The fiend that opened the door for them was not some mutated breed of a new era. Han Jie recognized it at a glance—a little thing commonly called a Dodder Ghost.
However, the little ghosts he had casually annihilated in the past were merely waste clinging to men and women in their prime, relying on illusions to extract meager essence and qi.
The one before him, though, was clearly far stronger than anything he had encountered before. Setting other things aside, at the very least, its human disguise was nigh flawless. If not for his Heart Swords, Weeping Blood and Night Grief, reacting simultaneously, even he—whose spiritual sense was currently at the lowest point of his life—might have been deceived for a moment.
He recognized the fiend, and the fiend sensed him.
Bearing nine Heart Sword manifestations, one who shattered the firmament and crossed realms to slay Demon Emperors. Even after eighteen hundred years, the baleful aura that seeped out when his killing intent stirred slightly was enough to send any not-so-powerful fiend scrambling to flee.
Thus, almost instinctively, the little creature covered its head with both hands, let out a whimper, and squatted down inside the door, curling into a ball.
Han Jie had to admit that during the long years he had spent in seclusion repairing his body, the fiends had instead kept pace with the times, relying on their close connection with humans.
The disguised appearance of this Dodder Ghost was that of a cute five- or six-year-old girl—small and thin, fair and clean, with slightly yellowish fine long hair tied into two little horn braids on either side. Even the details on the hair ties were… Hmm? He frowned and looked closely, only then noticing that aside from its main body being condensed from spiritual energy, the rest of the clothes and accessories, including the large slippers on its feet, were all physical objects.
When he frowned, the little ghost peeked through its fingers and saw it. Its small face went deathly pale from fright, tears swirling in its eyes, yet it was too terrified to let them fall.
Meng Qingtong quickly squeezed in between the two of them, crouched down, and patted the little ghost's head. "Don't be scared, don't be scared. This brother isn't a bad person; he won't hit you. Why were you the one to open the door, Xiaotu? Where's Mom?"
Mom? Han Jie was greatly puzzled.
Just moments ago, you were trying to convince me that these fiends are born from the human heart. Now you're acting out a scene of a Dodder Ghost looking for its mother? This little ghost can't even transform into an adult form, and its true body's shape isn't far off from a dodder vine. Could it even distinguish between male and female to give birth to a child?
The little ghost inched between Meng Qingtong's knees before speaking softly in the security of being completely shielded by the big sister: "Mom is cooking. She said… Sister was coming to deliver something. Very important… something. She wanted Sister to eat yummy food."
Meng Qingtong hugged it and stroked its head, then grabbed the two little braids and gave them a few gentle tugs. "There, there. I told you not to be scared, Xiaotu. This big brother is like your sister—a good person. He won't hit you without reason."
Han Jie took half a step back with a heart full of doubt, but his right arm was already tensed, ready to summon a Heart Sword at any moment to reduce the fiend before him to ashes.
The little ghost fearfully raised its head and said softly to Meng Qingtong, "Sister… Mom's… um… that thing… was it found?"
Meng Qingtong smiled proudly and pulled out the photo, already fitted into its frame stand. "Here, take it. For your sister here, a little commission like this isn't difficult at all."
Ha. And who was it that ran deep into the mountains to set traps, arrange a spirit formation, had to jump off a cliff, and hid in tree branches until they were disheveled and covered in dirt? The corner of Han Jie's mouth twitched. He watched the scene of her chatting and laughing with the fiend, lost in thought.
"Then… I'll take it… to Mom." A joyful smile bloomed on the little ghost's pale face. It shuffled inward in slippers at least a size too large for its little feet, pattering along, and called out, "Mommy, Mommy! Daddy's photo is back!"
What? There's a father too?
Han Jie raised a hand to rub his brow.
He was certain that the two figures reproduced in that so-called photograph had stable forms and were most likely very ordinary young humans. Just what had this era's so-called scientific technology developed into? How could two ordinary people give birth to a little fiend?
"Don't let your imagination run wild. Fiends aren't born from humans… Er, anyway, not in the way you're thinking." Meng Qingtong got up and walked inside, acting as familiar as could be. She took a pair of slippers from beside the door and changed into them. "Ah, Sister Lin doesn't usually have guests here. There's no pair for you, so just come in as you are."
Han Jie formed a seal with one hand and waved. Two gusts of spiritual wind swept across the soles of his feet, carrying away all dust, and only then did he step inside. At the same time, he felt slightly relieved—it seemed his spiritual arts had not been restricted to the point where he had to struggle like the cultivators of this world.
Noticing his small gesture, Meng Qingtong raised her brows slightly in surprise, but immediately entered the living room as if nothing had happened. She called out loudly, "Sister Lin, how is it? Is it the right one?"
The sound of a gas stove being turned off came from the kitchen, followed by a thin, small woman walking out.
She didn't possess even a trace of spiritual power; she was completely ordinary. Han Jie sensed her and found that she was only in her thirties, yet she looked haggard, feeble, and aged. Saying she was of the same generation as Meng Qingtong's mother wouldn't have been strange.
From her brows and eyes, she should be the woman in the photograph. But compared to the photo, not only had her countenance lost its former gentleness and beauty, even the light in her eyes had completely dimmed. It was as if all the youth and beauty had been burned up inside that photograph, leaving behind only a handful of ash wrapped in skin for the cruel, cold reality.
She hugged the photo tightly to her chest with both hands, as though clutching the soul she wished could escape.
Tears flowed freely, choking her so that she couldn't speak a complete sentence. All that could be heard was a hoarse "thank you."
Meng Qingtong pulled her to the sofa to sit down, embraced her, and gently patted her shoulder. She spoke softly, "There, there. I told you I'd definitely get it back for you. Next time some blind thief rabbit steals this, I'll provide after-sales service and grind its bones to dust for free."
Han Jie did not approach. He continued to watch the Dodder Ghost vigilantly.
The little ghost, however, didn't dare look at him. It only crouched beside the weeping Ms. Lin, hugging her leg, resting its small face on her knee, and murmuring softly, "Mommy, don't cry, don't cry…"
He could sense that it would still take a while for the pent-up emotions to fully release, so Han Jie averted his gaze to look at a potted green plant resting on the living room's bay window sill.
The plant itself was nothing unusual—just a small bush commonly seen on the streets.
However, clinging to this potted plant was a thin little vine. Spiritual energy flowed along the vine strands, dissipating from the tiny yellow flower blooming at its tip into the room.
The more Han Jie looked, the more surprised he became. He couldn't help walking a few steps closer.
The Dodder Ghost crouching beside Ms. Lin was startled and quickly tugged at Meng Qingtong's pant leg, pointing at Han Jie by the bay window with a miserable expression.
Han Jie glanced at it, too lazy to speak. He reached out and touched a leaf of the little vine.
To his slight surprise, the Dodder Ghost's true body was actually placed so brazenly in such a conspicuous spot.
What surprised him even more was that this Dodder Ghost was toiling tirelessly to mobilize the thin spiritual energy between heaven and earth, transporting it thread by thread and strand by strand into the home, transforming it into spiritual energy that was of a tiny bit of benefit to ordinary people.
The little ghost shuddered and mustered its courage to look at him. It whispered, "Bro-Brother, that… that one… is very delicate. Can you… not touch it?"
Han Jie withdrew his hand and released a wisp of divine sense, sending it through the still-sobbing Ms. Lin's body to circle around a few times for a brief inspection.
Her body was indeed extremely frail, but her soul, spirit, and essence showed no signs of being stolen from. Instead, she was suffering from the dual torment of illness and heartbreak.
Looking at it this way… this little ghost was actually helping her extend her life and sustain her vitality?
After waiting a few minutes, Ms. Lin's emotions calmed down. Following Meng Qingtong's introduction and a brief exchange of pleasantries with Han Jie, she returned to the kitchen to cook. The little ghost didn't dare stay in the living room either, so it pattered along to help.
With no one else around, Han Jie finally asked, "What's going on?"
Meng Qingtong spread her hands. "As you can see. With your vast abilities, old-timer, surely you can tell what's happening?"
Han Jie frowned. "What is seen is only the surface. I can sense that within that woman's heart, there are still areas bewitched by the little ghost. Based on that alone, it could be executed."
Then, recalling Meng Qingtong's lofty goals, he added, "The Dodder Ghost only possesses illusory techniques. Subduing it is as easy as turning over a palm. If you want to gather intelligence, I'll help you."
Meng Qingtong shook her head. "Xiaotu already helped me with that long ago. This kind of fiend's true name is Tu Ba. Do you want to see her origin?"
She extended her slender index finger, and a speck of fluorescent light slowly glowed at its tip. "I suppose this should be a kind of fiend you've never seen before."
Han Jie had certainly seen Dodder Ghosts before, and killed who-knew-how-many in passing. However, he understood Meng Qingtong's meaning.
She was right.
Han Jie had never seen a fiend like this.
Or rather, in all his past life, he had never, as he did at this moment, left a fiend merely a wall away to its own devices while standing here chatting. He was simply certain that the little ghost would not do anything harmful to the "Mommy" it spoke of.
He took a deep breath, steadied his mind, waved, and drew that tiny ball of fluorescent light into the center of his brow.
Compared to Xue Dun, the fragments given by Tu Ba were much fewer, but the information contained within was clearer and easier to understand. Even someone as unworldly as Han Jie could sense the intense longing and obsession for offspring from those flashing scenes.
He carefully sorted through those remaining memory fragments a few times and found something puzzling. He asked, "Why can't I see anyone else in these?"
Meng Qingtong said softly, "I think it's probably because Xiaotu's origin is only one person—Sister Lin."
"So that's why it calls that woman Mom?" Han Jie's brow furrowed even tighter. "Can a single person's state of mind give birth to a fiend…"
"This is the main reason I'm willing to put in some effort to help Sister Lin." She brought up the draft interface of the Demon Encyclopedia. "If the birth of a fiend is greatly influenced by the source person's heart, then I think, in the future, everyone will have far more than one path to resolving trouble."
"Don't you find it troublesome?" Han Jie glanced at the densely packed speculative annotations under the Tu Ba entry and said slowly, "This is clearly a small matter that can be resolved with a wave of the hand."
Meng Qingtong raised her head and said very seriously, "There has never been anything small about the human heart."
In this instant, Han Jie suddenly felt an impulse. If he were to teach the ultimate art of the Three Stars Hanging Moon Mountain, the Heart-Sword Inheritance, to the girl before him, what kind of Heart Sword would she temper?
Before long, Xiaotu came out of the kitchen. It spread its arms, grabbed the folding dining table leaning against the wall, and strenuously dragged it toward the empty space in the center.
Meng Qingtong prodded Han Jie with a fingertip. "Hey, go help out. Look, the little girl isn't even as tall as the table legs."
Han Jie was startled. He walked over, lifted the table with one hand, moved it to place, observed how to unfold it, bent down, and set it up.
He had been a guest in homes before, but the families hosting him had all revered him as an immortal master who relieved the suffering of the people; they couldn't wait to place him on an altar to offer a few sticks of incense. How could they possibly let him personally set up a table?
After setting the table down, he realized Xiaotu was still holding the same pose with arms spread from before he took the table away—stiff all over, not daring to move an inch, just standing there blinking its eyes at him. Its fair, clean forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.
He hesitated for a moment and softened his tone as much as possible. "There is no need to fear me so. At least, not right now."
Although he said this, in his heart he still couldn't treat the little ghost as a little girl the way Meng Qingtong did. Until he returned to stand by the bay window, his right arm remained in a state where he could draw his sword at any moment.
Never giving a fiend the slightest opportunity to take advantage had long since become his habit.
"Xiaotu, go help Mom bring out the dishes."
"Okay!" Hearing Meng Qingtong's words, the little ghost ran into the kitchen as though it had been saved, tottering along.
Although he hadn't been back in this world for long, Han Jie's eyesight was still keen. Just by comparing with the other families he had seen today, he could tell that this unusual mother and daughter lived a very frugal life. For example, the T-shirt and pants on the little ghost were not only much more worn-out than those of the other children playing in the courtyard but also had patches and mends that were no longer commonly seen in this day and age.
"A loving mother's hand holds the thread…" As he looked at the fine stitches, some ancient memories welled up in his heart, causing Han Jie's mind to finally, truly soften a little.
Walking to Han Jie's side, Meng Qingtong whispered, "Aren't you curious? The reason Xiaotu is so different from other fiends."
"Curiosity always brings trouble," Han Jie replied indifferently. "I don't like trouble."
"Isn't solving trouble exactly the responsibility of us Spirit Masters?"
"I'm only good at using the least troublesome way to do things." His words paused for a moment, then he continued, "But I admit, for this Dodder Ghost, a slightly more troublesome way is better."
Meng Qingtong laughed. Her rouge-red lips outlined a cute curve in the sunlight, as if she were genuinely happy because of those words. She patted Han Jie's shoulder. "Lunch is Sister Lin's treat. Tonight, I'll take you out for a big meal."
Watching the home-style dishes that Xiaotu brought out one plate at a time, a faint smile also appeared on Han Jie's face. "No need to go to such expense. This is very good. Very good indeed."
"Then come on, let's eat. My stomach's been rumbling for ages." Seeing Sister Lin come out of the kitchen, Meng Qingtong walked toward the dining table, but after just two steps, she stopped again.
Han Jie had already sensed it. He frowned. "It's coming for you?"
She nodded, somewhat vexed. "It's the fiend that entangled me back when I first discovered my abilities. It touched my aura, so even if I activate a spirit formation and seal myself up, it'll still be attracted. I thought it would need some time to recover from its injuries. Seems… it recovered quite quickly."
"What is it?"
"Its true name is Jing Bei. It's usually called the Twin-Headed Flying Leopard. In the Academy's Demon Compendium, that fellow's name is the Kin-Slayer. I had a commission to deal with it before. After entangling with it for a long time, I suddenly discovered the concept of true names… Ugh, I won't go on. How annoying, can't even eat a meal in peace." Meng Qingtong tied her hair tight. "It's on page thirteen of the Compendium. It's far more troublesome than the thieving rabbit on page one hundred twenty-six. You guys eat first. I estimate it'll take me a while before I return."
Han Jie looked at the dining table.
He didn't know how long it had been since he had eaten a "normal" meal like this.
"I'll go." He walked toward the door and said indifferently, "When food gets cold, it doesn't taste good."