Chapter 206: obstructed labour

Chapter 206: obstructed labourHan Cheng was wide awake this time. The sleepiness that had just surged disappeared instantly.

Earlier, in his drowsiness, he had thought the noise was Fu Jiang returning late at night from who knows where. Now, he realized something was wrong. The outer gate was already closed and securely fastened from the inside. Even if Fu Jiang came back, he would wait outside the gate, not come to knock on Han Cheng's door.

Moreover, the knocking sound didn't sound like something Fu Jiang could make!

Who would come knocking on his door in the middle of the night?

"Who's there?"

Han Cheng paused for a moment, asking aloud.

The silence that followed was deafening. Both inside and outside the house were quiet, with no movement.

Han Cheng's heart began to race, and all the ghost stories he had heard before suddenly flooded his mind, stimulating his nerves.

Could he have invoked the gods too much, and heaven couldn't stand it anymore?

Or perhaps the fox that he had beaten to death and eaten a leg in front of could now seek revenge?

As he entertained these wild thoughts, his heartbeat accelerated.

"Bang! Bang! Bang"

The knocking resumed with such force that Han Cheng could feel the gate trembling.

"Who is it!"

Han Cheng raised his voice, feeling the hairs on his body standing on end.

However, there was still no response from outside, only the persistent knocking.

Han Cheng felt increasingly uneasy and reached for the short spear placed by the bedside, gripping it tightly to bolster his courage.

This was suspicious. If it were someone from the Green Sparrow Tribe knocking, they would have answered his inquiry immediately, not remain silent like this!

"Who!"

Sitting on the edge of the heated bed, Han Cheng shouted again with increased intensity.

The knocking stopped, and both inside and outside fell into silence again. Han Cheng could hear his own heartbeat clearly, feeling as if his heart was about to burst out of his chest.

"Yoyo"

After a brief silence, a deer's call suddenly came from outside the door.

The sound was somewhat familiar, like that of Lord Deer.

Han Cheng's held breath was suddenly released, and his racing heart calmed down. At this moment, he realized he was somewhat relieved.

After imagining countless scenarios, Lord Deer was a surprising and somewhat laughable outcome.

"Bang! Bang! Bang"

"Yoyo"

The sounds rang out again. Han Cheng got up, and taking advantage of the dim moonlight seeping through the animal hide, he put on the simple animal hide clothes he often wore, then groped to open the door.

At this time, not far from here, someone in another house was also awakened by the commotion. Shouts were heard, followed by the sound of a wooden door being opened.

Han Cheng groped his way to the door, opened it, and immediately saw Lord Deer's imposing antlers.

The Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, Shang, Tie Tou, and others also came out one after another. They were all puzzled to find that the cause of the disturbance was this deer. They couldn't understand why Lord Deer was behaving like this tonight.

"Splash."

Caught off guard, Han Cheng's face was already licked by Lord Deer's excited tongue as soon as he saw him.

Han Cheng leaned to one side, wiping off the deer's saliva from his face with disgust while reaching out with his other hand to twist Lord Deer's long face.

However, Lord Deer shook his head and gently bit Han Cheng's arm, pulling him back towards the deer pen.

Han Cheng was puzzled. Had something happened in the deer pen? Otherwise, why would Lord Deer come to find him in the middle of the night and pull him in that direction?

Han Cheng freed his arm from Lord Deer's mouth with effort and instructed his eldest brother and others to fetch weapons. Then, they headed towards the deer pen together.

Seeing the bipedal creatures heading towards its dwelling, Lord Deer stopped biting and tugging at Han Cheng, instead following him and trotting towards the deer pen.

The gate of the deer pen was half-open, as Lord Deer, who had long mastered the art of opening and closing it, had done so himself.

Despite the bright moon, most deer were resting inside their sheds due to the gradually cold weather, so it was impossible to see what had happened.

But one thing was for sure: it wasn't a carnivorous beast that had entered.

Han Cheng instructed someone to bring fire-making tools. Soon, Fire One, who often kept watch and couldn't sleep well at night, arrived with a hand drill, and under the moonlight, a fire was quickly lit.

Then, they moved the bonfire into the deer pen and made it burn brightly.

Most animals feared fire and kept their distance, except for Lord Deer, who was experienced and arrogant.

The three little lambs were trembling in the corner, fearfully watching the firelight and this group of fierce monkeys.

Han Cheng's gaze wandered around the deer pen, trying to figure out what had happened.

His gaze quickly stopped on a pregnant doe.

It wasn't because this doe was exceptionally attractive but because there was much filth on her hindquarters, and in the firelight, traces of blood could be seen, with her fur soaked in the mess.

Behind her, something was faintly visible; closer inspection revealed it to be a small hoof.

These were signs of labor!

The water had broken, and the hoof was already visible.

Han Cheng looked at Lord Deer, who stood not far away. Had this fellow brought him over in the middle of the night just to inform him of its impending fatherhood?

This seemed unreasonable.

After all, this fellow had become a father many times before, but he had never come to find Han Cheng for this reason.

Could there be another hidden reason behind this?

Han Cheng thought of the stories he had heard about tigers carrying injured animals to healers and other animals seeking help from humans.

Except for the doe in labor, there was nothing unusual in the deer pen. The problem should lie with this.

Was she having difficulty giving birth?

The doe, visibly distressed from labor, couldn't withstand the pain despite standing here for a while. Eventually, she lay down on the ground, feeling somewhat clumsy.

As she lay down, more of the unborn fawn's body was revealed.

Han Cheng, Eldest Senior Brother, and others stood by, watching from a distance, not daring to approach too closely for fear of disturbing the birthing doe.

Han Cheng was now sure that the doe was having difficulty giving birth. They had been waiting here for almost half an hour, and the unborn fawn had only shown its hoof but refused to come out.

Lord Deer occasionally nudged Han Cheng with his mouth as if urging him to come up with a solution quickly.

Han Cheng didn't have time to think about whether Lord Deer would become a spirit; he was focused on finding a solution to the problem at hand.

He didn't want a tragedy to occur, even if it was just a deer.

Liang, come here, Han Cheng called out to Liang, who was not far away. Then, they approached the doe together, prepared to assist in the birthing process.

However, the restless doe stood up and moved anxiously before they could reach her. The little legs that had just emerged retracted as she stood up.

Han Cheng and Liang had no choice but to stop, refraining from approaching the doe, who had become particularly alert due to the birthing process. They waited for her to lie down again before continuing to assist in the birth.

Han Cheng recognized this doe as the one he used to milk regularly.

This realization saddened Han Cheng. The deer that he used to milk freely now found it difficult for him even to approach