Chapter 165 - 106: I Won’t Steal Your Goddess

Chapter 165: Chapter 106: I Won’t Steal Your Goddess

Ruyan’s expression changed slightly. She wanted to argue, but Zhang Daxie’s glare froze her, and she couldn’t speak.

Zhang Daxie continued:

"Later, Ying’er’s father got lucky. He made some money with his small business and bought Ying’er new clothes and a clean hair ribbon. She started to blossom a little. While she wasn’t stunning, she looked quite pretty and delicate.

Around that time... it seemed like you didn’t want to play with us anymore."

He paused, his voice low, and went on:

"That spring, when we were eleven, Ying’er went out by herself, accidentally fell into the great river, and drowned.

We were all devastated. Xiao Kui cried the hardest. You shed tears too, and I even comforted you.

But later, Xiao Kui secretly told me that he saw a bracelet on your wrist, one that looked a lot like the one Ying’er wore before she died.

I didn’t think much of it at the time. I just figured Xiao Kui was mistaken. I even asked you about it, and you said no, that his eyes were playing tricks on him. So I didn’t give it another thought.

Xiao Kui liked Ying’er. He’d always kept it hidden in his heart.

He knew I liked you, so he didn’t want to ruin our relationship. He never voiced his suspicions, just muttered a thing or two to me now and then, and I never took it seriously."

Ruyan’s face was ashen. She subconsciously took two steps back.

Zhang Daxie took a step forward, his towering frame casting a shadow that nearly swallowed Ruyan whole.

He asked slowly,

"So now, I’ll ask you one more time. Where were you when Ying’er fell in the river?"

"I... I..."

Ruyan wanted to defend herself, but looking into the man’s sharp eyes, which seemed to pierce right through her soul, she opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a single lie.

Seeing her expression, Zhang Daxie closed his eyes in anguish.

’You always see the people you’ve truly loved through rose-colored glasses, automatically ignoring their flaws. You make excuses for them, painting them in your mind as nearly perfect.

But once those glasses shatter and your feelings cool, you look back only to be stunned.

You realize the ’goddess’ you once worshipped was nothing more than an ordinary, terrible person with countless faults.’

And what’s worse, this woman was trying to harm his benefactor, his superior!

To the two brothers, their debt to Jiang Mu was as immense as a mountain. Without the Hall Master, his brother never would have achieved his breakthrough so smoothly, and neither would he.

Anyone who dared to harm the Hall Master deserved to die!

Even if... it was the woman before him, the one he had been infatuated with for more than ten years.

SWISH!

With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Daxie drew the long saber from his waist.

The gleaming blade cut a blinding arc of cold light through the dim room, whistling through the air as it chopped down toward Ruyan’s head!

The strike was fast, precise, and ruthless, without a hint of hesitation.

However, when the blade was just three inches from the top of the woman’s head, it suddenly stopped.

A hand had firmly gripped his wrist.

Zhang Daxie turned his head in astonishment. Seeing the man who had suddenly appeared, his lips trembled. "Hall Master, I..."

"Daxie,"

Jiang Mu released his grip. A faint smile was on his face, and his tone was calm.

"We are officials of the Court, Demon Slayer Envoys of the Demon-slaying Bureau. We must act according to the rules. How can we just carry out a private execution? Unless the other party is a Demon Fiend, of course. That would be a different matter entirely."

He gently patted Zhang Daxie’s tense arm, signaling for him to lower his saber.

"Why don’t you step outside for now and stand guard at the door? I’d like to have a few words alone with this childhood friend of yours."

"Yes, sir."

Zhang Daxie hesitated for a moment, then sheathed his saber, clasped his fists, and turned to leave the room.

Instantly, only Jiang Mu and Ruyan remained in the room.

Looking at the devilish man before her, perhaps because she had just been on the brink of death, Ruyan had actually calmed down a little. She gave a bitter smile.

"I’m going to die today, aren’t I?"

"Die?"

Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow. "Why would you think that? Do I look like the kind of villain who slaughters the innocent?"

Ruyan bit her lip and didn’t answer.

Jiang Mu continued as if talking to himself:

"I believe you when you say you found that Sound Stone. But there’s one thing I can’t figure out."

"Since you found it and knew it could be used to threaten me, why didn’t you bring it to me directly and exchange it for some benefit?"

A flash of embarrassment crossed Ruyan’s face. She smiled bitterly.

"I... I didn’t dare. A man like you... If I had really tried to threaten you with it, you would have killed me to silence me without a second thought."

Jiang Mu laughed.

"Heh, so you do have a brain after all. You know how to weigh the pros and cons."

Seeing Jiang Mu fall silent, just sitting there quietly, Ruyan grew uneasy and asked, "You’re not going to kill me?"

"I’m waiting for someone," Jiang Mu said lightly.

"Waiting for someone?"

"Yes."

Ruyan was taken aback. "Waiting for who?"

Jiang Mu said placidly:

"The person who’s using you like a fool. If we’re lucky, they might show up. If not, it doesn’t matter. I’ll find them sooner or later."

The moment his words fell, a sudden change occurred.

A strange Red Umbrella mark suddenly materialized on the back of Ruyan’s neck.

Immediately after, the woman’s body stiffened. Her eyes glowed with an eerie red light, and a phantom image of a Red Umbrella appeared above her head.

In an instant, her entire demeanor changed.

From her previous weakness and fear, she became languid and bewitching, exuding a demonic aura.

"Master Jiang, you truly haven’t disappointed me."

The corners of the woman’s lips curled into a playful smile. She crossed her right leg over her left, propping herself up on the bed with one hand in a deeply seductive pose.

She stared at Jiang Mu with a grin, her voice turning low and enchanting:

"You’re much smarter than I anticipated. Let’s reintroduce ourselves. My name is Nan Zhi."

"And also... your future master."