Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Helping Yu An on Behalf of Another

The Guard Captain waved his hand, and several guards stepped forward, intending to restrain Yu An.

Ao Wu, who was closest to Yu An, was quietly asking if her back still hurt. Seeing the guards approach so aggressively, a golden light swirled in his eyes.

"Get lost!"

Divine level Spiritual Power poured out of him. He used only ten percent of his strength, yet it was enough to make the guards tremble, and some even reverted to their beast forms.

The Guard Captain fared better and wasn’t as disheveled, but his expression changed drastically when he sensed that this power was even greater than Heavenly Level Spiritual Power.

Even Heavenly Level Spiritual Power had its varying degrees of strength, and he had never felt a force this powerful from the City Lord himself!

Moreover, three more Beast Husbands with Heavenly Level Spiritual Power were glaring at them like hungry tigers from behind Yu An. The Guard Captain’s hand, gripping his weapon, wouldn’t stop shaking.

But under the City Lord’s orders, he had no choice but to brace himself and say, "Yu An, are you trying to make an enemy of the City Lord Mansion?"

Ao Wu snorted. "So what if we are..."

"Ao Wu," Yu An raised her hand slightly. "Help me get the fire started."

Ao Wu immediately shut his mouth and did as she asked.

Her expression unchanged, Yu An calmly assigned tasks to the other three.

Then, she looked up and said, "Guard Captain, don’t be offended. I have no desire to be an enemy of the City Lord Mansion, but I also won’t let anyone pin a baseless crime on me."

"What Lady of the City? I’ve never even met her. You must have the wrong person, Guard Captain."

"Besides," Yu An asked, puzzled, "since when does the City Lord have a wife?"

"That’s right, that’s right," the customers chimed in. "I’ve lived in Han Ling City my whole life and never heard of such a thing."

"I know a little something. I heard the City Lord had a Female Master before he took his post, but she passed away when the Young City Lord was very young."

"So, did the dead come back to life, or did the City Lord find a new Female Master?"

The Beastmen chattered on, their speculation growing wilder. Sweat beaded on the Guard Captain’s forehead.

’This is bad,’ he thought. ’The City Lord only told me to use the "kidnapping of the Young City Lord" as a pretext to bring Yu An to the City Lord Mansion. I was so focused on showing off that I let it slip!’

Just as he was wondering what to do, Yu An said, "I have, however, seen the Young City Lord."

The Guard Captain’s eyes lit up. He said eagerly, "Then where is the Young City Lord? I knew you kidnapped him!"

Yu An casually pulled a ball of white fur from her leg. "Here, see for yourself. But I didn’t kidnap him. Your Young City Lord is the one who’s clinging to me and refuses to leave."

The Guard Captain knew Han Li was a Snow Wolf Beastman, but he had never seen his beast form. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if the sleeping Snow Wolf cub clutching Yu An’s arm was actually the Young City Lord.

As if sensing his predicament, Yu An said considerately, "Since this matter involves the City Lord’s wife and son, why don’t you have him come personally to take the Young City Lord away?"

"The innocent have nothing to fear. It’s not that I don’t want to go with you, but all these people are waiting to buy barbecue. I really can’t get away."

Since their own interests were at stake, the Beastmen glared at the Guard Captain, their gazes even fiercer than those of Ao Wu and the others.

The Guard Captain deliberated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and decided to return and report back first.

The group that had arrived so aggressively left with their tails between their legs. Yu An withdrew her gaze and began her day of selling from the stall.

The residents of Han Ling City were indeed wealthy. This was only the third day of selling barbecue, and she had already earned two thousand silver coins. At this rate, she’d definitely be able to complete her barbecue mission perfectly!

Yu An placed Han Li back on her leg and hummed a little tune happily as she sprinkled seasoning on the skewers. Seeing her good mood, Ao Wu surreptitiously suggested that he be the one to "serve" her again tonight.

Yu An shot him a look and replied in a low voice, "In your dreams!"

Ao Wu: Sob!

"Did she really say that?"

The Guard Captain knelt on the floor, trembling. "Yes, that is indeed what she said. This subordinate has never seen the Young City Lord’s beast form, so..."

Before he could finish, Han Fengyun waved his hand. "You are dismissed. Since she wants this City Lord to go personally..."

He narrowed his eyes. "Old Han, let’s go."

Housekeeper Han answered and hurried to follow.

But before they could leave, someone came to report, "City Lord, the Su Family Master has arrived."

Han Fengyun paused. He muttered to himself, "What is she doing here?"

The Su Family has countless ties to the Ping’an Gold Bank. The branch managers in all the major cities are personally selected by the Su Family Master.

However, she once publicly stated that the Ping’an Gold Bank is not an enterprise of the Su Family, but rather something she manages on behalf of another.

Some had tried to get to the bottom of it, hoping to find the Gold Shop’s true owner and get a piece of the pie. Unfortunately, the trail went cold at the Beast Emperor, and no one dared to investigate further.

Han Fengyun mulled it over for a moment and decided to see the Su Family Master first.

The Su Family Master appeared to be in her forties, a serious woman who rarely smiled.

After some pleasantries, she stated her purpose for coming. "I heard that Princess Yu An kidnapped the Young City Lord, and the City Lord sent men to arrest her?"

Han Fengyun replied impassively, "It’s not an arrest. My son went missing yesterday, and someone saw Yu An take him away. I merely wanted to invite her over to ask about the situation."

"Su Family Master, although Yu An was once a Princess, her title was revoked by the Beast Emperor. It would be best to address her with caution."

"Thank you for the reminder, City Lord," the Su Family Master said, her tone shifting. "It’s just that the men the City Lord sent could hardly be described as extending an ’invitation’."

Han Fengyun didn’t take the bait, asking instead, "From the sound of it, Su Family Master, are you trying to protect Yu An?"

The Su Family Master shook her head, then nodded. "Not protecting her, no. I was merely entrusted by someone to lend the girl a hand should she find herself in trouble."

Han Fengyun didn’t ask who had entrusted her, knowing the Su Family Master wouldn’t tell him anyway. He simply stated that he had no malicious intent.

Seeing that her objective had been achieved, the Su Family Master took her leave. Before she left, she said meaningfully, "City Lord, there is something I probably shouldn’t say, but you and I have some history, so I’ll be blunt."

"Not all orders from the Imperial City must be carried out. Some orders may not necessarily come from the most esteemed personage himself."

"The City Lord’s seat is not an easy one to hold, with so many people watching from below. If you were to anger that person, I’m afraid..."

After the Su Family Master left, Han Fengyun was lost in thought for a long time.

The orders he had received all came from the Beast Emperor. Otherwise, having no personal grudge against Yu An, he would never have taken the risk of offending the Tiger Clan, the Merfolk Clan, and two experts with Heavenly Level Spiritual Power just to assassinate her.

’The Su Family Master must know something to have given me this well-intentioned warning today.’

Thinking of this, he resolved to be more cautious in his dealings with Yu An.

’Still, I must get A Yuan and Han Li back. To prevent any unexpected complications, it’s better to strike first!’

A vicious glint flashed in Han Fengyun’s eyes.

’Brother, just you wait. Your younger brother will soon send that spawn of sin down to be reunited with you!’

Housekeeper Han was somewhat distracted, especially after seeing the Su Family Master.

The last time he saw Yu An without her birthmark, he’d found her familiar. He had been on the verge of remembering when the tempting aroma of barbecue distracted him, and he’d pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Afterward, he couldn’t recall it no matter how hard he tried.

Seeing the Su Family Master today, however, jogged his memory of certain past events. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

’No wonder I found Yu An familiar! I’ve seen her at the Su Family’s home before!’

’That face... and the one he saw at the Su Family’s home... they were the spitting image of...’