Turns Out I'm the Real Monster?!

Shock, doubt, worship, jealousy...

The people who had once looked down on Jiang Mu no longer dared to gossip about him being some well-connected dilettante or a profligate young master. Now, their hearts held nothing but awe and fear.

This was especially true for the members of the Third Hall.

They recalled their experience in Heitu Village, where Jiang Mu had single-handedly taken on their entire team. Now, looking at his latest achievements...

They felt they must have had ancestral spirits watching over them to have survived that encounter.

To display the might of the Demon-slaying Bureau, intimidate the demons lurking within the city, and boost public morale, Ran Qingshan specifically ordered dozens of large carts to bring the demon corpses back to the city in batches.

They were paraded through every street for all to see.

And Jiang Mu, as the hero of the hour, was specially arranged to ride a tall horse at the very front of the procession.

He occupied the absolute center stage.

Yan Fenghuo and the others followed behind him, looking proud to be his background.

Normally proud and arrogant, they looked down on their colleagues more than anyone. But when it came to Jiang Mu, they were utterly convinced!

Serving as his foil was no disgrace.

In an instant, Jiang Mu became the most talked-about person in Hu State.

The young maidens and married women, in particular, watched the handsome, upright figure on horseback with sparkling eyes, their hearts melting.

Many were even moved to tears.

They went back and forth, changing their skirts several times.

The sky never rained.

But the streets,

did.

Moreover, when they heard that this Young Master Jiang had once been a devoted man with a penchant for married women, even more of them ran to the Jiang family’s small courtyard to secretly toss handkerchiefs, fly kites, and leave behind silken bodices...

This directly caused the normally cool and aloof Bai Xiang to see red.

When she was mincing fillings, her knife nearly chopped the cutting board to pieces.

As for Jiang Mu, he earned a resounding new nickname within the Demon-slaying Bureau—

The Slaughter Deity!

The Eighth Hall, with only three members, leaped past Yan Fenghuo’s Fourth Hall to become the Demon-slaying Bureau’s acknowledged strongest elite hall.

Of course, the other two members were just accessories.

...

「Inside the Chief’s Seal Room.」

Ran Qingshan circled Jiang Mu several times, looking him up and down as if inspecting a rare, newly unearthed antique.

"Lord Chief, can you please stop looking at me like that? It’s creepy."

Jiang Mu felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

Ran Qingshan finally stopped, slapped Jiang Mu hard on the shoulder, and grinned so wide his eyes disappeared.

"Good! Good lad! This is fantastic!"

"I never would have thought, never... to think that my Hu State was hiding a dazzling gold nugget like you."

"But you have to level with me today. How on earth did you do it, kid? Huh?"

"Why are you so different from everyone else? It’s not logical."

Jiang Mu looked innocent.

"That’s just how geniuses are. You’ve never been a genius, so you..."

"Alright, alright!"

Ran Qingshan shot him an annoyed glare.

"I may have never been a genius, but I’ve certainly seen my fair share! I’ve seen more so-called geniuses than you’ve eaten grains of rice, but you’re the first I’ve met who’s this inhuman!"

Jiang Mu shrugged. "Then I really can’t explain it."

"Your constitution!"

Ran Qingshan’s eyes burned with intensity.

"You must have some kind of hidden, special constitution. For example, the Buddhist Sect has the Saint Buddha Body, and the Taoist Sect speaks of the Innate Dao Body... You most likely have a special constitution where your qi meridians are different from ordinary people."

’Oh, so it’s because I have a special constitution.’

’And here I thought I was using cheats.’

Jiang Mu had a sudden realization.

Ran Qingshan smacked his lips, his face filled with emotion.

"You know, back when I was young, I was actually quite similar to you. Except I was a bit more handsome, of course. In other aspects... well, looking back now, I suppose I was slightly inferior."

Jiang Mu: "..."

He clapped Jiang Mu on the shoulder again and said earnestly,

"Your future accomplishments, kid, will definitely not be less than mine."

"Work hard and stay steady. As long as you don’t do anything outrageous or immoral in the future, I will protect you here in Hu State."

"Besides, you know that in this bureau, you’re the one I trust the most."

’The one you trust the most is me?’

’Then why did you have Yan Fenghuo test me?’

Jiang Mu rolled his eyes internally. Tired of listening to this empty encouragement, he cut straight to the point:

"Lord Chief, since you trust me so much, it wouldn’t be too much to ask to trade these merits for a Star Official Seal, would it?"

Ran Qingshan frowned.

"Don’t you already have an orthodox Star Position? Why would you want to trade for that?"

"I just want one for my collection, to keep as a spare. Besides, I’ve taken on a young apprentice at home who has good talent. I plan to give it to her in the future."

Jiang Mu made up an excuse.

Ran Qingshan laughed.

"According to regulations, the Demon-slaying Bureau’s Star Official Seals are not to be given to outsiders. However... I can make an exception for you this time."

"But I’m warning you, don’t mess around, kid. You have an orthodox Star Position now, which is stronger than any pseudo-star. Unless, in the future, you can obtain an even better Earth Demon Level orthodox Star Position."

"Also, I’ll personally give you a few Pills for stabilizing the Divine Soul and some soul-protecting Talismans. If you’re lucky enough to find a better Star Position and want to switch in the future, these can protect you and minimize the backlash damage."

Jiang Mu was delighted. "My Lord, you are too generous!"

His eyes darted around as he tested the waters:

"How about... you give me one more Star Official Seal? I’ll use it to win over a subordinate."

’After all, I have three Demon Shadows now, so I still need one more.’

Ran Qingshan’s face darkened as he pointed to the door.

"Get out!"

’This guy,’ he thought, ’is treating our Demon-slaying Bureau like a vegetable market.’