Chapter 25

Chapter 25: The System’s Reminder

“Yours came back. Mine hasn’t shown his face for five whole days.”

Su Yan’s hand paused mid-motion. The air smelled of sun-warmed hide and salt, but the taste in her mouth turned faintly bitter as Zulu’s name rose in her mind.

Something was off.

Ever since he’d brought back three live deer that day, his attention toward her had thinned like smoke. Before, he’d acted as if he couldn’t bear a single day without sticking to her. Now he didn’t even come home.

When Ashley heard her mention Zulu, a flicker of complexity crossed her face—too fast for anyone careless to catch.

Su Yan caught it anyway. “What is it?”

Ashley’s fingers tightened around the edge of her sleeve. “I think I should tell you, so you can be prepared.” She drew a breath. “Rona does logistics in the devil-hunting squad. She and Zulu are often alone together in private. It hasn’t gone as far as mating yet, but…”

She didn’t finish. She didn’t need to. The meaning landed like a stone dropped into still water—ripples spreading through Su Yan’s chest.

Su Yan frowned. “Rona and Zulu?”

Ashley nodded. “You’re wife lord. Sometimes you can’t be too lenient. You have to show your authority and set rules for your husband.”

If Su Yan hadn’t been pregnant, Ashley would never have pushed this on her now.

Zulu was the rabbit clan clan chief’s son, and he was strong. For Su Yan to hold onto a male that outstanding and not bear children would be… a waste.

If Zulu wanted offspring, it wouldn’t even be strange for him to quietly have children with another female.

But Su Yan was about to give birth. That male should keep himself in check—not go picking flowers and stirring trouble.

She didn’t let it rattle her. She’d told Zulu before not to fuss over her so much. He should have taken it to heart.

Still… Rona?

It felt unlikely.

Zulu liked pretty females. He was like Lin Lang in that way—eyes and soul easily taken by a face.

And Rona’s face… wasn’t his taste at all.

Unless he’d suddenly grown hungry for power, and meant to seize the clan chief’s seat.

If he won support from the mouse clan clan chief, that would be a massive step.

“Fine.” Su Yan kept her voice even. “When he comes back, I’ll set some rules for him.”

She followed Ashley’s line for now. “But right now, I need to focus on the baby in my belly.”

Ashley’s shoulders loosened. “Exactly. The child matters most. I was afraid you’d take this badly and it would affect your birth, so I kept it inside. But I was also afraid it would keep developing until something happened we couldn’t clean up. So I had to tell you.”

“Sister Ashley, don’t worry.” Su Yan’s smile was small and controlled. “I wasn’t raised in a tribe. I’ve wandered everywhere. I’ve seen enough that something like this won’t crush me.”

“Good.” Ashley’s mouth tightened with disgust. “That Rona is shameless. A male who already has a female is someone you avoid, but she still throws herself at him. She’s disgracing the clan chief and the mouse clan.”

Ashley used to be close enough to Rona to laugh together. Now she looked like she wished she’d never known her.

Su Yan only smiled and let the words pass, refusing to give them more fire.

Ashley changed the subject, telling her little stories about her mouse pups—how they’d bitten, tumbled, squeaked like tiny bells.

…

The sky dimmed, low and heavy, as if rain was pressing its palm against it.

With her belly round and tight, Su Yan helped Oro bring in the jerky drying on the racks. The strips were stiff from wind and sun; salt glittered faintly along the grain. As she worked, she kept nibbling.

“Dad, salted jerky is really good.”

“If you like it, eat more.” Oro’s eyes crinkled as he watched her chew, then drifted to her swollen belly with a look that was almost greedy with pride. One day, the child inside would carry the Mi Lu Te name.

Little Luo still hadn’t found a rabbit clan female he liked. Pups were a distant dream for him. Compared to that, his daughter was reliable.

Oro imagined himself stepping outside with a big grandson or big granddaughter in his arms, face lifted, chest broad. The thought alone made him grin.

Su Yan opened the System Map.

The world widened in her mind like a clear, cold lake. Within a hundred meters, everything sharpened—movement, distance, presence.

Someone entered the edge of her range.

Zulu.

His hands and shoulders were loaded with live prey. The animals kicked and struggled; the wet scent of blood and forest clung to him even from afar.

Clansmen greeted him on the road. He returned every greeting politely. From the outside, his smile looked perfect—handsome, smooth, and somehow hollow, as if it belonged to someone wearing his face.

The Zulu she remembered had been sincere to the bone. That rare honesty had been what moved her, what made her decide to bear him a whole litter of Yellow-grade pups.

A low ache tightened in her belly.

Not fear. Not surprise.

Recognition.

It’s time.

She turned slowly, still chewing. “Dad, I’m going to lie down. Tell Little Luo to fetch Sister Ashley.”

“Are you about to give birth?” Oro’s voice jumped. He’d been counting the days on his fingers every morning. Today was the due date.

Su Yan nodded. “Yes.”

Oro shouted for Little Luo to run.

By custom, any female in labor was sent to the delivery room where the tribal shaman delivered children.

But Su Yan didn’t want too many eyes on her giving birth in a human body. She’d told Ashley in advance—Ashley would come to the house.

Zulu arrived at the gate with his prey and stepped into the yard to find Oro already rushing to boil water.

Beastmen feared fire. The crackle of flame made their ears twitch and their muscles tense. But Su Yan had insisted—there must be a full pot of boiling water as backup. So Oro lit it anyway, face tight with discomfort.

Even the knife for cutting the umbilical cord had to be wiped with the “alcohol” she prepared—only then would it be clean.

Zulu handed the prey to Oro and went to Su Yan.

Sweat beaded on her brow. She’d done this once before. She knew screaming didn’t help. She had to endure until the time came, then push.

Zulu set a seven-star scarlet fruit beside her. “You’ve worked hard. I found this while hunting. I don’t know if it’ll help you now, but…”

“Not now.” Su Yan’s breath came in careful pulls through clenched teeth.

Pain dragged her expression out of shape, yet there was a fragile beauty to her even like this—the kind that made people want to shield her from the world.

Zulu wiped her brow with his hand. “Does it hurt?”

“Why don’t you try giving birth.”

Su Yan shot him a look, then glanced toward the water. “I’m thirsty.”

Zulu poured a cup and helped her drink. When she finished, he said, “I’ll go check on the father-in-law.”

“…Okay.”

She watched him leave without hesitation.

When he was gone, Su Yan shut her eyes.

In the dark behind her eyelids, Little Mei’s voice appeared like a blade—clean, cold, and mechanical.

“How long?” Su Yan asked in her mind. “How long until the baby comes?”

“Six hours.”

Su Yan’s throat tightened. “Why so long?”

“Every birth is different. Six hours is normal. If host wants to speed it up, host may use a peaceful-birth pill.”

“No.” Su Yan forced her breath steady. “I’ll do it normally.”

“Reminder to host: after giving birth, host may bear another offspring with beast husband.”

Su Yan’s eyelids twitched. “Why didn’t you remind me before?”

Silence.

She almost laughed—dry and humorless. The childbearing system was always like this. It spoke, then vanished, like it might reveal forbidden truth if it said too much.

As for giving Zulu more children… she didn’t want that right now.

Especially not after hearing about Rona.

Even seeing him return on the map made something sour twist in her chest.

People weren’t carved from wood. How could anyone be truly without feeling?

No matter how she tried to go numb, traces remained.

The pleasure she’d shared with Zulu, the way he’d turned his back on his family and married into Mi Lu Te for her… all of it had once stirred her, a spark trying to catch.

Then Rona appeared and pressed a thumb to that spark until it died.

Ashley arrived at a run, hair dampening as the sky finally began to spit rain.

When she saw Zulu there too, some of her panic eased. After a few quick words, she couldn’t help herself. “Rona is a vinegar jar. She’s been domineering and selfish ever since Little Jiu. She’ll never lower her head. Su Yan is a good female, and she’s about to give you offspring. Think carefully—what you should do, and what you shouldn’t touch.”