What are you doing with my wife?

A hush seemed to settle over the room. After a brief pause, suddenly, both spoke in perfect unison: “Look, what’s that?”

Chu Liang and Lady Ming simultaneously pointed their left hands behind each other, while their right hands stayed concealed behind their backs. Neither turned their head.

The ploy was too obvious.

An awkward tension filled the air.

“Heh,” Lady Ming let out a soft laugh. “Very well. Since that’s how it is, I won’t waste words with you. From the moment you entered, I laced the candle’s flame with a mind-bending poison. If you want the antidote, you’d best leave quietly and keep out of this.”

“If I dared to come in, I naturally took precautions. In fact, from the moment you lit the incense, I’ve been holding my breath, not daring to inhale,” Chu Liang replied calmly.

Lady Ming’s smile faded. Only then did she realize that, for all her cunning, the youth before her—who looked not much older than a boy—was at least her equal in wiles, if not more.

“All these years, I’ve never harmed anyone. All I want is a peaceful life with my husband. You’ve fulfilled your task; won’t you just leave and let things be?” Her voice now carried a hint of pleading.

Chu Liang answered, “But that would not be right.”

In the next instant, everything changed.

The frail woman before him suddenly sprang up, her right hand snapping out a long whip, black as pitch, which coiled toward Chu Liang like a serpent striking its prey.

Chu Liang flicked his left wrist, transforming his bracelet into a sword with a metallic ring, parrying the whip and attempting to slice through it.

Yet whatever that whip was made of, even the renowned Shushan flying sword could not cut it.

A resounding clash—

Each gripped an end, locked in a fierce struggle.

The bedroom was cramped, and as their energies surged, the sounds of impact and splintering filled the space, furniture and ornaments shattering around them.

After a brief stalemate, Lady Ming flicked her left hand, which instantly became a set of razor-sharp claws, slashing out three streaks of inky light.

Chu Liang dodged aside and with a flick of his own left arm, shot out a crimson beam.

Lady Ming evaded nimbly, but the red light seemed to have a mind of its own. As she twisted away, it bent with a sharp whistle, looping around to ensnare her.

The Turtle-Shell Bind!

The Demon-Binding Cord!

At such close range, the cord was nearly impossible to evade. Lady Ming’s cultivation surely surpassed that of last night’s cat spirit, yet she, too, was caught in a single move!

With a heavy thud, Lady Ming, now tightly bound in the turtle-shell pattern of the red cord, lost her balance and fell to the ground, her black whip clattering beside her.

Yet she still lifted her head, teeth clenched, and glared at Chu Liang. “You—”

Just as the skirmish ended, a voice called out from outside the door.

“Wife? What was that noise just now? Are you all right?” As he called, Master Ming stepped into the bedroom.

And then—

He took in the scene before him.

The room was a shambles, and his wife lay on the floor, trussed in a strange and conspicuous pose…

“Ah!” Master Ming staggered back a few steps, pressing a hand to his forehead, utterly bewildered. “Did I… arrive at a rather inopportune moment?”

…

Chu Liang quickly stepped forward to intercept Master Ming, explaining that he had come at just the right time, urging him to sit and calm himself, and then to help raise Lady Ming from the floor.

Lady Ming, with her graceful figure, looked even more alluring after being bound like this; Chu Liang dared not even offer a hand to help.

“Sir Chu, won’t you untie my wife first?” Master Ming asked.

“Er…” Chu Liang hesitated. “I’m afraid that won’t do.”

He then explained that Lady Ming was, in fact, a demon.

“What?” Master Ming cried in shock. “My wife, a demon? Impossible! You mustn’t slander her!”

“If you don’t believe me, I have a way to make her reveal her true form,” said Chu Liang.

“No need!” Lady Ming, who had remained silent since Master Ming entered, now cut in sharply, forcing Chu Liang to put back the half-brick he had just pulled out.

“Husband, the truth is… I’ve never dared tell you,” Lady Ming said, her voice low. “I am indeed a demon.”

“What? How… how can that be? You’re so gentle and kind…” Master Ming still could not accept it.

“Who says all demons are evil?” Lady Ming looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“My parents, my brothers, and I have lived in the mountains outside the city since childhood. Though we are demons, we never harmed a single soul. We lived like that for nearly a century, until one day, I met you…”

“Me?” Master Ming was stunned.

“Yes, you.” Lady Ming gazed at him tenderly. “Of course, you wouldn’t remember. Who would recall saving a little wildcat twenty years ago?”

“That was you!” Master Ming exclaimed.

“Yes. At the time, I was still weak in my cultivation, and nearly died at the jaws of a wolf. I escaped, only to be caught in a hunter’s trap. That was when a young boy passed by and rescued me,” Lady Ming recounted softly.

“I was very young then, and one day, bored of studying, I sneaked out of school to wander the mountains and saved a rather adorable wildcat… I remember!” Master Ming nodded vigorously. “I even wanted to take you home and tend to your wounds, but you ran off as soon as you were free.”

“Afterward, I cultivated hard for ten years before I finally learned to take human form.” Lady Ming gazed at her husband. “I dared not even tell my own brother. I rushed down the mountain to explore the city and, to my surprise, met you again. You had grown up, but you were still the same as before.”

“I thought that was our first meeting. I never imagined… it was the second,” Master Ming murmured, realization dawning.

“Yes. After that, we fell in love and married. It was all like a dream. I could scarcely believe how wonderful it was to live as a human,” Lady Ming said with a bitter smile. “Until the day I became pregnant.”

“You… you could become pregnant?” Master Ming was once again astounded.

“Of course I could. But I was afraid…” Lady Ming said. “Because I had never truly attained the Dao, I was pregnant with a demon child. The moment the baby was born, my true identity would be revealed. So, I lied to you, saying I was going home to my parents. In truth… I went to the mountains to secretly rid myself of the child.”

“My dear…” Master Ming took her hand, sobbing. “So what if you’re a demon? Our love over these years is true and deep. Why should it be tainted by what we are?”

“Who would have thought, our child would return as a vengeful spirit…” Lady Ming wept. “My secret came to light because of this. Perhaps it is karma.”

“No!” Master Ming cried. “What wrong have you done? If there is retribution, let it fall on me!”

“To have shared ten years with you in this life is more than enough,” Lady Ming said, turning to Chu Liang. “If you must kill or punish, let it be me.”

“No, no!” Master Ming suddenly fell to his knees, clutching at Chu Liang. “Sir Chu! I am willing to give you all my possessions if you’ll spare us. I beg you! Have mercy on my wife!”

Chu Liang looked at the devoted couple before him, his eyes deep with thought.

If he slew Lady Ming now, none could fault him. For a demon to live among humans was a crime in itself.

He could then claim his reward from the White Pagoda.

But if he let her go, taking Master Ming’s wealth and leaving… that too was a tempting choice. Even the fortune of a mere mortal tycoon, amassed over generations, was no small sum.

Either way, he would profit.

Yet…

Chu Liang shook his head without hesitation.

Just as despair clouded the couple’s faces, he continued, “If Lady Ming has truly never harmed a soul, then come with me to my sect. Perhaps… I can petition for her pardon.”