As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Shuo's heart, which had been in his throat, immediately settled down.
That was close. Fortunately, the other person had only sensed this much. The system's ability to conceal auras was quite good, able to deceive even a Demon Hunter of the Legendary Realm.
"How... how did you know?" Chen Shuo asked in surprise. Despite remaining calm, he also sensed the terrifying power of this person. Just from a trace of residual aura, he could judge someone's strength.
"It's not difficult. But first, you need to answer my question. Where is that female Vampire? Why did she let you go? If I'm not mistaken, you're not a Demon Hunter, are you? Encountering a Vampire of that power, you shouldn't have had any chance of escape."
Xu Changjun's penetrating gaze scrutinized Chen Shuo as he waited for an answer.
Chen Shuo was left momentarily speechless by these questions, unsure how to respond.
As Xu Changjun had said, he wasn't a Demon Hunter. How could he have safely escaped after encountering a Vampire?
It simply didn't make sense. After all, those targeted by Vampires were never let go...
His safe return was strange in itself.
"I..." Chen Shuo didn't know how to explain, so he could only turn his gaze towards Su Xiyan and her father.
He hoped the two of them could give him some idea at this crucial moment, but the Su family pair were also at a loss.
No matter how they tried to cover up this lie, it seemed implausible.
Moreover, since they weren't present at the scene, trying to help cover up now would be like drawing attention to the very thing they were trying to hide.
Wouldn't they just be digging themselves into a hole? Besides, Xu Changjun wasn't a fool.
Could someone become a legendary Demon Hunter with an empty head?
Even the slightest discrepancy would be magnified infinitely, potentially exposing even more.
When one lie is formed, it takes countless more to cover it up. The more one speaks, the more mistakes one makes. So not speaking was the best thing they could do at the moment.
"What's the matter? Is it so difficult to explain?" Xu Changjun asked, narrowing his eyes. His gaze seemed to pierce through Chen Shuo's very being.
Chen Shuo knew that further delay would only deepen the other's suspicions, so...
"It's not that I'm unwilling to speak, it's just... you might not believe the situation if I tell you..."
Chen Shuo put on a very troubled expression, and his words further piqued Xu Changjun's interest. "Oh? Not believe it? I've lived a long life and encountered all sorts of things, even the most bizarre. Go ahead and tell me, I'll judge for myself."
Hearing the other speak thus, Chen Shuo felt more assured.
This was exactly what he wanted the other to say, and it successfully led him into the thought trap Chen Shuo had set.
"Actually, it happened like this. I was on my way to meet a friend when I encountered a female Vampire. She didn't immediately try to suck my blood, but instead tried to seduce me, wanting me to give in to temptation..."
Chen Shuo had barely said half of his story when he sensed a hint of murderous intent. Looking in Su Xiyan's direction, he could clearly perceive her resentment!
"Of course, I'm definitely not that kind of lustful person. Faced with her temptation, I resolutely resisted, even at the cost of my life! After several attempts, I withstood all her seductions."
"I don't know if it was because she felt rebuffed by me, but that female Vampire angrily left. By the time I came to my senses, everything had returned to normal, so I hurried home without delay. That's roughly what happened..."
Chen Shuo said, half-truthfully and half-falsely, managing to round out the story.
However, no matter how one heard it, such a story sounded bizarre, even laughable.
Just as the Su family pair were sweating nervously for Chen Shuo, Xu Changjun, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.
"No wonder. I was wondering why you had the scent of a female Vampire on you. So it was such a misunderstanding. Brother Su, this son-in-law of yours is quite good, able to resist the temptation of a female demon. That's truly commendable!"
Xu Changjun nodded in approval as he spoke. His gaze revealed genuine admiration.
This wasn't mere polite rhetoric, but his true acknowledgment.
After all, given his status as one of the rare legendary Demon Hunters in the world, his strength was a symbol of everything.
Countless families would spare no effort to establish connections with him, so he had no need to ingratiate himself with anyone.
"Thank you for your praise, Elder Xu. But perhaps we should discuss our business now. The young people rarely have time together, so why don't we give them some space?" To prevent any further complications, Su Yuanying wanted to lead Xu Changjun away.
"Yes, yes, I let my professional habits get the better of me and overlooked these matters. It's getting late, I should be going. But we can chat another time. I have something very important to do now."
With these words, Xu Changjun cupped his hands in farewell and prepared to leave.
Seeing Xu Changjun about to depart, Su Yuanying became anxious: "Where are you going? You're unfamiliar with this place, why don't I guide you?"
"No need. I'm just going to do a little punishing evil and eliminating wickedness. Since I've discovered this female Vampire, I have a duty to eradicate her. I've memorized that scent, so it won't take long to find her."
With that, Xu Changjun turned and left without any hesitation.
"Elder Xu, it's dangerous! There's a Demon King in Su City, going rashly like this is very risky. Wait for me, wait..." Su Yuanying called out as he hurried after him, taking two steps at a time.
Watching the two figures departing one after the other, Chen Shuo couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.
It really seemed that the stronger a person was, the easier they were to deceive.
"How about that? I'm impressive, right? I solved the problem in no time at all." Chen Shuo gloated, but he received no response from Su Xiyan.
This gave Chen Shuo a bad feeling. When he turned back to look, he found Su Xiyan's expression was unusual, her piercing gaze even more frightening than when Xu Changjun had been looking at him earlier.
Chen Shuo's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard before slowly speaking: "Um... are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine. I was at home worrying about someone, but it seems that someone was having a wonderful time outside. You spoke about it so vividly, why did you even bother coming back? Why don't you go find that female Vampire?"
Su Xiyan glared coldly at Chen Shuo, and when her anger reached its peak, she turned her head away, unwilling to look at Chen Shuo any longer.
Faced with Su Xiyan's reaction, Chen Shuo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He had just been improvising to deceive Xu Changjun, but somehow it had made this girl jealous?
But to be honest, a woman's jealous appearance was quite interesting.
Thinking of this, an idea quickly grew in Chen Shuo's mind. He decided to play a big game, to see just how far Su Xiyan's reaction would go.