Chapter 123:
[November 25, 2019] ... "We told the mayor and everyone else what happened, but no one believed us. I talked to the other girls and our experiences were the same. It was the same man, same pregnancy, same kind of dream.
Over time more and more girls became pregnant. Eventually, unable to bear the shame, one of the girls took a dagger and tried to commit suicide. Everyone thought she"d die, but she didn"t! Instead her wound healed and she was fine.
It turned out we didn"t even have the luxury of death. The town finally realized what was happening to us wasn"t normal. We pooled our money and hired a magician to investigate. But that magician was useless! He couldn"t see what was wrong with us at all!
The princess came later. She didn"t stay long, but went straight to the realm battlegrounds. In order to avoid a scandal, us pregnant girls were shut back inside our homes.
I really wanted to see the princess, but how could I show my face looking like this?!
The interesting thing was there weren"t any new pregnancies after the princess left. So I think the man in the dream had to have followed her.
I remembered I talked to him about Princess Nai Nai once. He was interested and asked a lot of questions about the princess. I shouldn"t have told him about her. Now he"s entrapped the princess too!" Xiao Lan spoke regretfully.
If only she hadn"t bought that dagger none of this would be happening! She felt horrible for bringing harm to her benefactor.
Jier spoke up. "You mean all this started because of the dagger you purchased? Can you show it to us?"
"Yes! I"ve kept it with me. I thought it would come in handy one day. Please wait. I"ll get it right away!" Xiao Lan wiped her tears and rushed up to get the dagger.
She came back a few minutes later carrying a locked wooden box. She unlocked it to reveal a small black dagger. It didn"t emit any discernable energy. At first glance it appeared to be a depleted weapon - nothing unusual. Other than the fine material it was made out of, it was just a normal dagger. It was exactly as Xiao Lan described it.
Just as everyone was thinking it was an ordinary dagger, Feng Wu spoke up. "This is a special dagger. The hilt is made out of the rare soul-raising wood. A soul can stay in this kind of wood while the physical body recovers. It is a very special wood.
Feng Wu recognized the wood because of her master back on Yuehue mountain. Her master had many hobbies but his favorite was to collect rare swords. That was why she knew about the soul-raising wood. Her master had one in his collection.
"Soul-raising wood? Is there such a thing in this world? I"ve never heard of it." Wind racked his brain but couldn"t recall any references to it.
Jier guessed. "So then the demon has been living inside the wood?"
Feng Wu shook her head seriously. "No, only souls can enter. Doesn"t matter if it"s human or demon, if it has a body it can"t enter."
"So then this demon isn"t physical and it"s using this method to become corporeal again. So that"s why. This a.s.shole doesn"t even have a body." Pei Qing sneered.
"May I have the dagger?" Feng Wu asked Xiao Lan.
"Honorable adventurer saved me. I don"t know how I could even repay that debt. If you want the dagger I"m more than happy to give it. Please take it," Xiao Lan replied as she handed the dagger to Feng Wu. She further pleaded, "Regarding this matter, I have one more request to ask of honorable adventurers. Please say you"ll accept it."
"Speak." Jier wasn"t going to agree to a request before hearing what it was first.
"I wrote a letter to the princess, but I can"t leave home to give it to her. Please, honorable adventurers, will you deliver this letter directly into the princess"s hands for me?" Xiao Lan couldn"t do it herself, so she could only inconvenience others to do it for her. She was no longer a high-ranking maid serving the princess, so their relationship had cooled. The princess had someone else by her side serving her now. She and the other maid, Xiao Na, weren"t on good terms. They got along in front of the princess, but it was just and act.
So seeing the princess was easier said than done. Xiao Na blocked her every route to the princess. It was only through luck that she encountered these people. Her only wish was for them the help the princess.
Jier didn"t expect her to ask for something so simple. He nodded his head, accepting her request.
Before leaving they told the family the same thing they told everyone else: lock the doors, bar the windows, don"t let anyone in, and don"t go outside.
They learned a lot during the visit. Who would have guessed someone from such a small village would know so much.
The group wanted to go to more homes and save more people but were interrupted when several screams broke out around them.
"Help!"
"Kill!"
"Help!"
"Oh my G.o.d!"
"These people are crazy!"
"Son, son, what are you doing? I"m your mother! Why are you trying to hurt me?!"
"Darling what are you doing! I"m your wife!"
The town erupted in violence. Cries for help and screams of pain shattered the peace. The coppery smell of blood filled the air. Some people ran away, some covered their eyes while others slashed and hacked indiscriminately at anyone nearby. There was no mercy, even for their own kin. It was like they"d lost their minds to the violence.
"What"s going on?" Wind cried out in fright. Everything was so sudden!
"They"re the people who were soaked in the rain. Their hatred controls them and they can"t break free." Lydia explained.
"Can we save them?" Pei Qing asked.
Lydia"s reply was blunt. "Other than Xiao Wu, none of you guys have the ability."
Pei Qing thought that was harsh. Couldn"t she say the truth more tactfully?