Xie Lian said, "Perhaps, it was eaten."
The wealthy merchant shivered, "E-eaten?!"
Xie Lian nodded. The wealthy merchant said, "Daoist priest, what should I do now? My concubine is also pregnant, what if the monster comes back?!"
There was actually another pregnant woman in this household!
Xie Lian raised his hand and said, "Please stay calm. Let me ask, does your wife remember where she encountered the child in her dream?"
The wealthy merchant replied, "She said she vaguely remembers it was a large house, she can't remember more. It was just a dream, who remembers such details?" He gritted his teeth and said, "I had hoped for a son for over forty years, I'm so bitter! Daoist priest, can you capture and kill this monster? It must not trouble my family anymore!"
Xie Lian said, "Don't panic, I'll do my best."
The wealthy merchant was overjoyed, rubbed his hands, and said, "Good, good. What do you need, Daoist priest? Rewards are not an issue!"
Xie Lian said, "No need for rewards, just help with a few things. First, please provide me with a set of women's clothing that is loose enough for a man, and I may need a strand of hair from your wife for a ritual."
The wealthy merchant instructed his servant, "Note it down!"
Xie Lian continued, "Second, advise your pregnant wife to sleep in another room, but wherever she is, if she hears a strange child's voice calling her 'mother', do not respond. Absolutely do not respond, not even opening her mouth is best. Although people often don't realize they're dreaming and tend to lose their wits, if you keep reminding her, she might deeply remember."
The wealthy merchant agreed, and Xie Lian added, "Third, I've brought two young friends with me, please take care of them and provide a good meal."
The wealthy merchant said, "That's no problem at all, even if it's a hundred such tasks!"
Finally, to the most important point, Xie Lian said, "Fourth."
He took a talisman from the Pugilistic Shrine from his sleeve, handed it over with both hands, and solemnly said, "Please say loudly to this talisman, 'Crown Prince, please protect me!' — this way, it can be credited to my shrine."
"......"
That night, Xie Lian once again dressed in women's clothing.
Though he seemed accustomed to wearing women's clothes, this was his first time disguising as a pregnant woman. He dressed and applied makeup by the mirror, quickly placed a pillow into his belly, hid the strand of hair from the pregnant woman inside the pillow, and lay on the bed calmly. Soon, he drifted off to sleep.
He didn't know how much time had passed when Xie Lian slowly opened his eyes, and in sight was no longer the room of the wealthy merchant's concubine, but an opulent pavilion.
His first reaction was to check if his cherished sword was by his side and felt relieved finding it there. This bond was forged between them. Then he slowly sat up and realized that under his hand was a sticky substance, and raising it saw that he lay on a bed with large, wet bloodstains, deep red and alarming, staining half his body.
Used to such things, Xie Lian stepped out of bed, taking a few steps before something fell from his body. Looking down, it was the pillow, and he promptly picked it up and put it back. After a few more steps, the belly appeared to drop again, so he had to support it with both hands while observing the surroundings.
Having been raised in the imperial palace from a young age, Xie Lian had developed his own understanding of beauty and aesthetics. This place, though lavish, was full of a certain aura, suggesting it might be an area for entertainment like a brothel. Its style also seemed quite ancient, more like something from hundreds of years ago rather than contemporary.
This meant it likely couldn't have been the malicious spirit of the wealthy merchant's lost child causing trouble. The illusion is based on the spirit's perception. This ancient building could only exist in the perceptions of a spirit that was a few centuries old. He made a circle around the building, finding no one, and returned to the room where he first woke up.
This was a woman's bedroom, complete with a dressing table and a cabinet containing children's clothes, dolls, and rattles, all seemingly new, showing how dearly their owner must have cherished them. It suggested that this woman had a mother's love in her heart.
Surprised by what he found, Xie Lian suddenly noticed a talisman hidden among the children's things. It was indeed one of his own talismans!
Amazed, Xie Lian re-checked it repeatedly. Yes, this was indeed his talisman. Moreover, it wasn't the simple kind he currently crafted himself on the mountain using herbs and red strings, but the finely crafted talismans that were distributed nationwide during his peak as the Crown Prince eight hundred years ago.
Could the owner of this pavilion have been one of his followers?
At that moment, amidst the silence, Xie Lian heard a string of childish giggles.
It was a child's laughter, sudden and eerie, echoing as if it came from nowhere. Xie Lian remained calm but mentally pondered: The voice seemed familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. Where?
Suddenly, a child's voice echoed in his mind: "Bride, bride, bride on the red bridal sedan."
"Tears brimming, crossing the hills, beneath the veil, don't let your smile rise..."
It was the child's voice he had heard on Yu Jun Mountain in the bridal sedan!
Waking with a start, the child's laughter abruptly ceased. Xie Lian turned quickly, seeing no trace of it.
After the Yu Jun Mountain incident, he had asked about this child spirit in the Spirit Communication Array, but others said no child spirit was detected on the mountain, only he heard it. Now, this child spirit had appeared before him a second time. Was it a coincidence, or deliberate?
The child's voice ceased its laughter and said, "Mother."
This call, "Mother," was close, yet its source remained unknown. Xie Lian didn't respond, holding his breath and listening intently.
Silent for a long time, the child's voice again said, "Mother. Hold me."
This time, Xie Lian finally understood—the voice was coming from his belly!
Xie Lian had been supporting the fake belly, and only then did he realize that the pillow he held had somehow turned heavy. With a decisive blow, something rolled out from under the clothes—a faintly white, pallid child spat out several things before rolling into darkness and disappearing. Xie Lian quickly examined the expelled items which turned out to be several clumps of cotton and a strand of black hair. Thanks to his illusion, the little ghost had mistaken Xie Lian's cotton dummy for his "child" while trying to eat it.
Shortly after, Xie Lian heard the creature's screech: "Mother!"
No matter how it called, no matter how pitiful its cries, Xie Lian stayed calm, never opening his mouth. He deduced this child was a fetus spirit; this house had been the dwelling of either it or its mother.
Since it had no definitive form, it was supposed to have died at a very young age, appearing as a blur of a white shadow rather than any definite shape. None of the clothes in the cabinet had worn marks, nor were they stained by blood on the bed. Xie Lian speculated that the female occupant of the place had likely miscarried—without the child being born, the fetus spirit retained a slight consciousness and wanted to return to its mother's womb, thus seeking out the wealthy merchant's wife.
The spirit called out "Mother" in the woman's dreams, opening her mouth and forming a bond that gave it the opportunity to replace her child. Even though Xie Lian was a man, he couldn't be sure if opening his mouth would allow the ghost into his belly, so no chances were taken.
Hence, he held his tongue while using his sword, Mingxi, to locate the child's essence. With his honed instincts for danger—a result of countless battles—Xie Lian didn't need to see clearly, simply thrusting where he sensed it, and more often than not, he was correct. Though the damage to the spirit would be less in its illusionary realm, getting stabbed repeatedly still took its toll. When a pang suddenly shot up his sole, Xie Lian paused slightly.
The child's reaction was a sinister snicker. Although childish, its voice was bizarrely mature and venomous, chilling to hear. To this, Xie Lian showed no emotion, stepped forward without delay, and countered with a decisive thrust, hitting his mark again.
This incited the child to wail with pain, retreating quickly. Only then did Xie Lian glance at his boot's sole, discovering a small sharp needle. Undoubtedly placed by the child, indicating its eagerness for him to scream in pain. Yet, its plan failed—Xie Lian's endurance was such that he wouldn't utter a sound, even with a bear trap around his leg.
The needle, embedded deep, caused significant pain that Xie Lian tried to remove. But fearing that the child would run, he went after it, the pain soon dulling as he picked up pace. Not spotting it in the pavilion, Xie Lian wondered, "Is it frightened of me?" Suddenly, a window nearby swung open.
Hastening over, Xie Lian was stunned—the window didn't reveal streets, landscapes, or people, only the depths of a lake.
Across the lake was a house where two children sat at a table, eating; they were Feng Xin and Mu Qing's descendants. Unbeknownst to them, above swirled a thick black mist, goading in a child's voice, "Mother! Mother!"
Xie Lian's heart clenched; he placed hands on the window sill, instinctively opening his mouth to warn but checked himself just in time.
Granted, what he saw was the spirit's illusion, but he was uncertain if those children had been drawn in too, where harm would translate to reality. He thought to find something to throw as a warning, yet nothing could be found—a lake lay between, impossible to bridge.
By then, Mu Qing’s child yawned, as the smoke gathered, readying to enter him.
A child's spiritual defenses were weak; without permission, the spirit might still possess him. No time remained for deliberation or swimming. Acting promptly, Xie Lian shouted, "Shut your mouths! Run!"
Startled awake, Feng Xin and Mu Qing’s offspring leapt to attention, sealing their lips as the spirit vanished. In quick succession, a dark fog materialized, enveloping Xie Lian's upper body.
Though Xie Lian caught himself after speaking, he felt a chill surge toward his mouth, fog swirling inside, feeling as though his organs were freezing solid at once. He clenched his jaw, chewed a talisman’s herb and paper, and swallowed forcefully, soon expelling the fog with a violent cough.
Coughing and tearing up, Xie Lian devised a strategy. When ejected, the fog lingered tenaciously near him, so he braced on the window sill, leaping into the water below.
With a "splash," he plunged deep, holding his breath in a meditative stance, slowing his heart rate. He glimpsed the mist above, waiting to ambush his first breath with its cold embrace. Such a sight would be anything but pleasant for a man to bear.
However, diving granted a fleeting refuge for thought, and after moments he knew his plan: "If it must be swallowed, I'll swallow Mingxin along with it." During street performances, Xie Lian had learned sword swallowing. Harmful as it was, he didn't mind; capturing the spirit was paramount.
Resolved, he released, swimming aside—compelled, it seemed, by the sight of a sudden vivid red in front of him, accompanied by the swirling black of hair, distorting vision with countless bubbles.
Blinking, Xie Lian parted the many-threaded ties and crystalline bubbles, only to be met by a firm hand, one gripping his waist, another grasping his chin.
The next instant, something icy and soft covered his lips.