Volume I: Autumn Festival Chapter 25: Honored Guests, Unwelcome Guests

There was only one day left before the City God Festival.

Hun City was already bustling with activity. Every household was required to send at least one person to the City God Temple to pay respects; if a household had only one resident and they were unable to attend due to injury or other reasons, they were exempt. Even Qixia Street, where only a few families remained, was adorned with red lanterns everywhere.

Jiang Wang lay on a rattan chair in the front courtyard. Listening to the clamor outside, he pondered the fact that the green-robed, white-robed, and purple-robed cultivators were tethered together, practically inseparable. If they were dealing with enemies, the target shouldn't have been limited to the purple-robed cultivator alone. Even if Feng Linghuai had the capability to kill a cultivator, she could not defeat three at once, which explained why she had chosen to take them out one by one. Perhaps it was because the green-robed and white-robed cultivators were never apart, or because her disciple had been killed, that Feng Linghuai had refrained from striking again and shifted her primary target to him. Jiang Wang had reason to suspect that if the opportunity arose, Feng Linghuai would still try to kill the green-robed and white-robed cultivators as well.

Since everyone would try to return home for the City God Festival, the security in Hun City would be tighter than usual. If Feng Linghuai were to make a move, it would have to be today, or she would have to wait until after the temple fair concluded. But the temple fair would last for ten whole days; plans rarely kept pace with changes, and no one knew what might happen in ten days.

Jiang Wang hoped Feng Linghuai would be brave. He didn't want her to be so timid.

However, before Feng Linghuai appeared, another visitor arrived at the Marquis Xunyang estate at two o'clock in the afternoon. The white-robed cultivator opened the door. Standing outside was a middle-aged man in a cyan brocade robe, accompanied by a little girl holding a chicken leg, her mouth covered in grease.

"Who might you two be?" The white-robed cultivator’s gaze fell upon the man’s brocade robe; his expression shifted abruptly, his demeanor instantly turning humble as he cautiously asked, "Are you from the Qingxuan Bureau?"

The brocade-robed man raised an eyebrow. "A Dongming-stage cultivator?" He looked into the estate, his brows furrowing deeper. *Such dense demonic aura!*

The white-robed cultivator thought to himself that Mr. Jiang was truly extraordinary for receiving a visit from a bigwig of the Qingxuan Bureau. He said in a panic, "I am merely a minor cultivator from Moon-Full West Tower. I did not know of your arrival and failed to welcome you from afar. I beg for your forgiveness."

The man in the brocade robe said in a deep voice, "Why is a cultivator from Moon-Full West Tower here?"

The white-robed cultivator dared not deceive him; although Moon-Full West Tower did not involve itself with the imperial court, it feared it all the more. He recounted everything—the search for immortal relics in Hun City, meeting Jiang Wang, the demon Aoyin, and the death of the purple-robed cultivator. The Yuyuan Academy, also belonging to the imperial court, lacked the same level of deterrence over the world's cultivators as the Qingxuan Bureau. It could be said that, aside from the heads of major sects, there was no one who did not respect or even fear the Qingxuan Bureau.

The man in the brocade robe looked at the trembling white-robed cultivator, remained silent for a moment, and then stepped past him into the estate. The little girl gnawing on the chicken leg glanced at the white-robed cultivator with what looked like pity. This left the white-robed cultivator utterly baffled.

...

Jiang Wang lay comfortably on the rattan chair under the banyan tree. The green-robed cultivator stood by, his demeanor far more qualified than Zhao Si's. Because of the arrival of the two cultivators in green and white, Zhao Si had finally found peace. He had spent the entire day tucked away in his room, studying his paintings, undisturbed by anyone.

The white-robed cultivator hurried to Jiang Wang and whispered, "Mr. Jiang, a lord from the Qingxuan Bureau is here."

Before Jiang Wang could ask, the man in the brocade robe appeared in his field of vision, leading the chicken-leg-eating girl.

"So it’s you, you gluttonous little girl." Jiang Wang’s gaze immediately fell upon the little girl. She recognized him as well and instinctively hid the chicken leg behind her back.

Jiang Wang felt depressed. He had simply been bored and had lingered a bit too long at the entrance of a tailor shop on Qixia Street, and now the girl took him for a food thief.

"You are Jiang Wang?" The man in the brocade robe smiled faintly. "Indeed, a fine talent. To be a demon and yet have two cultivators protecting you."

Jiang Wang pointed at himself. "Are you talking to me?"

The man said, "The demonic aura here is very heavy. I suppose your cultivation is quite deep. It is a pity you ran into me. Today, I shall subdue you, and my Demon-Slaying Ledger will have one more entry."

Jiang Wang’s expression grew serious. He looked at the white-robed cultivator beside him and said, "Why did you bring in someone with a mental illness?"

The white-robed cultivator was stunned. He looked at the brocade-robed man and said, "My lord, how can you speak such nonsense, calling Mr. Jiang a demon?"

The green-robed cultivator had already summoned his flying sword; the moment those words were spoken, he knew the visitor meant harm. Even if he were a bigwig from the Qingxuan Bureau, he was willing to risk his life for Mr. Jiang.

The man in the brocade robe chuckled. "The two of you must be kept in the dark. This man is a demon. Do not be fooled by the small favors he has shown you and rush to defend him. This demon lurks in Hun City and has even killed his own kind; he must have a grand scheme. Since you were unaware of the truth, stand aside now, and I shall let this pass."

The white-robed cultivator finally realized the gravity of the situation and said angrily, "What utter nonsense! While the Qingxuan Bureau holds the responsibility of overseeing the cultivators of the Sui State and slaying demons, to pointlessly label others as demons is a grave absurdity!"

"You claim the demonic aura here is heavy—I don't sense it at all!"

The man in the brocade robe said deeply, "That is because you have been blinded by the demon and your cultivation is low. This demon’s path is even above that of an Aoyin. How could minor cultivators like you easily sense it?"

Jiang Wang was thoughtful. He looked up at the banyan tree and said, "There was indeed a demon here once. The aura you sense must belong to that one."

The man said, "That demon is you. This excuse is truly laughable."

"I was skeptical when I heard a demon was hiding in the Marquis’s estate, but the facts have proven that the reports were true. I only believe what I sense. If you confess your true purpose, I might let you die a bit more easily."

Jiang Wang wondered if Miss Shu was playing some trick. She was the only person in all of Hun City who would call him a demon.

The white-robed cultivator drew his sword, his face grim. "I thought you were an honored guest, but you are a wicked one. To insult Mr. Jiang is even worse than insulting me. Today, I would like to see what a Qingxuan Bureau cultivator is truly capable of!"

He struck first, and the green-robed cultivator followed.

The man in the brocade robe said in a cold voice, "Since you are stubborn and aiding the villain, the Qingxuan Bureau has swords that can slay demons and suppress cultivators!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two flying swords materialized out of thin air. The two cultivators were entangled with the flying swords and could not get close to the man in the brocade robe at all.

The little girl chewing on the chicken leg walked straight toward Jiang Wang.

"Is the chicken leg delicious?" Jiang Wang sat on the rattan chair, unperturbed.

The girl paused, quickly finished the chicken leg, threw the bone at Jiang Wang, and pouted. "Do you want to eat it?"

Jiang Wang looked down at the dirt-covered bone and smiled. "Little girl, fighting isn't for you. How about I get you something good to eat, and you go play in the mud over there?"

The girl raised her head, and a large scythe instantly appeared in her hands. "My name is Akong, and I have already passed the age of fifteen."

Jiang Wang was stunned. *A grown woman?* But she was so petite and delicate.

"Even if you are of marrying age, you are still just a little girl."

Akong’s face turned cold. She wasn't stupid; she understood exactly what Jiang Wang meant. The girl who had looked so cute eating her chicken leg had suddenly shifted to an extreme. There were crackling sounds in the air; her black dress, stained with oil, fluttered in the wind, her hair danced wildly, her eyes became icy, and the large scythe in her hand emitted a daunting chill.

"Why do you have two faces?!"

The gust of wind nearly overturned the rattan chair. Jiang Wang grabbed it tightly, his body swaying with the chair.

"Mr. Jiang!" Even though he knew Jiang Wang didn't need his help, the white-robed cultivator risked being pierced by the man's flying sword and rushed toward Akong at full speed.

A beam of cold light erupted as Akong’s scythe slashed toward the white-robed cultivator. The scythe collided with his longsword; the cultivator continued forward, but his sword was knocked away, and the webbing between his thumb and index finger split open. Akong kicked him, and the white-robed cultivator fell to the ground, vomiting blood.

Seeing this, the green-robed cultivator was distracted for a split second, and the next moment, a flying sword was pressed against his forehead.

The man in the brocade robe sneered, "Is that all you've got?"

Jiang Wang steadied his rattan chair and exhaled, unable to believe it. "I guessed you were weak, but I didn't think you were *this* weak."

The white-robed cultivator felt ashamed. In truth, he shouldn't have been defeated so quickly. The moment he made contact with Akong, he had clearly sensed that the girl was only at the Dongming stage. Theoretically, with his deeper cultivation and more experience, the outcome should have been different. But in reality, the force of Akong's swing was incredibly fierce; a single misstep meant total defeat, and that was hard to rectify in an instant.

Seeing the two cultivators risking their lives to protect him, Jiang Wang realized his words had been inappropriate. He comforted them, "No matter, victory and defeat are common in battle. Let me avenge you."

Akong had changed her expression; her aura was indeed terrifying, but it also forced Jiang Wang to reach his full combat potential. He finally stood up from the rattan chair and picked up the Long Night Saber resting beside it.

The blade pointed toward the flying sword pressed against the green-robed cultivator's forehead. The sword then fell to the ground like a kite with a broken string. The moment the green-robed cultivator was freed, he immediately withdrew, helped the white-robed cultivator up, and retreated to Jiang Wang’s side.

The man in the brocade robe looked grave. It seemed as if he had lost control of his flying sword, or as if some power had directly severed his connection to it. *This demon is truly fierce!*

"Akong, come back." Another sword appeared in the man's hand. He stared at Jiang Wang with extreme caution. Things seemed much more troublesome than he had imagined.

When Akong retreated behind him, the man said in a deep voice, "It seems I will be updating my Demon-Slaying Ledger today."