Even if he did do good deeds for the righteous sects back then, as a demon cultivator, he could betray the demon sect, so what's to say he wouldn't betray the righteous sects in the future?

Moreover, in the eyes of some ambitious righteous sects, Sa Si was an excellent target to be used.

All these undercurrents exploded in the spring eight years ago.

That day, Sa Si went down the mountain alone for a stroll. He walked on the road as usual and routinely saved a young master of a righteous sect who was besieged by the Blood Sect of the demon sect.

After driving away those Blood Sect members, Sa Si reached out to pull up the young master.

Seeing him trembling and collapsing on the ground, Sa Si didn't mind.

When he drew his sword just now, demonic energy overflowed, which must have scared him, thinking that Sa Si meant him harm.

Thinking of this, he no longer paid attention to this young master. He picked up his scabbard that was thrown aside, patted off the dust, and with a sweep of his peripheral vision, he saw a string of purple flowers by the roadside. Thinking it would be interesting to put it on Xu Pingsheng's head, he bent down to pick it.

Then, he saw a soft sword piercing through his chest.

In the past few years, he had been ambushed and attacked countless times by the demon sect, but he always escaped unscathed, most of the time without even tearing a piece of skin.

He couldn't understand why this sword was thrust out by the righteous sect members he still somewhat trusted.

Sa Si turned around and saw a face showing a mixture of panic and joy.

The young master's hands were shaking, and his voice was also shaking, half from nervousness and half from ecstasy: "You are Sa Si, hahaha, are you? Are you?! I killed Sa Si, I killed..."

This young master was young and impetuous, and was indeed too impatient.

His soft sword did not injure Sa Si's vital points.

And he also failed to notice the situation behind him.

He was immersed in the pride and joy of "killing the demon cultivator Sa Si", until his lungs were pierced by a long sword from behind.

Xu Pingsheng, who had woken up and noticed Sa Si was not there, followed him down the mountain. He stood behind the struggling young master with a three-foot green sword in hand, his expression cold and his eyes extremely angry.

Sa Si half-knelt, gritting his teeth as he pulled the sword from his back, not stopping Xu Pingsheng's actions.

Xu Pingsheng tightened his grip on the long sword, slightly rotated it, then expressionlessly pulled the sword out from the wailing young master's body, changed to another spot, and stabbed down again.

After twelve sword strikes, the young master died.

That year, the righteous sects fell into chaos.

Led by the family of the victimized young master, many small righteous sects spontaneously gathered at the foot of the mountain, demanding that Sa Si hand over the murderous jiangshi and give the righteous sects an explanation.

To this, Sa Si's consistent answer was: "Fuck off. Whoever wants him, stand in front of me and talk to my sword."

The people from Fengling Mountain, Danyang Peak, and Yingtian River had all received Sa Si's kindness. Seeing this situation, how could they allow him to be humiliated like this? They all volunteered to mediate.

But at that time, Feng Rugu, who had come out of "Forgotten World" for two years and was still recuperating in bed, stopped everyone's actions.

He was concise and pointed out the crux of this incident: "With those twelve sword strikes, Uncle Sa Si can no longer have a foothold in the righteous path."

Chang Boning rarely frowned: "We can step forward to mediate."

"That's great." Feng Rugu said, "If we take the initiative to speak for Uncle Sa Si, it will be exactly what they want."

Chang Boning: "Why?"

Feng Rugu smiled: "Senior Brother, why are you so naive? Uncle Sa Si is Master's old friend; Master Pingsheng is Master's elder brother. If we take the initiative, in the eyes of the world, it will be favoring the demon sect for personal reasons. At that time, the reputation of our three sects will definitely be damaged, and those small righteous sects will have the opportunity to rise. This is the chance they are waiting for."

Chang Boning: "Uncle Sa Si has saved countless people from the righteous sects. He shouldn't be treated like this."

Feng Rugu: "Even if he saved that many people, Uncle Sa Si is still from the demon sect, this cannot be changed."

Chang Boning: "If we don't save our benefactor and watch him die, what's the use of the reputation of the righteous sects?"

"Uncle Sa Si must be thinking the same." Feng Rugu said, "So, in order not to make it difficult for us, he won't accept mediation... He will draw a clear line with us."

Feng Rugu's words came true.

That night, Sa Si used a huge fire to burn down his cave, standing on the mountain peak amidst the raging flames, looking at the surrounding Daoists and laughing loudly three times, full of disdain.

More than a thousand Daoists tried to stop him, but the heavily injured Sa Si still fought his way out, taking his jiangshi and leaving gracefully in front of everyone's eyes, his whereabouts unknown.

Because of this incident, Sa Si became a laughingstock in the demon sect for a while.

— Look, he protected the righteous sect members like that, but when they have internal strife, they still casually sacrifice him. Now he is unacceptable to the righteous path and scolded by the demon sect; he will probably have a hard time in the future.

Sa Si never paid attention to these rumors.

When Sa Si reappeared in the world, he actually returned to the demon sect and became a disciple of the Bushi Sect under Lin Xuejing.

In the main house.

The always lazy Feng Rugu actually took the initiative to pour tea for Sa Si: "Uncle Sa Si, how have you been lately?"

Sa Si drained the tea from his cup in one gulp. "I've been searching for a spiritual vein recently. It's said to be deep in the desert, with a vein of spirit stones running along it. I've been looking for it for several days without success. It's truly exhausting."

Sa Si didn't seem to mind venting to his junior, and Ruyi could also see that this person had complete and honest trust in Feng Rugu. Even with an outsider like himself present, he was willing to believe that anyone brought by Feng Rugu would not betray him.

That backstabbing sword strike had not yet chilled his heart.

In front of Sa Si, Feng Rugu was uncharacteristically well-behaved. "Uncle has worked hard."

Sa Si sighed. "Who can say otherwise? A perfectly good idle immortal, but fated to toil."

Feng Rugu didn't beat around the bush with him, not wanting to delay his important business. After exchanging pleasantries, he got straight to the point. "How are things for Uncle Sa Si in the Bushi Sect? Is Lin Xuejing treating you well?"

"Everything is good, it's just that there are too many sect affairs. Our Sect Leader Lin Xuejing has always been an elusive figure. I'm the one who has to handle all the sect matters. Who knows when he'll come back to lend a hand."

Feng Rugu blinked. "Uncle hasn't seen him in a long time?"

Sa Si nodded. "Haven't seen him in a long time."

Ruyi glanced at Feng Rugu, who also looked back at him.

Their gazes met for a moment, already understanding the meaning in each other's eyes.

...Could it be Lin Xuejing wearing a mask and black clothes, killing people everywhere?

...Not necessarily.

Sa Si watched the two of them exchanging glances and raised an eyebrow. He said straightforwardly, "You're looking for me because of the recent Tang sword killings, right?"

Feng Rugu lowered his lashes. "Uncle Sa Si also knows about it?"

Sa Si waved his hand. "If you suspect Lin Xuejing, there's no need. He only likes to fiddle with some superficial self-created spiritual techniques. When it comes to blade, spear, and sword cultivation, he knows nothing."

Ruyi was deep in thought.

What ability does such a person have to make someone like Sa Si follow at his side?

Sa Si's thoughts were very astute. With just a glance at Ruyi, he reached to touch the sword at his waist.

"Lin Xuejing's ability to win people's hearts has never relied on this." He then pointed to his own forehead. "...He relies on this."