00:00Only when the man saw the silhouette of his wife turn into a gigantic mantis did he finally
00:04understand in terror that his wife, so sweet and virtuous, might never have been human at all.
00:09Just yesterday, his wife, who never ate meat, had bought a large amount of pork, murmuring
00:14that since she was pregnant, all she wanted was meat, saying something so strange.
00:17The man remembered the Taoist he had met on the road.
00:19The Taoist had taken one look at him and declared that he was surrounded by demonic energy,
00:23saying that a bloody disaster would soon befall him.
00:25He then revealed a chilling truth.
00:27His wife, eight months pregnant, who still had the body of an 18-year-old girl, was
00:31actually a mantis spirit that needed to eat raw meat to grow stronger, and when she gave
00:35birth, she would devour him whole, skin, and bones.
00:38The man heard such nonsense and refused to believe it, insisting that his wife was kind
00:43and gentle, that she wouldn't even step on an ant, and that she could never be a demonic
00:46mantis.
00:47Seeing that he did not believe him, the Taoist gave him a protective talisman and told him
00:51to return home and see the truth for himself.
00:53The man accepted it hesitantly, but when he looked up again, the Taoist had already disappeared.
00:57Uneasy, the man returned home.
00:59When he arrived, he saw a huge bag of raw meat at the door, and there was blood at the
01:03corner
01:03of his wife's lips.
01:04He was instantly frightened, but she said she had only been eating pitaya, seeing his wife
01:08as sweet as ever.
01:09The man thought the Taoist had only wanted to scare him, and that his wife could never be
01:13a mantis.
01:13However, while bathing, he heard noises coming from the drain.
01:16He opened it and found it filled with insects.
01:18And at that moment, he saw his wife's shadow outside, transformed into a giant mantis.
01:23Only then did he finally believe the Taoist.
01:25In desperation, he searched for the talisman, while the shadow outside seemed about to break
01:29down the door.
01:30Just as he was losing hope, his wife entered holding a cake.
01:32It was their wedding anniversary.
01:34Her tenderness made him doubt again, and he hid the talisman behind his back, not knowing
01:38that this was merely the calm before the storm.
01:40That night, his wife made a request.
01:42She said that tomorrow was her due date, and according to tradition, she had to give birth
01:45in the old family house.
01:47Only then would it be safe.
01:48The husband wanted to refuse, but seeing her gentle gaze, he agreed.
01:51The next morning, the Taoist appeared again, and warned the man that a mantis always brings
01:56her husband back to her lair to give birth, that the old house was a trap, and that entering
02:00it meant certain death.
02:01Not wanting to upset his wife, the man scolded the Taoist for lying.
02:04The Taoist sighed, and handed him a small sachet of protective incense, saying that opening
02:08it during the birth would reveal the true form, and might save his life.
02:12Although the man spoke harshly, he silently put the sachet away.
02:15The Taoist told him to take care, and then left.
02:18When they arrived at the old house, a woman claiming to be the aunt welcomed them warmly,
02:21but she hinted to the man that there were many mantises in the countryside, and that he should
02:25be careful not to be eaten.
02:27Inside the house, the man went to pour himself some water, and found a cup full of insects.
02:31He screamed in fright, telling his wife that they should leave, but she ordered the insects
02:35to go away, and they all obeyed.
02:36At that instant, the man froze in shock.
02:38His wife had always been afraid of insects, but after returning to the old house, she seemed
02:42like a completely different person.
02:43At dinner time, something even more terrifying happened.
02:46The aunt brought out a soup, and when she scooped it up, it was full of insects.
02:49The wife said they were medicinal herbs, very expensive and highly nutritious, and the aunt
02:54insisted that the man eat more, so his wife could recover her strength at night.
02:57The man asked the aunt what she meant, and the aunt stopped pretending, and revealed
03:01the truth.
03:01When the wife was born, her mother had called her husband to accompany her during childbirth,
03:06and the man disappeared forever.
03:08Tonight would be the wife's delivery.
03:09So the man had to be careful, not to end up like his father-in-law.
03:12Devoured by a mantis, the wife began to feel contractions, and ordered her husband to go
03:16with her to the bedroom, telling him not to believe the aunt.
03:19He hesitated over whether to go, but remembering that it was her due date, he clenched the Taoist
03:23sachet, and entered the room.
03:25The woman asked him to listen.
03:26To the baby's movements, the man put his ear to her belly, but it was not the heartbeat
03:30of a baby.
03:31It was the sound of an animal chewing, panicking and desperate to escape.
03:34He tried to flee, but the woman grabbed him tightly, and stopped pretending.
03:38Her eyes filled with hunger as she screamed, that she was starving, and lunged at him.
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