Mo Yan thought it was about to attack him and quickly took a defensive stance. But to his surprise, the Wild Bull's eyes were fixed on his hand.
Yu An glanced at the bull, which was gulping hard, and guessed, "Mo Yan, do you think it wants to eat the potato in your hand?"
Mo Yan paused for a moment, then tentatively offered the potato.
The Wild Bull sniffed it and swallowed it in one gulp. Yu An noticed its eyes light up.
Her eyes swept over the other roasted potatoes, and an idea formed in her mind.
"Mr. Big Bull, how about we make a deal?"
Yu An said with a smile, placing several potatoes at the Wild Bull's feet. "We don't mean to invade your territory. We just want to harvest a type of rice that grows inside. If you let us in to harvest it, in exchange, I'll roast a lot of potatoes for you. How about it?"
She took out an illustrated book and showed the Wild Bull what the rice plants looked like.
The Wild Bull lowered its head, wolfed down the food, and then tilted its head as if in thought. Seeing this, Yu An added more fuel to the fire. "Besides potatoes, I can make other delicious foods. What does a bull live for, if not to eat a mouthful of fresh, tender grass and other tasty treats?"
"That rice isn't something you like to eat, so why not trade it? It's a win-win for both of us, mutually beneficial."
"You get what you want, and I get what I want. Why wouldn't you agree?"
The beasts on the Beastman Continent were highly intelligent, they just couldn't speak. Yu An waited quietly for the Wild Bull's answer.
The Wild Bull seemed contemplative, mulling it over while opening its mouth to eat the potatoes Yu An was feeding it.
As the soft, fluffy potato melted in its mouth, the Wild Bull came to a decision.
'That rice stuff doesn't taste good anyway, and it just takes up space. I might as well trade it for some delicious food.'
It mooed a few times. Yu An asked tentatively, "You agree?"
The Wild Bull nodded, then lowered its head to eat the grass Xiao Yu fed it.
It was getting late. Even though they were in the wild, it didn't stop Yu An from preparing the next day's fillings. The rice could be harvested later; she had to sell her buns first.
"Huh? No more buns?!"
Outside the Giant Stone Tribe, Yu An's single sentence instantly caused waves of wailing.
Bai Rong was the first to plead, "No, Boss Yu! How will I go on without you!"
"Yeah, yeah! The only reason I hunt every day is to earn money for your buns! After eating your buns, I can't eat anything else!"
People from other tribes had just arrived only to hear this terrible news. Recalling what had happened in the Giant Stone Tribe before, they tried to poach her. "Boss Yu, what happened with Xiong Li would never happen in our tribe. Why don't you come sell in our tribe instead?"
"Get lost, get lost," Ma Shu, who had just started eating a bun, was the first to object. "What do you think you're doing, trying to steal Boss Yu from our Giant Stone Tribe? You're asking for death!"
Just as a battle between tribes was about to break out, Yu An sighed and pressed her forehead. "What are you all doing? I haven't even finished speaking."
"I said I'm not selling buns, not that I'm not selling other delicious food."
A potential war was averted with just a few words. Although the Beastmen were reluctant to give up the buns, they had been eating them for several days in a row, so a change of pace was also acceptable.
Most importantly, even if they wanted to eat them, the boss wasn't selling them anymore.
Bai Rong asked impatiently, "Boss Yu, what are you going to sell next?"
Yu An gave a mysterious smile. "It's a secret. You'll find out the day after tomorrow."
'Actually, the quest won't be issued until tomorrow, so I don't know either.'
She could have sold the buns by herself, so she sent Mo Yan and Da Hu to harvest the rice. She gave Da Hu a mission: find out what happened to Mo Yan that night.
For the past two days, Mo Yan hadn't let her touch him, so her progress in charming the Origin Core Fragment had stalled. He would sometimes stare at her in a daze. Yu An happened to catch a glimpse of his expression—in his eyes, there was disappointment, unwillingness, and a hint of... resentment.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that the resentment was directed at her.
Unfortunately, by the time the rice was harvested, Da Hu still hadn't managed to find anything out. Instead, Mo Yan had noticed something was amiss.
When Yu An returned, he pulled her into a corner and said bluntly, "I'm fine. Stop having Da Hu ask about it."
Yu An hesitated for a moment, then took the initiative to hold his arm, her voice gentle. "I know there are some things you don't want to tell me, but we're a family. We should help each other."
"If you need help, you can come to me anytime."
With Lu Lu's help, the rice didn't need to be dried. It was hulled directly and ready for cooking.
After several days of heavy, meaty meals, Yu An picked some wild vegetables and made a vegetable congee for dinner.
Served with the chive blossom sauce she had made earlier and two cold wild vegetable side dishes, the light congee and simple dishes were very refreshing.
Just after midnight, Yu An received her next quest: Fried Chicken Family Bucket.
[Sell five hundred Fried Chicken Family Buckets (drumsticks, wings, and cutlets) within seven days.]
'This quest is great!' A nearby mountain was teeming with wild chickens, plump and delicious—all top-quality ingredients.
Suppressing her excitement, Yu An forced herself to sleep. She would go catch chickens first thing in the morning!
This trip would likely keep her out late, so this time she didn't let Han Li and the zaizai come along. Instead, she sent them to the Giant Stone Tribe and asked Bai Rong to watch them for the day.
Although Da Hu and Xiao Yu were reluctant, they held their little brother, San Dan, and waited obediently in the Giant Stone Tribe for Yu An to pick them up.
Han Li was very unwilling, but Yu An's attitude was firm, so he had no choice but to stay behind.
"Rongrong, sorry to trouble you."
Bai Rong was very happy. "No trouble, no trouble at all! Da Hu, Xiao Yu, and the puppy are very well-behaved."
Besides, Yu An had sent along a lot of delicious food. She wished the three little ones could be fostered at her house every day.
After saying goodbye to them, Yu An said to Mo Yan with a grin, "Alright, let's get going!"
On the way, Mo Yan was silent and reserved. Yu An did most of the talking, but Mo Yan didn't find it annoying. In fact, he felt a strange sense of... peace.
'Pah! What peace? His spiritual power could have started declining at any time, but it just had to happen after they reached the exiled land. It's all Yu An's fault!'
'And it's also the fault of that Young City Lord of Han Ling City! He's a grown male, yet he got himself stolen so easily. Is he useless?!'
In a cave in the Giant Stone Tribe, Han Li let out two vicious sneezes.
Yu An didn't mind his coldness. As long as he helped with the work, it was fine. Once they reached their destination, the two split up to catch chickens, immediately tossing them into her space storage once caught. The preservation effect was top-notch.
Calculating one Family Bucket per chicken, plus extras for daily consumption and taste-testing, Yu An set a temporary goal of catching six hundred chickens.
The two of them, plus Lu Lu, finished half the task in just one morning.
"Whew, let's take a break. I made some extra food, so we can eat now."
Yu An found a flat spot and took out some steamed buns and side dishes from her space storage, placing them on the ground.
Mo Yan nodded silently and sat on the ground.
She hadn't slept well last night. Yu An yawned as she ate. She hadn't felt it while she was busy, but now she was incredibly sleepy.
She decided to find something to do to wake herself up, so she started a conversation with Mo Yan. "Mo Yan, after we leave this place, what are you planning to do?"
Mo Yan was taken aback and said in a low voice, "I haven't decided yet."
'My spiritual power is still declining. I'll probably have to search the entire continent for a solution.'
"In that case, could you help me find— Ah!"
Before she could finish her sentence, the ground beneath them suddenly split open, and the two of them, caught completely off guard, fell straight down!