Chapter 15: What Explanation Do You Want?

Because he had returned so late, Jiang Xie ended up getting lectured by Ji Wuyue.

Jiang Xie did not get angry. Instead, he cheerfully told Ji Wuyue to massage his shoulders and pound his back.

Ji Wuyue looked utterly disgusted, and her mouth was as unforgiving as ever, but her body was very honest.

While she was massaging him, Jiang Xie asked, “Little Yue'er, have you ever thought about going home?”

The moment he said those words, he felt the hands on his shoulders pause for an instant.

Ji Wuyue pressed her lips together, not knowing what she was thinking about.

After about the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Ji Wuyue finally said, “Yes, and no.”

“Oh?” Jiang Xie was somewhat surprised. “Why not?”

“I think life like this is actually quite good.”

“But you know this is only temporary. Sooner or later, you will go back.”

“...”

Ji Wuyue fell silent.

She had been away from home for more than two years.

If she said she did not want to go back, that would be a lie.

Her father was probably worried sick by now, was he not?

“Do you hate me?” Jiang Xie suddenly asked again.

Hate him?

Ji Wuyue fell silent once more.

Speaking honestly, she should have hated him.

Not only had he captured her and brought her here, he had also hit her and bullied her...

But... in truth, he had treated her quite well.

Not only had he supervised her cultivation, he had even often gone back to the family to bring martial techniques for her to practice...

Even though on the surface he always called them useless trash...

She also likes her life now.

And, of course, more importantly, Jiang Xie carried many secrets that attracted her. She wanted to know more...

In the end, Ji Wuyue still said those two words.

“I do not...”

“Is that so...” Jiang Xie half-smiled, and a strange light flashed through his eyes. With a soft laugh, he said, “Who knows? Maybe in two days, you will hate me.”

“I will not...”

“All right... go and rest. Cough, cough.”

“Why are you coughing up blood again?”

“It is nothing. I am used to it. Do not worry about it...”

....

Early the next morning, Jiang Xie was woken up by Old Wu.

Old Wu told him that people from the Tiansha Sect and the Blood Demon Sect had already arrived.

Jiang Xie did not delay.

He immediately set off for Jiang City with Old Wu.

From a great distance away, they could already see two mighty groups of people heading toward Jiang City from outside the city.

“What an impressive display,” Jiang Xie said flatly.

“It seems they will not rest until they achieve their goal this time...” Old Wu let out a quiet sigh.

Although Ji Wuyue was Ji Wushuang’s daughter, she had still lived with them for so long.

Old Wu also did not wish to see her fall into the hands of those two sects.

Inside Jiang City.

With the arrival of the two sects, waves of murmuring began to spread through the streets.

“What is going on? Why have the people of the Tiansha Sect and the Blood Demon Sect come to our Jiang City together?”

“The ones who came are all high-ranking figures. What exactly happened?”

“Our Jiang Family has always kept to its own affairs with them. Could they be planning something against our Jiang Family?”

“It is probably some major matter they have come to discuss...”

“Nothing good ever comes from those two sects showing up together.”

Most of the people in Jiang City belonged to the Jiang Family, so when they suddenly saw members of the Tiansha Sect and the Blood Demon Sect arrive, they could not help feeling worried.

It was at that moment that a commotion suddenly rose within the crowd again.

“The Young Master is here!”

“It really is the Young Master!”

“The Young Master moved out to live on the outskirts alone. I wonder whether he is used to it.”

“Young Master, why do you not move back into the city? It would be safer here too.”

“A few years have passed, and the Young Master has grown so much!”

....

Jiang Xie’s arrival brought smiles to many faces.

One after another, the people greeted him warmly.

In their hearts, they truly admired Jiang Xie.

After all, Jiang City has not always been the way it is now.

Although the Jiang Family was not a purely demonic force, it had long been called one, and naturally it had often done things befitting such a reputation.

Burning, killing, looting, and plundering had all been common occurrences.

A few years ago, Jiang City had not been nearly this harmonious.

Nor had the lives of most of the people in Jiang City been this good.

It was Jiang Xie who had changed all of this.

He had proposed many measures to stimulate Jiang City’s economic development and strengthen its economic power.

He had also vigorously worked to change Jiang City’s reputation within the Qianyuan Empire.

At the very least, people from the several other nearby cities now mostly dared to come to Jiang City.

Unlike before, when the mere mention of territory belonging to the demonic path was enough to frighten many people away.

And it was precisely because of this that many industries had been driven to develop.

Now, Jiang City was much more peaceful, and most people no longer had to make a living through burning, killing, looting, and plundering.

Compared with a life spent licking blood from the edge of a knife, the life they had now was what most people of lower cultivation actually needed.

Once a force was branded with the title of demonic faction, that meant that many resources became difficult to obtain through normal means, and people of the righteous path would not trade with you either.

As a result, most could only obtain things by taking them by force...

That was also why the demonic factions had always done so many wicked things.

And it was also why some people were forced into doing evil...

But even within the righteous path, there was no shortage of deceitful opportunists and sanctimonious hypocrites.

They were simply good at disguising themselves, and they also possessed the title of righteous cultivators.

And there were quite a few people who used the name of the righteous path to commit deeds of the demonic path.

Therefore, when Jiang Xie learned that he belonged to a demonic faction, he had not been alarmed.

Righteous or demonic was not determined by what others said, but by what one chose to do.

That was also why, despite his low cultivation, his position within the Jiang Family remained far from low.

After warmly greeting the people around him, Jiang Xie quickened his pace.

At that moment, inside the largest building in Jiang City, Jiang Fengliu and several elders of the Jiang Family were already seated around a huge table.

They sat in the main seats, while on either side were the people from the Tiansha Sect and the Blood Demon Sect.

The Tiansha Sect had brought only five people, namely Sect Master Hong Xiu, the Demonic Heir Leng Ya, and three elders.

The Blood Demon Sect had also brought five people: Sect Master Xue Tian, the Demonic Heir Xue Li, Hall Master Xue Tu, one elder, and that old man.

Seeing that Jiang Xie had not arrived yet, Xue Li could not help opening his mouth.

“Family Head Jiang, your son has not run away, has he?”

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere around them suddenly fell quiet for a moment.

Hong Xiu could not help glancing at Xue Li, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

A trace of disdain appeared at the corner of Leng Ya’s eye.

This fellow... What right did he have to question one of the rulers of the three strongest demonic factions in Dongzhou?

Sure enough, Jiang Fengliu still sat there with his eyes closed.

He did not even look at Xue Li, much less answer him.

After waiting silently for a while, everyone finally heard Jiang Fengliu speak.

“Sect Master Xue, are all the people of your sect so ignorant of basic manners? Or is it simply that your son is some ill-bred thing that does not know what upbringing is?”

Xue Tian did not get angry. Instead, he smiled faintly and said, “What my son asked is naturally what I also wish to ask. Why exactly is your son hiding Ji Wushuang’s daughter?

“I imagine there is no one in Dongzhou who does not know the relationship between our three great demonic factions and the righteous path, is there?”

Seeing that the conversation had reached the proper subject, Hong Xiu also spoke.

“Fellow Daoist Xue is right. If that person truly is Ji Wushuang’s daughter, then I ask that Young Master Jiang hand her over, so that we may use her to make the Haoran Sect pay dearly. And if Young Master Jiang has taken her and fled, then Fellow Daoist Jiang must give us an explanation.”

Both men spoke with a tone of scrutiny.

The atmosphere in the great hall suddenly turned murderous.

It was at that moment that a voice came from outside the hall:

“What explanation do you want?”