"Are they... Did you give them poison?" I gasped for breath, chasing after the howling mountain wind to ask.

Master Qingning glanced at me without speaking and continued climbing up the mountain road.

The mountain road at night was particularly difficult to walk on. It was a rough journey, but we finally arrived at the entrance of a cliff cave.

"Come in with me." Master Qingning turned on the flashlight on his phone and walked inside on his own.

I leaned against the edge of the cliff cave, gasping heavily, unwilling to enter the abyss-like cave in front of me.

As I randomly felt the outer wall of the cliff, I questioned, "When will you finally resolve the fetus inside my stomach?"

A piece of rope, partly hidden by leaves, bumped into my palm. It was a stiff hemp rope with a hint of sand.

I pulled back my hand and sniffed it, detecting a smell of gunpowder.

"Come here! The solution is right here." Master Qingning's tone became stern, repeating impatiently.

Reluctantly, I moved my feet and walked towards the direction of the voice, but I kept a few steps' distance from her.

The space inside the cliff cave wasn't large. Just a few steps in, a strong putrid odor could be smelled.

The adjacent cliff wall was smeared with a layer of damp and sticky mucus, making me feel nauseous.

Master Qingning shone the flashlight beam into the cave, signaling me to look inside.

At that moment, I felt an indescribable fear and despair.

Spread out on the crude straw mats inside the cave were several women lying twisted and contorted. Their bellies were deformed, almost covering their thighs.

Their legs were as thin as withered wood, having lost their ability to move long ago.

Strangely, the women's eyes were wide open, covered with a thick white film, appearing particularly horrifying.

Trembling, I squeezed out a sentence from my throat, "Are they still alive?"

"Of course," Master Qingning approached and kicked their bellies, which were still irregularly undulating, "These are the fish women."