Because of Qin Lingxiao’s offensive words, the smile that usually graced Cui Xiaoxiao’s face was gone. She only spoke coldly to Qin Lingxiao: “Since the demon has been cleared, Sect Leader Qin, if you have no other business, please feel free to take your disciples and leave.”

After saying this, she paid no heed to the expressions on the faces of the various experts from Jiuxuan Sword Sect and walked directly to the demon that was gasping weakly in the green pus. She reached out and gently brushed aside the demon’s disheveled long hair.

The demon seemed to be in its dying moments, with much of its demonic nature dissipating. Its head and face had transformed, making it look more like a woman.

When it slightly raised its head, one could see that half of its face was covered with old burn scars.

Cui Xiaoxiao examined her injuries and knew there was no hope of recovery.

She removed her outer coat that had been tainted with the smell, wearing only a loose small jacket underneath. She used clean water from another water tank to wash the smoke and soot from her face and neck. After smelling herself and confirming the smoke odor wasn’t strong, she crouched down near the demon again and said: “I haven’t been in the Talismonger Sect for long, and I’m not skilled in much else, but I’ve mastered the purification incantation. Let me see you off on your final journey, resolve the troubles in your heart, and give you final peace…”

After saying this, she took out a talisman drawn on a flower petal, placed it on the woman’s forehead, and began silently reciting the incantation.

The woman’s expression was initially fierce, but gradually the murderous intent in her eyes began to dissipate. She seemed to awaken from a great dream, her eyes revealing endless bewilderment.

She murmured in pain: “I was framed by that scoundrel Bai Youde. I never violated my wifely duties…”

At this, Jiang Nanmu and the others were all stunned.

Because they remembered the family gossip that Cui Xiaoxiao had chatted about with the gatekeeper during their meal.

Speaking of the Bai family’s daughter-in-law, one must first mention Jin Youde. It was said he was originally the son of the Bai family, who were major silkworm farmers in the county.

Though called a son, he was a stepson who had taken his widowed mother’s surname when she remarried into the Bai family. Before reverting to the Jin surname, he was indeed called Bai Youde.

Unfortunately, the sickly legitimate son left behind by the deceased Bai family patriarch died shortly after his wedding, leaving only a wife who was still pregnant.

It was said that the pregnant daughter-in-law was indiscreet, having inappropriate relations with this step-brother-in-law, and even the child in her womb was of questionable parentage.

After the scandal was exposed, Old Master Bai naturally wouldn’t stand for it, but the daughter-in-law mysteriously died in a fire in the woodshed, and the matter was left unresolved.

Just as Old Master Bai was about to deal with his stepson, he suddenly fell gravely ill and died.

That stepson, Youde, had long been helping his stepfather manage the business, placing his mother’s relatives in key positions throughout, having already hollowed out the Bai family business.

Once his stepfather died, Young Master Jin used his connections in the government to openly separate from the Bai family, revert to his original surname, and establish his household.

The poor Bai family was left with nothing but an empty shell, declining terribly. Meanwhile, the Jin family’s business flourished, making them the local wealthy elite.

So this demon was the legendary Bai family daughter-in-law who was supposedly burned to death!

Xiaoxiao gently probed: “You weren’t burned to death then, but escaped, didn’t you? And why did you become demonized and kill people?”

The Bai family’s daughter-in-law gasped in pain. Looking at the clear-eyed girl before her, her emotions seemed to calm somewhat as she spoke haltingly: “I… Did I harm people? I don’t know anything. There was just a black-clothed person wearing a mask who saved me, saying that if I wanted to heal the burns on my body, I should swallow a pill. After that… I… I don’t remember anything…”

After saying this, the woman was already in tears, her gaze trembling with shock and doubt: “I… I killed people… I thought it was all a dream… not real…”

It seemed she was gradually recalling the memories of becoming demonized and harming others, falling into extreme, painful self-blame.

Xiaoxiao knew that she had been too deeply demonized before, and her original consciousness should have been completely devoured. Now, with her lifespan nearly ended, she had recovered some of her humanity.

She pressed the purifying flower petal talisman to the woman’s forehead and said gently: “I understand. Sleep well. The demon that committed those evil acts wasn’t truly you. May you not encounter wicked people in your next life, and live peacefully forever…”

But upon hearing these words, the woman still wept: “I’m so filled with hate, I hate so much…”

This woman had been too deeply demonized, and now wounded by Qin Lingxiao’s sword energy, she would surely die with the sword energy piercing her heart, in extreme agony.

However, Xiaoxiao’s transcendence flower petals were left by her master and would certainly give her final peace.

The flower petals quickly merged into the woman’s forehead, and she relaxed her brow, no longer showing pain on her face, slowly closing her eyes.

Only in her final moments did tears still hang at the corners of her eyes, seeming to carry infinite unwillingness.

Qin Lingxiao hadn’t left but had been standing behind Cui Xiaoxiao the entire time. Only after the demon drew her last breath did he say: “What, you knew this demon?”

Cui Xiaoxiao then stood up, picked up her robe from the ground, put it back on, and said with downcast eyes after taking a deep breath: “I previously heard that the daughter-in-law of the silk farm’s former owner was once locked in a woodshed filled with tobacco leaves and burned alive. The smoke was so thick it didn’t dissipate for days. The woodshed where the incident occurred isn’t far from this silk farm. And this silkworm demon happened to particularly detest the smell of smoke, which made people somewhat suspicious. Master once said that the evil demons in this world are mostly born from human anger and evil thoughts. There’s often only a thin line between human and demon. I wondered if the demon that appeared inexplicably in this silk farm might be related to the mysteriously disappeared Bai family daughter-in-law. Now hearing her words, it’s indeed the case.”

Only then did Qin Lingxiao understand why Cui Xiaoxiao had kept blocking him from killing this demon.

However, he didn’t think he had done wrong. Could Cui Xiaoxiao believe that demonized people could be saved?

Thinking this, he spoke: “She has already caused killings and is unforgivably evil. If you show mercy to demons and develop compassion, sooner or later you’ll suffer demonic backlash.”

Cui Xiaoxiao said indifferently, “Different sects have different ways of dealing with demons. Sect Leader Qin should follow your own sect’s methods and doctrines.”

As she said this, her gaze remained on the unfortunate woman who had closed her eyes.

Since no body was found at the fire scene, that woman had likely escaped from the fire, but being pregnant at the time and suffering from smoke and flames, the child was probably lost.

If her guess was correct, that so-called pill was that corrupted Demon Pearl, wasn’t it? Who had deceived such a sheltered woman into swallowing the Demon Pearl, deliberately using a human to nurture the pearl, demonizing the person, then feeding on humans to refine demons?

The conspiracy behind this was truly significant!

Thinking this, she suddenly looked at Qin Lingxiao and asked: “Sect Leader Qin usually stays far from worldly affairs. Why did you personally come here to eliminate demons this time?”

Qin Lingxiao’s mind was extremely sharp, so he naturally heard the interrogative intent in Cui Xiaoxiao’s words. Could she possibly suspect that he, the dignified Sect Leader of a sword sect, would use a weak woman to cultivate demons?

Thinking this, Qin Lingxiao frowned in displeasure.

If this had been before the demon elimination incident, he probably wouldn’t have bothered with such a wild girl of unknown origins.

Everyone in the cultivation world knew that Sect Leader Qin was always cold, aloof, proud, and antisocial.

However, this young female sect leader of a small sect had a meticulous mind and could draw inferences, so she wasn’t a fool.

When Qin Lingxiao was in the mood, he was willing to explain a thing or two to intelligent people: “This Demon Pearl was refined by the demon Wei Jie two hundred years ago after he cultivated the seven emotions and six desires, then sealed it within a boulder in Jiulu Mountain. Unfortunately, not long ago, the boulder cracked and the two Demon Pearls sealed within escaped into the mortal world. I once studied under that demon as well, and feel responsible for clearing up the sins he left behind, so I searched for a long time before finding traces of one of the Demon Pearls.”

The master he spoke of was Wei Jie, the demonic cult leader who had caused bloody chaos in the world two hundred years ago.

When mentioning Wei Jie, many of the current generation’s experts, while gnashing their teeth, also secretly felt regret.

Speaking of prodigious talent, those truly worthy of this term – even the current Qin Lingxiao wasn’t quite qualified.

After all, he had stolen his master Wei Jie’s cultivation to leap through the dragon gate and enter the inner sanctum.

And one who relied solely on his power to cultivate unparalleled abilities – in the past seven hundred years, there should only be Wei Jie.

Wei Jie of that era was truly a prodigy! At a young age, he single-handedly broke into the Po Hun Snake cave and killed the two-headed Po Hun giant python with his bare hands.

Though he was poisoned by the snake and suffered greatly from it, he also comprehended the way of circulating true energy to suppress snake poison, and from then on, practiced energy cultivation and core formation, establishing his school.

But it was also because of the snake poison’s torment, plus bearing a blood feud, that Wei Jie’s temperament changed drastically. He then single-handedly broke into Lingyun Pavilion, the world’s premier sword sect at the time, competed with the pavilion master in swordsmanship, and incidentally slaughtered all the disciples of Lingyun Pavilion.

Over the following decades, Wei Jie’s power grew increasingly profound, but he also went further and further down the demonic path, acting as if he would single-handedly challenge the world, kill all the strong, with no one daring to claim supremacy before him!

Finally, when Wei Jie’s demonic arts reached perfection, the snake poison had entered his marrow, transforming him into half-human, half-snake. His entire body was covered in giant python scales, his appearance was hideous, and his temperament had become perverse and cruel.

And Qin Lingxiao, the young sect leader of Lingyun Pavilion who had miraculously survived alone, endured humiliation and bore heavy burdens, hiding his identity and becoming a disciple under his enemy, lying low and waiting for the right moment.

Finally, taking advantage of Wei Jie’s once-every-ninety-nine-years energy circulation and pill refinement to purify turbid energy, Qin Lingxiao launched a sneak attack and shattered Wei Jie’s primordial spirit.

Such a righteous act naturally won praise from the righteous cultivation path – if not for Qin Lingxiao, the world would probably still be under the demon Wei Jie’s poison.

Hearing Qin Lingxiao explain the origin of the Demon Pearl, Cui Xiaoxiao indicated she roughly understood.

So this Demon Pearl was formed from the turbid energy that demon Wei Jie had refined before his death.

A demon was truly a demon – even a hundred years later, he would still leave behind infamy for ten thousand years.

After Xiaoxiao had purified and transcended the woman, she instructed the officials hiding outside the silk farm about burial arrangements, then left with Ji Wuqi and the others.

Because she was so thin, her large eyes appeared especially clear and bright. The small red mole beside her left eye, when she smiled, carried a touch of playfulness. Especially when she smiled fully, her entire being carried an indescribable charm that made people unconsciously stare at her smiling face in a daze.

However, she had kept a tense expression throughout, displaying a cold and aloof air that made people feel she was unapproachable.

Standing beside Qin Lingxiao, the beautiful woman Ling Zhishan also quietly watched Cui Xiaoxiao’s retreating figure.

Cui Xiaoxiao had a slender figure, but her movements carried a carefree elegance. Her ponytail hanging at her waist swayed as she walked, alluring like a fox’s tail…

Ling Zhishan couldn’t help but turn to look at Qin Lingxiao, discovering that his gaze was still fixed on that woman’s retreating figure. Ling Zhishan couldn’t help but bite her lip slightly.

Ling Zhishan was the current Palace Master of the Secluded Valley’s Two Instruments Palace. The Two Instruments Palace was famous throughout the world for its pill refinement and energy cultivation techniques, and was a gathering place for female cultivators.

She had once been a disciple of the demon Wei Jie, later following her senior brother Qin Lingxiao in betraying their demonic master, abandoning darkness for light. She subsequently founded the Two Instruments Palace, specializing in pill refinement and energy cultivation, and had been supporting Qin Lingxiao in establishing the Jiuxuan Sword Sect all along.

Although Qin Lingxiao had never agreed to become dual cultivation partners with her, disciples of both sects acknowledged her as Qin Lingxiao’s companion, expecting that she would eventually marry Qin Lingxiao and ascend together.

But just now, Qin Lingxiao’s gaze toward Cui Xiaoxiao had been too focused, making Ling Zhishan feel somewhat uncomfortable.