Chapter 54: Chapter 54: There Are Some Places You Can’t Just Touch

"An’an," Ao Wu’s voice was slightly hoarse. "I stood watch over you all last night and caught a chill. I feel awful now."

"Feel me and see if I’m burning up. I need you to stay with me..."

Ao Wu had been perfectly fine a moment ago, but now, his cheeks were flushed with an unnatural red, as if he were running a fever.

Yu An reached out, pressing her hand to his forehead to test his temperature. ’Hm, he really is burning up.’

"Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

She frowned and took out some fever-reducing medicine. "Here. Take this, then go home and get some proper rest."

The Cloud Beast helped her sort through her various items, so all she had to do was search by category. At a glance, Yu An could see she had a decent amount of medicine stored away.

In the apocalypse, gold and silver were practically worthless junk. She had used them to raise her superpower to the Seventh Level. Since she could heal any injury that wasn’t too severe on her own, she had rarely used the medical supplies she’d scavenged.

"Come home with me," Ao Wu said, feigning weakness as he pressed a hand to his forehead. "My head hurts, and I’m a little dizzy. I’m afraid I won’t be able to find my way home."

Han Li’s hands clenched into tight fists, and he ground his teeth so hard they audibly grated.

’A fever? More like he’s in... heat!’

’Shameless! Doesn’t he understand first come, first served?!’

Han Li wasn’t about to put up with it and directly confronted him. "You’re a grown man and you can’t find your way home? What are you, a cub?"

"An’an, ignore him. He’s being so dramatic over a minor illness. He’s not reliable at all. That time on the Snow Mountain, I was seriously injured and wasn’t nearly this fragile."

"You should be looking for a Beast Husband who can take care of you, not one you have to take care of!"

Ao Wu chuckled. "An’an is happy to take care of me. It’s just a little game between us. What right does a male without a contract with An’an have to meddle?"

It had to be said, he had hit Han Li right where it hurt. Because Han Li had realized that every single other male had a contract with Yu An.

Even Ao Wu, this latecomer, had one!

Han Li’s defenses instantly crumbled. He stared pitifully at Yu An with wide puppy-dog eyes. "An’an, you’re playing favorites..."

Their bickering was giving Yu An a headache. "Ao Wu, that’s enough out of you!"

"Here’s some water. Take your medicine and wait for me over there. I’ll take you home after I finish talking to Han Li."

With that, she pulled the teary-eyed Han Li away. Ao Wu wanted to follow, but afraid of making Yu An angry, he could only wait where he stood.

’Oh well,’ he thought, ’my objective is achieved. As long as I wait here, An’an definitely won’t do anything with that dumb wolf, like form a contract.’

’I couldn’t beat the other three, but fourth place isn’t so bad.’

Once they were a safe distance away, Han Li hung his head dejectedly. "An’an, are you and him really...?"

"No," Yu An said, exasperated. "The contract wasn’t formed that way. It was through other means."

What she didn’t say was that she barely knew Ao Wu. Aside from his name, she knew nothing about him and wouldn’t be so quick to accept him as a Beast Husband.

Han Li’s eyes brightened. "An’an, does that mean I’ll be your fourth Beast Husband?"

Yu An remained noncommittal. "We’ll talk after you’ve finished investigating those matters."

If the things she had suffered in the past were related to Han Li’s Beast Father, she would have to seriously reconsider her relationship with Han Li.

Then there was Zhu Qingqing, who had also been guided by Lord Han to approach her.

After the incident with the Puppet Grass, Yu An suspected that Zhu Qingqing had also been dosed with it. However, Zhu Qingqing hadn’t made a move, which left Yu An baffled.

Han Li nodded firmly. "An’an, I already have a few leads. I’ll get to the bottom of it as soon as I can!"

’I just hope my Beast Father has no ties to the Imperial City,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, my chances with Yu An...’

A grave expression flickered in Han Li’s eyes.

"Oh, right," he suddenly remembered something. "An’an, word that you have Divine level fertility has already spread throughout Han Ling City. Also, the food you sell is being resold at exorbitant prices to the city’s wealthy."

"I had Housekeeper Han come to buy from you to smoothly bring you under the City Lord Mansion’s protection, but now..."

Han Li said in frustration, "If I had known, I would’ve come myself! I let that bastard ruin everything!"

"It’s fine," Yu An said with a smile. "I wasn’t planning on staying outside the city forever anyway."

The residents of Han Ling City in this exiled land are the main customers for my food. Besides, with so many people having seen the three Zaizai, my Divine level fertility couldn’t have been kept a secret for long.

’But it doesn’t matter. I have Beast Husbands to protect me, and I can defend myself. Any powers coveting my fertility won’t dare to make a rash move.’

"As long as you have a plan," Han Li said, breathing a sigh of relief. "When do you plan on moving into the city? I’ll use my status as the Young City Lord to drum up some business for you."

Yu An thought for a moment. "In a few days."

The mission board didn’t give out missions nonstop; there were rest periods after completing a few.

Yu An planned to withdraw the Gold Coins from Ping’an Gold Bank first and focus on upgrading her superpower.

As they parted, Han Li was reluctant to leave. He glared at Ao Wu, who wore the smug look of a villain who’d gotten his way. "An’an, you’re pregnant with the Zaizai. Don’t get too close to him, you might catch what he has."

To stop them from starting another argument, Yu An quickly stuffed a yogurt chew into Ao Wu’s mouth. "I know. You stay safe, too."

Ao Wu chewed resentfully. CHEW. CHEW. CHEW. It took him a while before he could swallow. "An’an, you’re taking his side just like that?"

"I just don’t want to listen to you two fight," Yu An said, tugging on his arm. "Let’s go home."

Ao Wu didn’t move. "No rush. An’an, want to go for a flight?"

Yu An was confused. "What?"

Without explaining, Ao Wu transformed directly into his beast form. The massive body of a dragon appeared before Yu An.

"Climb on. I’ll take you for a flight."

Ao Wu’s beast form was a brilliant gold, with a metallic sheen and texture. His draconic body was covered in hard scales, but when Yu An touched a spot on his back, it was surprisingly soft.

She asked curiously, "Why is it different here?"

’Is this like a Dragon Beastman’s weak spot?’

"This is the spot a Dragon Clan Beastman reserves for his Female Master." As her soft hand touched him, Ao Wu narrowed his eyes and nearly let out a groan. "An’an, climb on."

Yu An hesitated no longer. She straddled Ao Wu’s back, and after a draconic roar, he carried her up into the sky.

The scenery on the ground shrank below them, offering a panoramic view of the earth. The only problem was the strong wind. Before she knew it, Yu An had swallowed a mouthful of air.

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH. Next time, I need to bring something to block the wind."

She muttered to herself before turning her attention back to the view. This was a truly rare vantage point.

Her happy laughter rang in his ears, and Ao Wu couldn’t help but crack a smile.

Listening to Yu An chatter excitedly about the scenery, Ao Wu decided he would take her flying often in the future.

Only then would this time belong completely to the two of them.

After taking in her fill of the scenery, Yu An noticed a pair of pale gold horns on Ao Wu’s head. They were dazzlingly golden and looked incredibly valuable. She reached out and touched one. It had the quality of jade—smooth, cool, and sleek—but it didn’t take long for it to grow hot under her touch.

That single touch made her Golden Dragon mount drop unexpectedly. Yu An had to grab onto the horns to steady herself.

The moment they landed, Ao Wu instantly shifted back to his human form. His eyes met Yu An’s, who was still sitting on him, and his voice was tinged with strained restraint.

"An’an, there are some places you shouldn’t just touch..."