An empty area of Wu Laoliuâs stilted building had been converted into an enclosure for raising animals, and the animals were crammed against each other. Their wheezing and yelling sounded like a baby wailing.
Wang Pengpai and the others squished in with the animals and hid in the innermost part of the animal pack. Despite the fact that the animals noticed strangers mingling with them, they did not have a huge reaction. They just hummed and howled a few times, and their white and plump and white bodies squeezed closer together.
But it was just enough to keep Wang Pengpai and the others out of sight.
The smell coming from these animals was very strong. It smelled like rotten, dried meat being fermented for a long time in rotten oil. This barely covered up the smell of blood.
Xu Chen, huddled amid the animals, cast a glance towards Wang Pengpai. Yu Hean trembled next to him, wrapped in old cowhide and holding an unconscious, bleeding person in his arms.
They needed to quickly resolve their current predicament and escape. Zhao Hongtu couldnât last long in this state.
As the flow of blood increased, âtheyâ would undoubtedly be enticed here. In the end, Zhao Hongtu and the others would be like a turtle caught in a jar, allowing âthemâ to freely reign over the touristsâ lives.
Wang Pengpai noticed the look Xu Chen gave him, but he didnât dare to take a chance by whispering and just shook his head.
It was not time to leave yet.
Xu Chen suppressed his worries, continued to hold his breath and focused on hiding among the animals, paying utmost attention to what was happening outside without blinking.
The four of them were in great danger now. And all this started from the moment their washing on the third day custom began.
After the peach-wood talisman attraction, everyone was on guard. This time, they knew that the washing on the third day custom would not go smoothly. Furthermore, the situation was exacerbated because they had purposefully collected fewer items.
While their nerves were strained, the midwives went to Baby Bamboo Miao Village and âremovedâ the babies from their stomachs. The little babies did look adorable, pitiful, and precious but Wang Pengpai and the othersâ hearts shuddered. After the babies were born, they noticed that the babies were missing their arms and legs, but the skin was intact. It was like the babies were suffering from a natural deformity as if they were born missing these parts and organs.
But when they had carried the babies from the graveyard before, their bodies were still intact!
Although Wang Pengpai and the others were not aware of what had happened to Miao Fangfei and the others and whether their babies also lacked arms and legs, they had an ominous feeling in their hearts. Before they could think more, the midwife took out an egg from her sleeve and put it in a basin filled with stream water.
This egg was called medicinal egg and was cooked in boiling water. After the midwife read out the auspicious blessings, she picked up the medicinal egg, tested the temperature, and continued reading as she rolled the egg on the baby from head to foot.
âAfter rolling the medicinal egg once, the babyâs skin and meat will be tender and fresh~â
âAfter rolling the medicinal egg twice, mosquitoes will not be attracted to the baby~â
The midwife didnât stop until she read, âAfter the medicinal egg is rolled a thousand times, the baby wonât suffer from any kind of disease~â. Under the midwivesâ salivating eyes, the midwife shelled the medicinal egg and handed it to the tourists.
âPregnant woman, please eat the medicinal eggâââ
It was said that every time pregnant women gave birth, they would lose their vitality. The medicinal eggs that had been blessed in the water-soaked in herbs and then rolled all over the newborn baby, were the best thing that could boost vitality. It was believed that eating them would improve a pregnant womanâs health and replenish their vitality.
Wang Pengpai and the others felt an uncontrollable hunger when they saw the medicinal eggs.
âWeâd better not touch anything this time.â
In Pingpingâs story, everyone who had drunk the fetal flesh broth had died. Only those who were late and hadnât drunk the fetal flesh broth were still alive.
In the story, the surviving village did not have a name, and they were unsure whether their Tea Plain Miao village was the lucky one. The best course of action they could think of was to avoid touching any of the food at Baby Bamboo Miao Village.
It was easy to think about it, but the reality was different.
After the midwives advised them to eat medicinal eggs three times and Wang Pengpai and the others resolutely refused to eat, the baby in their midwifeâs arms suddenly began to cry. Everyoneâs faces suddenly changed the next moment.
Their stomachs twitched as though something was hidden within. Their shriveled bellies swelled like a balloon once more, but their stomachs ballooned much more than when they had been âpregnantâ before. The skin of the belly was as thin as paper, and impressions of what was moving inside could be seen on the skin of the belly.
The impression was of a very small hand or foot!
âThe baby likes you, and refuses to come out.â
Dragged their voices, the midwives narrowed their eyes maliciously, stared at their bulging stomachs and whispered softly:
âEat the medicinal egg, or it will be with you forever.â
The eggs in the midwifeâs palm were so appealing to them at the time that their minds were almost influenced. Wang Pengpai bit the tip of his tongue so hard that it split, splattering blood on his midwifeâs face. He leaped out of the window, his face contorted and furious. The stilted structure was not very high. Wang Pengpai tumbled out of the window and ran without hesitating. The closer he came to the egg, the more appealing it became to him. He could only ignore it if he was far away from it.
When Zhao Hongtu saw Wang Pengpai fleeing, he jumped out of the stilted building as well and ran beside him. He fired three arrows at the midwife while running. The midwife screamed bitterly as the arrow struck, and the baby in its hands was flung out. When the baby landed heavily on the ground, Zhao Hongtuâs facial features were distorted and he vomited. His hand grabbed his stomach and he almost collapsed.
Wang Pengpai quickly supported him. He looked back and saw that the baby didnât appear to be injured when it fell on the ground. Instead, the baby turned over and lay on the ground before it started crawling towards Zhao Hongtu. What else could Wang Pengpai say? He could only pick Zhao Hongtu up and ran around the touristsâ lodged at.
When they were on their second lap around their lodgings, they heard a frantic moo coming from Yu Heanâs room. The bamboo door had been jarred open slightly. Yu Hean bolted in a panic. He raced forward so quickly that he almost ran into the midwife. Thankfully, Wang Pengpai pulled the bull horn, which allowed Yu Hean to shift to the right direction. After that, the three began to run in circles.
At first, the midwife and the baby who chased behind them were very slow. The midwife seemed to be unused to walking on two legs. It staggered, while the baby could only crawl. Wang Pengpai ran so fast that he almost ran an extra lap, catching up with the midwives and the babies.
However, after a few rounds, they discovered that the speed of the babies and the midwives were increasing. The midwives started running on four feet, and their bodies contorted like a beastâs. The babies stopped crawling because they were tired. They began to sit on the ground and cry. The more the babies cried, the more the thing in the touristsâ stomachs moved around. Wang Pengpaiâs face was drenched with sweat.
The babies sat still on the ground. This made it impossible for Wang Pengpai and others to continue running in circles, or they would run into the baby.
Fortunately, Xu Chen finally ran out with a pale face, and the four were reunited.
âThe affinity of the babies is too high.â
While running, Wang Pengpai briefly analyzed the key points, âWe have tried to reduce the number of items used for the washing on the third day custom.â
They had tried their best to control the babiesâ affinity. They only found a few parts of the items needed for the washing on the third day custom, to prevent the affinity of each and every baby from rising too fast. But even then, each of them had half the maximum amount of affinity points right now.
Wang Pengpai and Yu Hean had five points, Xu Chen had six points and Zhao Hongtu had seven points. At present, Zhao Hongtu was suffering from the most adverse effects. He felt so awful that Wang Pengpai could only carry him.
Wang Pengpai thought about the items required for the washing on the third day custom. The Travel Services had always set traps for the tourists. Since the Travel Services knew that preparing less washing on the third day custom items would limit the babyâs strength, they also set up an equally dangerous situation for the tourists who had prepared less items.
If the affinity was high, one would suffer less from the urge to eat the medicinal egg, but it was more likely that the missing parts of the ghost baby would remain in their stomachs.
The four people had a simple exchange, and Wang Pengpai quickly explained what had happened. Each of them had prepared two items, and only Yu Hean had prepared three items. Yu Hean hadnât wanted to prepare the cattle horn powder, but the mischievous baby in his stomach had almost hurt him to death. Arranged from ascending to descending order based on the extent of deformity on the babies, Zhao Hongtuâs fetus lacked one hand and one foot while Yu Hean and Xu Chenâs fetuses only lacked one hand.
Wang Pengpaiâs fetus lacked only the left ear.
But all their stomachs contained a monster.
âWe canât go on this way.â
At present, the four were running around Baby Bamboo Miao Village. Without mentioning that the beating three dynasties banquet was still five hours away, their physical strength was also insufficient to keep them going till the banquet. But the mounting discomfort in their stomachs, as well as the growing sensation of emptiness and hunger caused everyoneâs condition to deteriorate.
âWeâll head to where the animals are.â
Wang Pengpai made a quick decision, âRun over there.â
They quickly got rid of the midwives and fetuses, rushed into the area where the animals were supposed to be and crowded together with them. The midwives and fetuses seemed to have suddenly lost their targets and wandered around aimlessly in Baby Bamboo Miao Village.
Finally, they could breathe a sigh of relief.
âThe houses of the locals are usually safer.â
The panting Wang Pengpai was not afraid of how dirty the ground was and sat on the ground. It seemed as if his entire person had been fished out of the water. Because he had run, he was drenched in sweat.
âWu Laoliu feeds the animals at five in the afternoon. If we are lucky, we can stay here until then.â
âItâs surprising that we can hide from them this way.â
Xu Chen was also panting. His glasses had become crooked when he had been running. He mused, âBut the locals must be more dangerous than the monsters to us.â
âYes, Brother Xu is right.â
Wang Pengpai patted his stomach. He was in so much pain he was clenching his teeth, âUnless we have to, weâd better not use this methodââwho knows what we will provoke. Letâs just stay in this animal pen and not go to Wu Laoliuâs house.â