Cool Alpha Pregnant with a Dryad’s Cub - Chapter 7

“Mommy? Uncle?”

Zhuo Ti narrowed her eyes. So, the “Mommy” and “Uncle” the white fox kept talking about were these two.

The white fox dashed toward them. Xu Zhuangyuan crouched down and opened his arms wide. “Baby!”

The fox neatly sidestepped him, bolting straight to Gongsun Wu’s feet. It stood on its hind legs, scratching at her clothes with its front paws while looking up at her.

“You little ingrate,” Xu Zhuangyuan muttered, giving it a playful, gentle swat. “Why did you run off like that last night?”

Gongsun Wu leaned over and scooped up the white fox. As she did, she subtly pushed a Soul-Seeking spell into its body. The fox’s spirit seemed vibrant and healthy, it appeared it truly did have a wonderful time last night.

She looked up at Zhuo Ti, who was standing nearby. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Zhuo Ti replied. “It followed my car home on its own last night.”

The white fox pressed its tiny paws against Gongsun Wu’s face. Mommy, Mommy, she is Mother.

To Gongsun Wu’s ears, the fox’s voice was just a series of spoiled, whimpering grunts.

“Are you hungry?” Gongsun Wu asked.

I already ate, Mother fed me, the white fox said, turning its head to look toward Zhuo Ti. Mother, Mother, she is Mommy.

It was busy introducing them to each other. Fortunately, Zhuo Ti was the only one who could understand it. She gave an awkward smile and answered for the fox, “It already ate at my house.”

“Oh?” Gongsun Wu arched an eyebrow. “What did it have?”

“Braised pork. I didn’t give it raw meat.” Thinking that sounded a bit odd, Zhuo Ti added, “It wouldn’t touch the raw stuff, it only ate the cooked meat.”

Gongsun Wu nodded. “My thanks. If you ever encounter any trouble in the future, just say the word, and I will help you without hesitation.”

Talks like she’s out of an old novel, Zhuo Ti thought to herself. What kind of trouble could she possibly run into? Well, of course, if she ran into someone like Wang Chun who actually had “magic,” that would definitely qualify.

She didn’t take Gongsun Wu’s offer too seriously, treating it as polite small talk. “Alright.”

Since the fox had found its owners, Zhuo Ti didn’t need to head out anymore. She turned to walk back into her courtyard.

Mother!

The white fox let out a cry and leaped from Gongsun Wu’s arms. It sprinted back to Zhuo Ti’s feet. Mother, Mother, I want to stay with Mother.

Zhuo Ti’s heart softened at the fox’s whining, but she didn’t know what to do. With its owners right there, she couldn’t exactly take the fox home with her.

Mother, Mother, are you going to leave me behind again? The fox looked up at her with eyes so pitiful that Zhuo Ti felt a pang of guilt.

She stroked the fox, unsure how to respond. The fox began jumping and hopping, trying to climb up her legs.

Mother, don’t leave me.

Where was this “leaving it behind” talk even coming from?

“Xiao Bai.”

Gongsun Wu’s voice drifted over. “Come here.”

The white fox clung to Zhuo Ti, whimpering toward Gongsun Wu. Mommy, she is Mother!

“If you don’t come back right now, I’m going to cook you,” Gongsun Wu said in a teasing tone.

The fox was terrified. It wanted to go back but couldn’t bear to leave. It took a few steps, then paused and looked back at Zhuo Ti.

Seeing the fox in such a state made Zhuo Ti’s heart ache. “You can come over and play whenever you want,” she said. “You’re always welcome at my house.”

The fox finally cheered up. Its tail shot up into the air, and it trotted back to Gongsun Wu’s side.

Gongsun Wu carried it home, casually setting Ban Ning down on the floor once they were inside. Ban Ning circled around her, ecstatic. It had found Mother, and Mother hadn’t abandoned it. It wanted so badly to tell Mommy.

Xu Zhuangyuan was incredibly jealous. “You little ingrate. Your mother and I raised you for over three hundred years. The Boss has only been out for two months, and you’ve forgotten me in the blink of an eye.”

He poked at Ban Ning’s tail. “And that human? You only met her yesterday, yet you’re so attached today. Did she give you some kind of love potion?”

Ban Ning shook its head. What was Uncle rambling about? That was Mother! Mother!

Fine, Mommy always said Uncle was a bit slow, so it would forgive him.

Gongsun Wu drifted over to a hammock and patted the fabric. Hearing the signal, Ban Ning leaped up and curled up beside her.

Xu Zhuangyuan was still grumbling. “It’s not fair. I worked so hard to raise you for three hundred years. From the moment you were born, your mother and I were the ones who personally helped your mommy through the labor…”

“Tsk.” Gongsun Wu shot him a look. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Xu Zhuangyuan paused, remembering that the scene had indeed been a bit too bloody. He changed his tune. “I’m just saying, I worked so hard and treated you so well. Aside from your mother and the Boss, you don’t even pay much attention to your Auntie Xue Lu. How can you be so inseparable from a human after just one night?”

Gongsun Wu’s fingers traced over Ban Ning’s belly as she fell into deep thought. “Go investigate Zhuo Ti’s background.”

The indignant Xu Zhuangyuan suddenly snapped into focus. “What do you mean?”

“The fact that she can explain all these anomalies doesn’t fit the profile of a normal human,” Gongsun Wu said. “Even though you guys raised Xiao Bai to be a bit of a dimwit, it is still a spirit fox. It wouldn’t be this close to a regular human.”

Xu Zhuangyuan thought for a moment and nodded. “Alright, I’ll look into it immediately.”

He pulled out his phone to assign the task to his assistant, then a thought struck him. “Do you think she could be…”

Gongsun Wu looked up, waiting for him to continue.

“Is it possible she’s the child of a demon and a human? Or some kind of hybrid?” Xu Zhuangyuan offered his theory.

Gongsun Wu pondered this but didn’t answer. “Where is the Old Camphor Tree now?”

“I haven’t seen him since his battle with Ban Yue a few years ago,” Xu Zhuangyuan said. “Ban Yue was seriously injured, so he must have been badly hurt as well. He’s likely been recovering all these years.”

Gongsun Wu lowered her gaze, her fingers twining around Ban Ning’s tail. “Investigate first. When the time is right, I’ll go probe Zhuo Ti’s consciousness.”

On the border between City A and the neighboring city lies a treacherous mountain named Mount Luyi. Its peaks are steep and rugged, a favorite for climbing enthusiasts.

The northern side of the mountain is perpetually shrouded in mist, making it incredibly easy to get lost. Many brave souls who tried to explore the northern peak ended up disoriented, eventually having to call for rescue, while others simply never made it out. Later, the government closed the area off, posting signs that read: [Perpetual Mist, Danger: No Entry].

A woman in a gray jacket stepped into the fog, her figure vanishing within moments.

Finding a small clearing, the woman spun around, her body transforming into a Toon tree about the thickness of an arm. She took root in the soil, her branches swaying as she felt the familiar grip of the earth.

A few meters away, a maple tree shifted into human form. The figure reached out to touch the Toon tree. “Wang Chun, is that you?”

The leaves rustled in affirmation.

The maple demon leaned down to inspect her. “Your roots… they’re healed?”

The leaves rustled again.

“How? Did you drink the blood of someone with a Pure Yin constitution?”

The leaves stopped moving. The maple demon was confused. “You actually did?”

The leaves remained still for a moment before rustling again. Finally, the tree blurred back into human form. Wang Chun said, “No. Believe me, I wanted to, but the opportunity never came.”

“Then was it… the Great King who saved you?”

Wang Chun laughed. “A low-level minion like me? Why would the Great King bother? I was saved by a Great One.”

“What Great One?” The maple demon’s eyes lit up.

“Very powerful. I couldn’t detect even a hint of her scent,” Wang Chun recalled. “She gave me her fruit to eat, a ginkgo nut. She must be a Great Ginkgo Demon.”

The maple demon looked skeptical. “There’s a demon that powerful? Even the Great King can’t save us with his own fruit. If she’s that strong, she must be an Immortal.”

“The Heavenly Dao collapsed long ago, and the Immortal Realm no longer exists. It’s impossible for her to be an Immortal,” Wang Chun countered.

The maple demon knew this was true but was still puzzled. In the current state of the world, all demons were struggling just to survive. To have a demon powerful enough to save others with her own fruit, and yet remain unknown to the rest of the demon realm, was unheard of.

“A Great Ginkgo Demon,” the maple demon murmured. “I’ve only ever heard one legend about a Great Ginkgo Demon, the one who settled the war between humans and demons five hundred years ago and set the absolute laws for our kind. But I heard she went to the Kunlun Mountains to cultivate right after. No one has seen her for five hundred years. Could it really be her?”

Wang Chun shook her head. “I don’t know. Small demons like us, with only two or three hundred years of cultivation, have only heard the stories. We’ve never seen her face.”

The maple demon waved a hand dismissively. “Whatever. Just tell me, where is she?”

“I have no idea. I just happened to run into her on the road.”

“Which road?”

“I don’t remember. I was scared to death that day.”

“Think harder.”

Wang Chun sighed. “I really can’t remember. Besides, a Great One like her wouldn’t just stay in one place. You’ll have to find her yourself.”

“Fine. By the way, how did you get her to save you?”

Wang Chun thought for a second. “I knelt down and kowtowed.”

Zhuo Ti rubbed the back of her neck as she walked out the back door of the bar. Business had been so good today that she barely had time to look up, and her neck was stiff and aching.

A pair of feet appeared in front of her, blocking her path. Zhuo Ti tried to step to the left, but the feet moved with her.

She looked up and saw a smiling face.

“Sis?” Zhuo Ti was overjoyed.

Zhuo Li opened her arms and hugged her. “You’ve worked hard, Xiao Ti.”

“This is nothing,” Zhuo Ti laughed. “You’re the one who’s been working hard. You haven’t been home for over half a month. Why didn’t you just go straight back?”

Zhuo Li took her hand. “I have a day off tomorrow. I came to pick you up first.”

“Is something up?” Zhuo Ti asked.

Zhuo Li pursed her lips and smiled. “Can’t I just pick you up because I want to?”

“The great Doctor Zhuo Li finally gets a day off and instead of sleeping, she comes to get me?” Zhuo Ti shook her head. “You definitely have something to tell me.”

Zhuo Li poked her forehead. “Aren’t you the clever one.”

The two got into Zhuo Li’s car. The sharp scent of disinfectant made Zhuo Ti wrinkle her nose.

“Did you transport a patient in here?” Zhuo Ti asked.

“The disinfectant smell?” Zhuo Li buckled her seatbelt. “A bottle of it broke in the trunk this morning.”

“No wonder.”

As the car pulled away from the artificial lake, Zhuo Li asked, “Is the bar job getting to be too much?”

“It’s just mixing drinks. It’s not even a tenth as hard as what you do.” Zhuo Ti opened her bag and pulled out her over-ear headphones, resting them around her neck.

“Hard work isn’t measured like that,” Zhuo Li glanced at her. “I just think the environment is too loud. Over time, it’s bad for your eardrums. From a medical standpoint, ears have a limit. And those headphones, use them less.”

“Occupational hazard,” Zhuo Ti muttered.

Zhuo Li smiled. “Do you want to go back to university?”

Zhuo Ti turned, completely caught off guard. She let out a dry laugh. “Sis, I’m 29, not 19. What would I be doing at a university?”

“I’m serious. I’m getting promoted next month to Deputy Director. A promotion and a raise,” Zhuo Li said. “I can support the family. You can go do whatever you actually want to do.”

Zhuo Ti looked down, a wave of bitterness washing over her. She shook her head. “I don’t want to go to university. I can’t even focus on books anymore. I actually like making money.”

Zhuo Li watched her from the corner of her eye. Her sister’s head was down, making it impossible to read her expression.

It had been like this for years, she could never tell what Zhuo Ti was thinking.

“Don’t you still do game boosting and stuff?” Zhuo Li said. “You could earn money while studying for a self-taught degree. It’s not about the money, I’m worried about your health. Getting off work this late every day, your face looks so haggard.”

“Fine,” Zhuo Ti said. “I’ll quit the bar in a while. But I’m not going back to school.”

Zhuo Li nodded. “Okay. Just as long as you aren’t overworking yourself.”

Zhuo Ti didn’t respond. Compared to Zhuo Li’s schedule, her work was a walk in the park. Her sister’s concern felt like a lump in her throat.

Zhuo Li tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “I only have tomorrow off for the foreseeable future, all the way until the end of the month.”

“Yeah?” Zhuo Ti looked at her.

Zhuo Li hesitated, letting out a nervous laugh but saying nothing more.

“If you have something to say, just say it,” Zhuo Ti prompted.

“It feels like… it’s been a long time since we visited Grandma, right?” Zhuo Li forced a guilty smile.

Zhuo Ti understood immediately. She nodded. “Got it. We’ll go see Grandma tomorrow.”

Zhuo Li snapped her fingers and reached over to squeeze Zhuo Ti’s shoulder. Zhuo Ti leaned away slightly. “Focus on the road.”

“Right,” Zhuo Li pulled her hand back. “Such a good girl.”

The scent of disinfectant filled the car. Zhuo Ti put on her headphones and turned up the volume, the music drowning out the sound of Zhuo Li’s thoughts.

Support Cool Alpha Pregnant with a Dryad’s Cub