Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Could Lord Huang Be a Female Mother?

At the mention of the name "Huang," Yu An’s ears perked up.

"Gasp... They’re even sending out Lord Huang? Those traitors are done for."

A Fox Clan male shivered. "I once saw Lord Huang in action. They casually carved a person down to a skeleton, and the most terrifying part is..."

He swallowed hard. "The most terrifying part is that the person was still alive. Lord Huang ordered them to give him medicine, and he suffered for three whole days and nights before he finally stopped breathing!"

There were quite a few stories about this Lord Huang, and Yu An felt goosebumps break out all over her skin as she listened.

’This Lord Huang... could they be Female Mother?’

On the other side of Mist City, Ao Si had spent a full day and night searching every corner of the city, but there was still no sign of Yu An.

After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to search in other places.

’What if she didn’t stop in Mist City and went somewhere else?’

’She’s small, but she sure is fast.’

He muttered to himself and prepared to leave the city, but as he passed a small alley, he suddenly heard a cub’s terrified shout from within: "Y-you, don’t come any closer!"

Then, an exasperated male voice rang out. "You little runts sure can run. Hmph, let’s see where you can run to now!"

Ao Si’s brow furrowed. He quickened his pace and ran over, only to see a vicious-looking male with his back to him. The man’s clothes were tattered and torn, and upon closer inspection, Ao Si realized he was wearing the uniform of the Invincible Alliance. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

At the far end of the alley, two cubs were huddled together.

The slightly older one was trembling with fear, but he still stood protectively in front of his little brother, doing his best to shield him.

The male didn’t notice Ao Si behind him and stalked toward the two cubs. Ao Si’s face darkened. "Stop!"

He strode past the male to stand in front of the two cubs. "You dare harm children? Do you have a death wish?!"

The male was taken aback, then said in a grim voice, "Who the hell are you? I suggest you mind your own business. Otherwise... AARGH!"

Before he could finish, Ao Si slammed his fist into the man, who let out a pained shriek.

"Threatening me?"

Ao Si sneered. "Don’t you know I hate being threatened more than anything?"

’And this guy’s from the Invincible Alliance, which makes it even worse.’

Once he finally caught his breath, the male, now livid, charged at Ao Si.

However, he had been injured in the Mist Forest and had exhausted his strength chasing the cubs. He was no match for Ao Si.

Ao Si knocked him unconscious in just a few moves and tossed him into a corner.

He wiped the blood from his hands, then turned to the two cubs, his voice deliberately soft. "Don’t be afraid, little ones. I’m not a bad guy. Did he kidnap you?"

When the older cub nodded, Ao Si asked, "Do you know where your home is? I can take you home."

"We do," the cub said timidly. "Our home is in the Imperial City."

’Imperial City?’

Ao Si frowned. He’d never heard of a city called the Imperial City.

After talking with the two cubs a little more, he figured they must have been terrified. They couldn’t provide any information about their Female Mother or Beast Father, only remembering that "home is in the Imperial City."

Ao Si was anxious to continue his search, but he couldn’t just abandon the two cubs. After a moment of indecision, he decided to take them with him.

’It would be best if I can find their family. If not, I’ll just take them back to the Dragon Clan. It’s only two cubs; the Dragon Clan can afford to raise them.’

"Oh, right," Ao Si suddenly remembered he hadn’t asked for their names. "What are your names?"

The older cub hesitated for a moment, having decided that Ao Si didn’t seem like a bad person.

"My name is Da Hu, and this is my younger brother, Xiao Hu."

...

Yu An spent the night at an inn. While she was having dinner, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest.

But the pain vanished as quickly as it came, as if it had just been an illusion.

She had killed the Gu Worm Granny Gu placed on her long ago. After checking her body and finding nothing unusual, Yu An didn’t give it a second thought.

"Sigh—"

Gazing at the full moon in the sky, Yu An sighed.

’I wonder how everyone back home is doing. I wonder if the Zaizai miss me.’

After moping for a little while, Yu An quickly lifted her spirits.

’As long as I find Female Mother, I can go home and be with my Beast Husbands and the Zaizai again. I’ll just have to go and see if this Lord Huang they mentioned today is her.’

Yu An learned of Lord Huang’s whereabouts from the other Beastmen and decided to set out the next day.

’Come to think of it, the place Lord Huang is leading those people isn’t far from where the Dragon Clan lives.’

’Ao Wu is a Dragon Clan Beastman. Maybe I’ll get to meet his family.’

Yu An rubbed her wrist, and a Dragon Scale insignia materialized.

’I wonder if this will be enough to get me into the Dragon Clan’s lands.’

After entering the stone house, there was no telling where the others had been sent. Ao Wu, however, was exceptionally unlucky.

He had landed smack-dab in the Dragon Clan’s Imprisonment Cave. Gazing up at the sky, his face was a mask of utter despair.

The Imprisonment Cave, just as its name implied, was a place of confinement. Dragon Clan Beastmen who made mistakes were locked inside to reflect on their wrongdoings.

Ao Wu had been a mischievous child and a regular visitor here; it was like coming home.

But he had no desire to be back here now. There was no way to open the Imprisonment Cave’s door except from the outside, with a key.

Ao Wu tried to smash the stone door, but even with all his might, it didn’t budge. He couldn’t even leave a scratch on it.

"What do I do? What do I do...?"

Ao Wu was on the verge of tears. "I’d rather have been dropped into a pack of wild beasts than end up here!"

Now, his only hope was for another clan member to mess up, forcing his Beast Father, the Clan Leader, to come and open the door with the key.

Ao Wu wasn’t the one who fell into a pack of beasts—someone else was. The moment Han Li opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by drooling beasts that were eyeing him like a delicious lunch.

They might have lost a huge stash of food and been given the runaround by one infuriating meal, but that didn’t matter. A new meal was right before their eyes.

Just as they were about to pounce and feast on him, Han Li suddenly pointed behind them and yelled, "Look, an airplane!"

The beasts instinctively looked. Seizing the opportunity, Han Li scrambled to his feet and ran. When the beasts realized they had been tricked, they howled in rage and gave chase.

Han Li didn’t dare fight them head-on, afraid he’d end up a skeleton like his Beast Father before he even had a chance to find Yu An and the Zaizai. He shifted into his beast form, wishing his Female Mother had given him four extra legs when he was born!

He didn’t know his way around, so he just ran blindly forward with the pack of beasts in hot pursuit. The memory of being given the runaround the day before resurfaced, fueling their rage. They swore they would catch Han Li and avenge their humiliation!

He ran and ran until a lake suddenly appeared ahead. Han Li slammed on the brakes, stopping just shy of falling in.

"I’m so screwed!"

Han Li’s face was a mask of despair. "I can’t swim!"

’Even a terrible swimmer could thrash about a bit, but if I get in the water, I’ll just sink like a rock and drown.’

With the lake at his back and the snarling beasts before him, Han Li gritted his teeth and resolved to fight them to the death!

’I’m dead either way. If I can find a weak point in the pack and break through, maybe I can make it out alive.’

But before he could make a move, terror suddenly filled the beasts’ faces, and the entire pack turned tail and fled.

Han Li froze. "Am... am I that terrifying?"

’Did my sheer presence scare them witless?’

As he was puzzling over this, he casually glanced back and saw a monstrous wave taking shape behind him.

Han Li was completely stupefied. No wonder the beasts had run. H-h-he wanted to run, too!