Chapter 142: Chapter 142: So Far, Yet So Close

They looked like they had seen a ghost. It wasn’t until Yu Huang came to her senses, scowled, and shooed them away that they finally left, abashed.

Only Yu An wasn’t scared off. She pestered Yu Huang, asking her to smile again. Yu Huang found the child incredibly annoying, but she forced a smile just to send her away.

"Hurry up and check on your pig trotters. Didn’t you say they would be ready in half an hour?"

"Oh, right, right! Time’s up!"

Yu An left, completely satisfied. Ao Yun, who had been watching the entire scene, nearly crushed the packet of medicine in her hand!

She had used half the powder to lure a herd of wild boars over, but she never expected Yu An to escape completely unharmed. That group of meddlers had intercepted all the boars’ attacks!

What angered her most was that Yu Huang was treating Yu An even better than she treated her. ’If this keeps up,’ she thought, ’they’ll recognize each other as mother and daughter before Yu Huang even recovers her memories!’

Ao Yun’s gaze turned sinister as one hand drifted to the Jade Pendant at her waist.

’Yu An, you’re forcing my hand!’

’The Jade Pendant was a last-resort, life-saving treasure from her Beast Father, Ao Yin. Now she had to use it on Yu An. What a waste.’

The veiled malice was ever-present, so Yu An was always on guard around Ao Yun. However, since Ao Yun hadn’t dropped the facade, Yu An simply pretended to be oblivious.

The pig trotters had been stewed until they were melt-in-your-mouth tender, and their rich aroma filled the air. The sound of people swallowing their saliva was incessant.

Chu Feng, in particular, used his slightly higher status to guard the pot, completely immersed in the aroma.

Just when they thought they had tasted the most delicious food imaginable, Yu An would create something even more delectable, like the pig trotters before them now.

Chu Feng secretly gulped. "Miss An, surely these pig trotters are ready to eat now?"

’They look so appetizing,’ he thought. ’I could eat this whole pot by myself!’

"Not yet," Yu An said, shaking her head. "They need to be grilled."

A wire rack was set up. As the braised pig trotters were placed over the flames, they immediately began to SIZZLE as the fat rendered.

Then, she sprinkled on a handful of her secret dry spice mix, grilling them until the skin was lightly charred...

Seeing the grilled pig trotters served to Yu Huang, Chu Feng, for the first time, had the urge to grab them and make a run for it.

After observing her for the past few days, Yu An had discovered that Yu Huang liked spicy food and could handle any level of heat. That was why she had added a ton of chili powder to this serving—so much that even a single bite would have Yu An herself desperately gulping down water.

But Yu Huang took a bite with unhurried, exceptionally elegant movements, her face remaining expressionless.

Yu An sighed and walked away, disappointed.

Yu Huang took in her reaction, and as she lowered her head, a hint of a smile touched her eyes.

She continued to enjoy the first serving of pig trotters. She could feel the crispness of the skin and the soft tenderness within. It melted in her mouth, yet still had a satisfying chewiness.

But she couldn’t taste a single thing.

’Well, to be precise,’ she thought, ’besides a constant, injury-like pain, my tongue can’t feel anything at all.’

’Still, it’s an improvement. At least it’s better than before.’

’Besides, last time, I could actually taste the sweetness in the water Yu An gave me.’

’Does this mean my body is recovering?’

There isn’t much meat on a pig’s trotter, so the Beastmen would usually discard them after hunting a wild boar. They never lacked for meat and looked down on such meager parts.

But today was a real eye-opener. They nearly came to blows over servings of the grilled trotters. If there had been any more wild boars nearby, they would have undoubtedly gone to hunt another herd.

The aroma of the grilled pig trotters was too overpowering for even Ao Yun to resist. In fact, aside from the very first vegetable and meat congee, she hadn’t managed to resist a single one of the delicacies Yu An had made since.

She decided to just give in, took the pig trotter from Yu An, and dug in with gusto.

Only after she had finished did she regret not resisting the temptation.

The saying goes that you can’t bite the hand that feeds you... That didn’t hold true for Ao Yun, but her malice toward Yu An did fade ever so slightly.

’If... if Yu An knows what’s good for her,’ she thought, ’and voluntarily stays away from our Female Mother, if she doesn’t try to steal her from me, then maybe... just maybe, I could show her mercy...’

"Female Mother, Female Mother, hurry and try the honey water! I added a little more honey this time."

Seeing Yu Huang accept the drink and even allow Yu An to sit beside her, Ao Yun’s expression immediately soured.

’Show her mercy?’

’Hmph!’

Although Da Hu and Xiao Hu weren’t Dragon Clan Zaizai, the two little ones were exceptionally popular in the clan, which hadn’t had any new Zaizai born in years.

Whenever Ao Si took the two of them out for a walk, he would invariably return laden with gifts, never empty-handed.

"Fourth Young Master, you take these, and these, and these too. Don’t let Da Hu and Xiao Hu carry anything; they’re still so small."

"And this, take it all. Da Hu, Xiao Hu, this auntie’s cooking is delicious! You must come back every day and try some of my food."

"Take these clothes, they’re for you. Such cute little ones..."

Ao Si, squeezed by the crowd of elders to the point he’d lost the will to live, saw his chance. He shoved the pile of things in his arms into an attendant’s hands, scooped up the two little ones, and bolted!

"Let’s get out of here! I was being crushed!"

The two little ones, however, were quite unfazed. They didn’t care where they went and simply let Ao Si carry them away.

To avoid being surrounded again, Ao Si took them straight to Suspended Island.

The guards of Suspended Island saw it was Ao Si and didn’t stop them, so they entered without any trouble.

"There are so many pretty flowers here."

They were so colorful that Xiao Hu was dazzled.

He reached out a small hand to gently touch a petal. Seeing that he liked it, Ao Si simply plucked the flower and gave it to him.

"Here, you can play with it. Da Hu, which one do you like? Your big brother will pick it for you."

Da Hu shook his head. "They’re all pretty, but there isn’t one I really love."

In his hazy memories, he had seen the most beautiful flower in the world. Other flowers were pretty, yes, but they could never compare to the one in his memory.

Ao Si didn’t press the issue and continued to show them around.

’His Beast Father had left too quickly.’ He hadn’t had a chance to tell him the news about his younger sister’s appearance, so he had to tell his older brother and the others first. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

His older brother had heard the news and told him not to let it spread; they would search for their sister’s whereabouts in secret.

It wasn’t just them, either. The Alliance Hierarch of the Invincible Alliance was also looking for his sister. However, the Invincible Alliance’s people didn’t seem to know she had come to the Beast God Continent; they were still searching on the far side of the Endless Sea.

Ao Si was incredibly thankful that he hadn’t made a big fanfare of his search. Lost in thought, he’d unconsciously led the two Zaizai to the front of a cave.

A thick, heavy stone door blocked the cave entrance. Da Hu asked curiously, "Big brother, what is this place?"

Ao Si snapped back to reality, glanced at the cave, and replied, "This is the Dragon Clan’s Imprisonment Cave. It’s where we lock up clan members who’ve done something wrong so they can reflect on their mistakes."

"Only the Clan Leader can open it. It’s not a nice place. It’s completely empty inside; you’d be bored to death all by yourself."

Ao Si thought of his younger brother, Ao Wu. He had been terribly mischievous as a child and was a frequent guest in the Imprisonment Cave. Other people had three meals a day; he got locked up three times a day.

In truth, it wasn’t just his brother Ao Wu; Ao Si himself had spent his fair share of time inside.

Thinking of the past, Ao Si couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia for his brother, Ao Wu.

The kid was a mischievous troublemaker, but the clan was so much livelier when he was around.

Years ago, there had been a small island next to Suspended Island, but it had since drifted away. Ao Si didn’t care where the island had gone; what mattered was that Ao Wu had been on it when it left.

’Sigh... I wonder where Xiao Wu is now,’ he thought. ’I hope he hasn’t suffered too much out there all these years...’