Chapter 407: Gratitude
The little cub Nina had just healed was terrified of Milt and the others. Refusing to leave with them, he clung tightly to Nina.
Seeing this, Nina offered to escort him back herself. Milt and his guards didn’t object; they simply assigned a beastman to lead the way and ensure they made it home safely. Holding the cub’s small hand, Nina walked him back to his family.
As they reached the house, a male beastman caught sight of the healthy cub and rushed forward in disbelief. "Cub? You—you’re better?"
Only upon seeing his father did the cub finally let go of Nina’s hand, running straight into the male’s arms. "Father!"
The male caught the cub, tears welling up as he realized his child was truly teeming with life again, no longer on the brink of death. He held the boy in a tight embrace. "Baby, are you really cured?"
When guards from the City Lord’s mansion had come that morning to take his cub for treatment, he hadn’t dared to hope. Just yesterday, another cub in a similar condition had died under the Witch Doctor’s care. He never imagined his own child would return alive, let alone completely healed.
"His body is fine now," Nina intervened gently. "But he has eaten very little lately and is somewhat malnourished. You can feed him some good food, but don’t give him too much at once. Just let him recover slowly."
The male looked up. "And you are...?"
He found it strange. Why had this female brought his cub back? She was elegantly dressed, clearly a noble female of very high status.
The cub pointed at Nina with a bright, beaming smile. "Father, it was this beautiful, pretty miss who saved me!"
The male was stunned. A female had saved his cub? He looked toward the Snake clan guard standing beside Nina, his eyes filled with unspoken questions. This was the same guard who had taken his cub away that morning.
The guard nodded. "It is true. This female is indeed the one who saved your cub." He had witnessed the whole thing with his own eyes.
With the guard’s confirmation, the male hurriedly bowed to Nina. "Thank you for saving my cub." He still couldn’t quite process that a female possessed such medical skills.
"Think nothing of it," Nina said with a warm smile.
The male glanced back inside his house, hesitating before making a tentative request. "Noble female, I... I have a presumptuous request. My female mate is also sick. Could you please take a look at her as well?" If this female could cure his cub, perhaps she could save his mate too.
He watched Nina anxiously, terrified of a rejection. "I-I will pay you. Though it might not be much."
He knew that a common male like himself had no right to ask a noble female for favors. If she refused, he would just have to accept his fate. He also knew that whatever compensation they could offer would be trivial in the eyes of nobility. But he had taken his mate to the Witch Doctor many times to no avail; this female was his absolute last hope.
Just then, several other males emerged from the house. They bowed in unison, pleading desperately, "Noble female, please save our female mate!" They had been inside caring for her and had overheard the conversation outside.
Nina nodded. "Take me inside to see her."
Joy erupted in the males’ eyes as they eagerly welcomed her into the house. Thank goodness, she agreed!
Upon entering, Nina saw an emaciated female lying on the bed, her eyes tightly shut and her face contorted in pain.
At the sight of his unconscious mother, tears welled up in the cub’s eyes. He ran to the bedside, holding her hand and calling out softly, "Mother."
The males looked at their gravely ill mate, their eyes filled with heartache and sorrow.
Nina walked over to the bed and channeled her special ability to begin the treatment. At a pace visible to the naked eye, Danqi’s complexion began to improve.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw Nina. Feeling the soothing, comfortable energy flowing through her body, she murmured, "Are you... treating me?"
"Yes, it will be over soon," Nina replied.
Danqi stared at her blankly. This beautiful female actually possessed an ability? Beside her, her beast-husbands and cub all flashed joyful smiles.
Before long, Nina withdrew her power. "All done. The poison in your body has been completely cleared."
"Poison?" Danqi and her husbands gasped in shock.
"Are you saying I was poisoned?" Danqi asked, incredulous.
"Yes. You aren’t sick, you’ve been poisoned," Nina explained. "If you believe me, stop drinking the water in the city for now. Most of the city’s water sources are contaminated."
As Danqi slowly sat up with the hurried help of her husbands, she looked at Nina with deep gratitude.
"I believe you. Thank you for saving my life." She could feel that her body was genuinely much better. Ever since she fell ill, this was the most comfortable she had felt; the agonizing pain was entirely gone.
"Since you are well, I will take my leave."
Danqi made a move to get out of bed, but Nina gently held her down. "Your body is still weak. Rest well and recuperate."
Not forcing the matter, Danqi said, "Safe travels, then." She then turned to her husbands. "Bring some beast crystals to thank this noble female."
One of the husbands immediately produced a handful of crystals. "Thank you for saving our mate. Please accept this small token of our appreciation."
Nina didn’t refuse. She had Odian accept the crystals, and then they departed.
After watching Nina and her companions leave, Danqi’s husbands hurried back inside. "Dearest, are you really cured?" they asked excitedly.
"Yes, I feel so much better. It doesn’t hurt at all anymore," Danqi said with a smile. "In fact, I’m starving. I feel like I could eat a whole ox. Hurry and make me something to eat."
The little cub tugged at his father’s sleeve. "Father, I’m hungry too."
"Haha, alright, alright! We’ll make food for you both right away."
The males happily set to work, and laughter filled the house once more. However, keeping Nina’s warning in mind, they refrained from using the city’s water and instead ran outside the city walls to fetch fresh water.
Though it would be much more troublesome and exhausting, they would gladly do it for the safety of their mate and cub.
Hearing the faint sound of laughter fading behind her, a small smile graced Nina’s lips. I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow.
Once they returned to their lodging, Nina gathered everyone to share the anomaly she had detected today.
"Nina, are you suggesting that those poisons might have been deliberately planted by the elders of the Serpent City themselves?" Ming asked, slightly shocked.
Everyone was stunned. They hadn’t expected the elders to poison the very beastmen of their own city. Having such a group of parasites was truly a misfortune for the Serpent clan.
A shadow of sorrow flashed through Idir’s eyes. He hadn’t realized that the clan had rotted to this core.
While it wasn’t fully confirmed yet, based on all the signs, they felt the probability was incredibly high.
"I think those elders are highly suspicious," Nina noted. "We should keep a close eye on them. Let’s see if the areas where some of them reside happen to have untainted water sources, and whether the beastmen in their own households have remained completely unaffected."
The elders had likely left a few clean water sources on purpose just to avoid having to fetch water from outside the city, which would have aroused suspicion.
"Understood. I’ll send beastmen to thoroughly investigate them," Ming said.
Nina frowned. "If they really are the problem, then tomorrow’s plans might not go very smoothly. We need to be ready to evacuate at any moment. If any accidents happen tomorrow, we will revise our plan and seize the sacred relic directly."
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