The courtyard fell into complete chaos. The faces of the cultivators outside changed drastically as they scrambled inside to help.
Ming Ran was also startled. She was about to rush in and lend a hand when Song Yao held her back.
Song Yao’s expression remained calm, seemingly unaffected by the shocking scene before them. Her voice was almost cold as she said, “Don't waste time. The longer the demon realm persists, the more dangerous it becomes. I'll keep an eye on things here. You head back to the Ming family first.”
Her quiet, cool voice had a calming effect.
Ming Ran let out a slow breath, calming down slightly. “You're not familiar with Wuzhou City. Won't it be more dangerous if we split up? Besides...”
This courtyard gave off an incredibly unsettling feeling, as if something terrible was about to happen.
Song Yao said, “It's fine. Don't worry about me.”
Just as she finished speaking, footsteps approached from a distance.
Jiang Jin and Ning Zhou hurried over. Upon seeing them, they both let out a sigh of relief. “It's great that you're here! Is everyone alright?”
Having more people together naturally brought a sense of security.
Ming Ran was pleasantly surprised. “How did you find this place?!”
Ning Zhou was about to answer when the wave of shrill, agonizing screams from the courtyard cut him off.
He furrowed his brows and glanced inside. “We ran into two of your Ming family cultivators just now and got the gist of the situation, so we rushed over to check. What do we do next?”
Jiang Jin's expression was grave as he said in a deep voice, “I'll keep watch here. You two go investigate other matters.”
Ning Zhou quickly agreed, “I'll stay too. I'm strong, so I can help them out.”
With so many people giving birth, they probably wouldn't be able to hold them down once the pain set in.
Having him there would indeed be helpful.
Jiang Jin frowned slightly. “No need. You should go protect them...”
Song Yao cut him off. “Then the two of you will stay here. If anything goes wrong, send us a transmission immediately. We'll head to the Ming family to see what's happening.”
Ning Zhou replied, “Alright, leave it to us.”
Seeing this, Jiang Jin could only agree, “Okay.”
...
Before heading to the Ming family estate, Song Yao and Ming Ran asked for directions and made their way to the home of the couple who had given birth first.
Within a few steps, the sky grew increasingly dark and oppressive. A light drizzle began to fall, and mist rolled in.
The entirety of Wuzhou City felt cold and damp. It was eerily quiet and bizarrely suffocating, making one's chest feel tight.
Stopping in front of a residence, Ming Ran surveyed the surroundings to confirm. “The second house in the alley opposite the Jixiang Restaurant. This is the place.”
She raised her hand and knocked gently on the courtyard door, but there was no sound from inside.
Song Yao took a half-step back. “The situation is unclear. We shouldn't waste time here.”
Ming Ran immediately kicked the wooden door open. “Then let's just go straight in.”
As soon as they entered the courtyard, low, weak coughs drifted intermittently from the house.
Ming Ran kicked open another door and walked inside. “Excuse the intrusion.”
Song Yao crossed her arms and nodded in satisfaction.
This kid was quite sensible.
She had a bright future.
Song Yao followed her inside at a leisurely pace.
The room was extremely dark.
On the bed lay a man and a woman. Their bodies were shriveled and emaciated, resembling withered wood.
Their skin sagged, their deeply sunken eyes were ringed with dark circles, and their breathing was so faint that they seemed to have only a single breath left in them.
Hearing the commotion, the two struggled to sit up. They stretched out their trembling arms toward Ming Ran, their voices raspy and barely audible as they repeatedly murmured in supplication, “My baby... give me back... give me back my baby...”
Ming Ran gasped. She quickly stepped forward and helped them lie back down. “W-what is going on here? How did you become so thin?”
Song Yao hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided against giving them her own Qi-Replenishing Pills.
In their current state, they didn't look like they could survive the side effects.
Instead, she took out two ordinary Qi-Replenishing Pills and fed them to the couple, barely managing to keep them alive.
Having regained a bit of strength, a nearly pathological obsession flared in their eyes. They suddenly grabbed Ming Ran's arms, crying out, “My baby, give me back my baby! Give my baby back to me!”
Ming Ran hastily asked, “Where is your child?”
The couple's yellowed, bulging eyes rolled as tears spilled down their cheeks. They became hysterical. “Stolen! My baby was stolen! You! It was you! Your Ming family... the Ming family must return my baby!”
Ming Ran was taken aback by the accusation. Once she processed it, she asked, “Do you mean someone from the Ming family took your baby?”
She struggled to break free from their dry, branch-like grip and gently pressed them back onto the bed.
She pulled Song Yao a bit further away and whispered, “Looking at them, their essence was likely sucked dry by the baby. Those children are indeed abnormal. My family must have realized something was wrong and taken them away. We still need to head back to the Ming family estate to check.”
Song Yao wrapped her robes tighter around herself.
She had been traveling all day without sleep, and now she was feeling a bit drowsy and low on energy.
She nodded and replied listlessly, “Alright.”
With her looking tired, Ming Ran guessed she wasn't feeling well. Before heading out, she retrieved a cloak from her spatial pouch and handed it to her. “It's getting cold. Please wear this, Little Master.”
Song Yao had cloaks in her own spatial pouch, but they were too thin to be of much use. Ming Ran's cloak looked much warmer.
She accepted and put it on. The damp cold was immediately blocked out, and she indeed felt much better. She couldn't help but smile at Ming Ran. “Thank you. Let's go. We'll head to your home.”
Ming Ran scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Actually, I've wanted to bring you home for a long time. My parents, my aunt, my uncle, and everyone else really, really want to meet you! Who knew things would be like this when we got back? I'm afraid we won't be able to host you properly.”
Song Yao comforted her, “It's fine. At least you have a home. I don't even have one.”
Ming Ran: “...”
Song Yao added, “I also don't have a father, a mother, an aunt, or an uncle.”
Ming Ran: “...”
It was hard to tell if the atmosphere had become lighter or heavier. Ming Ran placed a few more Qi-Replenishing Pills on the bedside table and covered the couple with another blanket.
Only then did they leave, hurrying toward the Ming family estate.
The front gates, usually heavily guarded, were now slightly ajar. There was not a single soul in sight, and the entire estate was abnormally quiet.
Ming Ran's heart sank. She rushed up the steps, pushed the doors open, and called out loudly, “Mother! Father! Is anyone there?!”
At the end of the corridor, a woman heard the voice and walked out. Her hair was styled immaculately. When she saw Ming Ran, she was clearly stunned. “Ranran?”
“Eldest Aunt!”
Ming Ran quickly ran forward and hugged her, asking urgently, “Where is everyone else? How are my parents' injuries? Is everyone alright?”
“They... they're fine... How did you get back so quickly?”
After asking in confusion, the woman noticed Song Yao standing behind her. “And this is?”
“This is the master I told you about!”
Ming Ran quickly introduced her. “She is super, super, super amazing! But now isn't the time for that. I want to see my parents first. Where are they?”
Eldest Aunt looked hesitant. “They are in their room. Why do you want to see them again? Didn't you just...”
“Alright, I'll go take a look.”
Ming Ran couldn't wait. She immediately dragged Eldest Aunt and ran inside, not forgetting to call back to Song Yao, “Little Master, keep up! Be careful not to get lost!”
Song Yao nodded and walked forward at a leisurely pace.
Before she had gone more than a few steps, the courtyard door behind her was pushed open once again.
Ming Ran's voice rang out, “Aunt, we're back.”
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