Chapter 144: Children’s Laughter (23)
Lin Ting hadn’t seen her first child in such a long time.
Ever since she and Jing Shiwen had taken the child to the capital for medical treatment — only for the child to die and be buried on a mountainside there — she often thought of him in a daze.
Even when she had worked herself to exhaustion, fallen ill, and lay dying, the ones she worried about most were still her two children.
Back then, she still held onto some hope, wondering whether after she died, she might have the chance to see the child who had passed away so early.
But perhaps the capital was too far away, or maybe the child had forgotten the way home.
Or maybe… he had already been reincarnated into someone else’s family, becoming someone else’s child.
Lin Ting had never seen him again.
She remained in the now-abandoned Jing Estate, watching the world change, watching people come and go. She listened as familiar mentors, friends, and enemies were spoken of one by one, all gradually becoming mere history in the mouths of others.
Until now.
Lin Ting clutched the child tightly, as if afraid that if she loosened her grip even slightly, he would fly away.
The child’s eyes brimmed with tears, fitting perfectly with the atmosphere.
The only odd thing was… he kept tilting his head back to stare at Yan Shixun, his plump little cheeks puffed red with effort, his tears trembling at the rims of his eyes.
It was as if he stubbornly refused to let them fall, afraid it would make him look scared.
But he wasn’t scared!
Vengeful ghosts weren’t afraid of anything— it was supposed to be others who feared him! *Hic* QAQ.
Yan Shixun, meanwhile, lowered his gaze and watched him with a cold sneer.
Out of Lin Ting’s sight, the two locked eyes, silently engaging in a battle where sparks flew invisibly.
Everyone else, watching this scene, felt utterly dazed and confused.
Zhang Wubing hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Yan Shixun wasn’t reacting much, he chose to stay quiet and not interrupt.
—When hugging a big thigh, first rule: read the room, and keep pace with the thigh.
Zhang Wubing made exaggerated winks and gestures toward Yan Shixun, trying to figure out the relationship between Lin Ting and the ghost child.
After all, everyone had just learned that Chi Yan had been backlashed by the ghost child, dragging all of them into the mess at old Binhai — and that the ghost child had been the mastermind behind it all.
Yet now, in the blink of an eye, the supposedly righteous and absent Lin Ting was… somehow hugging the terrifying big boss?
And from the looks of it, they seemed to have a very unusual bond.
Everyone was thoroughly bewildered.
Only Li Xuetang, who had been emotionally overwhelmed ever since Lin Ting’s sudden appearance, slowly began to realize something. His eyes widened gradually as he stared at the two embracing figures, his lips trembling as if he wanted to speak.
But Yan Shixun acted as if he were blind to everyone’s confusion. His attention remained solely on the child, standing silently to the side.
He left the emotional reunion entirely to the mother and son.
In the quiet study, only Lin Ting’s tearful voice echoed, her questions spilling out one by one.
Had life been kind to you over these years?
Did anyone bully you?
Why didn’t you move on to reincarnation?
And… why didn’t you ever come back to see Mom?
The child’s small body stiffened slightly. Out of Lin Ting’s sight, his once bright and watery eyes instantly turned pitch black, a violent aura bursting forth uncontrollably.
Every vengeful ghost had a taboo — a trigger that must not be touched.
Touch it, and death would follow.
It could be the cause of their death, a deep-rooted obsession from life, or the source of their greatest pain.
Lin Ting’s questions forced the child to relive all his bitter hatred. Even though Chi Yan was already dead, the fury in his heart remained unextinguished.
The soul that had been dragged into the abyss by resentment howled—
Devour it all! Devour the entire world!
This utter despair and helplessness, with no one to turn to, he would make all the living who had helped Chi Yan experience it — struggling and dying in endless, excruciating agony!
Just like he had, for more than a decade, hovering in torment between life and death.
A dense black mist exploded outward from the child’s body, sweeping across the room like a tidal wave. It engulfed the entire study and continued spilling outward, insatiable.
Lin Ting, who was holding him close, immediately sensed something was wrong. She cried out in alarm, reaching out to check what was happening to him.
But strength-wise, even if she set aside their relationship, ever since her death, Lin Ting had remained in Jing Estate — how could she possibly be a match for a ghost child who had devoured nine fetuses?
Among ghosts, power governed everything far more ruthlessly than among the living. The strong devoured the weak; the strongest ruled all.
The bone-chilling ghost aura rapidly spread, even beginning to corrode Lin Ting, attempting to devour her too.
The child’s large eyes were now a lifeless black, negative emotions drowning his mind. In that moment, he forgot that the one embracing him was his long-lost, beloved mother.
He was no longer the Jing family’s child.
He was… a vengeful ghost.
Yan Shixun’s expression turned grim in an instant. Before anyone else could react, he moved. Silently chanting a modified calming incantation under his breath, he charged straight into the heart of the black mist. His slender hand pierced through the fog, reaching over Lin Ting’s shoulder to grab the child’s arm.
The ghost aura immediately surged up Yan Shixun’s arm, invading his meridians and flowing through his body.
Had it been an ordinary person, they would have been screaming in agony by now.
But Yan Shixun was someone with Evil Spirit Bone Transformation; ghostly energy constantly invaded his meridians. What would have been excruciating torture for others was, for him, a continuous form of cultivation — a monk’s ascetic practice.
He didn’t even blink. His hand gripped the child’s arm firmly, while his other hand wrapped around Lin Ting from behind and, with a sudden burst of strength, yanked her out of the black mist. Without so much as a glance, he flung her backward.
Lin Ting felt the world spin wildly around her. She hadn’t even processed what was happening, her face still full of worry, when she realized her child was getting farther and farther away, while she herself was hurtling backward.
She slammed into an invisible, rock-hard barrier.
A freezing hand grabbed her arm, the grip powerful enough to stop her retreat completely.
Lin Ting instinctively looked up and saw the sharp, cold jawline of a man.
Ye Li pressed his lips tightly together, his gaze icy as he stared into the black mist at the little ghost. For a moment, a chilling aura leaked from him, enough to make every spirit and human around shudder.
But he forced all his emotions down. He didn’t move. He just watched Yan Shixun’s back.
He knew Yan Shixun was different — even facing a vengeful spirit on the verge of becoming a ghost deity, Yan Shixun might not necessarily lose. But Ye Li couldn’t help worrying, even feeling a surge of anger at the ghost child’s loss of control, wanting to step in himself, to invoke Fengdu’s True Name and forcibly suppress heaven and earth.
Yet he restrained himself.
From the moment Yan Shixun pushed Lin Ting out, Ye Li understood immediately that Yan Shixun was tossing Lin Ting toward him, asking him to protect her temporarily and cooperate with him.
Because of this trust, Ye Li would not do anything unnecessary.
His exorcist, after a long journey of guardedness, had finally been willing to trust him — even allowing him to become a temporary partner in subduing the ghost child.
How could he bear to betray that trust?
Lin Ting looked up at Ye Li. Though she was confused, she wasn’t afraid. She quickly turned her anxious gaze back toward the black mist, wanting to rush back in.
Her child was still in there!
But Ye Li’s strong grip didn’t allow her to move at all.
Lin Ting spun around urgently, wanting to explain her desperation to this strange man in an old-fashioned long robe — no matter what he wanted or planned, he had to let her go save her child first!
Ye Li lowered his eyes slightly, looking at Lin Ting.
In his deep, narrow eyes, darker than night, it felt as though the entire universe — all the stars and moons — moved according to their own mysterious laws.
Then, inexplicably, Lin Ting heard a voice rise from deep within her soul — telling her that this man could see through her life and death, every deed of good and evil she had ever committed.
It was as if she were standing before a judge, her entire life laid out in thick books on a high desk, awaiting inspection.
Colossal statues loomed around her, the grand hall towering high above. The gods cast down their gaze.
And she was so small, waiting quietly beneath the majesty of heaven and earth for her final judgment.
There was doubt, there was anxiety, but there was no fear or unease.
Lin Ting had never done anything that would make her feel uneasy.
Even if she laid out her entire life, she had helped those persecuted by the old guard escape, entered Beijing University, formed study groups with like-minded individuals to engage in activism, became an editor at Binhai Daily to fight with her pen against corruption, raised her voice alongside Jing Shiwen and other comrades to ring the bell for new ideas, and ran through the streets and prisons to rescue reformists…
Lin Ting asked herself — she had already done everything within her power.
Her conscience was clear.
She had never betrayed her ideals, nor the vow she made as a young girl, crying amid the fields full of the starved and dead.
Yet, in her life, it was only her family that left her burdened with guilt she could never atone for.
She felt that she had failed her half-sister, Lin Qiong, but she also knew that she had no blame to place upon her father.
The era had its own limits and helplessness. Her father had protected his cause and homeland with his very life — he did not deserve to be condemned.
But it was precisely because she saw this so clearly that Lin Ting’s pain deepened all the more, and so she granted almost every request Lin Qiong made, as if by doing so, she could somehow make up for it on her father’s behalf.
However, the Lin Qiong she treated as family had killed the wife and daughters of the man Lin Ting loved with all her soul — Jing Shiwen.
When she finally escaped from pursuit and ambush, bruised and battered but alive, and successfully delivered the report about diplomat Jing Shiwen to the editor’s office at *Binhai Daily*, she knew that the silent work Jing Shiwen had done for so long would finally be known to the world. People would recognize and support his ideals and pursuits, and they, too, would set out on that difficult but righteous path.
Out of fear of Jing Shiwen’s growing influence among the reformists, the old factions would no longer dare to move against him openly, lest they trigger public outrage and retaliation.
Lin Ting had won a brilliant battle for Jing Shiwen, securing a measure of safety for the man she loved so deeply.
Yet when she returned home, hiding the many wounds she had suffered during her escape and filled with joy to share the good news with him, she found the gates of the Jing Estate wide open, and a bloody wind blowing out from within.
The corpses sprawled across the living room had long since lost all breath, and blood had congealed into dark patches across the floor.
The bodies of the two daughters had been temporarily placed on the sofa. Their once lively and youthful faces were now drained, pale and rigid, exuding the terrifying stillness of death.
Jingshi Wanxiu’s hair was disheveled, her long dress dragging on the floor, as she collapsed near her daughters’ bodies, nearly fainting from grief.
And Jing Shiwen — the man Lin Ting loved, always calm and composed — stood silently to the side, head bowed.
Until the day she died, Lin Ting could never forget the expression on Jing Shiwen’s face that day.
It was hollow. Wracked with guilt. Burning with rage.
It was the look of a father who had failed to protect his daughters, overwhelmed by unbearable self-reproach and agony.
His fine upbringing and open-minded ideals kept him from blaming anyone else.
JingShiwen only blamed himself.
Had he been even a little more cautious, would the two children still be alive? Had he come home even a little earlier, might there still have been hope to save them?
The deaths of the two girls dealt a devastating blow to Jingshi Wanxiu, and before long, she fell gravely ill and passed away.
Lin Ting could only watch helplessly as all of this unfolded.
Because of her sister, the man she loved lost his entire family — wife and daughters, all gone.
And from that day on, Lin Qiong vanished without a trace.
Lin Ting asked her friends to inquire after Lin Qiong, and ferry workers told her that Lin Qiong had bought a ticket and boarded a ship in a panic, destination unknown.
Lin Ting never saw Lin Qiong again.
The once lively Jing Estate, filled with laughter and joy, was from then on reduced to just her and Jing Shiwen, sharing their pain in a heavy silence.
Fortunately, neither of them were the kind to trap themselves in sorrow over family or romance. Greater causes awaited them, and millions of common people needed them. As long as the enemies did not stop, neither could they.
Carrying the pain of the dead on their backs, the two of them continued on their path.
After another life-and-death crisis, Lin Ting agreed to Jing Shiwen’s marriage proposal, choosing to be with him.
But she refused to become Madam Jing.
In her heart, she carried an overwhelming guilt toward Jingshi Wanxiu and the two daughters.
When she gave birth to their first child, bathed in sweat, her body wracked with pain and convulsions, Lin Ting opened her misty eyes and looked at the baby placed beside her.
The infant turned his head toward her too, and broke into a gurgling laugh.
In that moment, Lin Ting felt as if she had been forgiven.
Perhaps the arrival of this child would repay her sins.
The child was exceptionally intelligent, opening his eyes, running, jumping, and speaking earlier than any other baby at Maria Hospital. He was mischievous and adorable.
He would cling to Lin Ting’s legs, nuzzling and cooing, calling her the most beautiful flower blooming in all of Binhai.
He would snuggle in Jing Shiwen’s arms, giving him a slobbery kiss, leaving the diplomat’s face covered in drool, then dash away with a patter of tiny feet.
Jing Shiwen, caught between laughter and tears, would greet visiting guests with his face still wet, while they stared at him in stunned surprise — and somehow, the once-serious meetings would soften, leading to unexpected breakthroughs in negotiations.
Everyone who visited the Jing Estate and saw the child marveled at his brilliance, convinced that he would grow up to be the next bearer of the torch, carrying forward the dreams their generation had yet to fulfill.
This was originally also the expectation of Lin Ting and Jing Shiwen for him.
However, this child passed away prematurely.
Despite searching for famous doctors and masters, the child continued to weaken rapidly, with no hope of recovery.
After Lin Ting gave birth to her second son, she immediately stumbled, covered in blood, from the delivery room to the child’s emergency room. However, she could only see the doctor sorrowfully shaking his head.
The child gave her a final smile, wiped away her tears from the corner of her eyes, tugged her finger, and then closed his eyes.
The small body lost its warmth.
The child died in his mother’s arms, a cruelty beyond measure for a mother.
Lin Ting cried until she fainted.
But the situation was harsh, and they could not easily carry a child’s corpse across the land. Moreover, the custom dictated that children who passed away at too young an age did not have the right to be buried and were only wrapped in straw mats and discarded on a mountain.
Lin Ting could not bear to let wild animals in the mountains gnaw at her child’s remains.
So, she personally buried the child on a high mountain in the capital.
—— “Bury me on the high mountain, and look back at my homeland.”①
Because he was so young, the child didn’t even have a formal name. Only the affectionate and hopeful nickname that his parents had once called him.
—— Xiao Bao.
On the tombstone, Jing Xiuwen personally carved the words “Jing’s beloved son.” Yet, the steady hand that had signed important documents countless times trembled, almost unable to hold the chisel.
Lin Ting saw this with her own eyes, and the pain in her heart nearly consumed her.
She deeply loved her husband, revered her peers, and cherished the companions who supported one another. She had originally hoped to make his wishes come true, but little did she know, all of his pain was tied to her.
I have no regrets for my country, but only for my family.
If I have sins… I am willing to offer my neck.
I only wish that my child and loved ones, in the next life, could be safe and joyful.
From Lin Ting’s soul, such a voice echoed resolutely.
The hall of the Fengdu gods, silent and still.
Then, in the next moment, the statues and towering stone pillars disappeared, and all the scenery retreated rapidly, spinning uncontrollably.
Lin Ting only felt dizzy and unsteady, almost falling as she stumbled.
But a strong hand nearby steadied her.
“Lin Ting, courtesy name Ting, a person from the old world, died in the winter of sixty years ago. Her life was full of virtue, revered by the masses, and a shrine was built for her. She dedicated her life to helping people, saving them from danger.”
Ye Li’s voice was deep and calm, and in just a few words, he encapsulated Lin Ting’s entire life.
In Lin Ting’s slowly widening eyes, Ye Li lowered his gaze, meeting hers: “Your life has never been sinful.”
“You belong to the world of humans and the Dao, not to Fengdu.”
“Shixun doesn’t want you to be harmed, so I won’t let you take even half a step forward.”
After a pause, Ye Li, rarely patient with souls, explained to Lin Ting: “The one by your child’s side is the best exorcist in the world. If your child can still be saved, he will bring your child back safely.”
“He is trusted by heaven and earth, and Fengdu recognizes him. So, trust him and don’t worry.”
Ye Li’s voice was deep and magnetic, bringing an indescribable sense of peace, as if the Dao itself was with him and his words were the truth.
Lin Ting was momentarily stunned, and her previous frantic struggles slowly ceased.
She could not help but turn her head to look at the mass of black mist.
The once adorable child had been completely consumed by the black mist, his eyes fierce and his entire body pitch black.
His soft little body had sunk deeply, his ribs clearly visible, the skin tightly adhering to the bones.
His once-adorable face was now peeling away, revealing a hideous skull underneath.
Half-human, half-ghost, a chasm of despair.
Far more sinister and dangerous than any vicious ghost Yan Shixun had ever seen.
The ghostly aura invaded Yan Shixun’s palm, and a sizzling sound of burning skin echoed, black flame patterns spreading along his skin, enveloping his entire arm beneath his suit, the flesh twisting, and blood flowing down.
The old wound on Yan Shixun’s shoulder split open again, causing him excruciating pain, his vision blurring.
But he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to endure, his palm gripping the child’s arm, keeping it close to him, preventing the range of the influence from growing larger.
At the Family Tomb Village, he had arrived too late, allowing Yang Duo to slaughter innocent people. His actions had gone beyond the limits of cause and effect, and should have been repaid with the karma of evil, returning to become the evil cause of Yang Duo himself.
He could not save Yang Duo.
But this child could still be saved!
Although this child had killed, both the master who aided the evil and Chi Yan, who had caused and erred, owed a heavy debt to this child.
Life for life, blood for blood.
Everything this child had done so far was within the bounds of what heaven and earth could accept.
But if this child continued to be consumed by ghostly energy, losing control and harming innocent people, it would cross the line.
No more salvation.
However, for this child, who shared the same Evil Spirit Bone Transformation nature as Yan Shixun, he was the most effective means of restraint. As long as he was present, this child could not be completely taken over by the ghostly energy, nor could it harm others.
So, Yan Shixun would never let this child leave his side.
His gaze was sharp like a blade, his expression firm, and his furrowed brow suppressed the pain.
Blood soaked his suit, blooming into spots of blood on the white shirt.
Anyone could see that Yan Shixun was enduring immense pain.
Zhang Wubing was so anxious he could cry, but knowing he couldn’t help, he was at a loss and didn’t know what to do.
The viewers before the live broadcast didn’t expect such a sudden turn of events, and they were stunned.
[What’s going on? Brother Yan can suddenly see the child, and he almost made this kid go berserk! I swear, when Brother Yan carried this kid upstairs, there were tears in the child’s eyes, he almost cried! But how did the child go mad in the blink of an eye?]
[Holy shit! Brother Yan looks like he’s in so much pain, did the kid bite his hand?]
[No, look at the kid, the appearance is terrifying! It’s like a completely different person from the one who was playing with the ball and laughing earlier! Has it been possessed by a ghost?]
[Ahhh! Brother Yan got injured! Brother Yan used to wear black shirts, so it wasn’t obvious. But today, he’s wearing a white shirt! You can see the blood all over it!!!]
[Shocked, so much blood! Brother Yan can still endure it, I really admire him, a true man with iron bones!]
[Holy shit, what the hell is this kid? Is this the little ghost that Chi Yan raised? What kind of kid can perform to this extent? Even the best actor in the world would be impressed!]
[If this is the script, I’ll wash my feet upside down! It has to be real!]
Although the others in the room didn’t know why this sudden change happened, they could clearly see that Yan Shixun’s state was different from usual.
No longer the calm composure, but rather a desperate grit.
Even Yan Shixun had bloodstains on his body, showing clear signs of severe injury, and the situation was not looking good.
Zhang Wubing, while praying wildly in his heart, spoke with a choked voice to Lu Xingxing, “Brother Yan’s old injury from Family Tomb Village hasn’t healed, you need to help him! Brother Yan looks bad, what if, what if he loses? What if he’s in danger?”
But Lu Xingxing stood firm, protecting everyone from the program team. Even though his expression was filled with turmoil, he stood still, blocking everyone in front of him.
“No,” Lu Xingxing shook his head, but even in denial, his voice trembled with restraint, “Brother Yan told me just now that I need to protect everyone. The little ghost doesn’t know how crazy it is. If I leave, there will be no one to protect you.”
Lu Xingxing choked, his throat tight with emotion.
He wanted nothing more than to rush forward, rip the damn little ghost’s head off, and kick it like a ball. He even regretted not listening to Yan Shixun and not exorcising the ghost right away.
If he had exorcised the ghost as soon as he entered Jing Estate or when he was at Jing Bin’s former residence, perhaps Yan Shixun wouldn’t have been in this kind of danger.
But even as Lu Xingxing struggled with his emotions, looking like he wanted to run, he still stood in front of everyone, guarding against any unexpected harm.
Ye Li slightly turned his gaze, his peripheral vision landing on Lu Xingxing.
It seemed like he could hear what was in Lu Xingxing’s heart.
Zhang Wubing was cursing himself now, wondering why he hadn’t learned any talismans or asked the masters who helped him before to teach him a few spells. If he had, he wouldn’t be standing on the side, anxious and helpless, not knowing what to do.
But Yan Shixun was too drained to spare any attention to others now.
He gritted his teeth, pulling the already delirious little ghost into his arms, his arms tightly trapping it against his chest, allowing the blood dripping from his shoulders and arms to soak into the ghost’s shriveled little body.
Even though both had Evil Spirit Bone Transformation, there was a distinction between strong and weak.
Although this little ghost had gained so much power from Chi Yan after death, only Yan Shixun, the Evil Spirit Bone Transformation who was acknowledged by heaven and earth, was the one who survived.
Thus, Yan Shixun’s flesh and blood were the best restraining force for the little ghost.
The evil ghost struggled, biting into the flesh, trying to escape.
But Yan Shixun coldly smirked and pressed it against his shoulder.
“Little kids shouldn’t do such dangerous things. Naughty children get spanked by their dads. Little ghost, when you wake up…”
At that moment, a cold hand gently fell on Yan Shixun’s shoulder.
Yan Shixun froze, slightly tilting his head upward.
Just as Yan Shixun’s eyes met Ye Li’s gaze directly.
Yan Shixun furrowed his brows, instinctively wanting to push Ye Li away. However, it seemed Ye Li had already figured out his usual style, knowing exactly what he intended to do. As a result, Ye Li raised his other hand and gently pressed it against Yan Shixun’s lips.
“Shixun, I’ve told you from the very beginning, I am by your side, and the heavens, the great dao, and the spirits are all with you.”
Ye Li’s voice was a bit hoarse, as if he was struggling to suppress his anger.
But his cool breath brushed against Yan Shixun’s ear, and his deep, magnetic voice sent a shiver down his spine.
Yan Shixun instinctively shivered, feeling a prickling sensation along his spine. But both his arms were occupied holding the frantically struggling ghost child, so he couldn’t free a hand or muster the strength to do anything else. He could only watch helplessly as Ye Li did inexplicable things.
He could only bite down on Ye Li’s palm with his teeth.
He bit so hard that a small amount of blood began to seep out.
Yan Shixun looked up at Ye Li, his eyes filled with anger and a silent warning, urging him to back off immediately before things got worse.
But Ye Li, however, was completely distracted, his attention locked on the soft, warm lips beneath his hand.
He paused, then sighed, a wry, indulgent smile spreading across his face.
In an instant, his cold demeanor melted like ice cracking under the spring sun, and warmth radiated from his expression.
“Shixun…”
“Call my name, and I will become your strength.”
“You don’t have to bear all the burden alone. If it’s you, I’m willing to temporarily carry the weight of this great path.”
As Ye Li’s voice fell, the entire world suddenly shook violently.
Everyone in the room gasped in surprise, instinctively clutching nearby furniture, thinking there was an earthquake.
The Heavens and Earth lowered their gaze, focusing on Ye Li and the child in his arms.
Words spoken were promises made.
Especially for someone like Ye Li, whose words held such power, they were laws unto themselves.
In that moment, people from all corners of the world felt a strange sensation and instinctively looked up at the night sky.
They didn’t know what had happened, nor whether it was good or bad.
But they understood clearly—
The way of Heaven and Earth had changed.
The change happened in an instant, and then everything returned to normal.
Ye Li bent down and fully enveloped Yan Shixun in his embrace, his broad and firm shoulders and chest like an unshakable barrier, shielding Yan Shixun and the child in his arms from all storms.
Though Ye Li’s every movement exuded the strength conveyed through his perfect muscular build, silently proclaiming his power and his ability to intimidate evil spirits, his actions toward Yan Shixun were gentle, as light as a feather.
Yan Shixun furrowed his brow, feeling something was off.
But only then, despite his arms being occupied by the ghost child, did he realize—he couldn’t shake off Ye Li’s embrace even with his shoulder crashing into it. He suddenly became aware—Ye Li was far stronger than he had imagined.
Yan Shixun gritted his teeth, feeling the skin on Ye Li’s palm burn between his teeth, blood trickling out and staining his lips.
Ye Li chuckled, his gaze shifting over Yan Shixun’s shoulder to look at the ghost child in his arms. His eyes were filled with a cold and furious superiority.
It was as though he was saying—
You’ve hurt my exorcist.
The laws among demons were always purer than those among humans.
—The strongest becomes the king.
The ghost child felt Ye Li’s intimidation and shrank back in fear, no longer struggling, settling down in Yan Shixun’s arms.
This surprised Yan Shixun, who hadn’t seen the look in Ye Li’s eyes and didn’t understand why the troublesome child had suddenly stopped moving.
Ye Li slowly removed the hand that had been resting on Yan Shixun’s shoulder. His long fingers gently touched the top of the ghost child’s head, covering it completely with his palm.
“Now that the grudge is settled, it’s time for you to wake up.”
Ye Li lowered his gaze, his cold eyes devoid of any emotion. “The things that bound you were always illusions.”
At that moment, it was as if someone had pressed the pause button.
The entire Jing Estate seemed to freeze in the air.
The ghosts hiding in the shadows shuddered and silently screamed, turning into mist as they vanished.
The black mist surrounding Yan Shixun and the ghost child slowly dissipated.
The terrifying figure of the ghost child gradually transformed back into its original form.
Its dark skin filled out with flesh and muscles, its face reshaping as the flesh grew back.
When the black mist finally disappeared, the child in Yan Shixun’s arms had returned to the small child in a little suit with suspenders.
He lay limply in Yan Shixun’s arms, still dazed, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
It was as if all the terrifying scenes before had been nothing but an illusion.
In truth, if it weren’t for Yan Shixun using his own blood and flesh—cursed with the same Evil Spirit Bone Transformation—to suppress the ghost child’s madness, and if Ye Li hadn’t drained the child’s power, this situation wouldn’t have ended so smoothly.
But from behind, Lin Ting’s voice, filled with worry and concern, called out.
“Xiao Bao!”
The child stiffened immediately.
Yan Shixun sneered, slowly releasing the child. He raised his hand to swipe Ye Li’s palm away from his lips, glaring at Ye Li. Then, he touched his own shoulder, checking his injury.
“Little brat, do you even remember what you did just now?”
Yan Shixun’s expression was icy and calm. “You almost killed your mother, and everyone staying in the Jing Estate and the concession zone would have turned into innocent souls.”
“If you had gone that far… no one could have saved you.”
His voice was soft but clear in the air. “You would never see your mother again, and even worse, she would hate you for what you did.”
“Your mother, Lin Ting, has saved countless lives, and yet you recklessly slaughter. What do you think your mother would think of you?”
The child bit his lip, not even having the chance to speak before his eyes welled up with tears, his big eyes filled with regret.
Clearly, Yan Shixun had made him realize how wrong his actions were, and the consequences were something the child couldn’t bear.
Yan Shixun felt a sticky sensation on his shoulder and knew that the stitches from his old wound had completely torn open.
Tsk—he’d need to go to the hospital to get them restitched again.
Without showing much expression, he furrowed his brows, lowering his blood-stained hand and slowly standing up.
“Well then, put your guilt or whatever feelings you’re having aside for now.”
Yan Shixun’s long fingers brushed across the child’s cheek, leaving a trail of blood behind.
He looked down at the child with a faint smile, his lips curling into a malicious grin. “Now, I’m going to tell your mother on you, and she’s definitely going to ask what just happened. And I’m not going to hide it from her.”
“So—”
Yan Shixun tilted his head back and sneered. “You better think about how to explain this to your mother.”
The child: !!!
“At least, I think you’re going to get a good beating,” Yan Shixun added, his voice cold.
The child immediately hung his head, teary-eyed, clutching Yan Shixun’s suit pants, seemingly trying to plead for mercy.
But no matter what, that arrogant and malicious attitude he once had was nowhere to be found.
—His heart was guilty QAQ.
Furthermore…
The child secretly raised his eyes, glancing at Yan Shixun’s handsome face.
He could feel it—Yan Shixun was different from other people. He wasn’t here to kill him.
He was here to… help him.
Just like the warmth and reliability he had once felt in his father’s embrace.
The child also saw the large bloodstains on Yan Shixun’s shoulder and bit his lip in guilt.
He raised his small hand, gently touching the bloodstain on Yan Shixun’s face, as if he wanted to apologize.
But at that moment, Yan Shixun called out loudly, “Mr. Lin Ting—”
The child: !!! Wuwu,
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