The steam was thick and hazy.

The air carried a salty scent, mingled with a hint of sulfur.

This was a natural hot spring with a water temperature of around 45 degrees Celsius. You could feel the intense heat just by standing beside it.

A low wall encircled the source of the spring, with several circular openings that allowed the water to flow out.

Numerous medicinal herbs had been added to the water beyond this wall, giving the pool a brownish tint.

Raina Young was leaning back against the outer stone wall of the pool, her eyes closed as she rested.

Mama Young stood dutifully beside her, watching to make sure she didn’t fall asleep and slip into the water.

Aurora, pretending to be afraid of water, kept her distance, standing on the bank with a mask on her face.

There were three natural hot springs in total—one large and two small. Raina Young was soaking in one of the small pools, while the members of the Yamada Clan were in the large one.

A small rockery separated the two pools, leaving each group undisturbed.

"Joy, aren’t you coming in for a soak?" Raina Young asked with a smile.

Aurora shook her head vigorously. "No, thanks. I’m afraid of water."

"The water is very shallow here, only waist-deep. It’s the perfect opportunity for Mama Young to teach you how to swim."

Aurora just shook her head again. "Ma’am, a soak for you is medicinal. For me, it’s a death sentence."

Raina Young let out a chuckle.

Mama Young glanced at the girl on the bank and chimed in playfully, "She’s wearing that mask to keep from swallowing any water."

"Really?" The smile on Raina Young’s face widened.

In contrast to the laughter on their side, the other side of the rockery was deathly somber.

Three pregnant women lay on the bank, staring blankly at the sky.

Their gazes were numb, like those of the living dead.

One of the women, who was heavily pregnant, had several ugly scars on her exposed wrist.

Her ankles were shackled with heavy iron chains, and she was surrounded by more women than the others, as if they feared she might try to escape.

Suddenly, one of the pregnant women screamed, her face contorting in a painful wail. "Ah, my leg—"

The other women’s faces turned white with fear. They rushed through the water and scrambled to lift the woman onto the bank.

Then, with a huge SPLASH, the pregnant woman in the heavy iron chains rolled into the water and slammed violently into the central wall.

Soon, a patch of crimson bloomed in the water, staining the pool red.

"Ah—Help! Save her—"

Hearing this from the other side, Raina Young quickly had Mama Young get out of the water. "Mama Young, something’s wrong over there. Go see what’s happening—"

Aurora, already on the bank, was sprinting toward the scene.

The pregnant woman was heavy, and the few women struggled to lift her onto the bank, failing after several attempts.

Aurora leaped directly into the hot spring pool, held her hands high, and hoisted the pregnant woman onto the bank.

But at the same time, the prosthetic skin on her face began to melt.

Aurora’s expression faltered. She pulled a pair of swimming goggles from her pocket and put them on.

Mama Young had arrived by then. She knelt and checked for the woman’s breath.

"She’s still alive! We need to get her out of here for medical attention—now!"

The woman on the ground’s forehead was covered in blood, a gruesome sight.

A few of the women quickly lifted her and started to head out, but the pregnant woman was too heavy. After just a few steps, they nearly dropped her.

Aurora immediately rushed forward to support the woman’s feet. "Mama Young, I’ll give them a hand."

Mama Young’s brow furrowed slightly. ’Why does Joy Young’s skin seem so much fairer all of a sudden?’

On the way, the pregnant woman groggily regained consciousness. She mumbled something in Niphorian, but when she heard the reply from the person next to her, her eyes shot wide open. She began to struggle in despair, screaming, "Let me go—Let me die—"

But the woman beside her remained expressionless. She simply pulled a wet handkerchief from her pocket and gagged her with it.

Aurora couldn’t understand what they were saying, but she felt something was deeply wrong with the pregnant woman’s situation.

When they reached a certain courtyard, one of the women politely stopped Aurora, not allowing her to enter.

"Joy Young, what are you doing here?"

Suddenly, Victor Trent’s voice came from behind, and Aurora froze instantly.

Keeping her head down, she turned and bowed to Victor Trent. "Family Head, I was just helping carry someone."

Victor Trent sized her up. Seeing her keep her head down in an apparent show of fear, he shook his head in resignation.

"There’s nothing more for you here. Go on!"

Aurora kept her head bowed and left quickly, giving Victor Trent no further chance to examine her.

"Am I really that scary?" Victor Trent wondered, touching his face.

***

Aurora sprinted back to her room. She pulled a spare prosthetic skin from her suitcase and was just about to place it in a basin.

The sound of Mama Young’s footsteps came from the hallway outside. Aurora immediately scrambled out the opposite window and onto the roof.

"Joy—" Mama Young pushed the door open to find the suitcase gaping wide in an empty room.

Mama Young immediately pushed open the window to look around. Aurora lay carefully on the eaves, staying out of sight.

’Strange. She isn’t back yet?’