None of them would have thought it was too late to leave, that the blood bath would start soon.

"What do we do now?" Yifu asked as she clutched at Zi Cheng"s clothes. She was uneasy and deeply regretted coming. If she knew it was so dangerous, she would have stayed behind at the inn with Jasmine.

A voice roared in her heart when she thought this. The voice said Zi Cheng was her best friend; how could she leave her alone? She had to protect Zi Cheng no matter what, even if it meant dying; her life"s purpose was to protect Zi Cheng.

The firm voice erased the uneasiness in her heart.

"The demon has to be with Princess Nai Nai, so we"ll go to where she is," Jier stated.

Ming Xi made his decision quickly. "We"ll divide into two groups. My group will guard Princess Nai Nai, and Feng Wu, you and your group continue helping the girls."

Everyone agreed to the plan so Feng Wu and her team (Pei Qing, Wind, and Jier) left to help more girls, while Ming Xi and his group went to guard the princess.

Lydia told them time was running out, so they rushed, trying to help as many people as they could.

The next house on their list wasn"t far so they reached it quickly. They could hear loud argument as they stood at the front gates.

"Let me go mom! The princess is in danger! I have to go find her!" The speaker sounded like a young woman, around twenty or so. Her voice was nasally and hoa.r.s.e, like she"d been crying for some time.

"Where are you going to go looking like that?! Everyone in town look at us like we"re monsters. The spit from all their gossip will drown you! And you still want to take care of some princess?!" A middle-aged woman screamed from near the doorway.

"How can I not care about the princess?! She treated me so well! I have to talk to her and explain things properly!" The young woman"s voice was firm.

"No! I won"t allow it! Out of the question! You think the princess is going to let us off? You think she"s going to let our family off?!" The older woman sounded even more alarmed than before.

Feng Wu and the group looked at each other before knocking. No one came to open the gates, probably because the shouting was so loud. Jier had to bang on it a few more times before someone came out.

"Who are you?" the middle-aged woman asked when she saw them. She was older but her clothes looked nicer than those of the previous families they visited. She looked at Feng Wu and the group with eyes full of suspicion and unease.

No one in the group thought anything of her gaze. Everyone they visited had given them the same distrustful and nervous looks at first.

The affected families were living under a great deal of pressure from the townspeople ever since the pregnancies appeared. Some more venomous people even smeared animal blood and feces on their doors. Naturally this made the families on guard against any visitors.

"h.e.l.lo, we were sent by the Adventurers" guild to help you." Pei Qing smiled politely taking on the task of speaking for the group.

The woman replied in disbelief. "Adventurers? You"re from the Adventurers" guild? The mayor didn"t say anything about asking the Adventurers" guild for help."

The mayor was a good person, but he wasn"t so selfless he would pay out of his own pocket. Maybe if his own family was affected, yes, but otherwise… never. The magician from last time was only invited because everyone in town pitched in, with a majority of the funds coming from families with daughters. After all no one knew who the next victim could be. The families with already pregnant daughters paid the most.

The woman hadn"t seen the mayor come around asking for donations, and she certainly hadn"t heard anything about it.

"It was not a request from the mayor. The boss from the inn near town asked us to help. We"ve already visited several of the families affected and resolved the problem of the babies for them. Allow us to see your daughter. The longer we wait the more dangerous it will be. The sooner we resolve the issue the better."

"Oh, him!" the woman exclaimed in relief. If it was the inn owner, then she could believe it. He was a good man. He looked after the more dest.i.tute children by giving them jobs at his inn. "Everyone please, come in. I will bring my daughter out shortly."

Feng Wu and the group followed the woman. The yard looked well maintained and the house decent. They were definitely well-off, probably middle to upper-middle cla.s.s, and much wealthier than any of the previous families the group visited. If not for their daughter"s situation they would have been a respectable house.

The mother came back with her daughter, Xiao Lan, a beautiful girl with dispirited eyes and considerably pregnant belly. Had they arrived a day or two later it would have been impossible to save her. She would have died the same way the other girl had.

Xiao Chun forced the baby out and quickly purified it.

With the baby gone, Xiao Lan"s body returned to normal. She looked down at her flat belly and cried. Then she flung herself onto Feng Wu as she pleaded, "Oh honorable adventurer, please, please save the princess! Princess Nai Nai is in danger. Please save her!" She dropped onto her knees and kowtowed to Feng Wu desperately begging for help.

Jier and Pei Qing exchanged glances. It looked like Xiao Lan knew something.

"Ms. Xiao Lan, please get up first before saying more. We saw the princess today. She seemed fine. How is it she"s in danger?" Pei Qing asked as he gently helped Xiao Lan to her feet. He intentionally pitched his voice so it would be soothing; when paired with his good looks, it was a powerful combination.