What if I don't want to ascend to immortality?

Chapter 21 This will cost extra.

Although the Web Weaver is listed as the first entry on page 42 of the Complete Book of Demons, and at first glance seems much worse than the Beast on page 13, the book's classification and ordering are based on the degree of harm.

The Jingbei, having earned its reputation as a patricide, naturally makes its entrance bloody; it wouldn't be complete without causing several deaths. Under the guiding principle that murder is paramount, it would certainly rank high on the list.

The Web Weaver's harm is insidious and persistent, and very few murders can be directly attributed to it, which is why it doesn't hold a prominent position. However, it is extremely adept at concealment and swift and decisive in escaping. If a sufficiently powerful spiritualist were to choose a target, they would certainly prefer to deal with several kinslayers rather than engage in guerrilla warfare with the Web Weaver.

So after coaxing Ya Ya to sleep, Meng Qingtong came out and connected to the academy server to read through the information on the Web Weavers. She then sighed deeply and expressed the sentiment in the title.

Han Jie chuckled from the side, "The power of attorney has already been signed, and your asking price isn't low, so how can we negotiate?"

“What can’t we talk about? The situation is clearly different from what they said. The little magic carpet here is just part of the signed contract. As for that Web Weaver hiding somewhere in their house, I haven’t even negotiated a price for it.” She rested her chin on her hand, gently tapping the table with her fingertips as she pondered. “The problem now is that both targets are adopting a defensive strategy, and the database isn’t enough for me to find effective tactics. Hey, how did you guys deal with Web Weavers back then? These things aren’t something new, are they?”

Han Jie shook his head, suppressing a laugh, and said, "Unfortunately, I've never seen such a demon. Perhaps it existed in that era, but I really had no chance to come into contact with such cowardly and timid creatures."

Meng Qingtong smirked and stared at him sideways. "Hey, senior, aren't you being a little too smug? This is our commission, you know. I'm worried, so why are you so happy?"

Han Jie laughed and said, "Just say the word and I'll come and help you. Saying it's as easy as turning your hand might be too arrogant, but I dare say it's not something you need to worry about."

"Since it's a collaboration, I'll definitely ask for help within reasonable limits. I'm not stupid."

He shook his head. "You're just a simpleton. But you're a pretty good simpleton."

"I'm really putting double the salt in your food tomorrow. Don't think I'm easy to talk to." Meng Qingtong glared at him, then muttered under her breath, "I know what I should and shouldn't do, otherwise I'll have to pay you extra, and that hurts my wallet."

Han Jie said softly, "Qing Tong, actually, I also have the heart to slay demons and protect all living beings. Since we share the same ideals, why make such a clear distinction?"

"If you don't distinguish between things from the start, it'll only get more messy and complicated later." She seemed to recall some unpleasant memory, and a layer of sadness clouded her bright eyes. "All good things must come to an end. If we try to settle things later, it'll just hurt our feelings..."

She immediately smiled again, skillfully hiding all her emotions under her charming and lively expression. "Besides, didn't I tell you I need to exercise? I'll start using crutches at seventeen, otherwise I won't just be lying down all the time. I need to think about how I would have dealt with the current situation if I hadn't met you."

Han Jie raised an eyebrow. "I think you'll use the Magic Summoning Tool to lure out the Little Magic Carpet first."

“Yes. If there were no Weaver, I would definitely deal with the hidden dangers on Ya Ya first. But now, the Magic Carpet seems to be playing a protective role to some extent, and Ya Ya should not have been ‘connected’ by Song Huiping. So…” She turned her head and smiled, “I’ve decided to get the Magic Carpet’s real name first.”

"Will that help with things later?"

"There should be. Based on my experience from the previous three times, once I get the real name, I can improve my communication with the demon to some extent. Maybe we can have a good talk, help it get rid of the Web Weaver, and in return it will leave Yaya. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

“Some powerful demons can indeed communicate with humans,” Han Jie said, frowning. “But I don’t think you can discuss anything with them. A demon is a demon, and even if it is truly born from the flaws in the human heart, it is still not human.”

"How will you know if you don't try? Look, this is when you need partners. In your time, we'd say... wait, let me strike a pose. I've been imagining this for ages!"

Han Jie was completely confused.

Then, Meng Qingtong left the table and walked into the bedroom with great excitement. She tiptoed to Ya Ya's bedside and struck a few poses that she thought were cool, like a clueless young man who had learned some fancy martial arts. Then she clasped her hands in a fist and mouthed to him, "Please protect me, senior!"

Han Jie walked over, his lips twitching.

She glared at me, raised her eyebrows, and gestured at her own pose, clearly saying, "Why don't you cooperate a little?"

It's really hard not to be stirred up by the so-called youthful spirit in front of this girl... Han Jie smiled helplessly, then spread his hands and performed a few fancy moves that he used to strengthen his body when he was learning martial arts. Finally, he put his hands together, and spiritual energy overflowed, lighting up a patch of fluorescent light. He said softly, "I am willing to protect you, young lady!"

Meng Qingtong's eyes lit up, and she gave a big thumbs-up.

After completing this rather ritualistic procedure, she turned around and squatted by the bed, beginning to release her spiritual power, which slowly wrapped around the sleeping Ya Ya like fine threads.

If the little magic carpet is really hiding inside, it's equivalent to spiritual energy coming into contact with it, and it will have an effect sooner or later.

"Woo..."

Ya Ya's slender eyebrows suddenly furrowed, and a painful moan escaped from her small lips. She rolled herself up tightly in the blanket, wrapping herself up like a cocoon, and slowly curled into a ball.

"Nightmare?" Han Jie asked in a deep voice.

"Hmm, the little magic carpet is hiding deeper. Hmph, there's no point in resisting while carrying the fish." Meng Qingtong flicked her hand and pulled out a talisman from the newly opened space, sticking it to Ya Ya's back through the blanket.

"A stubborn resistance... Your mentor's accent is quite heavy." Han Jie smiled and shook his head, continuing to be vigilant about his surroundings. The two swords, Dead Water and Desolation, were ready to answer his call at any time, joining forces to construct a small world isolated from everything.

If there is even the slightest sign that the spiritual energy barrier has been breached, he will immediately replace it with the Heart Sword.

If he can't even be a good protector, how can he live up to all his previous grand pronouncements?

"We've caught up." Meng Qingtong's expression turned serious. After thinking for a moment, she placed another talisman on Ya Ya's head, took out a small bag of materials, and quickly constructed several small spirit arrays around the child.

Han Jie watched quietly from the sidelines. Even though he had seen it more than once, he couldn't help but marvel at how many times she had practiced to master these intricate sparrow formations. In today's terms, it would be called developing muscle memory.

Soon, thin strands of light appeared around Ya Ya's body, drifting out one by one like some strange creature, floating in the air searching for a way out.

But it was all in vain. Meng Qingtong's control over spiritual power was far more precise than her kitchen knife. Every single thread was easily blocked and forced to retreat.

"Mom... Dad... Let me go..." Ya Ya's face turned pale, cold sweat poured from her forehead and the back of her neck, and her eyes kept turning, as if she wanted to wake up but was powerless to do so.

Han Jie casually picked up a piece of sticky note, used his spiritual power to draw a calming talisman, and placed it in Ya Ya's arms.

Meng Qingtong looked up at him, her eyes flickering, as if she was somewhat unconvinced.

"Having fought for over a hundred years, even if I only used talismans for a fraction of that time, I'm still older than you. What's there for you to compete with me for? If you ever beat me, then I've wasted my life." Knowing she couldn't speak at the moment, Han Jie teased her with a smile.

"Hmph. I'll surpass you in spirit talisman sooner or later." She took a moment from her busy schedule to retort, then her mind cleared, and she closed her eyes to focus on the final pursuit.

At that moment, several long ropes made of transparent silk threads flew swiftly through the night sky outside the window. They had no physical form and passed directly through the glass, rushing towards Meng Qingtong.

Han Jie had been waiting for a long time, intending to kill these reinforcements with a single sword strike. However, he noticed that the threads within Ya Ya's body seemed to resonate with something, suggesting they were more like the same evil spirit than its kind. So, he changed his grip to a grab, abandoning his sword and casually pulling the ethereal threads into his grasp. Meng Qingtong continuously channeled her spiritual power, and more and more fine threads emerged from Ya Ya's body, dancing more and more rapidly, gradually enveloping the exquisitely beautiful girl like a tangled ball of yarn.

All the surrounding spirit arrays were passively activated as set, and the light they emitted trapped those fine threads tightly.

At this moment, the long ropes in Han Jie's hand suddenly stopped struggling and twisted around his wrist, with thin threads extending from both ends, rushing into his body.

He found it quite interesting and thought to himself, "Could it be that among the demons there are also brave warriors who knowingly venture into dangerous places?"
He had never encountered this kind of evil spirit before, and couldn't help but want to see what kind of methods it had.

Unexpectedly, this thing was indeed incredibly weak. The thin threads, which had intended to penetrate deep into the soul, collided head-on with his immense spiritual power and immediately twisted into braids.

Han Jie had no choice but to divert his spiritual power to make way for the thin thread, creating a barely passable path.

The little magic carpet probably mistook this for a trap, hesitating and seemingly unwilling to go in.

Impatient, he focused his mind and glared, using his spiritual pressure to force those thin threads inside.

Touching the soul, those few thin strands trembled and twisted and turned, before finally mustering the courage to straighten up after a long while.

Immediately, Han Jie heard soft, dreamlike murmurs echoing in his mind.

"Look at you, you've lived for so many years and you don't know anything. You need a girl who's not even twenty years old to teach you how to eat, drink, poop, pee, and sleep. Aren't you ashamed?"

"What good is it if you have supernatural powers and are the nemesis of evil? Evil is born from the human heart. Where there are people, there are evil. You yourself are also a human. Even if you kill all the people in the world, what will it do in the end? Are you going to kill yourself too?"

"This is no longer your era. Look at these technologies you don't understand at all. Ordinary people can fly to the sky and go underground. The highest you fly is about the same as those things they call satellites, right?"

"Moreover, you are not a person of this world at all. Your arrival is merely the result of a capricious act by a fairy from the upper realm. You consider yourself a genius, driven by your hatred, and even dare to attempt to ascend to immortality. This is your retribution! The people here will not accept you, and you will never be able to adapt to your new life. You are destined to... die alone."

At this moment, a hollow wail suddenly rang out from Han Jie's soul. It was Desolation, one of his three immortal swords, which trembled violently, nearly snapping the few thin threads on the spot.

He chuckled to himself. This little magic carpet was truly fearless, constantly trying to evoke the loneliness and helplessness in his heart, which resulted in the immortal sword Desolate resonating with it and almost spontaneously slaying it.

Having discovered the method of this thing, Han Jie no longer wasted his energy. With a slight movement, he startled the few thin threads, causing them to rush out from their original paths. Two of them ran out of formation and even tied a knot halfway through.

He never feared loneliness, and even refined it into a desolate heart and sword of the quality of a celestial sword.

Because he had no expectations from the beginning, the long road to revenge and the arduous path to exorcising demons made it difficult to find like-minded people.

When he can enjoy solitude, solitude is no longer a so-called weakness.

Even if it is a weakness, this incompetent little thing is not qualified to shake it.

Han Jie suddenly realized that he could be indifferent to this feeling, but what about Meng Qingtong?

For a young girl with no parents and a special constitution that can attract demons since childhood, wouldn't this little magic carpet be far more difficult to deal with than a useless creature like a jackal that can only fight and kill?
After a moment's thought, he stretched out his hand and said, "Qingtong, share my feelings."

Meng Qingtong didn't bother to respond; she simply pursed her lips and freed one hand to grasp his wrist.

As soon as their thoughts connected, Han Jie felt a noisy torrent rushing towards him.

If the wisps of energy in his soul just now were merely the clamor of a few children, then what was now relentlessly assaulting Meng Qingtong was a bustling, five-star tourist attraction during a holiday.

Even when he concentrated, he could only catch fragments of intermittent noise.

"...Who's going to play with you, you monster..."

"...Sister, no one will dare to adopt you in this condition, please let me go..."

"...Stop talking! Leave when you reach the age for the introductory class, leave now! Otherwise..."

"...I've put up with you for so long, shouldn't I get more? You're such a cheapskate..."

"...What are you putting on airs for? No parents, don't you want me to protect you? Follow me... Ouch! You son of a bitch..."

"...Please let me begin my studies early, I beg you..."

"...Get out of the way, you little brat, why are you trying to get in front of me no matter your age..."

"...Hahaha, you want to learn talismans? Are you worthy? Can you afford to learn them? Are you stupid...?"

"...If you want to make a scene, go make a scene in the washroom. Can't you let people get some sleep?"

"...Look at her, so what if she got in with high scores? She's still an orphan whose whole family died..."

"...Oh my, you're a genius! It's so easy for you to learn on your own. Wouldn't it be a waste to give you this opportunity?"

"...That's wishful thinking. I'm busy; I don't have time to play such a boring game with you..."

"...What's the point of this? You still want to buy a house, right? Do something more productive..."

Han Jie's face darkened, and he asked, "Qing Tong, are you alright?"

If she shows even the slightest abnormality, Han Jie will summon the Immortal Sword Night Sorrow and forcibly open up a battlefield at the location locked within Ya Ya's soul.

Meng Qingtong turned her head, smiled, and a glint of light flashed in her eyes. Then, another word that was not easy to recognize jumped into Han Jie's mind—"pulu".

Her eyes were filled with pure joy, and her tone was as lively and cheerful as ever.

"We've found out this guy's real name, aren't I awesome?"

(End of this chapter)