Chapter 27: The Demonic Enchantress and the Aloof Buddhist Monk (13)

"Why blame this humble monk?" Kong Xuan asked, his brow furrowed. "Why are you throwing a tantrum the moment you return? Can't we discuss things calmly?"

"Hmph, I blame you! It was one thing for them to call me a 'witch' before, but now they have the audacity to say—to say that I, Yin Xin, was struck by your handsome looks and kidnapped you to be my husband!" Fan Sijin gritted her teeth in fury. "I want to tear their mouths apart! How dare they spout such nonsense and weave such lies!"

Kong Xuan found her bristling, indignant appearance strangely innocent and endearing. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "Did you teach them a lesson?"

"Of course! Since they love to talk so much, I placed a few insects on them. Now they have to keep talking, and talking, and talking! If they stop, the insects will devour their internal organs. Who told them to gossip about me behind my back? Hmph, I was actually being quite merciful; others would have killed them outright."

Kong Xuan shook his head with a faint smile. What a little demoness.

"And another thing! Do you know they gave me a nickname? They called me... a 'harbinger of doom'!" Fan Sijin hopped off the swing and rushed to stand before Kong Xuan, pointing at her own pretty face. "Are they blind? Back in the Miao territory, everyone called me the Saintess! Now they call me a harbinger of doom? It makes me so angry!"

Kong Xuan sighed helplessly. "You didn't plant gu-poison in all of them, did you?"

Fan Sijin put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and said righteously, "I did! That was the whole point of me going down the mountain. Father, the Cult Leader, even came out of seclusion to join me. It was for those sects that killed my mother. Father said he has been waiting for us to avenge her together."

She looked at Kong Xuan and added, "We didn't kill anyone, though. We just gave them a small lesson and took a few things back along the way. You have no idea—these people are so wealthy. They have so many treasures that even Father has never seen before!"

Kong Xuan did not know the full details of what happened back then. Sixteen years ago, he had retreated into seclusion to cultivate. He only knew that righteous sect members had murdered the Miao Saintess, which turned the man then known as a great hero into a cynical soul who subsequently founded the Batian Cult.

However, his brows knit together slightly. Was the Batian Cult Leader truly preparing to strike back now? Otherwise, why would he take Fan Sijin down the mountain to find their enemies?

"By the way, you haven't told me if this outfit looks good on me!" Fan Sijin spun around before him with a beaming smile.

Only then did Kong Xuan notice she was dressed in Central Plains attire. The pale pink silk dress complemented her snow-white skin, and her hair was styled like that of a Central Plains woman. She looked like a fresh, ethereal little beauty. Without the exotic flair of her homeland, Fan Sijin’s features looked even more picturesque.

"Does it look good?" she asked, full of anticipation.

"It looks beautiful," Kong Xuan nodded firmly in praise.

Pleased by the compliment, Fan Sijin laughed and tossed a small bundle to him. "This is for you."

Kong Xuan opened it to find a clean, brand-new gray monk's robe. "Where did you get this?"

"I stole it, of course," Fan Sijin said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Father took me to buy clothes and delicious food, but he said he wouldn't buy anything for you. And since there are no shops selling monk robes out there, I had to steal one. But don't worry, I left some silver. Will you scold me? Father said that someone as pedantic as you would never accept my kindness and would definitely scold me. But I don't think you will—because you like me!"

Kong Xuan was torn between amusement and exasperation. She possessed no moral compass regarding right and wrong, lacking the very concept entirely. Why should he blame her?

"This humble monk likes it very much."

"Hmph, you’d better! If you dared to dislike it, I would have chopped off all ten of your fingers!"

Kong Xuan looked toward the voice to see the man known to all as the Demon Cult Leader, dressed in black robes, glaring at him coldly. The man gestured to Fan Sijin, "Come here to Father."

"Father!" Fan Sijin flew toward him like a happy little bird. "Why are you here?"

"If I hadn't come, you would have been tricked away by this bald donkey," the Cult Leader said indignantly. "We will be able to avenge your mother soon. Be good these next few days and stay away from this monk, understand? Father will protect you."

He had spent his entire life building the Batian Cult only to avenge his wife. Now that the time was ripe, he had spent the last seven days playing the role of a doting father, taking his daughter to enjoy the scenery. Now, he and his daughter would bathe their hands in the blood of their enemies, and no one would stop them!

He could not let the monk know.

Kong Xuan was sharp; he had guessed most of the truth from Fan Sijin’s words, and with the Cult Leader's remarks, he immediately understood their plan.

"Does the Cult Leader intend to wipe out all the enemies in one fell swoop?"

The Cult Leader had never expected to hide it from Kong Xuan; his naive and innocent daughter would always let it slip.

"And what if I do?" Now that his internal arts were perfected, why should he fear those mere mortals? Even if Kong Xuan regained his full strength, he would still be no match for him!

"But there are many innocent people..."

"Innocent people? Hahaha," the Cult Leader interrupted, his laughter cold and ruthless. "I have loathed those 'righteous' hypocrites my entire life. This time, I shall exterminate them all. From this day forward, the Central Plains martial arts world will belong to my Batian Cult!"

Having said this, he turned to Fan Sijin. "Stay in the valley and be good, understand?"

Fan Sijin nodded. The Cult Leader brushed her cheek and turned to leave.

Fan Sijin watched her father's retreating back, her expression carrying an indescribable depth.

During these seven days, aside from tracking their enemies, he had traveled everywhere with her, satisfying every material wish she had. In this brief time, the terrifying Demon Cult Leader of legend had seemed like a common father, caring for his daughter with meticulous devotion.

He was not a man of pure evil; he still possessed a shred of conscience. Perhaps that was why the Batian Cult, despite its reputation, actually performed good deeds like robbing the rich to help the poor.

Good or evil, everything eventually reaps its own reward.

Fan Sijin felt a fondness for her father and did not want to see him sink deeper into sin. Therefore, she had to find a way to stop his next plan.

She turned and sat on the swing, saying to Kong Xuan, "You might not know this, but my mother's death was no misunderstanding. It was because they wanted to use me to force Father to hand over the Batian Secret Manual."

"The Batian Secret Manual?" Kong Xuan was slightly stunned.

"Now that Father has mastered the techniques within, he harbors a deep, burning hatred for those righteous sect members who keep demanding he hand it over."

"They preach benevolence and morality while claiming the manual is too dangerous and must be surrendered. Yet, that manual was a sacred treasure of the Miao territory, given to Father by my mother when they married. Those people accused the Miao of having ulterior motives and accused Father of colluding with outsiders, but in reality, they just wanted the treasure and the power of the manual."