The warm sun gradually climbed higher. It was currently the second period of the morning.
Because of this, the office was quiet and cold.
Su Mumu felt it was truly bizarre. How did she end up being called into the office every two or three days just for going to school…
“Speak up, Su Mumu,” Old Wu said, taking a sip of tea.
“What is there to say? I already told you I don’t know anything…” Su Mumu said with a face full of innocence.
“The sword was in your hand, right? And then you threw the sword… attacking the Hippo Lady,” Old Wu said.
“Yes…” Su Mumu explained, “I was practicing my swordplay. I wasn’t trying to attack her. Besides, I didn’t even know she was there…”
Old Wu put down his teacup and stared at Su Mumu calmly.
Su Mumu maintained her innocent expression as they locked eyes.
Finally, Old Wu gave a soft sigh. “Fine! You are not allowed to attack others again. It is very dangerous.”
“I told you it wasn’t me…” Su Mumu muttered under her breath. Her voice was so low that no one could hear her clearly.
Due to her complaining, her cheeks were puffed out like a pufferfish.
Old Wu turned his gaze toward Jiang Mengxin. “Jiang Mengxin, what is your take on this?”
Jiang Mengxin, who had been in a daze, snapped back to reality and smiled. “I will discipline Mumu properly.”
Su Mumu unhappily kicked Jiang Mengxin’s shin with the tip of her toe.
“What was that for? Are you my mother? Saying stuff like that…”
“That wouldn’t be impossible, would it?” A smug look flashed through Jiang Mengxin’s eyes.
Sure enough, she was being teased by Jiang Mengxin again.
“Alright, alright. You two can go flirt outside later!” Old Wu said, sounding troubled.
“This matter involves Su Mumu’s disciplinary record. Since that is the case, I will temporarily report it as follows—Su Mumu has just mastered a sword spirit, and her lack of proficiency led to a rampage. Is that alright?”
“Whatever works,” Su Mumu said indifferently.
“Old Deng, may I ask… is that thing of Mumu’s… really a sword spirit?” Jiang Mengxin asked.
“I suppose…?” Old Wu narrowed his eyes and fell into a brief moment of contemplation. Then, he nodded solemnly, his tone turning firm. “It is a sword spirit.”
“For real…?” Jiang Mengxin still found it hard to believe.
“Yes. Do not spread word of this to the public for now…” Old Wu said.
Su Mumu looked bewildered as she scratched her head. “Which is to say… I am a genius?”
Old Wu did not know whether to laugh or cry. “I suppose so!”
Su Mumu adopted a cautious expression. “Old Deng, you aren’t allowed to lie to me. One of our own shouldn’t cheat another!”
“Fine, fine, I am not lying to you.” Old Wu waved her off.
On the other side, Jiang Mengxin had completely lost her focus, looking like a fish out of water that had forgotten how to breathe.
She nearly forgot to keep her heart beating.
“Did you hear that, Xin Xin? I am a genius, you know?” Su Mumu lifted her chin.
“…I heard you,” Jiang Mengxin replied blankly. “Which means… Mumu, you actually aren’t…”
“What?” Su Mumu asked, confused.
“No, it is nothing.” Jiang Mengxin forced a small smile. “I was just shocked by Mumu’s talent and got distracted.”
“Right? Right?” Su Mumu became even more smug. “Quick, surrender yourself under Lord Mu’s pomegranate skirt!”
“I am completely convinced,” Jiang Mengxin said, dropping her head.
“Hiahiahia!!!” Su Mumu threw her head back and laughed wildly.
On the cold porcelain floor, amidst a bit of thin dust, one could see the reflection of Jiang Mengxin’s uncertain expression and her violently trembling pupils.
Her heart was shaking as well.
A thousand different thoughts were a tangled mess in her mind.
‘The sect encyclopedia definitely cannot be wrong… Which means… Mumu is not that fox demon? She couldn’t learn swordplay at first because she is a slow learner?’
‘The white hair on the bed is also normal? Did Mumu just happen to pull out a single white hair? Did she buy Yaoshen powder to research some other pill?’
‘Was she acting sneaky because she was worried about being questioned by the school for not having an alchemy license? Then, in reality… did that shop girl remember it wrong?’
‘Did I just overthink everything? I treated my best friend as… the fox demon I hate the most. Then, what is the thing Mumu wants to hide from me?’
Jiang Mengxin’s mind began to race frantically.
Every second counted, and the speed at which her brain cells were dying reached its peak.
‘Could it be… some personal matter? For example… secretly mining in the middle of the night?’
‘Or maybe she got crushed in a ranked match, tried to smurf to crush some newbies but got crushed instead, and then spent the whole night refusing to give up, making her too embarrassed to say anything? Mumu is thin-skinned.’
‘There are some things she would definitely be too embarrassed to talk about… But what about the cold? Was it because she just happened to recover? Or were Mumu’s symptoms just light and not obvious?’
The more she thought about it, the more confused Jiang Mengxin’s mind became.
Clearly, every single point could be explained, yet when combined, it felt incredibly eerie.
Suddenly, a voice by her ear broke Jiang Mengxin’s solitary brainstorm.
“Xin Xin? What is it? You look very pale,” Su Mumu asked.
“I didn’t sleep well last night. It is nothing.” Jiang Mengxin wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.
She pursed her lips, a look of determination flooding her eyes. “Old Deng, I have something very important to say.”
“I am not interested in listening to topics about love and affection between young girls,” Old Wu said, showing no interest.
“It is not that.” Jiang Mengxin thought for a moment. “I have encountered a fox demon.”
Those six words were cold and eerie.
They became the key that opened the gates of hell, and the temperature seemed to drop instantly.
The expression on Su Mumu’s face froze immediately.
Old Wu’s eyelids lifted. “Are you sure?”
Jiang Mengxin nodded heavily. “I am sure. I encountered it two days ago while doing a mission. I was catching that kitten at the time… and that fox was already lurking nearby.”
Old Wu’s face was full of suspicion. “The Changsheng immortal sect is the largest and most rigorous demon-catching sect in the central state. You must take responsibility for such words.”
Jiang Mengxin nodded again. “I can take responsibility.”
Only then did Old Wu sit up straight, discarding his casual attitude.
His aged wrinkles grew deeper.
“What did she look like? Where did she go?”
“She…” Jiang Mengxin pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from her pocket.
She opened it carefully.
It revealed a stunning, perfect set of facial features that looked like a work of art.
*Whoosh!!*
Unfortunately, it was only a drawing.
Old Wu frowned. “Jiang Mengxin, you have met her before?”
Jiang Mengxin lowered her eyes slightly. “Yes. I met her about one week ago.”
“Then why didn’t you report it sooner?” Old Wu questioned. “A demon is actually hiding in the Xianzong? A fox demon in human form? This is a grave matter that cannot be overlooked.”
“Well…” Jiang Mengxin’s tone carried a bit of a complaint. “I wanted to catch her by myself.”
Old Wu opened his mouth, but the reprimand he was about to give died in his throat.
He coughed twice. “Then, do you already have a lead?”
“I did.” Jiang Mengxin thought for a while before changing her answer. “I had one originally, but… now it is suddenly gone. The direction of my search was wrong, so… I have temporarily lost the trail.”
Su Mumu, who was sitting upright and still beside her, couldn’t help but swallow hard.
‘Stay calm, stay calm. This is what Jiang Mengxin agreed to from the start, telling Old Deng about it… It is nothing. I’m hidden perfectly; no one can tell!’
“Then, what do you plan to do next? Do you need help?” Old Wu paused.
“This sort of thing is very dangerous, but as a student of the elite class… I believe you have self-control and judgment. I respect your choice.”
“I do need help,” Jiang Mengxin said softly. “I hope… Old Deng can allow Mumu and me to take a few days off. I want to investigate thoroughly during these next few days.”
Su Mumu’s tightly pressed thighs suddenly trembled.
“I understand you taking a leave, but why bring Su Mumu along?” Old Wu asked, puzzled. “Can she be of any help to you?”
“She can!” Jiang Mengxin explained seriously.
“Because… I wasn’t the only one who saw that fox demon. Mumu saw her too. Before the fox demon arrived at Jiulewu, she once hijacked items from Mumu… I speculate that in the entire Xianzong, we are the only two people who have seen her!”
Old Wu’s gaze instantly locked onto Su Mumu.
“Su Mumu, is that true?”
The muscles in Su Mumu’s face twitched uncontrollably. “…It is true.”
‘Damn it, my useless body! Stop trembling!!!’