Suddenly, a sharp scream shattered the noise of the crowd.
Tang Nian quickly turned around and walked rapidly in the direction of the sound.
A woman in her sixties was curled up on the ground, her face so wrinkled and contorted with pain that her features were obscured.
She clutched her stomach tightly, groaning softly.
The onlookers were in a panic, frantically trying to do something, but no one dared to touch the pregnant woman.
Everyone watched helplessly as blood seeped from under the pregnant woman's tattered clothes.
Finally, a midwife squeezed through the crowd, knelt down, and began delivering the baby in front of everyone.
When the child's entire body was revealed, Tang Nian was stunned and stood there in place.
The newborn child turned out to be a completely drowned, stillborn infant.
The others seemed to ignore the fact that the midwife picked up the baby and showed it to the onlookers.
Tang Nian felt her hands and feet were ice cold.
In her eyes, the stillborn baby's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, its cold gaze fixed on Tang Nian, and it grinned at her, but what came out of its mouth was a sharp cry.
The people around seemed oblivious to anything amiss, and kept praising the baby for being cute.
This scene sent chills down Tang Nian's spine, and she felt a sense of unease welling up from the depths of her heart.
She quickly squeezed through the crowd and hurried back to the inn; she was going to find Cui Wensong.
However, when she opened the guest room door, she found that neither Cui Wensong nor Ming Heng were in the room. Only the faint warmth from the messy bed proved that someone had been lying there not long ago.
Tang Nian turned and walked out of the inn, and saw Ming Huan looking around with a worried expression not far away.
"What happened? Where is Cui Wensong?" Tang Nian grabbed Ming Huan's shoulder and frowned.
"Isn't he at the inn?" Ming Huan was startled by Tang Nian's sudden appearance.
"He's gone." Tang Nian's heart skipped a beat. "Then how did you get out?"
"That scholar suddenly started performing shamanistic rituals in the guest room. I finally managed to subdue him, but he hid in the corner of the bed and refused to move, muttering to himself. I had no choice but to knock him unconscious."
"Then what?"
“I saw a water ghost upstairs. It looked to be only five or six years old. It floated straight into the alley. I was worried that something might happen, so I went to check it out.”
“I saw the water ghost enter a house, so I followed it in. Inside was a pregnant woman who was about to give birth. At first, I thought it was a child that had drowned in the family before. The water ghost didn’t have any blood on it. Suddenly, the ghost crawled into the pregnant woman’s belly.”
Minghuan recalled.
After the water ghost entered her belly, the woman in labor suddenly started rolling around and screaming on the bed. The midwife rushed in, glanced at her, and then rushed out to find the head of the household.
Upon hearing that the woman was having a difficult labor, Ming Huan immediately disappeared into the room.
The woman was on the verge of death, and there was blood visible under her skirt.
Ming Huan dared not delay and channeled his magical power into the woman's body.
Suddenly, his hand froze.
Why can't I sense the presence of a water ghost?
The sound of hurried footsteps came from outside. Minghuan saw that the woman's complexion was gradually becoming rosy, so he withdrew his hand and went out the window.
In Lancheng, there seems to be no such thing as a dislike for the delivery room. The woman's husband rushed in, knelt by the bed, and held her hand tightly.
When the child was born, Minghuan was shocked.
Before me was a normal child, even with eyes that looked like those of a newborn, yet the aura of his soul belonged to that water ghost!
He was just like a newborn baby, crying loudly after being patted on the bottom a few times.
Hearing the midwife's flattering blessings, Minghuan trembled involuntarily and quickly left.
After hearing Ming Huan's words, Tang Nian felt a chill run down her spine.
"Are you sure that child looks normal? And isn't a water ghost?"
"No." Minghuan denied without hesitation. "Sister Tang, you ran into her too?"
Tang Nian nodded heavily.
Ming Huan scratched his head: "That's the strange thing. I've been walking on the street for so long and I've only encountered this one water ghost. I didn't even see a trace of ghostly aura."
Tang Nian turned to look at the harmonious crowd around her and sighed, "The most urgent thing is to find Cui Wensong first, and while we're at it, find out where Song's Pharmacy is."
As the sun set, the two met in front of the inn. The moment they saw each other, they both shook their heads.
What's even more worrying is that there isn't a single pharmacy in the entire city, yet there's a midwife in every few shops.
Along the way, people kept trying to talk to Tang Nian. She dealt with the first two people, but whenever the common people saw her, no matter what they said, they would always bring up marriage.
Tang Nian, unable to bear the harassment any longer, simply ignored everyone.
As darkness fell, the passersby on the street vanished without a trace. The two walked along the shore, illuminated only by the dim light of the street lanterns, making the scene appear particularly eerie.
Suddenly, Tang Nian grabbed Ming Huan and threw him aside.
Be careful.
Ming Huan looked closely and saw that the water in the river was churning and surging, trying to overflow onto the ground, but there was not a breath of wind tonight.
The spot where Ming Huan had just been standing was now submerged.
Can you sense anything?
Ming Huan shook his head.
Tang Nian watched with a solemn expression as the river water surged onto the ground. The water seemed to have a life of its own, flowing straight towards a nearby alley after reaching the shore.
"Come on, let's follow."
Seeing Tang Nian flip her wrist and a lantern appear out of thin air in her hand, Ming Huan's eyes flashed, and he hurriedly followed her into the alley.
As the river gradually rose, the two had no choice but to roll up their trousers and wade forward.
As autumn approached, the river water grew increasingly icy cold, causing Tang Nian to sneeze involuntarily.
In the moment she lowered her head, her face was reflected in the water in the dim light.
Tang Nian was momentarily lost in thought. She slowly squatted down, her clothes already submerged in the water, and gently reached her free hand into the water to scoop up some water.
"Sister Tang!"
Ming Huan shouted, and Tang Nian immediately raised her head, her eyes clear.
She straightened up and turned to look at Ming Huan, who was walking quickly towards her.
"I'm fine."
After speaking, she gazed deeply into the dark water.
The two waded through the river to the end of the alley.
The river water, like waves on the beach, relentlessly crashed against the low wall.
Tang Nian looked up and saw a dark figure lying on the low wall. She squinted and examined it; the figure looked somewhat familiar.
"Cui Wensong?"
The shadowy figure froze for a moment, then began to tremble even more violently.
"No...it wasn't me..."
Tang Nian patiently stepped forward again and extended her hand: "Cui Wensong, come down."
"Sister Tang, I'll go up and catch him..." and then come down.
Before Ming Huan could finish speaking, Cui Wensong moved and fell into the water with a "plop".
He seemed oblivious to the pain, crawling on all fours to Ming Huan's feet, grabbing him tightly, and muttering something under his breath.
"No...it wasn't me...I'm sorry..."
Looking at Cui Wensong, who was soaking wet, Tang Nian glanced at Ming Huan, who had an unfriendly look in his eyes.
"Let's go, take him back."
As the three left the alley, the river miraculously receded. If it weren't for the water droplets still dripping from their clothes, one would have thought it was all an illusion.
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