I Killed That Evil Spirit

As soon as Xue Zhao stepped into the room, his gaze nailed itself onto Jiang Feng like a spike, his voice booming like a thunderclap:

"Jiang Feng, you had better tell me the truth! Why didn't Fan Qingyang and the others return? Did you murder them?"

This sharp shout echoed through the reception hall, clearly audible even outside.

The news that the scouting party had been attacked and that Jiang Feng was the only survivor had already spread like wildfire throughout the Medicine Hall. Many busybodies had gathered outside the hall, craning their necks, all desperate to be the first to know what had happened.

"Manager Xue, I am currently questioning Jiang Feng. Is it not a bit disrespectful to the old man here for you to barge in and interrogate him so aggressively?"

Xie Shu spoke with a cold face, his tone already tinged with displeasure.

Xue Zhao froze, only then realizing that Xie Shu was also present. The fierce look on his face instantly softened, and he quickly put on an apologetic smile:

"Manager Xie, please calm your anger. I mean you no disrespect, but I am simply too furious."

He raised a hand to point at Jiang Feng, his tone remaining aggressive:

"You may not know this, but this Jiang Feng is of poor character. Not only is he lazy and deceitful in his daily work, but he is also a compulsive liar. Many apprentices have complaints about him.

I suspect there is no evil spirit at all. It is clearly a ridiculous story he fabricated to cover up his own crimes."

Xue Zhao's words were resonant and his expression certain, which actually caused a flicker of doubt in Xie Shu's mind.

He did not truly know Jiang Feng, and he was aware that the boy was generally disliked and ostracized within the Medicine Hall.

He looked pitiful, but who could say that a pitiful person did not have their detestable side?

Although Song Huai valued the kid, if he were truly a person of poor character, Xie Shu would rather offend that old friend than send a menace to his side.

He looked at Jiang Feng, his gaze becoming more scrutinizing:

"Jiang Feng, describe it carefully. What did that evil spirit look like, and how did you manage to escape from its clutches?"

Seeing that Xie Shu had taken his side, Xue Zhao's face regained its previous arrogance, and he sneered in agreement:

"That's right, hurry up and tell us.

I'd love to hear how a Martial Apprentice who hasn't even reached the second level of the Blood-Moving Realm had such a legendary experience, managing to survive under the hands of an evil spirit!"

Jiang Feng did not look at the arrogant Xue Zhao; he had long anticipated that the man would come to cause trouble.

He answered Xie Shu's question with a serious expression, his tone steady and unhurried:

"Manager Xie, it was my first time seeing such an evil spirit, so my description might not be entirely accurate.

It had no physical form, looking like a mass of black mist twisted into a human shape. I am not entirely sure how it appeared."

"At first, it was attached to Fan Qingyang. Using his body, it went on to control the others one by one.

The only reason I was lucky enough to escape was that I was ostracized by Fan Qingyang and his group, so I wasn't the first one that thing set its sights on."

He paused, as if recalling details, and added:

"Every person it controlled had a circle of thin black lines around their neck, and also..."

As Jiang Feng's description became more specific, Xie Shu's expression gradually changed, shifting from initial doubt and scrutiny to seriousness and gravity.

As the resident manager of the Medicine Hall, he knew far more than those below him.

The characteristics Jiang Feng described matched the evil spirit that had recently infiltrated Black Water Town by eighty or ninety percent.

Based on this alone, he believed that Jiang Feng was not lying.

Xue Zhao, however, knew nothing of this. Seeing that Jiang Feng had finished speaking, he immediately sneered mockingly:

"Spin it! Keep spinning! Jiang Feng, how did I never notice you had such a talent for storytelling?

With this skill, you should go to the town tavern and find work as a storyteller. Being an apprentice in the Medicine Hall is truly a waste of your talents!"

He turned to Xie Shu and bowed solemnly, his tone becoming increasingly aggressive:

"Manager Xie, there is no need to listen to his nonsense anymore. I will take him away for a strict interrogation right now and get to the bottom of this!"

With that, he waved to his subordinates behind him: "Do it! Take him down for me!"

Receiving the order, those men swarmed toward Jiang Feng without a word.

Jiang Feng's gaze turned cold, his hand silently reaching for the dagger hidden at his waist.

The situation he least wanted to see had arrived. Once he was under Xue Zhao's control, right and wrong would be whatever the man chose to fabricate.

With Fan Qingyang's fate as a warning, he did not believe he had any chance of surviving.

Just as he was about to fight his way out regardless of the consequences, a cold and majestic voice suddenly rang out.

"All of you, stop!"

As the words fell, a heavy aura instantly enveloped the entire reception hall.

Everyone present froze in place, as if struck by a binding spell, not daring to move.

Xie Shu walked out from behind the crowd with a cold face, blocking Jiang Feng, his gaze scraping over Xue Zhao and the others like a blade:

"Xue Zhao, look clearly at where you are. This is not a place for you to act recklessly."

Xue Zhao's face changed drastically, the hair on his back standing on end.

Only then did he suddenly remember Xie Shu's strength. This unassuming little old man was a genuine Skin-Refining Realm martial artist.

Within the Benevolent Heart Medicine Hall, he might not be the strongest, but he was definitely among the top tier of power.

This was why Wu Han and Wu Tian were both very respectful to him and never dared to offend him lightly.

He bowed quickly, his voice dropping a notch:

"I apologize, Manager Xie. It was my rashness. Here, everything is subject to your arrangements."

A cold glint flashed through Xie Shu's slightly cloudy eyes.

Xue Zhao's apology was a facade; underneath, he was reminding him that Jiang Feng was ultimately an apprentice under his command. As long as he stepped out of this room, he could still manipulate him at will, and at that point, Xie Shu would have no right to intervene.

Xie Shu let out a cold snort and slowly withdrew his aura, his voice remaining icy:

"I can vouch for him. What Jiang Feng just said is highly likely to be true.

Moreover, a matter like this cannot be faked. Whether an evil spirit is lurking about, one only needs to send men to the scene to see.

However, based on his description, that was not the true body of an evil spirit, but a Chang Ghost spawned by one."

At this point, Xie Shu still looked puzzled. He looked at Jiang Feng and asked in a deep voice:

"But even if it were only a Chang Ghost, it is not something you few apprentices could handle. Jiang Feng, how exactly did you escape from its clutches?"

In truth, Xie Shu already believed Jiang Feng's words; asking now was mostly out of curiosity.

Was it luck?

He did not think Jiang Feng had anything to do with "good luck."

The fact that this kid had survived in the Medicine Hall until now without being tormented to death was already a sign of a tough life.

Seeing that Xie Shu had taken the initiative to defuse the situation for him, the tightly wound strings in Jiang Feng's heart finally loosened, and his hand resting on the dagger at his waist quietly let go.

He met Xie Shu's gaze and answered earnestly:

"Manager Xie, I did not escape from the Chang Ghost."

Xie Shu frowned even deeper: "What do you mean by that?"

Jiang Feng's expression was calm and composed as he said, word by word:

"I killed it, and then I ran back."