Chapter 171: Ghost Infant

"Ghost Infant!" Guan Yue's expression immediately turned solemn upon seeing the madam's condition.

Su Ruo immediately asked anxiously, "What exactly is wrong with my madam?"

Although Su Ruo didn't understand what Guan Yue meant by Ghost Infant, just from Guan Yue's expression she knew the madam's situation was probably not as simple as an ordinary pregnancy.

Guan Yue said solemnly, "Ghost Infant is an extremely sinister technique; those with corrupt hearts will refine the grudge spirits of infants who died violently and harbor heavy resentment, unwilling to be reborn, into Grudge Spirits."

Then they seek out women who have been married for years without conceiving and are eager to become pregnant, deceiving them into believing they can successfully get pregnant.

After gaining these women's trust, they use evil arts to drive the infants' grudge spirits into the women's bodies, making the women mistakenly believe they are pregnant.

But what these women give birth to is not a normal child at all, but a Ghost Infant.

These Ghost Infants inside the women continuously absorb the mother's nutrients, growing stronger and stronger; in this process the mother becomes increasingly weak until the Ghost Infant completely drains her vital essence and nutrients.

Therefore, women who carry a Ghost Infant usually cannot survive to delivery; they are drained by the Ghost Infant and then die in extreme pain.

Even if some are fortunate enough to endure until delivery, they will give birth to a stillborn or deformed infant.

Once these Grudge Spirits have matured, those people extract them from the women's bodies to use them as they wish.

Some wealthy families even specially worship these infant spirits, hoping they will bring wealth and power.

But they do not realize that once entangled by these Grudge Spirits, they will surely suffer backlash; although they may achieve temporary glory, someday they will decline and end up with ruined families and lost lives.

Moreover, this method is so sinister that it was lost long ago; no one expected that someone would still be using it today.

"With my abilities, I can only temporarily suppress the Ghost Infant's growth, but I cannot expel it from your madam's body."

After Guan Yue finished speaking, seeing Su Ruo's increasingly grim expression, she advised, "Don't worry too much; I will immediately contact my master—perhaps he has a solution."

Although Guan Yue said that, she herself did not actually know whether she could reach her master, given that he has no fixed abode and loves to wander everywhere.

Su Ruo gazed at the unconscious madam, her face grave as never before; she had a premonition that the opponent had not come for the madam but for her, and the madam was merely implicated, which made Su Ruo feel ever more guilty and self-reproachful.

After Guan Yue finished speaking, she began a ritual to suppress the Ghost Infant's growth inside the madam, but before the ritual was halfway done, she vomited a mouthful of blood.

Seeing Guan Yue like this, Su Ruo was startled, rushed forward to support her, and asked, "What's happening?"

Guan Yue pinched a seal and then said, "If my calculations are correct, your madam should be a natural Ghost Mother born at Yin Time, Yin Moon, and Yin Day, while this infant ghost died at Sha Time and was buried where the Yin Sha Qi is strongest; with my abilities I simply cannot deal with it."

She bit her finger, used the blood to draw a talisman, lit it, and had the madam drink it, then hurried away; even she was unsure if it would help. For Guan Yue, the urgent priority was to find her master quickly, otherwise letting the Ghost Infant mature would have unimaginable consequences.

In the days that followed, Su Ruo stayed by the madam's side, watching her belly grow larger and her own expression grow graver.

Feeling the madam's body growing weaker, Su Ruo prepared various soups and medicines each day to nourish her, but the rate of replenishment was far slower than the Ghost Infant's absorption.

During this period, the master continually had Si Yannian relay messages saying he wanted to see the madam, but Su Ruo kept putting him off with various excuses, though she knew such excuses could not last long.

Guan Yue and Si Yannian also once brought the madam to see some Daoists, but those people were either swindlers who could see nothing, or even those with a little Daoist ability said the same as Guan Yue—utterly helpless.

Therefore, Su Ruo grew increasingly anxious; just as she was frowning with worry, one night the madam suddenly disappeared.

And Su Ruo, who usually sleeps lightly, actually noticed nothing of this; the system called her several times, yet it failed to wake her.

After Su Ruo woke up, she immediately had the system locate the madam's position and image, but all she could see was that the madam, as if bereft of sense, walked into an utterly dark room.

In the room stood a man in black robes; upon seeing the madam, his eyes instantly flashed with lustful and evil light.

He bound the madam's hands and feet with rope, tying her in a spread-eagle shape on the bed; after just one night, her belly had already grown to the size of an eight-month pregnancy.

The man in black robes stood before the madam, gazing greedily at her belly, and placed his hand on it.

With his movements, the Ghost Infant began to struggle violently inside the madam's belly, as if it were about to burst out at any moment.

At the same time, the madam emitted painful howls from her mouth.

The man in black robes grew even more excited: "Little treasure, don't rush; I'll let you out right away, but first let me enjoy this woman."

After saying that, the man in black robes looked at the madam with an increasingly greedy and blatant gaze.