Chapter 1543: Found It

He Lingchuan smiled. Just then, Wan Qi-feng had come to report that Dong Rui had returned to Yongquan Villa.

He casually took out a packet of Xiang Le Wine Beans and tossed it over. These beans were made from Xiang Le powder, shaped into beans, and filled with sweet plum wine in the center. They were like the liqueur chocolates from another world, offering a hint of wine amidst the rich cocoa, with a slight tartness from the plum to cut through the richness.

After the Yangshan Merchant Association found a workshop to create this flavor, they became very popular in Tianshui City, loved by both children and monkeys.

The Ghost Ape had been away with its master for over a month and couldn't find these in Jucheng, so it missed them dearly.

A shadow flashed outside, and Dong Rui entered. As he picked a liqueur bean from the monkey's paper packet and ate it, he casually greeted He Lingchuan: "Yo, I'm back. Water!"

He Lingchuan, not accustomed to his habits, pointed to the corner: "Pour it yourself."

Dong Rui's face was unshaven, his clothes wrinkled, and he reeked of horse sweat. He collapsed onto a chair in a sprawled, "big" character pose, clearly exhausted from a long journey and having just arrived.

A month! He had gone back to Jucheng to handle affairs and returned in just one month! He rushed back, traveling day and night, precisely because he worried He Lingchuan couldn't manage everything alone here.

Unable to bear it, Ling Guang poured Dong Rui a cup of tea.

Dong Rui took it with a touched expression: "My Ling Guang is still the most thoughtful!"

He cast a resentful glance at the plump monkey. The Ghost Ape was busy peeling off the wax paper and licking the candy beans, not even sparing its master a glance.

It smelled delicious, truly delicious!

While Dong Rui guzzled down several large gulps of tea, He Lingchuan casually set up a sound-proof barrier: "Did your trip back go smoothly?"

"Unbelievably smooth. It seems everything is easy as long as you're not around," Dong Rui said, sprawled in his chair. "When I found Xiao An, she was staying with that merchant family, and the two little girls were having a wonderful time. The merchant's wife rushed out to stop me from taking her, and it was County Lieutenant Li who had to vouch for me."

"Xiao An agreed to go with you?" The difficulty of this task lay with Xiao An herself, not anyone else. Those few demon puppeteers had tried to force her, with less than favorable results. "You don't exactly look like a good person."

Dong Rui touched his face. "I don't look like a fiend, do I? I coaxed the child away with just one sentence."

Ling Guang, playing along, asked, "What did you say?"

"I'm taking you home."

"She believed you?" He Lingchuan was slightly surprised. "It was that simple? Why didn't the group chasing her use this method?"

Xiao An's memories were muddled, but she always remembered coming from Xingyun Village.

A small village that had been wiped out by mountain bandits twenty years ago.

"She never trusted those people to begin with. Besides, I actually took her to Xingyun Village," Dong Rui said earnestly. "The moment she saw the ginkgo tree at the village entrance, she recognized it."

"And then?"

"She searched the entire village for her family, and of course, didn't find them. She cried heartbrokenly," Dong Rui chuckled. "I originally thought she would transform into a Tong Huan, so I had County Lieutenant Li clear out the entire village beforehand, temporarily moving the villagers out, and set up formations, making sure the Black Armored Army was ready."

After the murders at Chen Family Manor and Greenery Villa, he concluded that Xiao An was indeed the Tong Huan, but it seemed the little girl only reverted to her true form when her emotions were out of control.

"She didn't transform?" He Lingchuan still had a very strong impression of that white monster.

"No, when she cried herself out, she curled up under the apricot tree and fell asleep, never transforming," Dong Rui said, placing an apricot branch on the table. "The next morning, she woke up and told me that the white monster that had always been chasing her was gone."

"The white monster? The Tong Huan?"

"Most likely," Dong Rui snorted. "She believed the white monster had been chasing her, but it might be a distortion of memory. I've observed similar signs when modifying other demon puppets."

Ling Guang wondered, "But many of her memories are real, like Xingyun Village. How can she have the memories of a little girl and also be the monster Tong Huan herself?"

"This is the demon puppeteers' masterpiece," Dong Rui said, grabbing a few more candy beans to eat. He needed to replenish his energy after rushing back. "They didn't just modify the body; they even tampered with the soul, implanting the little girl's soul into the Tong Huan's skull."

"To be able to do that, it's truly impressive!" He gave a thumbs-up.

"Xiao An's 'father' is likely the one who modified her. This modification is somewhat contorted, leaving lingering effects on both her soul and body, which is why her mental state is very unstable. However, this little girl's soul is exceptionally powerful, enabling her to suppress this disorder."

"A powerful soul?" Training the soul is exceptionally difficult; even for ancient cultivators, soul refining was a challenge.

"It's innate, a gift from the heavens."

"Hmm." He Lingchuan knew that a very small number of people were born with exceptionally powerful souls. This was one of the strict conditions for deities seeking a suitable vessel to descend into.

He already knew someone like that.

"Have you figured anything out? For instance, why did those people create 'Xiao An'?"

"Hey, it's useless just asking the little girl; her memories are still confused. I asked her to take me to her father's residence, but she couldn't find it." Otherwise, Dong Rui would have led the Black Armored Army to raid the "rabbit hole." "But I did discover one thing: this Tong Huan only has two forms: its original shape, or Xiao An. It cannot transform into any other appearance."

The Tong Huan is a shapeshifter, naturally able to transform into other humans or animals.

Xiao An's inherent talent had been forcefully suppressed, which was highly abnormal.

He Lingchuan stroked his chin: "It seems those demon puppeteers were trying hard to make it maintain Xiao An's appearance. Why?"

"The key point is—" Dong Rui coughed lightly. "Most demon puppets are very unstable, and Xiao An is no exception. Originally, her body would have collapsed within three months. I deduce that her 'father' tried many times without success, as Xiao An bears signs of multiple modifications and has taken certain medicines to help stabilize her form."

Ling Guang was startled: "She can only live for three months? Wait, more than two months have already passed. Does that mean she has less than a month left?"

"No, no." Dong Rui shook his index finger, looking smug. "With me around, it's not that easy. I've already helped her stabilize. Although it took a lot of effort, and she'll require careful maintenance afterward, she won't die within at least a year."

Ling Guang curiously asked, "How did you manage that?"

The instability of their creations had always been a tricky problem for demon puppeteers.

"Remember the secret method provided by Madam Zhu Er? Otherwise, the Ghost Ape would have died long ago. And the little treasure in my backpack is always on the verge of collapse too. As I refined them, I naturally gained experience. As for Xiao An's situation, it's just a little bit more difficult than other demon puppets. How could it stump me?"