Chapter 22: Chapter 22: I Treat You as a Friend, But You Want to Be My Dad

For as long as he could remember, Han Li had never met his Female Mother.

His Beast Father told him that his Female Mother had died of an illness shortly after he was born.

Back then, his Beast Father was not yet the City Lord of Han Ling City. To give Han Li a better life, his father had resorted to any means necessary to secure the position.

One night, Han Li woke to find his Beast Father gone. He went out to look for him, only to see his father and a subordinate discussing a magical herb—the Puppet Grass.

He witnessed its effects firsthand, and how the beastman died in agony after it wore off.

The beastman’s contorted face left an indelible scar on Han Li’s mind.

Looking at Da Hu, who was in heart-wrenching pain, and the anxious Yu An, Han Li forced himself to remain calm.

"He’s been poisoned by Puppet Grass. Yu An, hold Da Hu down. I’m going to use my spiritual power to force the toxins out."

Han Li placed his palm on Da Hu’s forehead. As the seconds and minutes ticked by, Da Hu’s agonized cries grew quieter.

Yu An was incredibly tense, silently praying in her heart for Da Hu’s safety.

After what felt like an eternity, Han Li pulled his hand back. His face was deathly pale, and his body swayed. He looked exhausted.

"Don’t worry, Da Hu is all right now..."

Yu An let out a sigh of relief and asked, "What about you?"

Han Li forced a smile. "I’m fine, too. I just used up too much spiritual power. I’ll be okay after a little rest."

Only then did she relax. Noticing that some of Han Li’s wounds had reopened, she helped him lie face down and used her superpower to heal him.

"You should rest. I’ll make some food. We can head back after your injuries have healed."

’I have no idea how to find a way out of here, anyway. Luckily, I have plenty of food stockpiled in my space, so we won’t starve.’

’It’s just a shame about the mission...’

As she thought this, new text suddenly appeared on her space’s mission panel: [Mission suspended. Can be reactivated at any time.]

Yu An was surprised. ’This thing is surprisingly considerate.’

Now she had nothing to worry about. She laid Da Hu down next to Han Li and prepared to make a light, easily digestible meal.

Han Li watched Yu An bustling about from the corner of his eye, then glanced at the soundly sleeping Da Hu, his mind wandering.

’After my Beast Father became the City Lord, he confiscated all the Puppet Grass. The witch doctor is old; maybe she picked this batch a long time ago.’

’But those beastmen who ambushed us on the cliff... they were clearly trained in secret by my Beast Father. I’ve seen one of their faces before.’

Elsewhere, Mo Yan finished off the last batch of red-eyed beasts, panting with exhaustion.

The ground was piled high with the corpses of beasts—the same kind of frenzied creatures that had appeared when Yu An gave birth.

"Who in the world did Yu An piss off?" Mo Yan muttered. "This looks like they’re trying to hunt her to extinction!"

’Exiled to this place to suffer... well, that’s not exactly how it is, but what kind of deep-seated hatred would drive someone to go this far?’

He didn’t have time to dwell on it. As soon as he recovered a little, he rushed toward the Snow Mountain. He had heard the sound of the avalanche, but the beasts had surrounded him, and he couldn’t break free without killing them all.

’The contract tells me she’s safe for now. And with her superpower and her space, she should be able to hold out until I get there.’

The moment he was buried by the snow, Feng Xuan immediately choked the life out of the bear cub that was trying to escape. He clung tightly to the vine, not daring to let go.

But once the avalanche ended, the vine went slack. It was obvious no one was holding the other end.

Feng Xuan’s expression changed. He threw the vine aside and sprinted down the mountain.

Lu Lu, who had been hoping to hitch a ride: "..."

On his way down the mountain, Feng Xuan ran into Mo Yan. They had met before in the Beast Emperor City—they had both been victims that night—and recognized each other instantly.

There was no need for pleasantries; they barely knew each other. Mo Yan got straight to the point. "Where are Yu An and Da Hu?"

"They fell off the cliff," Feng Xuan said, his expression grim. "I’m on my way to find them now."

"I’m coming with you."

Mo Yan changed direction, and the two of them hurried off.

Yu An had made some congee and steamed an egg custard. Just as she finished, Da Hu woke up, still a bit weak.

"Female Mother, the egg custard is yummy."

The little guy’s voice was weak, but he ate with surprising speed. Yu An was finally able to relax completely.

’As long as he can eat, he’ll be fine.’

With a full belly and some energy back, Da Hu curiously sized up Han Li. "Dog... Uncle?"

Han Li choked. Yu An, embarrassed, covered Da Hu’s mouth. "Kids say the darndest things! Da Hu, you should call him Uncle Han."

Da Hu nodded and called out again.

Han Li mumbled a reply. ’Compared to "Uncle," I’d much rather he call me "Beast Father."’

’But his real Beast Father is here now. What chance do I have, when I don’t even have any official status with her?’

Unaware of his thoughts, Yu An said to him, "Han Li, thank you for saving me and Da Hu. I, Yu An, will never forget this incredible kindness."

She said solemnly, "If there’s anything you need me to do, just say the word."

Han Li’s expression flickered, and he said shyly, "No, you don’t have to do anything. I saved you and Da Hu because I wanted to."

"It’s just... my injuries haven’t healed yet, and I’ve used up a lot of spiritual power. I’m afraid I can’t leave just yet."

’I’ll use my injuries as an excuse to stay and build a relationship with Yu An. I’m a genius!’

"That’s easily solved," Yu An said without a second thought. "Mo Yan, Da Hu’s Beast Father, and I will escort you back. It’s perfect, actually, since I was planning to go live in Han Ling City anyway."

’With Han Li, the Young City Lord, returning, I can finally move into Han Ling City.’

’I hear they assign housing to females and their cubs. I can get settled, start selling my food, and slowly build up some wealth.’

’The city is safe, so I won’t have to be afraid even if Mo Yan and Feng Xuan leave.’

’As for Feng Xuan saying he’s going to take *his* cub and leave the exiled land... that just went in one ear and out the other.’

’What a joke. On what grounds does he think he can just take away the child I went through so much to give birth to?’

"No!"

Han Li blurted out, stopping her. He still hadn’t figured out why his Beast Father had helped that bear beastman. Besides, once he went back, he wouldn’t be able to spend time with Yu An so openly. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Why not?"

Meeting Yu An’s confused gaze, Han Li grew nervous and stammered, "B-Because... because it’s dangerous inside Han Ling City!"

"More dangerous than the wilderness?"

"It is," Han Li said, taking a deep breath. He spoke gravely, "Yu An, Han Ling City is not a peaceful place. The various factions are constantly fighting. I was a victim of that infighting."

"Also, all these things you’ve brought out... I’ve never seen or heard of anything like them. And your Fertility is even higher than the Heavenly Level. They will definitely fight over you like mad."

"So don’t go into the city for now. Wait until you have the ability to protect yourself, or until you have a powerful Beast Husband to protect you."

Han Li had originally just been looking for an excuse to stop Yu An from going to the city, but the more he spoke, the more he convinced himself he was right. Yu An thought about it and had to agree.

"I didn’t consider all that... In that case, we won’t go for now. We’ll just take you back..."

"I’m not going back either," Han Li said hastily. "My injuries haven’t healed, and my Beast Father still hasn’t found the person who attacked me."

"Well then, you can stick with me for now. It’ll give you time to heal properly."

Han Li nodded eagerly. When he turned his head, he saw Da Hu staring at him.

Yu An told them to rest well and went outside to check on the situation. The moment she was out the door, Da Hu asked:

"Uncle Han, do you want to be my Beast Father?"