I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

Bai Qingyu completely underestimated the couple's bottom line.

More than half a month later, the couple noticed a problem. They hardly fed or cared for the child, but the child was still fine. He cried often, but strangely, he was more energetic than before, and his complexion had improved a lot.

We fed them less than before, but they grew faster than before. Isn't that strange?

Liu Shusheng knew that his wife had not produced breast milk for some reason recently. He remembered that when she fed the child, she only gave him water-soaked white steamed buns, which were hardly nutritious. However, the child's complexion was rosy and radiant.

During the day, Liu Shusheng did not go out for a stroll. He held a small white feather in his hand and remembered the dark shadow he had seen on the roof of his house one night when he went out to relieve himself. His eyes darted around and he thought of something.

From that day on, a rumor spread like wildfire throughout Peach Blossom Town.

When the moonlight falls, bird demons will appear and use their magic to sneak into the house while the owner is asleep to steal and eat the children. Even worse, the bird demons will feed the children poisoned milk, killing them.

As soon as the news broke, someone immediately jumped out and claimed that they had personally seen the bird demon one night, saying how ugly and terrifying it was, with a human face, a snake's body, black feathers, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and eyes like those of a wild beast from the mountains.

Some people believed the news, while others didn't. They said the bird demon stole children, but they hadn't heard of any families within a hundred miles actually losing children.

During casual conversations over tea and meals, the conversation reminded parents with young children not to sleep too soundly at night. Taking advantage of this, the Taoist priests in town made a small fortune and launched special talismans to deal with bird demons. One talisman cost three copper coins, and three talismans cost ten copper coins. Three talismans formed a magic array, which, when pasted on windows and doors, was guaranteed to prevent bird demons from spying on you.

Another half month passed, during which time Bai Qingyu began to understand the changes in the town.

After buying the carpenter's tools last time, she never came here in human form again. Maintaining her appearance with her demonic power was exhausting. After buying firewood, rice, oil, salt, noodles, and some books, she didn't need anything else. However, coming to town at night and eavesdropping on some couples' whispers gave her a general understanding of the situation.

She felt helpless about this, not knowing how the news spread or who spread it.

Anyway, she doesn't steal children or eat them, and the idea that she poisoned her child with toxic breast milk is utter nonsense.

If possible, Bai Qingyu really wanted to find this person who spread rumors and give them a good beating.

However, since she had said that, and had rarely appeared here recently, Bai Qingyu was worried that some idle cultivators might pass by and hear that a bird demon was stealing a child, so they drew their swords without saying a word.

But in the end, he couldn't help but worry about his son, especially Liu Shusheng's family.

Little did they know that the rumor was spread by Liu Shusheng, who claimed that after poisoning his son, he could shift all the blame onto the bird demon, saying that the bird demon killed his son with poisoned milk, not that he was heartless.

·

Book 1: Chapter 11 Saving the Children

As night fell, Peach Blossom Town fell into silence, with no other sounds except for the occasional bark of a dog and the strange calls of some kind of bird that landed on the eaves.

There was no wind tonight, and dark clouds obscured the silver moon in the sky. The bird demon legend that had been spreading more and more in the town for the past month had indeed had a great impact. The sounds of babies crying that could be heard on nights in the past had not been heard at all recently.

Even if they did appear, they would quickly quiet down. Not all parents are as ruthless as Liu Shusheng. The couple were afraid that the bird demon would come to steal their child in the middle of the night, so they dared not sleep at night. They had to find a way to soothe the child at the slightest movement.

The town's residents spontaneously formed a night patrol team. When night fell, five or six men would carry torches and oil lamps, with a handful of talismans from the Taoist priest of the southern city for dealing with bird demons in their pockets, and sticks or farm tools in their hands. They would wander around the town, wary of any suspicious birds, and even crows and magpies had to be shot away with slingshots.

It wasn't that the townspeople were too ignorant and blindly followed the crowd. Besides the fabrications of Liu Shusheng and his cronies, Bai Qingyu also bore a considerable responsibility for how things had turned out this way. In fact, after leaving Liu Shusheng's house, she wouldn't leave the town directly. Sometimes she would stand by the window and watch the children in other people's houses.

She occasionally lends a hand to careless parents, comforting crying children. The age range of children she takes care of is not limited to infants; even toddlers as young as one or two or three years old are within her care scope.

She would want to take care of any child, no matter how old they are, but children this age might expose her flaws.

As the saying goes, "He who walks by the river will eventually get his shoes wet." Over time, some people have actually witnessed a dark shadow flying away from the window, right next to their own child.

Bai Qingyu squatted on the rooftop, watching the man patrolling below walk by, feeling quite helpless.

There was nothing she could do. She couldn't very well go down and say that she was actually only thinking of what was best for the child and had never had any intention of harming or stealing the cub. Even if it were a beast like Liu Shusheng, she wouldn't have directly stolen his cub, much less poisoned the cub with her milk. There was no need for it, and it was impossible, since bird demons are not mammals and don't produce milk.

"I shouldn't come back tonight. Life in the Ten Thousand Mountains is not bad, and apart from Liu Shusheng's children, no one else really needs my help." Bai Qingyu thought to herself. Coming to the town was no longer just for Liu Shusheng's family. Something was nagging at her, and she couldn't help but want to come and take a look.

Bai Qingyu arrived at Liu Shusheng's house with practiced ease, only to find the room eerily quiet. She deftly walked to the window, but upon turning her head, she saw something: two feathers stuck in the windowpane.

Bai Qingyu plucked it and held it in her hand. Upon closer inspection, her concerns vanished. It wasn't her feather but a magpie's. She wondered why Liu Shusheng had stuck the feather there. While others pasted useless talismans, he stuck in a feather.

Suddenly, Bai Qingyu heard a noise and quickly dodged to the side.

The lights in the room were off, and she hadn't expected that Liu Shusheng was still awake at this hour.

A creaking sound came from inside, as Liu Shusheng pushed the door open and entered, followed by footsteps.

Liu Shusheng's voice echoed from inside the room, as if he were muttering to himself.

"It's been a month, a whole month..."

"I don't know if this is feasible or not."

"No, it will definitely work. If he conspires with a monster to harm my son, he can forget about doing business. His life will be in danger. I don't believe he's not afraid."

Liu Shusheng's humming continued in the room, sounding like he was trying to do something and giving himself mental suggestions. The bird demon heard it clearly from outside, and a few keywords in particular caught her attention.

The monster in the rumors is himself, so why would he conspire with this person to harm his son?

After a moment of contemplation, Bai Qingyu suddenly thought of something. His eyes narrowed, and he unleashed the demonic power he had been hiding all along. Without saying anything more, he smashed through the window and entered the room.

The sudden commotion startled Liu Shusheng. He turned around and saw that his window had been smashed. A beautiful woman in black stood in front of him. Judging by her figure alone, Liu Shusheng could definitely "ask for the lady's name" and chase her for several blocks. However, this girl with a perfect figure had a bird's head!

Bird demon! As the one who started the rumors, this term immediately popped into Liu Shusheng's mind.

The bowl in his hand crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces, spilling milk all over the floor. The smell was extremely pungent, which confirmed the rumors of feeding poisonous milk to infants. However, it was not an evil bird demon that wanted the child to die, but his own father.

Bai Qingyu felt a chill run through her heart upon seeing this, confirming her suspicions.

This guy wanted to poison his own son and then frame his wife by saying that his wife was a bird demon, and then use that to threaten the merchant surnamed Qian into paying him money!

Everyone knows about Qian Laosan's relationship with his wife, but they just don't talk about it.

What was already a shameful affair was compounded by Liu Shusheng's outburst, leaving Qian Laosan with no choice but to obediently hand over the money.

Bai Qingyu was furious. She thought that Liu Shusheng was just irresponsible, but at least he could still feed the child and raise him. She never expected that this person was so vicious that he would poison his own son on the spot to swindle money!

The bird demon's appearance was truly terrifying. Liu Shusheng, feeling guilty, was about to shout when Bai Qingyu suddenly raised the oil-paper umbrella in her hand and thrust it out. The umbrella was sharper than a sword in her hand, piercing Liu Shusheng's mouth. With a ruthless heart, she added demonic power, and with a "plop," the tip of the umbrella pierced directly out from behind Liu Shusheng's head.

Liu Shusheng's eyes widened, and he could only make muffled sounds as blood flowed down the corner of his mouth.

A breeze blew through the window, obscuring the full moon as the dark clouds dispersed. The bright moonlight shone through the window into the room and onto Bai Qingyu. Her eyes were filled with utter disgust and icy coldness. She held the umbrella handle with one hand as if it were a sword, and the tip of the umbrella pierced through Liu Shusheng's head—a truly terrifying sight. Anyone who passed by and saw it would probably be scared out of their wits.

Liu Shusheng was still alive, he was very tough and lucky. The umbrella tip did not pierce his brain or break his spine. His eyes showed a pleading expression. He never dreamed that one day the bird demon would really come to take revenge.

Everything in the world has its own laws. Even the heavens wanted Liu Shusheng to die. Bai Qingyu arrived at the perfect time and soon heard Liu Shusheng muttering to himself.

Without uttering a single wasted word or pressing for answers, the bird demon swung its paper umbrella and slashed.

The wings gripped the umbrella handle with considerable strength; the tip of the umbrella struck Liu Shusheng's neck but instead of severing his head, it shattered his bones.

Under immense force, the blood mist exploded, and Liu Shusheng crashed directly into the wall. Without the support of his bones, his head and body were connected only by a thin layer of skin and flesh. His head, with its eyes wide open, drooped limply, and blood droplets splattered everywhere in the room.

Carrying a blood-dripping umbrella, Bai Qingyu held the poisoned child on the bed in her arms with one hand and stepped out of the room.

Sitting on a chair in the main room, Bai Qingyu, covered in blood, gently coaxed the baby, humming a lullaby. The demonic power entering the body didn't seem to have much effect.

The baby in my arms was so quiet.

Outside the room, Madam Liu strode in with three servants. It's likely that Liu the scholar hadn't expected his wife to be just as shrewd as he was, thinking the same thing.

Before she could even call out Liu Shusheng's name after pushing open the door, Madam Liu froze on the spot, staring blankly at the monster sitting in the chair holding her son in his arms.

"bird......"

The three servants behind her heard Madam Liu utter that one word and were suddenly sent flying, pinned to the ground by an umbrella, their blood spraying all over Master Qian's head and face.

Bai Qingyu didn't know why Master Qian was here in the middle of the night, but he decided to kill him and be done with it.

The umbrella tip severed the large, fat head, and after everything fell silent, the umbrella holder carried away the child who still had a sliver of hope for survival.

This child is pitiful; his parents are no good either.

He will die if I don't take care of him.

The night breeze blew by.

The faint sound of a bird demon humming a lullaby could be heard.

"Children make noise, smoke rises from the chimneys. Birds return to the woods."

"The road is difficult, winding and turning a thousand times. The sun sets over another mountain."

Please vote for me! I did a handstand and split in mid-air!

Volume One: Chapter Twelve: Daughter and Aunt

Bai Qingyu didn't know if she could cure the child. At this moment, all she could do was keep channeling her demonic power into him to maintain his life force, hoping that this demonic power could force out the poison in the child's body. Before this, Bai Qingyu had never dared to directly channel demonic energy into the child. When Dongqing had a fever, she only used her demonic power to force out the medicinal properties of the herbs and then fed them to her.

The child in her arms was so small, and she had no idea how much poisonous milk that damned scholar Liu had fed him. All she knew was that the demonic power entering his body to eradicate the poison was like a stone sinking into the sea, without causing the slightest reaction. The child was still weak, his face was pale and his lips were bloodless.

Bai Qingyu remembered that this child loved to wave her two little hands around in the air, whether she was crying or happy. Especially when she saw Bai Qingyu, her little face would light up with a bright smile and she would wave her two little hands out the window.

And today, those two little hands, which had nowhere to go, were never raised again.

He simply transformed back into his original form, picked up the child, and flew towards the bird's nest at top speed. There were many precious medicinal herbs in the nest, one of which was specifically used to detoxify. He hoped he could get back before the child couldn't hold on any longer, otherwise even the most potent herbs would be useless, and even the elixirs and panaceas of those cultivators would be of no use.

When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; no matter how strong one's cultivation is, one cannot bring back a lost life. That's just how the laws of heaven and earth are.

Back at the nest, thankfully the child, though small, had persevered. Bai Qingyu didn't care about anything else and put the herbs in a bowl, added water, and boiled it. She used her demonic power to extract the medicinal properties and then let the water cool down before feeding it to the child.

Bai Qingyu prayed silently, hoping it would have some effect. Time passed second by second. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but the child's complexion improved and seemed to regain some color. After a while, she was sure that what she was seeing was not fake. At least the child's breathing had stabilized. She quickly picked up the small gourd hanging from her waist and fed him deer milk. This time, the child actually had the strength to drink milk on his own. She was overjoyed.

After much fussing and turning, Bai Qingyu held the child and looked out of the cave. She didn't know how much time had passed, but the sky was beginning to brighten. A pale white tinge appeared on the horizon, signifying the start of a new day. She glanced back at the nest, where the baby was sleeping soundly, its little mouth agape and drool dripping everywhere.

After a night of exhaustion, Bai Qingyu was relieved that her abundant demonic power had not been wasted; her hard work had saved her child's life. It could be said that she had successfully snatched a life from the jaws of death.

The blanket was folded into a long strip and placed in the middle of the bird's nest to separate Dongqing and the unnamed chick. Fortunately, the nest was big enough that the chicks were spaced a meter apart. The main reason for doing this was to prevent Dongqing from bullying him. Dongqing was more than two months older than him, and she was so mischievous that it was hard not to worry.

After finishing all that, Bai Qingyu dragged her exhausted body and flew away. She was so tired today, she had never been so tired before.

Bai Qingyu randomly found a clear stream, put away her feather robe, and landed directly in the river. She let the water soak her, relaxed her body, and lay down to drift with the current. The cold river water washed away the bloodstains on her body, but it also brought fatigue. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she fell asleep, but she still couldn't let go of the things on her mind.

Yesterday, she killed six people with that umbrella.

Therefore, he might incur a lot of karmic burdens, but Bai Qingyu couldn't care less. He had already prepared himself for this and would simply do some good deeds in the future.

No matter what, Liu Shusheng must die; if he doesn't, heaven and earth will not tolerate him.

Unbeknownst to Bai Qingyu, while she was asleep, her body began to absorb a large amount of spiritual energy. A gust of wind blowing on her was filled with pure spiritual energy, as if it were a reward from heaven and earth or an effect brought about by her own improvement.

When Bai Qingyu woke up an hour later, he felt that he was probably still half asleep. He was surprised to find that his body was much stronger and that he had recovered more than 30% of the demon power he had lost in a short period of time.

·

The Liu family and Master Qian were murdered, and the whereabouts of the Liu family's children are unknown.

Early in the morning, the news spread throughout Peach Blossom Town.

The Liu family's courtyard was surrounded by a large crowd of residents, who were discussing the matter. Some said that Liu Shusheng deserved to die, others said that Master Qian had taken someone else's wife and led a group to kill Liu Shusheng, only to be killed by another group of people himself. Still others said that it was the bird demon's revenge, and during this period, Liu Shusheng cursed the bird demon the most fiercely.