Chapter 66: Chapter 66: No Wonder She Looks Like an Old Acquaintance

"Female Mother, what are you doing here?"

"Female Mother? Female Mother?"

Bai Rong called out to her several times before Bai Ruo snapped out of her daze. "Oh, Female Mother heard that you were injured. I was a little worried, so I came to find you."

She spoke to Bai Rong distractedly, her peripheral vision never leaving Yu An.

Yu An found it strange. She searched through the original owner’s memories but found nothing about Bai Ruo.

’The body’s original owner didn’t know Bai Ruo, so why does Bai Ruo look so emotional, as if she’d just seen an old friend?’

Bai Rong also noticed something was off with her Female Mother. "Female Mother, you keep looking at Sister An’an. Do you know her from before?"

"No, I don’t know her."

Realizing her gaffe, Bai Ruo tried to cover for it. "I was just taken aback for a moment. It’s my first time seeing such a beautiful female."

Bai Rong believed her and nodded in agreement. "Female Mother, I think so too! Sister An’an is the most beautiful female I’ve ever seen!"

The first moment she had seen Yu An, she had noticed the birthmark on her face was gone.

Yu An touched her cheek and took the initiative to invite the mother and daughter to stay for dinner.

Bai Ruo instinctively refused, "No, we couldn’t..."

"Aunt Bai, may I call you that?"

Yu An cut her off with a smile. "Please stay. I’m always hearing Rongrong talk about you, so this is a perfect opportunity to get to know you."

Bai Ruo opened her mouth, but looking at Yu An’s face, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

Zhu Qingqing didn’t want to return to the Qingyan Tribe. The Clan Leader of the Giant Stone Tribe extended an olive branch, so she and Bai Rong became members of the same tribe.

Yu An gave them some space to get acquainted and went to the neighboring cave to find Mo Yan and the others.

They were there guarding Lan Ying. When Yu An entered, Xiao Yu was already awake.

"Female Mother," Xiao Yu said with a sad face, "Beast Father has changed. He’s not Beast Father anymore. When will Beast Father come back?"

Yu An stroked his little head. "Be good. Your Beast Father will be back soon."

Lan Ying’s lip twitched. "Hey, what do you mean by that? I’m Xiao Yu’s Beast Father too."

He was furious. Why did even a cub treat him and Lan Yin differently?

Yu An gave Mo Yan and the other two a pointed look, signaling for them to take the three Zaizai out to play. Soon, only she and Lan Ying were left in the cave.

"Tell me, what will it take to get Lan Yin back?"

Lan Ying turned his face away. "Nothing will work. You can just give up on that idea!"

’They wouldn’t let him fight Lan Yin for the body, so he was determined to take it. Even if it meant mutual destruction, he would never give it up!’

"Fine, then," Yu An’s tone shifted. "You can have the body. You’ll stay here for now. I’ll have someone bring you food every day so you don’t starve."

"And when we go to Han Ling City, I’ll take you with us."

Lan Ying was stunned for a moment. "You... you’re not going to try to persuade me anymore? Or force me to sleep?"

He and Lan Yin shared one body, two souls. They used to take turns when they were young, but then he revealed a ruthless streak unlike any other, and the Merfolk Clan elders, fearing he would cause trouble in the future, chose to seal him away.

They first tried to persuade him to consider the greater good. Only after he refused did they forcibly seal him and put him to sleep.

Yu An spread her hands. "You said you won’t agree. I can’t persuade you, and I have no way to force you."

"Besides, Lan Yin and I aren’t actually that close. Our only connection is Xiao Yu. And when you think about it, if Xiao Yu doesn’t have Lan Yin, he still has other Beast Fathers. It’s not worth my time and energy to fight for him."

"Also, what if I push you to the point of mutual destruction? The loss would far outweigh the gain. I don’t want the Merfolk Clan blaming me for Lan Yin’s death."

"I’m hungry, so I’m going to eat. I’ll have someone bring you food later."

With that, she turned and left without a second thought.

Only Lan Ying was left in the cave. Oh, and Lu Lu, who had volunteered to guard him.

He didn’t know what the black chain was made of. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t break free; he only managed to chafe his wrists red.

In a fit of rage, Lan Ying... was angry for a moment, then just sulked by himself.

Everyone was tired today, so Yu An decided to take out the hotpot they hadn’t gotten to eat the other day. The group sat together around the steaming pot.

Steam rose from the red-and-white divided yuanyang pot, and the broth made a GURGLING sound as it boiled.

The savory, numbing spice of the hot broth assaulted the senses, while the aroma from the clear broth on the other side, though milder, was not to be underestimated.

Besides Yu An, no one else had ever eaten hotpot before, so she demonstrated.

She let the thinly sliced beef and mutton simmer for a moment in the pot, noting that the greens didn’t need to cook for long either. Then she picked them out and dipped them in the prepared sauce.

The meat rolls were juicy and succulent, while the vegetables were crisp and refreshing. With just one bite, the savory fragrance of the hotpot filled their mouths.

Hotpot, a dish that has dominated human cuisine for years, had no trouble conquering the taste buds of the beastmen.

At first, Zhu Qingqing was a little reserved and hesitant to take food. But as she watched the meat rolls and vegetables rapidly disappear, she cast aside her reservations and went into a frantic food-grabbing mode.

Even Bai Ruo, who had been staring blankly at Yu An from time to time, began to focus intently on snatching food from the pot.

It couldn’t be helped. Everyone is equal before a delicious meal. Forget about the others; even her own daughter was competing with her for food.

Their meal was lively and boisterous, and the aroma drifted on the wind to the next cave, a scent so tantalizing it made Lan Ying despair.

’Damn it, she said she’d have food sent over! Why isn’t it here yet?!’

As if sensing Lan Ying’s resentment, Ao Wu walked in with a plate of steamed buns.

"Here. Your food."

Lan Ying looked at the buns, then sniffed the savory aroma in the air and was immediately displeased. "Why is my food different from what you’re eating?"

He’d never had a steamed bun before and was curious to try one, but it was obvious they were treating him differently!

Ao Wu rolled his eyes. "It’s buns or nothing. Take it or leave it. An’an is being merciful. If it were up to me, you wouldn’t even get buns. You could eat dirt!"

Lan Ying was indignant, but there was nothing he could do. He had to accept his fate.

It was clear Ao Wu wasn’t going to undo his chains, but at least he could still reach a bun.

The buns had been kept in her storage space, so they were still warm. Full of resentment, Lan Ying took a vicious bite.

He swore he would make Yu An pay... ’Whatever,’ he decided. ’I’ll eat this delicious bun first.’

After dinner, Mo Yan and the other two cleared the dishes. Yu An gave Da Hu a look, and the little one understood. He took his two younger brothers and led Bai Rong and Zhu Qingqing outside to play.

Yu An, however, stopped Bai Ruo, who was using the late hour as an excuse to go home. "Aunt Bai, can we talk?"

Bai Ruo paused. "Talk about what?"

She knew her earlier behavior had been strange and must have caught Yu An’s attention, but she... she just couldn’t stop herself from looking at Yu An’s face.

’The resemblance... it’s just too strong!’

"About why you keep looking at me," Yu An said seriously. "I don’t believe the excuse you gave earlier."

She was certain the body’s original owner had no connection to Bai Ruo. Based on Bai Ruo’s age, she speculated that Bai Ruo had likely known the original owner’s parents.

But whether she knew the original owner’s publicly acknowledged parents—the Beast Emperor and his Beast Husband—or her true parents, Yu An had no way of knowing.

Bai Ruo was silent for a moment before she finally spoke. "You... you look a lot like someone I used to know."