Chương 24: I Am a Good Person

Han Bingxuan had witnessed everything. He saw Chen Yalan become Zhang Ruilin, then transform into a demon named Crabapple. And then his companion, this cultivator named Fang Cheng, killed the demon in a way he could barely understand, let alone believe. By that logic, Fang Cheng should be a hero, a demon-slayer, a righteous champion. But Han Bingxuan looked at Fang Cheng before him. The man was crawling on the floor like a snake, writhing and twisting, calling out "Mother" while licking up the blood on the ground.

Now and then, he let out a strange, eerie laugh. This bizarre behavior didn't even look human. And the demonic energy radiating from Fang Cheng was so dense that it formed visible black mist.

"Hahahaha..." Look, Fang Cheng was laughing again. He remembered his mother. The woman he had never met. She was buried in the ground, just like Xiao Ming. He arched his back, no longer slithering like a snake. The blood on the floor was all licked clean. Now he was a little mouse in the field, his hands clawing at the dirt. Hahaha, treasure was always buried underground. Dig, dig, dig. Dig out the sweet potatoes. Dig out his delicious mother.

"Fang Cheng is a demon!" Han Bingxuan said to himself. No matter how unwilling he was, his eyes didn't lie. He couldn't stand by and watch. For the sake of White Flower City's people, he had to kill Fang Cheng before he fully fell to demonhood. He drew his spear and advanced step by step. The moment the demon died, he had regained control of his body, and his Divine Energy was no longer depleted. He reached Fang Cheng's back. He raised his spear, then hesitated.

He channeled all his Divine Energy, scanning the black mist around Fang Cheng over and over, confirming it was indeed a sign of demonic corruption. Finally, he let out a helpless sigh.

"Fang, forgive me." The spear thrust down with his words, thud. It missed. Han Bingxuan had aimed for the heart, but Fang Cheng, whether intentionally or not, shifted slightly. The spear tip pierced his shoulder instead, causing no serious injury. Fang Cheng turned his head, eyes full of confusion.

"Han, I'm a good person. Why are you stabbing me?" Han Bingxuan fell silent. He noticed that the black mist around Fang Cheng had vanished, suddenly, as if everything that had happened just now had been an illusion.

"What's going on?" He frowned, channeling Divine Energy to examine Fang Cheng's body again and again. Still no hidden demonic energy. And Fang Cheng looked innocent now, no more eerie laughter, no more twisted crawling. Aside from a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. That blood meant it wasn't an illusion.

"Fang Cheng, I need an explanation." Han Bingxuan said. Since Fang Cheng had recovered his senses, he wanted to understand.

"Hmm..." Fang Cheng hesitated. He wanted to make up an excuse, but Han Bingxuan was an Underworld Officer. He couldn't just bluff his way through.

"First of all, I'm a good person." Fang Cheng began. Han Bingxuan nodded and gestured for him to continue.

"Every good person has their struggles. Mine is that when I do good deeds, people mistake me for a demon." Fang Cheng laughed, wiping the remaining blood from his mouth. Han Bingxuan frowned.

"Fang, just say it directly. We haven't known each other long, but you should understand. I'm different from other officers."

"Fine." Fang Cheng stopped beating around the bush. He told Han Bingxuan everything, about being possessed by the demon sword, and all the "good deeds" he'd done since. He repeatedly emphasized that he'd never done anything evil or killed an innocent person. Han Bingxuan listened in silence, his brow furrowed. After a long pause, he looked up and said earnestly, "I'm sorry, Fang. I've never encountered anything like this. I can't give you any real help."

Fang Cheng had expected Han Bingxuan to say "sorry" as in "I don't believe you, I'm taking you to the Underworld Bureau." Instead, he got a pleasant surprise.

"Wait, you actually believe all that? Even I don't believe myself sometimes."

"Of course I believe you." Han Bingxuan smiled.

"I trust what I've seen and heard more than I trust the fools at the Great Sheng court. I saw with my own eyes. Fang, you saved me. You saved all of White Flower City. The people's cries stopped. That means the formation shattered when you killed the demon. Those Heavenly Demons couldn't descend. The way you killed the demon was... hard to watch. But as you said, good people have their struggles. So I choose to believe you. And I want to help you break free."

"Help? You'd really help me?" Fang Cheng was surprised. This officer he'd known for barely two days was already far better than Zhu Youchang. Han Bingxuan nodded with a smile.

"I don't know how to help you. But there's someone who might."

"Who?" Fang Cheng asked eagerly.

"The Patrol Envoy of Lianshan Prefecture, Pei Tang." A Patrol Envoy was equivalent to a Prefect in the mortal court. They governed all City Gods, Land Gods, and cultivators within their prefecture. Their power was immense, like a feudal lord.

"Lord Pei is my senior and my friend. I'll send him a flying sword letter right now, explaining your situation and seeing if he has a solution." Han Bingxuan wasted no time. He took out paper and a brush, wrote a detailed letter about Fang Cheng's case, including his own observations and guesses, and sent it off. After sending it, Han Bingxuan put away the sword talisman and said, "Now we wait for his reply. I sent it as a priority message. He'll respond soon." Waiting was always long.

With nothing to do, Fang Cheng suggested they go dig up Zhang Ruilin's grave. Han Bingxuan didn't want to, but he did want to see the human mound at the grave site.

"Let's go." Han Bingxuan led the way, stepping out of the room and taking to the air. He wanted to fly fast to the crabapple pear forest in the east, but seeing Fang Cheng lagging behind, he slowed down and asked casually:"Fang, you're at the Second Level of the Body Refining stage, aren't you?"

"Uh, yeah." Fang Cheng nodded. Then he said, "But Han, I remember you can manifest a Dharma Manifestation, a Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Manifestation. That's Sixth Realm, isn't it? And your Dharma Manifestation is the Everlasting Emperor himself. I'm so jealous."

"Sixth Realm, disciple of the Everlasting Emperor, so what? When faced with a Heavenly Demon, I was still helpless." Han Bingxuan shook his head with a bitter smile. He thought back to the sword strike Fang Cheng had used to kill the demon, ordinary-looking, yet extraordinary in every way.

"Fang, maybe the demon sword isn't just a curse. It might be like Zhang Ruilin's green glowing bug, a form of inheritance." Fang Cheng scoffed.

"No thanks. I don't want an inheritance that makes me lose my mind. You saw me, acting like a complete idiot. If you want it, Han, I'll give it to you." Han Bingxuan shook his head.

"Not everyone can receive an inheritance. The Chief's grandson had to be extraordinarily gifted to take Zhang Ruilin's green bug. And besides, someone else's inheritance is someone else's. I don't like borrowed things."