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

Chapter 23 An Incidental Investigation

The darkest hour before dawn is also when the stars shine the brightest.

In the quiet of the night, when he rarely had any free time, Han Jie liked to sit on an old tree in the wilderness and gaze at the sky. The boundless sky, which had been running for countless millennia, made his sense of time even more vivid.

In this day and age, people light up the city lights, the light reflecting off the night sky gradually tinting the Milky Way.

Therefore, only during this time before dawn can he look up at the sky and see countless stars, still like eyes, indifferently looking down on all living beings on earth.

At that height, it seems irrelevant what happens to the world below.

But is that really a good thing?

Han Jie looked at Ya Ya.

After being so frightened by him that she became completely withdrawn, the little girl finally experienced a rare deep sleep. Her thin body finally relaxed completely, and drool dripped from the corner of her mouth.

While he was engaged in fierce battles and pursuits at a height as high as the stars, he would inevitably fail to notice a small child in one of the thousands of households.

Just as when the entire Hanmeng Village was destroyed, no cultivator noticed him when he was six years old.

You won't understand many things unless you experience them for yourself.

Hmm... For example, right now he doesn't know whether he should wipe the drool from Ya Ya's mouth or not.
"Should we wipe it or not? If we wipe it, won't that wake the child up?"

"Why wipe it? I'll just change the pillowcase and throw it in the washing machine when she gets up."

"Oh."

"Huh? You just said 'oh' and that's it? What about the question I asked you? I spent all my time here maintaining the communication channel, I didn't even wash my face, just waiting for your answer! You think you can just look at the stars for a bit and then change the subject?"

Do you have morning grumpiness?

"Senior Han, your ability to evade the question is far inferior to your spiritual skills."

"Oh?"

"Do I have to be more direct? Why does my spiritual energy automatically start absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth after I wake up in the morning when it's fully restored? The incantation you gave me wasn't just for me to dig holes, was it?"

Han Jie looked up at the sky again and decided to look at the stars for a while.

Hmm, now that I think about it, she did contact me when she got up earlier and asked if the incantation was anything special.

He thought there wasn't any, so he ignored it.

It seems she was misunderstood as trying to change the subject.

"Senior Han? I'll take your silence as a yes."

"Ahem, there's really nothing special about it. The incantation is mainly to expand your soul space so you can store more things. As for absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to help you cultivate slowly, well... that's a side effect. Yes, a side effect."

"You're using the new words quite fluently... Looks like I won't have to get up in the dark to meditate anymore, which will save me a few hours, right?"

"Ah."

"Now I have a lot more time to cook, that's great."

Even if Han Jie was slow to realize it, he could tell that the girl was angry, but he couldn't help but find it funny. He restrained himself and replied, "It is indeed a good thing. If I become picky about my tastes in the future, I will need you to put in more effort. You know, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality."

“You know perfectly well that’s not what I’m angry about.” Meng Qingtong’s divine sense contained a hint of helplessness. “Fine, I understand. You’re afraid that I won’t agree if you tell me directly. But… never mind, I think we’re bound to end up with a huge mess sooner or later.”

"It's good to be confused. There's a saying that goes, 'It's rare to be confused.'"

"Wait a minute, I'll buy cornmeal tonight and cook you a big pot of porridge!"

Han Jie didn't understand what this sentence meant at first. After searching his mind, he realized that "糊涂" was a common dialect word used by some residents of the Dongding and Beiding districts, referring to a porridge made from corn flour.

So he honestly replied, "Okay, I haven't tried that before, I'll try it tonight."

Meng Qingtong had no way to deal with him. Rather than awkwardly punching the cotton ball here, she might as well just cut off the communication and go to the bathroom to wash up.

She was quite determined to pay the interest, so she walked past a long row of breakfast stalls to the morning market to buy meat, eggs, and vegetables. When she got back, she first prepared the parts she would need for lunch and dinner and put them in the refrigerator. With the rest, she casually made three servings of dried shrimp and scallion oil noodles.

She gets one portion, Ya Ya gets half a portion, and Han Jie gets one and a half portions.

Once the woolen cloth had calmed down and temporarily left the weaver's influence, Ya Ya's appetite was fully restored. She ate most of the bowl of noodles clean, prompting Meng Qingtong to give her two more bites.

While holding Ya Ya in her arms and combing her hair, Meng Qingtong discussed the specific arrangements for the day with Han Jie, and then they split up to carry out their plans.

The child had been cooped up for so long during summer vacation and couldn't wait any longer. As soon as he finished getting ready, he grabbed Meng Qingtong's clothes and looked at her expectantly, wanting to urge her but not daring to say anything.

Watching the two girls, one big and one small, get into Liu Song's car and drive towards a park on the Sui River, Han Jie suddenly remembered that Lin Sisi's alma mater seemed to be in that direction.

Given Meng Qingtong's personality, she would probably definitely take the opportunity to visit.

Han Jie's work enthusiasm was naturally not that high.

His job was rather boring; it was simply to keep Liu Song's family safe.

Even if the Web Weaver were a more spiritually inclined demon, or even if some ferocious monster with devastating power were to appear, the spirit arrays set up by Meng Qingtong and him would be enough to hold out for an hour or two.

Han Jie took out Crimson Fury, and an hour or two would be enough for him to travel from the other side of Suiyin City. If he used spiritual techniques to assist him, it would even be enough time for him to go to his home in Dongding City to change his clothes.

So Han Jie went to the outside of Liu's residential area to take a look at the situation from a distance, and confirmed that everything in that family was as usual. The father was still muttering and cursing in a daze, the mother was still cold and indifferent, and the nanny was coaxing the baby and muttering... After that, Han Jie strolled around the unfamiliar streets of the unfamiliar city.

Han Jie hadn't yet figured out exactly how long his newly created body would last. But even if he were being conservative, he couldn't possibly end up like the spiritualists of this world, unable to even reach the prime of life of two hundred years. So while he was filled with curiosity about this new world, he also maintained ample patience.

If it weren't for the enormous "iceberg" in his mind constantly reminding him of the outrageously rich information in this world, he would have even worried that learning too quickly might cause his long life to return to its former dullness and monotony.

Han Jie, who was idly strolling around until after midnight with an ice pop in his mouth and waving at the fifth young woman who approached him asking for his contact information, received a message from Meng Qingtong: "Dinner will be ready soon, when are you coming back?"

He slightly curled the corners of his lips, waved to the persistent flirt, and turned back.

Han Jie explored one direction in the morning, another in the afternoon, and two more the following day. He had roughly familiarized himself with the four cardinal directions of the central area of ​​Suiyin City, and also casually dealt with a few wandering and hidden demons.

Compared to the skyrocketing population in cities today, demons, monsters originating from the human heart, present a relatively low proportion.

This made Han Jie hesitate again, wondering if the Demon-Suppressing Cauldron was really working.

If it really works, through what method does it achieve this?
Upon seeing the Demon Summoning Tool, Han Jie immediately realized that the Demon Emperor was hiding somewhere in this world... or in several corners. Knowing his old nemesis as he did, it was impossible for it to have gained over 1,800 precious years without making any arrangements.

Based on this, the most suspicious of all are the nine Demon-Suppressing Cauldrons.

Unfortunately, he still knows too little about this to draw any further conclusions. Moreover, Meng Qingtong's respect for the Demon-Suppressing Cauldron is deeply ingrained, and he doesn't want to make any unfounded speculations that might displease his own people.

While he leisurely investigated the general situation of the city, Meng Qingtong, who had split into two groups, unsurprisingly took Ya Ya to wander around and play, while also thoroughly researching the universities that Lin Sisi and Qiao Mu had attended.

"So, what was the result?" Knowing that she was very good at keeping quiet until she achieved certain results, and that the topic must have come to fruition after dinner, Han Jie went along with it and asked a question to distract her so he could quietly go and wash the dishes.

Meng Qingtong looked down at her phone screen, momentarily distracted, and said excitedly, "I've got their contact information, all that's left is for them to accept my friend request. Guess how many detours I took to find them? You wouldn't believe it, I... Hey? Where are they? Wait, put the bowl there! Don't move! Yaya, go!"

Ya Ya had long been completely subdued by her older sister. She ran over and grabbed Han Jie's arm, dragging him towards the living room with a long-lost innocent smile on her face. "Brother, you're not allowed to wash. You have to listen to your sister."

Han Jie, feeling playful, followed Ya Ya into the living room while simultaneously casting a spell over her shoulder.

Unexpectedly, a burst of clear light appeared from the edge of the sink, activating a small spiritual array that neutralized the cleansing effect of the spiritual magic.

"Hmph, as the pretty worm in your belly, I've seen through your little tricks long ago. You're not allowed to withhold any interest I pay." Meng Qingtong rolled up her sleeves and walked into the kitchen triumphantly, even putting on an old-fashioned embroidered apron to please him, which didn't match her new short-sleeved shirt that Yaya had bought today at all.

Liu Song visited his daughter once in the past two days, and had his driver accompany them on a long shopping trip, bringing back quite a few things. Meng Qingtong has put in a lot of effort taking care of the child, so she felt at ease accepting the purchases.

"After we finish here, can we go find that guy surnamed Qiao?"

Meng Qingtong nodded, then chuckled twice, and said, "I said I was just doing a side investigation, but that's actually what I'm really in a hurry to do. Yaya is doing much better now, so I think we should go to the Liu family tomorrow and settle this matter once and for all."

Ya Ya immediately looked up at her, her little face clouded with gloom, and the toys in her hands lost their appeal, looking like she was about to cry.

She knelt down and patted the little girl's head. "Sister needs to solve your family's problems so that your parents can return to normal and you can be happy like before. Didn't we agree that sister would be your support and give you courage? We'll fight against that nasty evil together, defeat it, and win your home back."

Ya Ya pursed her lips and remained silent for a while before whispering, "But even if we win, my little brother will still be there."

Meng Qingtong stroked her cheek and said softly, "Yaya, that's another battle for you, with your parents and with yourself. But it's not with your little brother. He's still a baby who hasn't been weaned, right? Okay, relax. After the evil spirits are defeated, I believe your family will get better. It definitely will.

"What if... what if Mom still doesn't like me?"

"Then study hard, grow up quickly, and come find me in Dongding City in the future. I'll take you to explore the world together."

"Really?" Ya Ya's eyes lit up again.

"Really, pinky promise."

Han Jie glanced at the two of them and muttered to himself, "So childish."

He didn't think that the elimination of the evil spirits would bring any fundamental change to the Liu family.

Whether it was caused by external factors or by external forces, the rift between Liu Song and his wife came first, followed by the appearance of the evil spirit. Even if the evil spirit hadn't appeared, the rift would have gradually worsened into a crack, until it became irreparable, like a shattered mirror, impossible to mend again.

But he understood what Meng Qingtong was doing.

She wanted to plant a warm seed in the little heart, to put a lamp in the dimly lit room, and to hope that the family would get better and better, just as she hoped for the world.

If there were more, more, and more people like this, then the world should... no, it definitely would get better and better.

Since she was planning to wrap up the mission, Meng Qingtong naturally wanted to make thorough preparations.

After coaxing Yaya to sleep and then using a combination of threats and inducements on the curled-up woolen creature by the bedside, Meng Qingtong returned to her room. She carefully took out the talismans and materials for spirit arrays that might be needed, neatly categorized them, and then stored them into her soul space.

After observing for a while, Han Jie admitted that with her organizational skills, the efficiency of using the soul space could potentially double.

So this method of containment that relies on the transformation between the real and the virtual to cross spatial barriers can also be combined with the technical means of organizing a wardrobe?
In the past, when the senior sisters received talismans, I never saw any of them folding, rolling, or pressing them down so tightly.

"Does this really save space?" Han Jie couldn't help but ask at the end, "Also, what are you doing putting a plate of sliced ​​pork belly in there? Is it bait for the net weaver?"

Meng Qingtong patted her taut abs and said with a smile, "Of course it works. After the transformation, the state can be locked. If you don't tidy it up before putting it away, it will be a messy pile, wasting space. I feel uncomfortable when I see it in my internal vision. Now it's so neat and tidy, it's so comfortable."

"As for the pork belly..." she said matter-of-factly, "Its condition can be locked in, isn't that the best way to preserve it in the world? I definitely have to test it. If it works, I can unplug the refrigerator when I get back and save on electricity."

It seems that if those appliances weren't the landlord's own, you probably would have just sold them secondhand, right?
It's not that the usage is wrong, but Han Jie just felt it was strange.

The thought of Meng Qingtong pre-processing the vegetables and meat she bought and then directly absorbing them into her body, and then sprinkling meat slices directly into the pot from her body while cooking, made his lips twitch involuntarily.

If one day in the future she doesn't need to worry about revealing secrets, she might just suddenly throw a handful of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar at someone's face when they get into a fight...

Hmm… Han Jie nodded, suppressing a laugh. Teaching her this method was definitely the right thing to do.

(End of this chapter)