Chapter 221: Chapter 221: Return to the Exiled Land
When he learned they were just passing through and would be leaving in two days, Feng Yue clamored to go with them.
Feng Xuan said sternly, "No. You’re the Clan Leader..."
"Brother, nothing’s going on in the clan, and the elders are here to hold down the fort. It’ll be fine if I leave for a while."
Feng Yue clung tightly to Feng Xuan’s leg, making it clear he wouldn’t let go unless Feng Xuan agreed.
Feng Xuan couldn’t shake him off no matter how hard he tried, so he could only look to Yu An, who was standing nearby. With a helpless smile, she said, "Then let’s have him come with us."
Feng Yue immediately let go. "Sister-in-law, you’re the best!"
He immediately went to pack his bags, afraid they might suddenly change their minds and leave him behind. For the next few days, he stuck to the Zaizai like glue.
’They might leave their little brother behind, but they have to take their own children, right?’
Their next stop was Mo Yan’s hometown, Mofeng City. Mo Yan thought Yu An was in a hurry to return to the exiled land and didn’t plan to stop in Mofeng City, but Yu An had other ideas.
"Mo Yan, I’ll go with you to pay respects to your elders."
Planning to continue their journey right after paying their respects, Yu An sent the others into her space. She, Mo Yan, and Little Serpent went to visit the graves of Mo Yan’s family.
Mo Yan had buried his family in a scenic spot outside the city. Yu An had been here once before, back when Little Serpent hadn’t yet been born.
But when they arrived, they saw a dozen or so Beastmen with tools, digging in front of the graves.
"What are you doing!"
Mo Yan was furious. Thinking they were robbing the graves, he raised a fist to strike.
"Mo Yan, calm down!"
Yu An quickly grabbed him. "They’re not digging up the graves. They’re filling them in!"
Hearing Mo Yan’s name, the Beastmen realized who he was. An elderly male among them quickly said, "A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Xiao Yan, we’re restoring your family’s graves."
Only then did Mo Yan recognize the old man as the Clan Leader of a nearby tribe. His family had once helped them, so the tribe had voluntarily watched over the graves for him.
"So it’s the Ancient Clan Leader," Mo Yan said urgently. "What are you all doing?"
The Ancient Clan Leader sighed. "It’s a long story..."
His tribe was grateful for the help Mo Yan’s parents had given them, so they would come here periodically to pay their respects and clear away the weeds.
Because wealthy people were often buried with gold and silver jewelry, some Beastmen made a living as grave robbers. Seeing how well-maintained Mo Yan’s parents’ graves were, they assumed there must be valuable treasures buried inside.
"Those damn bastards destroyed the coffins, so I had a new set made. We were just about to rebury them."
Mo Yan’s anger burned, but the grave robbers were long gone. He fell silent for a moment, looking at the coffins resting to the side, preparing to spend some more time with his Female Mother and Beast Father.
Yu An held Little Serpent’s hand, mother and son accompanying Mo Yan. After a while, the grave was re-dug. Mo Yan lifted a coffin, ready to lay his parents to rest once more.
As they were lowering it into the pit, the Beastman on the other end of the coffin stumbled, and the lid was jolted open.
Just as Yu An was about to help close it, Mo Yan’s gaze sharpened. "An’an, these aren’t my parents’ remains!"
Everyone present was stunned by his words.
’What’s going on? Could the grave robbers have taken Mo Yan’s parents’ remains?’
The Ancient Clan Leader hurriedly said, "Xiao Yan, my tribesmen were the ones who chased the robbers away. They saw them leave without taking anything."
There were no burial goods in Mo Yan’s parents’ graves, so the robbers left empty-handed.
"I was the one who gathered the remains... This..."
’The Ancient Clan Leader has no reason to lie, and the remains would be useless to grave robbers, so...’
"Impossible," Mo Yan muttered to himself. "I buried them myself. There’s no way I could be mistaken."
But the aura from the remains in the coffin, though faint, was definitely not his parents’.
An idea struck Yu An. "Let’s find a place to bury these two bodies first."
She squeezed Mo Yan’s hand, signaling that she had something to say.
Mo Yan was deeply unsettled, but he managed to ask the Ancient Clan Leader to bury the two unknown bodies. Afterward, he politely declined the Ancient Clan Leader’s invitation and left with Yu An.
"An’an," he said, his face a mask of confusion and helplessness, "what in the world do you think is going on?"
"Mo Yan, do you remember those Merfolk cubs who supposedly died prematurely?"
Mo Yan paused. "Are you saying my parents faked their deaths, and someone took them away after they were buried?"
Yu An nodded. "Since you’re sure you were the one who buried your Female Mother and Beast Father, that’s a very likely explanation."
But Mo Yan couldn’t understand. His family was only somewhat well-known in Mofeng City. How could they have possibly offended the Invincible Alliance?
’If his parents were still alive, where could they be?’
Mo Yan murmured, "An’an, do you remember I told you before that my enemy was in the Imperial Palace, and that he died of a sudden, terrible illness?"
Yu An nodded. "I remember."
"That person did exist, but I looked into it, and he had no connection to my family whatsoever."
It was as if he had wiped out an entire family on a whim.
But that man’s death was also too convenient. He died while Mo Yan was still in the exiled land.
Yu An made a mental note of this, planning to ask Yu Tinglan about it when she got back and see if anything could be found.
’Oh, and I’ll have to make a trip back to the Beast God Continent. If the Invincible Alliance really did take Mo Yan’s parents, there should be some clues left behind.’
’I need to find them, dead or alive!’
After composing themselves, they continued their journey. When passing through Quan City, where she had obtained the Divine Spring, Yu An made a special point to take a look around.
However, she quickly regretted this decision. Many people recognized her.
The people of Quan City had taken the culinary delights Yu An taught them and developed many new variations. The dining tables in every household were now graced with a host of new dishes.
As she walked through the city, Yu An’s arms were soon filled with a huge pile of gifts from the residents.
Once they finally made it out of the city, Yu An calculated the time. They should be able to reach the exiled land by the end of the month.
Yu An had spent the most time in the exiled land and had taught them the most recipes. Bai Ruo and the others didn’t keep them a secret, and in less than a year, Han Ling City had become increasingly lively.
The moment Yu An entered the city, she saw food stalls lining the streets everywhere. Han Ling City was a hundred times more bustling than before, and the air was filled with fragrant aromas.
She bought a few things to taste, and they were quite good. They headed in the direction of the Su Mansion as they strolled through the streets.
Han Ling City had a new City Lord, so Yu An didn’t know where Housekeeper Han lived now, but the Su Family’s residence hadn’t moved.
Their group was exceptionally eye-catching, especially the cubs. The six Zaizai had a one hundred percent head-turning rate.
"Hey, isn’t that Boss Yu!"
A voice suddenly called out from the crowd. Others quickly caught on, and upon seeing Han Li and the rest, they became even more certain that it was Yu An’s family.
"Boss Yu, you’re back!"
"Boss Yu, we missed you so much!"
Just like in Quan City... no, the crowd here was even more enthusiastic and wild. Yu An could barely handle it, and her face was starting to ache from smiling so much.
The road where Yu An’s family stood was completely blocked. Not far away, Zhu Qingqing, who was on patrol with her guards, saw the commotion. Thinking a fight had broken out, she rushed over with her people.
"Make way, what’s going on in there..."
After finally squeezing her way in, before she could even catch her breath, Zhu Qingqing saw a familiar figure in the center of the crowd.
Her voice trembled. "Sister An’an..."
