Chapter 67: Chapter 67: The Child of an Old Acquaintance

"The Princess was the previous Beast Emperor’s most cherished daughter. When she was born, the sky was filled with a radiant glow. Her beast form didn’t take after her father’s; she was the legendary Phoenix."

"The Beast Emperor was overjoyed and named her the heir during her first-month celebration. The Princess had so many followers, they could have formed a line from the gates of the Imperial City all the way to the exiled land. I was one of them, and was lucky enough to earn her favor..."

Bai Ruo spoke for a long, long time. Yu An listened quietly as hazy images began to form in her mind.

A woman with an obscured face softly sang a lullaby. Beside her, a toddler, not yet as tall as the cradle, stood on tiptoe to peer inside. A tall man watched them with a smile, and the room was filled with a harmonious warmth.

Yu An tried hard to see their faces clearly, but the images quickly vanished.

"But, the good times didn’t last long..."

As she said this, Bai Ruo seemed to be overcome by a profound sadness, so lost in her emotions that she couldn’t speak another word.

Yu An didn’t rush her. After she had calmed down, Yu An asked, "And then? Did something bad happen?"

’From what Bai Ruo is saying, this doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the current Beast Emperor, yet it feels connected somehow.’

’They were both daughters of the previous Beast Emperor. That means my birth mother and the current Beast Emperor must be sisters, right?’

"The Princess disappeared," Bai Ruo clenched her fists. "The position of heir was stolen by the sister she trusted most, who is now the current Beast Emperor."

"Not only that, she also hunted down and killed all of us who had once served the Princess. I was one of the lucky ones who managed to escape."

Remembering her comrades, her brothers and sisters in service, dying before her eyes, she couldn’t stop a few coughs from escaping.

Yu An handed her a cup of warm water. Bai Ruo took a sip and then looked back at her face.

"The Princess always said she wanted to find the finest Beast Husband and bear the most exceptional heir. It seems her wish came true."

Bai Ruo’s gaze was gentle, as if through Yu An’s face, she was seeing the proud and noble Princess from many years ago.

Yu An touched her own face. She had already mentally prepared herself, so she wasn’t too surprised. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

But there was one thing she didn’t understand. "Aunt Bai, according to you, my Female Mother is the Princess you speak of, the current Beast Emperor’s older sister. But before I came to the exiled land, my identity was always that of the Beast Emperor’s daughter."

’Thinking back, the Beast Emperor and her Beast Husband never really cared for the original ’me.’ Their attitude was so cold. It was probably because they knew I was the Princess’s child.’

’But why didn’t they eliminate me to prevent future trouble? Why raise me for so many years instead?’

’And all the recent attacks I’ve faced point back to the Imperial City. Could they all be the Beast Emperor’s doing?’

’They didn’t kill me back in the Imperial City, but now they’re going to all this trouble in the exiled land?’ Yu An was utterly confused.

In response to her confusion, Bai Ruo looked troubled. "This... I don’t know about that either."

Forget that, she didn’t even know when Yu An had been born.

’But the Princess must still be alive. Otherwise, this child, Yu An, wouldn’t exist.’

Afterward, Bai Ruo asked Yu An about her plans. "Child, you surely won’t stay in the exiled land forever, right? I was lucky to escape back then, and I’ve been barely surviving here in the exiled land under an assumed name. After giving birth to Rongrong and her brothers, my health has been getting worse and worse."

She gave a bitter smile. "The tribe’s witch doctor is quite skilled. He could tell that I was poisoned a long time ago, and that the poison is gradually destroying my body."

"If I didn’t still want to see the Princess one last time, I would have given up long ago. Now that I’ve met you, half of my wish has been fulfilled. Even if I were to die now..."

"Aunt Bai," Yu An interrupted her. "Don’t you still have someone you want to see? You have to live a long and healthy life."

"From just your few words, I can feel the sincere friendship you two once shared. Don’t you want to see your good friend again?"

She took the opportunity to grasp Bai Ruo’s wrist, and her superpower flowed from her hand into Bai Ruo’s body. Bai Ruo felt an unfamiliar power, but it was so gentle that she had no thought of resisting it.

As her superpower traveled halfway through, Yu An suddenly frowned.

Near Bai Ruo’s heart, she discovered a worm identical to the one she’d found inside Zhu Qingqing.

Having done this before, she crushed the worm and pulled it out with practiced ease.

Looking at the worm, Bai Ruo’s face turned pale. Yu An thought she was disgusted, but Bai Ruo’s next words stunned her.

"I’ve seen this kind of worm before. Before the current Beast Emperor took the throne, she loved to raise all sorts of strange and bizarre things, and these worms were among them."

’Back then, we just thought it was a young girl’s peculiar hobby. I never imagined she would use it on me!’

"Aunt Bai, you should know about Qingqing. Her obesity was also caused by this kind of worm."

Yu An briefly explained Zhu Qingqing’s situation. Bai Ruo was stunned. "Qingqing is an orphan. How could she have offended the Beast Emperor?"

’Could it be that Zhu Qingqing’s Female Mother or Beast Father was one of the Princess’s followers, and Qingqing was implicated because of it?’

But as far as Bai Ruo knew, the Princess had no Iron-eating Beastmen among her subordinates.

Zhu Qingqing was still a cub when she was found and brought back to the Qingyan Tribe. She doesn’t remember anything from before, so she has no idea how she might have offended someone.

Fortunately, Bai Ruo’s poison was cured. With proper care, she could very well make a full recovery.

Bai Ruo really wanted to stay with Yu An a while longer, but it was already late. Not wanting to disturb their rest, she had to reluctantly take Bai Rong and Zhu Qingqing back to the tribe.

Seeing her Female Mother looking back every few steps, Bai Rong couldn’t help but mutter to Zhu Qingqing, "Look, Qingqing, my Female Mother doesn’t even want to leave. Who’s her real daughter, anyway!"

Zhu Qingqing said weakly, "But, if it were you, wouldn’t you want to stay with Sister An’an?"

Bai Rong was stumped. "Er... I would!"

’If I could live with Yu An, I can’t even imagine what a lively and cheerful little female I would become. I’d be ready for market in less than three months!’

So much had happened in just a few short days. Yu An was mentally and physically exhausted and just wanted to get a good night’s sleep.

Lan Ying was being held in the adjacent single room, so she decided to just make do in the large cave for a few days. They would be moving to Han Ling City soon anyway, and then she would get a room all to herself.

She had originally wanted to sleep while hugging Zaizai, but Mo Yan and Ao Wu had already lulled Zaizai to sleep. Using the excuse of not wanting to wake the cub, they offered themselves up to her instead.

Great. Gunpowder was sparking between the two of them again. Yu An sighed.

"Feng Xuan, you come sleep with me. Mo Yan, Ao Wu, you two watch Zaizai while he sleeps."

After speaking, she yanked the stunned Feng Xuan onto the bed and pulled the bed curtains shut.

Mo Yan: "..."

Ao Wu: "..."

Feng Xuan: "..."

"Ahem, let’s get this straight. I can sleep with you, but you can’t make a... move on me..."

The rest of his words caught in his throat. Feng Xuan hurriedly lowered his head, but the flash of smooth white he had just seen was still seared into his mind.

Yu An’s back was to him, her outer robe half-removed. "Make a move? You mean get handsy?"

She paused and looked back at Feng Xuan. Seeing him with his head still lowered, she couldn’t resist the urge to tease him a little.

"You’re my Beast Husband. Why can’t I get handsy?"

"But... but we agreed before, I’m just Zaizai’s Beast Father..."

"I don’t care," Yu An wrapped her arms around his neck, a cunning smile on her face. "I’ve changed my mind. I insist you stay."

"Besides, if you’re being honest with yourself, you’re not completely without feelings for me, are you?"