To be honest, discovering it was a clam demon made Tan Xiao surprised. He thought that to be able to enter the waters where even Kong Xuan lost contact, it might really be a dragon from Yunmeng Marsh.

"Wait, but aren't clams supposed to live in the sea? Did you migrate here from the sea?" Tan Xiao felt there were still many doubts. Even Kong Xuan knew that Yunmeng Marsh was a freshwater lake.

Fang Zhu's body gradually transformed into a human form, a man wearing casual Western-style clothing. He looked at Kong Xuan with trepidation, clutching his stomach, possibly injured.

He gritted his teeth and said, "It's not really migration. When I was young, I was scooped up by someone and released into Yunmeng Marsh..."

"Released!" Qian Ping'an's eyes widened. This was reckless. "Releasing a marine creature into a freshwater lake?!"

Yunmeng Marsh was a freshwater lake. What kind of release was this?

"Yes, a blessing in disguise. At that time, there was a Moon Dharma Master by Yunmeng Marsh who was delivering Dharma to liberate the living beings there. The people wanted to follow him to accumulate merit, so they bought aquatic creatures to release. I was among them.

"By then, I had already awakened my spirit. The Moon Dharma Master discovered this and preached scriptures to me. I emerged from the water as a pheasant and survived, never returning since then, taking residence in Yunmeng Marsh."

It seems that whether in ancient or modern times, there have always been those muddleheaded people who release recklessly. Qian Ping'an had seen his fair share of those who released invasive species. This was not accumulating merit at all, but simply creating killing karma.

"Moon Dharma Master? Are you referring to the owner of the cliff inscriptions?" But Tan Xiao didn't remember such a great virtuous one in history. "Is this his Dharma name?"

"No... I don't know his Dharma name or real name either. No one knows. We only know he was a Dharma Master who traveled everywhere to deliver beings to enlightenment. It's just that he carved 'om' on the cliff wall, and 'om' also means moon, so I called him that in my heart." Fang Zhu still seemed very respectful when mentioning this Dharma Master.

China has hidden dragons and crouching tigers. This Dharma Master who diligently practiced didn't leave his name in history, but with his merit of traveling the world to deliver beings, heaven and earth bore witness. Even after a thousand or hundred years, his altar remained a place that ghosts and gods dared not approach.

Hearing this explanation, everyone present understood. Fang Zhu had listened to the Moon Dharma Master's teachings and formed a karmic connection. He voluntarily stayed behind, unknowingly acting as a guardian. Thanks to this, he could move freely beneath the stone carvings, and as long as he was in this area, he would not be punished by the iron shackles.

"Since you have also cultivated, how did you come up with the idea of telecommunications fraud?" Tan Xiao couldn't help but sigh. From the sound of it, Fang Zhu should have been a kind person.

Liu Qingquan made a ghost face and said, "Where did you take my colleague? Speak up!"

He wasn't originally this fierce, but after the scene of Kong Xuan uncontrollably wanting to fly out just now, he missed Mu Fei too much... Although Mu Fei might not be able to control it either, Mu Fei was good at writing reports!

"Me, telecommunications fraud? I'm the one who was defrauded!" Fang Zhu burst into tears at the mention of this, with large teardrops flowing down, his face all wet.

Oh? Everyone looked at each other. That's impossible. Our Director Mu is a public servant and wouldn't defraud you.

"You tell us first, and we'll make a judgment." Liu Qingquan took out some yellow paper, intending to make a record, and reminded Tan Xiao to take photos of the scene.

Fang Zhu didn't really want to say. He felt it was a bit embarrassing, but Kong Xuan was staring at him like a tiger.

He was afraid his head would be wiped out, so he swallowed his anger and said, "Well... a few years ago, after taking human form, I kept in mind the Master's teachings and didn't dare to do evil. I worked diligently selling aquatic products and earned some money. Later, when fishing was banned in Yunmeng, I wanted to switch to another industry. At that time, everyone was discussing the stock market."

As he said this, Tan Xiao, Qian Ping'an, and Liu Qingquan all sighed in unison, already seeing the ending.

Tan Xiao thought of Big Beard Zhong. Why do they also like to wade in the muddy waters of the A-share market? Do they all think their abilities are unmatched?

"It's best not to touch unfamiliar things," Tan Xiao said. Having always managed his own pocket money, he was well aware of the principle "if you don't manage your finances, your finances won't leave you."

Fang Zhu had a lot of opinions about this. He wasn't the kind of demon who had just entered society. "I know, so I invested in industries I thought I was relatively familiar with at the time. I bought stocks in Zhangjia Island's aquaculture and shellfish. I couldn't be wrong about this, right?"

Hearing this, everyone's sighs grew louder. They all knew what happened next. Fang Zhu was played by the stock market and suffered heavy losses.

Fang Zhu also became depressed. It's said that the stock market is like metaphysics that demons can't grasp, and the same goes for flood dragons. "I was really angry at the time. I felt that I really shouldn't talk too much with humans, so I wanted to play with spirit and demon tribes instead. That's why I set up runes, wanting to make some cultured demon friends."

After all, when living in this water area, because of the Dharma Master's stone carvings, he actually didn't have many non-human friends, and even if he did, they were just nodding acquaintances in the lake.

"Then what? You added my colleague?"

"Not only that, I added several...!" Fang Zhu said dejectedly, "Later I discovered that they were all shills, all secretly promoting one person. That person kept bragging to me about his investment channels and said he could help me operate..."

Liu Qingquan couldn't hold back. "Demon tribes also have pig-butchering scams?"

Fang Zhu: "..."

Fang Zhu couldn't hold it in and wailed, "If it was just a pig-butchering scam, that would be fine. At that time, I had no money left. That person even tricked my great-grandmother's bones away! He said he could relocate the ancestral grave to change my luck! After I gave him the bones, he even wanted to devour me. Fortunately, I managed to hide back in the water area in time... But I let my great-grandmother down, wah!"

His great-grandmother had cultivated into a clam dragon and was originally buried in the sea. He had specially gone back to his hometown to retrieve her bones.

Hearing this, everyone fell silent. If what Fang Zhu said was true, that person was really unscrupulous. It seems that with the decline of social morality, there are many demon scammers too.

"After I went back, I was so angry that I couldn't help but disregard the Moon Dharma Master's teachings. I captured the souls of the account owners who had added me during that time, but the mastermind wasn't among them. In the end, I found out they were all just scapegoats, so I released them... Alas, what a sin."

Fang Zhu wiped his tears, showing a guilty look. At that moment, he had indeed failed to control the evil thoughts in his heart.

"Then what about my colleague? Could it be that something happened to her on the way?" Liu Qingquan became anxious when he heard this. He was in constant contact with the office here. If Mu Fei had returned, there was no way he wouldn't know. "Her name is Mu Fei. You saw her, right?"

"Your colleague is Mu Fei? I didn't release her." Fang Zhu had a look of sudden realization. "She did tell me that if I didn't release her, her unit would come knocking on my door and beat me up in a group."

"Why did you keep her?" Tan Xiao asked with amusement, not knowing why Fang Zhu specifically didn't release Mu Fei. "Were you scammed so much at the time that you didn't believe you would be beaten up in a group?"

"No, that's not it." Fang Zhu's face turned red.

Everyone: "?"

...Damn, why are you blushing?

Liu Qingquan suddenly had a bad feeling. Could it be that in the end, after all the twists and turns, it was still about matchmaking? Even if it's matchmaking, you can't force it!

Fang Zhu glanced at Kong Xuan and raised his hand to indicate he meant no harm before saying, "But since you are Mu Fei's colleagues, I will invite her over now."

Even without considering the protection the stone carvings provided to Fang Zhu, his cultivation level definitely made him a top demon in Yunmeng Marsh. Otherwise, the Bureau 404 wouldn't have been unable to track his whereabouts. He just had the misfortune of unexpectedly encountering the all-powerful Kong Xuan.

At present, he simply stretched out his hand, and the water grass rolled up a soul, floating over from the depths of the marsh. The speed of the underworld water route was indeed fast. In the blink of an eye, it reached the shore in front of them. That soul was none other than Mu Fei, whose hands were bound by water grass. She seemed to have just woken up, dazed and confused.

Mu Fei rubbed her eyes. When she saw Fang Zhu, she was about to curse loudly, but upon closer look, she saw that her colleagues, Tan Xiao, and others were all here. Her emotions fluctuated intensely.

She gasped a few times and exclaimed, "Quick, quick, release me. Teacher Liu, little brother Tan Xiao, Peacock God... and who is this fellow master? You've come to save me!"

Qian Ping'an happened to have his master's knife with him. He stepped forward and cut the water grass. "Hello, Director Mu. I'm Little Qian from Yunmeng. We've spoken in the WeChat group before."

Hearing him mischievously call himself Little Qian from Yunmeng, the corner of Mu Fei's mouth twitched. "Thank you!"

At that moment, Mu Fei was about to make a hand seal to send herself back to her body...

"You can't leave." Seeing this, Fang Zhu raised his hand to draw water, wanting to wrap around Mu Fei again.

Tan Xiao reacted swiftly and stabilized the water. He still dared to make a move at this time?

Fang Zhu said with a resentful tone, "Little Taoist, Heaven has the virtue of giving life."

"I'm not a Taoist, I'm a shaman." Tan Xiao knew he must have noticed his frequent use of exorcism techniques. "Since you know that the heavens are benevolent, you should let Sister Mu go back."

"Since you've interrogated everyone, you must know that the mastermind isn't my colleague. Even if you're... quite hospitable, shouldn't you still invite a guest through proper channels?" Liu Qingquan asked, turning to look at Mu Fei, "Mu Fei, are you sure you didn't deceive that old lady's bones?"

Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning Fang Zhu's blushing just now.

Mu Fei's face turned green. "Don't argue with him, he's mentally ill."

"I know she's not the mastermind," Fang Zhu said, placing his hand on his belly again, eyes pleading. "It's just that during this time, her baby was conceived in my belly, and I can't leave her before it's born."

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene fell into a dead silence.

For a long time, no one dared to speak.

Mu Fei repeated expressionlessly, "Mentally ill."

"Um, I can't recognize faces, is he really not Ah Jin in disguise?" Tan Xiao said weakly, nearly touching the wound on the tip of his tongue again. He let out a pained whimper, and Kong Xuan stole a glance at him.

"Hey, this isn't... but... the speed," Qian Ping'an also seemed to feel that it didn't quite fit with his common sense, but after all, they were a demon clan, oh right, and a big clam. What was this called, a hidden pearl pregnancy? "Uh, this..."

In the end, he didn't say anything meaningful either.

Liu Qingquan said awkwardly, "What on earth is going on... Oh forget it, let's talk about it later! There are minors here!"

"Don't listen to his nonsense." Mu Fei said faintly, "I just threw talismans at him, tossing them into his shell. He won't spit them out or digest them himself, just falsely accusing me, saying he's going to give birth to pearls, and that the pearl nuclei are mine."