The next morning, Li Fan opened his eyes, his pupils bright like stars.
After a night of cultivation, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.
"Mid Stage of God Refinement," Li Fan thought to himself.
'This Jiao Long Demon Bone Technique is quite a good cultivation technique,' Li Fan mused internally. Its power wasn't weak, and it was easy to cultivate; no wonder it was created by a Great Demon. He wondered if Yu Qing had any more of such techniques.
This cultivation method was easy to practice and didn't require much time or energy, so it didn't affect his refinement of the Sword Seed.
Yesterday, when he practiced the Jiao Long Demon Bone Technique, his physical body became stronger, stepping into the Mid Grade Grandmaster Realm.
These days, continuous battles had been a considerable burden, but cultivating after fighting had sped up his cultivation progress.
With his current state, even without using the Sword Seed, he should be able to defeat cultivators of the Refining Realm and kill that City God. As for Grandmaster Martial, they were even less of a threat.
With the current intensity of his 'Divine Sense,' he could control the flying sword more easily.
The sound of the door opening came, and Li Fan turned his head to see Li Hongyi walking out of the room.
Her expression was a bit strange. She glanced at Li Fan, hesitated for a moment, but still walked up to him.
"Miss Li, what's the matter?" Li Fan asked, feeling that Li Hongyi seemed a bit odd.
"Did I get drunk yesterday?" Li Hongyi asked.
"Wine, it's just water," Li Fan replied with a smile.
Li Hongyi raised an eyebrow and asked again, "Did you help me to rest?"
"Miss Li, we're all people of the martial world..." Li Fan joked. But as soon as he finished speaking, he sensed a hint of 'murderous intent' in the way Li Hongyi was looking at him.
"Miss Li?" Li Fan was puzzled. Before he could finish his words, he saw Li Hongyi holding a long spear and thrusting it fiercely towards him.
Li Fan: "???"
He leaped backward to avoid the spear. Li Hongyi, engulfed in flames, glared angrily at him and said, "You scoundrel."
She continued to charge forward with the spear. When she woke up, she found herself only wearing undergarments.
"Miss Li, it's a misunderstanding," Li Fan knew his careless words had caused trouble.
Li Hongyi didn't listen to his explanation, her spear thrusting out with a sound of cutting through the air. Li Fan dodged awkwardly and saw Liu Ji come out of her room, leaning against the railing and laughing; she obviously knew what had happened.
After a long while, Li Fan, panting, looked at Li Hongyi, who was still burning with anger, and explained, "Miss Li, I was just joking. It really wasn't me. If you don't believe me, ask Sister Liu."
Li Hongyi looked towards Liu Ji, who simply said, "I was drinking in the courtyard last night; how would I know what happened?"
"???"
Li Fan looked at Liu Ji, thinking, you snake demon, one day I'll definitely eat you.
"Ask Sister Xiu," Li Fan, seeing Li Hongyi's skepticism, said, "It's really not me."
Li Hongyi saw Li Fan's sincerity and believed him somewhat. Perhaps it was Liu Ji's prank.
She glanced at Liu Ji, only to see Liu Ji smile and say, "With all that wine smell, I just helped you take them off casually."
Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief; he finally cleared his name.
"Not close,"
Li Hongyi replied haughtily, as if saying, "Who's your sister?"
Liu Ji didn't mind and smiled charmingly.
At this time, from afar, there was a faint noise. Liu Ji's smile disappeared as she frowned and looked outside the manor.
Her figure flickered several times, and she quickly appeared on a pavilion inside the manor, looking out to see many people from the martial world causing a ruckus on the street outside.
Li Fan appeared beside her as well, glancing outside.
The sky above Lin'an City was covered by a dark cloud. His eyes turned gold, allowing him to see waves of demon mist spreading.
"Such dense demon energy," Li Fan said softly. It was even stronger than when he had come to Lin'an City that day.
Rumors outside said Fulong Manor housed a Great Demon, but the demon energy inside Fulong Manor was very faint.
"You can see the demon energy?" Liu Ji asked Li Fan.
"I can see a little," Li Fan replied. "Something's going to happen in Lin'an County."
"Hasn't the court already dispatched the Demon Slayer Bureau and the Demon Suppression Army? Even if they are targeting Fulong Manor, they will cleanse the demons of Lin'an County, right?" Li Hongyi asked.
"Sister, you're so naïve," Liu Ji crossed her arms and mocked. "The court slays demons, but only the ones they want to slay. They don't care about the lives of the people. The more chaotic the demons cause, the better excuse the court has to besiege Fulong Manor. The more dead, the better."
"Those poor humans of Lin'an County still cheer for the court, thinking that the court is there to save them, not knowing it's a death warrant."
From the manor came the sound of a zither. Li Fan looked in that direction and saw a figure in white robes in the courtyard, playing the zither with a wistful yet slightly melancholy melody.
Hearing the zither music, Liu Ji kept looking in that direction, sadness in her eyes.
In the courtyard, Fulong Manor was gathering everyone. Over a hundred women appeared there, and Liu He was saying something to them, while they kneeled on the ground, crying and refusing to leave.
"Does Fulong Manor have no other demons besides the Manor Master and you siblings?" Li Fan asked Liu Ji.
Liu Ji showed a hint of sarcasm and said, "When the master was young, he roamed carefreely, toured the islands of Beihai, and had acquaintances all over Beihai. He was like a human wanderer, having friends who were both demons and humans. But later, reality showed him how cold human nature can be."
"With the master's talent, even if he wasn't destined to be a great ruler, he should have lived gloriously. But he watched humans humiliate and torture his parents to death and was imprisoned by the Li Mountain in this small Lin'an County. Now, he bears the burden of shame, hunted by the court."
As Liu Ji spoke, her eyes turned red.
The music stopped, and Yu Qing stood up and said something to the women, who then gradually dispersed, with Liu He sending them away from Fulong Manor.
"Miss Li, you should leave too," Li Fan said earnestly to Li Hongyi. "Go with them."
Li Hongyi saw Li Fan's seriousness and hesitantly asked, "What about you?"
"Have you forgotten, I'm a Li Mountain disciple, naturally, I'll be fine," Li Fan laughed freely.
Li Hongyi hesitated. Li Fan said, "Let me walk you out."
Saying so, he walked ahead first. Although Li Hongyi was unwilling, she truly had no ability to intervene in this storm and had to follow Li Fan to join the women.
Outside Fulong Manor, the place was already surrounded by people. These were cultivators from all over and martial artists, clamoring to slay demons and banish devils.
In front of the main gate, a group of Demon Suppression Army in armor sat on their iron steeds, exuding a chilling murderous aura.
At this moment, the gate of Fulong Manor slowly opened.
Liu He walked out first, faced the Demon Suppression Army, and said, "These women are innocent people of Lin'an County, let them leave."
The women walked out, and the crowd made way, with Li Hongyi mingled among them.
"These women were kidnapped by Fulong Manor. This Jiao Long really is a lustful beast, so many supplying his pleasures."
"Could any of them be carrying demon seeds?" someone asked.
The women looked angrily at the speaker.
"Look at their eyes; I'm afraid their hearts already lean towards the demons. If they're carrying demon seeds, it'll be trouble."
Li Hongyi listened in the crowd, feeling some anger, thinking that even though these women were victims, they shouldn't be humiliated like this.
The group continued moving forward while Li Fan and Liu He headed back.
At that time, a voice echoed from outside the manor, "The court orders Fulong Manor, for harboring demons and hiding court fugitives, causing harm to innocents, if Fulong Manor does not hand them over and surrender, the manor will be flattened with no mercy."
Outside, the iron steeds of the Demon Suppression Army moved forward, the murderous intent even stronger.
Li Fan returned to the high pavilion, thinking the government still remembered him as the 'fugitive.'
Li Hongyi naturally heard that voice too, resonating throughout Lin'an City, hoping he would be alright.
Then she looked at the women; they were discussing where to go next. Without the manor, these women didn't know how to survive.
"Sister, what are your plans?"
"I originally wanted to stay at the manor my whole life, now I can only leave Lin'an County, see if I can find a family in the village outside and settle down peacefully," a fifteen to sixteen-year-old young girl said, sobbing softly.
"Pfft..." Just as the girl spoke, a sharp claw pierced through her body from behind. Struggling to turn around, she saw an ugly monster with a pointed snout like a monkey, pulling out her heart and putting it in its mouth to chew.
The girl's body fell backward, her eyes remaining open.
From her childhood, she had been harmed by demons, her parents killed, and herself sold. She finally found refuge at Fulong Manor. When the court attacked, she was forced to leave and tragically died on the street.
"Father, Mother!" The girl's eyes teared up as she died, eyes not closing.
"Sister Yun..." There were exclamations, and then, figures emerged simultaneously from different directions, their faces ferocious, all demons.
Li Hongyi saw demons pouring from all directions like a tide, her face turning pale.
"Be careful," she shouted, and with a 'pfft,' a demon directly killed a girl beside her, its claw stabbing into her head.
Screams rang out, and the women scattered, but saw demons charging out from different directions on the street, blood flashing constantly as one by one, the women fell.
The townsfolk on the street also fled frantically.
Li Hongyi stood there, staring at the women falling in pools of blood, being eaten by monsters, her ears ringing with a voice.
"Fulong Manor harbors demons who commit crimes."
Li Hongyi gripped her long spear tightly, rage in her eyes, and with a boom, an innate Dharma Form appeared, her entire being bathed in flames. She rushed forward and stabbed angrily, 'pfft,' her spear piercing through a demon's head, blood splattering her clothes.
But at this moment, she didn't care and continued to slay demons.
On the manor's high pavilion, Liu He and Li Fan stood together, naturally witnessing what was happening outside.
"They don't even want to spare these innocent women," Liu He said, "This not only destroys any evidence, but the demons and women become another reason to besiege Fulong Manor."
Fulong Manor, indeed unforgivable now.
"I'll head out," Li Fan said, and as soon as his voice fell, he leaped down from the high pavilion.
Liu He glanced at the back of Li Fan, then spoke to Liu Ji, "This young man has a good character. Listen, stay with him and live well in the future."
"Are you giving me last words?" Liu Ji looked at him.
"Someone has to accompany the master," Liu He replied.
"Why can't it be me?" Liu Ji stared at him.
"Because I'm your brother," Liu He said gently.