Chapter 602: The Epilogue's Attendant Child

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone froze, their gazes all falling on the woman.

She was over five months pregnant…… yet her belly showed no sign of it at all.

At most, she looked like she'd just eaten a big meal.

The woman also froze for a moment, then snatched her hand back, stammering: "Impossible, I will surely live to see the day of a safe delivery—my child is supposed to…… uh……."

The man suddenly reached out and clapped a hand over her mouth, preventing her from continuing.

I immediately realized that what the woman had wanted to say was likely related to what happened after offering incense at the Sānshēng Diàn.

And the child must be the related topic.

The man said in a hoarse voice: "We know our own health conditions; no need for the Big Family to worry. It's getting late—let's not cause any more trouble. Just let us go."

"I swear by the medical ethics of the Bai Family Immortal Doctor that without targeted intervention, you won't live to see the day of childbirth!"

Bái Sōnglán was already a stubborn sort, but usually steady; suddenly swearing such a heavy oath truly shocked me.

Unexpectedly, the woman suddenly went berserk, lunging at Hui Moqiong with all ten fingers aimed at his face: "It's all you! You're the one who ruined me and my child!"

Hui Moqiong was dazed, blocking his face with one elbow while protesting: "You're the one who's sick, unable to last until delivery—though pitiful, I still want to say, this has nothing to do with me!"

"How could it not be your fault!" the woman shrieked hysterically, "If you hadn't forcibly abducted us, the City God would have already received our incense offerings, sensed our sincerity, and would surely have blessed our family of three—he would certainly have chosen my child as his Attendant Child……."

The man struggled, still trying to cover the woman's mouth, but Liu Junyan shoved him away with a palm wind.

I blurted out: "Attendant Child of the City God? What does that mean?"

The woman's emotions had already collapsed, and she was about to answer, when the man shouted loudly: "Lin Mei, enough!"

That shout instantly subdued the woman.

The woman instantly calmed, her eyes continually darting anxiously toward the outside.

Just then, a glimmer of light seeped in from outside, falling onto the ground inside the threshold.

The woman's body went limp, and she toppled backward.

I quickly caught her back, propping her up, and heard her despairing murmur: "Dawn's come, it's useless—she wasn't chosen……."

The man also deflated like a punctured balloon, his eyes devoid of any spirit.

They were like puppets who'd lost their faith, moving like walking corpses.

I even felt they might drop dead before our very eyes at any moment.

Bái Sōnglán stepped forward, crouched, first pinching the woman's jaw to force her mouth open, then examined her teeth closely.

I stood close and saw it clearly.

In the woman's whole mouth, only the eight central upper and lower teeth were normal; every other tooth was pointed, and inside the outer ring of those pointed teeth grew another ring of fine, dense points, making the scalp tingle to look at.

Bái Sōnglán released the woman, then reached out to pull open the man's collar.

Even though it was still jacket‑weather, the collar was yanked down hard, revealing the man's entire right shoulder—aside from being thin, nothing seemed abnormal.

Then the collar was pulled to the left.

When the man's whole left shoulder was exposed, we all sucked in a breath of cold air.

At the center of the man's left shoulder were countless tooth marks.

Those tooth marks were deep, almost as if they'd driven into the bone, old and new marks interlaced; one pair was fresh enough that the scab hadn't fully formed—must have been bitten last night.

It was obvious that all these tooth marks were made by the woman named Lin Mei.

My voice tightened as I asked Bái Sōnglán: "What's going on?"

Bái Sōnglán shook his head: "I don't know exactly what's happened to them, but from a medical perspective, the fetus Lin Mei is carrying isn't a normal baby; the little thing is incessantly devouring its mother's life. Her body can't sustain it, so it draws essence and blood from her husband to maintain vital signs. At just over five months, later, when the little thing's demand grows, Lin Mei…… might end up biting and eating her husband outright."

"Could it be a gu poison?"

My thoughts turned again to gu arts: "Based on what you described, this resembles what happens when a mantis couple breeds offspring—could Lin Mei have been infected with a mantis gu or something similar?"

"The situation is similar, but I can definitely tell you it's not a gu poison," Bái Sōnglán said. "If it were a gu, it would actually be good for them—find someone to dispel it and the child could still be kept. But what Lin Mei carries is probably just a pool of blood……."

"No! I'm carrying the City God's Attendant Child! As long as we devoutly make offerings, when the time comes the City God will summon the child to serve in the Chenghuang Temple! It's the testament of our love, our Little Lucky Star!"

The woman still wouldn't give up, sitting on the ground with glaring eyes, pointing at Bái Sōnglán and snarling.

Bái Sōnglán wearily rubbed his temples, saying: "You can just go to any hospital, get a modern scan of the belly, and verify whether what I'm saying is true or false."

I exclaimed in surprise: "Lin Mei, you're over five months pregnant—you haven't even had a prenatal checkup, have you?"

Lin Mei roared: "My child is protected by the City God—what need is there for a prenatal checkup?!"

Bái Sōnglán rolled his eyes, slung his medicine case over his shoulder, and added before leaving: "If you change your mind before midnight tonight, I can help you get rid of that little thing and save your two lives; after midnight, you can just dig a hole somewhere, lie in it, and wait to die."

Having said that, Bái Sōnglán left.

No one stopped the couple any longer; they supported each other, staggering out of the Dang Pu.

The sky brightened bit by bit, but our hearts sank ever deeper.

I snorted coldly and said: "Truly, one can know a person's face but not their heart—it seems I was completely mistaken before."

I had previously praised the Recluse of Bamboo Seclusion as a pure‑hearted good person, but now it seems the Cat Grease hidden in the Shíjiǔ Dòngtiān is far crueler than we imagined.

Hui Moqiong scratched his head and asked: "Could it really be that the City God is looking for an Attendant Child?"

Liu Junyan countered: "The City God is the sole official who oversees both yin and yang realms; if he wanted to select an Attendant Child, would he need to use such low‑class methods?"

Yeah, there's really no need for that.

So, the Lin Mei couple were deceived.

And it's likely that more than just one or two couples were duped at the same time.

These people were all selected from among the couples and lovers who had obtained the Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ from the Sānshēng Diàn.

They share one trait—they take the City God as their faith.

"No matter what, we can basically be certain now that the Jūnzhú Shān Chenghuang Temple has a problem." Liu Junyan suddenly spoke up, saying: "Mo Qiong, get ready—we're prepared to lay siege to the Jūnzhú Shān Chenghuang Temple at any moment……"