"You don't have to be too sad. Just now outside, they were saying that they'd divorce you and remarry because you gave birth to a girl. Such a person isn't worth your attention. You mustn't do anything stupid," Yu Sheng advised subconsciously.
"Why would I do anything stupid? You don't know. Before I gave birth, my mother - in - law said countless times that if I didn't give birth to a son, she'd make Cheng Qiao divorce me. Cheng Qiao always coaxed me then. I thought he loved me and endured his mother's words for his sake. But when I came out of the delivery room today, I realized that Cheng Qiao only cared about having a son, and he didn't care about me at all," Xiao Nuan said calmly.
"Humph, there's nothing to be sorry about. Their deaths will leave enough property for me and the baby. Inside the delivery room, I heard them say they'd give up on me to save the baby. Even if nothing had happened, I'd still leave this family with my baby. This outcome is actually better for me. Being a widow sounds better than being divorced, doesn't it?" Xiao Nuan snorted and continued.
"It's good that you're so open - minded. If there's nothing else, we'll leave first," Yu Sheng said with a forced smile. He felt that Xiao Nuan's attitude was understandable, but at the same time, he thought it was a bit too cold - blooded, after all, two lives were gone.
"Thank goodness it didn't affect that girl's mood. It's really tragic... I'll take you back to the ward first. You don't know, during the time you were in a coma..." Yu Sheng was complaining to Nian Nian. Just then, Nian Nian suddenly saw two figures, one black and one red, flash by in the distance. The speed was definitely beyond that of a human. Coupled with the heavy yin energy there, it could basically be judged that they were two ghosts.
Looking at the two unknown creatures, they seemed to be fighting. The red figure seemed to be no match for the black one and was beaten back continuously.
Nian Nian quickly ran over to find out what was going on.
The black figure had a bird's head and a human's body. The red figure had a normal human appearance, but its belly was as big as a ball with a big hole in the middle. Its whole body was covered in bloodstains, and there were only a few sparse hairs on its bald head. It was really ugly, and it was holding a red cloth bag in its hand.
"The Blood - Stained Ghost and the Nine - Headed Bird. Why are these two spirits here? And they're fighting?" Nian Nian murmured.
The Blood - Stained Ghost is usually only visible to pregnant women. It is female and carries a red cloth bag filled with blood and filth. Since it died in difficult childbirth in the old society, it's very rare to encounter one nowadays. But once you do, you're doomed to die. The Blood - Stained Ghost likes to claim the lives of children, pregnant women, and new mothers.
The Nine - Headed Bird, also known as the Nine - Phoenix, the Ghost Carriage, or the Goddess of the Lost Child, has ten necks and nine bird heads. It is said that the tenth head was shot off by the hunting master on the order of Duke Zhou Dan. The headless neck drips blood continuously. This bird preys on human children and likes to live in groups. The ancients claimed that if the Nine - Headed Bird flew by, one should blow out the lights and let the dogs chase it away.
Of course, this is only a one - sided evaluation of the Nine - Headed Bird.
Nian Nian knew that the Nine - Headed Bird simply liked children. At first, it liked to take in abandoned orphans and raise them, protecting them like the apple of its eye.
Later, the Nine - Headed Bird changed. It would still snatch children from their families, usually because the children were crying non - stop. The Nine - Headed Bird thought that the parents must not have taken good care of the children, so it would take the children away to raise them itself for a better environment.
"As long as I'm here, you won't hurt these children," the Nine - Headed Bird said, pressing a bamboo sword against the Blood - Stained Ghost's throat.
The Blood - Stained Ghost was badly defeated, with its soul and spirit severely damaged. Looking at the Nine - Headed Bird, it grinned and said, "I only kill those pregnant women. Once they're dead, you can just take the children away. It's mutually beneficial for us. Why not?"
"Humph, do you think I'll believe your nonsense?" the Nine - Headed Bird said and was about to stab.
The Blood - Stained Ghost was no pushover. Although it couldn't beat the Nine - Headed Bird, it had the ability to save its own life. With a flash, it left the hospital. The Nine - Headed Bird quickly chased after it. Nian Nian was afraid that these two would cause a huge commotion and disrupt the human world, so she had to follow them.
Running all the way, finally the Nine - Headed Bird stopped in front of an orphanage. Its face changed drastically. It put away the bamboo sword, transformed its bird head into a human head, and walked in.
Nian Nian followed. As soon as she entered, she saw a group of children crying. The Blood - Stained Ghost was holding a baby in its hand, its hand around the baby's neck, and it was watching the Nine - Headed Bird and Nian Nian warily.
"You've found a little Taoist priest as an assistant? Aren't you afraid of both getting in trouble?" the Blood - Stained Ghost sneered sinisterly.
"I don't know her. Put my child down first!" the Nine - Headed Bird looked back at Nian Nian and was also stunned for a moment. It had been so focused on the Blood - Stained Ghost that it completely ignored Nian Nian's presence. But now it had no time to care about other things. All it could think about was the baby in the Blood - Stained Ghost's hand.
"You never intended to spare me. If you don't want him to die, don't interfere in my business from now on!" the Blood - Stained Ghost tightened its grip on the baby's neck, and its long nails scratched the baby's fragile throat.
"If you hurt him any more, you're looking for death!" the baby was in the Blood - Stained Ghost's hand, and the Nine - Headed Bird could do nothing but threaten. The Blood - Stained Ghost knew it had a bargaining chip. Since the Nine - Headed Bird cared most about the children, it became even more arrogant.
"Your little treasure is still in my hand. Let's see what you can do to me," the Blood - Stained Ghost said wildly with a big grin.
"Okay, put the child down. I promise I won't interfere in your business from now on," the Nine - Headed Bird knew that if it continued to waste time, it would only be at a disadvantage.
Firstly, the Nine - Headed Bird was afraid that the Blood - Stained Ghost would act recklessly if the stalemate continued. Secondly, the Blood - Stained Ghost was still a ghost with strong yin energy. If the baby stayed in its arms, even if the Blood - Stained Ghost did nothing, the baby would be eroded to death by the yin energy.
The Blood - Stained Ghost stared sinisterly at the Nine - Headed Bird. After thinking for a while, it tentatively put down the baby in its hand.
It had to put the baby down. If the baby really died from its yin energy, the Nine - Headed Bird would fight it to the death.
After putting down the baby, the Nine - Headed Bird really kept its promise and didn't move. The Blood - Stained Ghost disappeared on the spot. Nian Nian looked at it and didn't choose to follow. Facing a vicious ghost like the Blood - Stained Ghost, there was nothing else to say but fight.
"Okay, okay, don't cry. Mom has chased the bad guy away. It's okay, it's okay," the Nine - Headed Bird didn't have the time to care about Nian Nian, a strange Taoist priest. It whole - heartedly comforted the crying children.
The children's emotions were gradually soothed. During this time, Nian Nian looked around the orphanage. It was very shabby. The dilapidated furnishings outside and the scattered stone walls inside proved that this place was probably an abandoned building.