Feng Jin's body, weak and unable to stand, sagged with her hand on her belly. Fortunately, Chu Chenyi caught her.
"How are you? I'll send you back now."
"I... I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Feng Jin felt a warm current flow out. She immediately knew what was happening. Her water had broken. Could this child, sensing her father's predicament, be eager to arrive?
"Find a room and fetch a midwife."
Feng Jin suppressed the pain in her abdomen, forcing herself to remain calm.
"Alright!" Chu Chenyi quickly agreed and sternly ordered those beside him, "Hurry up!"
"Can you still walk?"
Feng Jin nodded. "I can walk. Help me up."
Just as Chu Chenyi helped Feng Jin to her feet, they heard the sound of approaching hooves.
"Go investigate."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Feng Jin endured the pain and handed the sleeve arrow from her sleeve to Chu Chenyi. "This is a sleeve arrow. Keep it on you for defense. If the enemy attacks and you can't win, you... you leave me and flee quickly. I... I'm just a pregnant woman. Even if they are despicable, they won't... won't do anything to me."
"Enough. Shut up. I won't let anything happen to you."
Chu Chenyi rebuked Feng Jin. The sound of hooves grew closer. Chu Chenyi became alert, gripping his sword tightly, ready for battle.
...
"Young General, there is a group of people ahead."
Ling Mohan, seated on his horse, was covered in bloodstains. The blood on his sword had already dried. He tightened his legs against the horse's belly, and the steed surged forward.
Passing through the alley ahead, Ling Mohan finally saw who it was. Upon seeing Feng Jin's figure,
Ling Mohan's heart tightened. He galloped his horse forward, leaped off, and rushed to Feng Jin's side, pushing Chu Chenyi aside. He held Feng Jin tightly in his embrace.
The moment she saw Ling Mohan, Feng Jin's tears flowed like a broken string of pearls. She buried her head in Ling Mohan's chest, her shoulders trembling with sobs. Feng Jin choked out, "Ling... Ling Mohan, you... you..."
Before she could finish, Feng Jin lost consciousness and fainted.
"Feng Jin!" Ling Mohan cried out in anguish, scooping the woman into his arms and walking away.
Chu Chenyi stood dumbfounded, feeling awkward. He felt as if he had just been used and discarded like a handkerchief.
He had been disturbed late at night, and now, as soon as these two met, they completely disregarded him.
"Your Highness, should we return to the manor?"
"Return to the manor for what? Follow them first and see."
Chu Chenyi's voice was stern. He leaped onto his horse and followed.
"Ling Mohan... you... slow down... the pain is unbearable!"
Feng Jin leaned against Ling Mohan's chest. It was unclear if she had been woken by the jolting or the pain itself.
The contractions, one after another, left her with no strength to speak. Her hands clutched Ling Mohan's collar tightly.
Ling Mohan, having never experienced such a situation, was at a loss.
"I can't make it back to the manor... find an inn, and get a midwife to help with the delivery..."
She repeated the same words tirelessly, now too weak to speak further. She leaned back against Ling Mohan's chest, waiting for the next contraction.
Ling Mohan hastily had someone find an inn and placed Feng Jin on the bed.
Another contraction arrived. Feng Jin's pain was so intense that she curled up, gripping the bedding tightly. The pain lasted for about a minute before subsiding, and Feng Jin let out a sigh of relief.
Ling Mohan watched Feng Jin writhe in agony, utterly helpless. For the first time, he felt a sense of defeat, a powerlessness and helplessness that felt like a hand was strangling his throat, making even breathing painful.
"It hurts..." Feng Jin cried out in pain. "Ling... Ling Mohan, where is the midwife you found!"
How long had it been? They still hadn't found a midwife.
Ling Mohan appeared more anxious than Feng Jin. He tightly clasped her pale, weak hand. "I've already sent people to look. Just hold on a little longer, she'll be here soon. If it hurts too much, bite my hand."
Feng Jin panted heavily, her mouth open. "Ling Mohan, I... I can't..."
She was truly losing the strength to endure any longer.
"Just hold on a bit longer, the midwife..."
Ling Mohan was consumed by anxiety. Why hadn't the midwife arrived yet? He shouted outside, "Have the people sent to find the midwife returned?"
"Reporting to the Young General, they have not yet..."
"They're back, they're back... the midwife has been found!"
"Hurry and let them in!" Ling Mohan yelled outside. He then turned his gaze to Feng Jin, reaching out to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "The midwife is here. Just hold on a little longer."
The midwife entered and quickly examined Feng Jin. Her expression suddenly changed. "My lord, the madam is having twins, and it's a premature birth. The situation is perilous. I can't guarantee success. It would be best to have a physician present."
"I... I am a physician. Just focus on delivering the baby. Whether it's life or death, I... I will not hold you responsible!"
Feng Jin's voice was weak. She clutched the midwife's sleeve tightly. "Deliver the baby for me!" The words were almost squeezed from her lips.
"Yes, madam."
As the midwife was about to begin, she remembered the person standing beside her. "My lord, the labor room is bloody and inauspicious. To avoid ill fortune, please wait outside!"
"My wife is fighting for her life to give me children, and you want me to leave..."
"Ling Mohan, if you don't want me to die, then... then get out quickly, hurry!"
Feng Jin pushed herself up, her face contorted in pain. She glared at Ling Mohan and drove him out.
"Alright, alright, I'll go out. Don't be angry. I'll wait outside the door. Shout for me if anything happens."
After leaving, Ling Mohan's heart remained tightly bound to the situation inside. He would occasionally lean against the door or window, trying to ascertain what was happening.
Whenever Feng Jin cried out, Ling Mohan grew tense, as if he were the one giving birth inside.
Childbirth for women is a perilous matter, especially for twins, which makes it even more difficult.
Ling Mohan's anxiety for the situation inside grew. Several times, he felt an urge to break down the door, but he managed to suppress it.
"You should sit down and rest for a while. Don't worry, it won't be that fast."
"How can I not worry? It's not your wife giving birth in there, so naturally, you can remain calm."
"Forget I said anything. Continue, continue."