Chapter 671: Chapter 671: So Close, Yet So Far
Little Hua immediately began to struggle with all her might, thrashing against the restraints.
"No! Let me go! Please let me go!" she wailed, her voice echoing heartbreakingly across the snowy peak.
"I want to see Female Master! I want to see Stove! I want to see the cubs!"
But no matter how much she cried, begged, and thrashed, nobody released their grip on her. This wasn’t because they did not love her, but rather because they loved her far too much to risk her life.
Nearby, her mother was crying quietly as well, her leaves drooping sadly toward the frozen ground.
Watching her only daughter struggle and scream like this made her feel as though her own heart was being violently torn apart.
Little Hua was her only child.
Among rare spiritual plants, having offspring was an extremely difficult and miraculous thing.
Spiritual plants could not reproduce easily like regular vegetation or beastmen; every single child required an immense amount of pure essence, decades of patience, and a massive sacrifice of the parents’ own life force.
Many spiritual plants spent their entire centuries-long lives without ever having a single sprout.
Her mother and father had waited for a very long time before Little Hua finally sprouted from the soil. She was their most precious treasure...their only daughter.
As for the fifteen spiritual plants surrounding her right now, they were not actually her biological brothers.
All of them belonged to the same large clan. Their stern grandfather was the supreme leader of the entire clan, and under him were fifteen different family branches.
Little Hua’s uncles and aunts each had their own single children over the years. Those fifteen spiritual plants were actually her cousins.
However, because the clan lived completely isolated and grew up tight-knit in the hidden valleys, they had always treated each other as true brothers and sisters.
And because Little Hua was the youngest and smallest child in the entire clan, everyone completely doted on her. She was the undisputed little princess of the family.
That was exactly why the entire clan had gone into a panicked frenzy when she suddenly disappeared months ago.
They had desperately searched high and low, scaling dangerous cliffs and traversing unknown territories. Not a single person had been willing to give up on her.
Now that they had finally found their precious little princess alive and well, there was absolutely no way they would ever let her leave their sight again.
Meanwhile, Little Hua continued to cry bitterly, her small green leaves trembling as she was forced to move away from the valley.
She looked toward the distant horizon where Dragon Beast City lay, her heart completely filled with sadness.
She had no idea that at this very moment, down in the snowy plains, Su Qinglan, Stove, and all her beast husbands were also desperately braving the freezing storm, shouting her name and searching for her.
Both sides were desperately looking for each other, yet neither side knew just how far apart the cruel hands of fate had already pulled them.
Night had already fallen over Dragon Beast City, and the temperature had dropped even further, turning the crisp air into a biting frost.
The howling cold wind swept relentlessly across the snow-covered ground, making everyone’s faces turn bright red and numb from the freezing weather.
However, despite searching tirelessly for the entire day, they still could not find any trace of Little Hua. Her spiritual trail had completely and abruptly disappeared near the grand gates of Dragon Beast City, as if she had vanished from the face of the world entirely.
Su Qinglan stood there in a daze, her boots sinking deep into the fresh snow. She simply could not understand it.
How could a sensible spiritual plant suddenly disappear without leaving a single hint behind?
The freezing wind brushed harshly against her cheeks, and her fingers inside her gloves were already stiffening.
At that moment, Hu Yan walked over with heavy, crunching steps. He unfastened his thick fur cloak and wrapped it gently around her shivering shoulders.
"Lan Lan," his voice was low and tender, contrasting with his fierce appearance.
"Let’s go back to the house first. I’ll stay out here and continue searching the perimeter."
Su Qinglan looked up at him, her heart heavy.
She knew Hu Yan was incredibly worried about her health; after all, she had been trudging through the deep snow for the entire day, and her body was already visibly exhausted.
However, she still stubbornly shook her head. "No. You should stay close to Stove out here. He is really losing his mind. Don’t leave his side, okay?"
Hu Yan paused, looking into her determined eyes, and finally nodded. "Alright. I’ll watch him."
Only then did Su Qinglan finally relent and agree to return home first to rest. The other beastmen spread out, continuing their desperate search into the dark woods.
Meanwhile, An mo silently stepped up to follow beside her. The two walked through the quiet, snowy path together toward the house, neither of them speaking a word.
The atmosphere was unusually peaceful.
An Mo’s golden eyes brightened slightly. ’Finally,’ he thought with a spark of satisfaction. ’No one is watching.’
Back then, whenever he tried to get even remotely close to Su Qinglan, one of the others would immediately appear out of nowhere.
Especially Han Jue, that dominant wolf demon always seemed to find a way to ruin his chances.
Thinking about the freezing river this morning, An Mo still felt a wave of annoyance.
Who would have thought he would be dragged away by the senior husbands to wash heavy bedding in icy water as a welcoming ritual?
Just thinking about it made him want to challenge Han Jue to a fight.
Unfortunately, he was currently the newest member of the family, the sixth husband, holding the lowest rank in the household hierarchy.
An Mo silently sighed to himself. Life was truly difficult for a newcomer.
Then, he glanced down at Su Qinglan. The moment his eyes caught her pale, tired face and drooping shoulders, all his petty complaints vanished into thin air.
Without a second thought, he stepped closer, his large, muscular arm wrapping securely around her shoulders to pull her against his warm side.
Su Qinglan was stunned by the sudden embrace and looked up, her eyes meeting his swirling golden ones. "An Mo..."
