Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Stop Arguing, Both of You Listen to Me

Yu An paused. "Forgotten? Vanished?"

"That’s right," Lan Ying said, his eyes burning with intensity. "The elders tried everything, but they could only put me into a deep sleep. Only you, my Female Master, can decide whether we live or die."

"An’an, I’ll definitely treat you better than him. I won’t go around with a sullen look on my face all day like he does. Please, choose me, won’t you?"

He put on an expression like he was on the verge of tears. "I want to know what it feels like to be chosen, just once. He has his clan who loves him. All I have is you."

There was an element of performance to it. After so many years, Lan Ying no longer cared about being abandoned back then.

But as he waited for Yu An’s answer, he suddenly felt a surge of nervousness.

His palms began to sweat, and his heart pounded in his chest.

What he didn’t know was that Lan Yin, whom he had temporarily suppressed, had also awakened. He, too, was waiting for Yu An’s answer.

’If Yu An chooses Lan Ying...’

"Why choose just one?"

Yu An crossed her arms. "Only children have to make a choice. I’m not a child."

’Just two of them... Ahem!’

Lan Ying froze, seemingly not having expected Yu An to answer that way.

"But as the saying goes, two tigers can’t share one mountain. With two souls in one body, if there isn’t a dominant one, there’s bound to be trouble sooner or later."

Yu An shrugged. "It’s true that two tigers can’t share one mountain, but you and Lan Yin aren’t tigers."

Lan Ying: "..."

Lan Yin: "..."

"Just kidding, just kidding," Yu An said, waving her hand. "You’re just worried that if there isn’t a dominant one, you’ll fight for control of the body, right? That’s easy to solve."

"Let me ask you, what is the first rule of a Beast Husband?"

Before Lan Ying could even process her question, he blurted out, "Obey all of the Female Master’s commands."

"Exactly," Yu An said, making an okay sign with her hand. "Neither of you has to be dominant. You just both have to listen to me."

"Can Lan Yin hear me?"

Lan Ying closed his eyes. A moment later, he said, "He’s awake."

"Alright. From now on, you’ll take turns controlling the body, one day each. This rule cannot be broken except under special circumstances. Who agrees, and who objects?"

Lan Ying thought for a moment. "I have no problem with that."

This seemed to be the best possible outcome. Otherwise, once the Merfolk Clan elders discovered he was in control of the body, they would surely seal him away again.

’He didn’t want to be alone anymore.’

Lan Yin also agreed, and consented to start the exchange the next day. He had, after all, occupied the body for several hundred years and felt a little guilty toward Lan Ying... but not *that* guilty!

’He still had to fight for what was his. He couldn’t let Lan Ying have everything.’

’Like their Female Master, for instance. Or their Zaizai, Xiao Yu.’

The two of them went back and forth, with whoever was speaking taking momentary control of the body. It was like watching someone with a split personality.

After arguing for a long time, they finally decided that Xiao Yu should add their individual names when addressing them.

Yu An watched them bicker, her own point of focus rather peculiar. "Wait, how old did you guys say you are?"

This time, it was Lan Yin who had control of the body. "Three hundred years old. Or three hundred and twenty-one, to be precise."

Yu An’s mouth twitched. "Doesn’t that make the two of you cradle robbers?"

Lan Ying sneakily snatched back control. "It doesn’t matter, as long as I’m good at what I do. Female Master, want to give me a try tonight?"

He even pulled open his shirt, revealing a hint of his collarbone as he leaned forward in an attempt to seduce her.

"Ahem. The food should be ready. Let’s not talk about this. Let’s go eat first."

Yu An pushed him away and stood up, staring straight ahead.

"Alright," Lan Ying said, disappointed. "If you’re ever in the mood, Female Master, you have to come find me."

Yu An gave a few noncommittal replies and made a hasty escape from the room.

Once contact was broken, Lu Lu said resentfully, "An’an, he was actively trying to seduce you! Why didn’t you just, you know, do it and get the Origin Core Fragment out of him?"

Yu An declared righteously, "How could I engage in debauchery in broad daylight!"

"Oh, well, nighttime works too. In any case, just repair the Origin Core first. They’re all your Beast Husbands anyway. It’s not like you’re losing anything by sleeping with them."

Yu An: "..."

’It... actually made a lot of sense.’

’There’s one Origin Core Fragment inside Han Li, one inside Feng Xuan, and one in Lan Yin’s body... so where’s the last one?’

’She’d already checked Ao Wu, and he didn’t have one.’

Thinking of Han Li made Yu An a little uneasy. She and Han Li had an agreement that he would definitely come see her as soon as they entered the city.

’But why hadn’t he come yet?’

Back in the room, Lan Yin seized back control. "Can’t you be a little more reserved? You act like you’re in heat all the time. You scared Yu An away!"

’Even if he wanted to compete for her favor, he had to take it slow. He needed to build an emotional connection first.’

Lan Ying scoffed internally. ’Reserved? Be any more reserved and all the places in Yu An’s heart will be taken. We can build an emotional connection later. The priority is to claim a spot first.’

He touched his own face, thinking faintly, ’Looks and physique are also tools for winning her favor.’

Mo Yan had made four dishes and a soup, all perfect in color, aroma, and taste. Yu An couldn’t help but marvel at how much he had improved.

"Amazing," she said, giving Mo Yan a thumbs-up. "Mo Yan, we’ll be counting on you for all our meals from now on!"

The corners of Mo Yan’s lips curled up. "Leave it to me. You can rest assured."

’He had to keep practicing hard to make sure An’an could never leave him (or rather, his cooking)!’

Ao Wu said, feeling wronged, "An’an, I actually made a dish too, but Mo Yan wouldn’t let me bring it out."

"What dish?"

"Hot and sour shredded potatoes," Ao Wu said plaintively. "I think I did a pretty good job. You could entrust the cooking to me, too."

Yu An glanced at Mo Yan and saw his indescribable expression.

Her curiosity was instantly piqued. "Where’s the dish you made? Let me have a taste."

Ao Wu agreed and immediately got up to get it, giving Mo Yan no chance to stop him.

"An’an," he said cryptically, "maybe just have a small bite. The flavor... well, I can’t describe it."

This only made Yu An more curious, as were the others at the table. Da Hu looked eager, wanting a taste as well.

When the shredded potatoes were brought out, they looked and smelled perfectly fine to Yu An. But the moment she took a bite—

"COUGH COUGH COUGH!"

Yu An couldn’t think of a word to describe it. All she could say was that it existed somewhere between delicious and disgusting.

Ao Wu asked expectantly, "So it’s just average? I’ll practice more then!"

"No," Yu An said seriously. "It’s awful! Stay out of the kitchen, or you’ll just give me a headache!"

Ao Wu: "..."

Teasing was one thing, and when the others at the table laughed at him, Ao Wu didn’t take it to heart. He didn’t care one bit.

But that night, when Yu An chose Lan Ying, he was ready to cause a scene.

"Why!"

Ao Wu demanded, utterly baffled, "Am I not handsome enough? Is my body not good enough? Why choose him over me!"

Lan Ying wore an incredibly punchable expression. "You’re perfectly fine, just not as good as me. That’s why An’an didn’t choose you."

He was about to say more, but Yu An shot him a warning glance, and he sheepishly shut his mouth.

She pulled Ao Wu aside to a private spot, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Don’t be angry now. We have to take turns. As your Female Master, I can’t show favoritism, can I?"

Ao Wu didn’t want to make things difficult for her and was just about to let himself be placated when Feng Xuan suddenly spoke up.

"If we’re talking about taking turns, then I should be ahead of Lan Ying."