Chapter 261: Chapter 261: Double Standard
"AHHHH, THAT’S HER!!!"
"Damn it, why didn’t you say so sooner!"
Ao Er’s body moved faster than his mind. He thrust the child in his arms at a subordinate, then reverted to his beast form and flew up after them.
The guards knew Ao Er was a Dragon Clan Beastman, but none of them had ever seen his beast form.
A few guards from the Bird Clan also flew up to help, but the winds whipped up by the giant golden dragon were too powerful for them to get near.
Ao Er managed to get closer, but the moment he did, the golden dragon attacked him with frenzied madness.
He was afraid of harming Fuzai. In that brief moment of hesitation, the golden dragon carried Fuzai away, vanishing into a vast bank of clouds.
Ao Er’s vision went dark, and he nearly plummeted from the sky. He scoured every possible hiding spot for a dragon in the heavens but couldn’t find so much as a single Dragon Scale.
Not daring to delay, he immediately dispatched someone to inform Yu An while he led all the flying Beastmen in a relentless search.
’How could such a massive dragon just vanish into thin air!’
Though the cart was fast, the road was not very smooth, slowing their pace slightly.
Little Wolf stayed inside the dimensional space. Yu An would enter at night to be with him and come out during the day to continue their journey.
Yu An noticed that Little Wolf seemed to be keeping a secret. The Cloud Beast mentioned that he often stayed in his room alone, not coming out to play, acting all mysterious.
One early morning, Yu An kissed the still-sleeping Zaizai, tucked him in properly, and teleported out of the space.
After she left, a gentle melody played in Little Wolf’s mind. He groggily opened his eyes, and before he was even fully awake, he was already beginning his exercises.
"Yes, just like that. You’re doing great, Zaizai!"
A gentle voice echoed in his mind, and following its directions, Little Wolf expertly began cultivating his spiritual power.
The voice called itself the Divine Stone—the very same "tenant" his Female Mother had said was temporarily residing in his body.
The Divine Stone said it felt awkward living in him rent-free. Seeing his remarkable potential, it offered to teach him how to cultivate powerful spiritual power.
’I was forced to leave Female Mother last time,’ Little Wolf thought, ’and now it’s happening again. Even though she didn’t say what happened, I know we must have new enemies.’
So he agreed to learn from the Divine Stone, voluntarily cutting back on his playtime. ’Even if I can’t become an unrivaled master overnight, I have to be able to protect myself.’
’At the very least, I can’t let myself be used by villains to threaten Female Mother!’
"SOB... I’m so touched! Don’t you worry, Zaizai, I will absolutely hold nothing back in teaching you!"
Little Wolf said earnestly, "Thank you, Uncle Divine Stone. I’ll do my best!"
The Little Stone was both incredibly touched and overwhelmed by his cuteness. Its voice became unnaturally high-pitched and soft as it gently reminded Little Wolf to keep training, before taking a moment to pop into the Blood Crystal.
Seeing that Han Li wasn’t cultivating, its tone shifted instantly. "What do you think you’re doing? Slacking off? Get back to your training!"
Han Li’s lips twitched. "Lord Divine Stone, I just finished my session. This is my break time."
Heaven knew how hard he’d been working lately. He rested for only two hours a day, spending every other moment in a frenzy of cultivation.
It was all because the Little Stone had dangled a carrot in front of him, promising that he could leave this place once his cultivation reached a certain level.
As a result, Han Li was completely wired, training day and night. If not for the fear of sudden death from exhaustion, he wouldn’t have even taken those two hours of rest.
The Little Stone sneered. "Two hours? You don’t get hungry or tired in here. Don’t you think a two-hour break is a complete waste of time?"
"Break’s over. Get back to training!"
Han Li was left speechless.
’My body doesn’t get tired, but my mind does,’ he thought. Still, the Divine Stone was right; those two hours of rest really were a waste.
The thought of Yu An, and then of his children, instantly renewed his motivation. He scrambled to his feet and resumed his training.
Satisfied, the Little Stone went back to Little Wolf.
"Zaizai, it’s time for a break! Go have a yummy meal, and make sure you get plenty of rest and go sleepy-bye on time, or you won’t grow big and tall~"
「After several days of travel, on the eighth day, Yu An and her party finally arrived in Qing City.」
Ao Si led the way at the front, while Yu An grew impatient, eager to see Mo Yan and Little Serpent.
Upon reaching the courtyard where they were staying, Yu An took a deep breath and knocked on the main gate.
A guard answered the gate. The moment he saw Yu An, he shot to his feet. "Lord Mo! Fourth Young Master! The Hall Master is here!"
Little Serpent had wanted fried meatballs that morning, so Mo Yan was busy in the kitchen. When he heard the guard’s shout, he burst out like a gust of wind.
A familiar face appeared in the distance. Mo Yan’s eyes immediately reddened, his vision blurring with tears.
"An’an..."
He strode forward and swept Yu An into his arms. She hugged him back tightly. If so many people hadn’t been watching, Yu An was certain he would have burst into tears right then and there.
Even though he was holding back, Yu An could still hear the choked emotion in Mo Yan’s voice. She gently patted his back. "A yuan, I’m here."
She pulled back from his embrace and tilted her head. "Let me see... were you crying?"
"No," Mo Yan said, turning his face away in embarrassment. "I wasn’t crying. Just... too excited."
Yu An made a show of inspecting him, deliberately ignoring the shimmer of tears in his eyes before reaching her verdict. "Yep, definitely not crying. My A yuan is so brave, much stronger than Han Li. When he saw me, his tears nearly flooded all of Winter City."
Mo Yan gave a helpless smile, his overwhelming emotions from a moment ago subsiding. "An’an, aren’t you afraid Han Li will throw a fit if he hears you say that?"
He took her hand, his eyes and his heart filled with nothing but the sight of her, everyone else fading into the background.
Taking the hint, Ao Si tactfully led the others inside, leaving the two of them alone.
"He can’t hear me," Yu An said with a wave of her hand. "I need to talk to you about something tonight. It’s about Han Li."
Mo Yan’s curiosity was piqued. "What is it?"
Yu An lowered her voice. "It concerns the fate of this world. It’s quite serious."
Mo Yan understood immediately. Realizing that the matter was confidential, he didn’t press her further.
"Where’s Little Serpent? How come he didn’t come out to greet me?"
Yu An started to look for Little Serpent but was held back by Mo Yan. "Aunt and Uncle took him out. Oh, by the way, I saw them."
He quickly recounted what had happened. Yu An immediately thought of the Nirvana Fruit. "When they get back, we’ll have Uncle Xiao Yun take the Nirvana Fruit. Combined with the Divine Spring Water, he should be able to reconstruct his physical body."
Mo Yan’s gaze was gentle. "Alright."
Having just been reunited, the two had endless things to say to each other. But before they could start a new topic, a burnt smell suddenly drifted from the kitchen.
Yu An sniffed the air. "A yuan, what were you making in the kitchen? I think something’s burning."
"Oh no!"
Mo Yan’s expression changed in a flash. "My meatballs!"
He rushed to salvage the pot of meatballs, but they were beyond saving. Fortunately, he still had more of the filling, so he could just fry a new batch.
Yu An offered to help, but Mo Yan wouldn’t let her lift a finger. He had her sit on a small stool, and every time a new meatball was fried, he’d pop one into her mouth.
When Little Serpent returned home, he was expecting to be greeted by the aroma of freshly fried meatballs. Instead, all he found was a slightly greasy, empty basin, a pot of lukewarm soybean oil, and his Female Mother, looking full and satisfied.
Little Serpent was at a loss for words.
’Wow, the meatballs are gone, but Female Mother is here!’
’I’m so happy!’
