CHAPTER 499: CHAPTER 499 : SAY HELLO TO THE LITTLE ONE

42 weeks later, Fuxi Palace.

Supreme General Zhang Fengxi, a seasoned warrior who’d weathered countless storms on the battlefield, considered himself impervious to fear. No gruesome spectacle could faze him.

And yet, as he sat in a rigid posture in the adjoining chamber, awaiting his wife’s childbirth, his bravado crumbled like a sand castle. The tenuous wait revealed a vulnerability he hadn’t anticipated.

"Ah..."

Xie Jianyu’s pained moan was barely audible to the other people who sat in the same room, but to Zhang Fengxi’s ears, it was louder than the sound of rumbling thunder. The alpha jumped to his feet and hollered, "JIANBAO, I AM COMING!" only to be tackled to the ground by Jiang Muchen, Jiang Rufeng, and Zhang Zhiyuan at the same time.

"LET ME GO!" Zhang Fengxi hollered like a wounded beast. "JIANBAO NEEDS ME!"

"No, he doesn’t," Jiang Muchen said through gritted teeth. "You are the reason he’s in this state right now!"

"There, there, Muchen, pregnancy and childbirth are happy occasions. Loosen your grip around his neck, your Little Uncle won’t be too happy if you ended up killing his husband the day he gives birth," Jiang Rufeng remarked cheerfully.

"Calm down, Fengxi!" Zhang Zhiyuan scowled. "Stop screaming around, you are not the one giving birth, for goodness sake!"

Half of his face pressed against the wooden floor, Zhang Fengxi let out a muffled groan.

"Jianbao," he called out. "Jianbaoooooo..."

The door slid open with a violent shove. Framed in the doorway stood Xie Jianshen and Lady Song. Their faces were contorted with murderous rage, a terrifying aura radiating from them.

"Can you shut up, Supreme General?" Xie Jianshen glared at Zhang Fengxi.

"If you don’t want Little Xie to suffer that much, maybe you should not knock him up as soon as he returns to the Heavenly Realm!" Lady Song snapped.

Zhang Fengxi craned his neck and threw his mother a pitiful look.

"But Mother, I..."

"Just SHUT UP!" both omegas cried out in unison before they slid the door shut and left.

"There, there," Jiang Rufeng pulled at Zhang Fengxi’s arms and put him back in a sitting position. "Here, drink something. Just wait. It won’t be long now."

Zhang Fengxi’s throat was dry, but he was unable to take a single gulp. How could he, when his wife was struggling to give birth next door???

After a while, a baby’s melodious cry pierced the air.

Jiang Muchen, Jiang Rufeng, and Zhang Zhiyuan rose to their feet abruptly, their faces lit up in joy.

"Finally!"

"The baby is born!"

But this time, Zhang Fengxi was frozen in his seat, with a cup of water clenched in his hand.

"Oi, Zhang Fengxi, are you deaf? Oh, forget it. Let me take a look at my Little Uncle and the sweet baby..."

A moment later, Jiang Muchen was grabbed by his collars and thrown to the ground. Zhang Fengxi leaped to his feet and stormed out of the room.

In the delivery room next door, Xie Jianyu was lying in Xie Jianshen’s arms, his sweaty face devoid of blood, and his eyes were closed. The baby had been taken away to be cleaned and clothed.

"J-Jianbao..."

Zhang Fengxi was close to tears. He extended his hands in his wife’s direction, only to have them mercilessly slapped away by Xie Jianshen.

"Stop bothering my little brother. You will end up impregnating him again."

"..."

Did Xie Jianshen think that mere hugs could make Xie Jianyu pregnant?

Xie Jianyu slowly opened his eyes.

"Fengxi," he called out, a weak smile adorning his exhausted features. "I did it."

"Oh, Jianbao..."

There was nothing Fengxi would love to do more than hold Xie Jianyu in his arms, but one look at Xie Jianshen’s cold face told him that he might lose his arms the next time he tried taking Xie Jianyu away from Xie Jianshen.

"Congratulations, Supreme General!"

Midwife Chen carried a red bundle in her arms, followed by Lady Song who was wiping her teary eyes with a silk handkerchief.

Zhang Fengxi’s breath hitched as the midwife placed the tiny bundle in his arms.

"A little princess."

Zhang Fengxi stared, mouth agape, at the baby’s delicate features -- the impossibly long lashes, the button nose that wrinkled in a curious sniff, the wispy strands of hair. Her little hands were balled into two tiny fists, no bigger than chestnuts. A soft coo escaped her pink, pursed lips, followed by a series of rhythmic sucking sounds, as if seeking comfort in his embrace.

"A baby girl," Zhang Fengxi carefully pressed a kiss on his little daughter’s forehead. "Oh, gods, she is so beautiful."

Xie Jianyu raised his arms.

"Give her to me. I want to take a look at her."

Zhang Fengxi hurried to Xie Jianyu’s side, his movements careful yet eager. With a tenderness that surprised even himself, he cradled the baby closer before gently placing her in his wife’s arms.

"Careful," he pleaded, the baby was as soft as a bowl of milk pudding. She might break if she was squeezed too hard.

A soft sigh escaped Xie Jianyu as he held his daughter in his arms.

"Hello, my sweet baby," he smiled. "I am your mother."

The baby made a gurgling sound in response. On her forehead, the sigil of Longjing Palace shone brightly, indicating that she was a tiger baby.

"Our family has not been blessed with many girls," Xie Jianshen remarked as he tightened his arms around Xie Jianyu and pressed a kiss against the latter’s cheek. "You have done a marvelous job, Little Yu."

Before Xie Jianyu could respond, the pitter-patter sound of tiny feet was heard close by. Zhang Mingrui and Xie Junjie arrived soon after, their eyes as round as the moon.

"Has Mommy given birth?" Zhang Mingrui asked.

"Is it a little brother or a little sister?" Xie Junjie demanded to know.

In response, Xie Jianyu extended a hand to his twin boys. Beaming with a smile, he said, "Come closer, Mingrui and Junjie. Say hello to your little sister."