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Chapter 112: Powerless to Turn the Tide

Even without asking, Xu Meijing knew why Yang Haoran had suddenly become like this.

Yet, she didn't know why, when this man—this man whom she clearly detested, whom she desperately wished would vanish from her sight—shed tears, her heart felt not a shred of joy. Instead, there was a faint, unspeakable sorrow.

And Yang Haoran, after a brief moment of stunned silence, charged like a madman towards the Corpse Puppets that had just crawled out of the house.

He moved incredibly fast, as if terrified that any delay would cause him to lose something. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of the Corpse Puppets.

Xu Meijing also reacted, but it was too late to stop him. Yang Haoran directly embraced his parents, pulling them into his arms.

“Dad! ”

“Mom! ”

Heart-wrenching cries tore from Yang Haoran's throat. The moment he embraced his parents, he could no longer control his emotions; tears erupted like a violent downpour.

In that instant, his mind held no fragments of past memories, no scenes of childhood tenderness, no moments of mischievous beatings, nor all that his parents had done for him in adulthood. There was no nagging from his mother, no sternness from his father. His mind was a blank slate, utterly empty.

In that moment, he cried like a child, a child who seemed to have suffered an immense grievance.

Yang Haoran's emotions in that moment infected Xu Meijing, yet they could not reach his parents in his arms.

Just as Yang Haoran clutched his parents, weeping uncontrollably, they opened their wide mouths, revealing sharp, serrated teeth, and simultaneously bit down on his left and right shoulders.

The searing pain made Yang Haoran's body tremble violently. He did not cry out, nor did he push his parents away, still holding them tightly in his embrace.

This scene caused Xu Meijing's expression to change. She wanted to intervene and stop it, for she knew that Yang Haoran was unwilling to harm even his clansmen, let alone his own parents. If this continued unchecked, in just a few moments, Yang Haoran's blood would be completely drained by his parents.

Xu Meijing did not want to see this happen, so she intended to intervene. However, before she could act, Yang Haoran's father and mother suddenly released their bite. His parents' expressions were painful, as if they were struggling, and hoarse roars emanated from their mouths as they forcibly broke free from Yang Haoran's embrace.

At the same time, the Corpse Puppets that had crawled out of the house with his parents also noticed Yang Haoran. Their eyes erupted with bloodthirsty light, and they lunged directly towards him.

However, before these Corpse Puppets could even get close to Yang Haoran, two figures pounced, bringing them to the ground—

These two figures were none other than Yang Haoran's father and mother.

Corpse Puppets bit at other Corpse Puppets—this was something that had never happened before. But now, Yang Haoran's father and mother had blocked the other Corpse Puppets for him.

Yang Haoran, his face streaked with tears, was momentarily stunned. Then, as if something had dawned on him, an expression of delighted surprise appeared on his face, and he rushed towards his parents.

Under normal circumstances, Corpse Puppets could not fight among themselves. The sight before him made Yang Haoran's first thought that perhaps his parents' consciousness had not fully dissipated, and they still recognized him, their son.

Ignoring the searing pain from his shoulders, he forcibly separated the Corpse Puppets that were biting his parents, then grabbed one in each hand and directly flung them away. In that moment, all he thought of were his parents. How could he possibly care that the flung-away Corpse Puppets had once been his own clansmen?

At this moment, Xu Meijing also appeared behind Yang Haoran. The powerful Yin Qi erupting from her body acted like a protective shield, enveloping the entire area where Yang Haoran stood, his father and mother included.

She did not mock Yang Haoran as she usually would. She simply stood silently behind him, not uttering a single word.

Outside the range enveloped by Yin Qi, large numbers of Corpse Puppets frantically assailed the shield formed by the Yin Qi. Yet, no matter how wild or how hard they pushed, they could not break through the barrier and rush in.

In Yangjiawan, overrun by countless Corpse Puppets, the area where she and Yang Haoran stood now seemed to be the sole sanctuary.

No, strictly speaking, even their immediate vicinity could hardly be called a sanctuary. For at this moment, Yang Haoran's father and mother continued to howl and struggle, baring their fangs at Yang Haoran, their expressions constantly shifting between madness and pain.

When mad, they wanted to attack Yang Haoran, to continue gnawing at his flesh and blood, for flesh and blood held an intense temptation for them.

When in pain, it was as if they recalled something, gaining a sliver of thought. But this consciousness was too faint to allow them to fully control their bodies.

The glimmer of joy that had just sparked in Yang Haoran's heart was shattered by his parents' current reaction. He had believed his parents still retained some consciousness, but the present situation revealed that while they did, it was only a mere thread.

“Dad! Mom! Wake up! Wake up! It's Haoran! It's Haoran! ”

Yang Haoran's heart felt as if it were being torn apart. With a sobbing voice, he shook his parents, hoping to awaken them through this method. But it had no ideal effect; on the contrary, the more he did so, the stronger his parents' reactions became.

At this moment, Yang Haoran had completely lost his usual calm and composure. His mind was in turmoil, his brain a blank. In his desperation, he looked helplessly at Xu Meijing behind him.

“Xu Meijing, you must have a way, right? Your power is greater than mine, you must have a way! Please help me! Please help me! I’ll never talk back to you again! I’ll listen to everything you say, whatever you tell me! Please help me! Please help me! ”

So-called dignity seemed so lowly before the lives of his parents. At this moment, Yang Haoran personally broke his prideful spirit and trampled upon his own dignity. He pleaded for Xu Meijing's charity like a beggar.

This woman, whom he had always found so annoying and uncomfortable, now, in his eyes, became his sole lifeline—the only straw that could save his parents' lives.

At this moment, he had only one thought: as long as he could save his parents, he would do anything, even if it meant ending his own life with his own hands; he would not hesitate.

Xu Meijing shed her usual arrogance and put away her everyday aloofness. Looking at the frenzied Yang Haoran, she shook her head, her face filled with a complex expression.

“The reason your parents still retain a tiny sliver of consciousness is because the Corpse Toxin within their bodies hasn't fully spread, and their souls haven't completely dissipated. Your presence is what awakened that last thread of their awareness. But. . . this situation won't last long, a few minutes at most, sigh, I'm sorry, I can't help you. ”

Xu Meijing spoke softly. Her words shattered the last shred of hope in Yang Haoran's heart.

In truth, Yang Haoran understood these theoretical concepts. However, in his current state, how could he possibly think of such things? He instinctively felt that Xu Meijing's power far surpassed his own, and thus she might have a way.

But his imagination was, after all, just imagination. Rather than saying he believed Xu Meijing had the ability to save his parents, it was more accurate to say he *hoped* Xu Meijing had the ability to save his parents.

But often, reality and one's ideal hopes are two complete extremes. One often fails to achieve the most desired outcome, instead receiving the result one least wishes to see.

Seeing Yang Haoran's distraught appearance, Xu Meijing felt a pang of pity. She wanted to say a few words to comfort him. However, at that moment, a hoarse voice suddenly emerged from his mother, who was still frantically struggling on the ground.

“Hao. . . Haoran. . . ”

The sound was incredibly unsettling, yet to Yang Haoran, in that moment, it was as if. . .

“Mom! ” Yang Haoran was stunned for a moment, then his face filled with delighted surprise. He turned to look at his mother on the ground, then pulled her into his embrace, shouting excitedly, “Mom, you’re awake! You’re finally awake! ”

His mother's face was etched with pain. She continued to struggle wildly on the ground, seemingly no different from before, yet a touch of humanity—something previously absent—now appeared in her bloodthirsty eyes.

“Child. . . get. . . married. . . have children. . . leave. . . a legacy. . . I. . . ”

Broken, intermittent words emerged from his mother's mouth. The voice was faint, yet it seemed to consume all her remaining strength.

Before she could finish, the sliver of humanity that had just returned to her eyes vanished completely. Her eyes once again became bloodthirsty and cruel. She opened her mouth, revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs, and lunged to bite Yang Haoran's neck.

At the same time, Yang Haoran's father, who had been struggling painfully on the side, also ceased his struggles. After a furious roar, his body once again sprawled on the ground like a spider, his gaze bloodthirsty as he eyed Yang Haoran. His limbs suddenly propelled him forward, and he lunged directly at Yang Haoran, opening his wide mouth to bite at Yang Haoran's face.

Xu Meijing inwardly cried out "Not good! " The sudden change in Yang Haoran's father and mother could only mean one thing: their souls had completely dissipated, and the last thread of consciousness remaining in their minds had also vanished. They had become Corpse Puppets through and through.

They were no longer who they once were; they would no longer remember having a son named Yang Haoran. All they knew was the instinct to consume blood and flesh. Yang Haoran, standing before them, was merely a walking piece of fresh meat. If he did not resist, he would absolutely die beneath their sharp fangs.

Would Yang Haoran resist?

Judging from the current situation, Xu Meijing was very worried about this. She felt Yang Haoran likely wouldn't resist, which was why she decisively took action.

With a wave of her hand, two black chains, each as thick as an arm, appeared on his parents' bodies, binding them tightly. Then, disregarding Yang Haoran's protests, she forcibly cast them out of the Yin Qi barrier.