Chapter 2 Extra (Part 2) "Immortal Master, it's my turn."...

As night deepened, the city lights lit up and dimmed one after another, leaving only the stars and the bright moon in the sky to shine.

The Du residence, however, was brightly lit with candles, the light lasting until late into the night. Du Zhijin went back and forth between the cowshed and the side room for what seemed like the hundredth time, the flame at his fingertips heating the milky white milk to just the right temperature, releasing a faint, mellow aroma.

The autumn night was frosty and cold, and the warm room was so close, yet she hesitated to go in, contrary to her usual behavior.

Suddenly, the sound of a baby's laughter came from inside, clear and bright, and it was clear that the baby was wide awake and still in high spirits.

She couldn't help but exhale a breath of stale air, her eyebrows furrowing in worry.

You know, it's been a long time since any demon has been able to give her a hard time... This little demon, only a few months old, is more troublesome than those evil demons that have cultivated for hundreds or thousands of years.

After confiding in the bright moon, Du Zhijin regained her confidence and pushed open the door in one go. But before she could speak or do anything, she was met with a reproachful glare from Ying Jianhua.

She was startled, then realized that the door had been opened too wide, letting in a chilly breeze, and quickly closed it. Seeing this, Ying Jianhua looked away, gently shaking two rattles in her hands, and without turning her head, instructed her, "Put the milk in."

She nodded, then, realizing he couldn't see her, replaced it with a simple "okay."

This little guy has developed a picky nature, I don't know when. He won't drink milk unless it's put in this little blue and white porcelain bowl. Besides that, he won't eat anything but plum blossom meat, won't wear anything but new clothes, and won't play with anything but toys in pairs. He's extremely precious.

The worst part is that it needs to be coaxed by Amo for an hour before it will fall asleep! It's as if it's a weak, helpless little baby who can't survive without its mother.

Thinking of this, Du Zhijin glanced at the water clock. It was the second quarter of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), and there was still a quarter of an hour before the little guy went to sleep. However, seeing Amo's expression, he was already at his limit and couldn't hold on any longer. She couldn't bear it, so instead of handing him the blue and white porcelain bowl, she held it herself and said softly, "Go and get some sleep. I'll take care of things here."

Ying Jianhua parted his lips slightly, intending to say no, but as soon as he shook his head, he felt dizzy and almost fainted. He supported himself with Du Zhijin's outstretched arm, knowing that he should rest no matter what. Even so, he still managed a smile and said to the cradle, "I'm fine, be good, drink your milk and then go to sleep."

Although it couldn't understand human speech and couldn't express its worries verbally, its slightly anxious movements revealed its concern. Du Zhijin thought to himself that it still had a conscience; Amo hadn't spoiled it for nothing. He scooped up the little guy, tossed it high, and caught it again, using a game to distract it.

Sure enough, after playing like this a dozen times, it felt exhausted and started to yawn. Its two slightly protruding eyes shrank back under its eyelids and it closed its eyes.

Du Zhijin dared not let his guard down and waited for a full quarter of an hour before leaving the room, closing the door without even a creak.

Finally, I managed to get the little one to sleep.

She breathed a sigh of relief, experiencing for the first time the difficulties of being a parent. With mixed feelings, she walked towards the next room, where a single candle was lit—her and Amo's room.

Upon entering the room, she saw Ying Jianhua loosely draped in an outer robe, her feet tucked into cloth shoes, looking slightly uneasy. Her heart tightened, and she quickly stepped forward to stop her, asking, "What are you doing? If you want some water, I'll get you some. Rest."

He shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the window paper, as if trying to see through the night to the scene in the other room. Seeing his expression, Du Zhijin knew he was worried about the child again, and explained, "It's asleep, let's go to sleep too."

"But..." He was about to say something more when she interrupted him: "Why do you only care about the child and not about me?"

As she spoke, she guided his hand to her waist, mimicking lines from a storybook, and said dryly, "Feel it, have I lost weight?"

Of course she's lost weight. She hasn't been eating or sleeping well these past few days; anyone taking care of a child would lose weight. She's actually doing relatively well; A-Mo is the one who's truly suffered. Her face has become noticeably thinner, her already gaunt chin has become even more pointed, her eye sockets have sunken in by half an inch, and the dark circles under her eyes look like they've been soaked in the night.

She felt sorry for him, so she came up with this desperate measure to let him rest a little longer.

But Du Zhijin didn't expect that Amo would interpret her actions in a different way.

"I'm sorry, I neglected you because I wasn't thinking things through." He wrapped his arms around her waist, his fingers somehow slipping forward to deftly untie her sash.

A jade pendant was tied to his waistband; the weight made a soft thud as it fell to the ground, bringing Du Zhijin back to his senses. However, before he could utter a "wait," it was caught by two cool lips, turning into fragmented murmurs like cicadas chirping in the autumn night.

As their fingers intertwined, she felt his eyelashes brush against her skin, again and again, as gentle as a flower petal falling on her, causing a subtle, persistent itch that spread from their point of contact upwards, winding its way to her heart. His breath was also much heavier than usual, but it was masked by his constant murmurs, only occasionally letting out a muffled groan, like a sob suppressed in his throat, or a low chuckle, making her fingertips stiffen, unsure whether to loosen or tighten her grip. But just as she finally decided to let go, he eagerly looked up, his lips glistening with tears, his eyes moist, his usually clear eyes now veiled in mist, making her look at him with a tender tenderness.

Du Zhijin unconsciously stopped what he was doing, and heard his voice coming from below: "You don't want to?"

The sentence ended with a hint of resentment and annoyance; how could she possibly respond?

She had to admit that, in matters like this, Amo had a thousand, ten thousand reasons to persuade her to agree. For example, right now, she actually wanted to say that she should rest early, but when she touched his moist pink lips, the words of refusal turned into a vague "no."

He smiled, his eyes shining brightly, his cheeks as radiant as peach blossoms. It was clearly early autumn, yet his eyes and brows exuded warmth, as if he had gathered all the spring light of the courtyard into the room.

Only then did she belatedly realize that Amo was actually a demon. And how were demons described in the stories? Alluring, seductive, bewitching...

There's also bewitching.

A chilly autumn night brought a slight fever, as if spring had come early. A flower branch struggled to break through the soil from the cracks, diligently growing upwards, only to be blocked by a tender bud. It had no choice but to search for an exit along the edge of the bud, and after several back and forth, patiently and gently parted it to continue its climb.

Finally, the flower branch caught a glimpse of the sky and was overjoyed. However, just as its joy was about to end, a sudden downpour drenched it, causing the petals to tremble slightly and become soaked.

Ying Jianhua gazed up, not missing a single detail on her face. Seeing her brow relax, his smile deepened. He kissed the corner of her eye and whispered, "Immortal Master, everything should be reciprocal; we shouldn't favor one over the other..."

He spoke frankly, yet Du Zhijin's ears burned as she listened, and Ying Jianhua desired precisely that faint blush on her ear. Perhaps because her true form was a sword, she was much less sensitive than others; ordinary words were insufficient to stir her emotions. But recently, he discovered that she couldn't bear to hear the words "Immortal Master." Whenever he uttered them, she would become embarrassed, and a flush would spread from her earlobes to her neck, like a continuous candle burning through her skin.

"Immortal Master, it's my turn."

He leaned down and gently blew on the ear rosy with the glow of dawn. The crescent moon, hidden beneath the clouds, remained veiled, indistinct and elusive. Du Zhijin finally reacted, her fingers trembling as she placed them on his pale undergarment, struggling to find the right spot. Ying Jianhua remained unhurried, a smile playing on his lips, his eyelashes lowered, patiently awaiting her move.

"Wow!!!"

A baby's cry shattered the silence, like a thunderclap. Both of them froze, but Du Zhijin was the first to recover, his eyes asking what to do next.

Ying Jianhua laughed.

What to do? What else can we do? Of course, we have to coax them.

Once again, the thought of getting rid of the creature crossed his mind. Even though he seemed reluctant, he quickly threw on his clothes, got up, and pushed open the door to leave. Du Zhijin followed closely behind, grabbing a few wooden toys he'd made that evening. But tonight, for some reason, no matter how much they tried to coax it, it wouldn't listen, crying its heart out in a hysterical, heart-wrenching tantrum.

Ying Jianhua felt as if her heart was being soaked in acid, and her eyes welled up with tears. Du Zhijin looked at the little guy in his arms and suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Does it want to go outside to play?"

"Go outside to play?" he repeated, puzzled. As soon as he finished speaking, the little guy suddenly stopped wailing and stared longingly out the window with his oversized eyes.

Their eyes met, and she decided, "I'll take it to the street tomorrow morning!"

The little guy's appearance was a bit unusual, but that didn't matter; Du Zhijin knew how to use illusions. So the couple, carrying "their cousin's child," strolled through the morning market.

It's curious about everything—passersby, food stalls, cats, dogs. Even a butterfly flying by will hold its breath and be observed intently for a long time.

Ying Jianhua couldn't help but sigh, "If it weren't for that accident, it should have seen the city's prosperity like the neighbor's child." But it was hastily buried before it could even utter a cry, and afterwards, it was cursed and trapped in that small house forever.

Du Zhijin didn't speak, but silently took his hand. The little guy saw this, tilted his head, and made "ah ah" sounds, wanting to hold both of their hands as well. But Ying Jianhua was holding it with one hand, and Du Zhijin was occupying the other, so there was no extra hand for it to hold. Seeing that it was about to start howling again, Du Zhijin had a bright idea and stuffed both her and Ying Jianhua's hands into its hands.

It paused, as if considering how to hold their hands, and finally, with their encouraging gazes, slowly squeezed its own hand into the middle.

"Ah! Ahh!"

It cried out happily, its pure eyes reflecting the four hands clasped tightly together.

The two were infected by its joy and stood by the roadside with identical silly smiles, looking just like a family of three from a distance.

Suddenly, a group of teenagers ran past them. The girl in the lead held a windmill high in her hand. The colorful windmill spun in the wind, instantly catching their attention.

Just then, a small stall nearby was selling windmills. Du Zhijin asked the price and bought the biggest and most brightly colored one.

Since there was no wind, she used a little magic to make the windmill spin "whoosh" like a rainbow.

"...Mother...Father, Father."

The hoarse, unnatural sound resembled the babbling of a ghost; it was definitely not the kind of sound a normal baby would make.

He was startled and asked her blankly, "What...what did it just say?"

Du Zhijin was also surprised, but still answered truthfully: "It calls us father and mother."

He was taken aback at first, then delighted. Just as he was about to coax the little guy to call out again, he looked down and realized that his arms were suddenly empty.

There was nothing there; it was as if everything was just his illusion.

But how could that be an illusion? He had cared for it tirelessly for a month, holding it in his arms without rest, even dreaming about it. Now that it had finally started talking, it was telling him that it was all a lie?

He heard a sigh and, with reddened eyes, moved closer to a warm embrace.

Du Zhijin wiped away the tears from his eyes and said softly, "Don't worry, it just went where it was supposed to go."

Having let go of their obsession, they have entered the cycle of reincarnation.

She looked up at the horizon and seemed to see a new bud somewhere, which would grow into a towering tree after weathering the wind and rain the following year.