Turns Out I'm the Real Monster?!

The corner of Jiang Mu’s mouth twisted into a derisive sneer.

’Not running away?’

Of course, they wouldn’t dare run.

The laws of the Demon-slaying Bureau were draconian; desertion was a capital crime.

If they fled, they wouldn’t just be wanted by the Demon-slaying Bureau. They would become outcasts, unable to gain a foothold anywhere, and completely cut off from cultivation resources.

Unless they were willing to descend into the demonic path and join a faction like the Red Umbrella Sect.

But these days, being a rebel wasn’t so easy. Who would dare gamble their life and fortune on it?

So, they chose to drag out their pathetic lives here.

They got to keep their official posts and stipends, and they saved their own skins—all at the cost of innocent children’s blood.

"Where are the two Demon Slayer Envoys from Yan City? Lead the way."

Jiang Mu said impassively.

The old man glanced at the shredded paper figures littering the ground, then met Jiang Mu’s eyes, which were as cold as distant stars. He dared not disobey again and had no choice but to lead the way.

The group passed through the deathly silent streets, arriving at an impressive-looking estate on the eastern end of town. Red lanterns hung before it.

The courtyard gate was ajar, the interior brightly lit.

The faint sounds of women’s coquettish laughter and men’s boisterous jeers could be heard from within.

"Those two sirs are in there."

The old man pointed to the room within, then timidly stepped aside.

Jiang Mu and his two companions entered the courtyard. When they reached the brightly lit doorway, Zhang Daxie stepped forward and kicked the door in.

The scene that greeted them made even Jiang Mu freeze for a second.

Inside the spacious room, the air was thick with the smell of wine and roasted meat.

Two men in the plainclothes of the Demon-slaying Bureau were sprawled on a soft couch, their robes in disarray. Each had a beautiful, seductive woman nestled in his arms.

They were feeding each other wine and flirting, lost in their merriment.

That alone would have been bad enough.

But beneath the hems of their skirts, the two beautiful women had snake tails.

As Jiang Mu entered, one of the snake women even flicked out her long, forked tongue to brush against the cheek of the man holding her, letting out a playful whine.

’Snake Demons?’

Watching this cringeworthy scene, Jiang Mu was at a loss for words.

’What a sight.’

’He’d thought these two had been forced to compromise with the Demons out of desperation.’

’Who would have thought...’

’It turned out these two were just a couple of rough-and-tumble heroes.’

The two Demon Slayer Envoys, muddled with drink, were stunned when they saw someone burst in.

One of them, a man with a brutish, fleshy face, staggered to his feet, pointed at Jiang Mu, and slurred a curse:

"Damn it, what blind fool—"

SCHLICK!

A brilliant gleam of cold steel flashed by.

The brutish head separated from its neck. The furious expression still etched on its face, it rolled under the table.

Hot blood sprayed from the stump of his neck, dousing the feast on the table.

Jiang Mu sheathed his blade, his tone impassive. "Kill those two Snake Demons."

The Zhang Daxie brothers drew their blades and charged.

The two Snake Demons, who were merely dancers and drinking companions, were only at the Tier Two Cultivation Level. Before they could even slither away, the brothers’ blades fell upon them, hacking them into pieces. They reverted to their true forms, their bodies as thick as water buckets, and the foul stench of snake blood flooded the floor.

The remaining Demon Slayer Envoy was a short, fat man of about thirty.

The shock had instantly sobered him. His face was white as a sheet, and he sat limply on the chair.

A warm, acrid stench spread from his crotch. It trickled down his pant leg, dripping onto the floor.

"You... you..."

As Jiang Mu advanced on him, the short, fat man’s lips trembled and his teeth chattered.

Jiang Mu stopped before him, looking down imperiously.

"I’ll ask, you’ll answer. Got it?"

The man stared into those emotionless eyes and nodded vigorously, his fat jiggling.

He saw Jiang Mu’s official uniform, then glanced past him to the old man who had led them there. Suddenly, everything clicked into place.

He dropped to his knees with a THUD, snot and tears streaming down his face.

"L-Lord, spare my life! We... we had no other choice!"

"That Demon was too powerful! If we hadn’t done this, the people in this town... they would’ve been eaten long ago! We were just thinking of the bigger picture, enduring this humiliation for the greater good..."

Jiang Mu glanced at the mangled corpses of the two Snake Demons on the floor, then at the feast on the table. He sneered.

"Enduring humiliation? All the way into a Snake Demon’s bed?

I have to admit, your way of ’compromising for the greater good’ is certainly one of a kind."

"I..."

The short, fat man’s face flushed crimson. He wanted to defend himself but didn’t know where to begin.

’At first, they had resisted.’

’But alas, the Snake Demons were just too much fun.’

"Enough with the nonsense," Jiang Mu cut him off. "How many more Demons? What are their Cultivation Levels? Where are they hiding?"

The short, fat man didn’t dare conceal anything. He stammered,

"Th-there are two more Demons. Both are at the Tier Four Cultivation Level.

Originally, there was only one Ghost Cultivator here, eating children. Then a Snake Demon arrived. They... they seem to be a couple."

"The Snake Demon seems to be badly injured and also needs children to heal and recover."

’A Snake Demon and a Ghost Cultivator?’

’A couple?’

Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow. ’Now that’s a novel pairing.’

’An interspecies romance?’

"Lead the way."

Jiang Mu stood up.

The short, fat man hesitated, then mustered his courage and asked tentatively,

"L-Lord, if I lead you to them, can... can you spare my worthless life? I swear I’ll turn over a new leaf! I’ll kill more Demons to atone for my sins!"

Jiang Mu said coolly, "That depends on your performance."

A glimmer of hope flashed in the man’s eyes. He gritted his teeth and scrambled to his feet. "Alright! I’ll take you there!"

...

The night was deep, moonless and blustery.

The group arrived in front of a temple on the edge of town.

The temple had long been abandoned, and a sinister Ghost Qi emanated from it.

"They’re inside."

The short, fat man pointed. "That Demon Fiend couple is in a meditation chamber in the rear courtyard."

Jiang Mu nodded, then turned to the Zhang Daxie brothers and ordered,

"You two guard the front and back entrances. Don’t let anything escape. If that fatso tries any tricks, cut him down immediately."