So it turns out I'm the demon!

Chapter 266 The Future Father-in-Law?

Everyone turned to look.

At a side table at the very edge of the banquet, a man was sitting.

The man looked to be in his forties, with messy hair tied back and a face covered in stubble that hadn't been shaved in ages, making him appear quite unkempt. "Who are you?"

The woman in yellow frowned slightly and asked coldly.

The slovenly man smacked his lips, let out a burp, and said casually:

"I was just watching the show."

"However, I can testify that the kid did go to Ye Liu Lane before, but he didn't peep at women taking a bath."

"What makes you think you can testify for him?" the woman in yellow sneered. "Could it be that you're all part of the same despicable gang?"

The disheveled man ignored her and looked at the little boy who had pointed him out, asking, "Little guy, are you sure you saw him?" The little boy, hiding behind the woman in yellow, shouted:

"Of course, I saw him leaning over the wall, and I yelled. The man was so scared that he jumped down from the wall and ran away."

"Oh?"

The disheveled man asked with a grin, "So how did he get away?"

"How else can I run? Of course, I'll just take off running!" the little boy replied.

"Just like a normal person, you can run very fast, right?"

"yes."

The little boy nodded.

The slovenly man nodded.

He turned to look at Yang Zheng, who was kneeling on the ground, strangled by the rope, and suddenly waved his sleeve.

The black hair that was tightly wrapped around Yang Zheng's neck suddenly came loose and fell to the ground.

The woman in the yellow shirt's expression suddenly changed.

She secretly tried to reassemble her black hair, but found that her spiritual power could not get close, as if there was a barrier separating her.

The disheveled man pointed at Yang Zheng, who was panting heavily, and laughed, "Kid, stand up and give everyone a run."

Yang Zheng clutched his neck, panting heavily, his legs still weak.

He stared blankly at the disheveled man, a hint of disbelief in his eyes, his lips moving slightly as if he recognized him.

"run!"

The disheveled man's voice deepened.

Yang Zheng's eyes reddened, and he turned around and started running hard in the open space of the courtyard.

Everyone's expressions immediately turned strange upon seeing this.

Yang Zheng's running posture was quite strange, with one leg higher than the other, and his right leg was clearly not able to exert any force.

He's a cripple!

Judging from his awkward and labored gait, it was clearly not an act.

"Little one, is that how that person you're looking at is running?"

The slovenly man asked the little boy with a smile.

The little boy stared blankly for a long time, his face flushed, before stammering, "No... that's not it. That person ran really fast, and his legs were perfectly fine."

The disheveled man chuckled and looked at the woman in yellow:

"Young lady, now you should believe me, right? This young man has a leg ailment; he's been framed."

The woman in the yellow shirt's face darkened.

She scoffed and asked, "Even if it wasn't him, tell me, who was spying?"

The disheveled man shrugged: "I don't know about that."

"If you don't know, what gives you the right to pretend to be a good person!"

The woman in yellow remained stubborn and said, "Trying to clear his name with this method is naive! If he were truly innocent, why did he hesitate and not dare to speak clearly when I questioned him earlier?"

His shifty eyes and guilty conscience clearly indicate he's hiding something! Even if it wasn't him, he must know the person who was spying!

These words caused a few slight commotions among the guests, but they quickly subsided.

Anyone could hear the sophistry in those words.

However, considering that this woman was a disciple of the Liuli Chanxin Sect, no one dared to speak up for her for a time.

Offending the Buddhist sect for the sake of a first-level rogue cultivator and a slovenly man?

Unless you've got your brain caught in a door.

Faced with the woman's unreasonable nagging, the slovenly man scoffed and shook his head:

"It is said that the Liuli Chanxin Sect is a sacred Buddhist site, and its disciples are all living bodhisattvas who sweep the floor for fear of harming the lives of ants and cherish moths by covering lamps with gauze. Today I have witnessed it firsthand."

So-called Bodhisattvas are those who do not listen to explanations and do not question right or wrong.

A mind as clear as crystal, ho ho, truly untouched by any dust.

"How dare you! You beggar, how dare you insult my sect?!"

The frost on the woman in yellow's face suddenly broke, replaced by a surge of murderous intent. "Today I'll teach you a lesson about the karma of speech!"

She reached her right hand to her waist.

A lotus-shaped jade pendant shone brightly.

The woman clasped her hands together, forming a lotus mudra with her fingertips, and her spiritual energy surged forth like a tide.

A golden lotus-shaped sword light bloomed out of thin air in front of her.

The petals are layered upon layered.

Each petal is a sharp sword aura.

The guests at the closest tables were so frightened that they leaned back, and some of the more timid ones even fell to the ground, chair and all.

In an instant, bowls and chopsticks fell to the ground with a crash, soup splattered everywhere, and everyone was in a mess.

"Duh!"

The woman in yellow shouted, and the lotus-shaped sword spun as it slashed towards the disheveled man.

The surrounding tablecloth was cut with countless fine slits.

The sound of porcelain plates shattering echoed throughout the room.

The woman's cultivation level is at the fourth realm.

This technique is considered superior in power among the four realms, further enhanced by the unique Buddhist mental cultivation methods of the Liuli Chanxin Sect.

The sword's edge carried a faint, captivating chant.

When the woman made her move, the slovenly man remained seated and did not budge.

"Sect Leader!"

Yang Zheng couldn't help but speak up to remind him.

Sect Leader?

Jiang Mu was secretly surprised.

No wonder that kid had that expression when he saw that man; it turns out he was the former sect leader.

I remembered Yang Zheng saying earlier that his former sect was gone.

Clearly, something unexpected happened.

But now this sect leader is willing to help a former disciple of the first realm, so at least this sect leader is not a bad person.

"I'm going to offend someone again."

The disheveled man sighed, grabbed a wine glass from the table, and casually splashed it forward.

The spilled wine suddenly solidified in mid-air, transforming into a transparent wine blade about a foot long, which flew towards the golden lotus.

You can even see tiny bubbles churning at the edge of the blade.

It was mixed with a hint of metallic sharpness.

Without any terrifying collision, the wine blade lightly passed through the center of the golden lotus.

The lotus-shaped sword light dissipated with a roar.

The blade, undeterred, grazed the woman in yellow's temple.

A few strands of her shaved hair drifted down from beside her ear.

The lingering force caused the woman in yellow to groan, her feet sliding backward about ten feet, leaving two white marks on the stone slab with the soles of her shoes. She bumped into a table before managing to regain her balance.

"stop!"

Just then, a loud voice came from the direction of the main hall.

A burly man with broad shoulders and a thick waist strode out.

The man had a short, upright mustache, and his eyes, though not angry, exuded an aura of authority and dominance.

With his appearance, an invisible pressure spread outwards like a tide.

Those guests with low cultivation levels in the courtyard felt their legs go weak under this pressure, and many even broke out in a cold sweat and involuntarily bent over.

Shen Hufei, leader of the Black Shark Gang and a seventh-realm cultivator!

Jiang Mu immediately pictured the portrait in the top-secret imperial archives.

The person in question has shown up.

Shen Hufei stopped in front of the slovenly man.

He first glanced at the mess around him, then at the angry woman in yellow, and finally fixed his gaze on the disheveled man, clasping his hands in a fist salute:

"My friend, you are a guest from afar."

Today is my mother's 80th birthday, and both my friend and this young lady are distinguished guests of mine. If there is any misunderstanding, why not sit down for a drink and discuss it calmly? Why make a fuss over such a trivial matter?

The slovenly man chuckled and placed the empty wine glass on the table.

"Chief Shen should have arrived by now, right? Why didn't you show up when this girl was treating human life so lightly?"

Now that she's messed up, you're stepping in to play peacemaker?

Faced with ridicule, Shen Hufei remained calm and composed.

"You flatter me. I only feel that as a senior of the eighth realm, it would be bad for your reputation to humiliate a junior woman like this if word got out."

At this point, Shen Hufei's gaze sharpened as he stared into the disheveled man's eyes, emphasizing each word:

"Furthermore, judging from your 'Wine Transforms into Blade Qi' technique just now... if I am not mistaken, you should be the former sect leader of the Heavenly Blade Sect, Duanmu Hanshan, right?"

Duanmu Hanshan!

Upon hearing these four words, Jiang Mu was stunned.

He looked up in astonishment, staring incredulously at the unshaven, unkempt man.

Ah Li's father?

Aunt Tang's ex-husband?

Not only Jiang Mu, but all the martial arts practitioners around him were equally horrified when they heard this name.

After all, the Heavenly Blade Sect was once one of the top sects.

After the old sect leader passed away, the Heavenly Blade Sect declined year by year. Its members dwindled, and its territory was gradually encroached upon.

Recently, news even circulated that the Heavenly Blade Sect had disbanded.

This left many older generations of martial arts practitioners sighing with regret.

Who would have thought that the former leader of the Heavenly Blade Sect would appear here alone in such a destitute state?

At the same time, some people present became enthusiastic.

Before the Heavenly Blade Sect disbanded, a rumor circulated in the martial arts world that Jiang Chaoxi's treasures were hidden inside.

Considering the venerable elder of the Heavenly Blade Sect held Jiang Chaoxi in high esteem back then, this rumor has some credibility.

That's why so many people went to the Heavenly Blade Sect to loot and search.

This ultimately led to the disbandment of the sect.

Even after the organization was disbanded, the Imperial Guard continued to search for Duanmu Hanshan's whereabouts.

Now that Duanmu Hanshan has appeared here, even if they are not strong enough to capture him alive, they will surely receive a considerable reward if they can reveal the clues to the Imperial Guard.

For a moment, everyone had different thoughts.

Duanmu Hanshan sighed deeply, his tone tinged with helplessness:

"I was planning to sneak into Chief Shen's residence to find something. Too bad, I revealed my identity while helping this brat." With that, he turned and glared at Yang Zheng, cursing angrily.

"You stupid brat, the reason I used to flatter you every day, saying you had extraordinary talent and were a peerless genius, was because my Heavenly Blade Sect couldn't recruit anyone else, so I just used you to make up the numbers and save face."

Later, when the sect was disbanded, I made it clear to you: you're dull-witted and have narrow meridians; you'll never amount to anything no matter how hard you try.

I'll give you travel expenses so you can go back to your hometown, farm, and get married.

You, on the other hand, insist on heading down this dead end of spiritual practice. What's wrong with farming? At least you can have enough to eat.

"Sect Master, I..."

Yang Zheng's face flushed red, and he lowered his head in shame.

After reprimanding Yang Zheng, Duanmu Hanshan stared intently at Shen Hufei and spoke calmly:

"Now that my identity has been revealed, I will speak frankly."

Twelve years ago, my son was murdered; his heart and lungs were ripped out while he was still alive.

At the time, my wife told me to take revenge, but I didn't.

Because I'm afraid.

That person had ties to the imperial court; he was a dog kept by the Imperial Guard.

If I were to harm that dog, I would kill hundreds of people in the entire Heavenly Blade Sect.

After all, the old man had just passed away, and the Heavenly Blade Sect was on the verge of collapse. If it weren't for General Chang protecting us out of consideration for our past relationship, the imperial court would have found a pretext to wipe us out long ago.

I can't afford to gamble..."

Hearing this story, Jiang Mu thought of Aunt Tang.

Duanmu Hanshan continued:

"My wife couldn't stand my cowardice, and in a fit of anger, she severed all ties with me and the Heavenly Blade Sect, embarking on a path of revenge alone. She was quite clever, knowing that the outlaws of the martial world couldn't defeat the imperial court, so she joined the Demon Slayer Division."

Later, leveraging the influence of the then-Water Master, she used the pretext of exorcising demons to rightfully kill the murderer who killed my son years ago, thus avenging her blood feud.

At this point, Duanmu Hanshan stepped forward, his body radiating an aura of eighth-level sword energy, directly threatening Shen Hufei:

"But she didn't know that there were actually two people who killed my son back then!"

And the remaining one is none other than you, Chief Shen, who is always known for your "benevolence and righteousness," right?

Faced with Duanmu Hanshan's accusations, Shen Hufei appeared puzzled:

"It seems that Sect Leader Duanmu has misunderstood me. I have lived an upright life and have never even seen your son's face, so how could I have harmed him? There may be other hidden reasons in this matter. I hope Brother Duanmu will investigate thoroughly."

"Misunderstand?"

Duanmu Hanshan chuckled.

"The reason my son was targeted by you was because he was born with a special constitution, and his heart and lungs contained a rare pure yang essence. In fact, my son was not the only one who died from having his heart and lungs emptied."

However, the imperial court handled all those murder cases for you.

And why did you resort to such a heinous act, Chief Shen? Wasn't it to use that evil magic to prolong the life of your son, who was born with a disability?! To save your son's life, you were willing to be a lackey, helping the Imperial Guard monitor martial arts sects and secretly slaughtering those cultivators who refused to submit to the imperial court. If not for that, would your Black Shark Gang have achieved its current glory?

"Your seventh-realm orthodox Heavenly Gang star position, from whose flesh and blood did you pluck it?!"

These words contain a great deal of information.

The surrounding martial arts practitioners gasped in shock and instinctively took a few steps back, all looking at Shen Hufei with suspicion.

After all, Shen Hufei has an excellent reputation.

Few would believe that such a benevolent and righteous hero was actually a ruthless lackey of the imperial court.

Shen Hufei stood still, like a cast-iron statue.

The lantern light slanted across his face, casting a shadow that concealed his expression. "I don't understand what Brother Duanmu is saying."

Shen Hufei's tone remained calm.

"Today is my mother's 80th birthday, and all the guests have come to celebrate her birthday."

If Brother Duanmu has come to ask for a cup of birthday wine, I, Shen, welcome him.

If Brother Duanmu insists on coming here today, here, to interrogate me based on your own conjecture and baseless accusations, then I regret that I cannot accompany you. The door is over there, please.

Some Black Shark Gang members moved out from under the eaves on both sides of the front yard, their hands on the hilts of their knives.

Shen Hufei gave him the order to leave.

Although Duanmu Hanshan's realm was one realm higher than his.

However, the two were of the same star level, and besides, this was Black Shark Gang territory.

If a real fight breaks out, he might not be much afraid of the other side.

"It seems Chief Shen's memory isn't very good."

Duanmu Hanshan took an object out of his pocket.

Upon closer inspection, it was a bizarre mask resembling the blue-faced, fanged mask found in Nuo opera, with a few traces of blood still wet on it.

Duanmu Hanshan pinched the edge of the mask and shook it:

"I found this in a secret room in Ye Liu Lane. I don't know if that place is under Chief Shen's name?"

The moment Shen Hufei saw the mask in Duanmu Hanshan's hand, his pupils contracted sharply, and his expression changed drastically.

He roared in a fit of rage, "What have you done to my son?!"

Duanmu Hanshan grinned: "Oh? So that monster, neither human nor ghost, really is your son?"

"What did you do to my son?!"

Shen Hufei's eyes turned bloodshot, and he shattered the floor tiles with a single step, like an enraged lion.

A sudden gust of wind arose.

The lanterns in the courtyard were being blown around wildly.

A powerful, oppressive aura erupted from his body, instantly shattering all the tables and chairs in the courtyard.

Several cultivators with low cultivation levels even coughed up blood.

The skeptical looks that had been on everyone's minds just moments before now turned into fear and bewilderment.

Now they believe what Duanmu Hanshan said.

After all, no one had ever heard of Chief Shen having a son before this.