Chapter 86: The Rampaging Demon

Yun Jiao’s gaze darkened slightly. She switched hands to continue checking the pulse, her eyes sweeping over the man’s complexion and the faint traces of his injuries.

“How is it, girl?” the old man asked anxiously when she stayed silent for too long.

Only then did Yun Jiao withdraw her hand and reply calmly, “It’s fine. The demonic energy hasn’t entered his meridians. A purification talisman should be enough to cleanse the residual energy around his body.”

“Oh.” The old man nodded, relieved. If it hadn’t penetrated the meridians, then it wasn’t serious.

Bai Yu immediately pulled out a purification talisman, chanting the incantation. The talisman flared to life, a stream of white light sweeping over the young master of the Qi family. The faint green aura surrounding his body dispersed in an instant. His previously pale face regained a bit of color, and even his ragged breathing began to even out.

“My husband! How do you feel? Are you better?” The young woman at his side rushed forward, her voice filled with worry.

“Much better.” The young master’s face lit up with relief. “I feel much lighter. Thank you, heavenly masters.”

The woman bowed deeply. “Thank you for saving my husband.”

“No need for formalities, Madam Qi,” the old man replied quickly, helping her up. “Although the demonic aura has been purged, your husband’s body is still weak. He needs to rest and recover properly.”

The woman nodded repeatedly.

“Since the illness is dealt with,” Yun Jiao said evenly, her tone suddenly cooling, “let’s talk about the demon itself.” Her sharp eyes locked onto the man on the bed. “Tell me—what’s your relationship with that demon?”

“What?!” The moment she said this, everyone in the room turned to stare at her in shock. What did she mean by that?

Even Young Master Qi himself was startled. Something flickered in his eyes before he schooled his expression into confusion. “Heavenly Master, what do you mean by that? What relationship? I… I don’t understand.”

Before Yun Jiao could respond, the previously gentle Madam Qi suddenly flared up in anger. She sprang to her feet, eyes blazing. “What are you implying, Heavenly Master?” she demanded furiously. “Are you accusing my husband of colluding with that monster?”

“Heavenly Master, please be careful with your words,” the village chief added quickly, panic in his voice. “How could our kind-hearted Young Master Qi have anything to do with a demon? If not for that creature, he wouldn’t have been injured in the first place!”

“True, he’s tainted with demonic energy,” Yun Jiao said coldly, “but I doubt it’s something that happened recently.”

Her eyes fixed on the man lying on the bed. She didn’t bother arguing—she went straight to the point. “If I’m not mistaken, there’s a red mark on your right arm right now, isn’t there?”

The words struck like lightning. Madam Qi froze, as if realizing something. Young Master Qi’s face went pale; he instinctively drew his arm closer to his side.

“The mark is circular,” Yun Jiao continued, unbothered by their reactions, “and if you look closely, you can see faint lines forming the character for ‘bond.’ It’s a demon clan contract mark. It represents a shared life and death—and a demon would never make such a contract lightly. It means they’ve chosen to share lifespan with another, to be bound for life. In other words, it’s a marriage bond.”

She spoke plainly, remembering the one the demon king had once forced on her—only for her Grandmaster to tear it out later.

When she’d taken his pulse earlier, she’d already noticed something off. A faint trace of foreign blood power flowed through his veins—barely detectable, subtly nourishing his meridians. His frailty wasn’t caused by the demonic taint, but by the contract mark itself.

The binding force of that contract had been draining his life energy. That meant the mark had already flared once—likely when the other party, the demon, had been gravely injured. That would perfectly coincide with the disappearance of the four heavenly masters.

“Y-Young Master Qi…” the village chief stammered, staring at the man’s right hand in disbelief. “Is… is what the Heavenly Master said true?”

If he really knew that demon, then… what about the missing children? The thought made him tremble and step back in horror.

“You’re talking nonsense!” Madam Qi exploded, glaring at Yun Jiao with a fury so fierce she looked ready to lunge. “My husband has nothing to do with any demon! Stop spreading lies and slandering him!”

“If it’s nonsense, then have him roll up his sleeve and show us,” Yun Jiao said flatly.

“You—” Madam Qi’s face went white. She stood frozen in front of the bed, torn between shielding him and obeying.

“…Enough.” After a long pause, the man sighed. He gently pulled his wife aside and said in a low voice, “There’s no point hiding it anymore.”

“…Husband!” she gasped, horrified.

The village chief stared in shock.

“It can’t be helped,” the young master said, shaking his head. He turned to face the group, his voice calm but tinged with regret. “It’s true. I did know that demon. But I never imagined she would do something so monstrous.”

He took a deep breath, brows furrowing as he began to recount the story. “I met her three years ago at the gates of the academy in Luo City. I was still a student then. I thought she was just an ordinary woman. It happened to be raining heavily that day, so I lent her my umbrella. I didn’t expect her to become obsessed afterward—she kept appearing before me, saying she wanted to marry me.”

He glanced apologetically at his wife before continuing, “But I was already betrothed to Mian’er. How could I marry another? I refused her repeatedly, and in her rage she swore I would regret it. Then she vanished.”

Yun Jiao’s brow twitched. She immediately recalled a certain demon marriage contract she’d once seen herself. What was wrong with these demons and their love lives? Did they all take lessons from the demon king? The whole race seemed incapable of normal relationships!

“Afterward,” he said quietly, “I returned to the village and married Mian’er. I thought she had given up. I never saw her again… until recently. When the disappearances began, I caught a glimpse of her. Only then did I realize the truth—that the demon tormenting our village was her. But before that… I truly had no idea.”

The tension in the room eased slightly. The village chief sighed in both pity and anger. “Heaven help us. To think such wickedness exists in the world—those poor children!”

Young Master Qi turned toward Yun Jiao and the others, urgency in his eyes. “Masters, she must be targeting me. My life means little, but the children—and my wife—they’re innocent! Please, I beg you, save them!”

Yun Jiao frowned slightly. Something about this still felt… off. But she only nodded. “That’s what we’re here for. Do you know where this demon is hiding?”

“I don’t know for sure,” he said. “But she’s likely in the mountains behind the village. That’s where the previous heavenly masters disappeared.”

He hesitated, then suddenly seemed to remember something. “Ah—Mian’er, the box in the cabinet.”

His wife quickly fetched it, and he handed it to Yun Jiao. “This item belonged to her. It might help you find her.”

Yun Jiao opened it and found a delicate jade pendant inside—small, yet intricately carved.

“Her love token?” Yun Jiao raised an eyebrow.

The man’s expression twitched, and he hurried to explain, “She forced it on me!”

“Alright then.” Yun Jiao didn’t press further. She tossed the jade pendant to the old man. “Let’s go check the back mountain.”

Without wasting another word, she turned and walked out of the Qi estate. The others quickly followed, leaving the village chief behind to watch them disappear up the path toward the dark forested hills.

(End of Chapter)