Chapter 1: The Haunted Yōlin (Part 1)

  As they approached, they found that the human-faced tree, although its body was the same green color as the tree spirit, had a lovely face with peach cheeks and apricot skin. Its limbs were also close to human form, the only difference being that its torso had rough, raised tree bark, making it look somewhat eerie and terrifying. What's more surprising is that on her wrist, she was still wearing a high-end outdoor sports watch, apparently left behind by some careless hiker who had been harmed by this monster.

  "Beautiful girl, you're still very fashionable." Ding Lingxiu said with a smile as he looked at her watch.

  The man-faced tree glared at him with a pale face and a scowl.

  "Although I know you're a demon with a story, everyone has their own difficulties. You are a demon and I am a demon hunter, we are destined to be enemies." Ding Ling Xiu said calmly.

  The human-faced tree was still glaring at Ding Lingxiu, he smiled slightly, using his slender middle finger to dip a drop of blood from the small porcelain bottle, and slowly pressed his finger onto the brow center of the human-faced tree.

  Blood entered his brow, and in an instant, all the eerie aura on the human-faced tree converged together, gathering at the position of his brow.

  The anger on the human-faced tree's face also dissipated, its eyes becoming clear and bright. Its lips moved as if wanting to speak, but no words came out.

  Ding Lingxiu clasped his hands together and silently recited an incantation:

  "Humanity is lost, ghosts disrupt the norms. The Holy Spirit saves all, and good fortune appears in times of hardship."

  As soon as the words were spoken, a faint light appeared at the brow of the tree, and then disappeared. The human-faced tree suddenly sobbed, its mournful cry echoing sorrowfully. The Hundred Ghosts Picture floated in mid-air, and on the page that had been turned over, a sentence slowly appeared - it was the incantation to summon the soul of the human-faced tree.

  "Human-faced tree, your evil thoughts have been dispelled, your soul will return to the sacred realm. Is there anything else you want to say before that?"

  Ding Lingxiu gazed at the human-faced tree with a tender and compassionate gaze.

  "Young master, thank you, I am willing to return my soul to the Sacred Domain." The human-faced tree spoke with sincerity.

  "Alright, before this, tell me the grievances that have been pent up in your heart for a long time and let them disperse completely."

  The tree with human face paused for a moment and continued speaking:

  "Alright, young master. 700 years ago, I was a rich family's daughter who fell in love with a poor servant. We grew up together and were deeply in love. However, our families strongly opposed our relationship, and my parents insisted on driving him away. With no other choice, we eloped to be together. After many twists and turns, we found a secluded village where we lived a happy life as husband and wife. But this happiness was short-lived. A wealthy young man who had been engaged to me discovered that I had eloped with my true love, and he became obsessed with finding us. One day, when my husband went out to work in the fields, this demon found me with his servants and tried to take me by force. I refused to give in and killed myself with scissors. But this heartless monster was enraged and cut off my head, burying it under a tree in front of our house, leaving only a headless corpse for my husband to find."

  The tree with a human face had spoken to this point, and was now sobbing uncontrollably. The resentment and sorrow of a hundred years still lingered, refusing to dissipate.

  "Don't be so sad anymore, after all, it's been a long time since then." Xia Xianyao used her handkerchief to help Meng Shu wipe away tears, and she felt extremely sympathetic in her heart.

  "What happened next?" Ding Lingxiu listened patiently to the human-faced tree's words.

  "After my husband discovered my body and buried me, he vowed to avenge my death by finding the rich young master. However, he was no match for him and was eventually killed by the scoundrel as well. My vengeful spirit became even more resentful after learning of this, unable to reincarnate or even meet with my husband's ghost. I lingered around the tree day and night, and since it had a thousand years of spiritual energy, it tempted me to use its power to become a demon and exact revenge on the rich young master. It told me that with a physical body, I could find my husband's spirit before he reincarnated and see him one last time. I already hated that beast with all my heart, so I believed the tree's words and became a human-faced tree demon. Using its demonic power, I found the rich young master, intending to kill only him to avenge myself and my husband. However, the tree's power took control of my will, and on the night I found the rich young master, it had me slaughter his entire family of dozens, devour their hearts, and seal away my free will from then on. The tree continued to wreak havoc in the mortal world."

  "So you never got to see your husband again?" Xia Xianyao gazed at the poor demon in front of her with a tinge of sadness.

  "Yes, for centuries I have watched this tree demon kill innocent mortals every day, powerless to stop it, and can only silently mourn my deceased husband."

  The tree with a human face finished speaking, overcome with grief, the hardships and bitterness that had been suppressed for a hundred years finally poured out, and emotions that had long since worn away still gathered into a stream of tears, flowing down along the mottled bark. Resentment, regret, longing - all these can fade away with time, but only true love remains unwithered after a hundred years.

  "Your wish I will help you achieve sooner or later, before that, may you be able to purify your mind of distractions in the sacred realm and attain enlightenment." Ding Lingxiu said.

  Ding Lingxiu felt a pang of sadness for the human-faced tree, but after checking the time, he calmly began to recite the incantation to summon its soul from the Hundred Ghosts Painting.

  "Afflicted mandarin ducks, hard to speak of their tragic separation. The tree spirit is enchanting and bewildering, with a human face wandering about."

  As soon as the words were spoken, the tearful person's face transformed into a strand of green light and merged into the Hundred Ghosts Painting. The blank page now had an ink painting of the person-faced tree.

  "I really didn't expect that every monster in the Hundred Ghosts Painting would have such an unusual experience." Xia Xianyao was filled with emotion, and her eyes also sparkled with tears.

  "It's almost midnight, we should head back too." Ding Lingyu put away the Hundred Ghosts Painting and said calmly.

  "What? Ah, right! You've included the human-faced tree in the Hundred Ghosts Painting, what about my Human-Faced Tree species?" Xia Xianyao suddenly realized this and stared at Ding Lingxiu with wide eyes.

  "She was so sad just now, I didn't ask her, but obviously she hasn't reached the time of giving birth to a new life. When the Person-Faced Tree reaches its hundredth birthday, it will produce two seeds, and its own primordial spirit will be infused into one of the seeds to gain rebirth. The other seed is its hundred years of cultivation. After the seed with the primordial spirit grows up, it will swallow this seed carrying a hundred years of cultivation, gaining even stronger demonic power. That is to say, although I promised you, I will only give you this hundred-year cultivation seed." Ding Ling Xiu said.

  "I knew that, I'm after that hundred-year-old cultivation seed." Xia Xianyao anxiously shouted, afraid that Ding Ling would go back on his word.

  "But it can't be taken by force, at least not without the person's consent, you see how pitiful she is, a young girl from a good family." Ding Lingxiu said with a helpless expression.

  "Wow, no wonder you listened to the tree's confession in front of me. It was all just to move me and make me feel guilty about taking its seeds, wasn't it?" Xia Xianyao glared at Ding Ling's calm face under the moonlight.

  "You're thinking too much, I didn't mean anything else, but really want to ask for the consent of the human-faced tree. Alright, let's call it out tomorrow and you two can negotiate." Ding Lingxu smiled slightly and waved his hand.

  "You... you scoundrel, I'm so angry, anyway, no matter what, even if it means robbing me, I must get the seeds."

  "Look at how excited you are, why is this seed so important to you? You just want to swallow it to increase your spiritual power, but compared to other immortal pills and medicines, the hundred-year cultivation of this human-faced tree is not that easy to obtain, and its effect on enhancing spiritual power isn't that great either."

  Although Ding Lingxiu said so, what he was really worried about in his heart was the true identity of this young girl beside him. Although Xia Xianyao had never shown any signs of being a demon all along, Ding Lingxiu felt that it was unusual. As a demon hunter who fought with demons every day, even Ding Lingxiu himself couldn't guarantee that he didn't have any demonic energy on his body, yet this unremarkable demon hunter in front of him was filled with spiritual energy from head to toe, pure and transparent, as if intentionally concealed.

  If it's really as he worried, the girl in front of him is a highly cultivated demon, if she eats the hundred-year cultivation of the human-faced tree, it's likely that she will immediately turn against herself and wait for an opportunity to kill.

  Ding Lingshu finished asking, but Xia Xianyao didn't respond for a long time.

  Under the moonlight, Xia Xianyao's eyes became ethereal, and she remained silent for a long time before whispering:

  "My dearest is in a life-or-death situation, and the seed of the Man-Faced Tree is the only medicine that can save her. I'll risk my own life to get it."

  Xia Xianyao's voice was flat, but her expression couldn't be faked, it was that kind of inexpressible sorrow. After she finished speaking, she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and made a wish to the stars.

  "Are you making a wish?"

  "Yes, tonight's starry sky is perfect for making wishes!"

  Ding Lingxiu didn't speak, took out a lighter, lit a cigarette, and looked up at the deep blue night sky. The eight stars of the willow constellation hung like a weeping willow. He wasn't very good at stargazing, but Xia Xianyao's words from before made him feel a sense of resonance.

  "What about you? What brings you here?" Xia Xianyao asked indifferently, seemingly still in a daze.

  "Me? Because I'm an Onmyodo!"

  Ding Lingxiu replied faintly, but memories suddenly gushed out like a spring, and past events were vivid before her eyes.