Flirting with the Villain's Mother - Chapter 32

Before leaving, Shen Su glanced at Cui Tao several times. Finally, she drew the Azure Blade and delivered two more strikes before departing.

The severed limbs scattered across the courtyard served as a constant reminder of Cui Tao’s atrocities. Though Shen Su had avenged the servants, she felt no satisfaction.

Shen Su wasn’t feeling well, but she knew she wasn’t someone who could easily harden her heart.

When Cui Tao had pleaded with her moments earlier, Shen Su had felt a flicker of hesitation.

If not for the gruesome remains littering the courtyard—the severed limbs, mangled flesh, and shattered bones—

If not for the Mantis Demon’s brutal torment of the original owner’s ancestors, and the lingering echoes of Jiang Ruiping and Jiang Xu’s warnings—

Shen Su might have truly softened.

Does a demon who repents cease to be evil?

Having grown up in an era of law and order, Shen Su had stumbled into an Immortal Hero world steeped in constant bloodshed. After taking her first life, she had been shaken to her core, breaking out in a cold sweat.

In that moment, Shen Su felt utterly disconnected from this world.

She repeatedly reminded herself that Cui Tao was a demon, yet the Azure Blade, stained with Cui Tao’s bl00d, grew increasingly hot in her hand.

This was her first true act of killing.

Shen Su’s breathing was ragged, her heart pounding faster and faster. Though no bl00d stained her hands, she saw them covered in crimson. She swiftly retracted the Crimson Blades, storing them in her thumb ring, and rushed toward the entrance of Shen Manor.

Only when she saw the rabbit beside the stone lion did her heart begin to calm.

She ran over and scooped up the rabbit. The soft fur against her palm finally made her feel that her hands were clean.

Shen Su’s eyes rimmed with red. “Madam, I’ve never taken a life before.”

Wei Nanyi paused, realizing that if Shen Su was saying this, it meant she had killed someone shortly after entering Shen Manor—someone she was supposed to save. She didn’t ask what had happened inside, nor did she question why Shen Su hadn’t saved the person. Instead, she extended the rabbit’s forepaw to touch Shen Su’s face, the soft pad gently caressing her cheek, soothing her unease. “Miss Shen, if you hadn’t killed her, she would have killed us.”

Wei Nanyi said “us,” not just Shen Su. From the moment Shen Su agreed to Jiang Xu’s request to care for Wei Nanyi, she had carried the weight of two lives on her shoulders.

Shen Su was slowly drawn back to reality by Wei Nanyi’s gentle words, the sense of detachment from the world gradually dissipating.

Cui Tao deserved to die. She had harmed countless people.

Shen Su shouldn’t feel guilty about it.

Since she had chosen to stand here, she had to respect the rules of this world. If she let her heart soften, both she and Wei Nanyi would die.

If she were strong enough to face any danger, perhaps she would have the right to give the weak a chance to survive. But she was weak. In times like these, she had to strike at the root of the problem. If she truly spared Cui Tao, the flames that wild grass might ignite again could easily overwhelm her.

She nuzzled the soft fur of the rabbit’s paw. “Madam, we need to leave quickly, preferably today. We should leave Fallen Moon City immediately.”

“Alright,” Wei Nanyi replied. She had already wanted to leave, and at this point, she would follow Shen Su’s lead without hesitation.

Shen Su cupped the rabbit in her hands and darted away.

Moments after they left, two streaks of white light flashed across the horizon. Two figures, a man and a woman, appeared outside Shen Manor.

The man, dressed in a gray robe, appeared to be in his thirties. With his dignified bearing and air of immortal refinement, he exuded an imposing presence. His face was ashen, his gaze fixed on the manor gates, burning with fury.

The woman, clad in a white dress, looked younger by comparison. Her ethereal beauty, with jade-like bones and skin as smooth as ice, radiated a gentle, refined aura. Her eyes shimmered with a soft, warm light, conveying a sense of gentle grace and courtesy.

She smiled at the man and said calmly, “Martial Uncle Jiang, there’s no need to be so angry. Elder Jiang sent you here to investigate precisely because he trusts your judgment. With Elder Jiang’s influence, do you really think the Heaven’s Chosen wouldn’t join Approaching Immortals Mountain? The demonic energy in this manor is overwhelming—there must be demonic creatures running rampant. Let’s hurry inside and see what’s happening.”

The pair were Jiang An and Bai Ruoyi.

With Cui Tao’s death, the ability to conceal the Shen Manor’s aura of calamity had vanished. Jiang Ruiping, the most powerful cultivator in Fallen Moon City, immediately sensed the surging demonic energy and dispatched Jiang An and Bai Ruoyi to investigate.

Jiang An had been arguing with other sect elders over the Heaven’s Chosen’s allegiance when he was suddenly ordered to come here, naturally displeasing him.

Bai Ruoyi tried to reason with him, but Jiang An snorted coldly. “Why didn’t she send Junior Brother Min? Why does she always order me around?”

Refusing to move, Jiang An watched as Bai Ruoyi formed a Spirit Technique and headed toward the manor, sighing helplessly. “Isn’t it because you publicly embarrassed Elder Jiang, Martial Aunt? Ruoyi truly doesn’t understand why you’re so opposed to Elder Jiang bringing Junior Sister Xu back to the sect. Even if she’s not the best, she’s still your own daughter!”

It wasn’t just him who opposed it.

As Jiang An followed Bai Ruoyi into Shen Manor, he said coolly, “Master passed away suddenly all those years ago. Immediately afterward, Jiang Xu fled Approaching Immortals Mountain with the Yu Ling Sword. Though she is my daughter, Master’s kindness to me was as vast as the mountains. I could never forget such a debt.”

Bai Ruoyi frowned. “Martial Uncle Jiang, Grandmaster was already nearing the end of her lifespan. The truth of what happened back then remains uncertain. There’s no need to place the blame on Junior Sister Xu. Even if she had intended harm, she was just a child in her teens at the time. Grandmaster, though weakened, could hardly have been killed by a child.”

Jiang An’s expression darkened, and he feigned suspicion. “But before Master passed away, Nan Yi also disappeared. If she had absorbed Nan Yi’s power, then…”

Upon hearing this, Bai Ruoyi’s face flickered slightly, and her gaze turned cold. “Martial Uncle, be careful with your words. Approaching Immortals Mountain has no such vile methods. Absorbing another’s cultivation is a technique of the Demonic Sect.”

Jiang An couldn’t miss the shift in Bai Ruoyi’s tone. He knew that pressing the matter further would only arouse suspicion.

He changed his tone, smiling gently. “Ruoyi, you’re quite protective of her, even though she’s not even your Junior Sister yet.”

“There’s no rush. With Elder Jiang’s recommendation, it will be settled upon our return to the mountain.”

Shen Manor lay in ruins, the raging flames having devoured most of its splendor. Bai Ruoyi couldn’t allow the fire to spread further. She summoned a crescent-moon-white banner, performed a hand seal, and the single banner multiplied into ten, each flying to different corners of the manor. The banners emitted plumes of white mist, which condensed into towering pillars of water, extinguishing the flames in an instant.

With the fire extinguished, Bai Ruoyi exhaled in relief.

Just as she was about to channel her spiritual power to locate the Demonic Creature, Jiang An pointed in the creature’s direction.

Bai Ruoyi followed Jiang An through the rubble, stepping over shattered stones until they reached a courtyard largely untouched by the flames. Bai Ruoyi frowned. “Strange.”

The entire manor had nearly burned to the ground, yet this courtyard had suffered only minor damage.

She rushed ahead of Jiang An into the courtyard, only to find the ground littered with severed limbs and mangled flesh—remnants of the Demonic Creature’s unfinished meal. A wave of grief washed over her. “Martial Uncle Jiang, we’re too late.”

Jiang An followed her with a deep sigh, his expression filled with regret. “Xu’er has been wandering outside for years. I wonder if she’s ever taken a life.”

He quickly covered his slip, as if the question had been unintentional. “Junior Niece Ruoyi, if Xu’er truly didn’t commit that crime back then, and she becomes your fellow disciple, you must take good care of her. After all these years away, she’s likely grown distant from even her own father. I’d be grateful if you could offer her some words of encouragement. She’s my only bloodline. If it weren’t for what happened to Master, I would have…” He trailed off with another heavy sigh, as if burdened by countless unspoken secrets.

Bai Ruoyi readily agreed, “Of course.”

Following the demonic aura, they entered the room to find a humanoid bird-demon impaled through the heart by thorns. Its lips were black, its face cyanotic, indicating it had been dead for some time.

“Martial Uncle Jiang, we seem to have arrived too late.”

Not only had the living perished, but even the demon had been thoroughly killed.

The question remained: who had struck the final blow?

Bai Ruoyi circled the corpse for a long time, unable to decipher the thorn-based killing technique. She failed to notice the change in Jiang An’s expression as he stood behind her. His voice hoarse, Jiang An asked, “Junior Niece Ruoyi, I didn’t get a clear look earlier. Was Xu’er carrying any animals on her person?”

“I didn’t see anything,” Bai Ruoyi said, giving Jiang An a strange look. “Why are you asking, Martial Aunt?”

“Xu’er used to love animals. Now that she’s back at Approaching Immortals Mountain, I’m worried she might not adjust well. If she doesn’t have any pets with her, I was thinking of buying her a bird or a cat or dog here in Fallen Moon City to keep her company on the journey back.”

Jiang An’s explanation was flawless, his gaze sincere—the very image of a father torn between concern for his daughter and lingering regrets from the past.

Bai Ruoyi didn’t suspect a thing. “That won’t work,” she said. “Master told me Elder Jiang despises animals.”

Jiang An looked at Bai Ruoyi, his eyes softening with warmth. “It seems the Sect Leader truly values you, Junior Sister. She even shares such trivial matters with you.”

Bai Ruoyi shook her head. “This isn’t trivial. Master said Elder Jiang has a terrible temper. If we bring her something she hates, it’ll surely upset her. Master respects Elder Jiang deeply, and Ruoyi doesn’t want to cause her any displeasure.”

No wonder Jiang Ruiping had brought Jiang Xu back and declared she wanted Jiang Xu to become Sheng Qingning’s disciple. Everyone present had opposed the idea except Bai Ruoyi, who had eagerly agreed, practically volunteering to accept the disciple on her master’s behalf.

It was all because of Sheng Qingning’s excessive fondness for Jiang Ruiping.

Sheng Qingning’s disciple, barely seven years under her tutelage, had already adopted her annoying habits.

Jiang An cursed inwardly, his expression betraying nothing, though his heart raced with urgency.

Bai Ruoyi didn’t recognize the thorn-demon slaying technique, but Jiang An did.

The Azure Flame Twin Blades—Shen Yiwen’s signature weapon.

Could Shen Yiwen still be alive? If so, and Wei Nanyi wasn’t with Jiang Xu, could Shen Yiwen have taken her?

This method of completely concealing one’s presence, waiting until the demonic creature had turned cold before alerting the cultivators, seemed precisely the kind of thing Shen Yiwen would do.

But if it was Shen Yiwen, why hadn’t he taken Jiang Xu as well? Was he deliberately sending Jiang Xu back to Approaching Immortals Mountain to spite Jiang An? And did Jiang Ruiping know about this?

Given Jiang Ruiping’s temperament, if she discovered the truth, she would undoubtedly tear Jiang An limb from limb. Yet none of that had happened, suggesting either that Shen Yiwen hadn’t alerted Jiang Ruiping, or that the wielder of the Azure Flame Twin Blades wasn’t Shen Yiwen at all.

Jiang An certainly wasn’t afraid of Shen Yiwen, but Jiang Ruiping’s cultivation ceiling remained a closely guarded secret, even within Approaching Immortals Mountain.

No, I must thoroughly search Fallen Moon City, he thought. The only obstacle was Jiang Ruiping’s arrangement for Bai Ruoyi to shadow him. By the time Jiang An finally shook off Bai Ruoyi, Shen Su and Wei Nanyi would be long gone.