| The Paternity Guard (PATERNITY) |
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Although it was spring, the nighttime temperature was still quite low and the bedding under Shi Qi was already soaked, even the carefully placed blanket on top couldn't escape. The hands they held together even had blood flowing but no one paid attention to it.
Shi Qi's strength was diminishing and Xing Beiming had also exhausted his internal energy for him. His originally cold internal energy, transformed into one suitable for Shi Qi's body, which consumes a lot of energy. After several rounds, his complexion had worsened significantly.
"Master... don't..." Shi Qi struggled, his lips cracked and bleeding, looking extremely miserable.
"Don't move and just focus on giving birth. You must hold on!" Xing Beiming held him tightly, showing no signs of relaxation.
Gu Weijing wanted to mention that he had a secret weapon from Ke Weiqing but seeing how deeply affectionate Xing Beiming looked, he thought this might actually enhance their relationship, so he kept quiet. He picked up a dagger placed aside and heated it over the oil lamp on the table. Xing Beiming's expression changed when he saw it, "Master Gu, what are you doing?"
Gu Weijing flipped the blade, causing his handsome face to appear somewhat sinister in the flickering light of the lamp, "Of course, I'm enlarging the birth canal; otherwise, holding like this will only consume more of his strength. Although it's done out of necessity, it's very effective. Don't worry, I won't let him have any worries."
Gu Weijing's medical skills were naturally trustworthy but his worry didn't lessen, when he thought of how that blade would cut through such a fragile area and the pain it would cause. He heard Gu Wei Jing instructing Shi Qi and Shi Qi's hoarse response without any hesitation, "Alright... I can hold on... Master, don't... don't worry..."
Seeing Xing Beiming, who was accustomed to killing, dared not look at Shi Qi's who's in pain and just hugged him tightly while following Gu Weijing's instructions to put a piece of cork in Shi Qi's mouth to prevent him from hurting himself.
Then came the piercing scream that clenched everyone's heart, even in the midst of unbearable pain, Shi Qi didn't forget to exert more force until a baby's cry echoed in the room, making everyone's back drenched in cold sweat.
Ying Qi was called in to clean the newborn baby while Gu Weijing quickly sutured the wounds to prevent excessive bleeding. He looked at Xing Beiming's pale face then at Shi Qi who temporarily lost consciousness, and sighed as he threw a wooden box over, "This is given by Ke Weiqing, a Spirit Pearl Fruit. Although there's no danger to his life, the recovery might be slower afterward but it's up to you whether to use it or not."
Xing Beiming opened the box without hesitation. Even though there was no danger to his life, he was still afraid that giving birth would have some impact on Shi Qi’s body. This fruit was just right.
He crushed the pearl fruit and fed it to Shi Qi, watching as a hint of red blush appeared on his originally pale face and his internal energy slightly stronger than before. Xing Beiming finally relaxed his tightly knotted heart.
After being busy with the preparations, Gu Weijing gave careful instructions for future precautions, all of which Xing Beiming remembered. He helped Shi Qi wash his body with the warm water in the basin and quickly changed the bedding and pillows with the assistance of the guards and lastly, removed the nearly ten oil lamps and scattered night pearls from the bed curtain due to insufficient light.
He carefully moved Shi Qi, who was still sleeping, back into bed and examined him for a while before shifting his attention to the newborn baby who had been washed and wrapped up. Ying Qi handed the baby to Xing Beiming, whispering, "Congratulations, Master, it's a son."
Xing Beiming reached out then withdrew, "I'll take a bath first, so you hold him for a while. Tomorrow, find a wet nurse for him. We'll stay here for a while."
Ying Qi responded softly, carrying the sleeping baby to show to the anxious people outside.
"Wow, so ugly!" This was Ke Weiqing's thought but he didn't dare say it aloud, afraid of being beaten up. However, Shi Er didn't hold back at all, poking at the fragile nose, "So small and wrinkled, really ugly!"
"Haha, weren't you like that when you were born? It'll be fine once he grows up." Ying Qi teased him.
"Really, can he become as handsome as me? Making heaven and earth change color?" Shi Er proudly tilted his neck. Even though they teased the baby, being the son of their Master and Shi Qi, he was naturally handsome enough to make heaven and earth change color.
"Xiao Ba, do you want to hold him?" Ying Qi looked at Ying Ba who wasn't joining their mischief and was just curiously watching the baby.
"No, no! Look how fragile he is! I'm afraid of breaking him! I'll just look and he's too small!" Ying Ba waved his hands repeatedly, afraid of being handed the baby.
…….
Shi Qi opened his eyes in a daze and moved his body but was instantly awakened by the intense pain from below. He hesitated as he felt someone beside him, so he turned his head but was stunned on the spot.
Xing Beiming was sleeping soundly beside him with his eyes a shade of blue and looking a bit haggard, while he, himself felt quite good mentally. Thinking of his Master transferring internal energy to him, he couldn't help but want to reach out and touch that face that made his heart ache.
Unexpectedly, his hand was held by the person as just with a slight movement, Xing Beiming woke up.
Their eyes met and just having met their child, the two who had been intimate several times were inexplicably embarrassed.
Xing Beiming got up before clearing his throat and quickly returned to his usual state. He gently lifted the covers to check Shi Qi's condition but didn't put pants on Shi Qi for convenience.
There was no more bleeding, thanks to the effect of the Spirit Pearl Fruit and his mental state had also improved.
Shi Qi touched his own belly. The child was gone and for a moment he felt uncomfortable but he quickly remembered, "Master, where's the child?"
"Lie down and wait a moment." Xing Beiming tucked in the covers before getting out of bed and dressed then returned to kiss Shi Qi on the corner of his mouth, saying, "Master Gu said you're not suitable for moving right now, so we'll stay here for a while and take care of your body. Don't get up and run around on your own, you hear me?"
Shi Qi looked at Xing Beiming's retreating figure while touching the corner of his mouth that was kissed and smiled gently.
After a while, Ying Qi came in carrying the baby before carefully placing him by Shi Qi's pillow and said with a smile, "Master went to see Leader Lin, so he let me bring the baby. Look, he's sleeping so peacefully."
Shi Qi looked at the baby carefully, his face all red and slightly wrinkled.
He couldn't exactly call it a beautiful baby, but Shi Qi still looked at him without blinking. He wanted to reach out but was afraid of waking him up. It took a while before he shifted his gaze to Ying Qi, "Brother Qi, is he a boy?"
Ying Qi nodded, the likelihood of two big men having a daughter was quite small. "Is the pain severe?" Although he didn't witness that scene but just thinking of the screams that made them break out in a cold sweat, he was particularly worried.
Shi Qi shook his head, "It only hurts when I move. Brother Qi, tell them not to worry about me."
————
After a few days, Shi Qi was able to get out of bed and move around.
In recent days, due to Ke Weiqing and Shi Er's generous actions, the villagers had dropped their guard against them. Being a merchant couple who fled and were forced to act as robbers for money due to the wife's pregnancy, they can stay with Taohua's parents temporarily, who were also living in someone else's house.
Because of the sympathy for this couple, when they said they wanted to hire a wet nurse at a high price, the villagers who had just given birth or had babies around one or two years old, all rushed to sign up. They found a girl with delicate features and a gentle temperament to breastfeed the baby. Her own baby had just weaned, so there was no need for her child to compete with theirs for food.
Slowly, people from neighboring households came to offer eggs and such, saying it was good for postpartum recovery. Suppressing a few laughs, Shi Qi was embarrassed and not knowing whether to eat the egg soup or not but in the end, he was forcefully fed by someone.
———
The days passed quickly and Shi Qi's body had almost recovered. Occasionally, he would spar with the other guards in the courtyard to exercise his body. The baby, who was originally red and wrinkled, had become white, chubby and cute. When he was brought out, he would wave his little hands and laugh foolishly.
"What should we call him? He's so white and chubby like a bun, let's call him Little Bun! Hmm? Little Bun~" Ke Weiqing teased the chubby baby, laughing mischievously.
Xing Beiming's icy eyes glanced at him, and with a palm, he sent him flying outside the courtyard. Ke Weiqing complained as he landed safely, "I'm the baby's godfather! You name him, so I came to collect his nickname!"
Gu Weijing sitting in the courtyard suggested, "They say giving a child a humble name is easy to raise. Why not just call him Gou Wa [1] or Gou Sheng [2]? Look at the kids next door, either named Gou Mao [3] or Goudan [4]."
[1] literally translates to "dog frog." It is sometimes used in a derogatory or humorous way to refer to someone who is considered lowly or of little importance. It can be a playful insult, similar to calling someone a "silly goose" in English.
[2] translates to "dog life." It can be used metaphorically to describe a difficult or miserable life, akin to saying "a dog's life" in English to convey hardship or suffering.
[3] translates to "dog hair." It can be used in different contexts, such as describing something as worthless or insignificant, similar to saying "worthless as dog hair" in English.
[4] this term combines "dog" (狗) with "egg" (蛋). It is a slang term that can be used as an insult or curse word, similar to calling someone a "dog egg" in English. It's not a polite term and is used in a derogatory manner.
There was a muffled laugh in the corner and just then, a fierce woman's shout came from afar, "You smelly brat, come home for dinner! If you dirty your clothes again, I'll clean you up!"
Shi Qi was learning how to hold the baby comfortably but stopped at the words, and looked at Xing Beiming for help, as if to say, ‘Don't! That name sounds so unpleasant. Master quickly gave him a name!’
Xing Beiming didn't think much about it and decisively said, "Since he's just a baby, let's call him Baobao [5]."
[5] "baby" or "treasure" in English. It is often used affectionately to refer to a small child or as a term of endearment for someone cherished or loved. It can also be used in a literal sense to refer to a baby or young child.
Ke Weiqing teased him, "Only you can come up with such a common name. Whatever, I'll call him Little Baozi [6]."
[6] is a type of Chinese steamed bun that is typically filled with various ingredients such as meat, vegetables, or sweet fillings. The term "baozi" translates to "steamed bun" or "filled bun" in English. These buns are a popular staple in Chinese cuisine and are enjoyed as a snack, breakfast item, or part of a meal.
Ying Qi agreed, "Taking fancy names won't help, just call him something friendly, so Baobao is fine. Master, you can think about Baobao's full name slowly."
Xing Beiming shook his head, "No, I've already thought about it. Let's call him Xing Luo."
Shi Qi and Ying Qi were stunned.
Ke Weiqing carefully thought about the meaning of this name, while the other guards just thought it was a good name. Gu Weijing looked at Shi Qi's indescribable expression, raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's the meaning of this name? Can you tell us?"
Xing Beiming's gaze settled on Shi Qi, and he spoke confidently, "Shi Qi, do you remember your real name?"
"I remember... of course I remember," Shi Qi replied softly, "My name is Cheng. Luo Cheng.”
Translator Thought:
The baby is out!!