Chapter 195: Meat Allergy
Jian Mo sent a message to the Li Chi Tribe through a messenger.
A few days later, the Li Chi Tribe arrived, bringing their youngling along.
The group was led by Shan Dun, someone Jian Mo was quite familiar with. Jian Mo had previously pierced Shan Dun’s ears, giving him three intricate piercings on each side. This time, Shan Dun still wore three gleaming studs on each ear, catching the sunlight and immediately sparking a sense of familiarity in Jian Mo.
Shan Dun’s beast form resembled De Jiang’s—both were lion-shaped. The weak youngling’s father also had a lion beast form, but the youngling himself had a leopard form, resembling a snow leopard cub.
However, the youngling was extremely frail. Thin and small, his fur was sparse, and his red, delicate skin was visible through the fur. He looked more like a newborn kitten than a snow leopard, though his size was slightly larger.
Jian Mo carefully held the youngling. “Does the youngling take after his father?”
The youngling’s father, Min Ta, whose eyes were rimmed red, nodded. “Yes, he takes after me. It’s all my fault for not birthing him properly.”
Jian Mo looked at Min Ta and shook his head. “It’s not your fault—it’s just a mishap.”
The youngling lay quietly in Jian Mo’s palm. His tiny paw batted weakly once before falling still, possibly too exhausted to struggle further.
The youngling’s claws hadn’t hardened yet; they were soft, his body was slightly cool, and his thin belly moved faintly with his breaths. His navel protruded, and he looked pitifully different from a typical youngling.
Holding the youngling filled Jian Mo with deep compassion. He gently placed him on a cloth-covered table. “Wait here for a moment. I’ll fetch my stethoscope to listen to his internal organs.”
The two fathers nodded quickly.
Jian Mo brought the stethoscope and placed it against the youngling’s chest. He listened carefully for a long time, hearing the faint sounds of the youngling’s internal organs.
The youngling’s organs seemed to have developed well, and Jian Mo was relieved to find no signs of underdeveloped heart or lungs. However, the sounds were faint, indicative of his weak condition and lack of energy.
After thorough listening, Jian Mo concluded that the youngling’s internal organs appeared normal based on sound. Yet, due to his frail condition, Jian Mo decided to double-check. “Does anyone here have a beast form similar to the youngling’s? I’d like to compare his sounds to those of a healthy snow leopard.”
Shan Dun immediately replied, “Zhu Chan’s beast form is leopard-like, though not a snow leopard. Would that work?”
As Shan Dun spoke, a tall young man stepped forward, waiting for Jian Mo’s instructions.
Jian Mo nodded. “That’ll do. Transform outside so I can hear more clearly.”
Zhu Chan followed him out and transformed in the clearing outside the clinic.
Jian Mo motioned for him to lie down. The massive leopard obediently lay on his side, raising a paw or opening his mouth as directed. However, his tightly tucked tail betrayed his embarrassment.
Once Zhu Chan was settled, Jian Mo used the stethoscope to listen to his internal organs.
The adult leopard’s heart was strong and steady, with rapid blood flow. His lungs were clear, and his gut sounds were normal.
After noting the healthy sounds, Jian Mo asked Min Ta and his partner to bring the youngling over for a comparison.
After listening carefully to both, Jian Mo concluded, “The youngling’s development is good. He’s just weak. With proper care, he should grow stronger without major issues.”
Min Ta remained worried. “We’re afraid he won’t survive. Nian Shan is so frail. Even his cries are soft and weak, as if he doesn’t have enough strength.”
The youngling’s other father, Tu Ming, added, “Nian Shan barely eats. Whenever we feed him meat broth or porridge, he spits most of it out. We spend all day feeding him, but he barely consumes anything.”
Without the ability to nurse, beastmen younglings typically relied on meat-based broths and porridges for nutrition. This method had been passed down for generations, and younglings generally thrived on it.
Jian Mo asked, “What kind of meat broth or porridge are you feeding him? Have you consulted the experienced beastmen or sub-beastmen in your tribe?”
Min Ta nodded. “We have. Everyone says there’s nothing wrong with it. We even asked others to prepare the broth in case ours wasn’t good enough, but Nian Shan still wouldn’t eat and would spit it out.”
Perhaps sensing the discussion, the youngling let out a weak, raspy cry. Despite its softness, the sound carried a heart-wrenching tone.
Min Ta’s eyes reddened as he quickly picked up the youngling and tried to comfort him.
It was Jian Mo’s first time treating such a small youngling. Seeing this, he said, “Stay here for a few days. Let me study the problem more closely and see if there’s a way to treat him.”
Min Ta and Tu Ming nodded gratefully.
Jian Mo added, “The youngling can’t go hungry. Come back to my place, and we’ll prepare some meat broth together. We have fresh meat from this morning’s hunt.”
The two fathers nodded again, following Jian Mo back to his home, where he showed them the kitchen.
Unfamiliar with the setup, the Li Chi Tribe members allowed Jian Mo to guide them through the process.
Min Ta and Tu Ming carefully trimmed away every tendon from the meat and cut it into tiny pieces. While they didn’t blanch the meat, they diligently skimmed the foam from the boiling broth. The fresh broth smelled fragrant and appetizing.
Jian Mo observed the entire process and found nothing wrong with their method.
When the broth was ready, they patiently cooled it, testing the temperature with the back of their hands before offering it to the youngling.
However, the moment the broth reached his mouth, Nian Shan resisted, pushing the spoon away with his tongue. Even when his fathers managed to get some broth into him, he spat it out, soaking the fur on his chin and chest.
Despite their efforts, the youngling barely consumed two spoonfuls by the end of the day, leaving Min Ta and Tu Ming visibly dejected.
Watching from the side, Jian Mo finally understood why everyone believed the youngling wouldn’t survive. A weak youngling could still grow stronger with care, but one that refused to eat posed a far more serious problem.
Min Ta cradled the youngling, looking at Jian Mo with pleading eyes. “Doctor Jian Mo, this is how things are. What should we do now?”
Jian Mo picked up his stethoscope. “I’ll examine him again to be sure.”
Having just finished attempting to eat, the youngling seemed to fall asleep, exhausted.
Jian Mo carefully examined the youngling and noticed that his skin felt hot—warmer than normal body temperature.
Jian Mo frowned. “Something doesn’t seem right.”
Min Ta leaned forward nervously. “What’s wrong?”
Jian Mo explained, “His body temperature is too high. And don’t you think he’s sleeping too deeply?”
He gently shook the little snow leopard and wiggled one of his tiny paws.
The youngling’s eyes remained shut, and he didn’t move at all.
Jian Mo pointed out, “See? I’m moving him, and he’s not waking up.”
Tu Ming suggested, “Could he just be full and sleeping soundly?”
Jian Mo shook his head. “It doesn’t feel like normal sleep—it’s more like he’s unconscious. Let’s move him into the sunlight and take another look.”
Hearing this, everyone quickly followed Jian Mo, carrying the youngling into the sunlight.
Jian Mo softly parted the youngling’s sparse, fine fur and examined him closely. “It looks like he has some red marks on his body, and his skin seems redder than before.”
Everyone leaned in to look. “He really does—there’s a big red patch!”
Jian Mo gently stroked the youngling’s flushed skin with his thumb. “His skin is red and hot. If he developed a rash, it would be easier to identify the problem. Without one, it’s harder to tell.”
Min Ta asked anxiously, “Why is this happening?”
Jian Mo replied, “It’s hard to say for sure, but I suspect he might be allergic to meat. Have you tried feeding him anything else, or has it only been meat broth and porridge?”
Min Ta looked bewildered. “Only meat broth and porridge. Our tribe has always fed younglings this way—no one feeds them anything else.”
Jian Mo suggested, “I think his reaction might be related to the food. Let’s try giving him something different and see if it helps.”
Min Ta asked hesitantly, “What else can we feed him? Does this mean he can’t eat meat anymore?”
Jian Mo reassured him, “Not necessarily. He’s just too young right now, and his body might be reacting strongly to meat. He could outgrow it as he gets older. But I’m not certain meat is the issue yet. Let me try making some bird egg custard and see if he can eat that.”
Fortunately, Jian Mo’s household kept long-tailed birds, which laid eggs every few days. Though their yield wasn’t high, they had accumulated a decent stock of eggs.
Jian Mo retrieved three eggs, cracked them into a bowl, added water and a pinch of salt, and whisked them thoroughly before steaming them.
The mention of the youngling potentially being unable to eat meat had everyone on edge. They waited anxiously in the kitchen as the custard steamed.
After some time, the custard was ready. Jian Mo placed the dish in a basin of water to cool and said, “We’ll wait for it to cool and for the youngling to wake up before trying to feed him.”
Min Ta and Tu Ming nodded repeatedly. The day’s events had overwhelmed them, leaving them at a loss. They followed every instruction Jian Mo gave.
When the youngling finally woke, Jian Mo tested the custard’s temperature and then used a spoon to feed him.
Since Jian Mo wasn’t sure if the youngling could tolerate it, he only planned to feed him two small spoonfuls.
To his surprise, the moment the custard touched the youngling’s mouth, not only did he not resist, but he also latched onto the spoon with his tiny, sharp teeth and devoured the food hungrily.
When the custard on the spoon was gone, Jian Mo reached for another scoop, but the youngling refused to let go of the spoon, gripping it tightly.
Min Ta and Tu Ming, watching from the side, were stunned. Min Ta’s eyes sparkled with hope, while Tu Ming’s turned red with emotion.
Tu Ming carefully pried the spoon from the youngling’s mouth so Jian Mo could scoop another serving. Before Jian Mo could bring the spoon to the youngling’s mouth, the little snow leopard lunged forward, biting the spoon with precision and eating voraciously again.
The Li Chi Tribe members, witnessing the youngling’s sudden vigor, whispered among themselves, astonished by Jian Mo’s medical skills.
After feeding the youngling two spoonfuls, Jian Mo pulled the spoon away. The youngling reached for it, realized there was no more custard, and began crying loudly, his soft “meow-ow” cries piercing the hearts of his parents.
Min Ta sniffled. “Nian Shan seems like he can still eat. Can we give him more?”
Jian Mo advised, “It’s his first time eating this. We need to observe him. Let’s wait until the afternoon before feeding him more. How old is he now?”
Tu Ming counted on his fingers. “Today is the ninth day.”
Jian Mo asked, “So, for these nine days, he’s only had meat broth and porridge? Nothing else?”
Min Ta nodded.
Jian Mo continued, “Every time he had meat broth or porridge, did he react the same way as today? Crying, resisting, and vomiting?”
Both fathers nodded again.
Jian Mo noted the details. “We can’t confirm yet that he can eat custard, but he definitely shouldn’t have meat broth or porridge anymore—at least not for the next six months. When he’s older, you can try again.”
Both fathers agreed. “We understand.”
Jian Mo added, “Over the next few days, keep an eye on his urination and bowel movements. Record every instance and let me know.”
After Jian Mo finished his instructions, the youngling, exhausted from crying, fell asleep.
Jian Mo examined him again. His skin was no longer red, and his temperature had returned to normal.
It was likely a meat allergy. For a beast cub of the Li Chi Tribe, being born allergic to meat was a significant challenge.
Jian Mo gently stroked the youngling’s back. This little one had probably never eaten his fill since birth, which explained his frailty. He would need proper care moving forward.
Min Ta and Tu Ming stayed close, keeping watch over their son.
By evening, the youngling’s urination and bowel movements were normal, and his overall condition seemed stable.
Jian Mo prepared a fresh batch of egg custard and instructed Min Ta and Tu Ming to feed him half a bowl. If he refused to eat that much, they could stop.
The fathers carefully fed the youngling. To their delight, he eagerly ate the custard, finishing the half bowl without resistance. For the first time, instead of crying, he yawned and fell asleep contentedly.
Min Ta gazed at his son in his arms and couldn’t hold back his tears. To avoid waking the youngling, he bit his hand to stifle his sobs.
Eventually, he couldn’t contain himself and ran outside, where his muffled crying turned into loud wails.
Tu Ming handed the sleeping youngling to Jian Mo and went outside to console his mate. Moments later, the sound of sobbing grew into a duet.
Jian Mo stayed inside, holding the youngling, his heart heavy with emotion. This little family had endured so much.
Thanks for the chapter!