"Mr. Arthur, you have to help my eldest girl! I worked so hard for three years to raise her, all so I could count on her to send my son to college!"
The older woman finally caught her breath and pleaded with Ning Xiuyuan, tears and snot streaming down her face.
Hearing the older woman call the sow her eldest girl, Ning Xiuyuan felt an indescribable absurdity well up inside him.
Still, he could understand it.
On Earth, there were quite a few people who called themselves the parents of their fur babies;
Besides, to some poor families, a sow's value and status really were comparable to that of a family member.
And this was a sow about to give birth, no less!
"I really want to help you, but I'm not a veterinarian. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do." Ning Xiuyuan spread his hands.
"Kind-hearted Mr. Arthur, please help Marina! This sow is the lifeblood of Marina's family! If she dies giving birth, it'll be no different from taking Marina's family's lives!"
A middle-aged man standing beside the pigpen joined in.
By now, quite a few people had gathered around the pigpen, all neighbors from nearby.
The sow giving birth was a momentous event for Marina's family, and it was also a major event for them.
Quite a few people had even reserved piglets in advance!
Now that they saw the sow having a difficult labor, they were all anxious as they watched.
"That's right. I heard that with this kind of difficult labor, you can just reach in and pull the piglet out. You're a Church Physician, so you must have more experience than us. Please! If the piglet can't be born, it won't just be the piglet that dies—the sow will die too!"
Another middle-aged woman chimed in with a pleading expression.
No one knew that she had been the one to suggest that Marina ask Arthur for help.
"That's right, that's right! Help Marina!"
"Mr. Arthur, you're a physician. You must have a way."
Everyone began pleading over one another.
Faced with this situation, everyone felt helpless. All they could do was pin their hopes on Arthur, who at least had the title of "physician."
In this world, it was already difficult enough for people to receive medical treatment, let alone poultry and livestock.
There was not even such a thing as a veterinarian here.
Most of the time, when poultry or livestock fell ill, everyone could only rely on folk remedies and experience.
Once they encountered a complicated situation like a difficult labor, they were all left helpless and could only leave it to fate.
"All right, I can try. But let me make this clear first: I'm not a veterinarian, after all. If anything goes wrong, you can't blame me," Ning Xiuyuan said, giving them fair warning.
"We won't blame you, we won't!"
The older woman was overjoyed. She had no other choice now. No matter how bad Arthur's reputation was, he was still a doctor, wasn't he?
"This place is too dirty. It's prone to bacterial infection... Forget it, moving her isn't convenient right now. Find some clean hay and spread it on the ground."
Relying on common sense, Ning Xiuyuan gave instructions as he rolled up his sleeves.
The neighbors hurried to lend a hand, gathering hay from all around. Some even tore thatch off their roofs.
There was no denying it—the sow's value had practically reached that of a person.
Ning Xiuyuan directed everyone to spread the hay over the muddy ground around the sow, already having a plan in mind.
Once they had finished laying the hay, he walked over to the panting sow, who could no longer muster any strength, and began pressing her abdomen.
It looked like a massage.
In reality, he was using Disease Deceiver to deceive and seal away all the hidden ailments afflicting the sow.
"Relax, relax. That's right, don't be afraid. I'm here. You'll be fine..."
Ning Xiuyuan stroked the sow's back while murmuring on and on, sounding as if he were habitually speaking to a patient.
In reality, he was using Heart of the Beast to soothe the sow's tense emotions.
At the same time, he controlled the piglets in her womb and adjusted their positions as they entered the birth canal, ensuring that the sow could give birth more easily.
"Oh my, my eldest girl looks much better now!"
The older woman was both surprised and delighted as she watched the sow's breathing visibly calm.
"Arthur really knows his stuff!"
"Isn't that the truth? Just a couple of massages, and he settled the sow down. It's practically miraculous."
"My goodness, maybe she really can give birth safely this time. Look at that belly—I'd bet there are at least five piglets."
The onlookers clicked their tongues in amazement.
As word spread, more and more people learned that the sow at Marina's home was about to give birth, and they came over to watch the excitement.
Outside the pigpen, people gathered layer upon layer, making quite a spectacle.
There were so many people that they nearly knocked down the pigpen's fence.
As they waited, delighted cries suddenly rang out from inside the pigpen.
"It's out! It's born!"
"Hey, hey, let me see!"
The crowd stirred. One after another, they rose on tiptoe and craned their necks to look inside. Many were infected by the crowd's excitement, genuine smiles appearing on their faces.
"Another one's out, a black one."
"Oh my, there's another! This one's a female."
"Look at this piglet, it's so vigorous. It'll definitely be easy to raise when it grows up."
"Oh my, there are already eight! Are there any more?"
One congratulatory cry followed another, making the crowd increasingly jubilant.
In the pigpen surrounded by onlookers, the corners of Ning Xiuyuan's mouth also lifted in a genuine smile. He wasn't happy because he had successfully delivered the piglets; he was excited because Disease Deceiver had suddenly begun to fuse at that very moment.
Although the degree of fusion was extremely slight, the process was continuing.
If it maintained this pace, he could complete his fusion with Disease Deceiver in at most two days.
Ning Xiuyuan raised his head and swept his gaze over the chattering spectators, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.
What was happening before him was simply a road he had never envisioned!
Thinking about it carefully, although he was treating pigs, the greatest beneficiaries were people, and people were also the ones spreading his reputation.
In essence, this completely fulfilled the requirements of Disease Deceiver's supernatural ritual.
Considering the complete lack of a veterinary profession in this world, if he switched careers and became a veterinarian, wouldn't he be the only one of his kind?
And if he wrote a book called Postpartum Care for Sows while he was at it, there would definitely be a great deal of potential!
Ning Xiuyuan's eyes lit up!
"Mr. Arthur, thank you for helping my eldest girl give birth to eight piglets..."
Marina's aunt was so excited that she became incoherent as she thanked Ning Xiuyuan. Before she could finish speaking, the watching crowd burst into laughter!
"No, no, just listen to me. I was so excited that I couldn't even speak properly." Marina's aunt hurriedly tried to explain.
"It's all right. There's no need to thank me. All things are the grace of God!" Ning Xiuyuan said with a smile, inwardly cursing, What kind of thing is that supposed to mean?
Despite that, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
He was in an exceptionally good mood!
He had a feeling that once word of this spread, given his reputation, Disease Deceiver might be able to complete its fusion in one fell swoop.
In the end, Ning Xiuyuan left amid Marina's aunt's repeated thanks.
The onlookers automatically opened a path for him. Every pair of eyes that followed him was filled with curiosity and astonishment!
Clearly, no one had expected that Arthur, the barbarian foreigner everyone had questioned and suspected, would actually possess quite a few skills!
On the way back, Ning Xiuyuan was once again amazed by the special nature of supernatural traits.
Along the entire journey, Disease Deceiver continuously fused with his self, causing his strength to rise steadily, as if he had activated a cheat.
The feeling was simply wonderful!
But that good mood came to an abrupt halt when he stepped into the stable.
Standing in the stable yard, Ning Xiuyuan instinctively looked toward the church. He could clearly sense the spiritual imprint of the giver of Heart of the Beast—Lynn—roaring! It was bellowing!
Someone was trying to erase the last trace of him remaining in this world—the spiritual imprint.
No!
More precisely, someone had consumed the Beast Listener that originally belonged to him.
Before you continue