Many young females and males gathered in front of a wooden cabin.
The clan members, initially just there to enjoy the drama, hadn’t expected the spectacle to escalate this much.
How thrilling.
“At the peak of childbearing age?
Misha, are you joking?
You, bearing children?
You probably couldn’t even lay an egg,” Dora spouted wildly.
Misha raised an eyebrow and curled her lips into a smile.
“Time will prove everything.
I stand by what I said: I will definitely get pregnant with a cub within three months!”
“Good.
As long as you remember,” Dora said, flashing a satisfied smile.
Misha nodded.
“With so many clan members present, I’ll repeat what we agreed upon earlier so everyone can bear witness.”
Misha’s face was brimming with confidence, her voice loud and clear.
“If I, Misha, fail to conceive a cub within three months, I will voluntarily go to the tribe’s dark room.
But if I do get pregnant, Dora will have to choose a twenty-five-year-old male to be her first mate.” After finishing her piece, she threw a provocative look at Dora.
“Do you accept these terms or not?”
With the clan members watching, Dora could only grit her teeth and agree.
“The water is boiled,” Reya announced, his voice clear.
Misha scooped up the hot water and carried it into the house.
Seeing this, Saki and Dora followed her inside.
Reya, feeling a bit uneasy, trailed after them as well.
Misha stirred the hot water continuously with a wooden spoon to cool it down.
Once the temperature had dropped, she took out half of a pitch-black Body Strengthening Pill and dropped it into the water.
The initially clear hot water instantly turned a dark brown, looking much like a traditional herbal brew.
“Cui Na, feed this to the little female cub.
She’ll be fine once she drinks it.”
At this moment, the little female cub in Cui Na’s arms was listless.
Her small mouth was open, but she lacked the strength to cry.
Anyone who saw her would think she was beyond saving.
Cui Na scooped up a spoonful of the liquid and was about to bring it to the little female cub’s lips, but a sallow hand stopped her.
“Cui Na, you shouldn’t just feed her anything.
This water is pitch-black.
Who knows what she put in it?
It might just be mud from the ground.
What if it makes the little female cub worse?” Dora said, wearing an earnest expression that seemed to say she was only looking out for her.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Cui Na’s red, swollen eyes.
But as things stood, she had no better option.
“I believe in Misha.
Even if something happens, I won’t blame her.”
Misha’s heart warmed.
She gripped Cui Na’s shoulder and comforted her softly, “Don’t worry, the little female cub will definitely recover.”
Fortunately, the Body Strengthening Pill mixture was odorless and tasteless, so the little female cub didn’t reject it.
“Well?
Is she better?” Dora anxiously leaned in close to the little female cub, staring at her relentlessly.
It was as if she were eagerly waiting for the poor thing to breathe her last.
Misha was utterly speechless.
“It takes time.
How could it be that fast?”
A whole Body Strengthening Pill would take about fifteen minutes to take effect, so half a pill should take around half an hour.
Thus, Misha, Dora, and the others waited in the wooden cabin for the medicine to kick in.
Nearly an hour passed, and the little female cub in Cui Na’s arms still had her eyes tightly shut.
Dora practically jumped for joy.
“Ah!
She’s dead!
She’s dead!
Misha, you killed a little female cub!”
Saki also seemed to have finally found an outlet for his frustration.
He shouted sternly toward the door, “Someone come!
Take this Misha, who murdered a little female cub, to the dark room!”
In the Beast World, harming a pregnant young female or a little female cub was a grave crime.
However, because young females were scarce, the most severe consequence for committing such a felony was being sent to the dark room, where a female’s final value would be squeezed dry.
His voice was incredibly loud—deafening, even.
Suddenly, the little female cub in Cui Na’s arms burst into tears, letting out a loud WAAAH, WAAAH.
Her voice was exceptionally resonant.
Bo Ya was overjoyed and hurriedly squatted down to check on the little female cub’s condition.
Her dark, grape-like eyes darted around energetically, a stark contrast to her previous dying state.
Appearing to be hungry, she kept smacking her lips.
SMACK, SMACK.
“I’ll go get her some goat’s milk.”
Misha watched helplessly as Bo Ya scooped raw goat’s milk into a stone bowl, preparing to feed it to the little female cub.
Misha felt utterly shocked, wondering how these beastmen could be so hardcore.
“Wait a minute.
The goat’s milk needs to be boiled.
The little female cub got diarrhea precisely because she drank raw goat’s milk.”
Catching what she perceived as Misha’s mistake, Dora immediately jumped in.
“You’ve never even had a little female cub, so stop talking nonsense!
Little female cubs have always drunk raw goat’s milk.
I grew up drinking it!”
“Every little female cub’s situation is different.
Even if she drinks hot goat’s milk, there’s nothing to lose, right?” Misha spread her hands.
Cui Na bit her lip, her gaze determined.
“I believe Misha wouldn’t harm the cub.”
With that, Bo Ya went to boil the goat’s milk.
With the matter of the little female cub settled and seeing that she was in good spirits, Misha didn’t stay any longer.
Dora’s cheeks flushed bright red as she left with her dark-faced father.
On the way home, Reya was remarkably silent.
He frowned, seemingly deep in thought.
Misha was also preoccupied with the thought of consummating their marriage tonight, so the two returned home in complete silence.
“Reya, I want to take a bath.”
A few days ago, Misha and Reya had brought back a massive stone from the forest.
Working together, they had carved out a stone bathtub.
It was half the height of a person and perfectly fit Misha.
Misha had also thoroughly sterilized it.
By today, it had completely dried and was ready for use.
“Alright, I’ll boil some water for you.” With that, Reya went outside to start a fire and boil the water.
An hour later, a good amount of hot water had accumulated in the bathtub.
Reya played with the little black bear outside the door while Misha bathed inside.
The sound of splashing water—SPLASH, SPLASH—drifted into Reya’s ears from the house.
He could guess what his young female, Misha, was thinking, and he was feeling a bit excited as well.
As long as they successfully mated tonight, he would become a male with a mate.
He would have a family, and perhaps even a cute little female cub in the future.
“Reya, I need to talk to you.” Caesar stepped out from the darkness, his expression solemn.
Reya remained expressionless.
“Speak.”
Facing his friend Caesar at this moment, his feelings were complicated.
He wasn’t stupid; he could tell that Caesar had been targeting him these past few days.
“Let’s talk over here.” Caesar glanced at the wooden cabin and pulled Reya further away, clearly not wanting a certain someone to overhear.
“We can just talk here.” After walking a short distance, Reya stopped in his tracks.
From this spot, the wooden cabin was still within his line of sight.
This ensured not only that Misha wouldn’t hear their conversation, but also that he could keep an eye on the cabin at all times.
“Reya, you’re not actually going to mate with Misha, are you?
Her looks are nothing special, and her fertility is low.
Tell me, what are you even after?” Caesar asked, looking utterly frustrated at Reya’s failure to meet expectations.
He continued, “If you really want to find a mate, you can pair up with Dora.
Her father is the Clan Leader, and she’s the most beautiful young female in the tribe.
Even if you two can’t become true mates, with her and the Clan Leader’s backing, the clan members wouldn’t dare mock you anymore.”
Caesar wore a look of absolute sincerity.
Reya, however, rejected him without a second thought.
“Misha is wonderful.
I only want her.”