Su Jiu fell silent. She seemed to understand where the problem lay, yet at the same time, she still seemed uncertain.
Clarity and confusion mingled in her eyes, tangling her thoughts even further.
"Mm..." The smell of blood interrupted Su Jiu's thoughts.
When she looked up again, she saw blood at the corner of the Buddha Child's lips.
The Nightmare Demon grew tense, his eyes beginning to redden. He was clearly on the verge of losing control.
A Meng's condition was poor, her soul already showing faint signs of dispersing.
Just then, Little Gift spoke in Su Jiu's sea of consciousness. "A Jiu, the Soul-Suppressing Pearl."
Su Jiu paused. "Will that work?" It was not that she had never considered using the Soul-Suppressing Pearl. But as far as she knew, forcibly anchoring a soul under these circumstances would only have the opposite effect. It would also injure the Buddha Child, who was fusing A Meng's soul.
"It will if you're the one using it."
Did that mean... it wouldn't work for anyone else?
The thought flashed through Su Jiu's sea of consciousness before she turned her attention back to A Meng.
She took out the Soul-Suppressing Pearl and glanced at the Buddha Child. "Withdraw. I'll take over."
The Buddha Child gave Su Jiu a surprised look. When he saw the Soul-Suppressing Pearl in her hand, hesitation flickered in his eyes, but he still chose to withdraw and trust her.
Though the Buddha Child trusted her, the Nightmare Demon did not have much faith in Su Jiu.
"You..."
Before the Nightmare Demon could finish, Su Jiu pressed her palms together and rapidly formed several hand seals. The Soul-Suppressing Pearl sank into A Meng's celestial crown, and her soul, which had been on the brink of scattering, slowly began to gather again.