The silence in the small cottage was so heavy it felt as though the very walls were leaning in, strained by the weight of the revelation that had just shattered the air.

Long Zhan remained frozen, his hand still hovering near Lin Wan’s brow, his violet eyes wide and shimmering with a mixture of disbelief and a sudden, sharp possessiveness.

Behind him, Davy and the other Dragon warriors stood like statues, their mouths agape, their breathing shallow.

The word "pregnant" seemed to echo in the room, clashing against the vow of guardianship Long Zhan had just sworn in the square.

The herb doctor, seeing the frozen shock on the Dragon Lord’s face and catching the frantic, warning glare from Davy, finally felt a cold splash of reality hit his heated temper.

His bravado evaporated as quickly as it had appeared. He realized he had just scolded a being who could turn him to ash with a single breath. The doctor’s jaw snapped shut, his feathers twitching nervously as he took a tentative step back from the bed, his head bowing low.

"I... I apologize, My Lord," the doctor stammered, his voice now thin and reedy. "My dedication to the female’s health overcame my manners. I meant no disrespect."

Long Zhan did not answer. He didn’t even look at the man. His focus was entirely on the pale, masked woman lying before him.

His mind was a whirlwind of calculations. Who was the male who had dared to plant a seed in a female this unique? Why was she alone? And most importantly, why did the mere thought of another male’s cub inside her make his blood burn with a jealousy he had never felt in his long, immortal life?

While the physical world was locked in a tense standoff, Lin Wan found herself in a place that defied the laws of the beast world.

She was standing in a vast, shimmering void that felt warm and cool at the same time. The ground beneath her feet was like liquid silver, and the sky above was a soft, pulsing violet.

"Where am I?" she whispered, her voice echoing into the endless space.

[You’re in your system space, Host. Calm down. You’re scaring the data streams,] a small, high-pitched voice chirped from behind her.

Lin Wan whirled around and found herself looking at a creature that looked like a ball of white fluff with two large, luminous blue eyes and a long, twitching tail. It was a cat, but it glowed with a soft, neon light.

"Who are you?" Lin asked, her heart still hammering in her chest.

[I am Weiwei,] the cat replied, sitting back on its haunches and licking a glowing paw. [Your system interface. I’ve been trying to boot up properly since you arrived, but your energy levels have been... let’s just say, problematic.]

"What happened to me, Weiwei?" Lin asked, her hands instinctively moving to her belly. "The last thing I remember was nodding to the Dragon Lord, and then everything went black."

Weiwei sighed, a sound that sounded like a digital chime. [Host, you should probably ask Wang who he is—or better yet, ask him ’what’ he is.]

Lin Wan’s brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? What does Wang have to do with me fainting? I fainted because of the stress, right? The crowd, the heat, the Dragon’s aura..."

[You fainted because the pregnancy was draining your essence, Host,] Weiwei stated flatly, its large eyes blinking slowly.

"Draining my essence?" Lin repeated, a cold knot of dread forming in her stomach. "What do you mean by that? Is it because I’m human? Am I not compatible with carrying cubs in this world?"

[Yes and no,] the cat replied, tilting its head.

"What do you mean, yes and no?" Lin’s voice rose with frustration. "Is it yes or no? Weiwei, go straight to the point! My life and my baby’s life are on the line!"

[Yes, it is because you are human,] Weiwei began, its tail swishing rhythmically. [And no, because it’s not just that simple. Your human biology is naturally weaker than the females of this world. You don’t have the innate beast-power to support the growth of a high-tier offspring.]

Lin Wan felt her knees go weak, and she sank onto the shimmering silver floor. "So I’m going to lose my babies? Is that what you’re telling me?"

[Host, if you interrupt me again, I won’t say another word to you!] Weiwei hissed, its fur puffing up until it looked like a glowing dandelion.

"I’m sorry!" Lin cried, tears pricking her eyes. "I’m just... I’m so worried. I’m alone here, and everything is so strange, and now you’re telling me my own body is failing them."

Weiwei softened slightly, its neon glow turning a gentle shade of pink. [Well, it’s not that you can’t carry beast cubs. You can. But you cannot easily carry beasts like Wang’s. How do I put this in layman’s terms for a human mind?]

"Weiwei, please," Lin pleaded.

[Okay, okay!] Weiwei chirped. [The problem is, I can’t read the baby’s data. Usually, my sensors can track fetal development perfectly. But with yours? Nothing. I can’t tell if it’s just one cub or if you have millions in there. I can’t even identify the species. It’s like a void in my system.]

Lin Wan blinked. "But Wang is a leopard beastman. I saw him. I’ve felt his fur. I know what he is."

[Is he?] Weiwei’s voice turned skeptical, sounding almost metallic. [I’m not so sure anymore. You need to find Wang quickly and ask him what he truly is. Whatever is growing inside you is hungry for more than just calories. It wants spiritual essence, and it’s taking it directly from your soul because you don’t have enough to give.]

"But I can’t find him!" Lin shouted into the void. "I don’t even know where he is! We were separated during the flood !"

[I know that,] Weiwei said, looking down at its paws. [I’ve tried scanning the entire region, but I can’t trace him or Qin Mo. It’s as if they vanished from the world entirely. But I can assure you, their life signs are not extinguished. They are alive, somewhere.]

"Then what do I do?" Lin asked, her voice trembling. "Am I going to lose my baby while I wait for them to find me?"

[You will,] Weiwei said, its voice turning grave. [If you don’t find something with a touch of spirituality to feed on. You need high-energy fuel. Spiritual fruits, phantom beast cores, ancient elixirs... things that are saturated with the world’s mana.]

"How can I find those?" Lin asked, her mind racing. "I’m a guest in a small tribe. We barely have enough bison meat to last the winter!"

Weiwei did a little somersault in the air. [That new prospective beasthusband.]

"Who?"

[That handsome dragon hunk that’s currently smitten by you,] the cat teased, its eyes sparkling. [A Dragon Lord like Long Zhan should have a stash of spiritual treasures. One or two fruits, or even more. Dragons are hoarders by nature, Host. They keep the best things for themselves.]

"How can he just have them?" Lin argued, her practical mind fighting against the system’s logic. "If a spiritual fruit was so easy to get, Qin and Wang would have found them for me months ago. And phantom beast cores? Do you know how huge those creatures are? Who can hunt a phantom beast, let alone get its core? That’s suicide!"

Weiwei paused for five seconds, its tail twitching as it processed the data from the outside world. Its eyes suddenly widened. [Well... Host, you don’t have to stress yourself anymore. The dragon hunk is feeding you already. You should be okay soon.]

In the physical realm, the atmosphere had shifted from shocked silence to a quiet, intense focus. Long Zhan had ignored the doctor’s rambling and reached into a hidden pocket of his heavy silk robes. He pulled out a small, translucent fruit that glowed with a faint, golden light. It smelled of mountain rain and honey, a scent so pure it seemed to cleanse the air of the room.

Davy gasped from the doorway. "Lord! That is a Golden Marrow Fruit! You only have five of those left. They are meant for your breakthrough!"

Long Zhan didn’t even acknowledge the protest. His fingers, usually meant for crushing bone or wielding power, were incredibly gentle as he squeezed the fruit.

A single drop of shimmering, golden nectar beaded at the tip. He leaned over Lin Wan, his eyes showing a deeply conflicting expression—a mix of curiosity, irritation, and an undeniable, growing affection.

He pressed the nectar to her pale lips, watching as her body instinctively craved the essence. Her throat moved in a shallow swallow, and almost immediately, a hint of color began to return to her cheeks. The spiritual energy rolled through her system, dampening the "hunger" of the cubs and stabilizing her fluttering pulse.

Long Zhan pulled back, his hand lingering near her face. He looked at the mask she wore, the star-blue flower she had lost, and the mysterious curve of her belly.

"Who are you, Lin Wan?" he whispered, his voice so low that even the doctor couldn’t hear. "Who truly are you, that you carry a burden even I can sense it emanating from you? And what kind of male would leave a female like you alone with such a secret?"

Internally, the Dragon Lord was at war. He had come to the mortal world for rest, for a simple diversion. And ended up vowing to be a guardian to a talented female. But as the spiritual fruit worked its magic, he realized he had stumbled into something far more dangerous. He was feeding a female who carried another’s child, using his own royal treasures to keep her alive. Her being able to even absorb this much, shows her body is a spiritual body, but how can such be possible to find in the mortal reqlm.

The doctor watched in awe as the "fat and plump" comment he had made seemed to actually be coming true. Lin Wan’s skin began to glow with a healthy luster, the spiritual fruit providing more nourishment in a single drop than a hundred bison steaks.

Davy sighed from the door, leaning against the frame. "Well," he muttered to Kray, "I suppose the mission just got a lot more complicated. We aren’t just guarding a female anymore. We’re nursing an expecting mother."

Inside the system space, Lin Wan felt a rush of warmth, as if she were being bathed in sunshine.

[See?] Weiwei chirped, starting to fade as Lin’s consciousness began to drift back toward the surface. [He’s got the good stuff. Just keep him around, Host. He’s your walking pharmacy for now.]

Lin Wan’s eyes fluttered behind her mask, the golden nectar of the Dragon Lord’s treasure hummed in her blood, binding her fate to the obsidian giant who refused to let her go.