The conversion between void and reality and the creation of a soul space were inherently the foundation of the secret technique, the Heart Sword Form.
Han Jie’s soul could accommodate nine Heart Swords, so naturally it could accommodate even more. He normally chose not to simply because he found it completely unnecessary and couldn’t be bothered with the upkeep.
But for a cultivator like Meng Qingtong, who fought primarily using spirit talismans, the gap between rummaging through a backpack and calling them forth directly from within the body with a single thought was greater than the distance between clouds and mud.
The threshold and side effects of this technique were both easy to resolve.
The threshold—Han Jie could forcibly carry her over it. In other words, he could directly open a hole in her soul for her; she wouldn’t have to dig it herself. As for the side effects, there would be the intense agony of the soul from having the hole forcibly opened, the discomfort of future storage and retrieval, and the increasing mental burden the more one stored.
Thus, knowing that Meng Qingtong was willing to “train” every night until she was gritting her teeth and rolling on the ground just to rapidly raise her spiritual power, Han Jie had already determined she was a heaven-chosen talent for cultivating the Heart Sword Form.
In the end, she refused.
It didn’t matter. Han Jie knew that the allure of this preparatory method was, on the contrary, even greater for her.
He knew that what Meng Qingtong advocated was not true mutual non-indebtedness. This girl simply preferred that others owed her.
Someone who wasn’t like that probably wouldn’t take “making the world a better place” as their driving force.
So, when faced with something she truly wanted, her next reaction wasn’t difficult to guess.
Her thick, dark eyebrows twisted into a near-knot, her bright eyes brimming with distress. She pulled out her phone and switched to a divine sense channel immune to eavesdropping, honestly expressing, “Alright, I admit I really want this. When I read novels, I was always so envious of those storage-space items. Even if I could only store a few spirit talismans inside, it would be an enormous help to me. Ah, as expected of a thousand-year-old senior—your move is this kind of terrifyingly grand gift. How am I supposed to repay you for this…? Do you have anything you particularly want?”
“I want you to promise me that when conditions permit in the future, you’ll learn my Heart Sword Form. No need to formally take me as your master; I don’t care about such tedious formalities. I simply don’t want my sect’s ultimate art to have no way of continuing in this world.”
Meng Qingtong rolled her eyes at him. “Come on, isn’t this the same as throwing out a huge chunk of spirit gold and then saying if I want it, I have to take another spirit marrow? I never eat big pies that fall from the sky. I only dare to take things with clearly marked prices.”
“It’s merely reciprocating a peach with a plum.” Han Jie smiled faintly. “Since we met, haven’t you always treated me this way? I didn’t do anything, and you arranged everything for me, one after another.”
“What I wanted was your agreement to cooperate with me. I got my exchange—a fair trade. Actually, I even made a profit. Any random boss would definitely be more generous than me for this bit of spending. A good helper like you can’t be found even with a lantern.”
“Take this as part of the cooperation too, then?”
Meng Qingtong’s expression grew even more distressed. “Then… I’d have a hard time facing you with a clear conscience even if I gave you a ninety-ten split going forward. Some things money can’t buy. If your method weren’t kept secret, the people lining up daily to have you open a hole in them would stretch from the Second Hospital’s gate to Liudaokou. The earnings could easily make you the richest person in the district.”
“It won’t happen. It really hurts.”
She curled her lip. “Can it hurt more than giving birth?”
Han Jie responded solemnly, “Pain of the divine soul inherently far surpasses that of the physical body. After training the way you do every day, could you still not know that?”
She scratched her cheek a bit embarrassedly. “I don’t know. I’ve never even had a boyfriend, so how would I know how much giving birth hurts? Isn’t that said to be the most painful thing? That’s why I used it as an example.”
“It really does hurt. The method to hurt less is something the people here can’t learn. So it’s not as precious as you think. Because it’s forcibly opened by external power, the subsequent maintenance and expansion require an extraordinary amount of effort. I only brought it up because I believe you can do it.”
Knowing that he rarely went on at such length, Meng Qingtong considered seriously for a moment and asked, “I don’t want to owe you a favor first. I’m more accustomed to doing the work first and getting paid afterward. How about this—when I think of something worth your secret technique, I’ll come find you to trade for it.”
“I want to eat home-cooked food.”
“Huh?”
Han Jie silently recalled the sparse memory fragments from before age six, together with yesterday’s image of Lin Sisi busying herself in the kitchen. The fluctuations of his divine sense were suffused with melancholy. “I already have a residence, and the residence has a kitchen. What I’m still missing is someone to cook for me.”
“Wait… are the old seniors of your spiritual cultivation world this domestic?” Meng Qingtong was somewhat incoherent. “The only reason I ever cook is because I’m short on money. I don’t even know how to make any decent dishes. You want to eat instant noodles flash-fried with ham sausage alongside me?”
Han Jie looked at her with a smile. “Qingtong, you’re talented and intelligent. Such a small matter shouldn’t be difficult for you.”
“It’s the information age; learning isn’t the problem… No, no, the problem is I don’t want to learn. Seriously cooking takes a lot of time. Where am I going to squeeze out that time for you? Can we change the compensation?”
He shook his head. “I can help you switch to another cultivation method. Though the efficiency is lower and the conversion slower, as long as you’re conscious and keep your mind relaxed, it will continuously take effect, saving you the time you spend meditating.”
“Wait, hold on. The things you’re trying to stuff onto me seem to be growing more and more.” Meng Qingtong interrupted him, rubbing the space between her brows and lowering her head. “No need, no need for you to help me switch. I’ll… find a way to squeeze out the time myself. But I’m always running around outside; I can’t possibly cook every meal for you, right?”
Han Jie knew the deal was nearly closed. Smiling, he replied via divine sense, “No matter. Just cook when you have free time.”
She ruminated for a good while longer with a struggling expression before bargaining again. “Then, consider this a loan from you for now. I’ll use cooking to pay the interest first. When I think of something more valuable later, I’ll do that for you as repayment of the principal. Otherwise… if this bit of small labor is taken as the sole compensation, even with five-star chef skills, I’d have to be your cook for seventy or eighty years. Wouldn’t that mean I’ve sold myself to you?”
“Agreed.” Greatly pleased, Han Jie couldn’t be bothered to ponder the root cause of this inexplicable joy. Leaning back against the soft chair, he consented to the deal.
“Then when do we start?” Meng Qingtong immediately turned her face toward him, her eyes bright enough to glow. “Anyway, there’s nothing to do before we get off. It’s nearly an hour. Shall we just do it directly?”
Truly an impatient one. He couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head. “No. Forcibly opening a soul space requires extreme focus. Moreover, you’ll hurt so much that you’ll show abnormal reactions. How could we possibly do it onboard?”
Meng Qingtong suddenly cut off the divine sense communication, picked up her phone, and began swiping the screen, not knowing what she was searching for.
Han Jie was quite curious. Glancing over, he discovered she was actually canceling her hotel room.
“What, did you find cheaper lodging?” Based on his understanding, this was the most likely reason.
Meng Qingtong shook her head. “Not staying at a budget hotel anymore. I’m looking for a homestay. Spirit Art practitioners get discounts on homestays when handling business—they’re only a little more expensive than hotels. It’s just that no one will reimburse me…”
“Homestay?”
“It’s basically an ordinary family’s vacant house, rented out for short-term stays. I’ll find one with a kitchen,” her expression was serious and focused. “I’ll start paying interest today. Tell me about your tastes. Do you like sweet or savory? Heavy or light flavors? Any dietary restrictions? Anything you don’t like?”
“I’m not sure either,” Han Jie said helplessly. “In the past, I never thought about matters of taste.”
Meng Qingtong glanced at him, her gaze flickering slightly, then broke into a brilliant smile. “Alright, then leave it to me.”
Han Jie didn’t care about the commission in Suiyin. He knew Meng Qingtong was actually going to investigate Lin Sisi’s affairs, taking on a commission to have someone reimburse her travel expenses while making a small profit on the side.
But Meng Qingtong still discussed it with him quite seriously. She felt that with Han Jie’s help, the Encyclopedia’s entries could obviously expand rapidly. Ideally, they would add one entry per commission taken.
“Then what do you think—could this situation be caused by some evil demon?”
Han Jie listened with closed eyes as she used her crisp, sweet, and pleasant voice to report the case summary. Regarding the final question, after patiently thinking for several tens of seconds, he shook his head and said, “More like an ailment of the heart.”
According to the commission’s description, the daughter of a family of four was having problems. Starting from about three or four months ago, she gradually became less lively and cheerful than before. Her diary entries grew increasingly negative, and recently it had become so severe that her family suspected depression and took her to the hospital for examination.
After multiple examinations and several sessions with a psychologist with no improvement, the daughter also began having frequent nightmares. Her mental state visibly deteriorated rapidly. The father, Liu Song, had no choice but to apply for a Spirit Art practitioner commission with the mindset of giving anything a try.
“I also suspect it’s a psychological illness.” Meng Qingtong propped her chin, speaking softly. “Look at this family’s situation. Liu Song is often away on business. His wife is a stay-at-home mother. Their second child is a boy, just over seven months old. In this situation, it’s very normal for the daughter, as the older sister, to feel neglected and overlooked, leading to further depression.”
“But…” Her tone held some hesitation. “Even if she really does have depression, we can’t rule out the possibility of an evil demon causing mischief. You really can’t think of any evil demon capable of something similar?”
He naturally couldn’t think of one off the top of his head, but Han Jie, whose divine sense and sea of consciousness were strong enough, could use an internal search engine to find the answer.
“Don’t you have the digital version of the Complete Canon of Evil Demons?” He prompted, “Look at the entry for Minor Magic Carpet.”
Meng Qingtong flipped through and found it, reading for a moment before looking at him suspiciously. “This is a type of evil demon only discovered during the Great Prosperity era. How did you even think of this?”
Han Jie smiled. “The entire canon is already in my mind. Minor Magic Carpet, page one hundred eighteen, entry four. Object-imitating type, negative influence type, cannot take human form, capable of divine sense communication. It continuously inflicts negative emotions on a selected target, absorbing energy from them, and after reaching a certain level, may transform into the more difficult to deal with Greater Magic Carpet.”
She nodded, admiring. “I thought my memory was already quite good. Truly, there are mountains beyond mountains, and skies beyond skies.”
Han Jie continued, “The Minor Magic Carpet is merely at the level of page one hundred eighteen. If it becomes a Greater Magic Carpet, it becomes a top-ranked evil demon at page ten, entry five. According to the sorting in the canon your people compiled, the first ten pages should all be extremely powerful evil demons, correct?”
Meng Qingtong’s expression gradually grew grave. She looked at the precautions beneath the Minor Magic Carpet entry and was silent for a long time.
Han Jie had never seen this type of evil demon and couldn’t help being somewhat curious. Seeing her serious expression, he couldn’t help comforting her. “No matter. Even if it truly becomes a Greater Magic Carpet, we can handle it. At that time, I’ll restrain it, and you find its true name.”
Meng Qingtong hesitated a moment, then said very seriously, “Han Jie, can I make an agreement with you?”
“What?”
“Our cooperation is me hoping you can help me solve some problems I can’t solve, not helping me solve every problem. If all problems are handed over to you just because you’re strong, then what could I possibly pay to keep my conscience clear? So I think that as long as it won’t harm others, and as long as it won’t put me in a life-or-death crisis, it should be left for me to handle. You’re a max-level big boss; I’m a newbie who needs lots of experience points. You can’t keep stealing my mobs, right?”
Detecting the emotion hidden beneath her deliberately lighthearted and joking tone, Han Jie frowned. “What are you worried about?”
“I’m worried… that because there’s someone I can rely on, I’ll quickly become weak. I’m also worried I’ll become someone I don’t like.” She said frankly, “Just now, when I saw the entry position for the Greater Magic Carpet, my first reaction was actually that it wouldn’t be a big problem for you to deal with. Then wouldn’t that mean if we find a Minor Magic Carpet in the future, we could wait for it to transform before acting, earning two true names at once? That kind of thinking is obviously wrong.”
“Wrong in what way?”
“First, I should seriously think about how I would deal with an opponent like the Greater Magic Carpet if it were up to me, and if I encounter one in the future, respond according to the plan I’ve conceived. Second, we can’t ignore a Minor Magic Carpet just to collect an extra true name. The sooner it’s resolved, the sooner the victim is freed.”
Han Jie asked with closed eyes, “Then what agreement do you want to make with me?”
“Very simple. If I don’t ask, don’t help me act.” Meng Qingtong pondered, then hurriedly added, “Of course, if I’m about to die and can’t even shout for help, you can still lend a hand.”
He was silent for a moment, then asked, “In the end, are you afraid of changing, or afraid of owing me too much?”
“Both. One secret technique and I have to learn to cook and become a housewife. Any more, and I won’t have to do anything else in the future besides being your full-time nanny.”
“Fine, I agree,” he said lightly. “It seems you and I are the same kind of person.”
Meng Qingtong smiled delightedly. “Neither of us likes owing others?”
“We’re both single-minded fools.”
The corners of her mouth drooped. Putting on a stern face, she picked up her phone and flipped through recipes, muttering, “Just wait. Watch me put triple the salt today and pickle you to death.”
“Your other objective? Any leads?” Han Jie changed the subject and asked.
Meng Qingtong nodded and used a chat application with a burn-after-reading function called “Jinghong” to send him a picture—one she had secretly taken, a photo of Lin Sisi and her boyfriend.
“Hm?”
She leaned over, pointing at the building in the picture on Han Jie’s phone screen. “Here, I checked. The background of the photo is the Dongli University of Finance and Economics branch campus. That school was built to divert second-batch admits from the main campus. Sister Lin and her boyfriend should both have been students there.”
“Didn’t she say she got into a university in Dongding City?”
“The main campus is indeed in the central city’s downtown area. The branch campus was built later. Counting back the time, they were most likely among the first batch of students diverted there. The school is in Xinhe District of Suiyin City, easy to find.”
“Then, which side do we handle first?”
Meng Qingtong made the decision without hesitation. “Of course we go to the Liu family first. Little Rabbit’s situation is stable, and nothing will go wrong on Sister Lin’s side for the time being, so we can take our time investigating that. If this Liu family daughter has really encountered a Minor Magic Carpet, who knows when it might super-evolve? We definitely have to resolve it as early as possible.”
Then, she turned her face and said, “Right, the homestay is booked. Put everything else aside. After we get off, open my hole first.”
For the sake of secrecy, she could only speak in such a veiled manner.
As a result, the young couple in the opposite seats clearly misunderstood something, their faces reddening as they leaned together and whispered.
Meng Qingtong froze for a moment before reacting, then immediately drooped her head, covered her face, and muttered, “It’s not what you guys are thinking, hey…”