Chapter 139: A Situation Arises

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: A Situation Arises

The sun shone brightly overhead. Bai Wanwan lay on a lounge chair that Xin Feng had made especially for her, comfortably basking in its warmth. Beside her, the cubs chased each other, their happy roars filling the air.

Xin Feng sat right beside her, his hand resting gently on her slightly bulging belly.

"This one is growing fast." Xin Feng watched her with some concern. After all, the baby’s activity had made Wanwan faint before.

Bai Wanwan reached out and stroked her belly too. Her appetite had been enormous lately, and she had been eating to her heart’s content.

She felt utterly blissful.

After all, she could eat without gaining weight.

She was enjoying this perk now—eating five or six meals a day, a whole basin-full each time. Yet aside from her belly, the rest of her was still slender.

"Have you felt uncomfortable at all these past couple of days?" Xin Feng gazed at her face, studying her expression.

Bai Wanwan smiled and shook her head. "I told you not to be nervous. I feel perfectly fine. This baby will definitely be born without any trouble."

Just then, they saw Mu Shan leading several other females toward them, all of them shouting.

"Mu Ye! Where are you?!"

Mu Shan sounded furious. "Just let me find you, and see if I don’t peel your hide off!"

The group of females passed by their home, cursing and grumbling as they went.

Lying there, Bai Wanwan started to feel drowsy. She squeezed Xin Feng’s hand. "I think I’ll sleep for a bit."

"Alright. Go to sleep."

Xin Feng lifted a blanket with one hand and covered her.

She was so sleepy she didn’t even respond to him, quickly falling into a deep slumber.

Xin Feng stayed right there, watching over her and the cubs.

By the time Bai Wanwan woke up, it was already evening.

She had already been moved from the lounge chair to their stone bed. The moment she stirred, she felt the cubs snuggled at her feet, their bellies rumbling with soft, warm purrs.

Seeing them sleeping so soundly, Bai Wanwan didn’t disturb them. She sat up and began to gently stroke their fur.

The cubs sensed their Mother’s touch, nuzzling their little heads against her hand and sleeping even more deeply.

As she was petting them... a commotion started outside.

Normally, the tribe would have been quiet by this time of day, with barely a sound to be heard.

"What’s going on outside?"

Xin Feng, who was searing meat for her, heard her voice. Instead of rushing out to check on the noise, he turned and came inside. "Are you awake? The meat is ready. Perfect timing for you to get up and eat."

The noise outside grew louder. Bai Wanwan took the skirt he was holding out to her. "Go see what’s going on out there," she told him.

"Alright, I’ll go check."

With that, he turned and left the room.

After he left, Bai Wanwan gently extracted her feet from the pile of cubs, careful not to wake them.

The night air was a little chilly, so she quickly threw on her Beast Skin Skirt and walked slowly toward the entrance.

The commotion outside was even louder now. Before she even reached the doorway, a figure darted inside.

It was Mu Shan!

Her hair was a mess, and she seemed to look right through Bai Wanwan, her eyes darting around the room.

She searched frantically, shouting, "Mu Ye, are you hiding in here? Come out!"

Bai Wanwan was initially angry at the intrusion and was about to stop her, but she froze when she heard Mu Shan’s words.

"You still haven’t found your cub?"

’It’s been several hours, and it’s already dark out. If the cub ran into the forest, he’d be in real danger.’

Mu Shan shot her a look. "Have you seen my cub? Did you hide him?"

Bai Wanwan had initially thought she should be understanding of a worried Mother whose cub was lost.

She could tolerate a little rudeness.

But when Mu Shan accused her of hiding the cub, she immediately retorted, "What, do I not have cubs of my own? Or do I have fewer than you? Instead of wasting time here arguing with me, you should be out there looking for him."

Mu Shan didn’t believe her and forced her way through the house, searching everywhere. Only after finding nothing did she run back outside.

The commotion woke the soundly sleeping cubs. They leaped down from the couch and ran to Bai Wanwan’s feet, whimpering.

Bai Wanwan crouched down, letting the cubs paw at her knees. "Did she wake you? Are you hungry? Mama will get you something to eat."

"WOOO WOOO..."

The cubs wagged their tails, circling around her.

Xin Feng came back inside. "Mu Shan’s cub is missing," he told her. "They’ve searched everywhere in the tribe and still haven’t found him."

"If they can’t find him in the tribe, do you think he ran into the mountains?"

"It’s very likely. To not be back by now... I’m afraid the odds are against him."

As a Father Beast himself, Xin Feng felt a pang of empathy for the lost cub.

He immediately scooped up his own cubs, his voice gentle. "Don’t you go running off. Otherwise, your Mother will worry about you just like that other female. Don’t make your Mother worry, understand?"

The cubs, seeming to half-understand, yipped twice at their Father Beast.

Bai Wanwan went over and stroked the cubs’ heads. "We need to be more careful these next few days. Don’t let the cubs out of our sight, and keep the door closed when we’re inside."

The voices of Mu Shan and the others slowly faded into the distance.

’The forest is full of dangerous beasts,’ Bai Wanwan thought. ’Forget a cub; even an adult male without a high enough Talent would be at great risk.’

Bai Wanwan didn’t want anything bad to happen to Mu Shan’s cub. She hoped he was just hiding somewhere, lost in play.

Xin Feng set the cubs down, then turned to bring their food, placing it on the low table as he took care of his female and their young.

The large basin of meat was eaten clean by the family.

Long after Xin Feng had put the cubs to bed and helped Bai Wanwan lie down, the sounds from outside still hadn’t completely vanished.

"They still haven’t found him." Bai Wanwan sighed. Her own cubs were even more mischievous; she would have to be extra careful.

"Don’t worry about..."

She had been so drowsy lately. Xin Feng’s voice was still in her ear, but she could no longer make out the words as she sank into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, Xin Feng was already up as usual. She rolled over, wanting to close her eyes and doze off again, when she heard Shi Hua outside, apparently talking to Xin Feng.

"Shi Hua?"

She pushed herself up and called out.

"Sister, you’re awake?"

As Shi Hua’s voice drifted in, her figure appeared, walking into the house.

"I’ve been sleeping so much these past couple of days. I went to bed so early last night and still slept in this late."

"I’ve heard the older females in the tribe say that some females sleep a lot when they’re carrying cubs. That’s normal. It’s also normal to be like me and not have any change."

Shi Hua glanced outside and whispered, "Yan Lie said he’s leaving. I left the prey he sent for you outside."

Hearing that Yan Lie was leaving, Wanwan felt a sense of relief. ’He’s finally come to his senses.’

"By the way, did they ever find Mu Shan’s cub yesterday?" she asked as she got dressed.

"No. And what’s more, this morning, Mu Lian’s cub disappeared too. When I was on my way over, I heard her calling for him..."

"Disappeared too?"

Bai Wanwan finished getting dressed, a strange feeling creeping into her heart.

"Did they disappear together, or did he just go missing today?"