Chapter 246: I Think I've Heard This Before

Lin Manzhi looked toward the doorway with a hint of surprise.

She came here only to check on Xi Tao's situation and won't stay long; after delivering the items, she will leave with Mo Lie and Hua Zheng back to Kuangsha City.

She stood where she was, thinking there were no familiar faces in the tribe and assuming the early arrival was Xi Tao, she turned swiftly to Mo Lie and said, "I'll go to the space to fetch food; you open the door for her."

The items she brought this time are mostly stored in the space, and there is little food for Xi Tao in the real world, so she must hurry to the space now to get some.

After speaking, Lin Manzhi jogged from the kitchen into the bedroom, intending to pull out some carrots she had specially grown for Xi Tao from the space; Xi Tao is carrying sand mouse babies, and the carrots are sweet and crisp, so Xi Tao should like them.

The knocking at the door made Mo Lie furrow his brow slightly.

The familiar aura emanated from the doorway; it was clearly not the Xi Tao the little female had assumed, but Hua Zheng, who should be waiting in the adjacent courtyard.

He walked at an unhurried pace from the courtyard; the courtyard, long uninhabited, looked much the same as when he left, the sand dust matching the sand‑yellow stones of the newly built houses behind, and aside from a window an ink‑green water oak whose branches bore lantern‑sized hollow fruits heavy with water, slowly dripping down.

This fruit was personally retrieved by him and given to Lin Manzhi.

Seeing the courtyard filled with the two of their memories, Mo Lie's furrowed brow unconsciously relaxed.

When he opened the courtyard gate and saw Hua Zheng at the doorway, the latter had already returned to his usual expressionless face.

"Master…" Hua Zheng stepped forward, lowered his voice, and recounted the strange matter he had inquired about last night in full.

Hua Zheng scratched his chin, part surprised, part intrigued, and said, "I asked Luo Ji and Wu Ci Ou Ti; they mentioned that the few females who miscarried this time had all bought a concoction called Huo Mother Elixir from a male beast of a passing tribe, and after taking it for two months they indeed became pregnant."

A deep suspicion colored Hua Zheng's eyes: "Even though they miscarried after just over a month of pregnancy, this Huo Mother Elixir is unbelievably miraculous!"

Lin Manzhi blinked, carrying a wicker basket of fresh carrots, stepped out of the house, and heard Hua Zheng's words at the doorway in a halting, unclear manner.

Huo Mother Elixir?

She walked toward the courtyard entrance, heard Mo Lie's faint "Hmm," and then calmly ordered Hua Zheng, "Go to the squad and summon some people."

Hua Zheng: "Master, you are also interested in this elixir, aren't you?"

Mo Lie casually turned his head toward Lin Manzhi and said, "The Huo Mother Elixir has a problem."

"Then…?" Hua Zheng asked, puzzled.

Mo Lie: "This is Ansen City's territory; such a matter must be investigated thoroughly."

He looked at Lin Manzhi, who had come to his side, reached out and took the wicker basket from her, and concisely ordered, "Summon Bao Yue; he will surely track down the male beast in the tribe that sold the elixir."

Hua Zheng: "Yes!"

Hua Zheng left on the order, and Lin Manzhi lifted her eyes, furrowing her brow in puzzlement, thinking, "Huo Mother Elixir? I feel like I've heard that somewhere…"

"You saw it at Xi Tao's place in Ansen City last month," Mo Lie lowered his eyes, his gaze landing on Lin Manzhi.

Lin Manzhi slowly widened her eyes: "Oh, really!"

"That day Xi Tao said there was a potion that carries a fetus, called the Huo Mother Elixir! How come the females who took it got miscarriages?" she said with a worried expression.

Mo Lie's voice was calm: "No, there are still twenty‑one females in the tribe who took the elixir and are pregnant without any problem."

Lin Manzhi: "…"

Wait, are there that many females in the tribe getting pregnant during the cold season?

She became somewhat curious about this pregnancy‑inducing elixir; it was her first time encountering such a large‑scale simultaneous pregnancy among females. After all, the tribe had only a few hundred females, whose fertile periods didn't coincide, so conceiving in the same timeframe was utterly inexplicable.

Especially after last night's miscarriage, an ominous foreboding rose in Lin Manzhi's heart; she felt something was amiss.

Mo Lie looked at the frowning Lin Manzhi and whispered, "Hua Zheng should be back in about half an hour."

He asked, "Do you want to go see Xi Tao?"

Hearing Mo Lie's question, Lin Manzhi snapped back, "Ah, right."

She couldn't figure it out, but it didn't matter; Mo Lie had already sent someone to investigate, and she would know once the results came.

Lin Manzhi stopped thinking and, as previously agreed, brought Mo Lie into her own space to do farm work, while she carried the wicker basket toward Xi Tao's house.

Five minutes later.

Lin Manzhi knocked confidently on Xi Tao's courtyard gate and entered the house where Xi Tao lived.

On the soft platform against the wall were several layers of thick blankets; Xi Tao lay atop them, and faintly two tiny heads could be seen poking out from her clothing—her offspring.

Hearing footsteps in the room, Xi Tao's instinctive reaction was to clutch the two palm‑sized sand mouse babies in her arms.

When she looked up toward the doorway, her eyes lit up, and she warmly greeted Lin Manzhi, "Manzhi! Come over quickly!"

Although Lin Manzhi had seen Xi Tao's offspring last night, she had never handled a Beastfolk infant before; this was her first chance to see a Beastfolk baby up close.

Lin Manzhi set down the wicker basket she was holding, sat beside the soft platform, and kept her distance, fearing any germs on her might harm the newborn sand mice.

The newborn male beast cub retained the post‑Beast Transformation appearance of its father; after a night, it opened a pair of round eyes covered with a blue membrane, its pink nose and tiny mouth emitting a soft nursing chirp, looking like a short‑haired pet hamster.

Xi Tao carefully cradled the two cubs, sat up, and joyfully said, "It feels like a dream; Manzhi, you came back to see me yesterday, and I just gave birth smoothly—I'm so happy!"

She flashed a big smile at Lin Manzhi and asked, "Do you want to hold them?"

Lin Manzhi thought it over; this is the Beastfolk world, not her own, and she wasn't comfortable holding such tiny children, replying, "Maybe when they grow a bit."

She examined Xi Tao, worried that consuming Ginseng Essence might cause discomfort; seeing Xi Tao looking lively, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I brought you some food; it's very sweet—would you like to try it now?"

"Wow~~" Xi Tao turned toward the orange‑red carrot beside Lin Manzhi, drooling a bit, "That you brought is so fragrant!"

She felt a little embarrassed, swallowed, and said, "Your food must be expensive; I haven't prepared anything for you."

Lin Manzhi gave a faint smile, "Not expensive; it's home‑grown."

While speaking, she bent down, took a carrot, placed it in Xi Tao's hand, and said with a smile, "You forgot I'm Mo Lie's Wife Master? These foods are safe for you to eat; I won't run out."

Xi Tao sniffed, feeling an especially strong craving, and was moved: "Manzhi, you're so kind to me; if you ever need anything, just ask me—I'll help you with anything."