87: We share both hardship and happiness.

"It hurts... It hurts so much..."

Lu Jiahao's face gradually turned pale, and his originally rich 'human aura' gradually vanished. Finally, his breathing could barely be felt.

He lay there quietly, as if he had lost his life, looking just like a corpse.

Seeing this, Tang Tang quickly chanted an incantation. "Boy spirits and girl spirits, come here; when you are in trouble, I shall come to resolve it. Today I have calculated your origin, and I shall write the documents myself. Since there is a karmic cause, do not linger; even the immortals themselves shall come to save you. Since there is trouble, do not worry. I have a reason to act as a substitute..."

She held six red threads in her hand, tying them one by one to the paper dolls' wrists, and then wrapped the other end around Lu Jiahao's pregnant belly, circling it exactly six times.

After completing these steps, Lu Jiahao's stomach suddenly began to move.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Palm prints pushed up from beneath the skin of his belly, each one appearing very tender.

Before long, little feet also protruded from beneath the skin, seemingly kicking and thrashing.

This movement reminded Xiao Chi of fetal movement, and the kind from multiple births at that.

[He’s simply a fellow who pits his uncle! He had his fun, yet he's making me bear the karmic burden.]

Young Master Lu's face, as pale as a dead man's, twisted in agony.

However, he gritted his teeth tightly and never made a sound.

At this moment, his Maternal Uncle's warning echoed continuously in his mind: [Under these circumstances, you absolutely must not open your mouth. Once you let out your breath, the Infant Spirits will realize you've deceived them...]

Fifteen minutes later, Tang Tang saw that Lu Jiahao was about to reach his limit. She immediately stuffed a pill into his mouth, telling him to quickly press it under his tongue.

Then, steadying her mind, she pulled the Pentagonal Soul-Condensing Bell from her Storage Bag and began to shake it.

The Pentagonal Soul-Condensing Bell in her hand emitted a sharp, piercing sound, each shake accompanied by ripples of spiritual light.

As the bell rang exactly thirty-six times, Tang Tang's right hand quickly formed a hand seal while she muttered: "...You and a certain person from a certain place with a certain surname and name, born on the same day and the same year... No karmic conflict, so the baleful aura should run quickly; by the order of the divine soldiers and the fire, as commanded."

In the blink of an eye, the Infant Spirits inside his belly seemed to hear some kind of summons and became extremely rowdy. They rolled and twisted in the abdomen, seemingly impatient to break free from their constraints.

Then, the entire belly shrank back to normal size at an alarming speed; the originally round, large belly became flat.

Tang Tang looked down and saw that Lu Jiahao's belly was covered in wrinkles, looking just like a ghost's face, and appearing somewhat "disgusting."

However, this change caused the heavy stone in Xiao Chi's heart to drop—it meant the Substitute Technique had worked.

Meanwhile, the six models of Lu Jiahao made of paper dolls nearby...

...their originally flat waist and abdomen areas actually began to bulge slowly.

A small lump bulged at the waist of each paper doll, corresponding exactly to the six Infant Spirits in his belly.

Although the paper dolls were covered with white cloth, a chilly resentment could still be felt emanating from them.

The Infant Spirits seemed quite satisfied with their new home; after a few fetal movements, they lay down quietly.

Tang Tang's body went limp, and she slumped onto the ground. She propped herself up with her hands to keep from falling over completely. A trace of blood hung from the corner of her lips, clearly exhausted.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a medicinal pill, only then slowly recovering. Looking down at the Pentagonal Soul-Condensing Bell in her hand, she felt secretly relieved.

[If I hadn't moved fast enough and had enough spiritual power to support it, this Substitute Technique would likely have failed.]

Thinking of this, Tang Tang couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. [If I had messed up, that seventy million reward would have gone down the drain.]

"Little Martial Aunt, are you okay?" Xiao Chi bent down to help Tang Tang to a nearby round wooden chair.

Tang Tang waved her hand and said weakly, "I'm fine, just overextended." After saying that, she spat out another mouthful of bloody phlegm.

Hearing Tang Tang's words, Lu Jiahao reached out to touch his belly. It felt wrinkled, and his body temperature was like a dead person's. "Master! I should be fine now, right?"

Tang Tang glanced at Lu Jiahao, shook her head, and said irritably, "The souls are out, but the six little lumps of flesh are still inside."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiahao's face turned pale instantly, and he asked worriedly, "Then what should I do?"

Tang Tang comforted him, "It's fine, though. The lumps of flesh have shrunken and are almost like tumors now. Just go to the hospital for surgery and have them removed."

Lu Jiahao hesitated, staring blankly at his belly with an extremely complex expression.

He seemed to find it difficult to speak, but finally asked, "Master! Is there really no other way to solve this? Do I absolutely have to go to the hospital for surgery?"

Lu Jiahao continued, "Look at how 'wrinkled' my belly is; it looks like I've just given birth. If I go to the hospital, won't I be laughed to death?"

"And when they do a B-scan and find six stillborn fetuses inside... I simply can't imagine what that scene would be like." His expression became increasingly unsightly, as if he were already seeing the most embarrassing moment of his life.

Lu Jiahao looked at Xiao Chi resentfully. "If I really end up on the social news because of this, I'll definitely tell the paparazzi that these children are all yours, Maternal Uncle." After speaking, he turned his head away, clearly very satisfied with this idea.

Xiao Chi almost jumped up upon hearing this and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hey, you ungrateful brat! Don't talk nonsense! Careful, or I'll use the Lightning Strike Technique to blast you until you're charred on the outside and tender on the inside."

"Cough, cough... Just go to your family's private hospital." Tang Tang coughed a few times, covering her mouth with her fist.

But Lu Jiahao shook his head and responded decisively, "That won't work, absolutely not. Not many people know about my pregnancy right now, and I don't want more people from the Lu Family to find out about this."

Finally, Tang Tang leaned limply against the chair and muttered weakly, "Then there's no other way; you'll just have to get them out yourself."

For a moment, the entire room fell silent, and the atmosphere became very strange.

"Get them out?"

"How do I get them out?"

Goudan poked his head out from the head of the bed and said with a grin, "Just like my mom did—by pooping me out in the toilet."

"Like... taking a dump?" Lu Jiahao clutched his hair, looking extremely embarrassed.

"Of course!"

"That's not right! After all, they're technically my children." Lu Jiahao turned his head sheepishly to look at Goudan.

"Pfft! What's the use of looking at me? Do I dare to stop her from hitting you?" After Goudan finished, he glanced over at Tang Tang a few times.

[Besides, we're all good brothers, so good things should be shared! As the eldest brother, even I was born in a toilet; they should experience it once too.]

[Hehehe...]