Tu Bai looked up, stunned.
It was a woman, not very old, appearing to be in her early twenties. Her long blue hair was disheveled, her complexion was pale. Suture lines were scattered across his face and body, making his look incredibly bizarre. his Eyes were large, but his gaze was hollow. He wore a white dress and stood barefoot at the Doorway, looking like a soul-less doll.
"This is.." Tu Bai asked.
Your new neighbor." The Man's Voice came from outside the door. "She will keep you company, if you ever think of running away or something, she will stop you.
Tu Bai stared at that woman. He stood motionless, his Eyes staring straight ahead, as if she could not see him.
"Who is he?" Tu Bai asked.
It doesn't matter," the Man said. "You only need to know that she is very strong. So strong that she could easily subdue you in your current state.
Tu Bai said nothing.
The Man laughed, his Voice coming from outside the door: "Get along well. I will come back tomorrow."
The door was closed.
The Woman still stood in the same place, motionless.
Tu Bai stared at his for a long time. He did not move at all, not even blinking his Eyes.
Finally, Tu Bai gave up. He lay back down, curled up, placed his hand on his abdomen.
He silently repeated one person's name in his heart.
Gojo Satoru.
Where are you?
Please come save me quickly, Senpai.
Chapter 31
That woman stood at the Doorway all night.
Tu Bai had not slept. He curled up on the Tatami, his back to the door, but his eyes remained wide open. He could hear every movement behind him clearly—no footsteps, no breathing sound, nothing at all. That woman was like a statue, standing there without moving an inch.
As dawn approached, the Shoji was slid open. That man in Kasaya walked in, glanced at the Woman, then looked at Tu Bai.
"How is it going?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Tu Bai ignored him.
The Man didn't mind either, turning to the Woman and saying, "Mahito, don't just stand there. Come over and sit."
The Woman—Mahito—moved. He walked in slowly and sat down two or three meters away from Tu Bai, crossing his legs, his Eyes still staring straight ahead.
The Man paused at the Doorway: "Don't play too much. He is still useful."
Then he pulled the Shoji shut and left.
Only Tu Bai and that woman named Mahito remained in the Japanese-style Room.
Incorrect, not a woman.
Tu Bai observed the other person from the corner of his eye. That face indeed looked like a human's, with pale skin and exquisite features, but there were no human emotions within those eyes. They were hollow and indifferent, as if looking at an object.
Moreover, the aura emanating from him—that cold, malicious energy—was that of a Cursed Spirit.
A Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
Tu Bai's fingers curled slightly. He had seen Special Grade Cursed Spirits during missions, but that was always from a safe distance, with Gojo Satoru by his side. Now, his Demon Power was being suppressed, his hands and feet were bound by shackles, he was facing a Special Grade Cursed Spirit..
He forced himself to remain calm.
Mahito tilted his head and stared at him for a long time. Then she spoke, his Voice very soft and tinged with curiosity:
Are you a demon?
Tu Bai said nothing.
I've seen monsters before," Mahito continued, as if talking to himself, "but nothing like you. Your soul.. it's not quite like a Human's.
Tu Bai still said nothing.
Mahito shifted toward him, moving even closer. his Eyes stared at Tu Bai, something swirling within his pupils, as if she were observing him, or perhaps dissecting him.
Can I take a look?" she asked. "At your soul.
Tu Bai finally spoke, his Voice hoarse: "Get out."
Mahito froze for a moment, then laughed. That smile was very innocent, like a Child who had heard something interesting.
You're telling me to get lost?" she said. "But I want to see. I want to know how a demon's soul differs from a Human's. Will it be more beautiful? Or more hideous?
He reached out his hand toward Tu Bai.
Tu Bai's whole body tensed as he instinctively shrank back. But the shackles restricted his movements, leaving him to watch helplessly as that pale hand drew closer and closer to him.
Just as Mahito's fingertips were about to touch Tu Bai's forehead, the door was suddenly slid open.
That man in Kasaya stood at the doorway, her expression unchanged, but her voice grew cold.
Mahito.
Mahito's hand stopped mid-air. She turned her head, looking at the Man with a somewhat aggrieved expression: "I'm just looking."
No," the Man said. "He is still useful. Don't break him.
Mahito pouted and withdrew her hand. But she did not stand up, remaining seated in place, his eyes continuing to stare at Tu Bai.
The Man glanced at him, said nothing more, closed the door, left.
Silence returned to the Japanese-style Room.
Mahito stared at Tu Bai, while Tu Bai stared at the Tatami.
After a long time, Mahito spoke again.
There is something in your Belly," she said. "Is it a little demon?
Tu Bai's hand instinctively protected his abdomen.
I can feel it," Mahito continued, his tone carrying a hint of confusion, "but it seems a bit different. Is it alive?
Tu Bai did not answer.
Mahito waited for a while, seeing that he was ignoring him, sighed boredly.
You're so boring," she said. "You won't even talk to me.
He stood up, walked to the Window, pulled back a corner of the paper window to look Outside the window. It was dark outside, Nothing can be seen.
That guy won't let me touch you," she muttered. "Then I'll just go find others to play with.
He glanced back at Tu Bai, his eyes carrying a hint of regret: "Once you're no longer useful, I'll come back to see your Soul."
Having said that, she pulled open the door and walked out.
Footsteps gradually faded away.
Tu Bai's tense body slowly relaxed. Only then did he realize his back was covered in cold sweat, his clothes were soaked through.
A Special Grade Cursed Spirit, a very dangerous kind at that. That guy called Mahito looks naive, but there is something in her eyes that makes one's skin crawl.
He couldn't stay here any longer.
Tu Bai closed his Eyes, forcing himself to calm down. He began to think.
His Demon Power was being suppressed, but Construction Technique was an innate talent, not mere Cursed Energy. The Shackles could restrict him from mobilizing his Demon Power for combat, but if it were an extremely minute Construction, perhaps..
He opened his Eyes, looking down at his Clothes.
A thin hoodie, already crushed and wrinkled. He slowly raised his hand, using his fingernails to gently pick at the seams on the inside of the clothes. After picking for a long time, he finally managed to pull out a few thin strands of cotton thread.
He pinched the thread ends in his hand and closed his Eyes.
The most fundamental principle of Construction Technique is to materialize something from one's imagination. The less Demon Power required, the more delicate the object, the easier it is to succeed.
He imagined something extremely small—a tiny doll, exactly like himself, only the size of a thumb.
The suppressed Demon Power within his body began to flow slowly, like a trickle of water seeping through a parched riverbed. He concentrated that bit of Demon Power into his Palm, enveloping those few ends of Cotton Thread.
A faint Silver Light lit up in his Palm, so weak that only he could see it.
A few minutes later, the Silver Light faded.
He opened his hand, a thumb-sized doll lay in his Palm. It had Black hair, Red Eyes, wore a Hoodie just like his—made of Cotton Thread, so fine it was almost impossible to see, but it was indeed his own likeness.
Tu Bai stared at that small Doll, his Heartbeat quickening.
Success.
But he needed more.
Over the next few days, Tu Bai began his long preparation.
He ate only a small amount of porridge each day, maintaining only his most basic physical strength. All of his remaining energy was spent on Construction, bit by bit.
Every day, he would pick out a few fibers from his clothes, collect the bits of straw fallen on the Tatami, even scrape a little dust from the wall. He would hide these things in his sleeves, under his Mattress, in any place where they would not be discovered.
Then, during the night, when Mahito was not around, that Cursed Spirit seemed to have lost interest in his soul and rarely visited. He would quietly use that tiny bit of pitiful Demon Power to slowly use Construction to turn those materials into part of a Puppet.
It was an extremely slow process. He had to control the output of his Demon Power so as not to trigger a violent reaction from the Shackles, nor allow the Watchman to detect any abnormalities.
Three days.
It took a full three days before he could complete the Construction of a Puppet Core the size of a fist. The core already had a human shape, with the hair, eyes, clothes faintly discernible, but it was still too small.
On the night of Day 4, he began injecting Demon Power into the core.
This was the most dangerous step. Injecting Demon Power would cause the Puppet to swell, it would also consume a vast amount of his own Demon Power. If he were discovered during the process, it would all be over.
He chose to act around midnight. That was the time when the watchmen changed shifts, also the time when Mahito was least likely to appear.
Tu Bai held the Puppet Core in his palm and closed his Eyes.
The Demon Power within his body began to flow, surging toward his Palm. The Puppet Core absorbed that Demon Power like a sponge, beginning to glow faintly and expand.
From the size of a fist, to the size of a palm, to the size of a human head.
Tu Bai's face grew paler and paler, cold sweat seeped from his forehead. He felt his body becoming lighter, his vision began to blur. But he gritted his teeth and continued to transfer.