“...”
Song Yao’s footsteps abruptly halted.
She slowly turned her head and saw a familiar figure stepping over the threshold.
It was Ming Ran again.
She was holding a baby in her arms.
The moment their eyes met, Ming Ran was momentarily stunned before her eyes lit up with undisguised joy. “Little Master! How did you find my home? I was worried you’d get lost and was just about to go look for you.”
Song Yao: “...?”
Behind her, Cheng Yue stepped into the courtyard, also cradling a baby in her arms.
She looked up and saw Song Yao, letting out a soft sigh of relief. “It’s good that you’re alright. This Wuzhou City is far too bizarre; we should try our best not to split up.”
“Exactly! This is my first time seeing such a strange demon realm. I wonder where the others are right now.” Ming Ran spoke as she walked over to Song Yao, stopping right in front of her. She asked in confusion, “Little Master, why aren’t you saying anything? What’s wrong?”
Song Yao: “...”
Her gaze was calm as she steadily swept her eyes over the young girl in front of her from head to toe.
She couldn't spot a single issue.
The exact same face.
The exact same clothing.
The exact same personality.
If the person standing in front of her was Ming Ran, then the person who had been with her just now... Who was that?
Her eyelashes fluttered slightly. Wrapping her cloak tighter around herself, she asked with feigned nonchalance, “Are these two children from the family living opposite the Jixiang Restaurant?”
“Yes! You’ve already found out?” Ming Ran nodded. “After I heard about what happened here, I wanted to go check on the two babies who were born first. But when I got there, I found their parents tortured to the brink of death. So I brought them over to see if we could uncover anything.”
Song Yao looked at Cheng Yue. “Then how did you two end up together?”
Cheng Yue replied, “I got lost in the city and happened to run into Junior Sister Ming holding two babies, so I lent a hand. Is something wrong?”
Before Song Yao could answer, the baby in Ming Ran's arms suddenly let out a loud “wah” and burst into tears.
The wailing sounded like a cat's screech—sharp, thin, and incredibly grating.
Two chubby arms broke free from the swaddling clothes, flailing wildly. His tiny fists nearly smacked Ming Ran's chin.
He was a whole size larger than an ordinary infant, squirming and struggling like a heavy ball of flesh.
Ming Ran didn't seem to know how to hold a baby to begin with, and now she was in a complete fluster, frantically patting his back to soothe him.
Yet, the more she coaxed, the harder the baby cried.
Ming Ran, sweating from the ordeal and completely unable to cope, simply thrust the baby into Song Yao’s arms, her voice tinged with a plea for help. “Little Master, please hold him for me!”
Caught off guard, Song Yao caught the baby, and the crying in her ears stopped instantly.
Looking down, she saw tears still hanging on the chubby baby's face. A pair of round eyes, with almost no whites, stared up at her.
“Huh? Why did he stop crying the moment you held him?” Ming Ran let out a sigh of relief and praised, “As expected of the Little Master, you're amazing at everything. Can you hold him for a bit first?”
Song Yao didn't answer. Her gaze fell upon Cheng Yue's arms.
The baby in Cheng Yue's arms was also very well-behaved, sleeping quietly without crying or fussing.
After a brief thought, Song Yao cast another glance down at the ball of flesh in her arms.
The next instant, she let go.
The swaddled infant plummeted straight down.
“!!!”
Ming Ran's face paled. Almost the exact moment the baby left Song Yao's hands, she lunged forward, her knees and elbows slamming heavily onto the ground with a dull thud.
She barely managed to catch the baby in her arms. Having been jostled, the baby burst into heart-wrenching wails once more, the cat-like screeches piercing enough to make one's eardrums ache.
Kneeling on the ground and holding the baby tightly, Ming Ran looked up at Song Yao in disbelief. “Little Master, what are you doing?! That was way too much!”
“My apologies,” Song Yao apologized sincerely. “He was too heavy. I couldn't hold on.”
Cheng Yue looked at Ming Ran, her tone none too pleasant. “He's not an ordinary baby, so it wouldn't matter even if he fell. Seventh Senior Sister has little strength and a weak constitution. Don't make her hold him.”
Ming Ran's expression shifted. Feeling helpless, she stood up while cradling the fussing, crying baby.
Her tone immediately softened. “I was just too panicked and subconsciously treated them like normal children... But he keeps crying when I hold him. It's better if you hold him, Little Master.”
The baby in the swaddle also stretched his arms out toward Song Yao, crying miserably.
Song Yao let out a long sigh.
Since her rebirth, just how many demons did she have to mother?
She was about to refuse when a middle-aged man suddenly walked out of the inner courtyard, followed by several cultivators.
He looked over, his tone cold and carrying a hint of pressure. “Since you are disciples from Nine Saints Hall who came to assist, taking care of these children is only your proper duty.”
“Second Uncle?” Ming Ran took half a step forward to shield Song Yao, quickly speaking up in her defense. “Y-you shouldn't speak to the Little Master like that!”
She then turned back to Song Yao, her eyes filled with entreaty. “My Second Uncle has always spoken so bluntly. Please don't take it to heart. It's already very late, and I heard that demons attack people at night in Wuzhou City. It's too dangerous.”
“Why don't you and Senior Sister Cheng stay at the Ming family estate tonight to rest? This child is exceptionally close to you. Could you please help watch him for the night? Once morning comes, it won't be too late to investigate the cause of all this.” As she spoke, she pushed the child toward Song Yao once again.
With so many pairs of eyes from the Ming family glaring like tigers eyeing their prey, it seemed she wasn't allowed to refuse.
Song Yao took the baby and gave a nod of agreement.
Ming Ran immediately beamed with joy. “Follow me, Little Master, Senior Sister Cheng! I'll let you stay in my favorite courtyard! Rest well and get some energy back. Tomorrow, I'll introduce you to the rest of the Ming family, as well as my parents.”
At this point, Song Yao couldn't help but glance toward the end of the corridor.
Strange.
Where was the other Ming Ran?
She had rushed off in such a hurry to see her parents earlier. If she realized Song Yao hadn't kept up, she should have come back to look for her.
Seeing her hesitate, the Ming Ran in front of her stopped. “Little Master, what's wrong?”
Song Yao shook her head. “It's nothing.”
...
The room Ming Ran arranged was spacious and comfortable.
Song Yao closed the door and prepared to take off her cloak. The moment she casually set the infant on the table, a shrill cry suddenly rang out.
Almost at the same instant, a knock sounded on the door, and Ming Ran's anxious voice came through the crack. “Little Master, what happened to the baby?”
Song Yao raised an eyebrow.
Oh? They were even spying on her now.
She grabbed the child's hair, and the crying ceased instantly. “It's nothing.”
Ming Ran muttered, “That's good then. Rest well, and call me if you need anything.”
Her footsteps then faded into the distance.
Song Yao roughly understood.
This child seemed somewhat similar to the Twin Wraiths in the Myriad Bones Forest secret realm. He didn't necessarily need to be held; as long as there was physical contact, he could absorb her essence.
After holding him for just a short while earlier, she indeed felt a bit weak. No wonder the baby's parents had shriveled up like that.
Wasn't this just a highly efficient weight-loss machine?
He could be sent to the weight management department of a hospital to be used as medical equipment.
Rate on N.U.
