Chapter Fifty-Six: The Little Vine People

He was not some monster or demon—just a child trapped deep within a den of evil, powerless and with nowhere to turn for help. At a certain moment, he felt a faint glimmer of hope, and so he tried with all his might to grasp that thin, elusive thread.

Zeyu had always been asking me for help. I prided myself on my cleverness, yet I failed to notice this all along. Guilt welled up inside me; I did not know what to say, and I muttered self-deprecatingly, “Why me?”

“You... are different,” came the hollow reply.

I am different, perhaps. Among this group, I truly was unlike any of them. I was neither one of Old Ma’s people, skilled in subduing demons and monsters, nor was I part of Master Wei’s crowd, dressed in suits and behaving properly. I was the only one who did not fit in, here merely by chance.

I looked toward the man in the long trench coat and pleaded, “Please let him go.”

He frowned at me, his expression vaguely suggesting he thought I was a fool. “Huh? I’m here specifically to help him! When did I ever try to hurt him?”

Wait, what was going on? Wasn’t he about to make a move just now?

He lifted the hand holding the talisman, waved it a few times, and the flock of birds encircling Qing dispersed. With the birds gone, Huang Yunlei’s figure was nowhere to be seen—only the sound of low, muffled sobbing remained.

Zeyu stared blankly at the man in the trench coat, then turned toward the source of the sobbing. His childish voice called out, “Mama, it’s alright. They won’t hurt us. It’s over now, don’t be afraid. Zeyu will protect you. He won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

I felt a pang of sorrow. They were never evil—only driven to this state by those who were. Had someone helped them earlier, rescued them from that abyss, things would not have turned out this way. But no one did.

“Mama, don’t be afraid, don’t cry anymore. Zeyu has grown up. Zeyu can protect you. He won’t let those people bully you again. Zeyu will avenge you.” Zeyu reached out his thin little hand toward the sobbing, as if to comfort his mother, but there was only a formless void before him.

His hand trembled slightly, yet he pressed his lips together, pretending to be strong. His mother was already dead, turned into a restless soul. He was too weak to truly protect her or avenge her. All he could do was put on a brave front, for his mother’s sake.

I said, “Justice is inescapable. Rest assured, everyone who has done evil will face punishment. We will never let them escape the law!”

Zeyu turned to look at me, silent, his eyes a tumult of emotions. That complex expression seemed to have weathered all the storms and sorrows life could offer—a depth of suffering no child of five or six should know.

At last, he said, “Thank you.”

It was the heaviest thank you I had ever heard from such a young child, and it made me feel even more guilty and uneasy.

I dared not meet his gaze. Turning to the man in the trench coat, I asked, “How will you help him?”

“The person who invited me asked me to remove the forbidden spirit from his body, and to lay his mother’s soul to rest. But Qing’s soul is scattered, only a remnant remains. It’s impossible to help her move on, so all I can do is remove the forbidden spirit,” he replied.

Suddenly, Zeyu grew wary, clenching his fists and glaring at the man in the trench coat. With the forbidden spirit possessing him, he had gained some strength; without it, he would have none.

“No need to worry. You’ve done enough. Huang Wenyang has fainted, Huang Gaoyuan is dead, and the villagers who harmed you are panicking because their livestock died. You’ve done plenty. From here on, leave it to us. We will not let those people escape justice!” I assured him.

Zeyu looked at me, his gaze filled with both plea and gratitude. He glanced at the man in the trench coat, then at the formless presence of Huang Yunlei. His tightly clenched fists relaxed, and he let down his guard completely. “What will happen to my mama?” he asked.

I looked at the man in the trench coat. He answered calmly, “What else? She’ll remain as she is.”

I choked—was that the best arrangement he could offer? Who could be at ease with this?

Sure enough, Zeyu’s momentarily relaxed vigilance returned and he anxiously shielded his mother.

I said to the man, “No, we can’t just leave her like this. Even if she can’t be laid to rest, couldn’t we... keep her somehow?”

Like how Old Chen once kept the ghost of the self-combed woman.

The man considered it. “I could keep her, but I don’t have anything suitable on me... How about this.”

He squatted down, grabbed some withered vines, and began working. His handiwork was surprisingly deft, and soon he had fashioned a little figure out of the vines.

He held it up and said, “Let’s put her in here.”

Previously, Old Chen at least used a piece of yellow cloth. This little vine figure made me uneasy, and even Zeyu looked skeptical.

“Is it sturdy? What if it falls apart?” I asked.

The man frowned at me. He was tall and handsome, but his intellect seemed somewhat lacking. “Qing is only a remnant soul, she’ll eventually dissipate. Just be careful and don’t let it catch fire.”

I looked to Zeyu to see what he thought. He hesitated, glanced at the formless Huang Yunlei, and finally let down his guard.

The man in the trench coat watched Zeyu, waiting for his reply. “What do you think?”

His expression was so obvious that it was clear—despite his good looks, his mind was not especially sharp.

“Alright!” Zeyu made up his mind and said firmly. For him, this was the best possible outcome for now.

The man stepped forward, holding the vine doll toward the sobbing. He muttered a few words under his breath. Since Qing was formless, nothing could be seen, except the sobbing grew fainter by the moment, finally fading away completely. In response, the vine doll trembled lightly, then settled into stillness.

He handed the doll to Zeyu, who eagerly took it and whispered, “Mama.”

The doll quivered ever so slightly.

A relieved smile appeared on Zeyu’s face as he clasped the doll tightly to his chest. His mother was with him once more.

Next, they would help Zeyu remove the forbidden spirit. The dangers of possession were unclear, but it was never good—especially for one so young, living in perpetual darkness, manipulating dead cats and devouring organs, unable to live a normal life.