Chapter 24: Fragrant and White, Praised by All
Mo Li lowered his head, calculating in his mind.
It cost 820,000 Continent Dollars to have one child in the South Continent. What about twins? He wondered if the price would double.
When he went for a prenatal check-up, he had a B-scan. The doctor said he had two babies in his belly, and both looked very healthy.
The doctor had also suggested that if he couldn’t raise two children, he could have a selective reduction surgery while the babies were still small, aborting one and keeping the other.
He had thought about it again and again but couldn’t bear to get rid of either of them.
During his days in the South Continent, he had visited every mother and baby section in the city, comparing the prices of different brands of formula, learning about the types of children’s toys, and feeling the fabric of all the baby clothes.
The formula was very expensive, but he had carefully calculated the costs. As long as he took on more missions, he should be able to afford it.
The main problem was, who would take care of the children when he was out on missions?
As for clothes and toys, he had heard that babies grew a size a day after birth, and he would have to buy new clothes every few days.
He could make clothes and toys for the children himself. His spirit body, Xiaoxue, had eight flexible tentacles, so threading a needle was no problem.
Zhou Siyan sat on a folding chair, feeding the baby. He kept his head down, his narrative tone flat, as if he were talking to himself.
“I asked the doctor. In the early stages of pregnancy, the embryo is very fragile. The fetus secretes a hormone to protect itself, and this hormone lowers the father’s libido. Once the fetus is fully formed, this hormone disappears, and the father’s libido returns to its previous level.”
“Also, during pregnancy, a brood pouch forms in the body, and the fetus develops in this brood pouch. When it’s time to give birth, you can choose whether or not to have the brood pouch removed.”
Mo Li listened quietly to Zhou Siyan’s cautionary tale, not interrupting.
Zhou Siyan continued, “Also, the spirit body can also get pregnant, with Blueberry’s child. When your Xiaoxue gives birth to the little spirit body, that little spirit body will be your child’s spirit body.”
Hearing this, Mo Li looked up in surprise. “That little seahorse is Xue Xiaohai’s spirit body?”
He had been very curious why that little seahorse was always with Xue Xiaohai. At first, he thought it was some pet toy Zhou Siyan had bought for the baby.
“Yes. My child had a spirit body before it was even born.”
Zhou Siyan replied, his previously flat tone suddenly rising, his pride completely unconcealed.
He continued, “These are my experiences. I hope they are helpful to you.”
Mo Li looked at him, solemn and serious. “Thank you, Director Zhou.”
Zhou Siyan: “You’re welcome.”
The water in the clay pot was boiling, bubbling and gurgling, but Xue Yu still hadn’t returned.
Zhou Siyan said, “Let’s wait for Xue Yu to come back before we cook the noodles. I’ll ask her where she is.”
He called Xue Yu with the Cloud Sound Box. Xue Yu answered quickly, saying to let them eat first. She had found fish in the reeds and wanted to catch a few to bring back to supplement their diet.
Zhou Siyan put away the Cloud Sound Box and said, “She’s catching fish. Let’s wait for her a little longer.”
Mo Li stood up. “I’ll go help her.”
On Xue Yu’s side, she had indeed found reed catkins fish in the water. They were large and clumsy, wagging their tails slowly in the water.
The water was very clear. She tested the contamination level, and it was within the contactable range.
Xue Yu simply took off her clothes and pants, wearing only a sports bra and underwear, and dived into the water.
Blueberry also went into the water.
As soon as she caught a fish, Xue Yu strung a water weed through its mouth and tied it to Blueberry’s tail.
Before long, Blueberry’s tail was tied with five fish, which looked very funny.
Blueberry was not happy about its beautiful tail being treated this way and kept urging Xue Yu to go ashore.
Xue Yu said, “Let’s catch two more. The fish here are so stupid. It would be a pity not to catch them.”
Xue Yu discovered that she could hold her breath underwater for longer and longer. She hadn’t counted the time carefully, but it was definitely more than twenty minutes.
In the water, her control over her body was also getting stronger and stronger. She could catch fish with perfect accuracy.
At that moment, a large shadow flashed in the water. Xue Yu was startled.
She quickly surfaced and was about to draw her knife.
An octopus with terrifying tentacles swam towards her, with Mo Li right behind it.
When he came over, he was holding a fish in his hand.
His finger strength was terrifyingly strong. The slippery fish in his fingers had no strength to struggle, as if it were being sucked to his fingertips.
“Mo Li, you’re like a water ghost, not making a sound. You scared me to death,” Xue Yu said loudly.
Mo Li was at ease in the water. He approached Xue Yu. “How many did you catch?”
Xue Yu pointed to Blueberry’s tail. “A whole string. We can have grilled fish tonight.”
Mo Li threw the fish in his hand to Xiaoxue, letting Xiaoxue wrap it with its tentacles. He said, “You’re very good. The fish here are very smart.”
Xue Yu: “Smart? I think they’re very stupid!”
Mo Li: “It’s not that they’re stupid. It’s that you’re more agile and smarter than before.”
Xue Yu giggled. Why is this guy giving me emotional support? Is Blueberry’s internal competition influence that strong?
“Then let’s catch two more?” Xue Yu suggested.
“Okay.”
The two of them dived into the water again. As they were catching fish, Xue Yu felt that something was wrong.
Hmm, why is this so pleasant, so comfortable—it’s like my dopamine is overflowing, and I’m floating on a cloud.
Just as Xue Yu was wondering, the water next to her burst violently, creating white waves.
Mo Li had stopped catching fish and had gone ashore at top speed, without even telling Xue Yu.
Xue Yu also quickly went ashore and saw Mo Li with his back to her, picking up the jacket he had left on the grass. His hair was very short, and his ears looked like they were on fire.
Xue Yu walked towards him. Mo Li heard her footsteps and said, “Don’t look at me.”
“Oh.” Xue Yu had no choice but to stop.
That’s how people are. The more someone tells you not to look, the more you can’t help but look.
Xue Yu’s gaze uncontrollably glanced over and saw Mo Li take out a metal injection kit from the inner pocket of his jacket.
He opened the kit, took out a syringe and a glass vial of medicine. His fingers were trembling violently. He drew the medicine into the syringe and, almost urgently and anxiously, jabbed it into his arm.
Xue Yu recognized the glass vial of the medicine as the same one Zhou Siyan used. This medicine was the internal drug of the extreme sexual conservatives—libido suppressant.
She glanced at him again.
When Mo Li went into the water, he had only taken off his jacket. He was wearing a dark green, quick-drying, form-fitting suit. The material was very thin and clung to his body after being soaked, outlining his broad back and lean waist.
He kept his back to her, so Xue Yu couldn’t see the situation of his abdomen, but it seemed like he wasn’t showing yet.
“Xue Yu, don’t look at me,” Mo Li said again. He could feel Xue Yu’s gaze.
Xue Yu patted her flushed face and quickly looked away.
She took a few steps back and looked into the clear water.
She saw Blueberry and the blue-ringed octopus tightly entwined in the water. The octopus’s tentacles were completely wrapped around Blueberry, almost enveloping it entirely.
So this was the culprit!
No wonder she had felt waves of pleasure surging through her nerves. It was because Blueberry and Xiaoxue were finding solace in each other in the water!
“Blueberry, do you see my sandbag-sized fist? I’m going to beat you to death!”
Xue Yu plunged into the water again. Before she could even get her hands on them, the two of them separated on their own, their round eyes looking at Xue Yu shamelessly.
She scooped up Blueberry and went ashore, taking off the fish tied to its caudal fin. She pretended to punch it twice. “In broad daylight! What is this behavior? It’s indecent, immoral, and utterly outrageous!”
Blueberry blew bubbles at her: Weren’t you happy too? You’re going to hit me after you’ve had your fun?
Xue Yu squeezed its caudal fin, lowering her voice so Mo Li couldn’t hear. “This is very embarrassing for me. Mo Li even had to take a suppressant. You can imagine how strong his reaction was. Don’t let it happen again.”
Blueberry: “Oh.”
After dealing with Blueberry, Xue Yu quickly put on her own clothes.
Mo Li finished taking the suppressant, put away the injection kit, and put on his jacket, buttoning it up to the very last button, right below his prominent Adam’s apple.
The two of them tacitly avoided the topic. Xue Yu carried the fish in one hand and held Blueberry tightly in the other. She said to Mo Li, “These fish are so big. Let’s go. We’ll go back and have grilled fish.”
Mo Li kept his head down and walked behind her.
To avoid a repeat of what had just happened, he retracted Xiaoxue into his spiritual landscape, not letting it out to play with Blueberry.
The two of them walked back along the reed bed. They were silent for a long time, the only sound being the rustling of the reeds in the wind.
Xue Yu felt that the atmosphere was too strange. She wanted to say something to break the ice but didn’t know what to say.
But Mo Li spoke first, asking out of the blue, “Did you write that song yourself?”
Xue Yu slowed down and walked beside him. “Which song?”
Mo Li: “The one you sang in the car.”
Xue Yu wasn’t a plagiarist and said honestly, “No, it’s someone else’s song.”
Mo Li: “It’s the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard.”
Xue Yu smiled. “You have taste! I couldn’t appreciate the meaning of this song before, but I’ve come to understand it recently. The more I sing it, the more I get the flavor of it. It really fits my current state of mind.”
Mo Li glanced at the side of her face. “It fits your state of mind?”
Xue Yu: “Yes, it fits perfectly!”
A barely perceptible curve appeared on Mo Li’s lips. “I like it very much. Can you sing it again?”
“Of course!”
Xue Yu cleared her throat and sang loudly, “Where has the time gone? I’ve grown old before I could even enjoy my youth…”
As soon as she started singing, Mo Li frowned. “That’s not the one I meant.”
Xue Yu was clueless. “Then which one?”
Mo Li didn’t speak again. They had already left the reed bed. The off-road vehicle was right ahead. He quickened his pace, walking in front of Xue Yu and putting some distance between them.
Xue Yu chased after him with the fish. “You mean ‘Jasmine Flower’, right? I can sing it for you.”
She continued to sing, “What a beautiful jasmine flower, fragrant and beautiful on the branches, fragrant and white, praised by all!”
Zhou Siyan was sitting on a folding chair, holding the baby. When he heard Xue Yu’s bold singing, he looked up and squinted.
Mo Li returned to the off-road vehicle first. He went straight to the trunk and took out a clean set of clothes from his bag.
He then went to the other side of the car, avoiding Xue Yu and Zhou Siyan, and changed in twenty seconds.
Xue Yu returned with the fish. “Zhou Siyan, look, so many reed catkins fish. We’ll have grilled fish later.”
Zhou Siyan nodded. “Thank you for your hard work.”
“What hard work? You’re the one working hard, taking care of the baby.”
She went to the trunk, found the folding bucket from before, unfolded it, put the fish inside, and added water.
Then she ran into the car and quickly changed into clean clothes.
Mo Li was in charge of cleaning the fish with a dagger. Xue Yu used the branches she had gathered to make a grill rack, and Zhou Siyan was in charge of the baby.
After the grill rack was ready, Xue Yu lit the coal and started grilling the fish.
Zhou Siyan moved closer to her, pinched the baby’s cheek, and as if talking to the baby, said in a sarcastic tone, “Fragrant and white, praised by all, humph.”
Xue Yu looked up at him. “What are you talking about?”
Zhou Siyan snorted coldly and said nothing.
They grilled three fish, and each of them ate one. The atmosphere was strange. No one spoke.
Xue Yu glanced at Mo Li. Mo Li always deliberately avoided her gaze. She glanced at Zhou Siyan. A faint sarcastic smile hung on his lips, and she didn’t know what he was trying to express.
After dinner, they set up the tent again.
The three of them conserved water as much as possible and each wiped themselves down.
Xue Yu, wearing a set of pajamas with cartoon patterns that Zhou Siyan had bought for her in the South Continent, returned to the car to take turns with him watching the baby.
She thought the pajamas were very childish, but Zhou Siyan thought they suited her.
She couldn’t argue at the time because she had no money.
“I’m going to do some exercise. You play with the baby for a while. I’ll feed her when I come back up,” Zhou Siyan said.
Xue Yu: “Okay, you go ahead.”
She held Xue Xiaohai and played with toys. Through the car window, she saw Zhou Siyan doing push-ups outside.
Zhou Siyan had always been very particular about fitness, strict with himself, and especially pursued the perfection of his muscle lines, maintaining his physique in the most perfect state.
“Your dad is a hot dad. He’s doing postpartum training just a few days after giving birth.” Xue Yu lifted Xue Xiaohai and swayed her. “Do you like Mommy or Daddy?”
Xue Xiaohai: “Dad.”
Xue Yu: “Nonsense. You don’t even recognize who your daddy is. Last night, you even took Mo Li for your daddy.”
Xue Xiaohai: “Daddy.”
Xue Yu was bored and started playing with the baby to amuse herself. “Xue Xiaohai, is your dad hot?”
Xue Xiaohai: “Hot.”
Xue Yu: “Is your dad spicy?”
Xue Xiaohai: “Spi.”
Xue Yu: “Is your dad sour?”
Xue Xiaohai: “Sour.”
Xue Yu couldn’t stop laughing and continued to ask, “Is your mom good?”
Xue Xiaohai: “Good.”
Xue Yu: “Is your mom strong?”
Xue Xiaohai: “Strong.”
…
Zhou Siyan squeezed in some exercise, washed up, changed his clothes, and returned to the car. He saw Xue Yu still playing the question-and-answer game with the baby, having a great time.
When he called her childish, she would argue back.
Xue Xiaohai had been forcibly woken up by Xue Yu whenever she slept during the day, and her energy was depleted. Now, as soon as she finished her milk, she fell asleep obediently without needing to be comforted.
Xue Yu also lay down and whispered, “Zhou Siyan, do you really have a way to hide the fact that Blueberry has supreme reproductive abilities?”
Zhou Siyan gently wiped the baby’s face with a disinfectant wipe:
“Yes. When we get back, I will modify the information on seahorses in the spirit body archives to that of an ordinary water-type spirit body. No seahorse spirit body has ever appeared in the White Tower, so no one should look into it.”
Xue Yu: “Thank you.”
Xue Yu knew that in half a month, there would be a selection competition in the White Tower, including events for strength, speed, and reflexes.
If you achieved a certain score in the competition, you would have a chance to be transferred to a better position.
She had participated before and, not surprisingly, had come in last.
She had gone to the competition with high hopes and returned home in a mess, with snot and tears.
This time, she planned to participate in the competition again, but she didn’t want to tell Zhou Siyan.
It was better to go secretly, to avoid major embarrassment.
She didn’t want the baby’s dad to see her being pinned to the ground and beaten in the arena.
Xue Yu was thinking about pre-competition training when she heard Zhou Siyan’s sarcastic voice in her ear, “Fragrant and white, praised by all.”
Xue Yu: “What are you trying to imply?”
Zhou Siyan turned off the light with a blank expression and said nothing.
Perhaps influenced by Zhou Siyan, Xue Yu fell asleep with “Jasmine Flower” playing on a loop in her mind. What a beautiful jasmine flower~~ fragrant and white, praised by all~~
The next day, the three of them got up at seven and continued their hurried journey.
During lunch, Blueberry ran off again, probably to find meteorite crystals to please its husband and child.
Xue Yu wanted to train secretly, so she used the excuse of looking for Blueberry and ran out.
Blueberry was digging for meteorite crystals under a large rock. It didn’t have claws, but it had a long, tubular proboscis. This proboscis was hard and powerful, and it used it and its caudal fin to flexibly dig for meteorite crystals.
Xue Yu stood by the rock, took off her jacket, wrapped it around her fist, and punched the rock hard.
The first event of the White Tower’s selection competition was a punching power competition. You could get one point for bending a ten-centimeter-thick steel plate with one punch.
Xue Yu kept hitting the rock, training her skin, flesh, and bones. This was a method of training punching power from the military academy.
The more she hit, the harder she hit. Xue Yu shattered the large rock, and the broken stones hit Blueberry, who was digging for meteorite crystals.
Blueberry looked up resentfully. Do you have a problem?
“I’m practicing my punching power. I feel like my punching power has reached D-level. When I go back to the competition, you can follow me and bring honor to our ancestors!” Xue Yu went to the other side of the rock and continued to hit it.
A hearty laugh came from behind her. “Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don’t bully a young man for being poor!”
“That year, at eighteen, I stood like an ant. Today, I will take back everything that belongs to me!”
Xue Yu was so engrossed in her training that not only did she not turn around to check the situation, but she was also motivated by these words and hit even more fiercely, unconsciously using these words as her burning BGM.
A few seconds later, she realized something was wrong and turned her head.
Yan Wantang was standing behind her, holding a large Tibetan mastiff on a leash, smiling and showing her signature eight white teeth.
Xue Yu and Yan Wantang were classmates, but they didn’t have much interaction. What contact could a poor student and a favored daughter of heaven have?
The last time she had seen Yan Wantang was when Yan Wantang and the Abominations had appeared near the Yaga Safe Zone.
At that time, the skin on half of Yan Wantang’s face had deteriorated badly and had been torn off by Mo Li.
But now, the skin on her face had returned to normal. She didn’t know if she had had someone else’s skin transplanted.
Xue Yu was very wary. She had heard from Zhou Siyan yesterday that Yan Wantang was colluding with Abominations to sell organs and was being hunted by the White Tower’s Public Security Brigade.
“Xue Yu, is this seahorse your spirit body?”
Yan Wantang was very relaxed. Her clothes were a bit dirty and torn, probably from being on the run for too long. But she didn’t look wretched. Instead, she looked relaxed, like a corporate slave who had returned to nature, without any of the oppressive air of the office.
Xue Yu picked up Blueberry and took a step back. “Yes.”
Yan Wantang threw her head back and laughed. “Hahahaha, that’s hilarious! How can someone’s spirit body be a seahorse!”
Xue Yu looked at the Tibetan mastiff she was holding. “What are you doing here?”
Yan Wantang patted the Tibetan mastiff’s head. “I’m here for a walk, and… well, to walk my husband. This is my husband. Isn’t he cute?”
A cold sweat broke out on Xue Yu’s back. Yan Wantang’s smile was too bright. It made it hard for her to show a bitter face. She forced a smile and laughed along with her. “Hehe, brother-in-law doesn’t look like a local.”
Yan Wantang laughed heartily again. “He is a local, from the White Tower.”
Xue Yu noticed that the Tibetan mastiff’s eyes were very strange, like human eyes.
Before she could take a closer look, the “Tibetan mastiff” suddenly stood up straight. It was a man wearing a dog skin.
Yan Wantang pulled on the leather leash in her hand, making the man get back down on all fours.
She then said to Xue Yu, “I asked Feng Qizhou to perform surgery on your brother-in-law. Poor thing, your brother-in-law is too severely contaminated. If he doesn’t get treatment soon, he’ll become a complete Abomination.”
“When Feng Qizhou comes later, can you help me bargain? That guy has been raising his prices like crazy for surgery lately. He’s gone mad for money.”