Xu Milu had examined him before and found that although Xu Fangnian's health was not good, he was definitely not destined to die young. Moreover, he was blessed by his ancestors' good deeds, so the claim that he was a jinx to his wife was utter nonsense.

He married three wives in three years, but all of them died young in childbirth. No wonder Wei Ying was already showing signs of fatigue at such a young age.

"What is Milu looking at?"

Aqing leaned closer and, seeing Wei Ying and the little girl in his arms, exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?"

"It's truly strange that there's a Cuckoo Maiden in Chang'an, a city where dragon energy gathers."

Cuckoo Girl?

Xu Milu seemed to have seen a similar record on the jade slip given to her by Sun Wukong:

"Rumor has it that cuckoos are lazy and never build their own nests, but always prefer to lay their eggs in other people's nests."

Once a cuckoo becomes a spirit, it will transform into a beautiful woman, seduce young men into having sex, and then leave after giving birth to their child.

The human child born from a cuckoo and a human is called a cuckoo woman.

These children are mostly girls, and they are different from ordinary people from a young age. Some can understand the language of birds in the mountains, some are naturally clever and dislike worldly affairs, some love music and dance, and are extremely intelligent. Some are even born to be vegetarians who only drink dew and refuse to eat a single piece of meat.

She stared at the little girl in Wei Ying's arms for a long time, then couldn't help but shake her head:

"Judging from the child's age, she should be the daughter of his first wife. But I have met that lady before. Not only does she not have any demonic aura, but her words and actions are also not like those of a spirit or monster."

“I’m sure I’m not mistaken. Cuckoo spirits are different from other bird spirits; they are very good at concealing their presence. When they hide in a crowd, even some powerful immortals can’t tell them apart.”

Aqing stared at Wei Ying for a while longer: "This child has very little demonic aura, but his words and actions are like those of a bird. He is definitely the child of a cuckoo and a human."

Cuckoos love to have children, but hate raising them, so they always find someone to incubate their eggs—no, to raise their babies.

This female cuckoo will leave when she reaches adulthood to find a new adult male to have children with, and then leave the children behind. This is the cuckoo's nature, and it cannot be changed.

As the acrobatic performance ended, the group from the Duke of Wei's mansion also left with the flow of people.

"Wait, let me sort this out."

Xu Milu tapped her head:

"So, is Xu Fangnian a demon, or a cuckoo bird that only gives birth but not raises its young? And what about the deaths of Wei Ying's two later wives?"

"Cuckoos lay their eggs in sparrow nests, and the baby cuckoos that hatch will kill other sparrows in the nest in order to compete for food."

Aqing shook her head: "Although cuckoos don't raise babies, they might kill someone if they feel threatened by a cuckoo woman—"

Xu Milu still felt that something was wrong:

"Could there be some misunderstanding? This guy is a relative of a judge in the underworld. Besides, there are city gods and wandering deities in Chang'an. They probably won't just stand by and watch evil demons cause trouble."

Which cuckoo would dare to do that? Aren't they afraid of being repeatedly fried in oil after they die?