Chapter 183: Rotten Intestine Disease
The male Deer Beast left the tribe and headed for the mountain behind it.
Feiyan, worried Qiao Xixi would get tired from walking, transformed into his beast form and let her ride on his back.
The male Deer Beast stopped about halfway up the mountain. From a distance, Qiao Xixi could hear his anguished sobs. He then gently placed the animal-hide bundle from his hands into a pit and, racked with pain, turned to leave.
Just as the male Deer Beast was about to leave, he saw Qiao Xixi and Feiyan. He looked surprised and, suppressing his grief, spoke up.
"Are you... also here to leave a cub?"
Qiao Xixi replied, confused, "No, we were just passing by."
Hearing this, the male Deer Beast frowned. "Then don’t go any further. There’s no prey or fruit up ahead. You should go the other way."
Qiao Xixi slid off Feiyan’s back and glanced ahead. The sight was alarming. A massive flower was slowly approaching the cub the male Deer Beast had left on the ground. Suddenly, a long tentacle shot out from the flower’s center, reaching for the youngling.
"Feiyan, quick, stop that flower!"
Feiyan leaped forward, snapped his jaws around the flower’s tentacle and severed it, then gently picked up the cub on the ground and moved it aside.
Seeing this, the male Deer Beast broke down completely. He ran forward, scooped up the cub, and burst into tears.
"It’s all my fault... I’m a useless father... I couldn’t cure you..."
Qiao Xixi had asked Feiyan to save the cub because she could sense it was still alive. She couldn’t bear to watch a little one, still breathing, be destroyed.
"Can you tell us what’s happening?"
The male Deer Beast looked up, his face etched with sorrow. "My cub has rotting-gut disease. The shaman can’t cure it. I couldn’t bear to watch him die in agony, so I had to bring him here... to let the Carnivorous Flower eat him. At least this way, his suffering won’t be as great."
The moment Feiyan heard "rotting-gut disease," the color drained from his face. He glanced at the male Deer Beast with a look of pity.
He explained to Qiao Xixi, "Rotting-gut disease is a common illness among cubs in the tribes. It’s most prevalent every year when the flowers bloom. Over the years, many cubs in the Silver Tribe have died from it."
To get a better understanding of this rotting-gut disease, Qiao Xixi immediately summoned her system’s sprite to ask.
’Sprite, what is rotting-gut disease?’
’Host, rotting-gut disease is an intestinal illness that cubs are very susceptible to. In the early stages, the cubs will experience diarrhea. In the mid-stage, they’ll start passing blood in their stool. In severe cases, the bacteria corrodes the intestinal lining, leading to perforation and death.’
’Is there no cure for it?’
’Of course there is, Host! The Pulan Grass you planted this morning can cure it!’
’Such a coincidence?’ Qiao Xixi was skeptical.
’Hehe, it really is that coincidental, Host. See? You just planted Pulan Grass this morning, and now you already have a chance to use it.’
’Even the shamans are helpless against this disease. A high-level Healing Skill could cure it, but you can count the number of those in the entire beast world on two hands, and the Divine Leopard Tribe doesn’t have any. If you can cure this, your reputation in the Divine Leopard Tribe will definitely skyrocket.’
’You’re being a little chatty today.’
The Sprite went quiet for two seconds, a little guiltily, before saying with a cheerful grin, ’I’m just educating my Host, that’s all.’
’Is the disease contagious?’
’Yes, it’s transmitted through saliva, but mostly just between cubs. Adult beastmen are generally unaffected.’
’Okay, now give me a detailed breakdown of rotting-gut disease: the specific symptoms, the progression of the illness, and the steps and methods for treatment.’
’You got it.’
"Xixi? Xixi?"
Qiao Xixi turned back to Feiyan, who was watching her with a puzzled expression. She lowered her voice and said, "I’m asking the system how to cure rotting-gut disease."
Feiyan was stunned. He knew the system gave Qiao Xixi strange tasks, but he had no idea it was capable of curing illnesses, too.
’This Deer Beast cub must be in the late stages of the illness. Its condition is serious. It needs treatment with Pulan Grass immediately, or it might not last through tomorrow.’
’But I just planted them this morning. Don’t they take three days to mature?’
’Host, the system has dried Pulan Grass available. If you’re in a hurry, you can exchange points for it now.’
Qiao Xixi quickly opened the shop page. Sure enough, she found dried Pulan Grass. It cost 100 points for 500 grams. According to the usage instructions, 500 grams was enough for ten doses.
To save the cub, Qiao Xixi made the exchange.
Just as Qiao Xixi finished her conversation with the Sprite, she saw the male Deer Beast once again pick up his cub and head further up the mountain. The Carnivorous Flower, as if it had caught the scent of food, extended its tentacles from its core once more.
The Sprite explained that the male Deer Beast was doing this because he didn’t want his cub to suffer. In the final stages of rotting-gut disease, a cub would literally die from the pain. Rather than let his child endure that final agony, it was better to let him go before the suffering became unbearable.
"Wait! I have a way to cure your cub’s illness."
The male Deer Beast stopped in his tracks, looking at Qiao Xixi in stunned disbelief.
"What did you say? You can cure rotting-gut disease?"
Qiao Xixi nodded. "If you’re willing to trust me, I can try."
"I’m willing! I’m willing to trust you!" Without hesitation, the male Deer Beast carried his cub over to Qiao Xixi. He knew that not trusting her meant certain death for his child. Trusting her, however... maybe there was a sliver of hope.
"Good. Then let’s head back to the tribe."
"Okay, okay."
To get back to the tribe as quickly as possible, the male Deer Beast transformed and followed behind Feiyan and Xixi.
Qiao Xixi went straight to the male Deer Beast’s home. The moment they entered, they saw a female Deer Beast in a brown hide tunic standing in the courtyard, her expression vacant.
The female Deer Beast’s eyes fell on the cub in the male’s arms, and she couldn’t stop herself from crying again.
"Why did you bring him back again...? My baby..." Though her words were blaming, the female Deer Beast couldn’t stop herself from stepping forward to cradle the cub in her arms.
"Lulu, this female, Qiao Xixi, said she can cure our cub."
Lulu looked at Qiao Xixi in shock. "Can you... can you really cure him?"
Qiao Xixi nodded. "Yes. I have a medicine here that will make him better. I’ll give it to you now. You need to boil it in water for him to drink."
"Okay, okay."
Qiao Xixi took out a portion of the Pulan Grass, handed it to the male Deer Beast, and explained how to prepare it.
The male Deer Beast committed her instructions to memory, then immediately took the herbs to the kitchen area out back to brew them.
In the Divine Leopard Tribe, most beastman families had fire starters and ate cooked food, so brewing medicine wasn’t difficult for them.
Soon, the medicinal brew was ready. Lulu carefully held the bowl and fed the liquid to the cub.
After finishing the bowl of medicine, the previously lethargic cub opened his eyes. "Mama..."
"My baby, you’re awake! That’s wonderful!"
"Ngh... Mama, my tummy hurts... it hurts so much... ACK!" The cub began to vomit violently.
The color drained from Lulu and the male Deer Beast’s faces. They turned to Qiao Xixi in a panic.
"What... what’s happening?"