Chapter 374 - 183: Seeing Cheng Tianyang Again

When a person has no concept of good and evil, no moral bottom line, and only pursues a single, pure desire, they will inevitably reach an extreme in some aspect.

And in the eyes of others, they are either the epitome of evil or the pinnacle of goodness.

This is also why the Demon Sect is not accepted by the world.

What they desire defies all worldly rules and constraints. They seek absolute freedom, which in turn leads them to act with reckless abandon.

Combine that with their powerful martial arts and cunning methods, and a group like this poses a devastating threat to the existing order of the martial world.

However, a Demon Sect like this will probably never be truly eradicated.

As long as the human heart still yearns for the untethered freedom of a Celestial Demon, the Demon Sect will always exist.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ran suddenly felt that the Demon Sect was actually quite terrifying.

But when he glanced at Tang Huayi beside him, who was drooling as she stared at a street vendor’s candied hawthorns, he felt like he was probably overthinking things.

He sighed, bought a stick of candied hawthorns, and handed it to Tang Huayi.

"When you’re done with that, we’ll head back to Qifeng Manor."

Tang Huayi’s eyes lit up.

"I haven’t had one in so long!"

She took a big bite. Her expression was blissful at first, but as the sourness of the hawthorn spread, her whole face puckered.

She smacked her lips and offered the candied hawthorns to Jiang Ran.

"Brother-in-law, you have one too."

"No."

"Come on, just try it."

"No."

"Why not?"

"It’s sour..."

"It’s not sour, it’s sweet! Super sweet!!"

Tang Huayi stressed her words, trying to sound more persuasive.

Jiang Ran rolled his eyes. Judging from her expression just now, he knew the candied hawthorn was nowhere near that sweet.

After a moment’s hesitation, however, he bit one off anyway.

"Alright, you can eat the rest yourself."

Then he realized Tang Huayi was staring at him.

"...What are you looking at?"

"Is it sweet?"

Tang Huayi asked.

Jiang Ran chewed a couple of times and nodded. "Very sweet."

"Really?"

Dubious, Tang Huayi ate another one, and her whole face scrunched up into a knot.

"You’re a liar!!"

"I’m not lying."

"...You’re obviously lying."

"To a puppy, maybe."

Jiang Ran was amused.

Tang Huayi couldn’t help but grind her teeth in frustration.

Seeing the dangerous look in her eyes, Jiang Ran quickly said:

"Hurry up and eat. We’re going back when you’re done."

"Hmph!"

Even though the candied hawthorn was sour, Tang Huayi was still a little sad when she finished it.

"I haven’t had one in so long. When I’m pretending to be Li Tianxin, I never get the chance to eat things like this."

"Sigh, I really don’t want to be Li Tianxin."

Tang Huayi sighed.

"Why not just go back like this?"

Jiang Ran asked.

"No, no."

Tang Huayi shook her head. "There are too many things that would be impossible to explain."

Jiang Ran smiled.

"Since when does a little demoness from the Demon Sect need to explain so much to others?"

"If it were just me, I wouldn’t care."

"But doesn’t this involve you?"

Tang Huayi glanced at Jiang Ran and said with a smile, "For your sake, I’d better bear with it."

"Hm?"

Jiang Ran was taken aback for a moment, then he heard Tang Huayi say, "I’ll be right back."

After saying that, she took off running.

Jiang Ran watched her retreating figure, lost in thought.

’Wait, I just realized something...’

’People from the Demon Sect follow their hearts. No one can make them go against their true intentions.’

’So, is Tang Huayi so concerned about me because she’s just obeying her sister’s—or her father’s—orders, or... does she really consider me important?’

Jiang Ran hadn’t considered this question before.

But today’s thoughts on what the Demon Sect truly desires had made the question resonate more deeply.

As he was thinking, Tang Huayi returned.

However, the one who returned was not the cute, playful girl in jade-green clothes.

Instead, it was ’Li Tianxin’, dressed all in black, cradling a blade, with a sallow face and a habit of looking down his nose at people.

"Let’s go."

Tang Huayi glanced at Jiang Ran. "What are you thinking about?"

"Thinking about you."

"Looking at a face like this, and you’re *still* thinking about me?"

Tang Huayi was surprised.

"...Just get lost."

’Jiang Ran suddenly felt that "Li Tianxin" was truly repulsive; Tang Huayi was so much cuter.’

Now that Tang Huayi had reverted to her ’Li Tianxin’ appearance, the two of them did not linger at the foot of the mountain and instead headed toward Qifeng Mountain.

As they walked, they also discussed the matter of the Zhou family.

The members of the Zhou family were all ordinary folk.

If they had truly met with some misfortune, it would need to be reported to the authorities.

Since it might involve those scoundrels from Heterodox Manor, the matter was likely to be a serious one.

Jiang Ran felt that since Qifeng Manor was acting as the host for Evergreen Mansion, it would be best to let Feng Xianzhi take the lead on this. He would surely be more effective than Jiang Ran himself.

Tang Huayi readily agreed.

But upon returning to Qifeng Manor, they discovered the entire manor was under a pall of gloom.

As they walked into the courtyard, they saw Ning Jiuyuan emerging with a white-haired old man.

The old man’s brow was locked in a deep frown, as if he’d encountered an insurmountable problem.

When Ning Jiuyuan saw Jiang Ran and Tang Huayi, she said a few words to the old man. He nodded and took his leave, while Ning Jiuyuan bowed to the two of them.

"Young Hero Jiang, Young Hero Li."

Jiang Ran nodded slightly.

"How is Young Manor Lord Feng? And the gentleman just now was...?"

Ning Jiuyuan sighed.

"A physician. Ever since the Master and Mistress found out, they’ve invited many famous physicians from Evergreen Mansion to examine him."

"But... the brain injury was caused by a steel needle, and all these renowned physicians are at a loss."

"The Master and Mistress... sigh..."

Jiang Ran felt a sense of unease upon hearing this.