172: Chapter 172 Xingjiu's Longing, Pregnancy Again

Xuan Xiao stared at the surroundings with nostalgia, smiling indifferently at Sang Qing.

Sang Qing followed him to tour the area.

The ground in this area was clearly much more parched; it was indeed unsuitable for beastmen to live in.

Holding Xuan Xiao's hand, Sang Qing voiced her doubt.

"We've walked for so long, why haven't I seen any water source?"

There were only a few weak streams, not even a river.

Xuan Xiao looked into the distance. "Let's go, I'll take you to see."

He should know what caused it.

Before them, withered yellow weeds grew on the dried-up lakebed, scattered sparsely, with the occasional glimpse of bleached white bones in the middle.

The once endless lake was now like a funnel; all the freshwater had drained through a large hole in the center, making the only remaining puddles around it seem utterly insignificant.

This was... a problem that had occurred at the bottom of the lake.

Sang Qing looked at the surrounding withered yellow trees, a look of realization appearing on her face.

From Xuan Xiao's explanation, Sang Qing learned that all the Tribes of this forest used to live around this lake.

Everyone lived stable yet bloody lives centered around the lake; Tribes large and small relied on it to survive, and the Market was also established by the lakeshore.

But three years ago, the beastmen in the forest began to notice the lake's water level dropping bit by bit.

At first, no one took it seriously, but then the water level dropped faster and faster, especially during the Hot Season when evaporation was particularly noticeable.

After learning about this, Xuan Xiao kept a close eye on it until he discovered that by the end of the Hot Season, the water level had dropped by a third. Combined with the Witch's prophecy, he made an important decision.

Which was to lead the Tribe to migrate.

Gazing at the dried-up lake, Xuan Xiao sighed and turned to look at Sang Qing. "Sa Yu has already explored this place before; there are no longer any signs of beastmen around here."

"But I wonder if there will be beastmen on the other side of the mountains?"

He pointed for Sang Qing; in the distance, a corner of a majestic mountain hidden among the clouds and mist revealed its formidable peak.

Sang Qing looked out and nodded slightly.

"We will cross over when the time comes."

For now, let's save this dried-up lake first.

The family temporarily set up camp by the lakeshore.

By the lake, Sang Qing leaned against Herman's chest in his Beast Form. A breeze blew by, ruffling her short hair.

She was currently on a video call with Song Zhen and the others, discussing matters regarding Beast King City.

Now, Song Zhen and the others were living stable lives in Beast King City.

They each had a home and cubs; the Moro Grassland had also become exceptionally lively.

Beast King City was even more overcrowded, to the point where the residential areas could no longer accommodate everyone.

By the time Sang Qing returned, she estimated they would have to open up new residential areas outside the city.

But what Sang Qing was thinking was to turn the Moro Grassland directly into a residential area, letting the beastmen learn to build houses and plant crops themselves.

Then the other continents would be used for hunting and training.

When the time came, she would establish a few ports and bring in the Merfolk Clan as labor to develop a portion of the ocean.

Only then could things truly flourish in the future.

Currently, the busiest people were Zhou Wanwan and another Transmigrator. To eliminate illiteracy, the school was currently at full capacity.

Mainly because Sang Qing had enacted a law: as long as a beastman could recognize more than three thousand words, they could purchase a light brain at a ninety percent discount. This greatly motivated the beastmen; even after three years, there were still beastmen queuing up at the school to enroll.

Fortunately, some of the excellent beastmen who had graduated before were recalled to serve as teachers for the literacy classes, which lightened the burden on Zhou Wanwan and the others.

After chatting for over an hour and ending the call, Sang Qing stretched.

Herman let out a yawn, turned his head back lazily, and licked her cheek.

His tongue was soft and moist, just like washing her face; Sang Qing gave him a reproachful look.

She had already told him not to wash her face for her.

From not far away came the laughter of Fu Ning playing with the Little Cubs. Sang Qing touched her hair, and just as she was about to get up, her light brain vibrated slightly again.

Glancing at the caller ID, Sang Qing clicked to answer without hesitation.

"Xing Jiu!"

On the other end of the video, Xing Jiu, with his dazzling white hair, gave her a shy smile. He then held up a plant in his hand and shared it with her enthusiastically, "Qing Qing, look. The melons I planted this year are ripe."

Sang Qing smiled and nodded at him. "It seems following Kuna was indeed the right choice for you."

"Mhm." Xing Jiu stared at her intently. While he seemed to want to share things with her, in reality, he just hadn't seen her for too long and missed her.

"When... when can you return to Beast King City? I want you to taste the fruits of my labor."

Xing Jiu looked on expectantly, his sparkling eyes full of love, neither timid nor evasive, yet always carrying a hint of regret.

If—if he had known Sang Qing would be away for so long, he never would have rejected her back then.

It had been three years.

Aside from occasionally finding excuses to call her, he could neither hold her nor kiss her; endless emptiness and bitterness submerged him.

Every night he spent missing her, he was filled with regret.

How wonderful it would have been if he had stayed with her back then; at least that way, he could still be by her side.

"I don't know yet. If nothing unexpected happens, I should be back before the Hot Season arrives," Sang Qing said with a smile, scratching her head.

Herman leaned over to glance at the other side, clingily pestering Sang Qing to let him wash her face.

Xing Jiu's mood immediately plummeted into disappointment.

The Hot Season?

That was still many sun cycles away.

"Then I will store the melons well and wait for you to come back."

His deep voice was tinged with sadness; Xing Jiu pursed his lips, pretending to be strong.

Not wanting to end the call, Xing Jiu looked at Herman with hostility, suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and brought up another matter.

"By the way, I saw Feng Yuan in Beast King City. He was asking about you."

He hadn't seen Feng Yuan for a long time either; he felt the man had changed a lot, to the point where he almost didn't recognize him.

"Oh, is that so?" Sang Qing looked completely indifferent.

Feng Yuan?

She had almost forgotten the name, if Xing Jiu hadn't mentioned it today.

"He has become very powerful now; I heard he is currently the most powerful warrior in the forest," Xing Jiu chattered on, his eyes fixed on the female opposite him, his voice becoming gentle again.

Sang Qing nodded, her expression casual. "Alright, why talk about him? Don't worry about him. How have you been lately? Is Aqi behaving himself?"

Xing Jiu smiled. His brilliant smile caused Sang Qing to daze for a moment, as if she had returned to the day they first met.

"I'm doing very well. Aqi—Aqi has grown a lot taller and can hunt wild beasts on his own now."

He missed Qing Qing so much.

He had already recognized his own heart and had fallen in love with her without looking back.

Even though they hadn't performed Pair Bonding, she could always easily sway his emotions.

He knew that Qing Qing possessed a magical charm; any beast who spent time with her seriously would involuntarily fall in love with her.

He was no exception.

He was willing to be her faithful believer.

Listening to their conversation, Herman flicked his tail somewhat impatiently, his deep red eyes flashing.

Annoying male, interrupting his time with Qing Qing.

After they went back, he would definitely give him a beating.

It was quite a while before Sang Qing finished her idle chat with Xing Jiu.

Herman's large, furry head leaned in, and he nudged her awkwardly. "Qing Qing, you don't still want to bond with him, do you? Just having some fun with him is enough."

What was so good about Xing Jiu? He was both weak and stupid.

His face wasn't even that good-looking.

Mainly, Qing Qing already had enough mates.

He currently had to wait several days to be able to hold his dear mate and sleep; if another Xing Jiu came along, how would he survive?

Sang Qing rubbed the soft fur on top of his head and gave a light laugh. "You're wrong; it's Xing Jiu who doesn't want to bond with me."

This guy was truly jealous.

Herman's eyes widened in disbelief, and he wagged his tail. "Is there something wrong with his head?"

That couldn't be right.

Xing Jiu's eyes were practically glued to Qing Qing; he wouldn't be willing to bond?

He must be playing hard to get.

Hmph!

Sang Qing tapped his noggin. "Don't talk nonsense."

Herman stuck out his tongue, a flash of craftiness crossing his exquisite fox face. "It's just as well if he's unwilling; it saves another beast from competing with me for you."

He made no effort to hide his possessiveness over Sang Qing, his words blunt.

If only the other beasts were as foolish as Xing Jiu, that would be even better.

Sang Qing's lips quirked as she sat up from his embrace. "Let's go, go play with the Little Cubs for a while."

It seemed they should be able to return to Beast King City before the Hot Season.

Restoring this lake required ten thousand points. Sang Qing scanned this forest; there were no mineral resources, but... Xuan Xiao had taken her to scavenge many deserted Tribes and found many shell crystals.

Xuan Xiao said the beastmen of this forest used to be very wealthy; they must have discarded all their shell crystals in their hurried escape.

Sang Qing accepted them without a hint of hesitation.

Either way, these shell crystals were being used to restore this lake; it was purely a case of taking from the people and using it for the people.

Any surplus would be used to buy some wild beasts to restore the ecosystem.

After staying by the lake for two days and watching the water level gradually rise, Sang Qing and the others had to continue their journey.

There were only two forests left; once they finished their work, they could pretty much completely relax.

The mountains were shrouded in mist, and wild beasts roamed.

The paths were treacherous and the walking difficult; all the beasts could only travel in their Beast Form.

Sang Xuan turned into a small snake and coiled around his Mother's neck, making the other cubs incredibly envious.

Only his Beast Form was the most convenient; the other cubs even threw a tantrum with their respective Fathers over it.

Unfortunately, throwing a tantrum was useless.

The further up they went, the denser the trees became, leaving not even a gap to squeeze through.

Sang Qing thought that she finally knew why there were no signs of Dinosaurs around this mountain range.

Forget it, we're not walking anymore; let's just have Sa Yu and Chi Yu fly us over.

Standing atop the peaks, Sang Qing looked down at the vibrant forest below. Not far away, Winged Beastmen were out hunting.

Occasional wisps of smoke could also be seen in the forest.

The heart Sang Qing had been holding in suspense finally settled.

It was good as long as there were beasts alive.

Wuyou Forest.

In the blink of an eye, Sang Qing's family had already lived in this forest for several sun cycles.

Although there were beastmen surviving on this continent, their numbers had decreased by half compared to before.

Among them, Aorui Forest suffered the heaviest casualties.

It was the Winged Beastmen Tribes from the other two forests who united, crossed the mountains, and brought the surviving beastmen from Aorui Forest back to Wuyou Forest.

Wuyou Forest also had Dinosaurs, but they were small in size and were herbivorous Dinosaurs.

But compared to the Spinosaurus of Aorui Forest, the situation in Wuyou Forest was not much better.

Aorui Forest suffered from the loss of drinking water, while Wuyou Forest suffered from a lack of food.

The wild beasts here all seemed to have contracted a strange disease; they were either dying or sick. Beastmen who ate these sick beasts would also go to see the beast god, so they could only eat fruit and wild grass.

After eating like this for two years straight, every one of them was skin and bones.

But even so, they still accepted the orcs from Aorui Forest, giving them the chance to survive together.

During the two-plus years of the disaster, very few Little Cubs were born in Wuyou Forest—you could count them on your fingers.

The orcs were panicked and had even traveled thousands of miles to the Beast King City to obtain Pregnancy Fruits.

But even if the Little Cubs were born, it was still difficult for them to survive without enough food.

The orcs were almost in despair.

Being unable to hunt wild beasts meant no beast skins; no beast skins meant no shell crystals, and without shell crystals, they couldn't trade for food.

Wuyou Forest seemed to have fallen into a vicious cycle these past two years.

It wasn't until Sang Qing and the others arrived that this curse was completely broken.

After an investigation, Sang Qing discovered that a type of delicious poisonous fruit had appeared in Wuyou Forest. Its taste was very popular with herbivorous beasts, but eating too much caused toxins to accumulate in their bodies, which they couldn't expel.

After the herbivorous beasts died, they were eaten by large predators, who would also die from the poison.

The orcs only ended up meeting the beast god because they ate these poisoned beasts.

As long as that poisonous wild fruit was eradicated, the beast's ecological chain would return to normal.

After leading the orcs to eradicate the poisonous fruit, Sang Qing purchased a batch of wild beasts to release. After several months of growth, the beasts began to reproduce, and the ecology of Wuyou Forest gradually improved.

With wild beasts available and the orcs able to hunt normally, the situation improved significantly.

Later, Sang Qing established the Beast God Temple. After transplanting the Pregnancy Spirit Divine Fruit, the orcs of Wuyou Forest finally began to conceive one after another.

Now, many females in the dozen or so Tribes of Wuyou Forest are pregnant.

Meanwhile, Sang Qing and the others were temporarily living in the Colorful Magpie Tribe.

The Colorful Magpie Tribe is a large Winged Race Tribe composed of Magpie and Kingfisher orcs.

The orcs of the entire Tribe have relatively gentle temperaments, though they are a bit talkative and love to gossip.

When Sang Qing first arrived, females were constantly coming to chat with her, telling her about the origin of the continent and the history of the Tribe.

Her ears almost grew calluses from listening.

Later, she got smart and went straight to the Beast God Temple during the day, only returning at night.

Anyway, there's a Market and a place to play around the Beast God Temple, so it was perfect to take the Little Cubs along.

On this day, Sang Qing was still camping with the Little Cubs near the Beast God Temple.

Right next to the campsite was a clear stream, where several Little Cubs were playing in the water, watched over by Fu Ning and Aniel.

It was almost the Hot Season again, and the temperature was gradually rising, making the stream water warm.

It was now afternoon, and with the temperature high, Sang Qing wasn't afraid of the Little Cubs catching a cold while playing in the water.

Once this spring season passed, all the cubs would be three years old.

Sang Qing touched her face, her expression dazed for a moment.

She was actually only twenty-one years old.

It was truly unbelievable.

“Qing Qing!” Chi Yu came to her side with a plate of sliced fruit and began to feed her.

Sitting on a swing, Sang Qing opened her mouth to bite the fruit handed over by Sa Yu, enjoying it blissfully.

The sound of cicadas echoed in her ears. Chi Yu looked up at the sky, feeling a bit stifled and hot.

“Why does it feel like it's going to rain?”

After feeding his mate another piece of fruit, Chi Yu sat down beside her.

Sang Qing also looked at the sky; it was cloudless for ten thousand miles.

“The Hot Season is almost here, so rain is a possibility.”

It was normal for there to be a few days of spring rain before the Hot Season arrived.

“That was too fast.” Chi Yu pursed his lips, shrugged his shoulders, and asked softly, “Then are we going back to the Beast King City?”

Didn't Qing Qing say they would go home when the Hot Season came?

“Either way is fine.” Sang Qing didn't really mind.

However, she noticed Chi Yu's expression and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. “Do you not want to go back?”

Chi Yu hesitated for a moment before stuffing a piece of fruit into her mouth. “It's fine. Going back or not is okay, as long as I'm by your side.”

He just felt that while they were away, at least half of Qing Qing's attention was on them.

If they returned to the Beast King City, she might get busy with other things again, and the time she spent on them would decrease.

Furthermore, after returning to the Beast King City, he would also have to report to the Witch Doctor Hospital.

Sang Qing smiled slightly and pinched his face while chewing the fruit. “It's time to go back; the Little Cubs need to start school.”

At three years old, they could pretty much be handed over to Zhou Wanwan for instruction.

Her cubs must be skilled in both the literary and martial arts.

When the time comes, they will also have to practice martial arts with Song Zhen.

That way, she wouldn't have to worry too much when they grow up.

Chi Yu nodded and leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek.

Mm... Sang Qing suddenly froze.

Chi Yu frowned. “What's wrong, Qing Qing?”

He only gave her a kiss and didn't do anything else. Why did Qing Qing react like this?

Sang Qing covered her mouth, and after swallowing the fruit, she inexplicably felt a bit nauseous.

Just now, she seemed to have caught a scent that instantly made her want to gag.

She shook her head and took a breath to steady herself. “It's nothing.”

Maybe the fragrance of the nearby flowers and plants was a bit too strong.

Chi Yu blinked, his brow smoothing out, as he continued to lean toward Sang Qing to feed her more fruit.

Ugh... there it was again!

Sang Qing covered her mouth, refused Chi Yu's feeding, and stood up to run to the side.

She took a cup and drank some water, feeling a tightness in her chest, as if she had eaten countless pieces of fatty meat.

Now, Chi Yu couldn't just act like nothing was wrong.

He put down the things in his hand and ran to Sang Qing's side, worriedly patting her back with a tense expression. “Qing Qing, where do you feel unwell?”

Sang Qing drank several mouthfuls of water but couldn't suppress the nausea, and as Chi Yu approached, she caught the scent on him again.

Her rosy complexion faded slightly as she pulled Chi Yu closer, sniffing him here and there.

And then, she vomited.

Fu Ning noticed her abnormality, immediately handed the Little Cub to Aniel, and quickly ran over. “Qing Qing!”

Herman, who was picking fruit in the distance, heard Fu Ning's exclamation and looked back to see his mate's face turning pale.

Chi Yu supported Sang Qing, feeling completely at a loss.

He... could there be some scent on him that disgusted Qing Qing so much she vomited?

Fortunately, a flash of inspiration hit him, and his eyes suddenly lit up as he thought of something.

Once Sang Qing finished vomiting, Fu Ning gave her some water and helped her sit down, while Chi Yu hurriedly used his Witch Power to examine her.

Fu Ning anxiously held Sang Qing in his arms and looked at Chi Yu nervously. “Hurry up! What's wrong with Qing Qing?”

Why did she suddenly vomit so violently? Was there something wrong with the fruit he fed her? She was fine just a moment ago.

The Little Cubs also gathered around Sang Qing, five pairs of similar, pure eyes staring intently at their Mother as they crouched beside her in worry.

Herman took Sang Qing's hand, his gaze filled with immense concern.

He bit his lip, waiting for Chi Yu to speak.

Sang Qing, however, had guessed something; she looked down at her stomach, her expression softening slightly.

After finishing the examination, Chi Yu raised his eyebrows, a look of joy appearing on his face.

He had indeed guessed correctly.

Holding his mate's hand, Chi Yu took a breath, becoming faintly excited. “Qing Qing, we're having another cub.”

Seeing Qing Qing's condition just now, he recalled her mentioning that she wasn't taking the medicine anymore and intended to have another cub for them, which made him realize she might be pregnant.

After all, he looked after his mate's health at all times and would secretly check on her from time to time; it was impossible for a problem to suddenly arise.

So... this was truly great news.

“Ah!!!”

As soon as those words were spoken, Fu Ning and Herman also became happy. Smiles spread across their faces as they hugged and kissed Sang Qing.

They were all very surprised, as they had almost thought their mate was sick.

They hadn't expected such a wonderful surprise.

“It must be mine.” Aniel spoke up proudly from the side with his arms crossed, though his eyes were misty with the joy of becoming a Father for the first time.

He also wanted to hug Qing Qing, but unfortunately, he couldn't squeeze in.

No one paid him any attention. Fu Ning and Herman were so happy they were almost crying, occupying the spaces to Sang Qing's left and right as they held her.

Knowing that Qing Qing was pregnant again made them the happiest of all.

“I want a little sister, I want a little sister.” Sang Ling pulled her Mother's arm and shook it, her little hair buns swaying along.

Sang Qing had a smile in her eyes as she patted her head. “Okay.”

However, she didn't know what it would be either. This was a natural conception without medicine, so the gender was unknown for now.

Chi Yu couldn't compete with Fu Ning and didn't dare pull him away for fear of accidentally hurting his mate, so he could only hold a cub and grin foolishly to the side.

It was just that Sa Yu and Xuan Xiao had gone out to hunt and hadn't returned yet. If they found out, they would definitely be very excited too.

Of course, never mind Sa Yu; he already had two cubs.

It would be best if it was their cub this time; that would be fair.

Sang Qing wiped away a tear for Fu Ning. Seeing his lack of composure, she couldn't help but tease, “You're a grown orc now, yet you're still crying.”

Fu Ning pouted and hugged her tightly. “I'm just happy.”

Tears of joy—Qing Qing wouldn't understand.

The thought that he would have another cub in four months made his heart bubble with joy.

Being held tightly by them, Sang Qing was still very happy in her heart.

Except... she felt like vomiting again.

For some reason, the scent on Fu Ning and Herman made her feel nauseous and disgusted.

Pushing Fu Ning and the others away, Sang Qing ran to the side and vomited.

“!!!!” Fu Ning and Herman instantly became tense again. They gave Chi Yu a confused look and then ran to Sang Qing's side to take care of her.

Chi Yu was also stunned.

There was indeed nothing wrong with Qing Qing's body.

But this... oh, right. females can have some uncomfortable reactions during pregnancy. Could it be that Qing Qing was also having such a reaction?

But the cub in her belly was only about ten days old; logically, it shouldn't be happening yet.

Normally, these things only appear during the second trimester.

But he couldn't worry about that much now.

He just had to make Qing Qing more comfortable first.

When Sa Yu and Xuan Xiao returned with their prey, they were met with this scene.

Their mate was sitting alone on a beast skin blanket, her eyes slightly red as she held a water cup, with the sleeping Little Cubs lying beside her and a strange expression on her face, while the other four males were standing two meters away from her, faces full of worry and distress.

??

Xuan Xiao and Sa Yu exchanged a look, sensing that something was wrong.