After Pei Chongqing left, Yu Ning soaked in the study, going nowhere.
Among the piles of unorganized, unsorted books, she found a tattered and eerie volume. When she flipped open a page, the corroded, sour-smelling paper flakes seeped into her breath, and she sneezed several times in a row, tears forced from the corners of her eyes.
How old must this be? Stinking and rotten, nearly decomposed.
Yu Ning blew her nose clean, put on a mask and gloves, and looked through it again.
This was a handwritten notebook. Yu Ning vaguely remembered flipping through it before, but because the handwriting was sloppy and hard to decipher, and it wasn't a formally published book, she had simply tossed it aside to gather dust. Opening it again, Yu Ning still couldn't understand it, but she felt there was some hidden mystery within.
Turning to the third page, images gradually appeared—hand-drawn illustrations resembling biological dissections.
The ink-stained handwriting wasn't easily corroded, but perhaps due to years of wind and rain and the weight of time, Yu Ning couldn't make it out clearly either.
Her gaze didn't linger. She kept flipping page after page. The illustrations grew more numerous—by their outlines, there were dissections of heads, hands, feet, and various organs. Yu Ning's head spun and her eyes ached, a hot surge churning in her stomach. The jade hanging at her chest slowly began to radiate warmth.
Yu Ning clutched the jade to her chest to steady her nerves, wanting to snap the sinister book shut, but she couldn't help reading on.
She was certain the contents of this book were closely connected to this world. Though she didn't know where Pei Chongqing had found it or what exactly was written inside, it was… a promising sign, at least.
Yu Ning skimmed past the incomprehensible words, looking only at the pictures. Flipping to about a third of the way through, she discovered a folded sheet of sketch paper tucked inside.
She pulled it out, intending to open it and see what it held, but the moment she picked it up, a knock sounded from downstairs.
He's back? So early. But… why is he knocking?
Yu Ning felt a flicker of doubt. She didn't go downstairs. Instead, she rose and walked to the octagonal window on the second floor, lifting the curtain to look.
A person was indeed standing at the door.
She couldn't make out the face, but the slovenly clothes didn't resemble Pei Chongqing's.
Yu Ning's heart lurched. She had a feeling this visitor meant no good. She took one glance, dropped the curtain, and rolled to hide against the wall.
Gripping the jade at her chest, she took a deep breath, bracing herself. Cautiously, she peered through the gap at the doorway—no one was there anymore.
She blinked.
Was it her imagination?
Yu Ning pressed her lips flat, her back aching from crouching. She lowered the curtain, but her peripheral vision caught a human head. The head had no eyes—only the lower half of its face was intact, and it was grinning at her with a crescent-shaped slit of a mouth.
Yu Ning jolted in terror. With a sharp cry, she collapsed limp to the floor.
The eyeball in her pocket glared viciously at the head on the windowsill, straining to lunge out and strike, but the head slowly sank away, leaving only a cluster of withered, shriveled flowers before vanishing without a trace.
From the moment Yu Ning heard the knock, Pei Chongqing had sensed an uninvited guest. He retracted the scythe that had mutated from his arm, wiped the splattered blood from his face, and picked up the clothes and pack he'd discarded nearby before heading back.
Twenty minutes later, Pei Chongqing arrived home and opened the door. Following the scent with unerring accuracy, he found the door to the basement, knelt, and knocked lightly three times.
Yu Ning pushed the door open a crack from the inside, revealing her glistening eyes. In that instant, the small pupils returned to Pei Chongqing's sight, and his handsome features immediately restored to their usual state.
Seeing her husband, Yu Ning pushed the door fully open with her hand, leaned out most of her body, and threw herself into his arms. Her voice was muffled against his chest: "You're finally back…"
Pei Chongqing wasn't wearing his Translator. He nodded and hummed a soft reply in his natural voice, then lifted her up with one arm supporting her bottom.
The white linen dress swayed gently as the man walked. Pei Chongqing carried her to the living room, set her down on the soft sofa, and turned to pour her some water.
Except for unusual weather, Pei Chongqing almost always came back in time. Whether it was some kind of telepathy or another reason, Yu Ning had never looked into it—she simply found it reassuring.
She didn't mind the fishy stench on him either. Taking a sip of water, she leaned against him and recounted everything that had happened in the study in full detail.
Yu Ning was grateful that she had kept her Protection Stone on her and hadn't gone downstairs to open the door directly, or she would have repeated the same mistake. Thinking of the monster's appearance, a chill ran down her spine, and she still felt lingering fear.
Pei Chongqing's expression was cold and stern. He stroked her head and spoke to her haltingly through the Translator: "I will protect, you. Cannot open the door. This period of time. I will stay at home. Not go out."
Yu Ning agreed and tightened her arms around his: "Don't go out anymore…"
"Also, also." Yu Ning swallowed lightly, sorting through her muddled thoughts, when she suddenly remembered, "That monster seemed to leave something behind, right on the windowsill."
She hadn't gotten a clear look at it at the time—she had just bolted straight to the basement. There was plenty of food and water there, no windows, enough for her to hide alone for a long time without fear of the monster breaking in.
Even though wearing the jade stone kept her mind from being disturbed, Yu Ning still didn't want to see that kind of thing. Jiang Xian's death had already served as a warning to her, and after going through that ordeal, she had developed a bit of PTSD around windows.
Pei Chongqing didn't need Yu Ning's reminder—he already knew what the foreign object on the second floor was.
It was the flower Yu Ning had carefully tended, the one that had been buried with the corpse, the one that had absorbed her scent.
Walking to the study windowsill on the second floor, Pei Chongqing lowered his gaze and stared coldly at the withered flower. He raised his hand and crushed it to ash through the windowsill, completely erasing the mark.
When he came back, Yu Ning was still curled up on the sofa hugging her knees. Seeing him, she lowered one foot slightly to touch the floor mat, about to get up and greet him. Pei Chongqing strode over, bent down, and cupped her calf with his palm.
Yu Ning cooperatively drew her leg back, sat sideways, and reached for the hem of his clothes, curious yet anxious: "What was it? Should we move?"
"No need." Pei Chongqing said calmly, giving her a reassurance. "It won't. Find you."
Yu Ning's suspended heart hadn't yet settled when she asked again: "Did he kill Jiang Xian?"
"No."
Yu Ning parted her lips, panic deepening in her eyes: "There are others…"
Pei Chongqing didn't answer. He covered her lips with his broad hand, stopping her from continuing.
Yu Ning slowly closed her mouth and said no more. After he withdrew his hand, she stood up and hugged him again.
Her head rested on his shoulder, her slender arms curved around his neck, making her utterly dependent on him. Not only did she refuse to leave his side, but she also loved being pressed close to him at all times.
Having learned from last week's lesson, Pei Chongqing had come to gauge the situation and no longer made untimely advances at every opportunity. He still delighted in his wife's closeness, but because of that uninvited guest, there was not a trace of amusement in his eyes.
At night, after Yu Ning had fallen asleep, Pei Chongqing picked up his bag and went to the adjoining room, unzipping it.
The furry creature inside lay completely still—it had already lost all signs of life from excessive blood loss by the time he made the decision to bring it back.
Once dead, the body lost its soul-spirit and was on the verge of undergoing an Aberration. Pei Chongqing used his Psychic Power to seal it and preserve it as it was. He knew Yu Ning wanted a dog—a normal companion dog. But even though he had already brought one back, he was still deliberating whether to give it to her.
Pei Chongqing was unwilling to share Yu Ning with any Spirit Body, even if it was merely a companion dog reduced to an empty shell. No one could guarantee that it wouldn't take away a portion of Yu Ning's love.
The flowers she watered, the books she held, the plush toys she hugged, the television that changed—these lacked Spirit Bodies, yet they frequently occupied a part of her "love." The chicken she had raised, the human she had brought back—these possessed Spirit Bodies, and though their lives were brief and had ended, they were still "loved" by her even after their disappearance.
Yu Ning was exceedingly compassionate, and Pei Chongqing hated this compassion. He had, with a sense of entitlement, damaged the dead objects and living beings she loved in order to consolidate his own position. It was only after being scolded, stopped, and loved by her with even greater care that Pei Chongqing learned to share her "love"—or rather, her attention.
Dogs are humanity's pets, companions, and children. As tools, they can also serve as guard dogs.
This was what Yu Ning had taught him, and it was also the definition found in human books.
They possessed Spirit Bodies and autonomous consciousness, and through interaction, feelings could deepen and intimate bonds could grow—they were more competitive than any dead object or living being he had ever seen.
Many plush toys manufactured by humans frequently adopted their likeness, and he himself had once been attached to a similar vessel that Yu Ning had shown affection toward.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of crisis, but looking at it from another angle, this dog could serve as a child he brought to Yu Ning. A child that didn't need to be conceived and born from her womb, a child with no blood relation—it should naturally hold a lower status than him and receive less love.
Moreover, he intended to attach the Soul-spirit from his left eye onto this incomplete companion dog. Yu Ning liked companion dogs, and she would also be liking another small part of Him.
Furthermore, when the Soul-spirit was attached to the eyeball, it could do nothing but monitor and deliver a single strike. Attached to an independent entity, it might be able to serve a greater purpose.
When the time came for him to sire offspring with Yu Ning and find a new, more secure residence, He would only need to retrieve the Soul-spirit and destroy the vessel.
When Yu Ning woke, her husband was nowhere to be seen beside her.
She immediately snapped awake and called out his name, but no one in the house responded.
The cold loneliness of being alone caused a sense of unease to rise in her heart. She slipped on her slippers, intending to go look for him, when she suddenly heard the rustling sound of footsteps approaching from afar, stopping at the door.
That wasn't the sound of human footsteps at all—it was more like the sound of metal buckles on clothing scraping and dragging across the floor.
Yu Ning's heart grew even more panicked. Trembling, she took off her slippers, climbed back onto the bed, and pulled the blanket over herself—though in the videos she had watched, the Blanket Barrier could also be broken through, her mind went blank and she couldn't think of a better way to hide.
The door lock turned, and her heart rate shot up another notch. Just as she was about to bury her head under the blanket, she saw the person pushing the door open.
The silver-haired man of towering stature was her familiar husband.
Yu Ning stared blankly at him in the doorway, her heart easing slightly. She wanted to complain about him leaving without a word.
But the next second, she saw a furry creature beside Pei Chongqing's feet. Her eyes flew wide, and the words she was about to say caught in her throat.
"Wife."
Pei Chongqing held the leash, stopping the black dog at his feet from advancing further. Using the Translator, he spoke the most intimate address, his handsome face taut with restraint as he gave a brief introduction. "Puppy. For you."
It was indeed a puppy.
A black… Tu Song?
Yu Ning wasn't sure. She hurriedly slipped on her slippers and trotted over, not rushing to embrace or kiss him, but crouching down to reach out and stroke the dog, lifting a face radiant with joy. "Where did you get it from?"
The black dog, gifted with a small portion of his Soul-spirit, possessed not only the memories of its past attachment to his left eye but also the emotional inclinations inherited from the main spirit. It adored Yu Ning. The moment she extended her hand, it lunged forward, pink tongue lolling out to lick her.
A ball of fluff suddenly crashed into her arms, and both her hands and face were licked all over. Yu Ning let out a startled cry and quickly pressed down on the rambunctious little creature.
Pei Chongqing looked down, not missing the moment the black dog took advantage. The hand holding the leash tightened at once, and he suppressed it with his absolutely dominant Psychic Power.
The black dog stiffened, frozen in place, daring not to act up further.
Yu Ning clearly felt it go cold and looked over in confusion, only to hear Pei Chongqing's cool, synthesized AI voice.
"Broken. Unwanted. Spoils of war."
He had originally wanted to say that he had birthed it for her.
But based on the books he had read, he knew this was impossible given human physiology and technology, so he did not say it.
Moreover, he did not want Yu Ning to favor it more because of that connection.
"Broken? Is it injured?"
Yu Ning examined the dog in her arms with concern, running her hands over it again and again.
The black dog felt comfortable being petted but dared not show it. It lifted its snout, swallowing its saliva lightly. Catching the icy gaze the main spirit cast from the corner of its eye, it let out a whimper and lowered its head again.
"Hey!" Yu Ning heard the sound and misinterpreted it. "Does it have internal injuries?"
Pei Chongqing's voice grew colder. "It. Does not."
"I."
"Do."
He spoke each word deliberately, and when he said "do," he bent down and pushed the black dog aside with his palm, pulling Yu Ning into his arms alone.
The black dog tumbled to the ground, but because the leash was still fastened around its neck, it couldn't fall completely, left half-hanging by the collar behind him.
During its time as an eyeball, it had been nimble and unencumbered, even able to turn invisible. Now, as a real dog without any extra abilities granted by the main spirit, even a little force could kill it.
Its little legs pattered helplessly against the floor, whimpering pitifully.
Yu Ning was startled. She quickly pushed away the towering figure looming over her, took the leash from his hand, and loosened it for the dog. She stood up, her expression stern. "You can't treat a puppy like that!"
The blunt scolding made Pei Chongqing's already unsmiling face turn even darker.
Yu Ning had lost her temper at him before.
But Pei Chongqing had not expected that a dog she had just met could provoke such a reaction from her.
The last time had been for that actor who hadn't died well enough.