"Xiaoya!"
Jing Jian was the second to react, quickly sprinting up the stairs.
Jiang Hao, short-limbed and barrel-shaped like a winter melon, lagged behind due to his lack of fitness and was soon overtaken.
When Jing Jian reached the nursery, he found the maid collapsed in the doorway, trembling with terror, her face pale as a sheet.
"What happened? Xiaoya—what's wrong with her?" Jing Jian shouted anxiously.
"Madam… she, she…" The maid's voice quavered as she pointed a shaking finger at the closed door, unable to form a coherent sentence.
"Xiaoya!"
Panicked, Jing Jian kicked the door open and rushed inside.
What he saw left him dumbfounded.
Xiaoya sat on the edge of the crib, her disheveled hair cascading over her shoulders. She cradled the baby in her arms, her pink pajamas unbuttoned at the chest.
The grotesque dog-headed baby was suckling at her breast with apparent satisfaction, its face content and serene.
She was breastfeeding.
Jing Jian blushed furiously and turned away, his face burning with embarrassment.
"Xiaoya, I didn't mean to intrude…"
Xiaoya didn't seem to mind. Her face glowed with maternal pride and affection as she looked down at the baby.
"Brother Jian, look at my child. Isn't he adorable?"
By this time, the others had arrived.
Jiang Hao burst in, panting heavily, sweat pouring down his face. His worry turned to anger as he saw the scene.
"What are you looking at? Get out of here!"
Fuming, he shoved Jing Jian out of the room and slammed the door shut, refusing to let anyone witness his wife feeding the baby.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.
Even if the baby had its peculiarities, breastfeeding was normal. Why had the maid screamed? Why had she looked so terrified?
Jiang Hao turned his anger on the maid, pointing at her furiously. "What's wrong with you? Screaming like that over nothing! Are you trying to scare us all to death?"
"Madam… she…" The maid, frightened and tearful, stammered, "She wasn't feeding him milk… it was blood."
"Blood?!"
Jiang Hao froze in shock, his body stiffening.
Everyone else gasped in horror.
"Are you sure? If the baby is drinking blood, this is much worse than we thought," Lu Fei said gravely.
Jiang Hao, struggling to accept this, slapped the maid hard.
"Stop spouting nonsense!"
"Mr. Jiang, I swear I'm not lying! If you don't believe me, go see for yourself!" the maid sobbed, clutching her cheek.
Jiang Hao, too angry to listen, raised his leg to kick her but found it difficult with his short stature.
"Brother Hao, calm down," Chen Jinfa intervened, holding him back. "Check for yourself first. If there's really a problem, Shopkeeper Lu is here to help. Picking on the maid won't solve anything."
Realizing the urgency, Jiang Hao stopped himself. He took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, and cautiously pushed the nursery door open.
Peeking through the crack first, he then stepped inside.
"Dear…"
"How many times have I told you, stop shouting and scaring the baby," Xiaoya scolded gently. She had finished feeding the baby and was now placing him back in the crib, softly patting him to sleep.
"I'll be careful. You must be tired. Do you want something to eat? Maybe go rest in the bedroom?"
Jiang Hao forced a strained smile as he approached the crib, summoning the courage to look.
What he saw chilled him to the core.
The grotesque dog-headed baby was curled up, sleeping soundly. Around its furry mouth, there were faint traces of red.
It was blood.
Jiang Hao's legs nearly gave out.
"This little one eats more and more every day. I'm afraid I can't keep up," Xiaoya murmured, looking at the baby with affection.
Her face was paler than ever.
Suddenly, her body swayed, and she collapsed.
"Dear! Are you okay?"
Jiang Hao caught her in his arms. Relieved to find she had only fainted from exhaustion, he quickly carried her to the master bedroom.
Xiaoya lay unconscious on the bed, her face ashen and her eyes slightly sunken. She looked incredibly frail.
"My wife is feeding him blood! That monster is drinking her blood!" Jiang Hao exclaimed, horrified.
"A creature that feeds on its mother's essence is undoubtedly no ordinary misplaced soul. This is an *evil entity*," Lu Fei said gravely.
But what kind of evil entity could it be?
Jing Jian's face was pale. As someone familiar with mystical practices, he knew the implications of blood consumption.
"How could a healthy fetus turn into an evil entity?" Jiang Hao's expression twisted in anguish.
Having a child in his old age should have been the happiest event of his life. Now it was a nightmare.
The long-awaited child had turned out to be a blood-sucking monster.
"This must be retribution! Some people must have done unspeakable things, and now the consequences have fallen on Xiaoya!" Jing Jian said bitterly.
"I've been in some rough circles, but I've never done anything truly vile!" Jiang Hao roared, losing his temper.
"This is my family, my wife! Get out of my house—you're not welcome here!"
"I'm not leaving! Xiaoya asked me to come, and I'll save her!" Jing Jian retorted, standing his ground. "If this continues, Xiaoya won't survive!"
"My wife doesn't need you to save her!" Jiang Hao gestured to his bodyguards.
Several muscular guards stepped forward menacingly.
Knowing he was outmatched, Jing Jian darted behind Lu Fei.
"Shopkeeper Lu, please help me!"
"Why should I help you?" Lu Fei asked, amused by the situation.
"You have a thunder-struck jujube wood stick. I know a master craftsman who can turn it into a powerful artifact for you," Jing Jian whispered quickly.
"Oh?"
Lu Fei raised an eyebrow, intrigued. The fact that Jing Jian could identify the stick in his possession piqued his interest. If it could be crafted into an artifact, it would undoubtedly become much more effective.
"Why should I trust you?" Lu Fei asked with feigned indifference.
"I swear!" Jing Jian exclaimed. "If I lie, I'll remain single for the rest of my life… and never obtain the fish demon's inner core!"
"That's… oddly specific," Lu Fei said, amused. After a moment's thought, he decided to give it a try.
"Brother Hao, now isn't the time to let anger cloud your judgment. Saving your wife is what matters most," Lu Fei said, stepping forward.
"The child's transformation may be due to some misfortune during pregnancy that exposed him to evil energy. But the priority now is to prevent your wife from further harm," he continued.
"But the things he said…" Jiang Hao's fists clenched as he glared at Jing Jian.
"Brother Hao, Jing Jian was invited by your wife. If she wakes up and finds him gone, it might upset her. Besides, he knows mystical practices. Keeping him here might actually help."
Jiang Hao took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He had heard from Xiaoya about her childhood friend who was skilled in yin-yang practices.
"If he can really save my wife, I'll let him off. But if he fails, don't blame me for being ruthless," Jiang Hao said coldly.
"Did you hear that, Jing Jian?" Lu Fei turned to him. "If you have a solution, now's the time to speak up."