[1] The Whole Family Is Insanely Eavesdropping on My Thoughts

The door thudded loudly, shaking violently.

Deng Zhi's heart raced as she stared at the door, noticing a faint crack appearing along its edge.

"How could this happen? Aren't they afraid of the Door God Talismans painted with Cinnabar Ink?" she muttered, horrified. The talismans, which should repel all Malevolent Spirits, seemed powerless.

Madam Xu's eyes darkened. "Where did you get those talismans?"

Deng Zhi's face instantly lost all color. "They... they were brought by the Marquis." As soon as the words escaped her lips, her legs turned weak, and an icy chill shot up her spine.

She felt on the verge of tears. "Before you gave birth, the Marquis had already prepared those talismans. Back then..." She hesitated, knowing that, back then, no one suspected the Marquis of harboring a wandering heart or keeping a mistress.

Madam Xu felt a cold despair seep into her bones.

Outside, the groaning of the door grew louder. Ying Xue and Jue Xia retreated further into the room, trembling as they positioned themselves protectively in front of Madam Xu.

"Hee hee hee hee..."

"Clang, clang, clang, clang..."

"We found you..."

The eerie sounds came from all directions, pressing in until they seemed to drown out everything else. The door wavered under the assault, its hinges threatening to give way. Madam Xu bit down hard on her lip until she tasted blood. Sweat poured down her forehead in cold, stinging rivulets.

"Why haven't we heard the Righteous Scholar's Chant yet?" Ying Xue's voice quivered with tears, sinking the group's spirits even further.

Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao lay sprawled on the bed, her chubby little hands raised above her head, her tiny feet splayed out like a baby frog. Her plump arms and legs were soft, covered in thick baby fat, and at this moment, she twitched in irritation.

The incessant laughter and clanging grated on her ears, pulling her out of her slumber. As her round eyes snapped open, her entire face flushed with sleep-induced annoyance. The midnight disturbance had awakened her, and her mood soured to an extent even more frightful than the Malevolent Spirits outside.

"Thunk!"

Her tiny face puffed up with indignation, and she balled her chubby fists, waving them angrily.

Deng Zhi jumped at the sound, rushing to cover the child's mouth. "Hush..." she whispered shakily, trying to soothe the infant.

But...

In an instant, the cacophony from outside came to an abrupt halt.

The spirits pressing against the door stopped their frenzied assault.

The eerie laughter and taunting cries vanished entirely.

Even the wind that had howled moments before seemed to have been silenced.

The air was deathly still. Not a single sound remained.

Lu Chao Chao glared fiercely, her round eyes flashing with fury as she shoved Deng Zhi's hand away. Raising a stubby finger, she pointed toward the door, her baby face scrunched in utter outrage. With her tiny mouth wide open, she began scolding in a stream of nonsensical gibberish:

"$#@&*!#%@%&4..."

Her chubby little hands settled on her hips as her tirade continued. No one could understand her words, but the sheer fury radiating from her left no doubt about her intentions. The tiny girl was giving the Malevolent Spirits a dressing-down that would put the most seasoned sailors to shame.