"I turned the child Third Mother left behind after her death into a specimen, using a method a Jianghu Taoist told me. I placed it in a brocade box on top of the wardrobe in my bedroom. Every night, I had to look at it for a while before I could fall asleep."
Huai Rui continued in a hollow voice, "Perhaps the method from that Jianghu Taoist truly worked. Perhaps my love for Third Mother was too intense, or perhaps Haotian took pity on my Huai family.
"My child came back to life.
"I was ecstatic, caring for him meticulously, but he wouldn’t eat anything except people.
"I had to find a way. If servants in the house disappeared, people would ask questions. If pedestrians on the road went missing, the garrison would investigate. So, I had no choice but to take him to the city’s beggars—those who could disappear or die without anyone caring.
"The more he ate, the stronger he became. Even I was tainted with some abnormalities, like being able to see the colors above people’s heads and discern their emotions.
"It was precisely because of this that my career went smoothly, and I reached the position of Gold Department Doctor.
"However, his appetite grew larger and larger. Ordinary beggars could no longer satisfy his hunger. He needed richer ’sustenance’..."
The scholar clenched his teeth. "Did you dismiss the servants in your manor and seek intermediaries from the Chang’an Ghost Market for this purpose?"
Huai Rui stopped stroking the Alien on his shoulder and said calmly, "Rural Cultivators are the easiest group to handle, especially those like you: without a sect, inheritance, or close friends and relatives.
"Even if you disappear mysteriously, people will just assume you died in some kind of strange incident. Even Kou Zhi’an, who introduced you, won’t inquire.
"After all, if a Cultivator is seriously injured while dealing with an abnormality, they might hide away and avoid contact with the outside world. It’s perfectly reasonable for them not to show up in the Ghost Market."
He paused, then spoke with a hint of sorrow, "Ah, why bother explaining all this to you. Perhaps I am also afraid of my own child, afraid of being exposed. But thankfully, after tonight, once he has devoured all of you Abnormal People, there will be no more worries..."
"I say," Li Ang asked leisurely, "is it really wise to scheme so openly and loudly? Your mother is still lying here. Aren’t you afraid that these Cultivators will harden their hearts, take your mother as a hostage, and force a desperate trade-off?"
"Heh," Huai Rui said unflinchingly, "my mother suffers terribly from her affliction, living a life of hardship and difficulty. As a filial son, I must fulfill the duty of supporting and attending to her every day. But if you gentlemen can relieve her of her suffering and send her early to the Western Paradise, I would not object."
Li Ang shook his head. Truly a happy, warm, and harmonious family, he thought, marveling at the ruthlessness of Huai Rui—a peculiar specimen who would kill his wife and child, and even sacrifice his own mother if necessary.
Huai Rui gave a slight smile, reaching his right hand into his robe while his left hand gently pressed the foot of the green-purple infant.
As if understanding his thoughts, the green-purple infant voluntarily leaped from Huai Rui’s shoulder and landed on the ground.
The moment it touched the ground, a dense sound of bones cracking emitted from the infant’s body. Its small, fragile form rapidly inflated as if being pumped with air, growing to nearly two meters tall. Its muscles bulged so much they seemed about to burst, and on its limbs, hands, and feet, the faint outlines of human faces began to emerge.
Presumably, they were the faces of victims it had devoured before.
That’s some serious child-beating, Li Ang mused, an eyebrow raised, reminded of a web-based minigame from his memories of another world.
"First, kill Huai Rui!" the scholar shouted vehemently, pulling three talismans from his robe and holding them between his fingers. He recited a spell and ignited the yellow paper, activating the talismans.
The first was the Rain Listening Realm Soil Transformation Talisman.
The ground beneath the Green and Purple Giant and Huai Rui rapidly softened, turning into a layer of mud, neither too thick nor too thin. Although it couldn’t stop the Green and Purple Giant from moving, it was enough to trap Huai Rui.
The second was the Frozen Cold Talisman.
Visible to the naked eye, a pale, frosty cold air spread outward in a cone from the talisman in the scholar’s hand.
The mud created by the Earth Transformation Talisman froze solid, and a layer of frost crept up the legs of the trapped Huai Rui.
The Green and Purple Giant, also affected by the Frozen Cold Talisman, swept its foot out. It kicked the frozen chunks of mud hard, sending them flying toward the scholar who was holding the last talisman.
"Don’t even think about it!"
The dwarf knew they couldn’t afford any losses. Stomping his foot on the ground, he positioned himself in front of the scholar. His Soft Sword whirled wildly in the candlelight, forming a silver barrier to protect his and the scholar’s faces.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG—
The Soft Sword deflected all the chunks of dirty ice mixed with gravel.
However, the delay was just enough time for the Green and Purple Giant to casually pull Huai Rui out of the ground. It then kicked the wall, making it collapse and creating a large hole. This allowed Huai Rui to turn and flee. Meanwhile, the Green and Purple Giant itself charged like a battering ram toward the scholar and the dwarf.
The strength of the green-purple Alien was undeniable. Even as an infant, it could ambush and rip off the limbs of that burly man. After transforming into a giant, it seemed to be using energy accumulated from victims it had previously devoured, exhibiting an unstoppable momentum.
The bedroom was of moderate size.
Seeing that the dwarf and the scholar had no way to evade, the stooped old man twisted his cane, causing several wooden swords to materialize and stab at the Green and Purple Giant’s face.
The Green and Purple Giant’s face was not much different from its infant form—still blurry and ugly. The moment all the wooden swords touched its face, they twisted simultaneously, gouging into the still-forming orifices of its features.
It wasn’t clear what material the wooden swords were made of, but steam erupted instantly from the Green and Purple Giant’s wounds, the pain making it howl.
The loud noise shook the house, and tiles fell from the roof. Mrs. Huai, who had been sleeping in her bed, was finally awakened by the commotion. She had just opened her eyes to the horrific and bizarre scene in the bedroom.
"AIIEE—" With a scream, she fainted once more.
Amidst the swirling steam, the Green and Purple Giant swiped its hand, sending the dwarf in front of it flying. The dwarf crashed into one of the house beams, coughing up blood.
It then raised its palm to catch the flying wooden swords in mid-air, snapping them forcefully with a CRUNCH. This caused the distant stooped old man’s complexion to turn suddenly pale, his back bending even further.
Finally, the only one standing between the giant and the scholar was Li Ang, with his dark dragon head crest.
"How much longer?" Li Ang asked calmly. The scholar, the dwarf, and the stooped old man are all low-level Cultivators of the Rain Listening Realm, I estimate.
The stooped old man was a Sword Cultivator, the dwarf a Martial Artist, and the scholar a Talisman Master.
And the greatest weakness of a Rain Listening Realm Talisman Master was that even when releasing an Advanced Talisman prepared beforehand—one that exceeded their current realm—they had to hold their breath, concentrate fully, and remain still.
"Ten..." the scholar squeezed out the word through clenched teeth, his facial muscles trembling slightly. He was clearly straining to activate the last talisman.
The Green and Purple Giant seemed to sense the threat from the slowly burning talisman between the scholar’s fingers. It swung its enormous hand, large as a cattail fan, down from above.
A dull sound echoed through the courtyard. Li Ang raised both hands, catching the Green and Purple Giant’s wrist.