Chapter 7: The Little Cub Is Surprisingly Reluctant
"I have to go back! My father... my father, he... My father will worry about me!" Fox Qi clutched his worn-out Beast Skin Skirt.
For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to mention that Hu Bai was sick.
It was probably because his father had once been sold to the village as a Slave Beast by his female master, causing the villagers to look down on them.
In the past, whenever he told people his father was sick, the other Beastmen in Stone Village would just watch as if it were a show, their eyes filled with schadenfreude.
There was no point in talking about it.
He couldn’t possibly expect a female he had just met to help him save his father.
Nan Zishi looked at the adorable little fairy child’s red-rimmed eyes, and her heart suddenly softened.
Back when she was a Beast Doctor, she could never bear to see a small pet’s pleading, teary eyes.
Her nurse, Xiao Yi, always said she was too kind, always spending her own money to treat animals.
’It’s not really about being kind,’ she thought. ’I just do it for my own peace of mind.’
She crouched down and picked the little one up.
"Don’t worry, little fox. No one said you can’t go home."
Fox Qi’s heart skipped a beat. A female’s soft embrace was different from his father’s hard chest.
He never knew a female’s embrace could be so warm.
He greedily cherished this fleeting moment of softness and warmth.
Nan Zishi said, "Since I’ve started, I might as well see it through. I’ll take you home."
With that, Nan Zishi let out a whistle.
A rustling came from the bushes ahead, and the Wolf King reappeared, having returned with two young wolves.
Fox Qi and She Yang, who didn’t trust wild beasts, were instantly on guard.
Nan Zishi gently ruffled the two little ones’ heads and said to the Wolf King, "Good boy. You’re here. Such an obedient dog."
The Wolf King lay on the ground, and Nan Zishi got on its back with the two children.
Fox Qi and She Yang were still in a daze.
’Did we... just get on the back of the wild wolf that wanted to eat us moments ago?’
’Is this a dream?!’
Nan Zishi said nonchalantly, "Fox Qi, show me the way. I’m taking you home."
"Okay." Fox Qi gave directions while clinging affectionately to Nan Zishi.
’He didn’t know what a mother was like.’
’Is this what it feels like?’
’Gentle and warm.’
’When he saw the other children in Stone Village being coddled in their mothers’ arms, he desperately wanted a mother too.’
’He would pester his father, asking what his mother was like.’
’But his father would only ever ruffle his hair and sigh.’
Fox Qi thought to himself, ’His mother had been willing to abandon him and his father. She must be a terrible Beastman.’
’He didn’t need her.’
’That’s right, he didn’t need her.’
Little Fox Qi, cradled in Nan Zishi’s arms, had never imagined the road from the forest back to Stone Village could be so short.
Before he could even wake from the gentle dream, the wild Wolf King came to a halt.
Fox Qi felt a surprising reluctance to part.
Stone Village was home to many powerful Male Beastmen, so the wild Wolf King didn’t dare get too close.
"Good dog," Nan Zishi praised generously.
The Wolf King’s lowered tail gave a tiny wag.
Nan Zishi dismounted from the Wolf King’s back and set Fox Qi on the ground.
Fox Qi looked up at her dazedly, his beautiful eyes sparkling. "Pretty sister, aren’t you coming home with me? You saved my life. My father and I will be grateful to you."
Nan Zishi ruffled the little one’s hair and smiled. "It’s not convenient to visit in the middle of the night. I think I’ll pass."
Nan Zishi looked toward the village. It seemed a little familiar.
In fact, she hadn’t been in this village when she first met her fox Beast Husband. Although she had come here once when she brought him back, she left the same night because the Childbirth System’s countdown was ticking nonstop.
Besides, the forests and villages all looked alike, so even though it felt a little familiar, Nan Zishi didn’t recognize it.
Nan Zishi gave him a gentle push. "It’ll be light soon. Hurry and take the medicine to your father."
"Okay." About to be separated from the pretty sister, the little fox cub’s heart suddenly filled with reluctance.
’He didn’t understand why. They had only known each other for such a short time, so why did he feel such attachment? Why was he so unwilling to leave?’
’No matter what, she saved my life. I have to remember what she looks like so I can repay her in the future!’
Looking back every few steps, Fox Qi finally ran back to the village.
As Little Fox Qi ran toward the cave carrying the herbs, he saw that their home—a cave no Beastman had visited for years—was surrounded by a large crowd of them.
Panicked, Fox Qi broke into a sprint.
...
The Wolf King tugged at her pant leg with its teeth. Nan Zishi asked, "What is it?"
The Wolf King’s downward-hanging tail gave a tiny swing, and then it nodded its enormous head gently.
Little She Yang found this fascinating. He gently bit the sleeve of Nan Zishi’s pajamas.
Nan Zishi smiled. "Alright, I’ll go with you and take a look."
Nan Zishi got on the Wolf King’s back, and it sprinted through the forest with her. Only when they reached a cave did the Wolf King let Nan Zishi dismount.
After Nan Zishi entered with Little She Yang, she saw a weak she-wolf inside, about to give birth.
"Is this your wife?"
The Wolf King nodded.
"She’s about to give birth and you’re still running all over the place? That’s irresponsible of you, little bro."
The Wolf King’s head drooped as if in self-reproach.
Nan Zishi glanced at the dog food scattered around the she-wolf. "Looks like you were just trying to find food for her."
She hurried forward, took a stethoscope out of her space, and listened to the sounds from the wolf’s belly. "How long has she been like this?"
The Wolf King tilted its head, looking at her.
Nan Zishi sighed in resignation. "Never mind, I’ll figure it out myself."
As she listened, Nan Zishi made a diagnosis based on her experience. "It’s a difficult birth. It’s too late for an oxytocin shot. Any later and the pups in her belly will probably suffocate!"
The Wolf King couldn’t understand Nan Zishi’s words, but it understood her tone and immediately grew anxious, pacing in circles.
"Little dog, are you willing to trust me?"
Upon hearing this, the Wolf King nodded vigorously. "AWOO... WOOF!"
The Wolf King was so frantic its cries changed.
Nan Zishi turned to the Wolf King and said, "I’m going to perform a C-section on your wife. Don’t worry, I’ve done this surgery countless times before. I can guarantee her safety. But I need you to stay calm, even if you see her belly cut open and a lot of blood. You must stay calm. Understand?"
"AWOO..."
"Little Snake, wait for me on the side."
She Yang understood. He huddled in a corner, far away from the Wolf King.
’The pretty sister is so brave. The pretty sister is so amazing.’
’Can the pretty sister really save this she-wolf?’
Little She Yang’s gaze filled with more and more adoration as he watched her.
Nan Zishi took her tools out of her space, put on a mask and gloves, and laid out everything she needed: disposable cotton pads, scalpels, disinfectants, and suturing supplies. Then she gave the she-wolf an anesthetic injection and began the C-section.
...
A crowd of Beastmen surrounded Hu Bai’s cave.
At the very front stood two females. One was his older half-sister from the same mother, who was also Fox Qi’s aunt, named Fox Yue.
The other was the daughter of Stone Village’s current chief, Fox Xin, and her name was Fox Zi.
Fox Beastmen are naturally alluring and beautiful, and Fox Yue and Fox Zi were two of the most beautiful females in the Stone Village area.
Hu Bai had once been the most handsome male in Fox Village, so it was no surprise that he had attracted the Fox Clan female, Fox Zi.
Due to Hu Bai’s poor health, Fox Yue had wanted her younger brother to go to Ten Thousand Beasts City for treatment and recuperation, and had once tried to stop Fox Zi from pursuing him.
But in the end, Hu Bai neither went to Ten Thousand Beasts City nor got together with Fox Zi. Instead, he ended up with a female from another village. After having a child, this outsider female abandoned her husband and son, and even sold Hu Bai.
Because of this, Fox Yue had long been filled with remorse, feeling that she had failed Hu Bai.
At this moment, the weak Hu Bai was deathly pale, even his lips devoid of color.
He propped up his weak body and sat up, his voice a mere whisper of air.
"What is everyone doing at my home in the middle of the night?"
Perhaps it was because he was just too beautiful. Though extremely weak, his every word and action exuded a sickly sort of beauty, still breathtaking to behold.
The alluring female, Fox Zi, curled her lip. Not a single kind word came from her mouth as she laughed mockingly, "Hu Bai, you’re about to die. Where has that female master of yours gone? Forget your female master, what about your child? The child you worked so hard to raise, where has he gone?!"
"You must regret it now! You chose the wrong female, and now you’ll even die alone! If you had chosen me back then, your life never would have ended up like this!"