Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Be Careful, I’ll Beat You Again When We Meet

Chef Jiao had practically watched Yu An grow up and had even received kindness from her. Seeing that she now had powerful Beast Husbands to back her up, he laid out all the grievances Yu An had suffered as a child, down to the last detail.

He didn’t embellish or exaggerate, but even so, the story was enough to leave the others thoroughly infuriated.

The young Yu An was both favored and not. She had the best material possessions, but whenever she was bullied by her other siblings, the Beast Emperor and Cui Su would always react with indifference, dismissing the matter with a few cursory words.

Over time, the most malicious of them, the Third Prince, realized that the Beast Emperor would never punish him for bullying Yu An, so he became even more relentless.

Aside from stopping short of killing her, everything else was fair game. Things like scaring her with bugs or soaking her blankets were just a regular occurrence.

If Yu An ever fought back or retaliated, the Third Prince would have people spread exaggerated rumors that she was hot-tempered and constantly bullied her siblings.

It wasn’t until Yu An was poisoned and truly became ill-tempered—slapping anyone she saw, not even sparing a passing dog—that the Third Prince finally backed off.

"What a coward, bullying the weak and fearing the strong!"

Ao Wu’s gaze darkened. "He better hope I don’t run into him. I’ll beat him up every single time I see him!"

He decided then and there. Tomorrow, he would wander around the Imperial Palace specifically to find the Third Prince. Every time he saw him, he’d find an excuse to give him a beating.

Chef Jiao whispered, "You may not know this, sirs, but when the Third Prince heard that the Princess had returned to the palace with several Beast Husbands, he holed up in his room and hasn’t come out."

The implication was that they wouldn’t run into the Third Prince just by wandering around outside.

"That’s fine," Han Li said cryptically. "It’s our first time in the Imperial Palace. It’s inevitable that we might get lost and wander into the wrong place."

’Either way, the Third Prince was definitely in for a beating!’

Da Hu and his little brothers sat on small stools, the four of them blinking as they listened intently to the adults talk, not daring to interrupt.

Before long, the rich aroma of food wafted from the kitchen. Chef Jiao stared at a table full of dishes that were perfect in color, aroma, and taste, yet were unlike anything he had ever seen before. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

After wracking his brain, a single thought surfaced—

’He was unemployed!’

While chatting with Han Li and the other three earlier, Chef Jiao had heard about Yu An’s accomplishments. At first, he’d been dismissive, thinking that no one’s cooking could possibly surpass his, with its secret family recipes passed down through generations.

But after a single bite of the simple stir-fried bok choy, Chef Jiao was conquered!

’SOB SOB SOB, how could such delicious food exist in this world!’

Chef Jiao wanted to be reserved, but reservations wouldn’t get him any of the golden, crispy, and succulent fried chicken legs, nor the rich-but-not-greasy, melt-in-your-mouth braised pork trotters. And so, with his dignity tossed to the wind, Chef Jiao couldn’t stop himself.

After the meal, they had hawthorn tea to aid digestion. Chef Jiao felt like he had wasted the past few decades of his life. *This* was what it meant to live!

"Grandpa Jiao, Grandpa Jiao, can you help us plant flowers?"

Da Hu clutched a bag of flower seeds, looking up and pleading, "We don’t know where to plant them."

"Of course," Chef Jiao said, getting up cheerfully. "There’s an empty plot of land over there. Come on, let’s go plant them."

Feng Xuan and Lan Yin went along with them, leading Chef Jiao away so Yu An could begin absorbing the energy of the Golden House.

Ao Wu stood guard over her, while the other two went to tidy up the rooms. Even if they were only staying for a few days, they wanted to make sure Yu An and the Zaizai were comfortable.

While cultivating, Yu An had a sudden whim and drank some Divine Spring Water. Her superpower, which had been just shy of reaching the Seventh Level, began to surge upward under the water’s effects.

Inside her Dantian, Lu Lu stretched its branches and leaves, upon which seven vibrant green leaves were now clearly visible.

Its vines and branches coiled around her complete Origin Core, slowly circulating through Yu An’s body. Yu An felt her entire being fill with power.

Aside from Ao Wu, everyone else had already gone back to their rooms to rest. A glint in her eye, Yu An pulled Ao Wu back to their room.

The moment she closed the door, she started taking off her clothes. Ao Wu quickly shut his eyes, then opened them again, saying a bit shyly, "An’an, are you in such a hurry? In that case, we should..."

Before he could finish, Yu An tossed him a set of night gear. "Change into this. We’re going for a stroll."

Ao Wu: "..."

Both of them changed into the night gear and vanished into the darkness in a few leaps. After they left, the door to the Zaizai’s room was pushed open.

With a CREAK, several small figures scurried out.

Yu An’s goal was the item that Chun Nuan had been protecting. According to Chun Nuan, she had buried it in the courtyard where Yu Huang once lived.

"Where the Princess lived, there was a parasol tree. A small box is buried under it. I don’t know what’s inside; the Princess just gave it to me for safekeeping."

Following Chun Nuan’s directions, Yu An and Ao Wu found the approximate location, and then, each grabbing a shovel, they began to dig.

In the dead of night, they should have been asleep in a warm bed, doing things that would make them both happy, but now...

Ao Wu looked up and saw Yu An digging with great enthusiasm. He sighed.

’Oh well. As long as An’an was happy, then he was happy too.’

The box was buried deep. The two of them grunted and puffed as they dug for a good while. The pit was already half a person deep when a shovel finally struck something hard.

Yu An’s eyes lit up. She switched to a small trowel and began to dig carefully.

Before long, a rectangular box wrapped in Beast Skin was unearthed.

Yu An resisted the urge to open it, placing the box in her storage space first. Then, she and Ao Wu filled the pit back in.

The signs of digging on the ground were obvious, so she casually scattered a handful of grass seeds and magically grew them until the area looked exactly as it had before. Only then did the two of them leave.

The Third Prince possessed Heavenly Level Spiritual Power, giving him the highest status among the Princes, but none of that mattered now.

Upon hearing that four of Yu An’s five Beast Husbands had Heavenly Level Spiritual Power and the fifth was unfathomably powerful, the Third Prince decisively chose to lie low in his own residence. He did his best not to run into Yu An, lest she seek revenge.

It was late, and seeing that Yu An hadn’t come for revenge, the Third Prince let out a huge sigh of relief. He confidently dismissed his servants and returned to his room to rest.

In a state between sleep and wakefulness, he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his wrist, jolting him fully awake in an instant.

When he opened his eyes, he saw three young cubs standing on his bed with their hands on their hips. A small black snake was coiled at the head of the bed, its two sharp fangs glinting menacingly.

The Third Prince wanted to ask who they were, but to his horror, he discovered he couldn’t speak, nor could he use his spiritual power!

Da Hu waved a small paw and whispered, "Get him! Beat him up!"

Xiao Yu and Xiao Hu obeyed, immediately pouncing and unleashing the Invincible Meow Meow Fist and the Overlord Little Fish Tail.

A fist landed on his nose, and a tail slapped across his face, leaving him completely dazed.

The pain quickly brought the Third Prince back to his senses. He was, after all, an adult male. Even without his spiritual power, dealing with a few small cubs should have been easy. He immediately reached out to pull them off.

But he didn’t succeed, because Lu Lu popped out and tied him up securely. With the threat gone, the Zaizai became incredibly smug. Only after they’d had their fill of beating him did they have Lu Lu release him.

By now, the Third Prince’s eyes were glazed over. His face was black and blue—it was a truly tragic sight.

Da Hu clapped his hands in satisfaction and huffed, "Alright, we’ll let you off for today. But we’re not done settling the score for you bullying my Female Mother. Next time we meet, we’ll beat you again!"

Hearing this, the Third Prince’s eyes widened. "Your... Female Mother... is that bitch Yu An!"

He remembered now. He’d heard that Yu An had given birth to three cubs at once. It had to be them!

The four little ones had been about to go home, but upon hearing his words, their small faces instantly darkened.

Xiao Yu glanced at Da Hu. "Brother?"

Da Hu nodded. The four of them turned back in unison, staring at the Third Prince.

In the moonlight, the Third Prince saw Da Hu curve his lips into a smile that was adorably cute.

But the words that followed sent a chill down his spine.

He said, "What a coincidence. We meet again!"