With everything prepared, Yu An was so exhausted she collapsed into sleep. Her very last thought before drifting off was that she absolutely had to hire some help.
Especially once Mo Yan left, she wouldn't be able to manage everything by herself.
There was a huge disparity in strength between males and females, so Mo Yan wasn't nearly as exhausted as she was. He placed the sprawled-out Da Hu onto the bed, put Xiao Yu in the basin, and then covered the Fluorite, plunging the cave into darkness.
By the dim moonlight, Mo Yan lay down beside Yu An with a neutral expression and reached out to pull her into his arms.
'This little female always needs me to hold her to sleep; otherwise, she can't. She must have been exhausted today, falling asleep without even waiting for me.'
'Oh well. I'll be leaving soon anyway. I might as well indulge her. I'll just consider it payment for my meals.'
Sleeping beside Da Hu, Han Li lifted his eyelids slightly. He looked forward to the day when the position beside her would change hands.
In the dead of night, while the family was sound asleep, a wisp of faint green smoke drifted into the cave. Soon after, a dark figure appeared at the entrance.
The figure walked straight to Da Hu, lifting him with movements that were both gentle and swift.
On the way out, Han Li stirred. The dark figure reacted instantly, tossing a handful of powder at him. Han Li immediately fell still.
The dark figure let out a sigh of relief. But after only two steps, the sleeping Yu An seemed to sense something, her brow furrowing in unease.
Her eyelids fluttered as if she were struggling to wake, but she ultimately succumbed to the drug's effects and couldn't open her eyes.
Seeing this, the dark figure curled his lip in a silent sneer.
'The witch doctor's precious potion—the one she guards with her life—really works wonders.'
Lu Lu didn't need to sleep and stood watch every night, allowing Mo Yan to get some proper rest.
But tonight was different. The fusion of the Origin Core Fragment was at a critical stage, and Lu Lu had been focused on monitoring it.
At dawn, after personally confirming that the fragment had fused without a hitch, Lu Lu went to perform its usual check: seeing if the three cubs had kicked off their blankets.
San Dan was behaving, Xiao Yu didn't need a blanket, and Da Hu was... wait!
Lu Lu jolted. 'Where did my big cub go?!'
"An'an, An'an! Wake up! Da Hu is gone!"
Lu Lu tried anxiously to wake Yu An, but it couldn't rouse her.
It wasn't just her; Mo Yan was the same. In a panic, Lu Lu formed sharp thorns and pricked them. Only then did the two groggily awaken.
Upon learning Da Hu was missing, Yu An was instantly wide awake. "Da Hu wouldn't just wander off! Someone must have done something to us and kidnapped him. I'm going to find him now!"
Lu Lu chimed in, "It was a sleeping potion."
Mo Yan's gaze swept over Xiao Yu and San Dan. He said to Yu An, "I'll go find Da Hu first. You get them settled, then you can go."
Suppressing her anxiety, Yu An nodded. She gathered the other two cubs and headed for the Giant Stone Tribe.
Han Li was awake now, too. He followed behind Yu An, a look of frustration on his face.
'I was sleeping right beside Da Hu, closer than anyone to the kidnapper. Why didn't I sense anything?!'
At this hour, most of the Beastmen were still asleep. When Bai Rong was woken, Yu An explained the situation in a few quick words, handed the Zaizai over to her, and immediately left to find Da Hu.
Bai Rong carried the two cubs into her cave, all traces of sleepiness gone. She watched over them with wide eyes, terrified they would be stolen too.
'Who could be so despicable, stealing another's young? Aren't they afraid of the Beast God's punishment?'
'They're just as despicable as Xiong Li!'
Once outside, Yu An looked down at Han Li. "Doggy, can you smell Da Hu's scent?"
'Xiong Li's family is dead. I shouldn't have any other enemies here... Could it be the person who drugged the wild beasts while I was giving birth?'
Han Li sniffed the air. He couldn't pick up Da Hu's trail, but there was a faint, familiar scent lingering.
'It's like... Xiong Li's cub!'
He sniffed again, more urgently this time, and realized the scent was coming from a nearby cave—the one that looked like the witch doctor's home.
Han Li wrote two words in the dirt: "Bear Cub." Yu An froze for a second, then saw Han Li motioning for her to follow. As they approached, they ran right into the witch doctor, who was just leaving her cave.
The witch doctor jumped in fright at the sight of them and instinctively tried to run back into her cave. But Yu An's hands moved faster than her thoughts. She instantly summoned vines that bound the witch doctor and gagged her.
Her expression was grim. "Why are you running from me? Feeling guilty?"
The bear cub, the witch doctor, the sleeping potion... Connecting the dots, everything became crystal clear in Yu An's mind.
The witch doctor feigned composure, hoping to bluff her way out of it. But Yu An had no time to waste. She pulled out a knife and pressed it against the woman's throat.
"I'm going to remove your gag. You will tell me where Da Hu is. Don't scream. If you do, you can find out which is faster: my blade, or the Beastmen you'll summon."
Feeling the sharp edge of the blade, the witch doctor's face went white. She nodded vigorously.
'Fine. It's not my job to clean up that bear cub's mess. It would be better if Yu An killed him. Then I won't have him threatening me, just like Xiong Li used to.'
"The bear cub is still alive! He stole my potion and took Da Hu to Snow Mountain. He said he was going to make you suffer for the rest of your life!"
The witch doctor deliberately added a few words to absolve herself of blame, but Yu An wasted no more time on her. She released the woman and immediately rushed toward Snow Mountain.
Lu Lu would go inform Mo Yan. Yu An took out her cart and raced off at top speed. She was terrified of what might happen to Da Hu if she was too late, of how he might be tortured!
Feng Xuan had just arrived in the exiled land when he sensed his own bloodline. And more than one!
In addition, he also sensed the ugly female who drugged him that night. Her scent was strong, as if she were very close.
The cubs must be with the ugly female. At this thought, Feng Xuan's spirits lifted, and he began to follow Yu An's scent.
'For the sake of her bearing him two Zaizai, he could forgive her for drugging him. He'd even leave her with enough money before taking the Zaizai home.'
'The ugly female must have drugged the three of them for protection in the exiled land. She probably intends to extort a fortune from me, or force me to stay.'
Just as he was pondering how much money it would take for the ugly female to let them leave, a strange, large object came rushing toward him.
Feng Xuan was startled. Thinking it was a wild beast, he immediately prepared for a fight.
But the large object wasn't targeting him. It brushed past and continued to race wildly in the direction he'd just come from. Feng Xuan froze for a second, then realized Yu An's scent was now behind him.
"Could it be," he muttered, "that the ugly female and the Zaizai were captured by that monster?!"
At this thought, Feng Xuan immediately shifted into his beast form—an enormous white tiger—and gave chase to the "monster."
Feng Xuan was incredibly fast. As he caught up to the "monster," he swiped at it with his massive paw. Yu An sensed the danger and swerved to avoid it.
The blow missed, striking a tree instead. The trunk, so thick it would take three people to encircle it, snapped and fell instantly, kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured their vision.
Sensing the aura of a male with Heavenly Level Spiritual Power, all of Han Li's fur stood on end.
'A strange male's aura... he attacked without a word. He's an enemy, not a friend!'
'My spiritual power and fighting ability haven't recovered yet. I'm no match for this strange male!'
Sensing Han Li's unease, Yu An placed a hand on his back. "Don't be afraid. I'll protect you."
'He attacked without even showing his face, and he's blocking my way to Snow Mountain. Could he be the bear cub's accomplice?'
Yu An stopped the cart and stared warily toward the dust cloud. "Are you the bear cub's accomplice? I suggest you leave at once, or I won't be so courteous!"
She took the offensive, and wooden vines shot out to form a cage, intending to trap the person in the dust.
The person on the other side sneered. Before Yu An could get a clear look at her attacker's face, a large hand clamped around her neck.