9: The Devil Whispers

【 Luo Mian was enfeoffed as a Marquis, the army set out, he was treated with utmost courtesy, and the common people sent him off. You squatted in your mansion secretly eating raw meat. 】

【 For three days in a row, you felt restless, sensing that something big was about to happen. 】

【 Three days later, several After Heaven Peak masters broke down the door and entered. 】

“Meng Yun, your misdeeds have been exposed!” The After Heaven Peak master leading them, holding a person in his hand, threw him in front of Meng Yun.

That person was none other than the cook he had carefully settled outside.

Looking at the cook, who was beside him, with flickering eyes and covered in wounds, Meng Yun smelled a conspiracy.

He looked at the After Heaven Peak master at the head, his expression unchanged: “Thank you, Lord Warden, for finding Wang Er, but he has already been sent home by this official, and all matters between us are severed.”

“This official?” The Lord Warden sneered: “At the morning court today, His Majesty heard of your evil deeds and was furious. You have been stripped of your office and status, and demoted to a commoner!”

“Evil deeds?” Meng Yun let out a hollow laugh: “As an official, this commoner has blessed the people and remained incorruptible, earning the reputation of White Cloud Virtuous Minister. How can there be talk of evil deeds?”

“White Cloud Virtuous Minister? Black Cloud Butcher is more like it!”

The Lord Warden, who had long been infatuated with Wu Yinyao, had a ferocious expression: “Enough nonsense, surrender and come with me to prison!”

As long as he captured Meng Yun, Wu Yinyao would be his!

Thinking of the Emperor’s golden words, the Lord Warden’s heart burned with excitement.

Meng Yun stood with his hands behind his back, still expressionless in front of a group of After Heaven Peak masters:

“Luo Mian has only been gone for three days, and you can’t wait? Tell me, what crime have you fabricated for me?”

“I see you won’t shed a tear until you see the coffin!” The Lord Warden snorted coldly and took out the charges: “On November 18th, a woman reported to the Magistrate’s Office that her three-year-old child was missing. On the 26th, three beggar children disappeared. On December 3rd…”

Meng Yun listened carefully, then smiled coldly.

Missing people? What did that have to do with him?

But he already understood everything.

Seeing Meng Yun about to speak, the Lord Warden casually pulled out a small packet and poured out a pile of bloody bones with a clatter.

“This was found in your house’s gutter. After examination by the coroner, these are human bones, the remains of a child! White Cloud Virtuous Minister? More like a beast in human skin!” The Lord Warden’s eyes were chilling.

If one wants to condemn, one can always find an excuse.

Who exactly is the highest commander behind this attack?

It couldn’t be the old emperor, feeling he couldn’t save face over the annulled engagement, wanting to put him to death, could it?

Meng Yun sneered, unable to defend himself. You can’t wake someone who is pretending to be asleep.

Yet, the Lord Warden still wanted to deliver the final blow: “Wang Er, you speak!”

The cook, Wang Er, tremblingly began: “Assistant Minister Meng… no, Meng Yun, he often secretly eats raw meat. When animal meat wasn’t enough, he, he started thinking about human flesh!”

“Search him!” The Lord Warden Li Miao commanded, and his henchmen scattered. He himself focused intently, keeping a close eye on Meng Yun.

Meng Yun said mockingly: “Why go to all this trouble? Beheading me with one stroke, wouldn’t that be more straightforward?”

The Lord Warden smiled without warmth: “We are a society of laws. You want to die? You’ll have to go through the imperial prison first, and wait until after the Three Judicial Offices’ joint trial!”

The two stood confronting each other, neither moving a step.

Meng Yun knew he was finished.

The Simulator’s evaluation of being pure, innocent, and dying by suicide, leaving a good name for generations, was now ruined.

Even if he committed suicide now, he would only earn the infamous reputation of dying to escape punishment!

Upon realizing this, Meng Yun had no more worries.

Since things were already at their worst, he might as well throw caution to the wind.

Anyway, in this life, he had saved many people and hadn’t become a murderous demon. He had lived up to the Universal Salvation Simulator. Once the simulation ended, and he returned to reality, the lifespan feedback would at least allow him to live a healthy life.

Only… in this life, he owed that person.

Wu Yinyao.

He couldn’t accompany her to the end again.

A henchman brought the evidence in a large basin and placed it in the courtyard.

The Lord Warden, covering his nose, glanced at the dozens of pounds of fresh beef, even seeing the frantic teeth marks on it.

Solid evidence.

“Meng Yun? Do you have anything else to say?”

“The evidence is conclusive, so naturally, I have nothing to say.” Meng Yun obediently surrendered.

If he had gained a martial-related trait in this simulation, why would he need to engage in a war of words here?

There was no ‘if’.

“What is this? Blood Demon Divine Art?” The Lord Warden held a booklet, flipped through it for a moment, and his expression changed dramatically: “You demon, so you were practicing demonic arts! No wonder!”

Meng Yun was expressionless: “It was confiscated from Martial Universe Qiankun. The Princess and Marquis Zhenyang were both involved in its research.”

“But this thing is in your hands now!” The Lord Warden sneered, throwing the booklet into the large basin along with the other items.

“Take them all away!”

【 You were arrested. All civil and military officials were shocked. No one expected that the White Cloud Virtuous Minister, who was brilliant and wise beyond compare, was secretly a great demon who ate raw meat and killed children to practice cultivation. 】

【 You used a fame even greater than that of the White Cloud Virtuous Minister to shock Martial Country. Countless dark forces honored you as their leader. You rose from the Godfather of the Sewers to the Godfather of Black Clouds. 】

【 You were imprisoned. The jailers fed you leftovers, but you refused to eat. Your demonized body believed that rather than eating such things, it would be better to end your own life. 】

【 You heard the whispers of a demon. 】

In a flash, Meng Yun had been imprisoned for three days.

Although he hadn’t suffered any torture yet, this was merely the calm before the storm.

The leftovers were not as good as the mouse meat in his hand.

Catching mice became Meng Yun’s only hobby in prison.

Unfortunately, this small amount of fresh blood and flesh couldn’t satisfy his increasingly enormous appetite.

Throughout the day, the moments he was disoriented grew longer and longer.

In a semi-conscious state, Meng Yun vaguely heard indescribable whispers in his ear.

It was the demon’s temptation.

At first, he didn’t understand these words. But as the demonic sounds pierced his ears, some red scales clearly grew on his body.

This meant that Meng Yun’s physical body was being further corroded and assimilated by the demonic seed.

When the scales covered a certain proportion, Meng Yun understood the initially obscure whispers.

That existence was clearly calling his name.

“Meng Yun…”

“Meng Yun!”

Meng Yun was expressionless, responding with his inner voice: “Who are you?”

“I am the god of this world!” As if finally waiting for Meng Yun’s response, the voice carried a faint joy: “Meng Yun, submit to me, and this world will be yours!”

“And then what, become a monster like Martial Universe Qiankun, dominated by desire and slaughter, to be manipulated by you?”

Meng Yun’s rebuttal caused it to pause: “Martial Universe Qiankun? How can that scum be compared to you! You are an anomaly that should not exist in this world. You have a pure and sincere body and soul, you can…”

“Enough, shut up.” Meng Yun coldly interrupted in his mind.

“Meng Yun! Are you not tempted at all?!”

“Meng Yun, you have seen the Blood Demon Divine Art. You only need to circulate it once, and the Xiantian realm can be broken in an instant. How can a mere prison hold you?!”

“Meng Yun! Meng Yun!”

…

No matter how the voice tempted him in his ear, Meng Yun remained deaf to it, like a statue.

【 Despite the demonic sounds piercing your ears, you remained deaf to them. Your willpower increased. 】

【 Three days passed in a flash, and you no longer felt any gaze. The prison door opened, and dozens of pounds of fresh meat were thrown in. You were slightly startled, but your long-suppressed physical craving overcame your remaining rationality. You ate frantically, disregarding your image, like a humble and ridiculous insect. 】

“Slurp, slurp, slurp, good doggy, eat more, I’ll feed you for life.” The Lord Warden stood tall in a black robe, spotless.

Meng Yun lay prostrate on the cold, damp ground, wantonly tearing at the fresh blood and meat, wolfing it down.

The cell was filled with the smell of blood and the sounds of Meng Yun chewing and swallowing.

“Hmph, White Cloud Virtuous Minister? Saying that out loud would probably make people laugh their teeth off…” The Lord Warden felt bored and left with his hands behind his back.

Anyway, Wu Yinyao had already promised him a marriage contract for the third day of the third month next year.

And as for the exchange…

Feeding Meng Yun like a dog for the rest of his life was just a trifle for the Lord Warden, who wielded immense power and was an After Heaven Peak master.

Although the Lord Warden was unhappy, it was still a trifle.