Chapter 53: About to Give Birth

Six days later, still more than ten kilometers from the Silver Eagle Tribe, Gong Mei suddenly noticed that Yun Li was abnormal, and she hurried over and asked, "What's wrong, does your stomach hurt?"

Leng Xiao, seeing Yun Li's pale complexion, instantly felt nervous and said, "Did your leg cramp again? Which leg?"

Speaking that, Leng Xiao quickly squatted down.

Yun Li leaned against Gong Mei's shoulder, her expression a bit strained as she said, "My right calf, please massage it quickly."

A cramp like that makes the leg really painful.

She didn't know if it was her own illusion, but she kept feeling that she might go into labor as soon as she reached the Silver Eagle Tribe.

"Alright, I'll massage you right now."

These past evenings, Leng Xiao hadn't stopped massaging her leg; his practiced hand pressed Yun Li's right calf, and seeing A Li's complexion ease, he was about to exhale when Yun Li said:

"A Mei, could you have Asheng and the others go back first, arrange a room for me in advance, and find a senior female with delivery experience? I feel I might go into labor this afternoon."

Gong Mei's expression changed slightly, and without hesitation she looked up and said, "Bai Can, you move quickly, return to the Tribe. Go find the Witch Doctor and the Young Master, and tell them that a pregnant female will soon arrive at the Silver Eagle Tribe, and have them promptly help find a clean house and a senior female who has delivered before."

"Alright, I'm going right away."

Upon hearing that Yun Li was about to give birth, Bai Can, who had been holding a bunch of dead branches he had found, suddenly dropped them all to the ground.

He, in a daze, turned and transformed into the beast form of a peregrine falcon; just as he rose into the sky, Gong Mei's sister's voice sounded behind him, "Also, don't forget to tell Silver Grandma and the Young Master that A Li is about to give birth! Get everything ready in advance!"

The peregrine falcon seemed to trace a curved line in midair, but it quickly vanished from the sight of all the beastfolk.

"Can you stand up now? We'll take you to the Tribe right away."

After Gong Mei finished speaking, she slipped both hands through Yun Li's arms and the hollow of her knees.

Yun Li, half laughing, half crying, stopped her and said, "Let me eat a couple bites first, otherwise when we get to the Tribe I won't have the strength to give birth."

It was also Gong Mei's first time facing such a situation, and she was quite flustered, "Maybe we should go back first; back at the Tribe everything is available."

Yun Li shook her head, "Don't make it complicated; just grill some meat for me as a filler and we'll go."

She was truly hungry; if she misjudged and suddenly went into labor midway, at least having eaten something would give her the strength to give birth.

Leng Xiao, who knew Yun Li's condition best, understood from her words that she was genuinely hungry.

If she weren't hungry, she could just endure it and get through.

"Just listen to A Li, let her eat before we set off; I'm going to make her some grilled meat skewers right now."

Gong Mei's face was full of worry, and she wanted to persuade further.

But when Asheng and the others saw Leng Xiao preparing the grilled meat, they each came over and started helping, "We'll help too."

Seeing this, Gong Mei had nothing else to say and could only instruct Yun Li, "Tell us if anything feels wrong."

But no one expected Yun Li to go into labor so quickly.

She had been fine while eating, but just after finishing, Yun Li looked at Leng Xiao with a face on the verge of tears and said, "A Xiao, I might not make it to the Silver Eagle Tribe."

When Leng Xiao stood up, his legs nearly gave way and he almost fell to the ground; without waiting for Asheng to help him, he leapt up sharply and rushed toward Yun Li.

"A Li, don't be afraid! I'm taking you to the Silver Eagle Tribe right now."

Gong Mei, with a shocked expression, asked, "Is there any way we can still make it now?"

If we had left just now—no, if we were about to leave just now—we still wouldn't make it back to the Tribe.

"I'll shift into beast form; you hold A Li and sit on me."

Leng Xiao couldn't think of anything else now; he couldn't let A Li give birth under these conditions—if something went wrong, what would he do?

"If I don't have to sit on me, I'll fly back with A Li."

The speaker was a male in the beast form of a golden‑horned roc; he thought flying was always better than running like a wolf, and more importantly it was less obstructive.

"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry!"

If his beast form could only carry one person, and given the urgency, Gong Mei could also sacrifice a bit, letting Leng Xiao hold A Li on her beast form.

The golden‑horned roc beast didn't waste time; in the blink of an eye it reverted to its beast form.

Leng Xiao, holding the already pained Yun Li, quickly leapt up; the golden‑horned roc tried to flap its wings and just as Gong Mei was about to help cut away the branches that hindered its flight, a series of crack sounds were heard.

Those branches that obstructed the golden‑horned roc were all cut down.

Gong Mei, with a composed face, said, "Go!"

"Asheng, clean up the scene!"

Seeing the golden‑horned roc soar into the sky, Gong Mei and another male followed one after another; they needed to clear a path for the roc, so they left the weaker Asheng behind to tidy up the area.

On the other side, Bai Can hurried to Silver Grandma's residence, "Silver Grandma, quick, help! We and Gong Mei discovered a pregnant female about to give birth outside. They are rushing to the Tribe!"

The silver‑haired Silver Grandma, the most respected Witch Doctor in the Silver Eagle Tribe, frowned slowly upon hearing this, "What female? Forget it, come with me first; a strange beastfolk is coming to the Tribe—did you tell Axuan?"

Bai Can shook his head rapidly, "I just arrived and ran to find you first, Grandma, what preparations are needed for a female to give birth? A Li looks like she's about to give birth; what should we do?"

He was so anxious his mind was sweating, "When I left, Sister Gong Mei seemed to say we need to prepare a clean house, and also…"

His "also need" wasn't finished when Silver Grandma scolded him, "Enough, stop panicking like that, go find Axuan, have him send a few patrol beastfolk to receive them. As for the rest, I'll have people prepare it quickly."

Hearing Silver Grandma's scolding, Bai Can didn't feel discouraged; instead he exhaled a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Alright, I'm going to find the Young Master right now."

Silver Grandma watched Bai Can's hurried arrival and departure, shook her head, then turned to the two beastfolk guarding her doorway and said:

"Send Jiao Jiao to bring people and quickly set up a courtyard in the Tribe. Also, tell the beastfolk who will be staying that a female is about to give birth, and make sure she prepares everything she needs; we can't wait until they arrive to panic and scramble to prepare."

Silver Grandma perhaps also doubted how lucky Gong Mei and the others were to suddenly bring a pregnant female back from outside; after all, there's a saying that it's better to be prepared than to suffer misfortune.

If the information Bai Can spread was false, Silver Grandma wouldn't need to act; Axuan would deal with him and Gong Mei.

Yun Li's stomach hurt for a while; that pang of pain seemed bearable when the golden‑horned roc was soaring in the sky.

But cold sweat kept beading on her forehead, and seeing that made Leng Xiao's heart ache; he could only repeatedly whisper urging the golden‑horned roc to go faster and faster.