Chapter 49:

Yan Qiu piled five bags of adult food and five bags of snacks in front of the black panther, boldly declaring, “They’re all yours, all for you!”

The black panther circled the pet food as if patrolling its territory, expressing satisfaction.

It rubbed against its owner’s leg, meowing affectionately. It was clearly signaling that it was mealtime.

Yan Qiu thought, “Not in vain that he buy five bags of battle pet food all at once. “

In order to win back the love of his battle pet, Yan Qiu didn’t mix the pet food with regular rice. Instead, he took out a food bowl, opened the beef-flavored adult food, and filled the bowl to the brim.

“Have at it.”

As soon as the owner spoke, the black panther eagerly lowered its head and began eating voraciously.

Seeing this, Yan Qiu was deeply gratified, thinking that it was no wonder the formula designed by Dr. Yun was so well received by the battle pet, even though it wasn’t handmade by her.

Recalling the advertising slogan, “Taste surpasses 99% of similar products on the market, not only suitable for battle pets but also for owners.”

Yan Qiu suddenly felt curious.

Just how delicious were these biscuits? What made the black panther so deeply enamored, unable to control itself?

Seizing the battle pet’s inattention, he quietly took a piece to taste.

Swearing that he only wanted to try a bit, after tasting one piece, his right hand seemed to have a will of its own, reaching for a second, a third, a fourth…

The black panther, enjoying its meal, suddenly discovered a hand sneakily taking a biscuit from its food bowl.

It stopped eating, looked at its owner, and blinked its eyes without pause.

Yan Qiu coughed lightly and spoke firmly, “I’ve realized that pet food can spoil if left out too long, so it’s best to eat it quickly.”

In that moment, there was no trace of the boldness from a few minutes before.

The black panther felt deceived, taking a heavy blow to its pride.

Yan Qiu hurriedly made amends, “After you finish, I’ll buy you a new one! I won’t let you go hungry!”

The black panther glanced at the chicken jerky beside it, remaining silent.

Yan Qiu said, “…Do you want some? Okay, I’ll open a pack for you.”

Reluctantly, the black panther forgave its owner.

Yan Qiu calculated that if both he and the panther were to eat the battle pet food, it would be quite an expense.

It was time to work hard to earn money.

With a piece of chicken jerky in his mouth, Yan Qiu made a determined resolution.

***

Sun Lixin poured half a basin of senior food for the battle pet and soaked it in warm water. Then, she picked up a sleep aid set and examined it carefully.

The sleep aid set was a new product introduced by the Red Maple Pharmacy, containing three items: a bag of calming soup, a portable sachet, and a herbal bath sachet.

Sun Lixin read the instructions and placed the herbal bath sachet into the wooden tub after filling it with steaming hot water. In no time, the water changed color.

She immersed herself in the tub and enjoyed a refreshing bath.

Whether it was a misconception or not, after the bath, she felt an unprecedented relaxation throughout her body.

After dinner and drinking the calming soup, she placed the sachet on her chest and then lay down on the bed.

She hoped for a good night’s sleep.

Sun Lixin was filled with anticipation.

The faint, pleasant herbal fragrance continuously emanated from the sealed sachet.

She yawned, closed her eyes, and gradually drifted into dreamland.

At this moment, barely three minutes had passed since she lay down.

***

Early November.

Yun Shan received 30,000 points as her share of the pure profit from last month.

“Successfully resolving potential risks without adding too much work for myself, and still being able to earn money every month while lying down. I truly deserve it,” Yun Shan thought, a faint smile playing on her face.

It was currently 2206. In a few months, by February 2207, there would be a severe incident of mentally ill patients causing harm in the Red Maple Camp.

In the previous life, with only preliminary improvements to the calming soup and moderately effective sachets, they were unable to prevent the collective frenzy of the patients.

This not only caused chaos but also resulted in many residents being mistakenly injured, subsequently leading to psychological trauma among the affected individuals.

As for Lu Ming, as the most severely affected and thoroughly frenzied patient, he was feared and shunned by the residents, causing strained relationships.

Reflecting on her experiences from the previous life, Yun Shan felt that both sides were quite wronged.

For normal people, residents with mental illnesses were indeed as unstable as time bombs, unpredictable and ready to explode at any moment. Before an incident occurred, people didn’t feel it, but once it happened, they were filled with dread, fearing a second and third time.

For the patients, they were tightly controlled, and usually, they managed quite well. That incident occurred purely because someone scattered mind-altering drugs.

The mind-altering drug was a very rare type of powder with the power to confuse the mind. Patients with pre-existing mental illnesses, upon inhaling the mind-altering drug, were directly driven to madness.

Clearly, it was deliberately designed by someone else, but after the incident was resolved, the residents’ relationships remained tense and showed no signs of improvement.

Afterward, Yun Shan studied medical texts, continually improving and finally perfecting the calming soup and sachet formulas and even developing a calming incense and medicinal cuisine.

This time, she took preventive measures. She refused to believe that simply having calming soup every day and a sachet in hand would prevent any incidents the following year.

“Pretending to be in a dilemma and secretly guiding Manager Meng to deploy according to my plan, it’s perfect!” Yun Shan couldn’t help but smirk. “After curing the other patients, I’ll be free (with points and with food).”

However, while the plan seemed quite ideal, in practice, she occasionally encountered some minor troubles.

For example—

“Why does the battle pet come to me when it’s about to give birth?” Yun Shan said expressionlessly.

Did they truly think she was capable of everything!

The owner cautiously inquired, “Perhaps, Doctor… isn’t very skilled?”

Yun Shan: “…”

In fact, she really was. When there was a difficult birth, administering a dose of medicine would make the birthing process smooth and easy.

“Obstetrics also falls within the scope of treatment,” Dr. Xia softly suggested, “If Dr. Yun is not available, I can help.”

Yun Shan responded, “Alright, then I’ll accept that.”

“The mother needs to replenish energy during childbirth. I’ll go make some food for her.”

Saying this, Yun Shan headed straight into the kitchen.

The pregnant creature was a unicorn, with pure white fur and a spiral horn on its forehead, looking noble and pure.

However, at that moment, it had a rather vacant expression, appearing not very bright.

“Freshly made brown sugar glutinous rice cakes, crispy on the outside, soft and sweet inside.”

“Sesame paste, aromatic and viscous, with added crushed peanuts and walnuts inside.”

“Layered meat pastry, crispy on the outside, filled with meat, just two pieces and you’re full!”

Was this the treatment for a pregnant creature?

At that moment, the unicorn felt what true happiness meant.

It eagerly dug into the food, displaying an abundance of energy.

“Is this enough? If not, I’ll make some plum blossom cakes with sweet bean paste for you?” Yun Shan asked.

The unicorn: “Go ahead, go ahead, I can still eat! I’m not even full, how can I have the strength to give birth?”

So Yun Shan turned back to the kitchen to prepare more delicacies.

The owner: “…Be a little reserved, you’re never hungry otherwise.”

The unicorn paid no heed and continued eating.

The owner, feeling helpless, quietly accompanied it. Seeing the battle pet having difficulty with the sesame paste, the owner picked up a ladle and fed it spoon by spoon.

After finishing the brown sugar glutinous rice cakes, drinking the sesame paste, and eating the layered meat pastry, the unicorn licked its lips and patiently waited for the plum blossom cakes.

Dr. Xia noticed an energy fluctuation in the air and couldn’t help but look at the unicorn.

At that moment, she was startled. “The amniotic sac has ruptured! The unicorn is about to give birth!”

The unicorn, a new species that emerged after the apocalypse, reproduces in a manner similar to horses, being viviparous.

The rupture of the amniotic sac indicates impending childbirth.

The owner checked and indeed found it ruptured, immediately shouting, “Someone! It’s time to give birth!”

Logically, at this point, the unicorn should lie down, but it stubbornly remained crouched at the kitchen door.

It was clear that it wanted to eat the plum blossom cakes before giving birth.

The owner: “…”

Dr. Xia: “…”

She arrived at the estate to help.

Dr. Xia: “The gateway to a new world has opened before her. (Academically)”

Helping until now.

Dr. Xia: “The gateway to a new world has opened before her. (In terms of battle pet behavior)”

Quite an eye-opener.

In various senses.

“Ancestors!!” The owner was on the verge of going crazy. “Can you eat after giving birth, please?”

The unicorn looked displeased.

How can I give birth without being full? You’re being unreasonable.

The owner was at a loss, looking at the battle pet.

At this critical moment, Yun Shan spoke up, “The plum blossom cakes are being kept warm on the stove. You can eat them after giving birth.”

Unable to resist Yun Shan, the unicorn had no choice but to endure and give birth to the offspring in a rather aggrieved manner.

Throughout the birthing process, it gazed at Yun Shan, as if drawing strength from her!

The owner: “Can you touch it, hug it?”

Yun Shan, who originally didn’t want to intervene during the battle pet’s childbirth, reluctantly extended her hand and gently stroked the unicorn’s neck fur.

In an instant, as if empowered by a mysterious force, the unicorn gave birth to four babies in one go!

Dr. Xia glanced over, particularly surprised. “Four cubs, three of them are three-star, and one is two-star. Congratulations.”

Normally, when a three-star unicorn gives birth, the offspring are mostly two-star, so this was a clear deviation from the norm. Could it be due to the energy replenishment before giving birth?

Dr. Xia fell into contemplation.

“This is great, this is great!” The owner was so overjoyed that they didn’t know what to say.

The unicorn stubbornly lifted its head and gently bit Yun Shan’s sleeve.

Yun Shan said, “I’ll go get the plum blossom cakes for you.”

The unicorn obediently released her sleeve, its eyes filled with anticipation.

***

In late October, the wolfhounds gradually reached adulthood, becoming more robust and powerful in stature.

Some of the demonic beasts had already prepared for mating, marrying as soon as they reached adulthood, practicing free mating.

Others, tired of seeing everyone else in love, stood in a row, propping themselves up against the fence. They rested their heads on the fence and looked outward, believing themselves to be the most adorable.

Two of them couldn’t contain their excitement and even let out a couple of practice howls. This behavior directly led to a significant increase in the efficiency of neighboring relocations.

Some who were originally reluctant to leave resolved to coexist or perish with the bamboo huts. Yet, after enduring a few days of wolf howls, they hastily moved out of the East District, disappearing without a trace overnight.

Yun Shan: … Extra meal tonight.

The points were ready, the relationships established. The only thing left was for the remaining residents to “voluntarily relocate” to occupy the entire East District.

On November 10th, a large number of NPCs flooded the estate, dismantling the original fences and building stone walls.

As Yun Shan watched the walls rise day by day, Lu Ming was still nowhere to be found. Sometimes, deliberately waiting until nightfall, she still couldn’t find him. She couldn’t help but grab Lu Liu and phrase her question differently, “Is the Lord unwell today?”

“Being unwell equals needing reassurance.”

“Reassurance equals a meeting.”

Clever √.

“No, he hasn’t.” Lu Liu said, with a rare hint of a smile in her eyes. “The medicine you provided has been very effective. The Lord has been much better recently, and the periods of lucidity have noticeably lengthened.”

Yun Shan: …

So, she couldn’t meet him because her medical skills were too good?

Yun Shan didn’t know what she really wanted to do. Not meeting made her worry, but she wasn’t sure what she would say if they did meet.

“Well, as long as everything is fine,” Yun Shan concluded her routine inquiry.

Watching the departing figure of the Divine Doctor, Lu Liu pondered in secret. If they met now, would the person be frightened away?

After deliberation, she decided, for safety’s sake, it was better to wait a little longer.