"Give me some 'cooling' medicine. I'll take it to Alessio to drink."
"This isn't proper," Elder Bagu said cautiously. "If the lord finds out, he'll blame me!"
Fannie said, "You won't tell, I won't tell. Alessio won't know! Elder Bagu, I'm doing this for Alessio's health. If he keeps overindulging, his body will eventually break down."
Elder Bagu was a tribal doctor and knew the harm of overindulgence. After thinking for a moment, he still gave Fannie the medicine.
"Dissolve the medicine in clean water, then have the lord drink it."
"Okay."
"Remember, don't reveal that it came from me!"
"Don't worry, Elder Bagu. I won't tell anyone!"
Fannie promised not to expose him, and added, "It's all for the tribe! If Alessio's body fails, who will protect the tribe? So, if Alessio is fine, the tribe is fine!"
After returning, Fannie followed Elder Bagu's instructions and dissolved the 'cooling' medicine in water.
When Alessio came back from inspecting the land, Fannie immediately handed him the water with a smile, acting obedient and gentle. "Drink, Alessio."
Seeing Alessio drink the medicine without hesitation, Fannie breathed a sigh of relief, though she felt a little guilty. She had taken advantage of his trust.
But she had to do it, for herself and her child.
Night fell over the land and over Fannie's heart.
Even after giving Alessio the 'cooling' medicine, why did a pair of restless hands start wandering over her body?
Small kisses landed all over her, sending a tingling sensation through her body. She went weak and couldn't help but let out low moans.
Fannie felt both pleasure and a wish to cry.
Just as she worried Elder Bagu had given the wrong medicine, the male on top suddenly stopped moving, lying completely still, as if frozen by a spell.
Fannie didn't know what happened and softly called, "Alessio?"
Hearing her voice, Alessio finally reacted. He lifted his head with an unusually disappointed tone. "Fannie, I think I can't do it."
Fannie was confused. "What do you mean you can't?"
He didn't answer but placed her hand on his manhood.
She gently touched it and felt it soft, like a giant caterpillar.
Fannie immediately understood. His body wasn't cooperating—he failed at the crucial moment.
The 'cooling' medicine from Elder Bagu really worked.
Fannie felt happy inside but didn't show it. She put her hands around Alessio's neck, kissed him gently, and whispered, "Alessio, you must be too tired. You'll be fine in a few days."
"I don't feel tired!"
"You've been overdoing it these past few days. Your body can't handle it."
"But I want you."
"I know you want me, and I want you too."
Fannie blinked and said softly, "But for your health, we need to control ourselves. We can't be so reckless anymore."
"Do we have to?"
"Yes."
"It'll be uncomfortable."
"It'll pass if you endure it."
"What if I can't endure it?"
"..."
"Fannie, help me."
"How should I help?"
"Like last time."
Fannie breathed a sigh of relief.
Luckily, he only asked her to use Miss Xiao Wu. If he had asked to use another way, she really wouldn't have known whether to agree.
Even though she knew why Alessio's manhood wasn't cooperating, to prove it wasn't her fault, Fannie obediently got up and asked Miss Xiao Wu to help.
After some effort, Miss Xiao Wu tried her best, but the 'caterpillar' still showed no sign of awakening. Hearing Alessio's frustrated sighs, Fannie started to feel sorry for him…
Alessio had not slept all night.
At dawn, he left the cave in a hurry and went straight to Elder Bagu's house.
Seeing Alessio with a troubled face, Elder Bagu immediately understood why the lord had come. But he would not admit his involvement and asked casually, "Lord, why are you here so early?"
Alessio told Elder Bagu about his condition, a worried frown on his face. "Elder Bagu, what should I do? Can it get better?"
Elder Bagu pretended to examine Alessio's pulse.
His body was very strong, no signs of weakness. If anything, his internal 'fire' was too strong and needed to be balanced, otherwise it could cause serious problems!
Youthful bodies really are strong!
Elder Bagu said, "Lord, don't worry. Your body is very healthy."
Alessio asked again, "Really?"
As the tribal doctor, Elder Bagu sincerely hoped the young lord stayed healthy. Though Alessio was in good health now, without control, desire could wear him down over time…
"You must remember, Lord, everything has a limit. Do not let desire control your mind, or it will be too late to regret it!"
"Is it really because I overindulged?"
"Yes!"
Elder Bagu could not tell the full truth, or he would be blamed later. "Lord, for your health and for your unborn child, you must control yourself!"
"If you really can't, then go soak in the cold spring."
"Your mind will calm down too."
By now, the medicine should have mostly worn off.
When the lord returns and sees his wife, he will go out of control!
This is not good for the child, not good at all!
"Is there no other way?"
"There is."
"What way?"
"If the lord doesn't want to take care of his body but also doesn't want to harm the child in his wife's belly, then he should choose another female companion…"
"I'll go to the cold spring!"
Alessio only had Fannie in his mind.
He would rather soak in the cold spring than mate with another female.
When Alessio returned, Fannie was still asleep.
Looking at her tender red lips, Alessio couldn't resist and kissed her.
Just that one kiss…
The 'caterpillar' that had been lazy last night immediately woke up with lightning speed!
Alessio didn't want to disturb Fannie's sweet dream and tried to suppress the power within him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't succeed. After a fierce inner struggle, he finally chose to go to the cold spring to cool down!
At that moment, Miliano was leisurely walking in the forest.
Suddenly, he saw a figure rush past him. Miliano immediately recognized his younger brother. Thinking something urgent had happened, he followed without hesitation.
Then he heard a 'splash' and saw his brother jump into the cold spring!
Since learning the truth that Alessio favored her, a strong sense of unease began to rise in Fannie's heart.
An old saying goes: "Rely on a mountain and it may fall; rely on people and they may leave!"
She wanted to stand firmly in the tribe, and relying only on Alessio's favor was far from enough.
She had to use her own efforts to show Alessio and the tribe's beastmen her value. Only by becoming irreplaceable could she secure her position as the lord's wife.
Another old saying goes: "If you want to win someone's heart, first win their stomach!"
Fannie had spent the first eighteen years learning, so she could only make instant noodles or fried rice. Trying to win over the tribe with her cooking was a dead end. She had to find another way.
One sunny day, with birds singing and flowers blooming, Fannie leisurely walked around the tribe, thinking about small tasks she could do to help everyone.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing scream echoed through the air!
Fannie jumped, standing frozen, and instinctively asked, "What's that sound?"
Nearby, Saning quickly explained, "A female is giving birth."
Fannie became curious immediately.
She wanted to know what the process of a beastman giving birth was like. When she reached the cave entrance, she carefully peeked inside, and the scene shocked her.
A young female beastman stood with a huge, swollen belly, her abdomen so distended it looked like it might burst at any moment.
Her lower body was completely exposed, lying bare on a stone bed covered with animal skins.
Around the bed sat several older female beastmen, their faces full of anxiety and worry, closely guarding her.
This young female was clearly giving birth for the first time. The intense pain twisted her face, making her scream in unbearable agony.
Fannie had never seen such a terrifying scene before.
The heart-wrenching cries of a woman giving birth made her expression serious.
For a brief moment, she even felt the urge to shove a painkiller into the young beastwoman's mouth…
Thankfully, her reason returned at the critical moment!
If she had acted on impulse, every female in the tribe giving birth would come to her for help in the future. But with only 111 points, she couldn't meet all their needs!
To avoid trouble, Fannie chose to do nothing.
"Push! Push hard!"
"Like you do when you poop!"
"Deep breaths, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale… Push, push!"
…
"It hurts! It really hurts!"
The pain made the young female beastman cry, tears streaming down her face. She pushed with all her strength but still couldn't deliver the baby, crying, "It hurts too much! I don't want to give birth! I want to transform! I want to transform!"
"No!"
Hearing the mother crying to transform, the older female beastmen all responded firmly and would not allow her to transform. They comforted her: "Giving birth always hurts. Bite your teeth and endure it, and it will pass!"
"Transforming can ease your pain, but have you thought about the consequences?"
"Do you want your child to be born without a rank and be laughed at for life? Is that what you want?"
Hearing the words "no rank," the young female's pain-controlled mind immediately regained reason, and she cried, "I can't transform! I can't transform… Ah!!"
The birthing scene was too bloody, making Fannie feel physically uncomfortable. She quickly left.
But the words of the older female beastmen lingered in her mind. She couldn't help asking Saning happily, "If a female transforms while giving birth, will the child really have no rank?"
The wild boars and wild dogs in the tribe's storage also have no rank.
Could it be…
The form in which a female beastman gives birth determines what the child will be like?
Saning's next words confirmed Fannie's guess.
"Beastmen have two ways to give birth: human form and beast form."
"A child born in human form inherits the rank from its parents, with a very small chance of surpassing them. But the birth process is very painful, and the risk is high. There is even a chance the mother could die."
"If the mother gives birth in beast form, the pain is much less, and it is much safer."
"However, the child born this way will have no rank, will always appear in beast form, and will be immediately abandoned after birth."
"Even if it survives by chance, its descendants will forever have no rank and can never transform into human form. The only end for such a child is to become food for other beastmen!"
After hearing Saning's explanation, Fannie realized the Beast Continent truly had everything imaginable.
Parents plan deeply for their children.
As a mother, she could never allow her child to become rankless beastman food!
Even at the risk of her own life, she would ensure her child was born in human form.
Fannie had worried that her child might be born as a little leopard, but now she felt much more at ease. She only didn't know what rank her child with Alessio would have.
One thing she was sure of: she and Alessio were both human form, so their child would definitely be human form too.
In the dark cave, where it was pitch black,
After soaking in the cold spring for several days, Alessio wanted to get close to Fannie.
With Alessio's increasingly skilled kisses and touches, Fannie gradually responded. She thought that since she had restrained him for several days and the cooling medicine had worn off, she might as well satisfy him this time.
Tomorrow, she could ask Elder Bagu for another dose and control him for a few more days.
Afterward,
Fannie lay contentedly in Alessio's arms, resting her head on his arm, still praising his skill. This made Alessio overjoyed and love her even more.
Alessio's large hands roamed over Fannie's smooth skin and finally rested on her flat belly. His voice carried slight confusion: "Huh? It's been all these days, why isn't it bigger at all?"
Fannie knew he was talking about the child and, smiling wryly, coquettishly said, "Alessio, you're too impatient! It hasn't even been a month. Of course the belly won't grow this fast."
Alessio said, "But I see other females' bellies grow in just a few days."
Fannie was a little confused.
Human women carry babies for ten months. In the first three months, pregnancy is barely visible. Some women don't even show after seven or eight months. This is normal.
If a belly grows in just a few days, wouldn't that mean the pregnancy period is shortened?
Shortened pregnancy?
Fannie suddenly realized something.
Beastmen, though partially human, are still animals.
Their pregnancy period is different from humans. For example, a leopard only takes about three months from conception to birth. A belly growing in a few days is not strange at all.
"Alessio, there's something I need to tell you in advance."
Fannie thought for a moment and decided to give him a heads-up. She said slowly, "I'm from Blue Star, as you know. On our Blue Star, females need to carry a baby for ten months before giving birth. You should be mentally prepared."