Chapter 768: The Little Snake Princess Goes Missing
Shen Mochen stepped forward to stand in front of An Mo.
He knew An Mo’s hot temper better than anyone. An Mo had never liked the overbearing attitude of the Beast Queen, nor did he appreciate how she always tried to take the place of their late, beautiful mother.
An Mo didn’t truly hate her, but her suffocating control since childhood drove him mad. She was used to ruling the entire Upper Domain with absolute authority, and An Mo was like the rebellious child she could never quite tame.
They were always at each other’s throats.
Shen Mochen sighed inwardly, knowing how helpless the situation was, but he still tried to smooth things over.
"An Mo," Shen Mochen spoke gently, his tone calm. "Beast Mother didn’t mean any harm. She was simply worried and wanted to see your mate. Don’t be so harsh on her."
An Mo’s eyes flicked over to his brother, his jaw still tight with annoyance. "So what? Does that give her the right to come here and aggressively question my mate’s worth?!"
Shen Mochen offered him a tired, helpless smile. Leaning in closer, he whispered in a voice so low only An Mo could hear, "Just ignore it, brother. Let it go, or she’ll never leave us in peace."
Finally, through Shen Mochen’s quiet mediation, the entire family gathered around the grand dining table. Su Qinglan sat gracefully beside her mates, quietly observing the Beast Queen across from her.
The Beast Queen opened her mouth, practically itching to fire off a hundred different questions about Su Qinglan’s background and strength.
However, every time she tried to speak, she felt An Mo’s sharp, dangerous glare boring straight into her skin like hot needles, forcing her to swallow her words back down.
As the meal went on, the Beast Queen scrutinized Su Qinglan once more.
The young female looked utterly radiant, her skin carrying a healthy, glowing rosy hue, completely unaffected by the energies of the domain.
She passed the Sacred Pond... the Beast Queen realized silently, her heart settling with shock. The sacred waters have fully accepted her as the future mistress.
If the ancient, divine pond itself had acknowledged her, then who was she to stand in the way or interfere?
Realizing she had no ground left to stand on, the Beast Queen let out a loud, defeated huff, finished her meal in silence, and finally took her leave with Feng Yuchen trailing behind her.
The moment the heavy doors closed behind them, Su Qinglan let out a long, breathless sigh of relief.
She turned to look at An Mo, shaking her head slightly. "Your aunt... she is really terrifying."
An Mo huffed softly, crossing his broad arms over his chest. "Just ignore her, Lanlan. She has always been this domineering. I still remember when my mother was alive...she even tried to show off her authority right in front of my mother’s face!"
He scowled at the bitter memory. His mother had held the highest, most supreme authority in the land, yet being the elder sister, the Beast Queen had always loved to bully others and act superior.
Beside him, Xuan Long reached out, gently patting An Mo’s shoulder in quiet understanding.
An Mo looked over at Xuan Long, letting out a long, heavy sigh. "You’re right, Xuan Long..."
Xuan Long hadn’t uttered a single word, yet An Mo understood him completely. There was no point getting angry over it.
Almost all the high-ranking elders in the Upper Domain were like this. If someone was older, they constantly tried to subdue the younger generation and keep them tightly beneath their thumbs.
It gave them a twisted superiority complex...a way to boast to the world that these powerful, brilliant young men were raised by them, even though the harsh reality was entirely different.
Just like Xuan Long’s own family elders, who had constantly tried to control and manipulate him throughout his life, only to fail every single time.
The truth was, both Xuan Long and An Mo had survived and grown strong entirely on their own, fighting through blood and tears without any parental warmth.
Sitting at the table, Su Qinglan heard and absorbed everything.
Looking at the quiet, guarded faces of her mates, her heart broke for them.
The people here are truly so different... she thought to herself, a wave of sadness washing over her.
There is almost no genuine familial affection between them. Everyone is at each other’s throats, and even the young ones are left to fend for themselves from the moment they are born.
Overwhelmed by a sudden, intense wave of protective motherly love, Su Qinglan’s arms tightened instinctively around her daughter sitting on her lap.
The little wolf daughter blinked up at her mother in surprise, her soft little paw patting Su Qinglan’s chest gently as if saying. "Mother? What’s wrong?"
Su Qinglan snapped out of her solemn thoughts, realizing she had squeezed her precious cubs a bit too tightly out of nowhere.
"I’m sorry, my baby," Su Qinglan whispered sweetly, a tender smile breaking across her face as she leaned down, pressing a soft, warm kiss onto her daughter’s forehead and showering her children with all the gentle love in her heart.
Su Qinglan turned her attention entirely to her precious babies.
Feeling a deep pang of guilt for having been away from them for an entire week, she picked up each cub one by one, swaddling them in her warm embrace and showering their sweet little faces with endless kisses.
The cubs snuggled into her neck, purring and cooing happily, cooperating completely as they soaked in their mother’s affection.
As she cuddled them, Su Qinglan paused, her eyes scanning the room. She looked up at Xuan Long and asked curiously, "Where is Yueyue?"
Xuan Long froze. "Yue...?"
He immediately turned toward Xiao San, his voice tinged with sudden panic. "Xiao San, was your sister not playing with you?"
Xiao San scratched his little head, blinking innocently. "No, Father. I thought she was with you."
At those words, Xuan Long felt as if the entire sky had suddenly collapsed on his head!
Earlier that day, his little snake daughter had indeed been playing happily around his wrist, but later on, she had fallen fast asleep. He had gently laid her down on the bed inside his quarters.
Right after that, Su Qinglan had returned, and in his joy and eagerness to follow his beloved mate, he had completely forgotten about little Yueyue!
"She... she must still be sleeping on the bed," Xuan Long stammered, his heart hammering against his chest.
He rushed to his quarters, but the moment he looked at the empty bed, his expression darkened to a terrifying shade of pale. She wasn’t there!
Within minutes, the entire estate was thrown into chaotic motion. Shout after shout echoed through the halls as the guards and family members searched every corner, unable to find the little princess anywhere.
Xuan Long’s face was deathly dark, his fist clenching so hard it trembled...he was practically dying from sheer, suffocating guilt.
Su Qinglan quickly walked up beside him, gently rubbing his broad back to soothe him. "Don’t panic, Xuan Long. She couldn’t have gone far. We will find her."
While everyone was frantically searching the estate, none of them knew where tiny Yueyue had actually wandered off to.
Earlier, the little snake princess had woken up completely alone in the silent room.
Finding no one around, she saw only her cold milk bottle sitting nearby.
Being an independent little cub, she had dragged the milk bottle, which was almost the exact same size as her tiny body, all the way outside!
Even though she was small, her strength as a high-tier beast cub was surprisingly great, allowing her to carry the heavy bottle with ease.
Following her nose, she had slithered all the way to a peaceful, secluded lake hidden at the edge of the estate.
She didn’t know why her instincts had led her here, but the place was breathtakingly beautiful.
Content with her little adventure, she coiled her tail comfortably on the grassy bank, taking slow, lazy sips from her milk bottle while gazing at the quiet, shimmering water.
She didn’t have a single worry in her mind, looking just like a lazy, content little snake enjoying her day.
Suddenly...
SPLASH!
A loud, violent splash erupted from the lake!
Yueyue’s eye twitched in annoyance as a wave of cold lake water rained down directly over her, drenching her smooth scales from head to tail. She instantly shivered from the icy chill, her small body shaking.
Anger flared in her big, bright eyes. She puffed her tiny chest, raised her head, and let out a fierce, indignant hiss at the water!
Right then, the surface of the lake bubbled, and a strange figure slowly poked its head out of the water.
Under the quiet moonlight, their gazes met.