Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Han Fengyun’s Lover

Hu Hui Lan thought she had come early enough, but the moment she stepped outside and smelled that overpowering aroma, then saw the line stretching as far as the eye could see, she nearly fainted!

"How are there so many people? Will I even be able to buy any today?"

Just as she was despairing, she saw people at the back of the line leaving one after another, as if they had given up on waiting.

Seeing this, Hu Hui Lan quickly grabbed someone and asked, "Aren’t you buying any?"

"I want to," the person said, on the verge of tears. "But look for yourself. Is there any chance of getting to the front?"

To allow more people to buy some, Yu An had once again implemented a purchase limit: thirty skewers per person.

Although thirty skewers were nowhere near enough to fill up a beastman with a large appetite, it was at least enough for a taste.

All hope of buying any was lost. Hu Hui Lan was about to head home when Da Hu suddenly ran toward them.

"Hello, Auntie and Uncle! Can we play with big brother Lu Xi?"

"Of course, you can," Hu Hui Lan said, looking at her own zaizai. "Xixi, do you want to go play with the younger brothers?"

Lu Xi hesitated for a moment before replying softly, "Yes."

His Beast Father set him down. After saying goodbye to Hu Hui Lan and the others, Da Hu took Lu Xi by the hand and ran toward the food cart.

Hu Hui Lan left Lu Xi’s Beast Father, Lu Xiang, there and went back with the others.

Yu An had set up a small grill behind the cart. Xiao Yu and Xiao Hu were in the middle of grilling some meat, and when they saw Lu Xi, they invited him to join them.

With Lan Ying watching nearby, there was no need to worry about any danger.

Lu Xi looked around curiously and was soon playing along with them.

Lu Xiang was incredibly pleased to see his zaizai playing with others his age, a rare sight.

He worked in the City Lord Mansion and often came into contact with wealthy and powerful beastmen. It was obvious to him that Yu An’s family was either rich or noble. They were most likely aristocrats from the Imperial City who had committed some crime and been exiled here.

But only Yu An and the three zaizai had the scent of Exile Grass on them; the males did not. Lu Xiang found this very strange.

He was truly curious, and bored of just standing around, so he tried to strike up a conversation with Lan Ying.

Lan Ying was very cold and aloof in front of outsiders. Lu Xiang said a great deal, but at most, he only got a few "hmms" in response.

Lu Xiang didn’t mind and just kept on talking.

He was a chatterbox, and even his own family thought he talked too much. Now that he had finally cornered a listener, he didn’t care whether the listener was actually paying attention or not.

"Make way, make way! Everyone, make way!"

A commotion suddenly broke out at the back of the line. Yu An couldn’t see what was happening over there, only that the people in line were parting to let an elderly-looking male walk through.

Yu An recognized the person beside him. It was Housekeeper Han.

’The only person who could make Housekeeper Han act so fawning could only be...’

"City Lord, please slow down. Watch your step."

It was indeed Han Li’s Beast Father, the City Lord of Han Ling City, Han Fengyun.

’But Han Fengyun looks very, very old. Could it be that Han Li was a child born to him in his old age?’

"Miss, what kind of food are you selling here? I could smell the fragrance from a long way off."

Han Fengyun was kinder and more amiable than Yu An had imagined. The beastmen had all made way for him voluntarily, their eyes full of respect when they looked at him.

"It’s barbecue," Yu An replied. Seeing that he had no intention of dropping the pretense, she decided to play dumb just like him. "Would the City Lord like to buy some? If so, please go to the back of the line."

Before Han Fengyun could speak, Housekeeper Han became displeased. "How audacious! How dare you ask the City Lord to condescend to wait in line! I think you’re..."

"Hey," Han Fengyun said disapprovingly. "So what if I’m the City Lord? If one must queue, then one must queue."

Just as he finished speaking, a beastman who had finally made it to the front of the line after a long wait looked at his barbecue and swallowed hard.

"City Lord, please, take my portion."

He offered up his barbecue. "I suddenly don’t feel hungry. You toil day and night for Han Ling City; you need to replenish your strength."

Just as Han Fengyun was about to refuse, Yu An spoke up. "I’m new here, so I didn’t realize the City Lord was so diligent in his duties and so beloved by the people. In that case, I’ll prepare the next order for you, City Lord."

None of the beastmen objected. The beastman at the very end of the line even left the queue automatically.

Seeing this, Han Fengyun nodded toward that beastman.

"In that case, it would be rude to refuse."

He glanced at the drawn menu and ordered one skewer of each type. Yu An said nothing and expertly began to grill.

Housekeeper Han paid and then stood waiting behind Han Fengyun, completely baffled as to what his master was planning.

’Just a while ago, he had ordered me to use that peacock female to capture Yu An’s zaizai, but now he was here buying food as if nothing had happened.’

’Housekeeper Han had to admit, there was a reason the man was a City Lord while he was just a housekeeper. He could never achieve that level of composure.’

’But still...’

’This barbecue smells incredible!’

Housekeeper Han gulped, smelling the enticing aroma.

While waiting for the barbecue, Han Fengyun spotted Lan Ying. "Clan Leader Lan, long time no see."

Far from exchanging pleasantries, Lan Ying didn’t even spare him a glance.

Han Fengyun just smiled, not at all annoyed. He knew Lan Yin’s temperament—he couldn’t even be bothered to look at people he disliked.

’Although Lan Yin didn’t look kindly on him, he noticed that Lan Yin didn’t seem particularly close to Yu An either. It seemed there might still be opportunities to cooperate in the future.’

Han Fengyun had no idea that a different soul now inhabited Lan Yin’s body. The fact that Lan Yin had two souls in one body was a secret known only to a few elders of the Merfolk Clan.

Therefore, in Han Fengyun’s eyes, the one who had made a deal with him was Lan Yin.

Soon, his order was ready, and Housekeeper Han took it from them.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t disturb everyone’s enjoyment of this fine food. You must be Boss Yu An, correct? We’ll meet again."

Yu An, putting on a fake smile, said, "Take care, City Lord."

’I’ll just focus on finishing my task for now,’ she thought. ’I’d like to see just how long Han Fengyun can restrain himself before he makes a move against me.’

However, she hadn’t sensed any malicious intent from him, and Han Fengyun didn’t know the body’s original owner.

Her thoughts turned to the Imperial City, and Yu An began to wonder, ’Is Han Fengyun acting against me on orders from the Beast Emperor?’

Han Fengyun did not return to the City Lord Mansion. Instead, he went to a small, secluded courtyard.

He stood at the gate, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. His eyes immediately fell upon a woman in the courtyard feeding fish.

Han Fengyun put on a smiling face. "A Yuan, look what I brought for you."

Mo Yan first caught a rich, fragrant aroma. She turned around curiously. "A Yun, what did you bring? It smells wonderful!"

"A type of food," Han Fengyun said, placing the barbecue on the stone table in the courtyard. "Come, try some."

Mo Yan sniffed it and curiously picked up a chicken wing skewer. The wing was grilled to be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The charred, greasy aroma wafted straight into her nose.

She couldn’t resist taking a bite. The skin was crispy and fragrant, the meat inside succulent and tender, with a hint of sweetness amid the spice... Mo Yan had never eaten anything so delicious!

Han Fengyun’s gaze was gentle. "Eat more. This is all for you."

But Mo Yan put it down. "No, I want to wait for Li’er to come back so we can eat together."

A flicker of gloom passed through Han Fengyun’s eyes, but he quickly nodded. "Alright, then we’ll wait for Li’er to come back together."

Mo Yan nodded, her eyes fixed expectantly on the gate.

A short while later, the gate was pushed open again. Han Li walked in, step by step. The length of each stride was identical, as if he had been programmed.

He walked up to Mo Yan and Han Fengyun and said with filial reverence, "Female Mother, Beast Father, I have arrived."