EMEKIM CH16

Bai Ze was not afraid at all; in fact, he rather enjoyed the sensation of soaring through the air. It was just that the Night-Stalker Woman’s talons were digging into him a bit painfully. Thinking back to his adult form, he used to be able to ride the clouds and fly through the heavens. It was only because he had reverted to his juvenile state that he had to rely on two legs like an ordinary human.

No one knew where the Night-Stalker Woman’s lair was located. She carried the two of them through the air for a long time without a destination in sight. While one of her heads kept its eyes on the path ahead, the other eight drooped down, surrounding Bai Ze and Minmin to stare at them, chirping away in bird-speak every now and then as if discussing something.

There was also a severed, bloody neck dripping blood profusely downwards.

Legend had it that the Night-Stalker Woman originally possessed ten heads. After a human chopped off one of them, the severed neck never healed and dripped blood continuously day and night, leaving her with only nine heads. That was why some called her the Nine-Headed Bird.

The Nine-Headed Bird—no, the Night-Stalker Woman—flew with them at high altitude for a while before a towering mountain peak appeared in the distance. All nine bird heads let out a synchronized cry, and then she suddenly plunged downward, diving toward the mountain peak.

Minmin, who had just regained her senses, began struggling and screaming once again.

One of the heads pecked her impatiently and snapped, “Shut up. I don’t like disobedient children.”

A sharp pain shot through Minmin’s arm. Her face turned pale, and she shut her mouth instantly, though her body continued to tremble uncontrollably.

Passing through the white clouds hugging the mid-mountain waist, the Night-Stalker Woman’s nine heads pointed straight down, swooping like an arrow shot from a bow toward the cliff below.

Minmin had long since closed her eyes in terror. Bai Ze, on the other hand, listened with a sense of exhilaration to the fierce wind howling past his ears. A moment later, his vision shifted as a natural cave revealed itself hidden beneath the cliff. A waterfall hung just two or three meters away, its spray flying in all directions as the Night-Stalker Woman landed smoothly in front of the cave entrance.

Bai Ze and Minmin were tossed onto the ground. Minmin’s legs turned to jelly; her face was deathly pale, and she couldn’t even stand up. She could only turn to Bai Ze beside her with a helpless, pleading look. “Big brother…”

Bai Ze cast a glance at her, got up nimbly, and brushed the dust off his clothes, completely ignoring her feigned act of seeking help.

All nine of the Night-Stalker Woman’s heads rolled their eyes in unison. Then, turning toward Bai Ze, her sharp beaks leaned right up to his face as she asked in a hoarse voice, “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

Bai Ze took a step back to open up some space and replied half-truthfully, “I am.”

“Little liar,” the Night-Stalker Woman chuckled. A shiver ran through her black feathers, and the terrifying Nine-Headed Bird vanished, replaced by a beautiful woman dressed in a long black dress.

“Ah—!”

“A… A monster!!”

Minmin’s eyes widened in horror. Her once cute face was contorted with fear; her limp body had no strength left, leaving her no choice but to scramble backward on hands and knees.

The Night-Stalker Woman’s smile froze, and she leaned over displeased to grab her. “I really don’t like noisy children.”

Minmin struggled, trying to run toward the inside of the cave. But she was far too terrified, and combined with her small stature, she was caught by the Night-Stalker Woman after taking merely two steps. The Night-Stalker Woman let out a raspy laugh, casually lifting her up by the neck. “You look quite cute—why is your personality so repulsive?”

Choked by the neck, Minmin could barely breathe, her face flushing a purplish red. She could only use her hands to pry at the woman’s fingers. Her wrist and finger bones—considerably thicker than those of an ordinary child—appeared somewhat grotesque due to her desperate exertion. The Night-Stalker Woman’s gaze paused; her other hand quickly felt over Minmin’s body, and her expression changed instantly. In a fit of rage, she slammed Minmin against the stone wall.

“An imposter!”

The Night-Stalker Woman spat in annoyance, “Humans really can’t be trusted! It’s bad enough that they fake so many goods, but to think they would even fake children!”

“Cough, cough.” Minmin took a heavy blow from the fall. She struggled to crawl up from the ground, leaning against the wall while gasping for air, her gaze toward the Night-Stalker Woman filled with terror and dread.

She had relied on this exquisitely maintained face to hide her identity for nearly thirty years; she never expected this monster to see right through her at a single glance.

The Night-Stalker Woman whipped her head around to glare sharply at Bai Ze. “You aren’t a fake too, are you?”

Bai Ze maintained an innocent expression, smiling faintly at her as he spoke in a soft, milky voice unique to young children, “Indeed I am. Don’t you recognize me, Divine Lady?”

The Night-Stalker Woman froze. She abruptly transformed back into the Nine-Headed Bird, bringing her nine heads close to Bai Ze to sniff him carefully for a long while before asking in confusion, “Bai Ze?”

It wasn’t that she didn’t recognize Bai Ze; it was simply that his current appearance was far too deceptive. Moreover, his scent was so faint it was almost imperceptible, masked by the smell of humans, making it easy to overlook.

The nine heads surrounded him, sizing him up with curiosity. “How did you end up looking like this?” As she spoke, one of her heads couldn’t resist rubbing against him. “Though you are quite endearing this way.”

Bai Ze ducked away from her severed, dripping head and answered, “When in Rome.”

The Night-Stalker Woman chuckled softly. The two heads that had been nuzzling Bai Ze affectionally wrapped around him from both sides. “Lying children aren’t good boys, you know.”

Bai Ze calmly pushed her heads away. “…Qiongqi is likely looking for me. If you have no further business, Divine Lady, please do me the favor of taking me back, lest any misunderstandings arise later.”

“Still trying to trick me…” The huge black bird spread her wings, flapping them joyfully as her nine heads let out strange, cackling laughter. “I wasn’t aware you and Qiongqi were on friendly terms. Besides, you’ve lost all your divine power right now, haven’t you? It just so happens those other children are all afraid of me—why don’t you stay and be my child instead?”

Saying that, she gathered Bai Ze under her wings. Her nine heads huddled tightly around him, uttering soft, murmur-like whispers. “I will take good care of you and never let you get hurt again…”

“If I were to become your son, that would mess up our generational hierarchy.” Bai Ze knew she had once lost a child and was deeply fixated on the matter. Not wanting to provoke her, he offered a roundabout refusal.

“Those are human rules,” the Night-Stalker Woman transformed back into the black-robed woman, holding Bai Ze in her arms as she chuckled softly. “…I don’t follow them. If you refuse, I’ll just have to eat all five children inside the cave to vent my anger.”

The cave they were in was quite spacious inside. The Night-Stalker Woman carried Bai Ze a dozen steps forward, bypassing a massive boulder to reveal another space deeper within.

Bedding was laid out inside the cave, with five children sleeping neatly side by side. On the open ground in the middle, thick quilts were spread out with a few scattered toys.

“These are all children I picked up,” the Night-Stalker Woman said with a sigh. “It’s a pity none of them are very obedient. They cry whenever they see me, and they even call other women ‘mother’…”

“Thinking back to my own child—how obedient and sensible he was back then, even resting on my knees to ask for sweets…” Her expression gradually turned somewhat twisted. “Why isn’t a single one of them like my son?!”

Just at that moment, one of the children woke up. Catching sight of her, the child froze for a second before bursting into a loud, wailing cry.

The piercing cries echoed through the cave, pounding against the ear drums again and again.

The Night-Stalker Woman let out a sudden shriek. Dropping Bai Ze, she transformed into the giant Nine-Headed Bird, flapping her wings as she circled above the cave while letting out mournful cries. The sleeping children were awakened by the noise; seeing this scene, they all joined in the loud weeping.

This sight seemed to provoke the Night-Stalker Woman even further. Her nine heads shrieked toward the roof of the cave in unison, and blood dripped continuously from her severed neck onto the ground. Then, twisting her neck, she swooped down toward the children below.

Bai Ze was startled and tried to intervene, but it was already too late. He saw the Nine-Headed Bird’s beak opening to its limit, revealing sharp teeth inside, looking as though it would crush and swallow the human children before her in an instant.

“Divine Lady!”

In his anxiety, Bai Ze reverted to his original form and lunged forward. Yet, just as the Nine-Headed Bird’s sharp beak was about to pierce through the child’s body, it pulled back abruptly. With a flap of her wings, she quickly turned around and flew out of the cave.

Having lunged at empty air, Bai Ze tumbled across the ground and rolled twice before coming to a stop. Looking back at the children, tears and snot still hung on their faces, but they couldn’t make a sound—they had clearly been scared stiff.

Lying on the ground, Bai Ze twitched his ears and let out a melancholic sigh. He wondered when Qiongqi would manage to track him down. Perched on a steep cliff like this, he had no way of sending a message outside.

He had originally thought encountering a member of the Demon Clan would make communication easier, but he hadn’t expected the Night-Stalker Woman’s temper to be getting progressively more volatile—flying into a rage without warning…

Rong Fu followed the scent all the way, but the trail went cold at a major intersection.

Flapping his wings irritably, he looked down at the stream of pedestrians and traffic below and let out a heavy sneeze. He really couldn’t be blamed for this; there were too many people and the smells were too chaotic, making it very easy for Bai Ze’s weak scent to get lost among them.

Besides, according to his own thoughts, it would be best if all these brats vanished. But turning to think of the worried expression on his dear cub’s face, Rong Fu let out a dissatisfied snort. If he went back without finding any clues, his dear cub would definitely be deeply disappointed.

Not wanting his son to be disappointed, the doting father could only fly back and forth on his wings, trying his best to capture Bai Ze’s scent amidst the chaotic smells…

By the time he finally discerned the direction, night had already fallen.

He had forgotten to bring his phone when he left. Looking back in the direction of the residential complex, Rong Fu flapped his wings anyway, following the scent first.

Fortunately, the direction he had worked so hard to figure out over half the day was correct. Once out of the city area, Bai Ze’s scent grew clear again. Rong Fu followed the scent and quickly located an abandoned factory building.

Calling it abandoned wasn’t entirely accurate, because on this pitch-black night, there were still lights on inside the factory.

Rong Fu landed on the factory roof. There happened to be a large hole in the roof, so he poked his head down to look inside. He saw three men standing in the room; one was berating the other two viciously, and after finishing his rant, he started making a phone call, talking about delaying the delivery date.

It seemed these few were indeed the human traffickers. Rong Fu transformed back into his human form, leaned over the hole in the roof, and shouted down, “Hey, where did you hide the kids you kidnapped?”

Bai Ze’s scent was still present in the room, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

The sudden voice from above startled the three men. Looking up, they saw a man with a fierce and terrifying face hanging upside down from the roof. Li Chao, who was less courageous, let out a yell and ran toward the door, screaming, “Oh my god, a ghost!!!”

The man in the suit and Zhao Sheng were a bit more composed than him, but they were still terrified. The man in the suit quietly took a step back, gripping his phone tightly. “Are you human or a ghost?”

Rong Fu didn’t have the patience to waste words with them. Leaping down from the roof, he kicked the two of them against the wall and threatened savagely, “Where are the kids you kidnapped? Speak up, or I’ll kill you.”

While the man in the suit was still thinking, Zhao Sheng was so terrified that he confessed everything. Anyone who could jump down from such a high roof was obviously not someone they could handle. He admitted honestly, “They’re gone… they’re all gone.”

Rong Fu frowned and demanded that he explain clearly.

Only then did Zhao Sheng hesitantly explain the whole story. It turned out the three of them had originally been guarding outside. Because they had lost children earlier, they suspected an insider was responsible. This time, they deliberately had Minmin go in undercover to bait the insider into taking the hook while also keeping an eye on the children. In the end, everything had been quiet at first, but when they checked during a shift change, they found a huge hole broken through the factory roof. Not only were the kidnapped children gone, but Minmin had also vanished.

They were in the middle of arguing over this very matter when Rong Fu arrived.

Rong Fu pondered for a moment. His nose twitched as he caught the scent of one of his own kind. Could there be a demon involved in this as well?

After thinking it over for a moment, he snatched the phone from the man in the suit, called his dear cub, and told him to bring the police over. Then he deleted the call log, tied the three human traffickers up securely, and piled them in the corner. Turning around, he leaped through the hole in the roof and continued his search for Bai Ze.

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Author’s Note:

After her nine heads fought among themselves, they ended up tying themselves into a dead knot—

Bai Ze: …???