His expression was incredibly shocked, but after the initial shock, a pallor spread across Ling Jue's face. For some reason, that expression in everyone's eyes gave the impression of... a doctor about to deliver a death sentence to a patient.
It was truly unsettling.
Especially for Ling Jue's brothers, who became extremely anxious at the sight.
"Father, what's wrong? Tell us!"
Ling Jue closed his eyes and said nothing.
Ling Si urgently shook Ling Jue's shoulders. "Father, say something!!!"
Ling Jue still didn't speak.
Ling Si's hands fell away dejectedly, and before he knew it, two streams of tears were slowly rolling down his cheeks. "It's over... it's all over... My sister... I've only just gotten to know my sister, and now she has an incurable disease."
Ling San also looked at Zhi Yao with great concern. "Father, is there really no chance at all for sister to survive?"
Zhi Yao: "???" What the hell? She felt she could still be saved!
Ling Er, looking at Zhi Yao lying on the bed with her eyelids twitching, suddenly became a bit suspicious.
It couldn't be this sudden, could it?!
Zhi Yao was still a young girl, whether in the Wolf Tribe or the Fox Clan. How could she possibly have an incurable disease?
Zhi Yi didn't believe it either. She had just checked, and Zhi Yao didn't have a single wound on her body. The only unusual thing was... that Zhi Yao's spiritual energy had become stronger than before.
But she attributed all of this to the seal on Zhi Yao being broken.
Ling Jue sat dejectedly in place for a very long time, completely deaf to what the people around him were saying, lost in his own world.
Until...
He suddenly stood up, his eyes sharp as knives, darting towards Pei Chiyao. "You... you rascal!"
He stood in front of Pei Chiyao, looking as if he was about to devour him alive. "You're an absolute beast! My Yao is still a child herself, and you... you actually got her pregnant!"
With these words, everyone froze in place.
Pregnant?!
Not a terminal illness?!
Ling San and Ling Si were practically crying with joy. "That's wonderful! Sister can be saved!"
Ling Yi and Ling Er exchanged a silent glance, both seeing disbelief in each other's eyes.
Zhi Yi was also stunned.
But Pei Chiyao's expression didn't seem particularly surprised.
Seeing this expression made Ling Jue even angrier. "Pei Chiyao! You beast! You knew about this already?"
"I didn't know," Pei Chiyao admitted frankly. "I only suspected."
From Zhi Yao's various symptoms, it seemed like she might be pregnant, but no matter how Pei Chiyao examined her, he couldn't confirm it.
He had guessed that this might be because Zhi Yao was a fox.
Unexpectedly, this time, due to Zhi Yao's accidental injury, they received this news.
Zhi Yao, who had been struggling to wake up on the hospital bed, suddenly sat bolt upright upon hearing this news. Her face was pale, and her golden eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Wh-what?" She pointed at herself, even more shocked. "I'm... I'm pregnant?!!"
She was actually really pregnant?
Zhi Yao grabbed Ling Jue's sleeve. "Father, how... how many months pregnant am I? Is it a baby fox in my belly? Is it a boy or a girl?"
She was extremely excited.
If it wasn't a fox, then it must be a dragon baby!!!
Ah, it was the dragon baby she had been craving for so long! Zhi Yao was almost crying with joy.
Ling Jue, seeing Zhi Yao's surprised and delighted expression, sighed deeply, feeling that his precious daughter had been taken advantage of.
He was very upset, but also found his daughter's naivety adorably silly.
Did she... think he was an ultrasound machine?
"Yao, I don't know the answers to these questions. I can only sense that there's a small life inside you. As for more details, I can't see them."
Zhi Yao was a bit disappointed, but she quickly perked up again.
Isn't this just like opening a mystery box?
She suddenly remembered that fox babies usually come in litters of several, like her mother who had given birth to five cubs - four wolves and one fox. She refused to believe there wouldn't be a dragon baby among them!
The young girl's determination to have a dragon baby was absolutely unshakeable.
Seeing that she couldn't get any more information from Ling Jue, she quickly let go of his hand and grabbed Zhi Yi instead. "Mother, Mother, do you think I'll have lots of babies?"
Zhi Yi thought Zhi Yao was afraid of having so many and pondered for a moment before reassuring her, "Yao, don't be scared. Pei Chiyao is human, and you're half-human now, so maybe... you'll only have one?"
One?!
Zhi Yao didn't want to have just one!
What if that one was a fox baby? Then she'd have to give birth again and go through the pain once more! She didn't want that at all!
The young girl was about to say that Pei Chiyao wasn't human, but before she could speak, Pei Chiyao discovered her intention.
Pei Chiyao quickly covered Zhi Yao's mouth and said to Ling Jue and the other members of the Ling family, "I'm sorry, this is my fault. I will quickly settle the paperwork with Yao. Also, I would like to ask Father and Mother to help find a doctor for Zhi Yao."
This doctor, of course, wouldn't be an ordinary one, but a specialist who could treat members of the Fox Clan.
When Ling Jue heard Pei Chiyao call him "Father," he felt uncomfortable and instinctively said, "Who's your father? Don't try to take advantage of me, you rascal!"
He grumbled, thinking about how his beautiful and adorable daughter had been completely taken by Pei Chiyao. Ling Jue's heart was shattering into pieces.
His sweet, soft, and cute daughter! She was about to belong to someone else, and he hadn't even had the chance to enjoy her company...
The more Ling Jue thought about it, the more upset he became, almost wanting to punch Pei Chiyao.
But before he could even raise his hand, Pei Chiyao's words stopped Ling Jue in his tracks. "If you don't acknowledge me, I'm afraid when the baby fox is born, it won't be able to call you grandfather."
A threat! A blatant threat!
"If Yao has a girl, she'll surely be very cute."
Girl...
These two words were Ling Jue's weakness. At the mention of a baby girl, Ling Jue nearly lost his mind.
The thing Ling Jue regretted most in his life was only reuniting with Zhi Yao when she had grown up, missing out on her adorable baby fox stage. Whenever he thought about this, Ling Jue would beat his chest and stamp his feet in frustration!
However... if Zhi Yao could give birth to a little female fox cub, wouldn't that mean... wouldn't that mean he could cuddle a sweet-smelling baby fox?
He was tired of his own wolf cubs, each one more annoying to look at than the last. How could they compare to Zhi Yi's cuteness? How could they compare to the adorable Zhi Yao that Zhi Yi had given birth to?!
