Chapter 59: Chapter 59: The Water Monster’s Song?

According to Zhu Qingqing, she saw a blue fishtail appear in the center of the lake while she was fetching water. It breached the surface for just a moment before disappearing back into the water, after which blood began to spread from the lake’s center.

"Here in the exiled land, your Beast Husband is the only Merfolk. I didn’t dare go into the water, so I rushed to find you."

She added worriedly, "Boss Yu, I once heard the Clan Leader say there’s a monster at the bottom of the lake. He saw it when he was young."

Yu An’s expression changed. "Qingqing, please take me there."

She had Feng Xuan stay home to watch Da Hu and Xiao Hu, then took Mo Yan and Ao Wu and hurriedly followed Zhu Qingqing to find them.

The spot where Lan Yin had taken Xiao Yu to fish wasn’t far; it was a place where both Beastmen and wild animals usually came to drink.

They arrived quickly. Yu An stared intently and saw that the lake was, indeed, tinged with faint streaks of blood.

The blood had been diluted by the water, and its scent in the air was barely perceptible.

Without hesitation, Yu An entered the water to search for Lan Yin and Xiao Yu. Mo Yan and Ao Wu followed her, while Zhu Qingqing, who couldn’t swim, kept watch on the shore.

All three were strong swimmers, but only Yu An could breathe underwater. She wanted to dive to the bottom, but the other two wouldn’t let her.

Mo Yan said disapprovingly, "An’an, if this is something even Lan Yin couldn’t handle, you’ll only be putting yourself in danger."

Yu An clenched her fists. "Ao Wu, don’t Dragon Beastmen live underwater? Why can’t you breathe down there?"

Ao Wu replied helplessly, "Who says Dragon Beastmen live underwater like fish? Our homes are in the sky, just like that little island in the Endless Sea."

The gathering place of the Dragon Clan was a floating island.

"Then I’m the only one who can go," Yu An said, shaking their hands off. "It’s not like I can’t protect myself. Don’t worry. If I can’t beat it, I can still run, can’t I? I’ll lure the monster out, and then you two can finish it off."

Before they could agree, she dove headfirst into the water and immediately swam toward the depths of the lake.

Helpless, the two could only wait at the surface, ready to mount a rescue at a moment’s notice.

The lake was much deeper than Yu An had imagined. It took her a long time to reach the bottom, where fish and shrimp swam about leisurely, giving no indication that anything had happened.

She searched everywhere, using her superpower to command the aquatic plants to help. Fortunately, her superpower had advanced to Level 3, allowing her to control all plants within a radius of nearly a mile.

Thanks to their contract, a Female Master would sense it if her Beast Husband died, so Yu An wasn’t particularly worried that Lan Yin’s life was in danger.

As long as he was still breathing, she could bring him back.

What she worried about was Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu was still just a Zaizai, unable to protect himself. If Lan Yin couldn’t even save himself, how could he possibly have protected Xiao Yu?

Suppressing the worry in her heart, Yu An did her best to remain calm, conducting a sweeping search of the entire area.

She kept track of the time, planning to surface after an hour to let Mo Yan and Ao Wu know she was alright.

An hour passed in a flash, but Yu An still hadn’t found anything. She decided to head to the surface for now.

Halfway there, she suddenly heard Zhu Qingqing’s scream from above the surface. Yu An froze for a second, then swam faster.

By the time she broke the surface, the sky was completely dark. A thick, unnaturally grayish-black fog hung over the water. Mo Yan and Ao Wu were gone.

Only Zhu Qingqing stood on the shore in a daze, surrounded by signs of a fight.

She scrambled ashore. "Qingqing, what happened? Where are Mo Yan and Ao Wu?"

Zhu Qingqing snapped out of her daze, her face filled with terror as she pointed to the center of the lake. "They... they just vanished..."

As Yu An looked in the direction she was pointing, Zhu Qingqing stealthily raised her other hand and brought it down hard!

But the blow never landed. When her hand was less than an inch from the back of Yu An’s neck, a look of conflict filled her eyes. She clutched her head in agony. "Boss Yu, run! Someone’s trying to get you—"

Before she could finish, a dozen or so heavily cloaked Beastmen appeared. Without a word, they drew their weapons and charged at Yu An.

Yu An yanked Zhu Qingqing aside, shoving her out of the fray. "Go hide and stay safe!"

Then, she used her superpower, commanding the nearby plants to intercept some of the Beastmen.

As for the rest...

Yu An let out a cold laugh. Inside her personal dimension, the oil in her fried chicken cart began to heat up.

Hot oil, mixed with a lethal amount of white sugar. As several Beastmen lunged to grab her, Yu An took a few steps back and abruptly pulled the pot of scalding oil from her dimension, flinging it at them!

Screams erupted. The molten sugar-oil mixture clung to their skin, and in the blink of an eye, translucent blisters bubbled up on their flesh.

The afflicted Beastmen, driven mad with pain, thrashed on the ground. The sharp pebbles tore their blisters open, revealing the raw, pink flesh beneath. The slightest touch sent waves of excruciating agony through them.

The other attackers were stunned by the horrific state of their comrades. Yu An produced another pot of hot oil, her smile more wicked than any villain’s. "Come on! Come and get me! This lady doesn’t have much, but I’ve got enough candied hawthorns for everyone!"

As she spoke, she took a step forward. The oppressive aura she projected was so strong it forced the Beastmen to back away instinctively.

They wanted to run, but at some point, the vines behind them had woven into a thick, green wall, cutting off their escape.

With the pot in one hand and her foot propped on a rock, Yu An demanded in a low voice, "Talk. Who are you people? And where are my Beast Husbands?"

"Confess, and I’ll be lenient. Tell me everything you know, and I might let you walk. Otherwise..."

She made a motion as if to throw the pot of hot oil, and the Beastmen scattered in terror, cowering with their hands over their heads.

"Don’t! Don’t throw it!"

Having witnessed their comrade’s agonizing struggle, one of the Beastmen lost his nerve completely. "I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!" he stammered. "We’re from the Imperi— AARGH!"

Halfway through his sentence, the man let out a sudden scream, vomited black blood, and collapsed, dead.

The entire thing took less than ten seconds. The faces of the surviving Beastmen were etched with fear, and they didn’t know what to do.

Betraying their master meant dying like their comrade, but if they stayed silent, the vicious female before them wouldn’t let them go, either.

"Please, spare our lives! We can’t say anything! We’ll die if we talk!"

After weighing their options, they could only resort to pleading pitifully, hoping Yu An’s heart would soften and she would let them go.

Yu An frowned and instructed Lu Lu to collect a blood sample from the poisoned Beastman and analyze the toxin.

Before the analysis was complete, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind her—

"An’an, are you there? Ao Wu and I are over here!"

Two figures emerged from the thick fog—it was Mo Yan and Ao Wu.

They were injured, their bodies covered in mottled patches of blood.

At that exact moment, a sharp arrow shot out from nearby. Hearing it whistle through the air, Yu An tried to dodge, but for some reason, her body froze in place, unable to move a single step.

"An’an!"

Mo Yan and Ao Wu cried out in alarm. They were too far away; there was no way they could reach her in time!

At the critical moment, Zhu Qingqing, who was closest to Yu An, shifted into her beast form and lunged forward, swatting the arrow aside with a single swipe of her claw.

The danger passed, but before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the fog grew even denser—so thick they couldn’t see each other even standing face-to-face.

SPLASH... SPLASH...

The sound of splashing water suddenly arose, mingled with a bewitching, soul-stealing song. The fog dispersed, but Yu An was gone.

All that remained on the lake’s surface were spreading ripples.