Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

Xu Lingguang's expression stiffened. He touched his abdomen, recalling the excruciating pain when his old injury flared up, and murmured, "We were master and disciple after all, what deep-seated hatred could drive someone to such a brutal attack..."

Moreover, Zhou Fuying had previously reminded him to go to the Green Bamboo Forest to find Wuyao, so it was hard to believe that he hated him so much.

Song Nanchu smiled slightly upon hearing his words. Once he separated the Qingyu Sect Master from the young man in front of him, he no longer found such words offensive. He simply continued, "I won't mention Yu Yun and me, but you and Zhou Fuying do seem to have a deep-seated blood feud."

Xu Lingguang's eyes widened: "Huh?"

“You may not remember, but Zhou Fuying’s mother was named Xu Lingqu, and she was the previous sect leader of Qingyu Sect.”

Xu Lingguang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: "Huh???"

He sorted out the relationship and stammered, "So, so Zhou Fuying is not only my apprentice, but also my nephew?"

Song Nanchu nodded: "In your early years, you were of mediocre talent. You only managed to enter the Qi Refining Realm by relying on the old sect leader's favor and the nourishment of rare and precious materials. However, your elder sister, Xu Lingqu, was born with a sword bone and her cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. You were unwilling to be overshadowed by your elder sister's brilliance, and disregarding the old sect leader's objections, you left the Qingyu Sect to travel and cultivate everywhere."

"You only returned to the Qingyu Sect after the old sect leader's unexpected death. But because Xu Lingqu suspected that the old sect leader's death was related to you, you had a big argument with her in the mourning hall and then left again."

Xu Lingguang was stunned, marveling at the original owner's good fortune while also filled with questions: "Why does Xu Lingqu suspect me?"

Song Nanchu sensed that he was detached from her own feelings and shook his head, saying, "I don't know. Xu Lingqu is already dead, and only she knows why she would suspect you. However, ever since the argument at the mourning hall, she has sent people to secretly monitor you."

"But within five or six years, Xu Lingqu died in childbirth. The Qingyu Sect Master died one after another, and internal turmoil ensued. It was during that time that you returned and ended the infighting with swift and decisive measures, becoming the next Qingyu Sect Master."

Xu Lingguang frowned as he listened: "The timing seems a bit too coincidental..."

“Since then, there have been rumors that you practiced evil arts and killed your biological father and elder sister in order to inherit the Qingyu Sect.” Song Nanchu stared at him intently: “And those rumors are true. You are indeed practicing evil arts.”

Xu Lingguang:

Ah this...

Unable to refute it, he could only console himself that it was the original owner's cultivation method, not his own. He then asked, "What about the explanation for killing my biological father and elder sister?"

"Xu Lingqu had someone secretly investigate you at the time, and her husband Zhou Hong was in charge of this matter. Afterwards, Xu Lingqu died in childbirth. Before you took over as sect leader, Zhou Hong secretly escaped with the child, who was Zhou Fuying. When Zhou Fuying was fifteen years old, you found him, secretly killed Zhou Hong, and brought him back to Qingyu Sect, taking him in as your last disciple."

Xu Lingguang: "..."

He opened his mouth and said helplessly, "I used to be... a real scoundrel."

The word "scum" doesn't even begin to describe the original owner of this body.

After learning the reason, he finally understood the extremely complicated look in Zhou Fuying's eyes every time she looked at him.

This was truly a blood feud, and Zhou Fuying's decision not to take advantage of his illness to kill him showed that she was an incredibly kind child.

Seeing the undisguised disgust on his face, Song Nanchu sighed softly: "I'm telling you this to remind you that you're doing very well in Ailao Mountain now. If possible, don't come down the mountain again in the future."

"If one day you regain your memory, or if Zhou Fuying can't let go of this blood feud, he won't let you go."

Xu Lingguang replied with a sense of sympathy, "I understand."

Seeing his worried expression, Song Nanchu said, "You don't need to worry too much. Although Zhou Fuying seems to have a bad temper, he is actually more soft-hearted than me and Yu Yun, but..."

He paused at this point, and ultimately did not continue.

In fact, he vaguely felt that there seemed to be someone behind Zhou Fuying, but since he had no evidence, he ultimately did not say anything.

He simply changed the subject, saying, "If I were here, I could help you out, but my injuries are almost healed, and I'll probably be leaving soon. In the future, we'll be far apart, and distant water may not be able to quench a nearby fire."

Xu Lingguang sensed from his tone that he was about to embark on a long journey: "You're not planning to return to Qingyu Sect after you recover from your injuries?"

"I'm not going back." Song Nan said in a calm tone, "Don't you already know about my background? I can hide for a while, but I can't hide forever. The demons have come knocking on my door time and time again, and I have to go and deal with this trouble."

Hearing his somber tone, Xu Lingguang decided to lighten the mood. He smiled and patted his head, saying, "Didn't you revert to your ancestral form? You must be very strong now, right? Maybe you can become a demon king. If I can't make it in Ailao Mountain in the future, I can come and seek refuge with you."

Song Nan did not expose his naivety, but said in a light tone, "Wujian City is a desolate and harsh place, you may not like it."

The demon race is bloodthirsty and warlike, and Wujian City is adjacent to Wujian Land, a desolate and treacherous place. Even the demon race does not want to stay there for long, let alone the human race.

*

After Song Nan recovered from his injuries, he was indeed about to leave.

He could already transform into human form, and perhaps due to a primal regression, he had grown even taller. The seventeen-year-old boy was now nearly half a head taller than Xu Lingguang, and his old clothes were long gone; Xu Lingguang's clothes were now rather short.

Xu Lingguang looked him up and down and found his eldest disciple much more pleasing to the eye.

Perhaps it was because he had lost the gentle mask he had been deliberately maintaining before; although there was no smile on his face, his eyes were gentle and calm, and he had a faint scholarly air about him, making him look like a very likable and gentle young man.

Xu Lingguang sighed and handed him a storage bag: "I won't see you off. Take these; you might need them on the road."

The storage bag contained spirit stones and several bottles of pills that Xu Lingguang had refined himself.

Song Nan knew how greedy Xu Lingguang was. The previous spirit-gathering array had cost so many spirit stones that Xu Lingguang was so distressed that he couldn't sleep at night and sat on the bed counting the remaining spirit stones.

In order to make up for the spirit stones he had spent as soon as possible, he spent almost the entire day refining pills.

Song Nan's expression softened: "I don't need these."

Xu Lingguang waved his hand impatiently, pushing and shoving the paper into his hand: "Keep this, you can read it on the way."

Song Nan did not refuse again. After saying goodbye, he walked alone out of the Ailao Mountains.

He planned to say goodbye to Yu Yun and Zhou Fuying first, and then go to find the demon clan.

Unfortunately, Zhou Fuying and Yu Yun were not there when he returned to Qingyu Sect. He stayed there for a moment, then turned and left.

Before going to see those demons, he opened the paper that Xu Lingguang had given him.

On the snow-white paper, a few words were written crookedly: "This is the account of the spirit stones you have spent during this period. Even between master and disciple, accounts should be kept clear. Keep two copies of the IOU safe. When you become the Demon King, remember to repay your master with interest."