around her incessantly!

By his count, there were over twenty wisps!

What did this signify?

Girl Zhuifeng of the Lin residence and Fairy Yun Rou on the flower boat only had a dozen or so wisps of time qi. Yet, this woman in the alley near the Imperial Ancestral Temple possessed over twenty!

Furthermore, An Le sensed something different about her time qi.

The time qi emanating from the woman wasn't just gray; the surface of the flow seemed to possess a deep, dark hue, exuding an extreme allure.

It was like... demonic qi!

An Le's gaze sharpened slightly.

A demon?

In this world, besides cultivators, there were also beings born from the essence of heaven and earth, possessing nascent wisdom, known as demons.

Legends of demons dated back to ancient times, with tales of malevolent demons slaughtering living beings and benevolent demons like the pond snail repaying kindness...

More recently, it was rumored that a snake demon with a thousand years of cultivation was sealed beneath West Lake.

An Le never imagined that this woman, living in an alley so close to the Great Zhao Imperial Ancestral Temple, might actually be a demon.

Huang Xian, due to the difference in their cultivation levels, didn't notice anything unusual about the woman. He perceived her as an ordinary person.

An Le remained composed and followed Huang Xian into the courtyard.

This wasn't a grand courtyard, merely a simple one, but to An Le, it was sufficient. The main reason was its size, allowing him ample space to practice the Five Animal Frolics.

Seeing visitors, the woman calmly stopped her work and turned around gracefully.

The woman wasn't stunningly beautiful, but combined with her voluptuous figure, she possessed a captivating charm.

"Sister-in-law, this is Young Master An. He needs a place to stay, so I brought him here," Huang Xian said with a smile upon seeing the woman.

The woman glanced at An Le. Such a handsome young man made her pause for a moment before she bowed and greeted him.

An Le returned the courtesy with a bow.

"Young Master An, this... this courtyard is for sale for six hundred taels. Can you accept?" the woman asked with a gentle smile.

An Le surveyed the courtyard, which was immaculately clean and adorned with refreshing potted plants. He smiled faintly and, without haggling, nodded. "Yes, I can."

An Le then took out his money pouch and extracted two Primordial Spirit Treasures.

"Two Primordial Spirit Treasures make six hundred taels. Please take it, madam," An Le said, handing the treasures to the woman.

The gentle woman accepted the treasures and then handed over the deed to An Le, bowing. "Young Master An, this courtyard now belongs to you. The plants in the courtyard were carefully cultivated by me. They are also living beings. I hope you will take good care of them."

An Le smiled and bowed in return. "Madam, rest assured. When I practice martial arts, I will move the potted plants to avoid harming them."

Upon hearing this, the woman smiled at An Le.

Seeing the transaction completed, Huang Xian felt quite pleased. Six hundred taels for a simple courtyard was, to be honest, a bit overpriced. If it were sold through an agent, it wouldn't fetch such a price.

Huang Xian simply hoped that this mother and child could earn more silver and have a good life after leaving Lin'an.

"Sister-in-law, be careful after you leave Lin'an. This world is not peaceful," Huang Xian said, looking at the woman as he advised her.

The woman nodded. "After I send Nannan back to my maiden home, I will return to Lin'an..."

Huang Xian was taken aback.

"Regarding my husband's death, Captain Huang must know the inside story... Someone wanted him dead. When I return to the capital, I will seek justice," the woman murmured, lowering her head, her long hair cascading down.

Huang Xian was momentarily speechless, feeling as if a mountain of stone had lodged in his throat.

An Le, overhearing their conversation, realized there was more to the story. However, it wasn't his place to inquire. With a thought, he absorbed two wisps of time qi from the woman.

Huang Xian only had two wisps of time qi in total. Having absorbed them all, An Le could no longer draw any more.

With two wisps of time qi added to his tally, An Le couldn't help but feel a surge of joy, because... he discovered that one of those wisps was a "flowing golden time qi" capable of forming a Dao fruit!

A little girl with pigtails ran out from inside the house. She seemed a bit shy and timidly hid behind the woman. The woman took out a prepared travel bag and nodded at An Le.

"Young Master An, thank you for your generosity," the woman said softly, completely unaware that she had been "fleeced."

She knew that this small courtyard wasn't worth six hundred taels. She believed An Le had generously paid the price because he pitied her and her daughter. She truly needed the silver and would remember this kindness.

"No need to thank me, Madam. This is a transaction, mutually agreed upon. I wish you a safe journey."

An Le smiled.

The woman looked deeply at An Le. His eyes… did he see something?

But the woman didn't dwell on it. Carrying her luggage with the little girl, she cast a final glance at the small courtyard, perhaps filled with good memories, and turned to leave, disappearing into the crowd on Qingbo Street and the morning mist.

"Sigh," Huang Xian sighed.

"Captain Huang, is there more to this matter?" An Le asked. "If it's inconvenient, you don't have to say."

Huang Xian shook his head. "It's not inconvenient. It's just the filth and darkness hidden beneath Lin'an Prefecture's prosperity. Someone using their power to bully others."

"There are many nobles in Lin'an Prefecture, and nobles have many privileges. Some nobles, relying on their privileges, are unrestrained and act recklessly. It's tiresome to say more."

"Although the Black Yamen governs cultivators, some nobles are beyond their reach, and they dare not intervene."

Huang Xian wasn't in high spirits. After a few brief words, he bid farewell to An Le. "Young Master An, congratulations on your new home. I have to go handle a case. With Young Master An's painting in hand, the suspect is sure to be caught."

"After I finish work, I'll bring a pot of old yellow wine and have a good drink with Young Master An."

An Le bowed in return. Huang Xian, with a saber at his waist, looked in the direction the woman and her daughter had left, sighed again, as if he had aged a bit, his back slightly hunched, and strode away.

An Le closed the courtyard gate and placed his backpack inside. The courtyard and its surroundings were cleaned very thoroughly. Although the woman was a demon, she truly lived her life like an ordinary woman.

Huang Xian hadn't fully explained the woman's situation, and An Le didn't think about it further.

With a flicker of his mind, the faint, golden stream of time qi, imbued with a hint of demonic allure, that he had absorbed from the woman began to transform into a golden incense stick, slowly burning.

The moonlight poured down like water, bathing the mortal world.

In the deep mountains, ancient trees were gnarled.

On an ancient pine tree, its roots intertwined and growing on a rocky outcrop, a squirrel sat in a cross-legged position on a branch.

The moonlight cascaded down, and the squirrel bathed in it, its bushy tail swaying slightly.

Faintly, it seemed as if essence of moonlight was permeating, being absorbed bit by bit by the squirrel, causing its demonic aura to radiate.

Absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, and experiencing the baptism of heaven and earth, this was the transformation of a demon into its human form.

A vigorous demonic energy surged, enveloping the squirrel like a black mist. Gradually, the demonic energy expanded, resembling an enormous pinecone.

After a long while, the demonic energy began to dissipate slowly. From within the black demonic energy, a fair, jade-like long leg slowly emerged, so white it was dazzling under the cold moonlight.

The scene gradually faded. An Le's consciousness returned. The stream of time qi he had absorbed from the woman had actually allowed him to witness the process of this demon transforming.

It had caught An Le a bit off guard.

That woman was actually a squirrel demon. After transforming, for some reason, she married a human. There were likely many stories behind this.

However, An Le would not know these stories.

On the screen before him, azure text appeared.

[Acquired Time Dao Fruit: Quenching Demon Jade]
[Note: Quenching Demon Jade (Dao Fruit): The jade absorbs demonic qi, allowing it to summon the jade's demonic qi to aid in body tempering, strengthening it like a demonic body; wearing the jade can weaken the influence of demonic qi.]

An Le took a deep breath. Suddenly, a strong demonic wind swept through the courtyard. The demonic qi gathered like dark clouds, making the flowers and grass sway and dust fly.

When the demonic wind and qi dispersed, a round, flat, nine-patterned white jade with tassels floated down into his palm.

At the same time.

In the Imperial Ancestral Temple, an octagonal, double-eaved, pointed-roof pavilion several miles from the small courtyard.

An elder with long eyebrows, dressed in plain clothes, was holding a brush and painting on a desk.

Suddenly, the elder's brushstrokes paused. He turned his head and looked towards the separate courtyard in the temple alley, a surprised smile appearing on his face.

"Just as one squirrel demon left, such dense demonic qi has appeared…"

"To dare make a nest near the Imperial Ancestral Temple, this demon clearly doesn't put this old man in his eyes."

The elder put down his brush, clasped his hands behind his back, and pushed open the temple door.

He walked unhurriedly towards the small courtyard in the alley.

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