Xu Qi’an didn’t ask to enter the house, as it would be impolite. With no men present, such an action could even lead to gossip.

Of course, Xu Qi’an knew that the mother and daughter’s vigilance and nervousness weren’t due to these concerns, but because they had “something to hide.”

“Little girl, do you know Chai Xian?” Xu Qi’an asked.

Hearing this, the little girl froze, staring at him blankly, with a confusion typical of someone too young to know how to respond.

The young woman couldn’t understand the official language, but seeing her daughter’s dazed expression, she immediately sensed something was wrong and hurriedly drew closer.

Xu Qi’an crouched down, and before the little girl could scream, he reached out to pat her head, taking the opportunity to activate his heart-controlling ability. He smiled and said:

“I’m a friend of your Uncle Xian. Didn’t he tell you about me last night?”

To the little girl, this strange uncle suddenly became a kind, gentle, and harmless person.

“Yes!” The little girl nodded vigorously. “He said if a strange uncle came looking for him, I should remember what he says…”

Xu Qi’an smoothly handed her the small note, “Please give this note to him.”

After saying this, he glanced at the chilblains on the back of the little girl’s hand and her thin shoes that offered almost no protection against the cold. He imagined her little feet were also covered in chilblains.

So he took out a few pieces of silver and handed them to the little girl along with the note: “Take this silver to buy some candy.”

The little girl took the note but didn’t take the silver. She turned to look at her mother.

The young woman bit her lip, staring at the silver, torn between wanting it and being afraid to take it. For a poor family, these silver pieces could buy meat for several days or a winter cotton jacket for the child.

“Mm!” The young woman nodded firmly.

The little girl stretched out her chilblain-covered hand and gripped the silver tightly.

Xu Qi’an immediately bid farewell and left. Just as he walked out of the courtyard, he heard the little girl calling out. Looking back, he saw that she hadn’t followed him but had run back into the house.

Soon, she came out clutching a handful of dried sweet potatoes, timidly offering them to him as if trying to please him.

Xu Qi’an’s gaze softened instantly as he accepted the sweet potatoes.

The little girl’s eyes immediately lit up, revealing a pure smile.

“I’ll ask you a few more things, and if you answer me, I’ll give you some more silver,” Xu Qi’an smiled.

The little girl thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

“What’s the relationship between Chai Xian and your father?”

The little girl said, “Dad told me to call him Uncle Xian.”

As for past matters between their fathers, she didn’t know.

“How long has Chai Xian been staying at your house?”

The little girl thought for a moment and said, “He rarely stays at our house.”

Rarely? Xu Qi’an frowned slightly and asked, “Do you think Uncle Chai Xian is a good person?”

“Yes, just like you, uncle,” the little girl nodded. Children have very keen intuition.

It would be better if she called me brother, after all, I’m forever 18… Xu Qi’an smiled and asked, “Anything else?”

It was just a casual question.

“He often has nightmares, zones out…” The little girl tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then her eyes brightened: “Uncle Xian has six toes.”

Xu Qi’an, as promised, handed her the silver and waved goodbye as he left the village.

…

At the Chai manor.

Zen Master Jingxin returned to the courtyard and found the warrior monk Jingyuan. He said, “I’ve looked into it and found that the death of Lady Chai Xing’er’s former husband is related to the family head, Chai Jianyuan.”

Jingyuan nodded, “Tell me the details.”

For a Zen Master with precepts, finding out about such matters was usually effortless.

Although it wasn’t convenient to use precepts on Chai Xing’er directly, as a compromise, questioning the manor’s servants was fine.

Jingxin had asked mostly about Chai Xian, with Chai Xing’er being a secondary inquiry.

Listening to his senior brother’s account, warrior monk Jingyuan frowned and said:

“If everything Chai Xing’er said was a lie, then perhaps Chai Xian isn’t what we imagined, having obtained the dragon’s aura. I didn’t know Lady Chai Xing’er had lost a husband before. I thought the man by her side was the son-in-law of the Chai family.”

Jingxin pondered, “This person could be questioned. He probably knows more.”

…

At night.

The charcoal fire roared as Li Lingsu embraced his beautiful wife, lying on the bed covered with a brocade quilt. They had just finished their exercise, and both were sweating.

Chai Xing’er curled up lazily in his arms, revealing her round, fair shoulders. Her fingertips traced circles on Li Lingsu’s chest as she spoke in a languid tone:

“You’re investigating me!”

Li Lingsu, who had fallen into a post-coital trance, had his pupils constrict slightly before returning to normal. “I can sense that you’re still hiding something from me.”

Chai Xing’er sighed, “My dear Li, don’t get involved in the Chai family’s affairs. As long as you stay by my side, I’m content. It’s not you who wants to investigate me, it’s Xu Qian, right?”

Xing’er’s intuition is still so sharp… Li Lingsu said, “It has nothing to do with him.”

Chai Xing’er wiggled her waist slightly, adjusting her sleeping position, and said:

“He has a special quality about him that I can’t quite put my finger on, but I feel this person isn’t genuine, always pretending. Of course, if he’s as you say, a high-level cultivator in the Transcendent Realm, it’s normal for him to have some disguises.”

After a pause, she added, “Xu Qian has a grudge against the Buddhist sect, doesn’t he?”

Chai Xing’er’s tone was very certain.

“What makes you say that?” Li Lingsu asked, his expression unchanged.

“As soon as those monks arrived, you all immediately left the manor. My dear Li didn’t even dare to reveal his name in front of them.”

Chai Xing’er’s expression was cool, her smile faint. “There are two Fourth-Grade cultivators among those monks. Logically, if Xu Qian were truly a high-level cultivator in the Transcendent Realm, why would he fear them? Either there’s another reason, or there’s someone behind these monks, isn’t that right, my dear?”

We can’t continue this conversation… Li Lingsu rolled over, pressing his beautiful wife beneath him, and smiled, “Xing’er, you’re so clever. Let your husband cherish you properly.”

…

The next day, early morning.

Xu Qi’an led the small mare, with Mu Nanzhi sitting on its back, clip-clopping out of Xiangzhou City.

The Demon Slaying Conference was to be held at the Xiang River. The location was chosen to avoid curious commoners, as the jianghu world and ordinary people were always kept separate.

This was a consensus between the jianghu people and the government, though the common people themselves weren’t aware of this distinction and liked to join in the excitement.

The local government had cleared an area on the banks of the Xiang River, setting up platforms, laying wooden planks, and dividing the area into sections.

All jianghu factions that had registered in advance were allocated a cool shelter, while unregistered factions and individual jianghu members could only stand and watch.

After leaving the city, Xu Qi’an mounted the horse, riding together with Mu Nanzhi, clip-clopping towards their destination.

Half an hour later, they finally saw the venue for the Demon Slaying Conference, which was already crowded with people.

There were jianghu members equipped with various weapons, and government soldiers responsible for maintaining order.

The wind by the river was strong and bitterly cold. Many jianghu factions had already taken their seats in the shelters.

As a “rogue cultivator” like Xu Qi’an, he could only observe from afar, beyond the soldiers’ blockade.

“Senior?”

Suddenly, a surprised shout came from behind.

Xu Qi’an turned to look and saw Wang Jun and Feng Xiu, with whom he had “shared hardships” in the desolate mountain temple. Both had gang backgrounds, though Xu Qi’an had forgotten which gang they belonged to.

“It’s you two.”

Xu Qi’an smiled and nodded.

Mu Nanzhi sat high on horseback, looking down at the two haughtily.

Wang Jun, wearing a sword, asked puzzledly, “With Senior’s status, why haven’t you gone inside?”

“Just here to see the excitement,” Xu Qi’an casually explained.

Wang Jun was still dressed in black tight-fitting clothes, but the style had changed from what he wore that day.

Feng Xiu had changed out of her neat short outfit. She now wore a jacket that accentuated her girlish figure, paired with a fluffy long skirt.

This attire made her look both graceful and feminine, while not restricting her ability to move.

“Everyone!”

A loud voice rang out, suppressing the noisy waves of chatter. The Demon Slaying Conference, with its hundreds of attendees, fell silent. All eyes turned towards the official standing on the high platform.

“That’s the Governor of Xiangzhou,” Feng Xiu whispered.

The Governor delivered an impassioned speech on the platform, denouncing Chai Xian’s crimes and expressing deep sorrow for the murder cases in Xiangzhou and throughout Zhangzhou.

“This person is bloodthirsty. As long as he’s not eliminated, Xiangzhou will not know peace. That all of you righteous heroes have gathered here today truly shows your sense of justice. The villain Chai Xian, in Xiangzhou…”

It had been two ten-day periods since the murder case at the Chai manor. During this time, “Chai Xian” had been killing people everywhere. At first, he killed jianghu members, wiping out three gangs in succession.

The number of jianghu members who died at Chai Xian’s hands reached six hundred and forty-three.

The number of ordinary civilians who died at Chai Xian’s hands was even greater, as many ill-intentioned individuals took advantage of the chaos to cause trouble, either imitating Chai Xian in killing people and refining corpses, or breaking into homes to commit crimes.

Xu Qi’an listened for a long time before realizing that “Chai Xian” had committed so many murders within Zhangzhou’s borders. No wonder it had caused such a stir as to lead to this Demon Slaying Conference.

“Something’s not right. Killing so many people just to frame Chai Xian and then leave him behind?”

Detective Xu Qi’an frowned, sensing something strange about the situation.

Previously, he had speculated that the true culprit behind the scenes was taking advantage of Chai Xian’s extreme personality to frame him, then using Chai Lan as a “hostage” to keep Chai Xian in place, waiting for an opportunity to eliminate him.

But if someone could kill so many people, why couldn’t they track down one Chai Xian? Xu Qi’an had encountered Chai Xian on just his second day in Xiangzhou, which could be attributed to the convergence effect of their dragon auras.

However, this also indirectly proved that Chai Xian’s hiding place wasn’t that secretive. Moreover, Chai Xian himself was also investigating the person who framed him.

If the true culprit behind the scenes wanted to kill Chai Xian, they only needed to commit a murder somewhere to draw him out, luring Chai Xian to them.

“In this situation, there are only two possible explanations: either my speculation is wrong, or the true culprit behind the scenes is a psychopath who harbors an intense hatred for Chai Xian, and can’t be judged by normal human logic…”

The Governor spoke loudly: “From this day forward, this office, along with Chai Xing’er of the Chai family, and the gangs and families present here, jointly issue an arrest warrant. Whoever kills Chai Xian will be heavily rewarded.”

Various gangs and families responded in succession. The jianghu members on the outskirts were excited, finally about to eliminate the demon.

Compared to ordinary civilians, the local gangs and families were more eager to eliminate Chai Xian, because martial artists had abundant vital essence, suitable for nurturing corpses. If it was a Sixth-Grade Bronze Skin Iron Bone martial artist, they could be directly refined into an iron corpse.

Therefore, the majority of those who had previously died at Chai Xian’s hands were jianghu members.

The Governor lowered his hand and turned to look at Chai Xing’er, who understood immediately. She walked out of the shelter and climbed onto the platform.

Chai Xing’er was a widow, and with the murder case at the Chai manor, she wore a plain-colored long dress today, with light makeup. Her aura was cool and delicate, seemingly weak, easily arousing men’s protective instincts.

“Thank you all for responding. This matter arose because of the Chai family, implicating all of you. I feel deeply ashamed.”

As soon as she finished speaking, someone shouted:

“Chai Xian is ungrateful, killing his father and relatives. What does this have to do with Miss Chai?”

“That’s right, the Chai family is also a victim.”

Chai Xing’er cupped her hands in gratitude and continued, “For this Demon Slaying Conference, the local government, the Chai family, the Huangfu family, the Spring Rain Hall… will form teams to patrol various areas, determined to find Chai Xian. I hope that everyone present can also send disciples to participate.”

As soon as she finished speaking, someone said, “Chai Xian himself is already a Fifth-Grade Energy Condensation expert, and he has four iron corpses to assist him. If a patrol team encounters him, it would be a certain death. What should be done about that?”

Chai Xing’er turned to look at Jingxin, who was sitting with prayer beads and said:

“For this Demon Slaying Conference, the Chai family is fortunate to have invited high monks from the Buddhist sect to assist.”

The heroes present immediately looked towards Jingxin and the others.

The monks modestly put their palms together and chanted a Buddhist phrase.

A gang leader spoke loudly:

“Buddhist high monks? Strangely, I’ve lived in Xiangzhou for most of my life, and this is the first time I’ve seen people from the Buddhist sect. How do the venerable monks plan to assist?”

Facing the questioning gazes of the crowd, Jingxin took off the prayer beads hanging around his neck and said:

“This string of prayer beads has accompanied this poor monk for over a decade, washed by scriptures, and over time has become spiritually connected. The seventy-two beads are one entity. Each search team can take one bead, and if they encounter Chai Xian, they can infuse their qi into the bead, and this poor monk will know.”

The crowd’s eyes lit up but then turned skeptical. The Governor smiled and said:

“The venerable monks have come from afar. May I ask about your cultivation level? If you don’t mind, could you demonstrate it to everyone?”

Chai Xing’er looked at Jingxin without speaking.

Although with her introduction, these brutes wouldn’t be disrespectful, to convince people, the Buddhist monks couldn’t rely on words alone.

Jingxin looked at his junior disciple Jingyuan, who nodded and calmly stepped forward, surveying the crowd:

“Who can make me take a step back?”

He spoke these arrogant words in a calm tone as if stating a fact.

The jianghu members present simultaneously raised their eyebrows. For martial artists, this was a blatant provocation.

After Jingyuan finished speaking, he put his palms together, and a golden paint spot lit up between his eyebrows, quickly spreading throughout his body.

In an instant, he looked like a dazzling golden figure.

“This, this is…”

A gang leader wearing luxurious clothes, after observing for a moment, said uncertainly:

“Could it be the Buddhist Vajra Divine Skill?”

“It’s said that even in the Buddhist sect, very few can successfully cultivate the Vajra Divine Skill.”

“This monk has some real ability…”

Discussions immediately arose, with whispers and murmurs everywhere.

Wang Jun muttered, “If I could cultivate the Vajra Divine Skill, I’d be the top expert in Zhangzhou.”

Feng Xiu thought of something else: “Rumor has it that Inspector Xu also knows the Vajra Divine Skill.”

The two came back to their senses, and Wang Jun looked around, surprised: “Where’s the senior?”

Feng Xiu then realized that the senior they had met in the desolate mountain temple had long since disappeared.

…

Far from the Demon Slaying Conference site, in a certain high place in the air, a huge pagoda was suspended. Xu Qi’an stood by the window, looking down.

The Xiang River meandered like a silver belt, fields were irregularly distributed, and mountains looked like raised mounds of earth.

He held a fragment of the Earth Book, controlling the Floating Pagoda to patrol and survey within a radius of dozens of li, but he couldn’t see the golden dragon’s shadow anywhere.

Time passed minute by minute, and as noon approached, Xu Qi’an finally gave up. He retrieved the pagoda from its hidden location and led the small mare back to the Demon Slaying Conference site.

The conference had just ended, with important figures leaving in carriages while wandering jianghu members who had arrived on foot dispersed in all directions.

“Senior!”

Xu Qi’an encountered Feng Xiu and Wang Jun again, learning from them that the Buddhist high monks had stolen the show at the conference.

The monk who had cultivated the Vajra Divine Skill had stood on the stage for a quarter of an hour, with more than a dozen people challenging him, but none could move him even slightly.

“Such a powerful Vajra Divine Skill. With such high monks participating, how can we not eliminate Chai Xian? The Buddhist sect is truly powerful,” Wang Jun said excitedly.

Feng Xiu shook her head: “I’m afraid Chai Xian might have already fled.”

…

Back at the inn, Xu Qi’an stood by the window holding a teacup, gazing into the distance.

“Maybe he hasn’t received your note,” Mu Nanzhi analyzed. “After all, he’s already left. It might take several days before he goes there?”

“That’s possible! However, given Chai Xian’s personality, he shouldn’t have given up such a good opportunity as the Demon Slaying Conference. Manipulating corpses to confront Chai Xing’er would at most cost him one corpse, which is insignificant to him,” Xu Qi’an furrowed his brows. “Hasn’t he always wanted to prove his innocence? What is he worried about?”

With Chai Xian not appearing, Xu Qi’an’s plan to extract the dragon aura had failed. He felt vaguely uneasy. After much thought, he said:

“I’m going out for a while.”

He rode the small mare out of the city, moving quickly. The small mare passed through official roads, field ridges, and small paths, finally reaching that small village.

Under the curious gaze of the villagers, Xu Qi’an arrived at the small courtyard gate.

The gate was tightly closed.

He caught a whiff of blood.

“Bang!”

Xu Qi’an kicked open the gate and rushed into the house, seeing three corpses.

They lay in pools of blood. The man’s body was by the table, the young mother tightly hugging her daughter in her arms, the blood beneath the mother and daughter dry and sticky. Their bodies were by the bed.

The bodies were cold and stiff, having been dead for some time.

From the distribution of the bodies, it could be deduced that the man was killed first. The woman, in her terror, instinctively hugged her daughter tightly, trying to protect her, before they were also killed.

The veins on Xu Qi’an’s forehead began to throb, bulging one by one.