Chapter 672: Chapter 672: Sleep, Lan Lan
An Mo smiled down at her, his large hand gently rubbing her arm through the cloak to generate heat.
"Lan Lan, don’t worry so much. It’s only a spiritual plant. I’ll find her for you. There is absolutely nothing impossible for me."
His voice was calm, steady, and brimming with the natural confidence of a powerful beast, as if no matter what crisis occurred, he would always be able to solve it for her.
Su Qinglan couldn’t help but smile faintly, the tight knot of worry in her chest easing just a fraction. "We’ll definitely find her," she whispered softly.
An Mo nodded instantly. "Of course we will." His answer came without a shred of hesitation, making Su Qinglan lean slightly heavier against him for support.
Seeing her lean in, An Mo’s eyes immediately curved with pure happiness, his smile growing even brighter.
His Lan Lan was finally becoming more comfortable around him. This was progress...very good progress.
As they walked further, the snow beneath their feet became deeper and heavier, and Su Qinglan’s steps grew slower and slower.
She was truly running on an empty stomach. Having spent the entire day frantically searching through the freezing wind out of worry for Little Hua and the weeping Stove, her muscles were aching.
Suddenly, An Mo stopped walking entirely.
Before Su Qinglan could even react, he fluidly bent down, scooped her up into his strong arms, and lifted her in a seamless princess carry.
Su Qinglan blinked in surprise, her hands automatically gripping his shoulders. "What are you doing?"
An Mo chuckled softly, "Taking you home. This way is much faster, and you don’t need to trudge through all this heavy snow yourself."
Su Qinglan looked at his handsome, smiling face, then down at the deep snowdrifts blocking the path ahead.
Finally, she let out a soft laugh and relaxed. She really was far too tired to argue. Instead of protesting, she curled up comfortably against his broad chest, tucking her face into his neck.
An Mo’s smile widened until it reached his eyes. He carefully adjusted his hold, wrapping his arms tighter to ensure she was perfectly warm and shielded from the wind.
The cold night air continued to howl around them, yet inside his steady embrace, Su Qinglan felt a wave of absolute warmth.
For a long while, neither of them spoke. An Mo simply carried her with steady, unhurried steps through the dark paths, almost wishing this snowy road would last forever.
After a long moment, he lowered his head to gaze at her drooping eyelids. "Sleep, Lan Lan."
Su Qinglan peeked open her eyes, blinking sleepily.
"I’ll take you safely home," he murmured in a low, comforting rumble.
"When you wake up... maybe the others will already have good news about Little Hua."
Su Qinglan stared at his golden eyes for a second, feeling completely safe. Then, she slowly nodded. "Okay..."
Her eyes gradually closed as the accumulated exhaustion of the day finally caught up to her.
Within minutes, her breathing became soft, slow, and perfectly even. She had fallen fast asleep.
An Mo looked down at the sleeping female resting so trustingly in his arms, his golden eyes softening completely with a deep, protective love. The freezing night suddenly seemed much warmer than before.
An Mo carefully carried Su Qinglan back into the house. The moment he stepped across the threshold, a pleasant wave of warmth from the fire greeted them, but he knew it was nowhere near enough to chase away the deep, biting cold that had seeped into her bones after a full day in the snow.
Moving with absolute gentleness, he placed her onto the soft mattress and pulled the thick, heavy animal fur blankets all the way up to her chin.
Su Qinglan was already completely drained. Her eyes had barely closed before she fell into a deep, uninterrupted sleep, her small face burying into the furs.
An Mo quietly sat by her side for a few silent moments, his golden eyes locked onto her face, ensuring her breathing was perfectly steady and peaceful.
Only when he was certain she wouldn’t wake did he finally stand up.
Just as he reached the bedroom door, Shi Feng stepped out from the adjacent room where the cubs were resting. Seeing the lion beastman approach, An Mo immediately raised a finger to his lips.
"Shh," he signaled softly.
Shi Feng instantly caught on and nodded, both males lowering their voices to a barely audible whisper.
"Take care of her," An Mo murmured, his tone serious.
"Mn."
"She’s incredibly tired. If she wakes up before we return, make sure you give her something warm to eat right away."
Shi Feng nodded again, his gaze shifting toward the bed. "I understand."
An Mo glanced back at the sleeping female one last time before turning around and slipping quietly out into the freezing night.
Shi Feng watched him leave.
Once the heavy wooden front door clicked shut, he walked over to Su Qinglan’s bedside.
The moment he got closer, his brow furrowed in immediate worry. Her face was far too pale from the lingering winter chill. Even in her sleep, her cheeks looked almost frozen stiff.
Shi Feng immediately turned around and walked out of the room. A few moments later, he returned carrying a large stone basin filled with fire embers. As he set it down, a steady, ambient heat slowly began to radiate through the bedroom.
He carefully placed the basin a safe distance near the bed before sitting down right beside her. Only after watching a faint, healthy color slowly return to her cheeks did the lion beastman finally relax his tense shoulders.
Meanwhile, outside the house...
An Mo slowly walked through the quiet, snow-drenched pathways of the city. His hands were loosely rested behind his back, his posture relaxed as he tilted his head from side to side.
Crack.
Crack.
His neck let out several sharp popping sounds. His expression was completely unreadable under the moonlight, and nobody in the city could have guessed what was currently running through his mind.
The howling cold wind blew past, lifting the edges of his cloak.
Suddenly...An Mo stopped walking.
His footsteps froze in place right in the middle of the empty street. A strange, knowing smile slowly carved its way across his handsome face. Then, it widened.
It was a far cry from the gentle, harmless smile he usually displayed around Su Qinglan. This one looked incredibly sharp, powerful, and almost... dangerous.
A split second later...
Whoosh!
His entire tall figure completely vanished into thin air. Just like that. Cleanly gone. Not even a faint shadow or a footprint in the snow remained behind.
At that exact moment, a neighboring beastman who had just happened to step out of his house to fetch some firewood witnessed the entire thing. The beastman froze mid-step, his jaw going slack.
"..."
He forcefully rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. Then he rubbed them again, staring hard.
The street was entirely empty. There was absolutely nobody there. The beastman’s mouth slowly fell wide open in pure shock.
"Did... did I just see that?" he whispered to himself, his voice trembling. He stared intensely at the exact patch of snow where An Mo had been standing just a second ago.
The beastman swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out despite the freezing weather. He rubbed his eyes even harder until they turned red.
"Am I hallucinating from the cold?" He looked up at the empty sky, then down at the undisturbed ground, and then back at the completely vacant street.
A sudden, terrifying chill ran straight down his spine.
"...Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten those dried mushrooms this morning," the beastman muttered in a panic. He immediately dropped his firewood, turned around, and rushed back inside his house at top speed.
Bang!
The door was slammed shut and bolted tight.
