Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Changes in the Space

"Why aren’t you getting in? Come on, hurry up."

At Yu An’s urging, Lan Yin awkwardly climbed into bed. After he was under the covers, a warm body pressed up against him.

Lan Yin’s body went rigid. Before he could pull away, an arm draped over his waist, and a fluffy head burrowed into his chest.

Yu An let out a sigh of contentment. ’I used to sleep hugging a pillow, but now I’ve upgraded. I can hug a man to sleep.’

Their hair was a hopeless tangle. Lan Yin stole a glance at his and Yu An’s position. They were... also hopelessly tangled.

He was used to sleeping alone—he had been for at least several hundred years. He thought for sure he’d have insomnia, but once Yu An’s breathing evened out in his arms, he drifted off to sleep before he knew it.

...

That mushroom feast last night wasn’t a free meal. First thing in the morning, Yu An assigned tasks to the group.

"Lan Yin, take Xiao Yu and go catch fish, shrimp, and crabs... You’re in charge of gathering anything that lives in the water."

"Feng Xuan, you take Da Hu and Xiao Hu to forage for wild vegetables and fruits. Gather a bit of everything you find."

"Ao Wu, you’re in charge of hunting. Just catch whatever you see. I haven’t figured out what we’ll sell next."

"Mo Yan and I will go together. We’ll be responsible for finding new types of food."

No one had any objections, except for Ao Wu. Lan Yin, for his part, was convinced he must have gone crazy last night to have had that kind of reaction to Yu An.

’I need to get in the water and clear my head.’

Ao Wu wanted to protest, but it was no use. He could only watch as everyone else paired up, leaving him all alone.

His eyes darted around, and he fixed his sights on Feng Xuan. "Hey, how about you lend me one of your Zaizai?"

Feng Xuan, holding one cub in each arm, said warily, "No way. If you want one, go have one yourself!"

Ao Wu was speechless. "..."

Seeing that everyone had a task, the Red Fox hurriedly tugged on Yu An’s sleeve, letting out a series of soft whines.

Yu An stopped. "Little fox, do you want to go too?"

The Red Fox nodded eagerly, so it was assigned to Ao Wu.

Ao Wu wasn’t thrilled, but having some company was better than none. He reluctantly picked up the Red Fox and walked away.

Finally alone with Yu An, Mo Yan cherished the moment, wishing he could stay glued to her side.

"Alright, alright," Yu An said, exasperated. "Why are you being so clingy? We’ll be together the entire day."

Mo Yan said sullenly, "One day isn’t enough. An’an, I think I’m starting to understand how my Beast Father felt."

His Female Mother had many Beast Husbands as well. She did her best to be fair, but that meant the time she could spend with each one was limited.

"I’m not your first Beast Husband, nor am I the first one to have a Zaizai with you. An’an, I’m so worried that you’ll get tired of me one day."

Yu An said with a helpless sigh, "I won’t. Don’t forget, you’re the one who’s been by my side the longest."

Although Mo Yan hadn’t been sincere about protecting her on the way to the exiled land, his actions spoke for themselves.

If it hadn’t been for Mo Yan, she, as weak as she was, would have been eaten by wild beasts long ago.

"Besides, I’m carrying your Zaizai. Our family will be together forever. Rest assured, none of what you’re worried about will happen."

With Yu An’s reassurance, Mo Yan finally calmed down.

With Lu Lu acting as their "radar," the two of them found many vegetables and fruits they had never eaten before.

Her space had gained a plot of land after merging with the small island. Yu An dug up some vegetables, roots and all, had Mo Yan uproot a few fruit trees, and then planted everything inside the space.

Also, whereas before she could only place items in her space or take them out, now she could actually enter it herself!

Living things could go inside as well. Yu An brought Mo Yan directly into the space to help her plant.

The scenery around them changed in a flash. Startled, Mo Yan reflexively pulled Yu An into his arms to protect her.

"Don’t be scared," Yu An said, patting his arm. "We’re in my space. I want to plant these in here."

"I’ll do the planting, then," Mo Yan said with a sigh of relief. "An’an, you should get some rest."

Yu An nodded. Just as she was about to find a place to sit for a bit, she suddenly heard Ao Wu shouting for her from outside.

She told Mo Yan she’d be back and flashed out of the space. When Ao Wu saw her appear, he finally let out a breath he’d been holding.

"An’an, where did you just go?"

His voice trembled. "You just vanished all of a sudden! I thought you were in danger!"

Yu An explained the situation and even brought him and the Red Fox into the space, which finally put Ao Wu at ease.

"I couldn’t go inside my space before. It’s all thanks to your island."

Yu An looked conflicted. "I don’t know if there’s a way to restore the island. It was your property, after all..."

"It’s yours," Ao Wu corrected her. "An’an, the island was always yours to begin with. This is for the best. Now, if you ever run into danger, you can take shelter in your space."

While the two were talking, Mo Yan walked over with a sour look on his face. "What are you doing here? I recall you heading in a different direction from us."

Ao Wu replied without batting an eye, "The Red Fox and I chased a wild sheep over here."

"A wild sheep?"

Yu An’s eyes lit up. "Did you catch it? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sheep before."

"Nope," Ao Wu said with a shrug. "When I saw you suddenly vanish, I stopped chasing it. The sheep is probably long gone by now."

"Oh, alright," Yu An said, disappointed for a moment. "I was hoping we could have lamb hot pot tonight." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Mo Yan pulled her closer to his side. "An’an, I know where to find a flock of wild sheep. Once we’re done planting all this, I’ll go catch a few and bring them back for you."

"That’s wonderful! Mo Yan, we’re having lamb hot pot tonight!"

Delighted, Yu An planted a kiss on Mo Yan’s cheek. Seeing this, Ao Wu instantly regretted not catching the sheep himself.

’With his strength, catching a single sheep would have been child’s play. He’d just used it as an excuse to come find Yu An.’

’But no matter. He had plenty of other ways to get her attention.’

"An’an, do you want to go on a treasure hunt?"

Ao Wu said, trying to entice her, "In the past, whenever people got lost in the Endless Sea, I was the one who showed them the way. To repay me, they would send me gold and silver and other treasures after they left."

"All that stuff is shiny and rather pretty, so I just piled it all up in my manor’s storehouse. Let me take you to see it."

Yu An’s eyes sparkled. "Is there a lot of gold and silver? I want some!"

"Lots and lots," Ao Wu said with a smile. "It’s all yours."

Yu An wanted to go, but she had promised to spend the whole day with Mo Yan, so she hesitated.

Seeing her hesitation, Mo Yan spoke up. "Go on, An’an. I’ll have all this planted by the time you get back."

Yu An nodded. After a moment’s thought, she stood on her tiptoes and pecked Mo Yan on the lips.

"When I get back, maybe I can help you fully restore your spiritual power."

Mo Yan touched his lips, his smile widening. "Oh? And how would we restore it? The same way as last time?"

Yu An blushed. "In your dreams!"

Watching them flirt right in front of him, Ao Wu felt a pang of jealousy. He swept Yu An into his arms and started walking toward the manor.

Startled by the sudden movement, Yu An came to her senses and pounded on his chest in annoyance. "What are you doing!"

Ao Wu said plaintively, "I just wanted to hurry up and show you my dowry."

’Yeah, right,’ he thought. ’More like I don’t want to see that eyesore anymore!’