Chai Xian didn’t answer immediately. After choosing his words carefully, he said:

“I lost both parents at a young age and had no one to rely on, begging for a living in Xiangzhou. Later, my adoptive father took me in. He treated me exceptionally well, even favoring me over his sons. Because of this, my three elder brothers all disliked and resented me.”

“Only Xiaolan treated me sincerely, never looking down on me because of my past…”

As he said this, Chai Xian seemed lost in thought for a moment, as if transported back to that sweltering summer years ago. A dirty, smelly little beggar was brought into the Chai residence. A young girl peeked out from behind a screen, secretly observing. Their eyes met, and he lowered his head in shame.

The girl smiled brightly.

Listening to Chai Xian recount the past, Xu Qi’an had a moment of déjà vu, remembering Wei Yuan.

Back then, Empress Shangguan was like a bright light, illuminating the sorrowful youth of Wei Yuan…

“That day, after the evening meal, a servant conveyed that my adoptive father wanted to see me. I knew it was about Xiaolan; we had argued several times before about her marriage.”

“I was in love with Xiaolan and wanted my adoptive father to marry her to me. But he felt that since I was already part of the Chai family, destined to serve them, marrying Xiaolan to me would be merely gilding the lily. An alliance with the Huangfu family would better serve the family’s interests.”

The orange cat Xu Qi’an chuckled, “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Chai Xian’s eyes dimmed slightly as he continued:

“After dismissing the servant, I went to see my adoptive father. Halfway there, I sensed a commotion in his room and hurried over…”

“I was a step too late. When I arrived, my adoptive father had already been killed in his room, and the murderer had vanished. I was grief-stricken and furious. At this moment, my aunt arrived with other family members.”

“She and the others immediately accused me of killing my adoptive father and wanted to ‘clean house.’ No matter how I explained, they were unmoved; not a single person believed me. Left with no choice, I summoned the iron corpses and fought my way out of the Chai residence.”

“Although I didn’t kill my adoptive father, that night, my hands were indeed stained with the blood of many Chai family members. After escaping Xiangzhou City, I hid here to recover. This family owes me a favor and has always believed in me, not judging me as a murderer based on rumors.”

The orange cat Xu Qi’an interrupted, “Did you abduct Xiaolan?”

Chai Xian shook his head: “Afterward, worried about Xiaolan, I secretly snuck back into the Chai residence but couldn’t find her. I coerced some Chai family servants and learned that she had disappeared the night my adoptive father died. I fear the worst for her.”

The orange cat Xu Qi’an’s interest was piqued: “You snuck into the corpse cellar tonight to look for Xiaolan?”

Chai Xian nodded, relief in his eyes: “I didn’t find her.”

The orange cat Xu Qi’an asked again: “Who’s the villain creating murders and refining corpses throughout Zhangzhou?”

“I don’t know.”

Chai Xian’s face turned ashen, his tone and expression filled with hatred:

“Someone is impersonating me, committing murders, and creating cases everywhere. They’re trying to push me into a corner, making it impossible for me to clear my name. At first, they targeted jianghu figures, then small gangs, and now they’re not even sparing ordinary civilians.”

“This ‘Demon Slaying Assembly’ is exactly what they want.”

The orange cat Xu Qi’an probed: “Why don’t you run away?”

Chai Xian retorted: “Why should I run? My adoptive father’s death is still unclear, Xiaolan is missing, and the culprit who framed me hasn’t been found and is committing evil deeds out there. Why should I run?”

Brother, your temperament is a bit extreme… Xu Qi’an suddenly thought, that if the mastermind behind all this knew Chai Xian’s personality well, then the purpose of all these actions might be to force him to stay.

A well-executed scheme, both overt and covert!

Chai Xian suddenly sighed: “During this time, I’ve been constantly going out to track down the real culprit, visiting places where frequent murders occur. But I’ve only caught some petty criminals using my name to rob or refine corpses.”

The orange cat Xu Qi’an said: “Surely you must have some suspects in mind.”

Chai Xian hesitated slightly, then said: “I suspect my aunt is framing me.”

The orange cat’s face showed a human-like expression as it clicked its tongue and said: “Tell me more.”

A brief silence followed before Chai Xian sighed and said:

“Who else could it be besides my aunt? My eldest brother died young, and my second and third brothers are hopeless. If my adoptive father died, only Xiaolan and I could threaten her position. This incident kills three birds with one stone, doesn’t it?”

“Before tonight, though I always suspected her, I lacked certainty and evidence. But tonight, when I snuck into the Chai residence, I heard her with a strange man in her room, being intimate.”

“My aunt has changed. She would never have been so wanton before. Desire has made her ugly.”

Ah, this! That “strange man” you probably know too, it’s the Li Lingsu from Daming Lake years ago… The orange cat Xu Qi’an inwardly snarked.

Except for the mistaken assessment of the “strange man,” Chai Xian’s judgment largely aligned with his guesses.

In criminology, there’s a basic principle: in a criminal case, whoever benefits is a suspect.

In the Chai family case, Chai Xing’er could be considered the sole beneficiary, giving her a motive. Of course, this isn’t absolute, which is why she’s a “suspect.”

But based on subsequent developments, with “Chai Xian” repeatedly committing murders in Xiangzhou and other parts of Zhangzhou, it doesn’t fit the normal behavior pattern of a criminal.

Xu Qi’an was previously puzzled by this, but now, after meeting Chai Xian, he wondered if Xiaolan’s disappearance and the framed murders were all meant to keep Chai Xian here.

This leads to another prerequisite: the mastermind behind this must know Chai Xian’s personality intimately. Someone unfamiliar couldn’t pull off such a scheme.

“Thank you for telling me this. I now understand the course of events. If you’ve truly been wronged, I’ll try to uncover the truth and clear your name,” the orange cat Xu Qi’an said.

But before that, you’ll have to return the Dragon Qi to me… Just as he thought this, he heard Chai Xian say softly:

“Thank you. You’ve told me so much, are you waiting for your main body to arrive?”

…The orange cat Xu Qi’an’s face stiffened, nearly letting out a “meow” to charm his way out of it.

Chai Xian sighed: “I’m sorry, but I can’t trust anyone right now. If you truly want to help me, that’s fine. We can use this place as a contact point. If there’s any progress or you need to contact me, you can leave a note with Erya.”

This way, whether you’re good or evil, you can’t harm this family for now… The orange cat Xu Qi’an said solemnly: “Alright!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chai Xian released a burst of energy, knocking the orange cat unconscious.

…

A quarter-hour later, Xu Qi’an’s main body hurriedly arrived, moving like a ghost in the darkness, his figure flickering in and out of view as he appeared in the alley.

Except for an unconscious orange cat, the alley was empty, without a single person in sight.

Xu Qi’an leaped onto the roof of a mud house, looking around in all directions. He couldn’t sense the aura of Dragon Qi, meaning Chai Xian had already left the area.

“Quite cautious, aren’t you!”

He landed lightly, picked up the unconscious orange cat, rubbed his brow, and slowly left.

The Heart Parasite’s control over animals has two modes: “influence,” which can make animal or insect swarms serve one’s will, and “possession,” where a strand of primordial spirit immerses itself, using the animal as an avatar.

In simpler terms, “influence” is a wide-range skill. Possession can only affect one or two to three animals, depending on the strength of one’s primordial spirit.

His ability to control the orange cat over such a distance relied entirely on the resilience of his third-grade primordial spirit.

Moreover, the Corpse Parasite’s method of controlling walking corpses is similar to the Heart Parasite’s “possession.” The difference is that the Heart Parasite requires one’s primordial spirit as a driving force, while the Corpse Parasite implants a sub-parasite in the corpse, consuming little energy itself.

He ran and shadow-jumped alternately, finally returning to the inn.

Mu Nanzhi and the little white fox were already asleep. The fox’s upper body was buried in the blanket, its hind legs sticking out. As Xu Qi’an shadow-jumped back into the room, he saw its hind legs twitch and kick a few times.

This happened repeatedly every dozen seconds or so. Xu Qi’an guessed it might be oxygen-deprived and pulled its head out from under the covers.

That solved the problem.

…

The next day!

In the morning, the Heavenly Sect’s Holy Son, dressed in a light blue cotton robe, silver-patterned boots, and a jade hairpin, arrived at the inn, looking dashing and romantic.

He entered the hall, his gaze sweeping around, quickly locking onto the table by the window.

At the table sat a plain-looking man and woman, with a small white fox lying on the table, drinking porridge. It occasionally looked up at Xu Qi’an, then lowered its head to drink again.

“Why do you keep looking at me?” Xu Qi’an asked, puzzled.

The little fox had been giving him strange looks since waking up this morning. Its black button-like eyes held three parts hostility, three parts fear, three parts grievance, and one part pity… Well, it was a complex mix of emotions.

The little fox said in a soft voice:

“I dreamed last night that you were taking revenge on me, trying to strangle me. I begged you for mercy, but you wouldn’t let me go.”

It looked aggrieved.

Isn’t it because your sleeping posture is so bad, with your head buried in the blanket, causing oxygen deprivation?… Xu Qi’an’s mouth twitched as he retorted:

“Why would you have such a dream? More precisely, why would I take revenge on you? It’s because you did something bad last night and now you feel guilty.”

The little fox was too young to argue back and just whimpered.

Li Lingsu quickly approached and sat down at the table, rubbing his waist as he smiled and said:

“What mischief did this little one get up to last night?”

Mu Nanzhi said coldly: “What mischief could it do? Unlike certain men who are not only lecherous and flirtatious, but also indiscriminate between humans and demons, and sometimes don’t even care if they’re alive or dead.”

Li Lingsu and Xu Qi’an’s faces suddenly stiffened.

“Madam, what you’re saying…” Li Lingsu laughed dryly and said: “There are good demons too. We can’t judge good and evil by species. Besides, what do you mean by not caring if they’re alive or dead?”

Tap tap!

This guy is feeling guilty. Does he have a demon lover too? Xu Qi’an tapped the table a few times and said: “What business do you have?”

Li Lingsu immediately lowered his voice, “Senior, I’ve encountered a bit of trouble.”

He paused, seemingly embarrassed to speak, his voice dropping even lower: “I’ve been afflicted by a love parasite again. You’re an expert in parasite techniques. Could you remove it for me?”

Yandere women are trouble… Xu Qi’an said: “Planted by Chai Xing’er?”

Li Lingsu’s face showed a look of misery as he nodded.

At this moment, a waiter approached, bowing as he asked: “Sir, what would you like to eat?”

Li Lingsu glanced at Mu Nanzhi and Xu Qian’s food, thought for a moment, and said:

“Bring all the dishes that nourish the kidneys and boost virility.”

…The waiter gave him an odd look, “Alright, alright…”

His gaze then fell on the little white fox, and he flatteringly praised:

“It looks so lively, unlike our innkeeper’s cat. It has no energy today, and seems to be sick.”

No, it’s just been completely drained… Xu Qi’an thought to himself.

The waiter said this and then retreated.

Mu Nanzhi gloated:

“I think you’re fated to have romantic troubles. First, you were softly imprisoned by the Dongfang sisters for half a year, draining you dry. Now Chai Xing’er has planted a love parasite on you. Tsk tsk, you’ll die at the hands of a woman one day.”

Huh, Madam Xu rarely mocks me like this. Is she jealous?… Ah, my damned charm, we could never be… Li Lingsu smiled politely, maintaining his distance from this plain-looking Madam Xu.

Mu Nanzhi was unaware of the Holy Son’s inner monologue, otherwise she would have spat in his face.

“But since you’ve followed him, you can ask him how to handle conflicts between women. This guy, like you, is burdened with romantic debts. Moreover, those women, regardless of status, position, or looks, all far surpass your lovers,” Mu Nanzhi said sarcastically.

Burdened with romantic debts? Women, whose status, position, and looks far surpass my lovers? The Holy Son glanced at Xu Qian, not believing it.

Judging by Madam Xu’s appearance, he could guess Xu Qian’s taste.

This guy’s reaction when he sees Mu Nanzhi’s true face will be interesting. Hmm, the agreed period with the National Preceptor seems to be approaching… Xu Qi’an took a sip of porridge and said solemnly:

“Be careful of Chai Xing’er. I encountered Chai Xian last night.”

“What?!”

The Holy Son’s voice suddenly rose.

Mu Nanzhi also looked over.

Xu Qi’an briefly recounted the events of the previous night, of course omitting the bedroom scene between the Holy Son and Chai Xing’er. This wasn’t to save face for the scumbag, but because it would make “Xu Qian” seem uncouth.

Li Lingsu rubbed his waist while saying seriously:

“I still don’t believe Xing’er would do such things, but as you said, she is indeed the prime suspect. However, suspicion is just suspicion. Without evidence, we can’t prove she’s the mastermind.”

“Everything Chai Xian said is just his side of the story, isn’t it?”

Xu Qi’an grunted in agreement, chewing on a soft, fragrant steamed bun, and said:

“So the key person now is Chai Lan. Whether alive or dead, we need to find her. Also, you should go to the Chai residence and ask about the events of that night. Compare the accounts of Chai Xing’er, Chai Xian, and the Chai family members. See if you can find any clues.”

“Tomorrow is the Demon Slaying Assembly. We’ll observe the situation then.”

With Buddhist monks like Jing Xin and Jing Yuan involved, his primary task now wasn’t to uncover the truth of the case, but to find Chai Xian and extract the Dragon Qi.

Otherwise, once Jing Xin and Jing Yuan discover that Chai Xian is a Dragon Qi host, they will inevitably try to convert him to Buddhism.

With his current cultivation and the power of the Pagoda of Myriad Buddhas, dealing with these monks would be a 50-50 chance at best.

They couldn’t harm him, but he couldn’t kill them either.

The crucial point was that Jing Xin and Jing Yuan might have ways to contact Du Nan Jingang. If he delayed too long, he might end up facing a third-grade expert, or even an Arhat.

“By the way, the Demon Slaying Assembly will be held tomorrow at the Xiang River outside the city,” Li Lingsu said.