Jiang Ruan perked up and looked toward the Sect Leader.
The Sect Leader’s expression grew solemn.
Although he had considered this possibility before arriving at the Shen Family, actually sensing the aura of a Devil Cultivator still caused him to furrow his brow.
“You all stay here. I’ll go take a look.”
With that, he activated the Instant Body Technique without another word.
Jiang Ruan didn’t even have time to call out to him.
She knew her own strength was lacking, however, and had no desire to force her way into the fray.
After all, one of the classic ways cannon fodder met their end in the novel was by recklessly inserting themselves into the action.
Jiang Ruan was nothing if not self-aware.
She turned to Lu Ning and the others. “Why don’t we head inside and wait?”
Standing around in the courtyard like this made them far too conspicuous. If the Devil Cultivator fled in their direction, they’d be spotted in an instant.
Neither Lu Ning, Shen Dai, nor Shen Qing objected.
The four of them returned to the parlor, where the tea on the table was still warm.
Of course, it was impossible for Jiang Ruan to claim she felt no tension or curiosity whatsoever—she simply knew better than to act on it.
For now, she could only suppress her restless urge by taking slow sips of tea.
However…
Jiang Ruan couldn’t help blurting out, “To think the Shen Family really harbors a Devil Cultivator.”
In truth, they had started with no concrete evidence, merely following their instincts.
Even when Jiang Ruan had sought the Sect Leader’s aid, she had suspected foul play but hadn’t dared voice it plainly.
The Sect Leader might have recognized the pattern on Madam Shen’s body as a Devil Pattern, yet none of them had openly declared that the Shen Family hid a Devil Cultivator.
Their meeting with the Shen Family Head had been all tentative probing.
Who could have imagined this turn?
Shen Dai couldn’t sit still. She kept stealing glances at the door. “Is Madam Liu the Devil Cultivator?”
Jiang Ruan recalled the Shen Family Head’s reaction. “Unless he’s an expert actor trying to shift the blame, then yes—based on how he responded, Madam Liu must be the Devil Cultivator who fooled even him.”
Shen Dai exhaled in relief.
“But we never noticed a thing.”
It had only been a few months since she and her sister had left home for the Mirror Moon Sect. Before then, nothing about Madam Liu had struck them as off.
Shen Qing chimed in. “Do all Devil Cultivators put on such convincing performances?”
Jiang Ruan had no answer for that.
“You can’t blame yourselves for missing it. The disguise was exceptionally thorough.”
Had the Sect Leader not recognized that Devil Pattern from before, even Jiang Ruan wouldn’t have connected the dots.
Suddenly, something occurred to Shen Dai.
Jiang Ruan turned to her. “What is it?”
Shen Dai bit her fingertip. “Father and the Sect Leader together might not lose to the Devil Cultivator, but what if…”
Shen Qing frowned. “What are you getting at?”
Shen Dai drew a deep breath, her eyes gleaming with forced composure and resolve.
“I’m thinking of Shen Cong.”
Shen Qing froze.
Shen Cong?
Considering the timing and the family name… Jiang Ruan ventured, “Is he Madam Liu’s son?”
Shen Dai nodded.
Jiang Ruan raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re suggesting we kidnap him.”
Shen Dai let out a chuckle. “Kidnap. Hmm, Shishu, nice choice of words.”
Shen Qing lit up with excitement. “I love it! That could work!”
She rubbed her hands together, eager to move.
“His cultivation is higher than ours, but he’s only at Qi Condensation,” Shen Qing continued. “Shishu, with you and Lu Ning helping, we could definitely grab him. Then we’d hold all the cards.”
Jiang Ruan blinked. “Well, aren’t you bold…”
Still, she had to admit, “It’s not a bad plan.”
One concern lingered, though. “What if we run into Madam Liu on the way to find Shen Cong?”
Wouldn’t that be delivering themselves straight to her?
Shen Qing shook her head. “No chance. Shen Cong’s quarters are in the opposite direction from Madam Liu’s.”
Jiang Ruan lowered her gaze, pondering.
At last, she nodded. “Very well.”
She glanced at Lu Ning.
The moment Lu Ning caught her eye, she rose to her feet.
“Let’s go.”
Jiang Ruan smiled and stood as well.
As they stepped outside, Jiang Ruan peered toward the backyard. The Devil Cultivator’s aura felt fainter now.
She frowned faintly and shared her observation. “Am I imagining things?”
Shen Dai and Shen Qing quickly tried to sense it themselves.
With their lower cultivation, their perception couldn’t match Jiang Ruan’s.
Jiang Ruan turned to Lu Ning.
Lu Ning nodded. “No, it’s real.”
Even Lu Ning confirmed it, so Jiang Ruan mulled it over. “Does that mean they’re outmatched?”
Lu Ning spared another glance in that direction before turning away. “Come on.”
Indeed, whatever was happening there, it was wiser not to interfere lightly.
Shen Dai and Shen Qing led Jiang Ruan and Lu Ning to the Shen Clan Academy.
At that moment, they sensed the Devil Cultivator’s aura as well. Though it lasted only an instant, it put everyone on high alert.
Fortunately, the young people in the clan academy might have been hot-blooded, but they weren’t so arrogant as to ignore the limits of their own strength. They refrained from acting rashly.
By staying at the academy, they could at least watch each other’s backs if trouble arose.
Rushing off on their own would only make things worse.
When Shen Dai and Shen Qing arrived with outsiders in tow, the others immediately grew wary.
A man dressed like a teacher approached them. “Misses, who might these two be…?”
Shen Dai replied, “They’re from Mirror Moon Sect. This is my Shishu, and this is the Sect Leader’s disciple.”
The man visibly relaxed a little.
“Since you’ve come here, why not take shelter with us for the time being?”
Shen Qing shot back, “Take shelter? We’re not here to hide. We’re here to find Shen Cong.”
Shen Cong stepped forward at her words. “Looking for me?”
A hint of disdain crept into his expression. “What, terrified out of your minds, so you’ve come crawling to me for protection?”
He let out an arrogant laugh. “Oh, it’s not out of the question—but there are conditions. You two go wait on my mother. You wouldn’t amount to much in Mirror Moon Sect anyway. Might as well stay home and serve people obediently.”
Shen Dai cut him off before he could finish.
“Don’t talk such nonsense.”
A trace of disgust appeared on her face.
Jiang Ruan had no idea about the bad blood between Shen Cong and Shen Dai and Shen Qing, but she took an instant dislike to his attitude.
So she chimed in. “Ah, sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. What did you say?”
Jiang Ruan deliberately swept her divine sense over Shen Cong in the most obvious way possible. She had no intention of hiding it—she wanted him to notice.
She curved her lips into a smile. “You said you’d protect Shen Dai and Shen Qing? Ah, sorry, my skills must be lacking. Did I see that wrong? Isn’t your cultivation actually not Qi Condensation Third Layer? Could it be Golden Core Third Layer?”
Shen Cong: ……
Jiang Ruan tapped her finger. “How dare someone at Qi Condensation say something like that?”
Shen Cong’s ears flushed red with rage.
But he held his tongue instead of snapping back, for he could clearly sense that the woman before him was at Golden Core Stage.
Forcing down the fury of being seen through and toyed with, Shen Cong shot a venomous glare at Shen Dai and Shen Qing.
With a flick of her finger—before anyone else could notice or Shen Cong could react—Jiang Ruan sent a small splash of water flying straight at his face.
Shen Cong felt a sudden chill on his skin, followed by water trickling down his chin.
“You!”
Jiang Ruan pressed her index and middle fingers together and traced a light circle in the air. A hemp rope materialized, binding Shen Cong tight.
Jiang Ruan said, “I see you haven’t amounted to much yourself. Why don’t you go serve Madam Shen instead? You’re that… well, illegitimate son, aren’t you?”
Fury and malice burned in Shen Cong’s eyes.
He hated it most when people threw that word at him—illegitimate son.
Illegitimate son, illegitimate son, illegitimate son. Just one character’s difference, and he was suddenly a cut below. Why!
Jiang Ruan hadn’t meant to strike at someone’s family background, but Shen Cong was so infuriating, lashing out at Shen Dai and Shen Qing first. Naturally, she had to settle the score for them.
Hmm, she didn’t see anything wrong with a Golden Core cultivator bullying someone at Qi Condensation.
The thrill of the strong preying on the weak felt pretty great!
Jiang Ruan handed one end of the rope to Shen Dai. “We won’t be staying here.”
Shen Dai blinked in surprise, then nodded.
Shen Qing snatched the rope from her sister’s grasp with excitement. “Sister, doesn’t he look just like that pet he keeps?”
Shen Dai knew exactly why Shen Qing had brought that up.
Memories of what had happened before darkened her gaze.
Shen Cong glowered at them with gloomy malice, silently etching the grudge into his heart.
Jiang Ruan and the others made their way to a spot near the back courtyard but held back from charging in.
She felt a twinge of anxiety. “I wonder what’s going on inside.”
Lu Ning stood beside her and murmured softly, “Don’t worry.”
After a pause, she added, “How about I go take a look?”
Jiang Ruan grabbed her hand on instinct. “Wait—no, don’t be reckless.”
Lu Ning tilted her head.
Jiang Ruan insisted, “I can’t let you take that risk.”
Lu Ning replied, “But you want to know what’s happening, don’t you?”
Jiang Ruan shook her head. “Even so, I won’t let you go.”
Just then, Jiang Ruan sensed the Sect Leader approaching.
She froze in surprise.
The Sect Leader spotted them and walked over.
Jiang Ruan couldn’t hold back her question. “Sect Leader, what’s the situation?”
The Sect Leader gave a brief rundown of events.
After learning about the Devil Pattern from Wuji Daojun, the Shen Family Head needed only a moment’s thought to connect all the dots.
There was no other reason—it was simply because the method to control Madam Shen had been proposed by Madam Liu herself.
Of course, she hadn’t stated it so bluntly and brazenly. Instead, she had cleverly wrapped her words in subtlety, claiming it was a technique similar to those of the Puppet Sect. The difference was that it didn’t manipulate the body, but rather the mind.
It sounded rather far-fetched, but Madam Liu seemed utterly confident.
At first, the Shen Family Head naturally didn’t believe her. But Madam Liu provided proof.
She demonstrated it on one of the servants right before his eyes.
Such a method of control was undoubtedly convenient and effective. It was no wonder the Shen Family Head was tempted.
If Madam Shen simply fell incurably ill, it would be worry-free in one sense, but it would invite other troubles.
But if she could be turned to serve him instead, that would be far better.
After weighing his options, the Shen Family Head adopted Madam Liu’s method.
Thanks to this, Madam Liu had now boarded the same ship as the Shen Family Head. She earned his heavy favor and supplanted Madam Shen’s position.
The reason the Shen Family Head hadn’t suspected anything before was that the technique bore no anomalies whatsoever—not even a trace of Devil Cultivator aura.
For the first month, he spent his nights by Madam Shen’s side and saw nothing amiss.
At night, when there was no need for pretense, Madam Shen simply slept quietly. When she awoke, she was the picture of a puppet, which gradually put the Shen Family Head at ease.
But he never could have imagined…
The Shen Family Head went to Madam Liu’s residence.
He wasted no words and cut straight to the point, interrogating her.
He no longer needed superfluous questions.
Between Madam Liu, who had mysteriously produced this method, and the Mirror Moon Sect Leader Wuji Daojun, it was obvious whom he trusted.
At first, Madam Liu tried to argue her case. But when the Shen Family Head mentioned that the Mirror Moon Sect Leader had confirmed it was a Devil Pattern, she lost the will to keep up the act.
