The Young Girl's Chronicles of Demon-Slaying

Chapter 32: Reinforcements

It was still that same room filled with numerous oddly shaped sculptures of women cradling infants, only now the faint, intermittent sound of a baby’s cry was absent, and the surroundings were utterly quiet. Wang Yiting sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion in front of a low table, his eyes closed, allowing himself to be enveloped by the wispy smoke rising from the black incense stick before him. Only when the last bit of ash fell from the incense stick, the lingering smoke dissipated, and the flame burned out did he slowly open his eyes. He took a deep breath, and the blue smoke that had been swirling around him was swiftly drawn in until not a trace remained. Only then did he exhale with satisfaction. This was the last bit of essence incense he had saved up; combined with some precious herbs, it had allowed him to recover from these severe internal injuries in just seven days. This was arguably the most dangerous incident he had encountered since he began his cultivation journey, and also the one that resulted in the heaviest losses. The priceless antiques still at Song Wencheng’s home—which he couldn’t retrieve for the time being—were a minor issue; lost, they could be recouped. But the most critical loss was the Ghost Infant he had painstakingly nurtured for many years, which had perished in the incident—a loss that could not be measured in monetary terms. Not to mention that he himself had suffered severe injuries; it took the use of his last few sticks of Vital Energy Incense and some precious medicinal herbs to heal his wounds without leaving any lasting effects. Without the Ghost Infant, he could no longer absorb human vital energy for cultivation—it was as if he were a person deprived of food. Over time, the evil god he worshipped would begin to absorb his own vital energy; if not remedied in time, it would truly cost him his life! Having lost the bulk of his fortune and with his very life now threatened—how could he possibly tolerate such a grudge?! He had already made up his mind long before he began recuperating. Now that his injuries had healed, he sprang into action immediately. First, he left the room and went into the one next door. There, he moved the wardrobe aside to reveal a safe embedded in the wall, from which he retrieved a long, rectangular object wrapped in red cloth. Only after carefully concealing the safe again did he place the red-cloth-wrapped object on the table. He untied the rope binding it, and upon opening it, he saw that what was wrapped in the red cloth was, in fact, a seal! The seal was carved from jade, about the size of a palm, and entirely emerald green. At first glance, it appeared dewy, as if water were seeping through it. To use technical terms, this was a piece of “water jade,” “glass-like jade,” or “Imperial Green”—the value of this jade alone was no less than several million, not to mention that it was also an antique. Out in the public eye, many people only knew Wang Yiting as an antique broker. Because of his keen eye—he could tell genuine from fake at a glance—he’d even earned the nickname “Eyes of Heaven and Earth.” But in reality, his true identity was that of a tomb raider. During one tomb-raiding expedition, a chance encounter led him to meet a master, whom he then took as his mentor, learning the art of summoning spirits. Afterward, to focus on his cultivation, he stopped traveling far and wide to loot tombs. Instead, he changed careers and settled into a stable life as an antique dealer—though in reality, the antiques he sold were all items he had unearthed during his previous tomb-raiding days. By selling these antiques at rock-bottom prices, he cultivated relationships with many wealthy individuals. He would then visit their homes as a guest and, while there, leave the ghost infant in their care. Every night at midnight, the ghost infant would appear to feed on the host’s vital energy. Periodically, he would use the opportunity to showcase antiques or admire their collections as a pretext to collect this energy. Typically, this would happen about every half a month, but to avoid arousing suspicion, he would sometimes come a few days earlier or later. This was a method of raising a ghost that he had devised himself. Although the amount of vital energy collected each time was relatively small, the advantage lay in its sustainability and low risk. Once he had drained nearly all the vital energy from a family, he would secretly visit their home and sweep away all the antiques he had previously sold to them at a bargain price. In this way, he not only made a profit for nothing but also gained additional antiques, while relying on the ghost infant to amass ample spiritual energy for his cultivation—truly killing three birds with one stone. As for those whose vital energy had been drained, while they wouldn’t die immediately, they would become extremely haggard, physically weak, absent-minded, and prone to illness—making them highly susceptible to sudden death. It often took a long time of recuperation for them to recover, and if not properly cared for, they might even suffer permanent damage. So far, he had already wreaked havoc on numerous families through this ingenious method. Essentially, every family met a fate of ruin and death—a sight too gruesome to behold. Even those who miraculously survived were left heartbroken and could only eke out a meager existence. Originally, given how events unfolded, the Song family should have inevitably become just another one of these shattered households. But who could have imagined that Song Jianqiu—brought back by Lin Yuqin—would become the key to preventing the entire tragedy from unfolding? Moreover, because the battle took place across a distance and the ghost infant was destroyed, Wang Yiting still cannot be certain who exactly caused him such heavy losses. He had suspected the girl from Song Wencheng’s family, but her age left him perplexed, so he dared not confirm it. But no matter what, he couldn’t let this go. That’s why he took out this jade seal, intending to use it as a bargaining chip to persuade his master to intervene personally—or to purchase a vengeful spirit even more powerful than the ghost infant. This way, he could both exact revenge and use the new entity to replace the ghost infant in his cultivation. Although it pained him deeply, the moment he thought of what he stood to lose, Wang Yiting couldn’t help but grit his teeth. In the end, he placed the jade seal into a small wooden box and took it with him as he left. His destination was quite far away. As soon as he left, he headed straight for the high-speed rail station, spent a few hundred on a ticket, and an hour later arrived in Zhou Shan City—located in the same province as Yashan City but two or three hundred kilometers away. Upon arriving in Zhou Shan City, he wasted no time; he hailed a taxi and headed straight for his destination. Before long, he arrived at the main gate of a villa community called Meiguo Garden. He had been here many times before and knew that outside taxis were not allowed in or out of this gated community, so he got out of the taxi without hesitation, completed the registration process with practiced ease, and walked through the main gate. Just inside the gate lay a wide concrete road lined with numerous flowers, shrubs, and trees—mostly plum trees, naturally, to live up to the name “Meiguo Garden.” Meiguo Garden covered a vast area with a serene and tranquil atmosphere. Row upon row of Western-style villas were scattered throughout the grounds, each standing independently without interfering with the others—visible only from a distance. Without a doubt, anyone who could afford to buy a house here was wealthy. Wang Yiting’s mentor, Liu Yongbo, lived right here. However, although he addressed him as “Master Liu Yongbo,” their relationship was more akin to that of a buyer and a seller; after merely teaching Wang Yiting the basics of spirit cultivation and giving him a statue of the Spirit Mother, the master left him to study and practice on his own. If he encountered any doubts during his practice, wanted to seek advice, or wished to learn more advanced techniques, he had to pay for it. The former was somewhat like hiring a consulting firm—paying for a service—while the latter involved clearly stated prices, making the arrangement seem very pragmatic and straightforward. As far as Wang Yiting knew, his master, Liu Yongbo, had taken on many disciples using this method. It could be said that, thanks to these disciples, the master essentially just had to sit at home and watch a steady stream of money roll into his lap. In addition, this master also sold vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts, as well as various herbs beneficial to the cultivation of those who kept ghosts. He had acquired his ghost infant from this master in exchange for an antique worth over 100,000. Walking deeper along the winding road, groves of plum trees could be seen everywhere on both sides of the road and on the surrounding hillsides; however, since it wasn’t yet the blooming season, there wasn’t much to see. Before long, he found himself standing outside the gate of a villa. He rang the doorbell, and a moment later, a voice asked, “Hello, who are you looking for?” He immediately replied, “I practice the arts to attain immortality; my incantations to banish ghosts never cease!” These words served as a password, revealing his identity and background. The voice asked no further questions, and the gate automatically swung open to the sides. Wang Yiting stepped inside, walked past the flowerbed, and followed the cobblestone path into the house. With just a quick glance around, he spotted Liu Yongbo sitting in the living room. He was a middle-aged man who looked to be around forty, with a short beard, short hair, and a round face. Dressed in a simple white shirt and white pants, he appeared quite affable, yet possessed an indescribable aura that made it easy to tell at a glance that he was a wealthy man. This might just be the so-called “rich person’s aura.” Although he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the title “Master” in his heart, he still had to keep up appearances. Upon seeing Liu Yongbo, Wang Yiting walked over to the sofa. Without sitting down, he first bowed respectfully and called out, “Master!” “Have a seat!” Liu Yongbo said slowly and deliberately. He took a clean ceramic teacup from the tea set, placed it in front of himself, poured himself some tea without waiting for a response, took a sip, and set it down. Only after receiving permission did Wang Yiting dare to sit down. There were two teacups on the coffee table—one belonged to Liu Yongbo, and the other was empty. However, it had been placed there before he arrived, suggesting that someone had visited earlier and shared tea with Liu Yongbo. For a disciple like him, it was clearly unthinkable for a master to pour tea or water for him, let alone drink tea together. Therefore, the person who had been there earlier must have been a friend of Liu Yongbo’s. The thought merely flashed through his mind, and he didn’t dwell on it further. Even ordinary people often have friends over for tea—let alone Liu Yongbo, with his wide circle of acquaintances? So there was really nothing strange about it. After carefully choosing his words, Wang Yiting finally spoke up: “Master, I’ve encountered an enemy, and I’d like to ask you to help me take revenge!” “Mm-hmm,” Liu Yongbo gave a soft nod, saying nothing as he waited for Wang Yiting to continue. Wang Yiting knew what the other man was waiting for. Gritting his teeth and wearing a pained expression, he said, “I’m willing to offer this seal as a token of my respect to you, Master. I hope you’ll personally step in and help me take my revenge!” As he spoke, he took the object he’d been keeping in his pocket, placed it on the coffee table, and untied the cord, revealing a jade seal wrapped in red cloth. Liu Yongbo turned his head to look. When he saw the jade seal, his eyes lit up. He picked it up from the coffee table and held it close to his face, examining it carefully. (End of Chapter)