Turns Out I'm the Real Monster?!

His lips moved for a moment before he finally spoke. "Water Director, I’m afraid... a confrontation is impossible."

"Why is that?"

"Because just before you all arrived, I received a confirmed report..."

Yan Wu gritted his teeth, enunciating each word. "Cao Leixuan... has turned traitor! He has publicly allied himself with the Red Umbrella Sect and the Demon Race!"

The hall immediately erupted in an uproar.

’A Hall Master had openly turned traitor?’

But at the same time, the way everyone looked at Du Yuanfei changed.

If Cao Leixuan was the real traitor...

...then it made perfect sense that he had used a distress signal to lure Du Yuanfei, Tang Guixin, and the others into a trap.

’In that case, didn’t that make Du Yuanfei a victim, exploited by the traitor?’

Du Yuanfei stood frozen as if struck by lightning. Then, his eyes turned bloodshot, and he snarled through clenched teeth:

"Cao Leixuan! That animal! I treated him like a brother, and he... he dared to trick me!"

"He got so many of my brothers killed! I’ll kill him!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and his knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists, looking as if he wanted to rush out that very moment and tear Cao Leixuan limb from limb.

Shui Miaozheng watched Du Yuanfei, her delicate brows knitting together. For the moment, she couldn’t come to a definite conclusion.

She trusted Yan Wu’s integrity. If Du Yuanfei were truly under serious suspicion, Yan Wu wouldn’t be shielding him.

’Could it be... that we’ve wrongly accused him?’

Yan Wu sighed and continued his questioning. "Du Yuanfei, what happened after that?"

Du Yuanfei took several deep breaths, suppressing his rage and grief, and went on.

"Later... we fought desperately to break through their encirclement, but I was too gravely injured and was captured by the Golden Roc King."

"The Demon captured me but didn’t kill me right away."

"It said it was going to parade me to Yan City, to make an example of me at the city gates. It was going to execute me by a thousand cuts in front of all of you..."

As he spoke, a flash of fear crossed his eyes.

"I thought I was done for. But on the way back here, while under escort, we were suddenly intercepted by a Great Demon."

"All I could vaguely make out was that it was a Tiger Demon, shouting something about settling a score with the Golden Roc King. Then they started fighting."

"Then I lost consciousness..."

"When I came to, I’d already been rescued by our men on patrol."

"A Tiger Demon?"

Yan Wu raised an eyebrow. "That must have been the Tiger Vanguard."

He turned to the crowd and explained,

"According to our intelligence, the Demon factions outside the city are not a monolith. The Tiger Vanguard and the Great Golden Roc King have a long-standing feud and are constantly at each other’s throats."

"If what Master Du says is true, then it must have been the Tiger Vanguard ambushing them midway."

Hearing Yan Wu’s explanation, the crowd’s suspicion toward Du Yuanfei lessened considerably.

At least, based on the available information, his story had no obvious holes.

Xu Fu, however, remained full of contempt, a cold sneer fixed on his lips.

If Jiang Mu hadn’t personally told him Du Yuanfei was the traitor, he might have actually believed the scoundrel’s lies.

But now, watching Du Yuanfei’s performance just made his skin crawl.

It was like watching a Demon disguised in human skin.

’Jiang Mu said he’s a traitor, so he *has* to be!’

’Even if the Celestial King himself came down and said otherwise, he’s still a traitor!’

’But the problem was...’

’...he had no proof.’

’He couldn’t just say, "It’s true because Old Jiang said so," could he?’

’Saying something like that would just make everyone think the people from Hu State were being unreasonable and causing trouble.’

At this thought, Xu Fu’s chest tightened with frustration. All he could do was glare daggers at Du Yuanfei, wishing his eyes could burn a hole right through him.

Yan Wu turned to Tian Wenjing and Shui Miaozheng, his tone earnest.

"Elder Tian, Water Director."

"The situation is now clear. I believe that while Du Yuanfei is responsible for a lapse in judgment, he absolutely had no intention of colluding with Demon Fiends."

"He is a victim himself, who fell into a trap while trying to save his comrades."

"Of course, I know his testimony alone is not enough to completely eliminate your suspicions."

"Please, grant me some time!"

He clasped his hands in a solemn salute to the pair. "I will continue to investigate Du Yuanfei’s matter in depth and will not overlook a single suspicious detail."

"In the meantime, I will suspend Du Yuanfei from all his duties and place him under house arrest. He will be monitored around the clock by dedicated guards and forbidden from any contact with the outside world."

"I will do this until the whole truth is brought to light, and I can give you—and our fallen brothers—a satisfactory explanation!"

"What do the two of you think of this arrangement?"

It had to be said that Yan Wu’s proposal was a significant concession.

Suspending a Hall Master and placing him under house arrest without conclusive proof was already a major concession.

If Tian Wenjing and Shui Miaozheng were to press the matter further, they would be the ones who appeared unreasonable.

Just as Tian Wenjing was about to speak and accept the compromise, a cold voice, like a chilling gust of wind, drifted in from outside the hall.

"That won’t be necessary. We’ll have our answer today."

Everyone in the hall froze, their heads snapping in unison toward the entrance.

Silhouetted in the doorway, a young man in a coarse, gray shirt stepped inside.

The man had sharp brows and bright, piercing eyes, a high-bridged nose, and a stern, chiseled face.

Though his clothes were of simple, coarse cloth, they failed to conceal his piercing, razor-sharp aura. He was like a peerless weapon, still humming after tasting blood, not yet returned to its scabbard—dangerously, palpably sharp.

’What a handsome, formidable young man!’

Everyone’s eyes lit up in silent admiration.

"Old Jiang!"

Xu Fu’s face lit up with elation.

Seeing Jiang Mu return safely, the perpetual furrow in Tian Wenjing’s brow finally smoothed out, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

’As long as he’s back alive, nothing else matters.’

But as for Shui Miaozheng, sitting off to the side, the moment she saw the figure, her lovely expression froze solid.

Her lips parted slightly.

Her glistening eyes grew wide, her face a mask of utter disbelief.

’It’s... it’s him?!’