Chapter 13

Chapter 13

◎Caught◎

The intense pain in his neck caused Meng Hongwei to roll to the ground in agony. In his panic, he struggled to push the Ghost Baby away from his neck, but the divide between humans and ghosts was too great. Though he could see the Ghost Baby due to the formation's influence, he couldn't touch it.

Fearing for his life, Meng Hongwei screamed frantically, "Master, save me! Help me, Master! Please, help me!!!"

In the Ji family's villa, several houses away from Meng Hongwei's, Xia Junyan sat on the rooftop, munching on sunflower seeds while commenting, "This is wild! That little thing is vicious, biting its dad's neck like that. Yikes, that looks painful."

As a legitimate heir of the Orthodox Unity Sect, Xia Junyan was well-versed in drawing talismans. Their sect specialized in various types of talismans, including attack and defense talismans, as well as many other seemingly miscellaneous ones.

Among the crane-themed talismans, there was one called the Yin Crane, which was different from the crane talisman he had used to seek help from Ji Nanxing. The Yin Crane was created by gathering yin energy with cinnabar. Once activated by a Taoist's spiritual power, it allowed the user to see through the crane's perspective.

However, this required real-time control and was limited by distance. But from the Ji family's vantage point, observing the Meng family was just perfect.

Thus, from the moment the formation was set up at the Meng family's house to the Ghost Baby's counterattack, Xia Junyan had seen everything clearly from the Ji family's villa.

Ji Nanxing yawned beside him, "If you don't go now, that old guy will really destroy the Ghost Baby."

If the Ghost Baby were destroyed, the female ghost imprisoned in the management bureau would also lose her resentment and dissipate soon after. Without any evidence, Meng Hongwei would walk free.

Xia Junyan brushed off the dust from eating too many sunflower seeds and took out a few more talismans. "Alright, for the sake of that poor little thing, I'll save it once."

The Ghost Baby had bitten down hard, clinging to Meng Hongwei's body, eager to sever his neck.

Born from resentment and soaked in overwhelming negative energy every day, the Ghost Baby had only avoided becoming a murderous demon due to the love of its mother, Tan Shuyi.

Now, with its own father trying to kill it, the Ghost Baby's ferocious nature was further provoked. Ignoring the pain of its soul being burned by the Taoist's instruments, it released Meng Hongwei and lunged at Tu Yeshan, who was wielding a wooden sword.

As it clung to Tu Yeshan, the Ghost Baby sniffed the air. It recognized this scent—it was the same scent that had suppressed it and its mother under the altar, forcing them to endure the torment of negative energy day and night.

The overwhelming rage from past and present grievances caused black patterns to spread across the Ghost Baby's green skin, like vines of hatred crawling over its body.

Tu Yeshan's expression changed. The Ghost Baby's power far exceeded his expectations, and the ordinary ghost-binding rope couldn't restrain it.

Sensing Tu Yeshan's hesitation, the Ghost Baby intensified its attack. With one hand, it grabbed Tu Yeshan's instrument, its palm sizzling with black smoke, but it refused to let go. With the other hand, it clawed at Tu Yeshan, leaving deep wounds and even biting him.

Tu Yeshan's two disciples, seeing their master unable to subdue the Ghost Baby and instead being bitten by it, were too scared to approach. Along with Meng Hongwei, who was struggling to get up, they tried to hide inside the house.

The house was shielded by a red rope formation, its bells warding off any lingering ghosts. If necessary, they could ring the bells to drive the ghosts away, which was better than being defenseless outside.

When Xia Junyan arrived, he saw Tu Yeshan using his blood to activate talismans while secretly setting up a Soul-Destroying Formation as he fought the Ghost Baby.

The thunder talismans had already been set up in eight directions. Once the blood talisman was completed and the Three Pure Ones were invoked, the Ghost Baby would be annihilated, leaving no trace.

Although the little ghost was fierce and ruthless, it couldn't outwit human cunning. Thinking it had the upper hand by biting the old Taoist, it had actually been trapped from the moment it entered the villa.

If the Ghost Baby were destroyed, it would be nearly impossible to find evidence against Meng Hongwei. Without hesitation, Xia Junyan flung out several positive energy talismans to dispel the negative energy.

Just as the formation was about to be completed, an external force disrupted it, scattering the formation and nearly causing Tu Yeshan to vomit blood in frustration.

The intruder, heedless of the danger, bellowed, "Where did this yin entity come from? How dare it be so arrogant! Little ghost, surrender now!"

The thunder talismans set up for the Soul-Destroying Formation had lost their power, and their energy leaked out. Yin entities feared thunder the most. Sensing this energy, the Ghost Baby bared its teeth, glanced at Tu Yeshan and Meng Hongwei inside the house, and turned to flee.

Tu Yeshan couldn't allow it to escape. He activated the runes on his wooden sword and attacked the Ghost Baby directly.

Xia Junyan hurled talismans at the Ghost Baby, deflecting half of Tu Yeshan's attack while attempting to ensnare the Ghost Baby.

He aimed to stop Tu Yeshan from killing the Ghost Baby to keep the evidence intact, but the Ghost Baby was indeed dangerous. If it escaped, who knew what chaos it would cause? If he could capture the Ghost Baby first, he was confident Tu Yeshan wouldn't dare to challenge the entire Taoist sect.

However, Tu Yeshan, angered by Xia Junyan's interference, gathered all the thunder talismans he had set up and launched an indiscriminate attack on both Xia Junyan and the Ghost Baby.

Xia Junyan had always disliked the unscrupulous Taoist who set up the evil altar, but dealing with ghosts was their duty. However, when it came to humans, they had to follow the laws of the living world.

But that was only if the other party didn't provoke him.

Now that the thunder talismans were directed at him, Xia Junyan had no reason to hold back. Especially since talismans were his sect's specialty, and he considered himself the best in the field. He couldn't tolerate being disrespected like this.

Thus, Xia Junyan entered into a magical duel with Tu Yeshan.

The Ghost Baby seized the chance to flee, but neither Xia Junyan nor Tu Yeshan had the capacity to capture it now.

Ji Nanxing, who was also observing through the Yin Crane talisman, was speechless. The ghost hunters had not only let the ghost escape but were now fighting each other.

After escaping the villa, the Ghost Baby stood in the middle of the road, its hands bloody and confused. It could no longer detect its mother's presence.

For days, it had lingered near the villa, unable to enter the place it once shared with its mother, now barred by talismans. It didn't know where she had gone.

Unable to find its mother, it had returned to its father.

But its father wanted to kill it, causing it more pain than when it was locked in the dark room.

It was hungry, in agony, and starving. The Ghost Baby sniffed the air, following the enticing scent to the intersection.

The late-night road was empty, especially in this affluent neighborhood, with few passing cars.

The Ghost Baby crouched by the roadside until it saw someone walking. Its pitch-black eyes, devoid of any white, immediately locked onto the person.

It instinctively knew that consuming the vital energy of a living person would alleviate its pain.

Its mother had told it not to eat indiscriminately, but it was too hungry. The last shred of reason instilled by its mother had vanished in its hunger. The Ghost Baby crouched slightly, poised to pounce on the person and feast, when a hand landed on its head.

The Ghost Baby instinctively bared its teeth in warning. It had been beaten today and was in no mood to tolerate anyone!

Ji Nanxing looked at the snarling little ghost and shook his head. "No."

He had expected the Ghost Baby, with its ferocious nature, to go on a killing spree after escaping the altar's suppression. In their world, the only instincts were to gain power and satisfy hunger.

Especially towards its father, Meng Hongwei, who had suppressed it under the altar and used it as a living sacrifice, it should have sought brutal revenge.

But now, he saw no trace of killing on the Ghost Baby. It had been out for days and hadn't killed anyone.

This was almost unbelievable.

The Ghost Baby, initially aggressive, felt the hand on its head and showed a hint of confusion in its pitch-black eyes.

Soon, this confusion vanished as it recognized a familiar scent—its mother's. The Ghost Baby grinned happily, reaching out to hug the hand on its head.

But the next second, it screamed in pain and retreated.

Ji Nanxing's hand was adorned with his enchanted prayer beads, which were not something a little ghost could touch casually.

Seeing the Ghost Baby shrink back in fear but not run away, Ji Nanxing was surprised once more.

He had previously captured the Ghost Baby's mother, Tan Shuyi, using a golden bell. Since the bell still contained a fragment of Hu Xiaodie's soul, Ji Nanxing hadn't purified it. Thus, the bell still carried a trace of Tan Shuyi's aura.

It was likely this faint aura that made the Ghost Baby feel close to him. Even after being burned, it only retreated without attacking or fleeing.

Ji Nanxing stashed the red rope he had originally intended to use to capture it and then held out his hand: "Come on, I'll get you something to eat."

For a moment, the Ghost Baby studied Ji Nanxing, then looked at the hand that had just pinched it. Between bolting or staying close to the familiar scent of its mother, the Ghost Baby chose the latter. It hesitantly reached out its tiny claw and grabbed the hand that was reaching out to it.

Once it had a firm grip on Ji Nanxing's hand, the Ghost Baby's eyes popped open in shock, because except for its mother, no one else could seem to touch it.

Its own brother couldn't reach it, and neither could its father. It could only touch its mother, who used to hold its hand just like this and even give it hugs.

Now, this person smelled like its mother and, like its mother, could take its hand.

Glancing between Ji Nanxing and their clasped hands, the Ghost Baby's tiny mind was buzzing with questions it couldn't wrap its head around. Could this really be happening? It didn't understand, but for now, it felt safe.