The little dumpling held the ball, waiting and waiting, hoping that the ball would find out the truth.

I don't know how much time passed, but just as the little dumpling was about to drift off to sleep with its drowsy little head drooping.

Suddenly, Qiuqiu barked twice, startling the little dumpling so much that it immediately raised its head.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" The little dumpling rubbed its eyes and asked in confusion.

Qiuqiu licked her chin. "Little master, I found it! I found it!"

"Found what?" the little dumpling asked groggily, still not quite processing what was going on.

"We've found the cause of the bloodthirsty demon child's illness!" Qiuqiu patted the little dumpling with its paw.

Upon hearing the words "bloodthirsty demon child," the little dumpling finally came to his senses.

"What's the cause of this illness?" the little dumpling asked anxiously.

Qiuqiu slowly said, "I found it in a book called 'Miscellaneous Diseases of Ancient Villages.' There is a disease called 'Blood Stiffness Plague,' which is caused by blood deficiency and infection by plague bacteria. People who suffer from it will lose their minds, crave blood, and bite anyone they see. Moreover, they are not afraid of pain, which is why that bloodthirsty demon child is so powerful!"

“In a village during a long time ago, someone contracted this disease. It started with a child who bit his parents, and gradually the whole village contracted the disease. No one in the village was spared.”

"Huh? Why is the whole village like this?" the little dumpling asked, a little scared. "Is this disease contagious?"

Qiuqiu nodded, looking at the little dumpling with an ambiguous expression.

"Yes, this disease is called 'epidemic' because it spreads like a plague. Anyone bitten will contract the disease and then bite the next person."

"Then...then I..." The little dumpling raised her hand shakily, looking at the wound on her hand.

——

The Zhuang Mansion.

After Zhuang Yueyue was taken home by her parents, her parents found a doctor to examine her.

After examining Zhuang Yueyue's wound, the doctor found no other abnormalities.

The doctor only said that these were superficial injuries, and that Zhuang Yueyue was too frightened and had not yet recovered her senses, so she needed to rest properly.

Only then did Zhuang's parents feel relieved and give Zhuang Yueyue the calming medicine prescribed by the doctor.

Until nightfall.

Zhuang Yueyue, who was sleeping peacefully in bed, suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and began to tremble uncontrollably.

He muttered to himself, "Thirsty...so thirsty..."

Hearing her say this, the maid who was guarding her bedside quickly went to pour her a cup of tea.

"Miss, please have some tea." The maid approached Zhuang Yueyue and held the teacup to her lips.

Zhuang Yueyue suddenly opened her eyes, her pupils bloodshot. She stared intently at the maid in front of her, as if she were eyeing a delicious dessert.

"I don't want tea... I want blood..." Zhuang Yueyue squeezed out a sentence.

Her voice was too soft for the maid to hear, so she lowered her head and put her ear close to hers.

The bed curtains were dimly lit, and the maidservant couldn't see anything unusual about Zhuang Yueyue.

"Miss, what did you say? You..."

Before the maid could finish speaking, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her neck.

"Ah!" The maid quickly got up, covered her neck, and looked at Zhuang Yueyue on the bed in confusion.

"Miss, what did I do wrong?" the maid asked, puzzled.

But when she saw Zhuang Yueyue's appearance clearly by the moonlight, she was so frightened that she dropped the teacup in her hand to the ground.

Zhuang Yueyue, her mouth full of blood, lunged at her like a madwoman.

The maid screamed in fright, clutching her neck as she scrambled out the door.

The quiet night in the Zhuang mansion was shattered by the maid's agonizing screams.

"Help! Miss... Ah—!"