Transmigrating to the BeastWorld,I Picked Up an Adorable BeastHusband!-Chapter 56: Not just a husband who was good in bed

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Not just a husband who was good in bed

The first thing Ningning felt upon returning to the world of the living was a sharp, stinging sensation in her throat.

Her eyes snapped open, only to be met with the sight of Weijie’s concerned face hovering inches from hers.

He was holding a hollowed-out gourd to her lips, tilting it with a bit too much "husbandly" enthusiasm. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Drink." he urged, his voice a low, gravelly rumble.

The water hit the back of her parched throat, but before she could swallow, her taxed lungs rejected the intrusion.

She choked, the water spraying out as a violent coughing fit seized her. She tried to scramble away, to find some dignity in the corners of the cave, but her body flatly refused to cooperate.

She didn’t have the strength to crawl, let alone scramble.

With a pathetic groan, she managed to push his hands away and drag herself a mere few inches to the side, her forehead resting against the cool, damp stone of the cave wall. She coughed until her brains felt like they were rattling in her skull, each heave of her chest sending a fresh wave of agony through her torso.

Everything—literally everything—hurt.

Her back felt like it had been used as a bridge for a mammoth migration. Her waist was a mess of dull, throbbing aches. Her thighs felt like overstretched rubber bands, and even her jaw was sore from... well, she tried not to think too much about that.

She wasn’t sure her joints would ever function in a synchronized fashion again.

From her position on the floor, she squinted at a sliver of brilliant, blinding sunlight piercing through the heavy hide curtain at the cave’s entrance. The dust motes danced in the light, mocking her total lack of mobility.

"Doudou..." she called out in her mind, her internal voice sounding just as exhausted as her physical one. "Doudou, are you there? Tell me I haven’t been in this cave for a year."

[Oh, look who’s decided to rejoin civilization!] Doudou’s voice chirped, sounding far too energized for her current state.

[I was starting to think I’d have to start a solo podcast to keep myself entertained. You’ve been... busy, Dumpling.]

"How long?" she managed to think, closing her eyes against the light. "And for the love of everything, check if I’m pregnant. I feel like my body has been completely rearranged. There’s no way I’m not carrying a small army after that."

Doudou let out a digital chuckle. [Let’s see... according to my internal clock, you’ve been ’out of office’ for exactly 72 hours. Three full days, Ningning. Even the guests from the Bear, Eagle, and Fox tribes got tired of waiting for the after-party and headed home yesterday. As for your weight? You definitely dropped a few pounds. That was one hell of a workout. I’d recommend a protein shake, but, you know... stone age.]

Ningning felt a flush of heat crawl up her neck that had nothing to do with the fever of the night.

Three days? She had been in a cave with a snake-man for three days?

[And regarding the ’pregnancy’ theory,] Doudou continued, [we’ll have to check back in about two weeks. Biology doesn’t work that fast, even with beastman DNA. But with the way he went at it? Yeah, y’all might have a whole litter. Good luck with the morning sickness.]

Ningning hissed through her teeth, a sound that she hoped conveyed her annoyance but probably just sounded like a dying kettle.

Triplets or even twins? One was already more than she could handle in a world without epidurals or diapers.

The sunlight was suddenly cut off as a large shadow fell over her. She didn’t even have to look up to know who it was.

Weijie knelt beside her, his movements uncharacteristically hesitant. He reached out, his hand hovering before gently taking hers.

"Ningning..." he whispered. He looked like a kicked puppy, his blue eyes filled with a guilt so profound it was almost comical. "I... I apologize. I went overboard. I will never do it again. I was so scared when you lost consciousness last night. I thought the spirits had taken you back to the sky."

Ningning turned her head slightly, looking at him. She wanted to tell him it was okay, that she had technically asked for the "beast" but when she opened her mouth to speak, the sound that came out was a soft, airy rasp.

"It’s... fine." she tried to say.

Her eyes widened. What happened to my voice?

The husky, breathy tone was unrecognizable. It sounded like velvet being dragged over gravel...soft, sweet, and disturbingly sensual.

It wasn’t the voice of the girl who had fallen from the sky; it was the voice of a woman who had been thoroughly claimed.

[Relax, Dumpling] Doudou teased. [Your vocal cords are just... overworked. It’ll probably go back to normal eventually. Or not. What’s the issue? It’s a very ’sweet’ sound. I’m pretty sure Weijie is ready for round two just listening to it.]

"Shut up, Doudou." she sighed inwardly.

Ningning looked at Weijie, who was watching her with a mixture of adoration and worry. She realized then that it wasn’t just her voice that had changed.

But that wasn’t the only thing that had changed.

There was a different glow to her skin, a different weight to the air between them.

"I’m hungry." she managed to croak out, the new voice making the simple request sound like an intimate request. "Get me some food. And water. Lots of water."

She would give anything for a cold bottle of Gatorade or a glucose drip right now.

Her blood sugar felt like it was in the negative digits.

Weijie nodded vigorously, looking relieved to have a mission. "Yes. Meat. Honey. I will bring everything." He stood up and ducked out of the cave, moving with an agility she was deeply jealous of.

Once he was gone, Ningning forced herself to sit upright. Every muscle protested, screaming in a chorus of agony, but she needed to move.

She needed to feel like a human being again, not just a mate. She stretched her arms, wincing as her joints popped.

"Doudou, I need a status report. What time is it? What’s the date?"

[It’s currently the morning of February 10th, year 3000. By my reckoning] Doudou replied, his voice shifting into a more professional tone.

[The air temperature outside is dropping steadily. You’ve had your fun, but nature isn’t waiting for your honeymoon to end.]

Ningning looked toward the cave entrance. If it was February, that meant the short window of "mild" weather was closing.

Winter was coming, and in this era, winter didn’t just mean wearing a heavier coat. It meant the threat of starvation, the migration of predators, and the literal freezing of the world.

"I need to start stockpiling.." she thought, her eyes sharpening.

The silver vein was just the start. If we’re going to survive a Paleolithic winter, she would need more than just a husband who was good in bed.

She looked around the cave. They needed dried meat, preserved roots, insulated furs, and a way to keep the fire going even when the blizzards hit. She wasn’t just a guest anymore; she was the female head of this cave.

[You’re going to need a lot more than just extra firewood, Ningning] Doudou warned. [The ’Snake Tribe’ settlement is high up. When the snow hits, you’ll be cut off from the valley floor. If you want to see spring, we need to start the ’Great Stockpile’ mission today.]

Ningning nodded to herself, ignoring the ache in her hips. She was a modern woman with a high-tech AI in her head.

She wouldn’t let a little thing like an Ice Age take her out.

"Food first." she whispered to herself, her new, melodic voice echoing in the quiet cave. "Then, we work."

[Hold your horses, Dumpling] Doudou’s voice interrupted her internal pep talk, dropping the snark for a tone that was uncharacteristically grim. [Before you start drafting blueprints for a stone age, 7/11, there’s a biological reality check you need to process. One that concerns your very enthusiastic husband.]

Ningning paused, her hand gripping the edge of the bedding as she tried to ignore the sharp twinge in her lower back.

"What are you talking about?"

[Weijie is a snake beastman, remember?] Doudou sighed. [In the modern world, we call it brumation. In this world, it’s just ’The Long Sleep.’ As the temperature drops, his metabolism is going to crash. His blood will slow down, his movements will become sluggish, and eventually, he’s going to spend about eighty percent of his time curled up in a corner of this cave, barely able to lift a finger, let alone hunt a mammoth.]

Ningning froze. She looked at the heavy hide curtain where Weijie had just exited, full of life and vigor. "You mean he’s going to be useless?"