Chapter 30

Chapter 30: So You’re Forcing Me to Have a Baby, Huh

Zulu’s blade hissed through the hide—then halted as if the air itself had caught the edge. He tilted his head toward Oro. “Father-in-law, I won’t be attending your Acquired-Stage victory banquet.”

His gaze drifted—just slightly—toward where Su Yan worked.

Oro blinked. “Why not? This celebration is for you and Lin Lang. Everyone’s waiting to see you two.”

“That doesn’t matter.” Zulu’s mouth held a teasing curve, but his eyes didn’t waver. “Yan Yan’s seemed uneasy lately. I’m planning not to go out at all. I’ll be a… dutiful, well-behaved male.”

Oro’s brows pinched. “That won’t do. I’ll talk to her.”

“Don’t.” Zulu cut in at once. “I still want a second baby with Yan Yan.”

Little Luo froze mid-motion, tools dangling from his hands. “Even so, you can’t keep him from going out. Staying home all day—who could stand it? Sister’s way too bossy. I’ll scold her too.”

Su Yan turned and walked back into the cave without a word.

Two idiots.

Exactly what he wanted—Oro and Little Luo on his side, so later he could use them to corner her.

Maybe he already knew she was suspicious of his identity.

[Little Mei, what’s his talent?]

[What’s his beast form?]

Silence answered—cold, absolute.

So she would have to find out herself. And the fastest way was obvious: have a child. The System was forcing her to give birth.

[Fine. If it’s just having a child, then I’ll have one.]

Su Yan shifted back into human form and dropped onto the bed. She’d transformed too quickly to bother with clothes, and now she simply didn’t care. In a clear, steady voice, she spoke toward the stone wall as if it were a person.

“Come over. Right now. I’ll give you a baby.”

Outside, the scrape of leather and the low rumble of voices snapped into sudden motion.

Zulu stood so fast his stool rasped over the ground. “I’ll go check on Yan Yan,” he told Oro briskly. “See if she needs water or anything.”

“You mind every little thing for her.” Oro’s eye narrowed with a knowing gleam, and he gave a slow, meaningful wink. “Best not come back too soon.”

Zulu’s smile turned shy for the briefest heartbeat. “Yes, Father-in-law.”

Little Luo watched Zulu stride away, light-footed and almost eager. “At this rate,” he muttered to Oro, “I’ll be an uncle again before long.”

Oro’s laugh boomed off the cave walls. “The more children and grandchildren, the stronger the family. The bloodline will have more to inherit. Your sister did well. You should hurry and find a female you like, too.”

“Got it, Dad,” Little Luo said—too quick, too smooth.

Which meant it would be harder. Oro knew his son too well.

…

Later, when the sounds from the inner room began to leak out—low, tangled, relentless—Oro’s throat tightened. He cleared it once and told Little Luo, “That’s enough for today. Sleep early. We get up before dawn tomorrow.”

“Yes, Dad.” Little Luo’s ears burned as he hurried to gather his things.

But even when he woke early, the sound still hadn’t stopped.

Su Yan’s voice was hoarse and strained—pained, and yet threaded with a tremor of pleasure that made the skin along Little Luo’s spine prickle.

Zulu sounded like he was still holding back, as if he hadn’t had his fill.

This… was terrifying.

Su Yan felt like she might actually die under him. Zulu was already strong—barely endurable—but this was something else entirely, like it was ten times worse.

“I… I still have to go to the Beast God Temple,” she managed, breath shattering. “Let me rest. Tonight—tonight we can continue if you want.”

Only then did Zulu finally stop. His breath brushed her ear, heavy and intimate. “A female who can accept me—you’re the first.”

His voice dropped, rough as gravel warmed by fire. “I’m so happy.”

He bit down hard beneath her collarbone.

Pain flashed white-hot, and Su Yan’s vision went black.

When she woke, her skin throbbed where the marks were fresh. Zulu stared at the bloody imprint—two perfect fang punctures—then smiled, slow and satisfied. “I’ve left my brand. From now on, you’re mine.”

Su Yan forced herself upright and went straight to the System shop. She took out a pregnancy pill and a golden marrow pill and swallowed both. Then she spent a point on a vitality-restoring pill.

Warmth surged through her limbs, strength knitting itself back into muscle. But her mind still felt wrung dry. His stamina was bottomless. Without that vitality-restoring pill, she wasn’t sure she could have survived him.

The childbearing System wasn’t something you could “just do” and be done with.

A high-talent male almost always meant power—power in every sense.

…

At the stone table, Zulu looked fresh as if he’d merely taken a walk. He sliced pale fish into thin strips, the blade flashing cleanly. When he saw Su Yan, his expression softened with careful attentiveness. “You’re up? I prepared white fish. Sweet and fresh—no fishy smell at all.”

“Hard work,” Su Yan said, her voice lazy with exhaustion.

She sat and propped her cheek in one hand, eyes glossy and heavy.

Zulu swallowed; his throat worked. His voice dipped. “Besides fish… what else do you want?”

Su Yan’s lips curved, and she was about to answer when someone stepped in.

Little Luo carried a basket of fresh berries. Seeing Su Yan, he blurted, “I thought you wouldn’t get up today.”

Su Yan coughed once, as if that could cover anything. “I still have to go to the Beast God Temple.”

“Ashley sent someone early to urge you,” Little Luo added, setting the basket down. “She had these delivered.”

The sweet-and-sour scent rose like a hook. Su Yan’s stomach clenched with sudden hunger.

Last time she’d taken a golden marrow pill, she’d eaten like a starving beast. She turned sharply to Zulu. “Where’s the seven-star scarlet fruit?”

“I threw it out.”

Su Yan’s vision swam. “You… you wasteful bastard.”

This side effect was vicious—boosting the fetus’s talent by turning her appetite into a monster.

“I want heavenly treasures like seven-star scarlet fruit,” she snapped. “Go find some. Now.”

She reached for the berries, then pointed at Little Luo. “Bring all the tender backstrap at home. Every bit of it.”

Little Luo’s expression shifted. “Don’t tell me you’re pregnant again.”

Su Yan nodded, too tired to argue.

Zulu had only taken two steps before he stopped dead and stared at her belly. “Are you sure?”

“It was the same last time,” Su Yan said, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

Zulu’s jaw tightened. “Wait. I’ll go. I’ll be back in no more than an hour.”

The moment he stepped outside, Su Yan opened the System map.

His dot vanished beyond the map’s range in an instant.

Teleportation technique.

A System tool that cost fifty points—something she couldn’t afford to throw around.