I snapped my fingers and said, "I've got it! Exorcising a ghost fetus. Since human fetuses can be aborted, a ghost fetus should be no exception."
"Exorcise a ghost fetus? How on earth do we do that?" Zhang Xiaoman asked anxiously.
I scratched my head, feeling perplexed. For a human abortion, we could go to the hospital, but when it came to a ghost fetus, I was truly at a loss.
"Come on, spill it!" Zhang Xiaoman urged beside me, growing more impatient.
"Well... I don't know either, but we can find that fat guy we met before." I suddenly remembered the chubby charlatan. Although he might be a fraud, he should still be quite familiar with the world of yin and yang.
"What fat guy? Then hurry up and find him!" Zhang Xiaoman was so anxious that cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Lin Xue's condition was deteriorating rapidly—her belly was swelling, her face grew paler by the minute, and she was drenched in sweat as if she were about to give birth.
"Ouch! Ah! My stomach hurts so much!" Lin Xue clutched her belly and cried out, kicking her beautiful legs wildly in apparent agony.
Oh no! Was she about to give birth right now? What were we supposed to do?
"Never mind that for now. Xiaoman, call Butler Li immediately and ask for that fat charlatan's phone number. I'll take care of Lin Xue." After saying this to Zhang Xiaoman, I reached out to support Lin Xue. But when my hand touched hers, I was shocked to find it as cold as ice, making me shiver involuntarily.
This ghost fetus belongs to the yin, and women are also inherently yin. With these two yin forces combined, Lin Xue's constitution may not be able to withstand it at all. I'm afraid she'll perish before the child is even born! The only way now is to transfer the yang qi from my body to hers, or we might not make it until that wretched fat guy arrives. It seems that giving birth to a ghost infant while alive is extremely difficult in reality.
Yang qi is crucial for a living person. As seen in those stories where fox spirits harm men, they do so to suck out their yang qi and enhance their own cultivation. Once the yang qi is completely drained, the living person dies. Even a slight loss can make one listless, and in severe cases, it shortens their lifespan.
But now, Lin Xue's life is at stake. Even if it risks shortening my lifespan, I must save her!
There are three ways to transfer yang qi:
Using the Taoist magic of Maoshan Ghost Taoism to draw yang qi from the top of the head, between the eyebrows, and the dantian, then infusing it into another person's body. But with my current cultivation, I can't do this at all.The most traditional method, though it's a bit embarrassing to say—it's the yin-yang complementation between men and women, put bluntly "that thing".
Appropriate "that thing" can balance yin and yang and make the body fully unobstructed. That's why women can be nourished after having that kind of life.
This method is definitely out of the question—don't even think about it. Besides, in this situation, there's no mood for that at all. But looking at Lin Xue's flawless beautiful legs, I still swallow hard.
The third method is neither simple nor too difficult. It's kissing—mouth-to-mouth transmission of yang qi. The challenge is that if not handled properly, it's just an ordinary kiss and won't serve the purpose. Fortunately, there are detailed records in Maoshan Ghost Taoism, and I vaguely remember the steps.
Lin Xue's hands were getting colder, her face paler. I could feel her life force fading. I didn't have time to hesitate. After only five seconds of wavering, I chose the third method. Though weak, she wasn't unconscious. My sudden move triggered her instinctive resistance, but this was to save her life—I couldn't quit halfway.
At first, she struggled, then gradually accepted it. That relieved me, or I'd have felt like I was doing something wrong. No—focus on saving her! I calmed down, recited the incantation, and channeled qi to my dantian. A warm current surged up from below, which I quickly breathed into her mouth.
Perhaps sensing the warmth, she began sucking frantically, and my yang qi flooded into her like a torrent. After three transmissions, I stopped—fearful of paralysis. Yang qi can't be given recklessly; it's not just about shortening life, but risking death itself.
When I pulled back, she seemed reluctant. Even after separating, she looked flustered, realizing her own impropriety. "S-sorry, I..." she stammered, her face finally regaining color—now flushing red. Biting her lip shyly, she'd have outshone celebrities if not for her swollen belly.
Lin Xue was nothing like Zhang Xiaoman, that crazy woman. If it were Xiaoman, I'd have five finger marks on my face by now.
"Wait, why did you—?" Lin Xue finally snapped back.
"Besides stomach pain, did you feel extremely cold earlier?" I asked.
She nodded.
"And now?"
"Now I feel much warmer, and my hands aren't icy anymore! Why is that? Were you giving me CPR just now? Wait, no—how would CPR make me feel warm?" Lin Xue asked, confused.
"Idiot, I was transferring yang qi to you. The extreme cold you felt came from the ghost fetus in your belly—it's overflowing with yin energy!" I explained.
"Oh, that makes sense. Thank you so much! I feel much warmer now, but my stomach still aches faintly. Linyuan, what should we do? I don't want to give birth to a ghost infant... Waaah, I'm so scared." As Lin Xue spoke, tears spilled down her cheeks, her face streaked like a pear blossom in rain. She clutched my arm desperately.
"Damn charlatan, what did you do to my Xiaoxue again? Why is she crying?" Zhang Xiaoman, who had turned away to make a call, returned and immediately barked at me. Luckily, she hadn't seen what happened—otherwise, I'd be in big trouble.
Too tired to bicker, I cut to the chase: "So, did you get that fat guy's contact info?"
"Got it. Butler Li texted it over. He also offered to pick us up, but I refused—Xue'er's condition can't be seen by others." Zhang Xiaoman was surprisingly considerate of Lin Xue. In class, I'd never seen her treat anyone this way; Lin Xue was the only one she favored. Their bestie bond was clearly rock-solid.
"Enough chitchat—call that damn fatso now and see if he has any ideas! We're fighting for her life here!" I urged.
Zhang Xiaoman dialed the number and handed me the phone.
Seconds later, the fat man's sleazy voice came through: "Hello? Who's this?"
"Me!" I snapped.
"Me who?" he drawled.
"Just me! Who else would it be?!" I cursed.
"Me? Who the hell is that? Damn it, are you messing with me?" The fatty sounded ready to pick a fight.
"Lin Yuan, the one from Zhang Hu's place the other day!" I didn't bother with his bullshit—time was critical.
"Oh! It's you, bro! What can I do for ya?" The fatty chuckled.
"A girl got a ghost fetus. Need to get rid of it. You know anyone in this line of work?" I cut straight to the chase.
The fatty sucked in a breath over the phone: "Holy shit, which chick is badass enough to knock up with a ghost?"
"Shut your filthy mouth. Just tell me if there's an expert. Money's no object." As I said this, I glanced at Zhang Xiaoman beside me—with this big shot here, money really wasn't an issue.
The fatty snickered again: "You got it! For cash, I can find any scumbag. Exorcising a ghost fetus, right? No problem. I'll get you a Ghost Midwife."
"Ghost Midwife? What's that?" I asked, confused. I'd never even heard of the profession.
"Ghost Midwives specialize in delivering ghost babies. They're pros at aborting ghost fetuses too. Don't worry. Give me the address, I'm on my way."
After I gave him the address of this house, the fat man grunted and said he could arrive in a dozen minutes— it wasn't too far from where he was.
Hanging up the phone, I let out a half-relieved sigh. The only thing to do now was to stop the ghost fetus from being born, and wait for the Ghost Midwife to come and exorcise it.
Just then, Lin Xue suddenly let out a pained wail: "Ah! It hurts so much! It... it seems to be coming out! My stomach hurts terribly!"
Seeing Lin Xue in such agony, Zhang Xiaoman was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, but there was little she could do except hold Lin Xue's hand to ease her pain.
"Xiaoxue, hold on! Don't let it come out!" Zhang Xiaoman comforted her, clasping her hand tightly.
But Lin Xue's pain only intensified. Her belly was now swollen like a huge balloon.
I quickly lifted the clothes over her stomach and saw a vague small head and a pair of dark little hands inside her abdomen— they appeared like shadows on Lin Xue's skin.
I reached out to touch it, but at that moment, the thing suddenly let out a terrifying cry from inside Lin Xue's belly: "Wah, wah, wah..."