Qiu Ling looked at the three people in front of him that seemed quite interested in getting the answer to that question. He smiled faintly in response. "Why should I tell you anything? You injured me!" He pointed at his arm just in case that shameless woman would pretend not to know what he was talking about.

Hong Ai’s lips twitched. "You attacked me first and I didn’t know this would happen. When used to injure a human, it works like any regular weapon. How could I have known that it would turn out like this? It’s not like I could have seen at a glance that you’re a demon!"

"I’m not a demon!" Qiu Ling leaped to his feet and pointed at her nose, his brows furrowing tightly. "Take that back!"

Hong Ai sighed. "There’s no reason to be like that. An De also has some demon-blood. We don’t mind at all."

"I. Am. Not. A. Demon." Qiu Ling’s eyes were blazing. He wouldn’t stand for it if she called him a demon again. This was the one insult he wouldn’t accept being thrown at his face. She could call him whatever but not this one thing. It was unacceptable!

"Alright. You’re not." Hong Ai raised her hands in defense and smiled placatively but her tone said that she didn’t believe a word of what he said.

"I’m really not a demon!"

Shen An De rubbed his temples. This wouldn’t get them anywhere. He just wanted some answers about his sister-in-law’s past but it seemed like they couldn’t continue as long as this issue wasn’t solved. "You can’t be human either. The weapon Hong Ai used was taken from the demon hunters. It’s made so that it can’t hurt humans any more than a regular weapon but will injure demons deeply."

Qiu Ling frowned and sat down. "Show me that weapon." He reached over but Hong Ai hesitated.

"Why do you want to have it?"

"Let me have a look."

Hong Ai glanced at her husband. He had given her that weapon after they had met back then and he had told her to never let go of it. She definitely didn’t want to give the weapon to Qiu Ling.

Shen An De lightly touched her arm. "It should be alright."

"But —"

"You also want to know what happened to your sister, don’t you? If we want him to tell us anything, we have to meet him halfway." He didn’t like it either but what else could they do?

Hong Ai nodded and handed the weapon over with a heavy heart.

Qiu Ling just snatched it away and turned it over in his hands. This weapon … sure was peculiar. The blade actually felt hot to him as if it would burn his body to ashes when it struck him. That definitely wasn’t normal. For a dragon to feel such intense heat it would need a place like that Court of Flames he had visited to get the Flaming Lion’s Tail to have the Amethyst Lightning Pill refined for Jing He’s reincarnation last year.

If this kind of heat was condensed into just one weapon … Qiu Ling furrowed his brow. This was definitely not something that could be achieved easily. It would most likely need a special material and maybe even a forging process different from normal. It wasn’t impossible though. But to have this weapon not injure humans … How was that supposed to work?

"Is something the matter with that sword?" Shen An De observed Qiu Ling’s face. As someone who had a bit of demon blood in his veins, he was always cautious with the sword. The fact that this could be used to easily kill him was the reason he had gifted it to Hong Ai. It was proof of his trust in her. Seeing it in the hands of another person made him apprehensive as well. But he understood that Qiu Ling was likely their only way to find out what had happened to Hong Bao so he was willing to take the risk. Sometimes, things just were like that.

Qiu Ling put the weapon down on the table and pushed it over to Hong Ai. "It’s quite peculiar and certainly not just used to kill demons."

Shen An De raised his brows. "What makes you say so?"

"Well, I’m not a demon," he reiterated. "And I’m sure that this thing …" He pondered something he could use as an example without giving his identity as a dragon away. "Have you ever tried to kill a spiritual beast with it?"

"Uh … no." Hong Ai shook her head.

"You’d be able to. And they aren’t demons either."

Shen An De nodded. That much was true. So this new disciple … was partly a spiritual beast? That certainly was rare! But it would explain how he could be so strong even at such a young age. After all, true spiritual and demonic beasts were born semi-immortal and even those with only part of their blood were usually gifted beyond belief. This person would really be an asset to their sect.

Well, right now wasn’t the moment for that. Shen An De didn’t want to make any big decision before the current issue wasn’t solved. "So, you’ve seen the weapon. Can you tell us now what happened to Hong Bao?"

"Sure. There isn’t much to say though. She did something bad and was thrown out of the Nine Heavens. Well, she deserved it." He crossed his arms, raised his chin, and looked at Hong Bao condescendingly.

Trying to assassinate his beloved … she deserved even worse than being thrown out! Huh. He should make sure she got her just desserts while he was in this Hei Dian Sect.