"Brother Hao, don't misunderstand. I just want to gather all the details first," Lu Fei quickly explained upon seeing Jiang Hao's displeased expression.
What man wouldn't be offended by such insinuations about his wife?
Though Jiang Hao was a rough-looking man, his deep care for his wife was evident. And beyond that, this was a matter of his own dignity.
"You've already seen the child. What more do you need to understand?" Jiang Hao frowned, looking at Lu Fei's youthful face with visible skepticism.
"Brother Hao, with a situation like this, there's definitely something unusual going on. To address it properly, we need to identify the root cause. I once heard of a case that bears some resemblance to your child's situation," Lu Fei said calmly.
"Oh? What case?"
Not only Jiang Hao but everyone present—including Jing Jian—turned their attention to Lu Fei, curious about what he had to say.
Could there really be another case where someone gave birth to a human body with an animal head?
"Over ten years ago, my grandfather encountered something strange while collecting evil objects in a rural village," Lu Fei began. "A family's cow gave birth to a peculiar calf, scaring the entire village."
"One night, the farmer was awoken by urgent mooing. Since the cow was heavily pregnant, he was worried something might be wrong and went to the barn with a lantern to check."
"When he entered, he saw that the cow had indeed given birth. Next to it lay a plump little creature."
"He walked closer and was shocked by what he saw."
"The creature had the head of a calf but the body of a human infant. Its head was entirely normal for a calf, but its body was hairless and unmistakably human, complete with arms and legs."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
"What?"
"A cow's head on a human body? That sounds just like Brother Hao's child!" Chen Jinfa exclaimed.
"No, no, no!" Jiang Hao shook his head vehemently after a moment of stunned silence. "That was a mutant calf, not a human! How can you compare the two?"
"Don't get worked up, Brother Hao. If Shopkeeper Lu brought it up, there's surely a reason. Let him finish," Chen Jinfa said, patting Jiang Hao's shoulder and gesturing for Lu Fei to continue.
Lu Fei nodded. "The farmer, who had been raising cattle his entire life, had never seen anything like it. He thought this half-human, half-calf creature was an ill omen and planned to get rid of it."
"But the cow was very protective and wouldn't let him approach. Seeing the little creature sleeping peacefully, the farmer hesitated. He decided to let it live, reasoning that it was still a life."
"At first, the creature behaved like a normal calf, crawling on all fours. But not long after, it began walking on two legs."
"It couldn't speak and wouldn't eat human food—only grass."
"The story spread, and villagers came to see this strange calf walking upright."
"My grandfather happened to visit the village and was invited to investigate the matter."
"He asked the family if there had been any complications with pregnancies in the village that night. They confirmed that a woman had tragically died in childbirth."
"My grandfather explained that this was a case of a 'misplaced soul.' A ghost that was supposed to reincarnate into the deceased woman accidentally ended up in the cow, resulting in this half-human, half-calf creature."
"Such misplaced souls don't usually live long. My grandfather advised the farmer to treat the calf kindly and give it a proper burial when it passed away, hoping it would reincarnate properly next time."
"Sure enough, the calf died two weeks later."
When Lu Fei finished the story, the grand living room fell silent.
After a few seconds, the group exchanged astonished glances.
It was hard to believe such strange events could occur in the world.
"Yes, yes, that's it—a misplaced soul!" Jing Jian said excitedly. "I've heard of this happening in rural areas. Xiaoya must have gone into premature labor on the same day a dog gave birth, which resulted in this dog-child."
"If you knew, why didn't you speak up earlier? You just waited for Shopkeeper Lu to explain before jumping in. If you're useless, don't embarrass yourself by coming along," Chen Jinfa scoffed.
However, Jiang Hao's expression softened a bit. "Shopkeeper Lu, are you saying my child is a misplaced soul?"
"It's just a hypothesis," Lu Fei clarified with a smile. "The circumstances aren't entirely identical, which is why I'd like to see if you have any pregnant dogs in your home."
Jiang Hao hesitated, then admitted, "I'm not sure if we have any. My wife loves dogs and handles all of that herself. I don't pay much attention. I'll have someone bring all the dogs out."
He called for the maids and security staff to gather the dogs.
Everyone moved to the garden.
Soon, the staff brought out all the dogs—more than ten in total, of various sizes and breeds, from prized pedigrees to scruffy mixed-breeds.
The air filled with a cacophony of barking.
"My wife is very compassionate and loves animals. Many of these dogs were rescues. If she hadn't taken them in, they might have ended up in a dog meat hotpot," Jiang Hao said with a rare softness in his otherwise gruff demeanor.
For such a rough-looking man, his devotion to his wife was surprising.
He waved to the maid. "Bring all the female dogs over. Any of them pregnant?"
"None of them are pregnant, sir. Madam had all the dogs neutered," the maid replied.
"What? None of them?" Jiang Hao frowned. "Double-check to make sure we didn't miss one."
"Sir, there are only four female dogs in the house, and none can get pregnant. If you don't believe me, you can see the scars from their surgeries."
No pregnant female dogs?
Everyone's attention shifted to the male dogs.
The maid quickly clarified, "All the dogs in the house—male and female—have been neutered. None of them can reproduce."
This only deepened the mystery.
If the dogs were ruled out, how could a half-human, half-dog creature be born?
The group turned their gaze to Lu Fei.
Lu Fei pondered for a moment before asking, "Brother Hao, when your wife went into labor, was she at home or elsewhere?"
"She was at home. We were having dinner when she suddenly said she was in pain, and then her water broke. I rushed her to the hospital. Her life was saved, but she gave birth to that…" Jiang Hao trailed off, unable to finish.
Though the baby had been alive for over ten days, Jiang Hao had never held it. The thought unsettled him deeply.
If this wasn't a misplaced soul, then what was it?
As Lu Fei racked his brain for answers, a sudden scream echoed from the nursery upstairs.
"Ah—!"
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
"Xiaoya!"
Jiang Hao's face turned pale as he bolted toward the stairs.