Chapter 277: Want to Trap Her Here?
"Thank goodness, thank goodness he’s really a Child of Auspice, otherwise..."
A wave of fear washed over her; she didn’t dare to even think about it.
Seeing her look so relieved, Yu An started to worry.
She didn’t know if Feng Xuan was truly the "Child of Auspice" everyone was talking about. After all, she was the one who had created all those auspicious signs.
She knew this was an Illusion Realm and these events had likely happened in the past. But even if it was just an illusion, she couldn’t bear to see Feng Xuan and his mother suffer.
After some thought, she asked Feng Zhi for more information about the "Child of Auspice."
Feng Zhi didn’t know much either. She had spent most of her time recuperating in the courtyard during her pregnancy, and any news she heard came from the servants.
"The Family Head was drunk once and said something about the Tian Family performing a divination that declared the child in my womb a Child of Auspice. He also said it would guarantee the Feng family’s wealth and glory."
Feng Zhi hesitated, her hand tightening on the swaddling clothes. "He also said that after the child turns three, he’s to be sent to the Tian Family to cultivate alongside their own disciples."
That was all she knew; she wasn’t privy to any more details.
At the time, she had been worried sick for a long while, terrified that her child would be sent away from home at such a young age. She was especially afraid he would be bullied in a great clan like the Tian Family.
Back then, Patriarch Feng had consoled her by saying it was all for the child’s future.
"Oh, right."
Feng Zhi recalled something else. "The Family Head said the Tian Family’s divination revealed more than one Child of Auspice. I think they are all supposed to be sent to the Tian Family."
"The Tian Family?"
Hearing the surname "Tian," Yu An immediately thought of Tian Fu.
When asked if she knew who the other Children of Auspice were, Feng Zhi shook her head. "I don’t know. The Family Head never told me."
However, since the Feng family had broadcast the news about their Child of Auspice, the other families probably wouldn’t keep it a secret. She should be able to find out some information just by asking around outside.
Lan Yin had said the range of the Illusion Realm wouldn’t be too large, so Yu An wasn’t sure if she could see anything beyond this residence.
’And then there’s Tian Fu,’ Yu An thought. ’He told me to get ready, and for what? So I could come see my own Beast Husband as a child?’
Yu An complained silently, then heard Feng Zhi’s stomach growl.
She blushed and quickly covered her stomach.
It was only then that she belatedly realized the pain was gone. Her exhaustion and aches had vanished completely.
Yu An saw her confusion and explained, "I healed you. Wait a moment."
She entered her space and quickly prepared a nutritious meal. Fortunately, while Feng Zhi couldn’t see her, she could see and touch the things Yu An brought out.
She whispered a "thank you." While Feng Zhi was eating, Yu An also boiled some goat’s milk, put it in a bottle, and fed it to Little Feng Xuan.
Da Hu and Xiao Hu could eat egg-fried rice right after they were born. As their Beast Father, Feng Xuan surely couldn’t be that far behind.
’But he’s a toothless little baby right now, so he’d better just stick to his milk.’
For a while after that, life was strangely peaceful and calm. Patriarch Feng came to visit every day, but he never once suggested bringing Feng Zhi and her son back to the Feng family estate.
Feng Zhi didn’t bring it up either. Ever since Patriarch Feng had tried to kill her and her son, she had given up on him completely. She felt it was safer here than at the Feng estate.
There wasn’t the slightest peep of the so-called "action" from Tian Fu’s side either. For the past few days, Yu An had been accompanying Feng Zhi and her son, passing the time by playfully teasing Little Feng Xuan.
At first, Feng Zhi watched with trepidation. But when she saw that her son never cried no matter how he was played with, and that he was always fine, she... joined Yu An’s side.
Little Feng Xuan wore an expression of utter despair, but one was his mother and the other was his wife, so he had no choice but to endure it.
’Back in the White Tiger Divine Hall, I didn’t have a physical body. All I could do was listen to my Little Phoenix chatter away. Now, I can finally do whatever I want!’
’No, wait, that’s in the future. It’s still going to be many, many years.’
Little Feng Xuan learned to speak just one month after he was born. But his first word wasn’t "mama" or "dada." It was "An."
Feng Zhi was confused at first, but then she realized he was calling out to the young woman she couldn’t see!
She had wanted to address Yu An with titles like "Goddess" or "Immortal Fairy," but Yu An refused, even referring to herself as a junior.
After a month together, Feng Zhi and Yu An had gradually grown familiar with each other and no longer spoke so formally.
Yu An was delighted and mercilessly squished the adorable Little Feng Xuan’s cheeks several times.
It wasn’t until Feng Zhi commented on how smart Little Feng Xuan was, speaking at only a month old, that Yu An realized so much time had passed.
A sudden chill ran down Yu An’s spine as an ominous premonition surfaced.
’Don’t tell me Tian Fu is trying to trap me in this Illusion Realm forever?!’
’Thinking about it carefully, it’s definitely a possibility.’
She couldn’t let this continue. If that really was Tian Fu’s plan, she had to get out and find a way to escape.
As for Feng Zhi and her son... with the "Child of Auspice" title protecting them, the servants were exceptionally attentive. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t leave their side for a moment.
Also, she had asked Feng Zhi a few questions and confirmed that while this place felt real, it was ultimately the past.
With this in mind, she told Feng Zhi she was planning to go out for a walk.
In fact, she hadn’t been outside the residence at all this past month.
As usual, no one could see her, so she walked out of the courtyard in plain sight.
To put it nicely, the surroundings were quiet and secluded. To put it bluntly, it was in the middle of nowhere. The fruits and vegetables were all shipped in daily.
Just then, the cart delivering produce arrived. Yu An waited for a bit, and after the goods were unloaded, she followed the horse-drawn cart out, hitching a ride.
The scenery along the road was all the same. Yu An secretly memorized the route, and as they passed a small grove, the cart started acting strangely.
The driver’s expression was normal, as if he were driving the cart back as usual. But from Yu An’s perspective, the cart was just going in circles around the grove.
Astonished, Yu An tried to snatch the reins from the driver’s hands. But no matter how she tried to urge the horse on, it just kept going in circles, refusing to move forward.
The driver, meanwhile, acted as if the reins were still in his hands, making the motions of driving the cart.
Yu An thought for a moment, handed the reins back, and then jumped off the cart.
This time, the cart stopped going in circles. Yu An made a mark on the ground where she stood and followed behind it on foot.
A moment later, she saw the mark she had made on the ground. The cart had vanished from sight.
After trying one more time, Yu An was certain: she couldn’t move forward.
"Is this Tian Fu’s plan?"
Yu An muttered to herself, "To trap me here?"
Just as she was pondering how to break free, the scenery around her changed.
The grove in front of her transformed into a wide, flat training ground. In the distance, Yu An saw a group of small children standing in a horse stance.
A single glance swept over them, and—huh. She saw four familiar faces.
Mo Yan, Han Li, Feng Xuan, Lan Yin—everyone except Ao Wu was in the group.
Every now and then, a child would be struck with a ruler for improper posture. They didn’t even seem to dare to cry, just held back their tears and quickly corrected their stance.
Han Li was struck for swaying. He pouted aggrievedly, gritted his teeth, and held on.
The sun was blazing high in the sky. Even Yu An, an adult, felt uncomfortable, to say nothing of a group of children who looked to be only three or four years old.