The little girl stirred.
A faint movement.
Her fingers twitched.
Her lashes fluttered as though she were waking from a deep, dreamless sleep.
The fox noticed immediately.
"Put her down," she ordered calmly.
The ghost holding the child hesitated for only a fraction of a second before obeying.
It lowered her carefully.
The girl's small feet touched the ground, though her body swayed weakly, as if her balance had not yet returned.
The ghost retreated a short distance, hovering with the others, bound by the banner's authority.
The fox watched closely.
No hostility.
No sudden possession.
The lizard's ears twitched.
Awake.
Conscious.
Unknown reaction.
The fox lifted her hand slightly.
"Return."
The five resentment ghosts trembled, then were pulled back toward the banner. One by one, they dissolved into streaks of gray light and vanished into the dark fabric before being sealed within her pouch.
Silence returned to the ruined village.
The little girl stood there, rubbing her small hands over her eyes as if waking from a dream.
Confused.
Unsteady.
Alive.
The lizard watched her.
Blank gaze.
Ears twitching faintly.
Heartbeat steady.
Breathing normal.
No immediate threat detected.
It tilted its head slightly.
"Isn't a physique also like the bloodline of beasts?" it thought.
A natural advantage.
Something inherited.
Something embedded in the body from birth.
The {system} responded within its mind.
"Partially correct."
The voice was calm. Neutral.
"A beast bloodline is lineage-based power passed through ancestry."
"A human physique is a bodily constitution. It may be inherited, but it can also appear through mutation, karmic influence, or environmental adaptation."
The lizard remained still.
"So it is not the same," it thought.
"Correct. A bloodline carries memory, instinct, and racial traits. A physique alters compatibility with energy and cultivation efficiency."
The lizard processed the distinction.
Beasts awakened ancestral memory.
Humans adapted through structure.
Different origins.
Similar advantage.
Its gaze returned to the child.
Rare.
Valuable.
Not ordinary.
"Understood," it thought.
The night air shifted softly around them.
The lizard's golden gaze remained fixed on the child.
Calm.
Measuring.
"So if I were to eat her, I wouldn't gain a gene?" it thought.
The {system} answered immediately.
"Correct."
"A human physique is not equivalent to a beast bloodline."
"No transferable genetic awakening would occur through consumption."
The lizard's ears twitched once.
"No gain?" it thought.
"Minimal benefit," the {system} replied.
"You may obtain trace yin-compatible essence at best."
"No permanent acquisition of physique."
"No inheritance."
The lizard processed the information without emotion.
Not prey.
Not resource.
No evolutionary value.
"Understood," it thought.
Its golden eyes rested on the white-haired child.
"What kind of physique does she have?" it asked internally.
The {system} responded after a brief pause.
"Analyzing…"
A faint ripple of awareness brushed across the girl's body.
"High compatibility with yin-aligned energies detected."
"Abnormal resistance to death qi."
"Meridians exhibit natural cold-aspect circulation."
The lizard remained still.
"Conclusion: **Nether Yin Body** variant."
"Characteristics:"
"— Enhanced affinity with death, ghost, and resentment energies."
"— Reduced corruption from negative spiritual environments."
"— Potential to refine or command spirit-type entities."
The lizard's ears twitched slightly.
"Variant?" it thought.
"Not fully awakened," the {system} replied. "Physique dormant. Requires cultivation methods aligned with yin or soul refinement to fully manifest."
The lizard looked at the ruined village.
At the lingering death qi saturating the air.
Then back at the child.
"Rare?" it thought.
"Among mortals: extremely rare."
Silence followed.
The child rubbed her eyes again, unaware of the analysis occurring above her head.
The lizard watched quietly.
Information stored.
The child finished rubbing her eyes.
Slowly, she opened them.
Red.
Not irritated.
Not injured.
They gleamed faintly in the dim light.
She stared at the figure before her.
The fox smiled lightly.
"Oh. She's awake now."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Hey… can you speak?"
Up close, the child looked no older than two.
Small.
Unsteady.
White hair falling softly around her pale face.
The child did not answer.
Her gaze shifted.
Past the fox.
Toward the lizard.
She saw it.
Small frame.
Wings folded.
Golden eyes calm and unreadable.
Her red eyes brightened instantly.
Delight.
Pure and sudden.
She took a small step forward.
Then another.
Unsteady, but determined.
Toward the lizard.
The fox blinked.
"…Oh?"
The child's tiny hands lifted slightly as if reaching.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Only curiosity.
And excitement.
The lizard remained still, staring back.
Ears twitching once.
Uncertain.
Not threatened.
But attentive.
The child stopped directly in front of it, eyes shining as though she had discovered something precious.
She lifted her small hand.
Slow.
Unsteady.
Reaching toward the lizard.
Her red eyes shone with innocent curiosity as she leaned closer.
The lizard stared back.
Distance closing.
Too close.
Its tail reacted on instinct.
It snapped sharply forward—
Fast.
Precise.
A straight line aimed directly at her forehead.
The air split with the motion.
But—
It stopped.
A hair's breadth from her eyes.
Frozen.
The lizard's pupils narrowed slightly.
Its tail trembled midair.
Not blocked.
Not grabbed.
Simply… halted.
Hmm.
What is this?
It attempted to push forward.
Nothing.
The tail refused to advance even a fraction further.
It tried to retract instead.
That worked.
The tail pulled back smoothly.
So movement wasn't restricted.
Only the strike.
Its golden eyes flickered faintly.
It snapped again.
Sharper.
Faster.
The same result.
The tail halted at the exact same distance from the girl's face.
Precise.
Unyielding.
As if an invisible boundary surrounded her.
The child blinked slowly.
Unaware.
Still smiling faintly.
The lizard went still.
Its mind sharpened.
Is this the physique?
The {system} responded immediately.
"Negative."
"Detected suppression does not originate from the Nether Yin Body."
The lizard's ears twitched.
Then what?
"Possibility one: instinctive self-restraint triggered by host contract influence."
"Possibility two: subconscious will interference."
"Possibility three: external karmic protection."
The lizard processed.
Its body felt normal.
Energy pathways unobstructed.
No force binding its muscles.
No spiritual pressure suppressing it.
Yet—
The moment harmful intent crossed the threshold—
The strike halted.
It narrowed its eyes at the girl.
She tilted her head slightly.
Then, without fear, she reached forward again—
And placed her tiny hand gently on the tip of its tail.
Warm.
Soft.
Alive.
The lizard did not pull away immediately.
Not because it could not.
But because—
There was no danger.
The child giggled faintly.
The ruined village remained silent around them.
The fox watched from a short distance away, turquoise eyes half-lidded.
Observing.
Calculating.
Interesting.
Very interesting indeed.
"She seems to be attracted to you," the fox said lightly. "Maybe she likes you."
Her gaze flicked briefly to the lizard's tail.
"You did just try to kill her."
A faint pause.
"But there's no need for that. She's only a normal human child."
Her tone was casual.
Practical.
The lizard did not respond.
It wasn't listening.
Its thoughts were elsewhere.
Instinctive self-restraint triggered by host contract influence.
Subconscious will interference.
What is that?
The {system} answered calmly within its mind.
"Your consciousness is preventing hostile action."
The lizard remained still as the child continued holding the tip of its tail with both hands now, smiling faintly.
"Clarify," it thought.
"Analysis indicates the inhibition does not originate from external suppression," the {system} continued. "It is internally generated."
"Internal?"
"Correct."
The lizard processed.
It had intended to strike.
The motion initiated cleanly.
No obstruction.
No force.
No spiritual barrier.
Yet the final execution—
The killing impulse—
Failed.
"Cause?" it asked.
The {system} paused briefly.
"Most probable cause: cognitive interference derived from absorbed human memory fragments."
The lizard's pupils narrowed slightly.
Human memories.
When it had devoured before—
When it had absorbed fragments—
There had been images.
Instinct.
Emotion.
Noise.
Mostly irrelevant.
But stored.
"Explain," it demanded.
"Absorbed human memory contains protective behavioral patterns toward juvenile offspring."
"Parental instinct."
"Species-wide aversion to harming infants."
"Subconscious integration likely occurred."
The lizard went silent.
It replayed the moment internally.
Strike trajectory correct.
Power calibrated.
No hesitation in decision-making.
But at the final threshold—
Something rejected the action.
Not logic.
Not fear.
Not inefficiency.
Rejection.
A refusal.
The child tightened her tiny grip around its tail and leaned closer, examining the golden scales with open fascination.
The lizard did not strike again.
"So it is not the physique," it concluded.
"Correct," the {system} replied. "Nether Yin Body provides energy compatibility. It does not generate external defensive barriers."
"Then this is mine," the lizard thought.
"Yes."
A quiet confirmation.
"Emergent behavioral modification due to cognitive assimilation."
The lizard processed that carefully.
It had gained knowledge.
Language.
Pattern recognition.
Strategic awareness.
And now—
Human instinct.
A faint twitch of its ear.
The fox stepped closer, observing both of them.
"Interesting," she murmured softly.
The child finally looked up at the lizard's face and smiled brightly.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Only delight.
The lizard stared back at her.
Golden eyes calm.
Unblinking.
No predatory impulse.
No strike.
Only analysis.
And something unfamiliar.
Not attachment.
Not yet.
But—
No desire to kill.
The ruined village remained steeped in lingering death qi.
And in its silence—
Something subtle had changed.