Chapter 93: Confrontation

The matter with the demons had been resolved—but the problem had actually gotten worse.

The children were still missing.

Those ten or so children from the village couldn’t have simply vanished into thin air. If they weren’t taken by demons, then who could have done it?

“Fellow cultivators…” Among the four exorcists, the highest-ranked was Master Chen of the One Flower level, the same rank as the old man. His expression was grim as he spoke:

“I believe the key to this matter still lies with that Young Master Qi.”

Yun Jiao nodded. Indeed, it was that scumbag Qi who had claimed the children were taken by demons, leading them up the mountain. If she hadn’t personally met Ji Li, and if the snake demon hadn’t captured the exorcists, they would have assumed the demons were the culprits.

But now it was obvious: Qi Cheng had deliberately lured them there, hoping to make them his blades—borrowing others’ hands to do his killing.

He’d first deceived Ji Li into giving up her inner core, and now he wanted to use the missing-children incident to have the exorcists eliminate her for him.

“It seems we’ll have to confront Qi Cheng directly,” the old man suggested.

No one disagreed.

The snake demon, still lying on the ground, grew anxious and quickly said, “I’ll go too! He took the princess’s inner core, I—”

“Forget it.” Yun Jiao gave him a once-over. “If you go, things will only get more complicated.”

Exorcists like them were used to such things, but ordinary people would panic at the mere sight of a demon. They’d never listen to an explanation.

“But…”

“We’ll make sure to ask about the core.”

Yun Jiao handed Ji Li a transmission talisman. “Take this and go home for now. Don’t wander around and frighten the villagers. If anything happens, I’ll contact you.”

Ji Li sniffled and nodded. Perhaps because Yun Jiao had managed to make her understand earlier, she now felt a strange sense of trust toward her. Her large, tear-filled eyes looked up hopefully.

“But… I don’t want to go back. Can I stay with you, mo—”

“No!” Yun Jiao rejected her instantly. What’s with this habit of randomly adopting mothers? Was this some kind of mother-complex issue?

But remembering the girl was only ten years old in human terms, Yun Jiao sighed and added, “Running away from home isn’t what good chil—good little demons do.”

Ji Li lowered her head, looking pitiful. The snake demon beside her, however, was much more composed. He bowed respectfully.

“Please, Divine Healer Yun, I leave the matter of the princess’s core in your hands.”

“Mm.” Yun Jiao nodded. Watching as the two disappeared into the teleportation array leading back to the demon realm, she finally turned and prepared to head down the mountain.

“Girl, are we going straight to the Qi residence?” the old man asked casually.

Yun Jiao stopped in her tracks and glanced back at the four battered exorcists behind them, then turned a look on her master.

“What do you think?”

“I understand!” The old man nodded immediately. “We eat first.”

“…”

The four starving exorcists were one thing—but more importantly, it was nearly noon.

If her master didn’t eat soon, he’d probably perish from hunger.

---

Whether because exorcists healed quickly or because they were too stubborn to die, after resting at the foot of the mountain for just an hour and having a meal, all four had recovered.

Their faces were still a bit pale, but they could walk and talk as usual.

Out of sheer professionalism, they insisted on accompanying Yun Jiao to the Qi estate. She didn’t refuse and even brought along the bewildered village chief.

After all, if this wasn’t the work of demons or spirits, then it was no longer the exorcists’ domain—it was a human crime.

“Children?” Qi Cheng looked up, all innocence. Aside from being briefly startled to see the four exorcists alive, his expression didn’t change at all.

“Weren’t the children taken by demons? How would I know where they are?”

Everyone’s faces darkened at once.

Even now, he was refusing to admit anything.

“Young Master Qi,” said Master Chen sternly, stepping forward. “You deceived that cat demon and stole her core. Then you deliberately led us into the mountains to ‘slay demons.’ Are you really going to claim ignorance of the children’s whereabouts?”

“Master, what are you implying?” Qi Cheng’s face flickered with a trace of panic but quickly regained its frail, sickly calm. “It’s unfortunate you didn’t find the children—but what does that have to do with me?”

“Indeed!” the village chief chimed in, clearly unconvinced. “Surely there’s been a misunderstanding. Young Master Qi has no grudges with the children, and his family has lived here for generations. He’d have no reason to do such a thing!”

The group’s frustration deepened. But with him denying everything, there was little they could do.

So they changed the subject.

“Then let’s set aside the children for now,” Master Chen said coldly. “What about the demon core? We don’t care what happened between you and that cat demon, but she never harmed anyone. Taking her core is cutting off her life itself—an unforgivable act!”

“Demon core? What demon core?” Qi Cheng still feigned confusion. “You must be joking. That creature did entangle herself with me, but I’m just a mortal. How could I possibly take something like that? Don’t tell me you’ve let a demon bewitch you!”

“Young Master Qi, think carefully.” Master Chen’s brows furrowed deeper. “You bear a contract mark. When a demon loses its core, it may revert to a beast or even die outright—and the one bound by the contract shares its fate.

If you’re lying, then you too are marked for death.”

Qi Cheng’s face paled, his eyes flickering with something unspoken. But after a moment, he still shook his head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never seen any demon core.”

“You—!” Master Chen was nearly trembling with anger.

Before he could continue, Lady Qi—formerly Miss Shao—burst out furiously.

“What are you doing?! You couldn’t even catch the demon, so now you want to pin the blame on my husband? Is this how the Exorcist Sect conducts itself?”

“Miss Shao, we’re only discussing facts,” Master Chen said evenly. “Whether it’s the children or the demon core, we just need Young Master Qi to speak honestly.”

“You don’t need to call me Miss Shao—I’m Madam Qi now!” she snapped back, her tone full of outrage. “You’re just trying to shirk responsibility! My father invited you here to deal with the demon, yet you failed and now want to smear my husband’s name!

You call yourselves ‘One Flower’ masters? If you’re so incompetent, we’ll simply hire someone else!”

“You—!” Master Chen was livid, but she was a mortal woman, not a demon—they couldn’t exactly force her. And since they truly had been bested by the snake demon earlier, they were in no position to argue.

The room fell into tense silence, even the village chief starting to eye them with suspicion.

Finally, Yun Jiao stepped forward.

“Qi—” she almost said scumbag but corrected herself, “Young Master Qi. I think you may not realize the gravity of this situation. This isn’t just a local affair within your village.”

Her voice was calm but carried an unmistakable authority. The sharp professionalism in her tone made everyone pause and turn toward her.

“I wonder if you know who that female demon—the one who lost her core—actually is?”

No one spoke.

“That’s fine,” Yun Jiao said evenly. “I’ll explain. She’s the youngest daughter of the Demon King—the princess of the demon realm. Forget mortals—even within the demon realm itself, no one would dare lay a hand on her.”

She let that sink in before fixing her gaze on Qi Cheng, her voice dropping into an icy calm.

“The princess of the demon realm has lost her inner core. Do you understand what that means?”

Qi Cheng’s eyes widened slightly, and his face turned ashen.

“It means,” Yun Jiao continued, “that even if that demon were to die, the entire demon realm would not rest until the one who caused her loss paid in blood. And if that person just so happens to be a mortal…”

Her gaze sharpened like a blade as it locked onto Qi Cheng.

“How do you think the Demon King will vent his grief for his daughter?”

“……”

(End of Chapter)