Beast World: A Fragile Beauty Blessed with Many Children-Chapter 353 - 352: What Is It Doing in My Nest?

That afternoon, they gathered for another game of Fight the Landlord. Si Shuo clutched a three in her hand, hopelessly waiting for the round to end.

A sharp pain suddenly shot through her stomach. Caught off guard, Si Shuo cried out, breaking into a cold sweat.

"What’s wrong?" The group looked at her nervously.

Si Shuo recovered slightly and activated her Spring Breeze Technique, which made her feel comfortable and relaxed. "I’m fine," she said. "I’m probably about to give birth."

The males had just breathed a sigh of relief when they shot back up. ’What do you mean, you’re fine? You’re about to have the pups—how is that fine?!’

Yin Jiang came forward, swept her up into his arms, and strode toward his bedroom. Just as he set foot on the stairs, Si Shuo blushed and tugged at his clothes. "Yin Jiang, I... I think I’ve already given birth."

The sheer speed of the delivery, which completely skipped a stage of the experience, left the mentally unprepared Yin Jiang frozen on the spot. ’He... he’s a Father now?’

"Yin Jiang?" Si Shuo nudged him. "Be careful when you put me down. Don’t accidentally crush our pups."

Yin Jiang grunted in acknowledgment and began to walk slowly, terrified he might misstep and drop the mother and her children.

Once in the bedroom, Yin Jiang gently laid Si Shuo down on her side.

Blushing, Si Shuo glared at him. "Turn around!"

Yin Jiang’s face was taut; it was hard to tell if it was from nervousness or from suppressing a smile.

Biting her lip, Si Shuo looked completely done with life as she pulled out two Hunting Falcon eggs. Expressionlessly, she held up the still-warm eggs to Yin Jiang. "Here. Our pups."

’Even though she’d laid these two eggs... ugh, no, *given birth* to them, and they’d been in her belly for two months, she felt nothing for these drab, speckled things. She simply couldn’t equate these two food items with her actual pups.’

Yin Jiang turned back. Seeing her holding an egg in each hand, his heart gave a violent lurch. ’These were their pups?!’

He hugged Si Shuo tightly, startling her so much that she had to spread her arms out, gripping the eggs a little tighter to keep them safe. "Shuo’er, Shuo’er... We have pups?"

Si Shuo smiled and nuzzled against him. "Yes, our Yin Jiang is a Father now. From now on, you’ll have two little Hunting Falcon Pups chasing you around. They’ll follow you everywhere, chirping and pestering you."

"It won’t be a bother," Yin Jiang said, his eyes moistening as he chuckled. "Nothing about you or the pups could ever be a bother."

He took out a Sixteen level attributeless crystal stone and fervently fed it to her. He was so overcome with excitement and joy that he looked as if he could devour her whole.

While Si Shuo closed her eyes to absorb the Spiritual Energy, Yin Jiang had already placed the eggs carefully into a nest he’d long prepared. He then transformed into a Hunting Falcon and settled gently inside, tucking the two eggs beneath his wings.

After consuming the Crystal Stone, Si Shuo’s body was fully restored. She felt as light as a swallow, as if she could start dancing at any moment. Finally, no one would stop her from running and jumping around anymore.

She ran over to Yin Jiang, pulled out a wooden stool, and sat beside him. ’Her Hunting Falcon is so handsome and beautiful,’ she thought. ’Especially those dark, adorably dazed eyes. They’re just irresistible. Way better than that free-range-chicken Snowy Owl outside, anyway.’

"Yin Jiang, how long do you have to incubate them?" she asked, taking out some grapes and popping one into her mouth before offering one to him.

Yin Jiang helplessly let her feed him a grape. "About twenty days or so. It depends on when the pups feel like coming out."

Si Shuo bent over and spoke to the pups beneath his wing. "Little ones, you need to come out quickly, okay? Don’t tire your Father out. Your big brothers and sisters are all waiting to play with you."

Yin Jiang felt the two eggs shift slightly, as if in response.

When everyone heard she’d given birth, they all gathered around. Yin Jiang spread his wings, giving them a quick peek at the eggs nestled beneath him.

"It’s a good thing our little Hunting Falcon siblings aren’t white eggs, or Mother would have mistaken them for goose eggs and tried to boil them..."

"Our little Hunting Falcon siblings are small, like chicken eggs. And some chicken eggs are white..."

Jiao Tang and Sweet Ring chimed in, looking at their Mother resentfully with their tiny, bead-like eyes. They had nearly ended up as a meal on her plate.

Si Shuo’s face darkened. ’Can we please not bring that up?!’ She was traumatized by it, too—deeply traumatized. She, a perfectly normal human, had already laid two clutches of eggs.

Finally relieved of her burden, Si Shuo played with even more abandon. She soaked in the hot springs, went ice fishing, rode sleds, played curling, and navigated a maze made of ice sculptures—she was the undisputed king of the kids. But every day, after she was done playing, she would run back to Yin Jiang to ramble on about her adventures and feed her big Hunting Falcon.

During dinner, Xueqiu was gnawing on a piece of grilled fish when she suddenly piped up, "Huh? Where’s my Brother Xue?"

Normally, Tuanzi and the Snowy Owl were tied for first place in the race to eat. The moment food hit the table, those two would already be clinging to the edge, practically drooling.

His absence was strange. Zhi Le raised an eyebrow. "You keep eating, Xueqiu. I’ll go look for him."

Ji Liang raised an eyebrow. "I think I saw him go upstairs a minute ago."

Zhi Le went upstairs and checked each room, finally finding him in Ji Liang’s. "Brother Xue, it’s time to eat!"

The Snowy Owl tilted its head, then turned away, ignoring him.

"Oh? We have grilled fish, your favorite. It’s from the ice hole, so the meat is firm and a little sweet, not fishy at all. Are you sure you don’t want some?"

The Snowy Owl peeked toward the doorway before turning its head away again with great effort.

"What’s wrong with you?" Zhi Le approached curiously and stroked its head. "Are you feeling sick?"

But the Snowy Owl just lay there in the nest, completely silent.

Zhi Le felt a headache coming on. ’My daughter treasures this silly bird. He’s been adjusting so well at home for the past two months, so why is he suddenly acting so weird?’

"Father!" Sure enough, the little girl was already calling from downstairs. "Did you find the Snowy Owl?"

The Snowy Owl stirred its head but remained silent.

Zhi Le walked back downstairs. "He’s lying in Ji Liang’s nest."

Ji Liang?! "Wait, what’s he doing in my nest?" The young female was particular about cleanliness and wouldn’t just let a Snowy Owl lie there.

"To be precise, he’s in the nest you used for incubating eggs before," Zhi Le added.

Si Shuo, who was in the middle of sipping fish soup, nearly sprayed it everywhere. She turned her head and coughed a few times.

Gong You gently patted her on the back. "Easy, dear. Drink slowly."

Si Shuo waved a hand dismissively and asked for confirmation, "He’s not coming down to eat, just lying in a nest?"

Zhi Le nodded. "Even the grilled fish couldn’t entice him."

By now, Si Shuo had finished her meal. She wiped her mouth and scampered upstairs to see what all the fuss was about.

The pups, who were nearly done eating, followed her up to see what was happening.

The moment it saw the group arrive, the Snowy Owl sat up perfectly straight and even swayed its head from side to side, looking rather smug.

Zhi Le was holding Xueqiu, who still clutched a fresh piece of grilled fish. She went forward and placed the fish in front of the Snowy Owl.

The Snowy Owl nuzzled her arm, lowered its head, and began to eat with gusto...?!

Zhi Le ground his teeth, his fists clenching. ’Well, I’ll be damned. As her own Father, I’ve never had the privilege of being hand-fed by my daughter. Why does this dumb bird get to just open its beak and be served?’

Seeing the Snowy Owl finally eating, Xue Zhu let out a long sigh of relief. She patted its head with her other hand and said with a smile, "As long as you’re eating, that’s good. Brother Xue, are you hurt?"

Other than an injury, Xue Zhu couldn’t imagine any other reason why the Snowy Owl—a creature as gluttonous as her own second brother—would be able to resist the temptation of food.