Chapter 222

Chapter 222: A Glimpse of the Wind

Ji Huan lifted his gaze to meet Ajin's.

Ajin's expression at that moment was peculiar. There was no surprise, no anger – his face was devoid of any emotion as he fixated on the drawing in the little monster's hand.

Due to its tiny claws gripping the sketchbook, the little monster's hands had become grubby.

After a moment of silence, Ajin suddenly looked up at Ji Huan, only for his gaze to return swiftly to Hei Dan.

"Hei Dan, did you see what the monster looked like?"

Then—

Hei Dan raised his head, his eye sockets without whites wide with fear as he stared back at him.

Many children would be so frightened that they forget crucial details. Ji Huan watched Hei Dan anxiously, afraid that he too might forget under the intensity of his gaze…

The little monster slowly nodded its head.

With a firm grip on the paintbrush, he began to draw meticulously.

This was the most challenging part of the painting, one that even adults found difficult to execute flawlessly. Ji Huan held his breath in anticipation. And then—

Hei Dan first drew a large circle on the paper, before lifting his head to look at Jiujiu.

"Hei Dan, have you forgotten how to paint?"

Hei Dan shook his head. After a moment, his small shoulders trembled, and his big eyes welled up. He whispered to Jiujiu, "Egg has finished drawing."

"That ghost looks exactly like this!" Under the dim yellow light, the little monster lifted its head and spoke in a tender voice.

Gazing into the little monster's large, dark eyes, Ji Huan could almost envision the fear trembling within them from just a few hours ago, when it had been alone, bravely "hunting ghosts" in the room.

The little monster lifted its head, and then it saw...

A face without any features?

In the originally empty room, upon encountering this newly appeared monster, a creature devoid of any facial features...

No wonder Hei Dan was so terrified!

"You did well," Ajin suddenly said, patting Hei Dan's head as the pair of cousins stared at each other wide-eyed. His grip was a bit too firm, and the young monster's perfectly combed hair was instantly mussed.

Hei Dan hastily dropped his paintbrush, reaching up with his tiny paws to stop Jiuma from messing up his hair. But when he touched the large monster's finger, his little claws instinctively latched on, and he froze.

The intruder either truly lacked features or had concealed them somehow. In any case, identifying their appearance seemed futile now.

The fact that they could slip into the mansion undetected, leaving no trace on the magic foundation or security system, indicated an immense level of skill.

"After all these years, he must have made further gains while I was away. His power should surpass mine now," Ajin frankly told Ji Huan.

For monsters, the pursuit of greater strength was an unchanging goal. Yet, acknowledging one's weaknesses and accepting that the other party might be stronger was not a disgrace.

"However…" Ajin took both of Hei Dan's small paws in his hands, using the leverage to lift the youngster entirely out of the covers.

Half-naked in nothing but tattered underpants, the little monster initially startled. But soon, he realized it was just Jiuma playing with him. Swinging his dainty legs in mid-air, he discovered the fun, and began swinging back and forth like a pendulum in Ajin's grasp.

Indeed, Hei Dan had been greatly frightened that night. Yet, surrounded by the comforting aura of his home and guardians, his fear gradually dissipated.

Peering at his tiny feet, Hei Dan let out a giggling sound, "Whoosh, whoosh."

Ajin's expression softened as he watched the delighted little monster playing between his hands. Calmly, he said, "Although the opponent is powerful enough to evade all defenses, they didn't escape our Black Egg's grasp."

Ji Huan watched quietly as the two monsters played until Hei Dan grew tired and reached up to grab Ajin's hand, asking to be put down. Ajin then gently placed him back into the blankets. The little monster rolled over, landing in Jiujiu's embrace, and let out an exhausted sigh with his belly exposed.

Ajin ruffled his head again, then nodded at Ji Huan after a moment. He got out of bed and went to the living room to make a phone call.

Hei Dan propped his tiny legs up on Jiujiu's thighs, lying where Ajin had just been seated, closing his eyes for a long rest. Suddenly, he sat up with a start.

He looked at his drawing again. Honestly, he had been very scared while painting, but after playing with the adults for so long, he was no longer afraid at all.

However, the memory from earlier reminded him that there was something he hadn't given to Jiujiu yet.

So, Hei Dan softly called out Gua Gua's name, and Gua Gua quickly rolled out from under the bed. Lying on the bed, he stuck out his bottom while stretching out his little claws towards Gua Gua, who promptly spat out a green leaf onto his palm.

Grasping the green leaf, Hei Dan happily turned to Jiujiu.

"Jiujiu, look!"

"What a beautiful leaf!" Holding the leaf, Hei Dan happily showed it to Jiujiu, thrilled about the find from last night.

"It is indeed beautiful." Taking the leaf, Ji Huan examined it attentively.

He never took Hei Dan for granted. No matter what Hei Dan presented to him, he would look at it seriously and listen carefully to the boy's descriptions, even if it was just trash picked up from a garbage pile.

Due to this, Hei Dan was willing to share everything with Jiujiu, and as a result, there were no secrets between Hei Dan and Ji Huan – Ji Huan knew everything about Hei Dan.

Ji Huan was aware of Hei Dan's habit of collecting leaves, and he even knew where each one had been found.

This one was no exception.

Hei Dan promptly began recounting how he'd come across the leaf.

"I found it on the corridor in the courtyard! Right by the entrance, the leaf was just lying there, waiting for Dan Dan~"

Wanting to ensure his description was precise, Hei Dan added, "Before I caught that ghost!"

Lying on Jiujiu's lap, Hei Dan swung his little legs happily while gazing at the leaf in Jiujiu's hand. Now, when he mentioned the "ghost," he no longer felt scared.

"How lovely~ I wonder which tree this leaf fell from. If only there were more, I'd give them to Gray~" Hei Dan mused aloud, and Ji Huan nodded in agreement with his words.

"Yes, I wonder from which tree did this leaf originate..."

Suddenly, Ji Huan froze.

Right! From which tree did it come?

He knew every place that Hei Dan would go. Be it Ye Falar's house, the garbage heap where Hei Dan often played, or even the courtyard where he would entertain children tonight...

Ji Huan was intimately familiar with every nook and cranny of these places, the plants and magical creatures that inhabited them...

Although Ajin purchased the land and had someone build the residence, Ji Huan knew the details of the courtyard better than anyone else.

After carefully recollecting all the plant species within the courtyard, Ji Huan was startled to realize that none of their leaves resembled this one.

Recalling Hei Dan's mention that the leaf was found in the corridor, followed by the capture of the "ghost," Ji Huan held the leaf and a thought struck him: This leaf...

Could it have been brought in by that mysterious intruding magical creature?

The likelihood of this was very high.

The servants in the courtyard had undergone rigorous training. These Ye Falar monsters were highly professional and had swiftly mastered the skills to become excellent servants. They would have been lurking in the yard, ensuring that the corridors were spotless. If any leaves drifted onto the corridors, they would have been promptly removed. The only reason this leaf remained was that it must have fallen after Hei Dan "caught" all the servants.

Moreover, such a plant didn't exist in the courtyard. There was an eighty percent chance that this leaf had been brought in by one of the guests. During that period, Hei Dan had already "caught" all the monsters in the yard. The only one still wandering around was the "unexpected visitor" - the Faceless Demon!

This leaf was a crucial clue!

Fixing his gaze on the leaf, Ji Huan's expression turned quite serious. Almost as soon as Ajin pushed the door open, he handed the leaf to Ajin.

"You're right. There's an eighty percent chance that this leaf was brought in by 'that guest'."

Ajin examined the leaf carefully. With his extensive knowledge and experience, he recognized the type of tree from which it had come.

"It's a leaf from a tree called Yuria, but not exactly the same. It could be a variant or hybrid. As far as I know, this species of tree typically thrives in colder regions. Yumac City wouldn't be its natural habitat."

After taking two photos of the leaf with his phone, Ajin immediately called Laura. He sent her the pictures and instructed her to carefully scrutinize the guest list, circle those who came from colder areas, and investigate if they had this kind of tree growing in their homes.

Even with Laura's efficiency, the process still took a whole day.

By the evening of the following day, while Ajin was accompanying Hei Dan to water the flowers in the yard, Laura called.

After ending the call, Ajin turned to Ji Huan, who was seated on the veranda, watching them play. He suddenly smiled. "It seems that leaf was definitely brought in by 'that guest'."

Laura had just reported the findings: among all the guests, only one owned property in a cold region, and there were no trees similar to Julia's in that area.

That left the Faceless Demon as the sole suspect for bringing in the leaf.

With the tree species narrowing down the possibilities, they would soon be able to determine which direction the guest had come from.

Putting his phone away, Ajin resumed playing with Hei Dan.

Ji Huan, on the other hand, remained seated on the veranda, observing the clothes in the yard being blown in a particular direction by the wind.

"There's a breeze," Ji Huan mused quietly.