The talisman array left behind by her Fourth Junior Brother around her was a bit in the way, so Song Yao casually dispelled it.
She followed Jiang Jin into Caopu Hall.
As soon as she entered, she spotted Ning Zhou at a glance.
The burly youth sat in a corner, holding an infant in each arm. A gentle, loving smile was plastered across his face, his eyes overflowing with affection.
Seeing Song Yao, his eyes lit up, and he proffered the babies in his arms slightly. “Seventh Senior Sister, look at my babies~”
Song Yao gave him a thumbs-up. “They look great. Just like you.”
Excellent.
Ning Zhou was the real Ning Zhou.
He was just blinded by the babies.
As a body cultivator, he had worked so hard to build up his muscles to their current state. Yet, holding these babies seemed to have drained him, making him look noticeably thinner. He would probably have a breakdown once he woke up.
Receiving her praise, a flush of color returned to Ning Zhou's sallow face. He hugged the infants closer. “You think they look good too, Seventh Senior Sister? I'll give you one.”
As he spoke, he actually stood up, strode over to Song Yao, and tried to stuff one of the infants into her arms.
The infant's extraordinarily large, dark eyes stared at her as it reached out its tiny hands.
Song Yao took half a step back and shook her head. “No need, Junior Brother Ning. I couldn't possibly take what you love.”
Ning Zhou pushed it toward her again. “There are plenty more. More will be born soon.”
Song Yao: “...”
He didn't sound like he was talking about children, but rather merchandise or some kind of consumable.
Though, in this courtyard, it remained to be seen who the real consumable was.
She shook her head again. “They are your children. It wouldn't be right for me to take one.”
Ning Zhou froze, his smile stiffening. “You don't want them?”
Behind her, Jiang Jin had crept up at some point. His sinister voice drifted down from above her head. “Seventh Junior Sister, Junior Brother Ning is offering out of the goodness of his heart. Why won't you accept?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire courtyard fell dead silent.
Song Yao swept her gaze around out of the corner of her eye.
The citizens who had been cradling and soothing the infants had stopped what they were doing at some unknown point. Now, they all turned their heads in unison, staring straight at her without blinking.
Even the few cultivators guarding the corners stopped what they were doing, turned their heads in perfect synchronization, and began to close in on her.
Their eyes were completely hollow, devoid of expression or warmth, like a row of marionettes. All of their gazes locked onto Song Yao alone.
It felt as if they would tear her apart and devour her the moment another word of rejection left her mouth.
Amidst the dead silence, she furrowed her brows and spoke in a displeased tone, “How could one child ever be enough?”
A flicker of confusion passed through the eyes of the puppet-like crowd around her.
Song Yao pulled a stack of porcelain bottles out of her spatial pouch and cradled them in her arms. “I am a medical cultivator, and a healer possesses a benevolent heart. Everyone here is my child.”
“If I were to only take one child, wouldn't that be partial?”
“I must take responsibility for every single one of them.”
Having said that, she uncorked a bottle, poured out a few lustrous pills, and smiled at the crowd. “Come, let us feed my children their medicine.”
Jiang Jin's hand suddenly shot out, cutting off her movement.
He tilted his head, his lips curling into a mocking smirk. “Wait.”
Song Yao paused and looked up at him.
“Don't Qi-Replenishing Pills have side effects?”
Jiang Jin spoke unhurriedly as he picked up a pill, inspected it, and held it to Song Yao's lips. “You eat one first.”
Song Yao raised an eyebrow.
This fake Jiang Jin was actually more cautious than the real one.
She took it, tossed it into her mouth, and swallowed.
As the pill entered her stomach, a warm stream of spiritual energy dispersed through her meridians, and her complexion grew visibly rosier.
Nothing else happened.
She tossed the remaining pills in her palm and said lazily, “Who would refine Qi-Replenishing Pills with side effects? I resolved that issue long ago.”
Jiang Jin stared at her for a few moments, seemingly trying to discern whether she was telling the truth.
Song Yao was in no rush, but someone else was starting to get impatient.
The citizens were mere mortals who had never cultivated. After holding the plump infants for hours, they were already on the verge of collapse.
The infants, unable to get their fill, opened their mouths and began to wail in hunger once more.
Their shrill cries drifted through the night wind, tugging uncomfortably at everyone's heartstrings.
Jiang Jin swept his gaze over the scene, reached out, pinched a pill from her palm, and popped it into his mouth.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.
Nothing happened.
It really was a Qi-Replenishing Pill.
And one of exceptionally high quality at that.
Before they could find other sources of nourishment, this could indeed be used to buy some time.
Seeing his reaction, Song Yao put the remaining Qi-Replenishing Pills back into her spatial pouch and let out a soft huff. “Since you don't trust me, Sixth Senior Brother, then let's forget it.”
Jiang Jin's expression shifted, suddenly softening as he offered Song Yao a smile. “How could that be? When it comes to the children, I can't help but be overly cautious. Don't take it to heart, Seventh Junior Sister. Quickly, feed them so we can stabilize the situation.”
Song Yao crossed her arms, looking somewhat reluctant.
She glanced at him, then swept her gaze over the sallow-faced, swaying citizens around them. Only after a long while did she drawl, “Fine, since you put it that way, Sixth Senior Brother.”
She flipped her palm.
The Qi-Replenishing Pills flew out of her spatial pouch, landing right at the mouths of every infant in the courtyard.
As if receiving some sort of command, the citizens pushed the pills into the infants' mouths.
The pills entered their mouths.
In that very instant, the rising and falling cries in the courtyard abruptly ceased.
It was as if an invisible hand had choked all the infants at once, cutting off their cries in unison.
In the midst of this dead silence, Song Yao tapped her toes against the ground and leaped onto the eaves, sitting down casually with one leg propped up. She pulled a small notebook from her spatial pouch, flipped it open, and held her brush, waiting.
Jiang Jin had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her seamless, fluid movements. For some reason, an ominous premonition welled up in his chest.
In the next instant—
The infants in the courtyard let out blood-curdling shrieks, a hundred times more piercing and agonizing than before.
They thrashed violently in their swaddling clothes, their tiny bodies twisting as if wrung by a massive, invisible hand. Their once fair and tender skin turned as red as boiled shrimp.
The citizens, who had been holding the children for hours, were already severely weakened.
Jolted by this violent thrashing, they instantly lost their strength. Many could no longer hold on, and the swaddled bundles slipped from their grasp.
One after another, the infants crashed to the ground, landing in bizarre, distorted positions.
Their limbs bent at impossible angles, and their facial features began to blur under the intense stimulation. Eyes, brows, nose, mouth, and ears all squeezed together, resembling a melting wax figure.
Yet, the citizens seemed completely oblivious. They screamed and lunged toward the infants, desperately trying to pick them up again.
The candlelight flickered, casting erratic, dancing shadows.
Coming to his senses, Jiang Jin wanted to protect the children, but there were simply too many, and he had no idea where to start. He glared furiously at Song Yao. “What... what did you feed them?!”
Sitting on the edge of the eaves, Song Yao was actually a bit surprised herself.
Were the side effects really this powerful?
They had actually forced these children to reveal their true forms directly.
Feeling slightly defeated, she lowered her head to jot down notes in her little book, replying dejectedly, “Qi-Replenishing Pills, of course. What else could it be?”
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