In a luxurious restaurant.
The opulent decor and soft lighting complemented each other beautifully.
Zhang Hu and the other disciples of Dragon Tiger Mountain sat around the dining table.
Although their wounds still ached faintly, the delicious food before them momentarily made them forget the pain.
The long dining table was filled with an array of exquisite dishes, their enticing aromas and vibrant colors irresistible.
"You've all traveled a long way, and you haven't even had lunch, yet you've been busy slaying demons and vanquishing evil," Qin Luo stood before the group, a faint smile on his face as he looked at Zhang Hu and the others with gentle eyes. "Everyone, please make yourselves at home. We mean no harm."
No harm?
At another table, Su Bailian's mouth twitched.
Hey, hey, big brother, does anyone actually believe that?
Su Muwan, on the other hand, nodded in agreement, muttering, "I was just minding my own business, and they were the ones who started the trouble. And now they're treating them to a meal? I hope they choke on it."
Su Bailian: ...
Gulp.
Zhang Hu and the others swallowed hard.
One disciple nudged his companion beside him and whispered, "Brother, do you think this is a trap?"
The other disciple gulped. Although he was a disciple of Dragon Tiger Mountain, he hadn't ventured down the mountain many times.
After burning his vital essence, his energy was severely depleted, and the food before him was tempting him every second.
He shook his head and whispered, "Let's see what Senior Brother Zhang Hu says."
Zhang Hu's expression was conflicted. He looked at Qin Luo, whose natural charisma made him seem like a good person.
But this supposed good person was associating with that great evil spirit, which left Zhang Hu deeply puzzled.
So he asked, "Why... why are you doing this?"
Unlike the Celestial Masters, who could freely descend the mountain, the disciples of Dragon Tiger Mountain spent most of their time with their fellow brothers and sisters.
The rest of their time was spent dealing with evil spirits.
Their mindset was simple: fight evil spirits.
If they won, the evil spirits died.
If the evil spirits won, they would face death with equanimity.
But... this great evil spirit seemed different from the ones they had encountered before.
Seeing this, Qin Luo smiled. He walked over to Zhang Hu and placed a hand on his shoulder, saying, "Brother Zhang, I think you might have misunderstood something."
"Have you ever seen an evil spirit who would speak to you so kindly, let alone invite you to a meal?"
Zhang Hu was taken aback. Indeed, he hadn't, especially not one that had taken human form like this.
So...
Zhang Hu hesitated, "Are you saying..."
"I'm saying that you might have mistaken the wrong person for the evil spirit."
"This..."
"How about we talk while we eat?"
[Whispers of Gossip! Activate!]
"Alright!"
A moment later.
Qin Luo sat beside Zhang Hu, his eyes wide with surprise and disbelief. "What? You're saying your master told you that my young lady is an evil spirit?"
"That she would destroy the world in the future, plunging everyone into fear and despair?"
Zhang Hu took a bite of roast meat, his mouth full as he mumbled, "Yes! Over a hundred of our brothers and sisters came here specifically to deal with Su Muwan."
A junior sister beside him was enjoying a novel dessert, her face flushed with a smile as she looked at Qin Luo and said, "Also, our senior brother mentioned that he went to Jiang City once and had his Celestial Eye destroyed by an evil spirit."
"Your senior brother is..."
"He's now the 189th generation Celestial Master, Suan Tianxing."
Qin Luo nodded in understanding. "Oh, so you brought quite a few people this time."
"That's right. Even our senior brother's master, the 188th generation Celestial Master Zhang Tianquan, came along."
"Master Zhang Tianquan is here too? It seems you take this great evil spirit very seriously!"
"Of course! Exorcising demons and protecting the people is the duty of us Dragon Tiger Mountain disciples!"
The disciples chattered away, revealing all sorts of information, both relevant and irrelevant.
Qin Luo occasionally agreed, nodding or shaking his head to express his thoughts.
At another table.
Su Muwan watched with exasperation.
Hey, hey, Qin Luo, those guys are a bunch of fools. Don't mess with them.
In her past life.
She hadn't encountered any evil spirits, but she had often run into these Taoist priests.
After all...
Just like in this life, these idiots would scream in terror whenever they saw her, calling her an evil spirit.
Not only that, but the guys from the Cleaners Department would also team up with the Dragon Tiger Mountain disciples to track her down.
It was only in this life that she had decided to start over.
Otherwise...
Once her cultivation improved a bit more, she would have stormed Dragon Tiger Mountain and destroyed their sect with a single palm strike, just like she had in her previous life.
These Taoist priests were so stubborn, only believing in their rigid principles.
But who would have thought that Qin Luo could actually blend in with them?
On Qin Luo's side, he had already figured out the relationships among the Dragon Tiger Mountain disciples.
So he patted Zhang Hu on the shoulder and sighed, "Brother Zhang, I think you might have the wrong target."
"The great evil spirit is someone else!"
"Someone else?"
Zhang Hu was stunned.
Because Qin Luo seemed like a good person, he was willing to listen to him.
The other disciples also looked over, startled.
Qin Luo continued, "Yes, think about it. What are the evil spirits you usually encounter like?"
Zhang Hu thought for a moment and said, "The evil spirits we usually encounter are mostly ferocious and violent, completely irrational, only interested in destruction and killing."
"There are physical evil spirits, and there are also some that even we can't see. But it's said that the latter kind has been extinct for tens of thousands of years."
Qin Luo shrugged. "Exactly!"
"You say my young lady is an evil spirit in human form, but tell me, what do evil spirits most like to do?"
Zhang Hu hesitated and said, "Evil spirits most like to bewitch people and cause chaos in the world."
"Then does Jiang City look like a ghost town that my young lady has plunged into chaos?"
"Uh... no... there are quite a few people online who curse at Young Lady Su."
Su Muwan: ?
"Right? Besides that, what else do evil spirits like to do?"
"Hmm... devour human souls to cultivate their power!"
Qin Luo pointed at the food on the table and laughed, "Do you think souls taste better, or does this food taste better?"
"...This food."
"Exactly! Why would my young lady eat souls when she has all this delicious food?"
"And... evil spirits love to refine corpse puppets!"
"Do I look like a corpse puppet to you?"
"No..."
"So after ruling out all these points, do you still think my young lady is the great evil spirit?"
"What great evil spirit rides in cars, pays for shopping, and eats at restaurants?"
As soon as these words were spoken.
Zhang Hu and the other Dragon Tiger Mountain disciples looked at each other in confusion.
Now that they thought about it.
Su Muwan hadn't bewitched people or refined corpse puppets like those evil spirits.
Nor had she done anything like draining people's life force or devouring their souls.
Aside from having a tiny bit of killing intent around her, she didn't seem to have any major flaws.
"But... but Senior Brother Suan Tianxing said..."
Zhang Hu still wanted to argue.
However.
"Suan Tianxing? You think he's a good person?"
"?!"
"In reality, Suan Tianxing is the depraved and lustful evil spirit!"
[Whispers of Gossip! Activate!]