The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 175: The Child Finally Grows Up

Chapter 175: The Child Finally Grows Up

Nightfall, Ye Siheng grasped her delicate hand and took a deep breath.

His voice was husky, yet enchanting enough to bewitch one’s mind: "A’li, I wish tomorrow were already the twentieth of April."

Nanli lazily responded and closed her eyes once again.

She had completely passed out from intoxication.

Ye Siheng gazed at her intently for a while before carrying her back to the bed and tucking her in.

Soon after he left, the fragrance of incense quickly dissipated the scent of alcohol.

The mark on Nanli’s forehead gradually faded, and she quickly fell into a deep slumber.

The next morning, she woke up early as usual.

Her head throbbed faintly, and upon seeing the neatly folded red headscarf on the small table, she vaguely remembered Ye Siheng’s visit last night.

She supported her forehead, only recalling that Ye Siheng had wiped her hands and feet, with no other impressions left.

Yuanbao brought in a sobering tea, and Nanli’s headache eased slightly after drinking it.

Now, she had the energy to see how well the red headscarf was embroidered.

Ye Siheng was indeed skilled with his hands, as the mandarin ducks on the headscarf were embroidered vividly, lifelike.

She couldn’t help but smile, her gaze gentle.

There was still a little less than half a month until the twentieth of April, which could be considered neither long nor short.

However, she couldn’t solely focus on her impending marriage because Zhou Min had fled with the ghost fetus and her whereabouts were unknown.

Once the ghost fetus formed, it would rely on consuming the essence of living beings to survive.

The ConsortmYang had lost her life because of it, so Nanli had to find Zhou Min and the ghost fetus quickly to prevent further casualties.

But Zhou Min was determined to hide, making it difficult to find her.

As Nanli had expected, Zhou Min had sealed the ghost fetus with talismans, temporarily putting it in a dormant state without the need to consume essence, allowing it to hide undisturbed.

Her two senior brothers had operated in Mu for many years, so they must have a few hiding places.

However, she couldn’t hide for long, and Ye Siheng was not idle either.

He dispatched the Black Armor Guards to search and sweep the entire capital, once again uncovering several hidden spots in Qi Country.

Zhou Min was almost out of options, and her subordinates had advised her to return to the state of Qi.

After all, Qi’s influence in Mu had been mostly eradicated, and Zhou Min’s presence there was of little use.

But her three senior brothers had died in Mu, and she couldn’t even bring their bodies back to Qi.

How could she leave like this?

She still had bargaining chips, she still had a ghost child!

Zhou Min had finally managed to escape the city.

There were many refugees near the outskirts of the capital, lacking identity tokens, so they couldn’t enter the city.

They usually found odd jobs in the outskirts or on farms to support their families.

For example, this family living in a dilapidated temple, with more than ten people. They went out during the day to make a living, leaving one or two women to take care of the children.

In the evening, they would buy some steamed buns and pastries to fill their stomachs as a family.

Although life was not easy, they were still striving to survive.

Before the men returned, the women and children had already gathered firewood and lit a fire, waiting for the men to come back.

They sat together, eating and chatting.

At this moment, Zhou Min entered the temple.

The man in charge saw that she was a woman and didn’t give her a hard time, only saying, "Newcomer, you can only rest at the entrance, don’t go anywhere else, as those are our territories."

His wife glared at him and said, "Can’t you see she’s holding a child? How can you let her sleep at the entrance?"

She put down the pastries, wiped her hands, and approached with a smile, saying, "You don’t have to listen to him. You can sleep inside, don’t let the child freeze."

Seeing the woman’s warmth, Zhou Min hesitated for a moment.

However, a gust of wind blew, lifting the cloth wrapped around the child.

The woman clearly saw the child’s face, which was purplish-black, with long, slender nails, and a talisman stuck to its forehead.

She was shocked and stumbled back, almost falling.

"What... what kind of ghostly thing are you holding in your arms?"

Zhou Min sighed, "Since you’ve seen it, there’s no way around it."

The man, seeing his wife so frightened, trembled as well, but being a man, he picked up a nearby hoe.

"Leave quickly, or I’ll take action!" he threatened.

"Apologies." Zhou Min didn’t reply and just took care of her own affairs.

Immediately, she unveiled the seal on the child’s forehead.

The child opened their eyes, both of them entirely black, and slowly rose, resembling a famished beast, even smacking their lips.

The family screamed in terror, never having witnessed such a phenomenon, their legs trembling so much they couldn’t even run.

"Go and satiate yourself," Zhou Min patted the child’s back.

Without delay, the child lunged forward.

Not only did they consume the vital energy of the living, but they could also devour their souls, chewing and pulverizing them, assimilating them into their own power.

In a short span of time, over ten people in the temple became desiccated corpses.

At first, Zhou Min couldn’t bear to watch, but eventually, she found solace.

She sought revenge for her martial brothers, and no matter how good or innocent these people were, their deaths were justified.

The ghost child had already feasted and quenched their hunger tonight, and now they desired to flee.

Zhou Min summoned the seal once again, pulling the child back, yet now, having been satiated, they could resist the seal to some extent.

Their limbs struggled, nearly scratching Zhou Min.

She smirked, "Not bad, the effect. Don’t be hasty, you are still too weak. If I release you now, you won’t be of much use."

The ghost child burped, gradually calming down.

Zhou Min glanced at the corpses on the ground, called her subordinates, and had them dig a pit to bury them.

These refugees had no identity, and the authorities wouldn’t care.

Using them as sustenance was the best option.

For several consecutive days, Zhou Min continued in this manner.

Undoubtedly, the power of the ghost child was gradually growing stronger.

However, the seals drawn by Zhou Min were soon struggling to suppress them.

Zhou Min knew the time had not yet come, so she set up a formation, sacrificing her own lifespan, and drew three seals.

One seal contained ten years of her life.

Three seals equated to thirty years.

Silver strands of hair appeared on Zhou Min’s head, wrinkles etched across her face, yet as she witnessed the ghost child growing increasingly formidable, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

One of Qi’s subordinates, seeing Zhou Min’s near-mad appearance, asked, "Immortal nun Zhou, is it worth it?"

"Worth it? How could it not be worth it?" Zhou Min’s lips curled into a cold smile.

"As long as I can kill Chu Nanli and avenge my martial brothers, everything is worth it!"

Even if it cost her life, she would be willingly to do it.

Qi’s subordinates couldn’t help but shudder as they witnessed the ghost child devouring vital energy, wanting to distance themselves.

But the ghost child grew stronger, their appetite increasing.

They knew Zhou Min was their caretaker and temporarily dared not harm her.

Instead, they charged towards the subordinates.

Gulping down mouthfuls, they swallowed their souls whole.

"Immortal nun Zhou! Save me!" the subordinates cried out.

Unmoved by their pleas, Zhou Min remarked, "To become its sustenance, you should be grateful."

The subordinates didn’t even have a chance to resist.

Once the ghost child had their fill, Zhou Min took out the seals.

One wasn’t enough; she needed two.

Gazing at the dim sky, she murmured, "It is time..."

The child she had nurtured with her heart had finally grown up.