Chapter 96: Chapter 96: The Fruit Pit Left by Han Xiaoyun

"After the main husband and the Miss had their accident, the Family Head fell gravely ill. She always feels as if they’re still here, so she insists on having two extra place settings at every meal..."

The Su Family Master and Housekeeper Su had come looking for Yu An early in the morning. It was unclear exactly when they had arrived; afraid of disturbing her, they had waited outside. If Mo Yan hadn’t gotten up early to make breakfast, they might have been standing there for much longer.

The Su Family Master was desperate to find her daughter, and even the most delicious food tasted like ash to her. She only took a few hurried bites.

Yu An finished her meal quickly. She didn’t let her Beast Husbands accompany her, telling them to stay home, pack, and look after the children. She would go to the Giant Stone Tribe alone with the Su Family Master.

On the way, the Su Family Master was too nervous to speak. She had weathered more storms in her life than most people have had hot meals, but the thought of seeing her daughter again still made her tense.

It was Housekeeper Su who spoke with Yu An, recounting the events of that year and the hardships the Su Family Master had endured since.

Yu An was the only one among them who knew Zhu Qingqing well. Housekeeper Su hoped Yu An might put in a good word for the Su Family Master, to make it clear that she hadn’t deliberately given up looking for her daughter.

"When the main husband and the Miss had their accident back then, the bodies the Family Head recovered were mangled beyond recognition. She buried them herself. How could she have possibly known that the Miss was actually still alive?"

The Su Family Master’s Beast Husband still had the lingering traces of their contract, which is how he was identified.

Beastmen rely on aura to identify their own bloodline, so she was certain the swaddled infant was her child.

Yu An listened to Housekeeper Su’s rambling, but her thoughts drifted far away.

’Something occurred to her. If Beastmen can recognize their own offspring by their aura, then did the Beast Emperor know all along that I wasn’t her child?’

’According to Bai Ruo and the Su Family Master, the Beast Emperor seized the throne by betraying my Female Mother. If that’s true, she should have eliminated me to stamp out any future threat. Why then did she make me a Princess, raising me with such care and affection?’

’In the memories of this body’s original owner, aside from the Mother Empress and Beast Father being somewhat distant, she had never been wronged or punished.’

’The original owner was quite cute as a child. It was only after she was poisoned that she developed the "red birthmark" and grew progressively uglier. The poison also made her temper more and more volatile, and she became intensely jealous of her younger sister, who was showered with their parents’ love. Only then did the Beast Emperor punish her severely and cast her into exile.’

’And another thing... who was it that took me from my Female Mother’s side and brought me to the Imperial City?’

The three of them soon arrived at the Giant Stone Tribe. The Beastmen of the tribe were very surprised to see Yu An; they thought she would never come back.

The tribespeople they passed all greeted her warmly. But when Yu An led her two companions to Bai Ruo’s home, they were told that Zhu Qingqing and Bai Rong had gone out.

"The Clan Leader has people digging up potatoes and sweet potatoes every day, and they’re on today’s work roster."

"Oh, right, An’an, they are..."

Although both Bai Ruo and the Su Family Master had served the Princess, they were responsible for different affairs. Few people knew the Su Family was part of the Princess’s power base—not even Bai Ruo herself.

The Su Family Master, on the other hand, knew of Bai Ruo’s existence. It was just that the Beast Emperor had purged so many people back then, she assumed Bai Ruo had met an untimely end long ago.

"So that’s how it is," Bai Ruo said, coming to a sudden realization after hearing their story. "No wonder Qingqing has a Gu Worm raised by the Beast Emperor inside her."

The Su Family Master also learned about Zhu Qingqing’s past experiences. Her heart ached for her terribly.

Her daughter should have been pampered and cherished, but instead she had endured so much that she never should have had to face.

The Su Family Master closed her eyes, her heart filling with even more hatred for the Beast Emperor.

For the sake of the Princess, she had been willing to act as a tool for the Beast Emperor to amass wealth. But the one thing the Beast Emperor should never, ever have done was harm her child!

As a mother herself, Bai Ruo could empathize with the Su Family Master’s fury and continued to comfort her in a low voice.

Seeing all this, Yu An really just wanted to curse the Beast Emperor. ’What a psycho.’

’The Su Family Master had no feud with the Beast Emperor. Why would the Beast Emperor torment a swaddled infant?’

’She’s just plain sick!’

As noon approached, a lively chatter started up outside the cave, and Bai Rong and Zhu Qingqing walked in, deep in conversation.

The Su Family Master stood up nervously, looking expectantly at the entrance.

Soon, two unfamiliar figures appeared in her line of sight. She immediately recognized which one was her daughter.

The Su Family Master opened her mouth, but found she couldn’t say a word.

Bai Rong spotted Yu An right away and pulled Zhu Qingqing over to her. "Sister An’an, what are you doing here?"

Zhu Qingqing also called out "Sister," her eyes sparkling as she looked at Yu An.

Yu An glanced at the apprehensive Su Family Master and said gently, "I came because of Qingqing."

"Qingqing, this is your Female Mother."

Unlike what the Su Family Master had imagined, her daughter didn’t rush into her arms crying and shouting "Female Mother."

Zhu Qingqing did not do that and even seemed a little unwilling to acknowledge her.

Thankfully, Yu An was there to explain everything. Once she understood that her Female Mother had not abandoned her, all the emotions Zhu Qingqing had bottled up for so long erupted, and she sobbed until she could barely breathe.

The Su Family Master was at a loss. "Qing... Qingqing, don’t cry, Female Mother is here..."

It would have been better if she hadn’t spoken. As soon as she did, Zhu Qingqing cried even harder.

Yu An, Bai Ruo, and the others exchanged a glance and quietly slipped out, leaving the mother and daughter alone.

The faint sound of crying continued to drift from the cave. Yu An glanced at the sky, deciding it was time for her to head back to Han Ling City.

"Aunt Bai, I’m really leaving this time. You must take care of yourself."

Bai Ruo acknowledged this and walked her all the way to the tribe’s entrance.

Yu An didn’t go home, but first went to the City Lord Mansion. Since a New City Lord hadn’t been chosen yet, the old City Lord Han Fengyun’s things hadn’t been cleared out, and Housekeeper Han was still there.

He hadn’t left with Mo Yan and the others. For one, the two males didn’t want an old third wheel like him tagging along. For another, Housekeeper Han wanted to stay and watch over Han Ling City, so that Han Fengyun or Han Li would have a place to come back to.

They had traveled light, so naturally, they couldn’t take the gold, silver, and jewels from the private vault.

She had been told she could pick whatever she wanted, but in reality, before she arrived, Han Fengyun had hidden all the most beautiful jewels.

’Those were all treasures he had sought out for his own Female Master. If his son’s Female Master wanted some, his son could damn well go and find them himself!’

After arriving at the City Lord Mansion, Yu An saw Han Li. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"An’an, over here, over here!"

He waved to Yu An from afar and ran over enthusiastically like a puppy.

"An’an, for you."

He proudly presented a large rice ball, as if showing off a treasure. "You haven’t eaten, have you? Mo Yan made rice balls for lunch, and I saved one for you."

Yu An took it and took a bite. Inside were strips of cucumber and a chicken cutlet. It was fragrant and refreshing.

"What are you doing here?"

The two chatted as they walked into the City Lord Mansion, and Han Li led her directly to Han Fengyun’s private vault. "I came to show you the way! Uncle Han is getting old and needs his sleep. He’s not even awake yet."

Housekeeper Han, who was supposedly sleeping: "..."

’He couldn’t sleep at all!’

Yu An stifled a laugh and didn’t call him out on the lie.

Han Fengyun’s private vault was much smaller than Ao Wu’s collection. Yu An estimated that the gold and silver there wasn’t enough to raise her to Level 6.

But every little bit helped. She had Han Li stand guard while she focused completely on her cultivation.

Han Li dutifully stood guard nearby, not moving a muscle. Only after Yu An finished cultivating did the two of them begin to browse the vault together.

"Oh, right!" Han Li slapped his forehead and took out an exquisite little box. "An’an, my Beast Father asked me to give this to you."

Yu An opened it to find a blood-red fruit pit resting inside.