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"Can we find this child's parents?" Xing Ruyi tightened her outer garment, realizing that she was becoming increasingly involved in such messy affairs.
"Mm." A-Ling nodded lightly, her footsteps gliding as she floated toward the door.
Watching her move gracefully like a swallow, Xing Ruyi felt that being a talented person was indeed one of the most painful things in the world. Seeing A-Ling slip out through the crack in the door, Xing Ruyi hurriedly followed, not caring whether her outfit was neat or her hair disheveled.
They floated from the east of the city to the west, and then from the west to the south, finally stopping in front of a rather secluded courtyard. Looking up, she realized that this courtyard was exactly where the infant's spirit had been looking down.
Her nose tinged slightly with bitterness, but she held back her tears.
"This is it. I went inside and saw that there is still an altar that hasn't been removed. Inside the house lies a woman; judging by the scent, she should be the child's biological mother," A-Ling said after floating around the courtyard and then coming back out.
Xing Ruyi nodded, memorizing the specific location of the courtyard before saying to A-Ling, "Let's go back for now and come again when it's light."
A-Ling nodded and continued to float ahead back to Ruyi Workshop.
The next morning, Xing Ruyi found an excuse to visit that household. Perhaps due to her own inner turmoil or perhaps because they were genuinely good-natured people, the family welcomed her unexpected visit warmly. However, from the grandmother to the husband and even to the sister-in-law who had long since left home, everyone wore a frown, each burdened with their own worries.
After some inquiries, she learned that this family’s surname was Wang. The grandmother, Wang Rushi, was fifty-three years old; the husband, Li Wang, was thirty-three; and the sister-in-law, Wang Ni, was eighteen years old. Last year she had just been promised in marriage but had yet to be brought home due to issues concerning her sister-in-law. When asked about this sister-in-law's situation, the family's frowns deepened even further, with Li Wang even pulling at his hair in frustration.
It turned out that the Wang family was not wealthy. Li Wang had only married at twenty-three. Having children was a natural expectation; however, ten years had passed without them having even one son or daughter. The reason for this was quite peculiar: Li Wang's wife became pregnant two years into their marriage and carried for ten months. However, immediately after giving birth, this once robust woman fainted and remained unconscious for half a month. With the mother fainting right after childbirth, there was no milk for the baby, who soon passed away. Subsequently, this daughter-in-law of the Wang family became pregnant several more times—sometimes with boys and sometimes with girls—but each time ended up like the first: fainting after delivery while the children were often weak and did not survive long.
Initially, the Wang family thought it was due to their daughter-in-law's lack of nutrition and spared no effort in providing her with good food during her pregnancy. They were extremely cautious throughout her entire pregnancy period. Yet when each child was born, they were still just like the previous one. Last night marked another day of childbirth for their daughter-in-law; the Wang family prayed together and even invited a priest for protection but still could not change their fate's trajectory.
Due to the strange circumstances and the matter of lineage continuation, the marriage of the Royal Sister-in-Law was also delayed.
"Fortunately, the priest was present last night and performed a ritual. I hope that my brother and Sister-in-law's next child will be born safely and smoothly," the Royal Sister-in-Law said, clasping her hands together and closing her eyes in silent prayer. It was unclear whether she was praying to a Bodhisattva or to the Supreme Old Lord of Taoism.
On the other hand, her mother-in-law, Wang Rushi, was not as optimistic as her daughter. Instead, she was filled with worry: "Although we had the priest examine things last night, the reason my child has suffered repeated miscarriages is entirely due to the karmic ties from their past lives. Therefore, we worship the Moon Goddess, praying for smooth childbirth in the future. But my son is already thirty-three years old, and his wife... I fear that even if the deities do not pursue this matter, our Wang Family may no longer have a chance for descendants."
Hearing her mother and sister-in-law's lamentations, Xing Ruyi could only touch her nose and remain silent. In her time, it was common for women to start having children well into their thirties; many were still unmarried at that age. However, this was the Golden Age of the Tang Dynasty, and since she was here now, she accepted it as it was. Even if she had reservations in her heart, she did not dare to voice any peculiar opinions.
She glanced around the Wang Family's courtyard but saw no signs of Evil Spirits causing trouble. Closing her eyes again to search inwardly, she could not see how this couple had been in their past lives but could tell that they were surrounded by a white light, indicating they were honest and kind people. Honest and kind people should not have suffered such misfortunes or lost so many children. In the end, they were even forced by unscrupulous priests to use their own children for Moon Sacrifice.
Truly, superstition harms people and even more so harms spirits!
After touching her nose again and clearing her throat, Xing Ruyi addressed Mother Wang: "Mother Wang, may I go in to see your daughter-in-law? Don't think of me as just someone who runs a Rouge and Face Powder shop; my grandfather practiced medicine, and my mother also knows a thing or two about treating women's ailments. I've picked up some knowledge from them. From what I see, our Wang Family has excellent feng shui and should not be troubled by Evil Spirits. Moreover, Brother Wang and Sister-in-law seem like honest and good people; they shouldn't be facing these hardships. Perhaps the issue lies with Sister-in-law herself."
"Thank you, Ruyi. Actually, we did have someone check on our daughter-in-law years ago; we invited Mr. Liu from Jishengtang, but he couldn't find anything either. Since the priest said it was due to the couple's past misdeeds, we can only pray that the deities will spare them and at least allow our Wang Family to have one son or daughter. That would be enough for me in this lifetime."
"Since that's what the priest said, even Fox Demon wouldn't dare make rash judgments. However, if Sister-in-law remains unconscious for too long, it won't be good either. If Mother Wang trusts Fox Demon, perhaps you could let Fox Demon take a look inside? If it turns out well, you and Brother Wang would have less to worry about. If not, with both of you present along with Mr. Liu from Jishengtang overseeing things, I wouldn't dare prescribe anything casually for Sister-in-law," Xing Ruyi added before continuing: "Rest assured, I'm only here to take a look; regardless of whether it's good or bad news, I won't charge you a single copper coin. Also, if any herbal remedies are needed, I can prepare them for Sister-in-law free of charge. Fox Demon has just one request: if Sister-in-law awakens and is in good health, please inform Fox Demon of the whereabouts of that priest from last night; there are matters I would like him to assist with."
"Oh! So Ruyi is looking for last night's priest," said the Royal Sister-in-Law straightforwardly. Hearing Xing Ruyi's earnestness made her suggest to her mother: "Mother, I think it would be best to let Ruyi take a look at my sister-in-law. If she truly helps her recover, you and Brother Wang will have less worry."
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