Chapter 9: My Father Beast... He Has a Female Master
When the Wolf King carried Nan Zishi and Little Snake Yang back to Stone Village, the sky was already bright.
Nan Zishi rubbed the Wolf King’s head, praising him with a few "good dog"s before letting him go back to accompany his wife and children.
Nan Zishi asked Little Snake Yang, "Do you know where Fox Qi’s home is?"
Little Snake Yang sniffled and nodded.
"Lead the way," Nan Zishi said.
The Little Snake nodded quickly, his little blue body leaning out to point the way like a compass.
When Nan Zishi arrived at Fox Qi’s cave, she couldn’t help but frown. "Little Fox Qi lives here?"
The cave was situated on low ground, dark, damp, and devoid of sunlight. Living in such an environment year-round was highly detrimental to one’s health. To think that a little fairy child as beautiful, well-behaved, and sensible as Fox Qi lived in a cave with such poor conditions. How were his beast father and mother raising their cub?
Nan Zishi slowly approached. As she neared the cave, however, she noticed that the owner of the place was actually quite meticulous. The cave was completely bare—poorer than the homes of most Beastmen she had seen—yet it was spotlessly clean.
Hearing Little Fox Qi’s low sobs, Nan Zishi hurried inside. There, she saw two Fox Clan Beastmen, one large and one small. She stepped forward and gently placed a hand on the little guy’s shoulder.
Fox Qi looked up with tear-filled eyes. Seeing Nan Zishi, he subconsciously threw himself into her arms and hugged her tight.
"Pretty sister..." the little cub’s voice trembled.
"What’s wrong? Why are you crying?" Nan Zishi crouched down and gently wiped away his tears.
"My beast father, my beast father..." Little Fox Qi’s shoulders heaved with his sobs. "I’m going to lose my beast father!"
With that, the beautiful little cub began to wail uncontrollably.
Nan Zishi looked toward the stone bed. Lying quietly on the hard stone was a male snow fox. The male had a tall and slender figure, though he was somewhat bony, perhaps due to prolonged starvation. Even so, his facial features were exquisitely beautiful and utterly breathtaking. She thought to herself what a beautiful male he was! His skin was fair and translucent, stunningly gorgeous!
"He’s sick," Nan Zishi said.
She quickly pulled a stethoscope from her spatial dimension and pressed the chest piece against his chest. She looked the picture of a proper professional, parting the Beast Skin Skirt on the male’s chest to listen to his heart and lungs, yet she gave off the vibe of a refined scoundrel.
"Pneumonia. Severe pneumonia, he needs an IV drip," Nan Zishi said. "Aqi, go find a long branch. It needs to be sturdy and reliable."
Fox Qi stared blankly for a moment.
Nan Zishi repeated, "Don’t just stand there in a daze. I need a stand to hang the IV bottle."
Fox Qi seemed to finally snap out of it. He wiped his tears, and even though he didn’t quite understand her words, he knew the pretty sister was trying to help him. He gave a heavy nod, then turned and ran out to find a branch.
The herb Fox Qi had been looking for earlier was Banlangen. To be honest, this herb was quite miraculous—it cleared heat, reduced internal fire, and could somewhat treat almost any ailment. Although it was far from enough to cure pneumonia, thanks to that Banlangen, this White Fox Beastman had managed to hold on until now.
Nan Zishi’s right eyelid was still twitching. She rubbed it, then rummaged through her spatial dimension for medicine.
"Found it."
Although it was a veterinary antibiotic, the ingredients for veterinary and human medicines were mostly the same; the concentration in veterinary medicine was simply higher. Besides, the male before her was a Beastman. Veterinary antibiotics should work perfectly fine on a Beastman. She took out the antibiotics, glucose, and all the medical supplies needed for an IV drip.
When Fox Qi returned with a large branch, Nan Zishi set it up as a stand. After disinfecting her own hands, she sterilized the back of Hu Bai’s hand and inserted the IV needle.
Little Fox Qi and Little Snake Yang had never seen anything like this before. They watched as Nan Zishi leaned over to feel Hu Bai’s head, then checked the temperature at his temples, neck, and body.
Belatedly, Little Fox Qi’s face turned red. "P-Pretty sister... Even though my beast father is quite good-looking, he... he has a female master..."
"I know. How else would you have been born?" Nan Zishi said.
Little Fox Qi’s face grew even redder, and he looked a bit embarrassed. "So... so you can’t take liberties with my beast father..."
Nan Zishi paused, then turned and flicked the little guy on the forehead. "What’s going on in that little head of yours? I’m a doctor. I’m treating his illness, understand?"
"But..."
"There’s fever-reducing medicine in the IV drip to lower his temperature first. If this high fever doesn’t break, your beast father will wake up a fool."
Clutching his forehead, Little Fox Qi looked up at Nan Zishi. Although the little guy was beautiful, as he grew up, aside from the selfless kindness shown by his beast father, he hadn’t received much goodwill from other Beastmen. Yet this female in front of him not only saved him, but also occasionally scolded him, flicked his forehead, and looked down to say things that weren’t particularly gentle. But somehow, she made him feel incredibly warm and secure. He felt so secure, and he liked it so much.
Little Fox Qi’s small face flushed slightly. He looked at Nan Zishi, then at his unconscious beast father on the bed. He actually felt that this female and his beast father were a perfect match. It was a pity he already had a beast mother. In the Beast World, if a male severed a mate bond, he would suffer immense harm—ranging from severe injury to death. He couldn’t let his beast father sever the mate bond he bore. Otherwise, he definitely would have wanted her to be his mother. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Nan Zishi.
By the time the two IV bottles were finished, Hu Bai’s fever had finally broken. When Nan Zishi hooked up the third IV bottle, the male’s fingers twitched.
"His fingers moved. Looks like the medicine is taking effect. It’s about time it did," Nan Zishi muttered softly.
Hu Bai’s eyeballs shifted slightly beneath his eyelids. He wondered if someone was there, feeling that the voice sounded somewhat familiar. He slowly opened his eyes. His vision was hazy, but gradually, a beautiful silhouette came into focus. She had beautiful, jet-black long hair and dark, shining eyes. Her facial features were gentle and lovely. It was the person he had yearned for day and night.
Nan Zishi leaned her head into his line of sight. "Are you awake?"
Hu Bai narrowed his eyes, wondering if this was a dream.
"Looks like he’s awake, but is he delirious?" Nan Zishi muttered to herself.
Seeing that his beast father was finally awake, Little Fox Qi threw himself over tearfully and hugged Hu Bai. "Daddy! You’re awake, you’re finally awake!"
Hu Bai’s eyes suddenly widened. Was it a dream? No, it wasn’t a dream.
"Hey, did the fever really fry your brain?" Just as Nan Zishi casually reached out to feel his forehead, she remembered Fox Qi’s warning. She quickly pulled an infrared thermometer from her spatial dimension, aimed it at his head, and pulled the trigger. "Your temperature has gone down."
She thought it was fortunate that his fever had broken; otherwise, it would be a real pity if someone so good-looking ended up permanently brain-damaged.
"Don’t move around," Nan Zishi said. She put her stethoscope back on and pressed it to his chest to listen to his lungs.
It truly wasn’t a dream...
Hu Bai’s mind blanked for a moment, and then his entire body stiffened. He wondered what she was doing. What was that thing on his chest? A faint blush crept over his pale, weak face. Was she... touching him?
Suddenly, Hu Bai’s large hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her from touching him any further.