Turns Out I'm the Real Monster?!

Seeing Jiang Mu remain silent, Lan Rou’Er quickly added:

"My hometown... it was attacked by a Demon once. My family... they were all... all killed.

That Demon was supposedly a Tier Four Great Demon, hiding in a place called the Lost Soul Swamp.

The terrain there is treacherous, and it’s said to be a Demon nest. Besides that Great Demon, many other Demons have taken up residence, so no one has ever dared to go..."

’Lost Soul Swamp?’

Jiang Mu’s brow furrowed slightly.

Right, Yan Fenghuo had mentioned it before. He said there was a swamp with a Tier Eight Great Demon inside.

’So that place is a Demon nest.’

The problem was, it was too far away. Plus, it was a Demon nest, so the risk wasn’t small.

’If it were on the way, that’d be one thing, but making a special trip...’

"How much are you planning to pay?"

Jiang Mu asked.

Lan Rou’Er timidly held up two fingers, forming the gesture for the number "eight."

"Eighty thousand?"

Jiang Mu was taken aback.

’Damn, I never would have guessed. This meek little girl is actually secretly loaded?’

An offer like that would even shock a rich kid like him.

Zhang Daxie and his brother also sucked in a sharp breath, their eyes lighting up like lightbulbs.

Eighty thousand silver!

’If we pull this off, we could buy so many resources.’

Jiang Mu said thoughtfully:

"For eighty thousand silver... it’s not entirely out of the question. But this involves cross-regional operations, after all. I’ll have to go back to headquarters and pull some strings..."

"N-n-no..."

Seeing they had misunderstood, Lan Rou’Er’s face went pale with panic. She frantically waved her hands. "Not eighty thousand. There’s... there’s no ’thousand’ part."

Jiang Mu froze.

"No ’thousand’ part? So... eight? Eight silver?"

"Eight... silver?"

Lan Rou’Er blushed and whispered, "N-not eight silver for the whole job... Eight silver per Demon. There are... about seven of them."

"Seven? Seven times eight is fifty-six... Oho, not bad."

Jiang Mu chuckled.

Lan Rou’Er nodded her little head and forced a smile.

Jiang Mu pointed to his own mouth. "Here, miss. Watch my lips."

"Huh?"

Lan Rou’Er froze, staring blankly at his lips. "W-what?"

"GET LOST!!"

The roar was so loud it made the plates on the table jump.

Lan Rou’Er shuddered, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

Jiang Mu cursed:

"Are you insane?!

Hiring some idiot Demon Slayer Envoy to unclog a widow’s drain costs ten silver, minimum!

You’re asking a dignified Hall Master like me to lead a team, run thousands of miles to kill a Tier Four Great Demon for you, and even storm a Demon nest, and you offer us eight silver?!

Is that even enough to cover our food on the road?! Eight silver..."

’But Lingzhu clearly said it would be enough...’

Feeling wronged, Lan Rou’Er’s tears streamed down her face. Unable to even look up from the scolding, she covered her face and ran out, crying.

Zhang Daxie frowned. "Hall Master, she..."

"Daxie, don’t you go feeling sorry for the pretty girl."

Jiang Mu said irritably, "Someone that clueless needs a good scolding to knock some sense into them. It’s for her own good. Come on, let’s eat! That girl was treating, anyway. It’d be a waste not to eat."

Zhang Daxie opened his mouth, then hesitated. "Hall Master..."

Jiang Mu glared at him.

"What? You think eight silver is enough? Don’t get weak in the knees every time you see a woman. That shit will get you killed. She sheds a few tears, and we’re supposed to risk our lives for her? On what grounds?

If you say one more word, you can get out of my Eighth Hall. I can’t stand spineless simps like you."

Zhang Daxie immediately shut his mouth and buried his head in his food.

After a moment, Zhang Xiaokui suddenly looked up and couldn’t help but say weakly:

"Hall Master... what my brother actually wanted to say was... I don’t think Miss Lan paid the bill before she ran off."

The hand Jiang Mu was using to pick up food froze in midair.

"?"

Fuck!

’What a cringe-ass girl!’

——

——

[Author’s Note: I know it was ten Chapters, but the total word count was close to 48,000, almost 50,000 words!

Considering most authors’ regular Chapters are 2,000 words, what I did was the equivalent of dropping twenty-four Chapters. I’m truly burned out! I got up before 5 a.m. and all I’ve eaten until now are two packets of those compressed oat bars. I’m dizzy and seeing stars.

I still have a bonus Chapter for an "Alliance Leader" patron, and it won’t be less than 10,000 words. I’ll write it during the day. I’m really at my limit. It’ll probably be finished by tomorrow—no, wait, it’s the 1st now, so I’ll finish it around 11 p.m. tonight.

I don’t know if what I’ve written will satisfy everyone, but I truly gave it my all. The cool power-flexing moments, the daily life stuff, the borderline risqué parts, the progression and rewards, the comedy, the memes—I wrote everything I could think of that I felt was good.

Also, if you’re reading, please try to do so on the Qidian app. Future side stories will only be unlocked there, which is a bit of a hassle.

Also, please vote with your monthly tickets! Thank you all for your support!]