Chapter 68: The Legendary Demon’s Child

“Blackmail? Yes, I am blackmailing you. But are you developers not blackmailers yourselves? You use steel, concrete, and timber to construct worthless pigeonholes and paint them as beautiful fairy tales, extorting every family, squeezing six wallets dry, and preying on the dreams of every young person. You shatter their spines, drain their marrow, trample their dignity into the earth and let it rot, nurture splendid blossoms from their blood and flesh to grace your tables—is this not the truest form of blackmail?” Lin Xiao thundered, his anger blazing. He recalled how, once, for the down payment, he toiled ceaselessly day and night, giving his all until there was nothing left.

Now reborn and gifted with a cheat, he felt compelled to bleed the developers dry, for nothing else could quiet his heart. Though this world was not his own, nor this era, he felt the same pain as before.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Your price is too high. The most I can offer is ten thousand dollars. Your villa has already cost me tens of thousands in losses,” Mrs. Barham shrieked, convinced Lin Xiao was taking advantage of her predicament.

Her protest only fueled Lin Xiao’s fury. This venomous woman had deliberately sold them a haunted house, and now claimed to have suffered losses herself. Truly, those without shame are invincible.

“Get out! Get out of our house. Thank you for your property—it nearly killed my entire family,” Joey exploded, recalling how Jonathan was almost crushed to death. Unable to contain his rage any longer, he sprang to his feet and roared.

Mrs. Barham was stunned by the rebuke, abruptly realizing that this was not her company, nor were these people her subordinates. She was the petitioner here, with no ground to bargain.

“I am willing to offer you a yacht, as long as you can cure my Hanni. I beg you,” Mrs. Barham’s imposing air collapsed in an instant. The lofty lady became a helpless mother, sobbing softly and sinking to the floor like a heap of mud.

Seeing Mrs. Barham humbled, Joey’s anger softened. He sat back in his chair, waiting for Lin Xiao to decide.

“I’ll take a look first. I can’t guarantee I can cure your Hanni. If I succeed, the yacht is mine; if I fail, blame it on Hanni’s unlucky fate,” Lin Xiao weighed his options and decided to check on the child—not because he was persuaded, nor for the yacht, but out of concern for the boy, suspecting a connection with Melissa or the Dark Goddess.

He could not allow a potential threat to grow unchecked, lest it lead to consequences beyond control. Preparing in advance was the best way to solve problems.

After dinner, Lin Xiao instructed Number Eleven to stay at home while he followed Mrs. Barham to her house. “Followed” was perhaps inaccurate, as Mrs. Barham’s villa was just next door, not far at all—they were neighbors, in fact.

Her villa was even grander, a Mediterranean-style townhouse. Following her inside, Lin Xiao saw five or six burly men standing in the living room—her hired bodyguards.

Mrs. Barham opened a bedroom door and led Lin Xiao in. The boy he had seen before was strapped to the bed with several belts, snarling and struggling like a furious mother cat, full of aggression.

Sensing someone enter, the boy turned his head. When he saw Lin Xiao, he abruptly stopped screaming and twisted his face into a grotesque grin, his expression eerily bizarre.

Lin Xiao smiled coldly. Clearly, the boy’s predicament was linked to him—but whether Melissa, returned from death, or the Dark Goddess was behind it, he could not yet tell.

Seeing her son calm down, Mrs. Barham was ecstatic—perhaps Lin Xiao truly could cure Hanni; after all, the haunted house had not managed to kill them.

Lin Xiao circled the boy, the child’s gaze following his every move. In those eyes lingered something unfathomable, far beyond what any child should possess.

After observing for a while, Lin Xiao was still uncertain. Such strange conditions often stemmed from many factors; unless he stumbled upon the root cause—like with Will and Joey last time—it would be hard to resolve.

“Well? What’s wrong with my Hanni? Has he returned to normal?” Mrs. Barham asked urgently. Stripped of her façade, she was just a mother, her former arrogance gone.

Lin Xiao remained silent—he hadn’t even begun, how could the problem be resolved? Mrs. Barham, for all her supposed shrewdness, was clearly muddled now.

He stared at the boy, who returned the look unflinchingly. Lin Xiao glimpsed in those eyes a strange color, something not belonging to the child’s soul.

“Could it be that this boy is possessed by a demon, similar to Will and Joey’s case? But the situation is different—what could have possessed him?” Lin Xiao pondered quietly, then a thought struck him—if he didn’t know, he could consult an expert.

For instance, the tutor he had just hired for Number Eleven: the witch Zoe Farmiga.

He went to the phone in the living room and dialed Zoe’s number. The dialing tone hummed, and soon the call was answered. A familiar voice came through:

“Hello, who is this?”

“It’s me, Jonathan Byers. I have a question I’d like to consult you about. Would you be able to help?” Lin Xiao explained the situation. Zoe readily agreed, so he described the boy’s condition, his peculiarities, and his own suspicions.

Once he finished, silence fell on the other end. After a moment, Zoe replied:

“Your description is unclear. I’d better come in person. Meet me outside.”

Lin Xiao went outside as instructed. In the darkness, a figure slowly materialized—it was Zoe, the witch he had met before.

“So fast—did you teleport here?” Lin Xiao asked in surprise. Zoe lived in the forest behind the hill, at least three or four kilometers away, and now she had arrived in an instant. This must be some form of teleportation.

“This is the Shadow Apparition spell, one of the more advanced magical techniques. Only intermediate witches can use it—you won’t be able to cast it yet,” Zoe laughed, her demeanor much friendlier than before. Perhaps Lin Xiao’s agreement to let her tutor Number Eleven had drawn them closer.

“Intermediate witch!” Lin Xiao echoed, unsure how strong that was compared to other ranks. To discern the gap, he asked deliberately, “Miss Zoe, who is stronger: an intermediate witch or a vampire count?”

Zoe regarded him deeply, then laughed. “Roughly equivalent to a vampire marquis. Their blood magic is more evil and potent than our white witchcraft. Only black witchcraft of the same rank can compare. Mr. Byers, you are truly cautious—determined to gauge everyone’s strength. Are you afraid others will harm you? Why do you so fear the power of others?”

Lin Xiao smiled awkwardly. It was the curse of all those who cross worlds: a lack of security, an obsession with power, always fearing some troublemaker would try to harm him.

Seeing Lin Xiao fall silent, Zoe shook her head and strode into the house. Lin Xiao led her to the boy’s bedside.

Unexpectedly, as Zoe entered, the boy—who had been calm—suddenly began to scream and thrash, veins bulging, looking terrifying.

“Child of the Demon! This is the legendary Child of the Demon!” Zoe cried out, stumbling backward and crashing into Lin Xiao’s arms.