Chapter 255: Anan’s Mermaid Baby 3 (Final)

Chapter 255: Chapter 255: Anan’s Mermaid Baby 3 (Final)

A few days later, in the Mermaid Palace, on a soft couch made of pink seaweed.

Lan Cangming was carefully lying with his ear to Su An’an’s belly.

"Anan! The baby’s kicking me! It just moved!"

He shot his head up, his face full of delightful surprise.

Su An’an chuckled at his excitement, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

"Look at you, making such a fuss. The baby’s kicks will only get more frequent from here on out!"

"By the way, have you prepared the thank-you gift for the Priest?"

"If she hadn’t helped, our baby might not have started moving yet."

Lan Cangming’s fishtail swayed gently.

"I prepared it long ago. It’s a Deep Sea Nightlight Clam that I picked out myself. It gives off a soft glow at night."

"But she’s gone back to her deep sleep. I hung the gift box outside her clam shell, so she’ll see it when she wakes up."

"You..."

Just as Su An’an began to speak, a powerful wave of nausea surged up her throat.

She abruptly shoved Lan Cangming away, stumbled to the side of the bed, and began to retch into a Gemstone Pot that had been kept ready.

Lan Cangming quickly swam to a table to get some Sea Dew Flower Tea, carefully bringing it to her lips.

"Quick, drink this. They say it can help with the nausea."

"This baby is such a handful. It just started moving and it’s already tormenting me. It must be a little boy."

Su An’an gulped down half a cup of the flower tea, finally managing to suppress the overwhelming, churning nausea.

Lan Cangming’s ear-fins twitched, and he corrected her seriously:

"It’s a girl. She’ll definitely be a beautiful little princess, just like you."

Su An’an raised a skeptical eyebrow. "How can you be so sure it’s a girl?"

"Intuition."

Lan Cangming nodded emphatically. "My intuition is very sharp."

"Sharp, my ass! URP!"

Su An’an clapped a hand over her mouth and once again leaned over the edge of the bed, vomiting violently.

Lan Cangming quickly began patting her back, his eyes filled with distress.

Su An’an vomited until tears welled in her eyes, sighing to herself.

’Carrying the White Tiger baby was hard enough.’

’I can’t believe carrying this Mermaid Baby is even worse! Ugh!’

Seeing Su An’an bent over and retching, unable to straighten up, Lan Cangming could no longer stay put.

He helped Su An’an wipe her mouth and tucked the blanket in around her. "You rest. I’ll go find the Priest and ask for a solution!"

With a flick of his silver-blue fishtail, he shot out of the palace like a bolt of lightning.

「At the Deep Sea Sand Bed.」

The Old Clam Spirit’s shell was clamped shut, the Deep Sea Nightlight Clam gift box hanging outside still glowing faintly.

Lan Cangming raised his hand and pounded on the shell. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! "Priest, wake up."

An impatient mumble came from inside the shell. "What’s all the knocking?! Don’t disturb my sleep."

"It’s an emergency!"

Lan Cangming knocked so hard that the Big White Pearl on top of the shell started to tremble.

"Mermaid King, I’m over a thousand years old! Every time I wake up, I need to sleep for a month to recover, got it?!"

The shell slowly opened, revealing the Old Clam Spirit’s dark, scowling face.

"My apologies, but Anan’s morning sickness is terrible. I had no choice but to come to you for help."

Lan Cangming was so anxious his tail slapped against the sand.

The Old Clam Spirit yawned, floating slowly out of her shell.

"Is there any pregnancy that doesn’t involve suffering? When I was carrying my own baby, I threw up far worse than she does."

"You only gave birth to one. Anan has to give birth to so many."

Lan Cangming’s voice was low and full of regret. "If it wasn’t for the sake of saving the world, I would never let Anan suffer like this."

As much as he loved the idea of having a baby, Anan’s well-being was far more important.

"At least you have a conscience."

The Old Clam Spirit pulled a yellowed Beast Skin Scroll from her shawl and slapped it into Lan Cangming’s hand.

"Here. A secret anti-nausea recipe for Sour and Spicy Seaweed Pills. Follow it exactly, and it’s guaranteed to work."

"I’ll go make them right now."

Lan Cangming took the Beast Skin Scroll, glanced at it, then turned and swam hurriedly back to the palace.

He personally went to the kitchens and, following the secret recipe, minced deep-sea red algae into a paste and mixed it with sour plum pulp.

Then, he ground sea-chili seeds, rolled the mixture into balls, and after two hours of steaming, finally placed them on a White Jade Plate and presented them to Su An’an.

"Anan, look! This is the Priest’s secret anti-nausea recipe—Sour and Spicy Seaweed Pills. Quick, try one!"

The sour and spicy smell made Su An’an wrinkle her nose immediately.

"What is this? The smell is so strong. I’m losing my appetite just from the scent."

"It’s the Priest’s anti-nausea recipe." Lan Cangming picked one up and offered it to her lips. "Just one bite, please?"

Su An’an took a small, skeptical bite. A sour and spicy flavor exploded on her tongue, carrying the fresh crispness of the seaweed and the refreshing tang of the sour plum.

Surprisingly, the wave of nausea didn’t come.

Her eyes lit up, and she swallowed the rest. "Hey! The nausea is gone! These pills have a really unique taste!"

Lan Cangming’s heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled. "I’m glad you like them. I’ll make them for you every day."

After Su An’an began relying on the Sour and Spicy Seaweed Pills to curb her nausea, the recipe quickly spread throughout the Mermaid Clan.

Within a few days, a frenzy swept through the undersea marketplace.

"Get your Queen’s-style sour and spicy pills! Expel dampness, detoxify, and stop nausea!"

A mermaid vendor holding a bamboo basket hawked his wares. "Buy three, get one free! Your money back if they don’t work!"

「By the coral reef at dawn.」

Lan Cangming solemnly held a Jade Bottle, carefully collecting morning dew.

"What is the King doing?" the patrolling guards whispered to each other.

"I heard the Queen drinks Morning Dew Tea for her pregnancy, so the King is collecting it himself."

"Really? Morning dew has that effect?"

"It’s recorded in the ancient texts! And the Queen has personally proven it works!"

Word spread like wildfire. By dawn the next day, every married merman in the entire sea had gotten up.

A young merman spread his arms and yelled, "Out of the way! I’m claiming all the morning dew in this coral patch!"

"Bullshit! I was here first!"

Another swatted his hands away with his tail, and the two of them immediately started brawling.

Su An’an was out for a stroll when she saw the brawling mermen. She nudged the Mermaid King beside her with an elbow. "They’re fighting like that, and you’re not going to intervene?"

"Fighting is good for body and mind."

Lan Cangming supported Su An’an by the arm. "Don’t mind them. Didn’t you want to go to the market? It’s very lively today."

When Su An’an and Lan Cangming arrived at the market, they saw the entire street was full of signs advertising "Queen’s-Style" products.

"Latest style waist-cinching pearl chains! Relieves back pain and protects you from the baby kicking your belly!"

"Glowing seaweed skirts are here! Walk at night without tripping, and the baby will love the light and grow up healthy and active!"

Another vendor was holding up a seashell, shouting:

"Portable vomit bags! The perfect companion for your Sour and Spicy Seaweed Pills! Now you can vomit wherever you go!"

Su An’an looked at all these strange "Queen’s-Style" products, rested a hand on her lower back, and laughed.

"Are they using me as a living advertisement?"

Lan Cangming wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head with a soft chuckle.

"Well, it’s because my Anan is the most beloved queen in the entire ocean."

「In the blink of an eye, her due date arrived.」

The delivery room was set up in the most heavily guarded palace, surrounded by glowing sea anemones whose soft halos dyed the water a pale pink.

Su An’an’s contractions came on fast and hard.

Lan Cangming’s fishtail was ramrod straight as he constantly wiped the cold sweat from her brow with a cloth.

"Does it hurt badly? Should I go get the Priest to help?"

"Don’t go bothering the old Priest."

Su An’an gripped his arm fiercely.

A stream of pink and blue light flowed from her abdomen, and the Mermaid Baby was finally born.