Could it be that I am the cruel villain?

"Senior Sister, this is the first time I've seen you so unsettled. Is it because of something I did today? If I'm not mistaken, when Yun Xiyin and I went to exchange treasures, you were following us the whole time. I could feel a pair of eyes on me."

"Today, apart from a few fellow disciples, I didn't interact with anyone else. But those fellow disciples couldn't have made you so nervous, so..."

"It was Elder Zhang Shanyuan."

"Wasn't it."

Bull's eye.

Jiang Feng still had a cheeky smile on his face before he said this, but once he got to the point, his expression was even calmer than Liu Xianzi's at that moment. His tone was so certain that she couldn't hide it.

"Continue."

Then he lifted his chin slightly.

"That Elder Zhang Shanyuan holds an extremely high seniority. The current Sect Master seems to be his junior, and the Daoist skills he has learned are rare in this era. He even came to chat with me specifically. Could he have noticed something unusual? Was it because of Xuan Xiaozi's lingering Divine Soul and flesh…"

"He knows you are Demon Night True Monarch."

Before finishing the sentence, she directly interrupted.

With just one sentence, all his speculations were swallowed back. His eyes widened, filled with panic, suspicion, and disbelief. He was momentarily stuck.

The room suddenly fell silent.

Now he finally understood why his Senior Sister's expression was so grim.

The brother and sister duo remained silent, staring at each other. He wanted to see a hint of a joke in his sister's eyes, but unfortunately, there was none.

After a few minutes, Jiang Feng's somewhat out-of-control expression gradually collected itself, and he jumped off the bed to start putting on shoes.

"What are you doing?"

Seeing her Junior Brother suddenly start putting on shoes and tidying his clothes, she couldn't help but be curious. But Jiang Feng just calmly said, "Packing up, preparing to be expelled from the sect with my cultivation wasted, and finding a hidden spot somewhere in the Central Plains suitable for settling, or maybe just going back home to get married."

"…Come back."

Speechlessly uttered three words.

Hearing her words, Jiang Feng quickly threw off his shoes and rolled back onto the bed, looking at Liu Tangxi with eyes like a dog hungry for three days and nights begging for food.

He surely believed his Senior Sister could smooth everything out.

"Don't worry, he won't expose you."

"Phew~ You could've said so sooner. I had already thought about my last wishes; it was really scary. No wonder the old geezer suddenly wanted to chat with me..."

Bam!

A wooden sword mysteriously appeared in her hand, and she smacked Jiang Feng on the head with it.

"Enough with the nonsense. Elder Zhang Shanyuan is Ancestor Master Uncle, and everyone in the Nine Peaks has received his true teachings."

"Even if it's the Nine Peaks, the Sect Master himself must perform disciple rites in his presence. Among the remaining first-generation disciples, all were personally taught by him. Our master was brought up entirely by him, and privately, he's called uncle."

"His cultivation is enough to reach the heavens, and his Daoist skills are so refined that they are unmatched. All the legacies in the Nine Peaks were personally imparted and taught by him. He has been in secluded cultivation in the deep mountains for many years and wouldn't have come out if it wasn't for the Xuan Xiaozi incident."

"In terms of seniority and age, he is a peerless master of the same era as Yan Ruyu. There are probably few in the world today who could surpass him. Even when facing him, I have no confidence at all."

With a serious face, Jiang Feng finally understood who that kindly old man was today. His own master privately calls him uncle?

Wouldn't the current Sect Master also have to call him Master Uncle, and even be taught by him on behalf of the master? Just thinking about it is terrifying… Wait?

"Senior Sister, did you ever think about fighting him?"

"Yes, when he pointed out your identity today."

Very straightforward in admitting it.

She admitted that when she heard 'Yan Ruyu' from Zhang Shanyuan's mouth, she lost control for a moment.

She opened her mouth.

Suddenly, he didn't know what to say. His mouth twitched. He originally wanted to say something witty to lighten the heavy atmosphere and express his gratitude to his Senior Sister, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't utter a word.

Because the kindness and protection from his Senior Sister were beyond what words could express.

"In that moment, an evil thought flashed in my mind, but it was just an evil thought, not a murderous one. No matter what, I could never hurt Ancestor Master Uncle because of you; he is one of my few elders."

"At that time, my first reaction was to immediately take you out of the sect."

"Once I'd hidden you away, I planned to return to the sect to discuss with Ancestor Master Uncle. Using this Phoenix Heavenly Cave incident as leverage, if you could bring the sect to new heights, then I would bury this secret forever."

"If he didn't agree, I would have to confess everything to the sect. I always said that if your true identity was discovered, I would use your talent and abilities to convince them, and if they couldn't be convinced, there would still be me."

"But it would require more sacrifices."

Jiang Feng's expression grew increasingly grim.

He knew very well what sacrifices his Senior Sister was referring to. It was likely to beat those who opposed into submission. In the worst-case scenario, she would have to fight, and his Senior Sister would be attacked from all sides.

Yet, she was still willing to take the risk.

He sighed, knowing that he might never repay his Senior Sister's kindness in this lifetime. With so many debts, he finally relaxed his furrowed brow, letting reason take the upper hand.

"Senior Sister, Elder Zhang Shanyuan should be a kind elder, right? I haven't sensed any malice from him, just curiosity."

"Yes, Ancestor Master Uncle didn't ask for any conditions. Of course, if you run into any issues, I'll put a stop to it."

He exhaled with relief.

He could roughly guess that it would come to this conclusion. Otherwise, he wouldn't be sitting leisurely on the mountain having a meal, and his Senior Sister wouldn't be able to sit in bed meditating.

"That's good, that's good. But I really didn't expect someone to recognize me; it's just absurd. This old man… sorry, how old is this Ancestor Master Uncle?"

"Nearly a thousand years old, the exact age is unknown. But he has participated in the Cultivation World's great wars three times. The first was nine hundred years ago, the second five hundred years ago, and the third one hundred years ago, during the period of Demon Night True Monarch's fall."

"…"

Speechless.

A person who has survived three world wars, still alive.

Honestly, even if he really exposed me, I couldn't say anything against it. Seeing Jiang Feng's gradually unwrinkling brow, she seemed to notice her Junior Brother's relaxed mood, as if she suddenly remembered something.

"Ancestor Master Uncle said you are the model for our entire Swordmaster Peak. All the disciples of Swordmaster Peak should learn from you."

"Oh?!"

He immediately straightened his back.

Usually, when someone praised him, it meant nothing, but knowing their identity now, receiving such high praise from an elder really boosted his mood. He didn't even have time to smile before Liu Tangxi added the second half of the sentence.

"If only they could learn even half of your sweet-talking and ability to woo women, Swordmaster Peak would be thriving."

"Tsk."

Back to reality.

"Speaking of which, you seem to have gotten along well with Yun Xiyin today. If the chance arises, feel free to befriend her. She holds the martial arts secrets of Yuzhu Peak, and these techniques could be beneficial to you. As for taking her to the mountain, I have no objections, as long as you can get past Cloud Peak Master."

"Don't talk nonsense, no spreading rumors, no believing in rumors, no passing on rumors. Yun Xiyin and I are pure; it was just a simple PY transaction…"

The two of them tacitly changed the subject.

Since his identity had been discovered, there was no point in discussing it further afterward. After all, the elder had already made it clear he wouldn't expose him and even agreed to help cover it up.

That was the best outcome for him. Continuing to focus on it would only cause excessive anxiety.

The two chatted on and off for nearly half an hour when Jiang Feng suddenly remembered something and slapped his forehead.

"Oh no, Senior Sister, I came here to learn the mental method from you!"