Future Beast World: Becoming A Pampered Beauty-Chapter 505 - 444: Premature Death

Zhuang Mu smiled. "You’re certainly well-informed, my distinguished guest. The Imperial Palace holds an autumn hunt around this time every year, and this year it’s Huajuan City’s turn... However, if you’re hoping to witness the grand event, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. During the Royal Family’s hunt, the Hunting Ground is sealed off inside and out by the Forbidden Army. No outsiders are permitted inside."

"Mm."

Fei Yuan asked no more questions and dismissed him.

Little Qi and Little Yuan were bored staying in their space and wanted to come out and play.

Sang Luo let the two little snakelets out and placed the menu in front of them. "What would you two like to eat, sweeties?"

"I want this Candied Sweet Potato! It looks so yummy~" Little Qi slithered in a circle, picking something he had never tried before.

"I’d like the Steamed Egg Custard with Shrimp," Little Yuan said meekly.

"I want egg custard too!" Little Qi added.

"Two large bowls of the Steamed Egg Custard with Shrimp, an order of the Candied Sweet Potato, and a small stir-fry with meat, please." Sang Luo called the waiter over again to order a few dishes for the children.

The waiter didn’t dare to approach, looking at her hesitantly. "Miss... are you a Gu Girl from the Southern Border?"

"Huh? No."

"I saw you take those two little snakes from your sleeve and assumed you were a Gu Girl from the Southern Border. I’m relieved you’re not. We once had an incident in the city where someone was harmed by poisonous gu, so many people are afraid of these... creatures. It would be best if you put your two pet snakes away so you don’t frighten the other customers. What if they bite someone..."

Sang Luo noticed many of the other diners looking at their table, their eyes filled with panic.

’I almost forgot this isn’t the Beast World! From now on, I’ll have to make the snakelets take human form before we go out.’

Little Qi shot the waiter a resentful look, wanting to protest that he would never bite anyone! But Fei Yuan picked him up by his little tail and placed him in his palm. He gently rubbed the snake’s small, round head with one finger, his phoenix eyes crinkling with a smile. "My apologies. These are the little snakes my wife and I are raising. They’re quite docile and don’t bite. We’ll be more careful from now on."

Once the waiter had left, Sang Luo looked at Fei Yuan and teased, "Good thing Quan Jin isn’t here today. Otherwise, he’d definitely pick a fight with you."

"He’s been very busy lately. Little Qi and Little Yuan come to play at the Phoenix Palace all the time. I’m taking care of his children for him free of charge. Don’t you think he ought to thank me properly?"

"Oh? What’s he busy with?"

"I’m not sure. Perhaps he’s busy cleaning up the remnants of the Demon Lord’s faction."

As they spoke, a commotion rose from the street below. Sang Luo happened to be seated at a window table in the far corner of the second floor. She turned her head and glimpsed a massive procession outside.

The townspeople had all gathered to watch, packing the street so tightly it was completely impassable.

Guards in armor with long swords at their waists formed two long lines, keeping all onlookers at a distance.

They were protecting the esteemed personage at the very center of the procession.

A canopy of white gauze veiled the palanquin. From a distance, onlookers could only make out the hazy, slender figure behind the screen—a presence as cool and distant as the moon, as revered as a high mountain. He was so noble one could hardly bear to look directly at him, which only made people all the more desperate to catch a glimpse of his true face.

’It’s Crown Prince Yun Hua!’

Sang Luo held her breath, her eyes fixed on the sight.

She even used a wisp of her spiritual power...

Perhaps sensing her overly intense gaze, the man beneath the veiled canopy also looked up.

At that moment, a passing breeze lifted a corner of the gauze screen.

A pair of gentle, transcendentally handsome eyes met her own.

His face was like a painting, his grace without equal.

THUMP!

Sang Luo’s heart gave a heavy thud.

It was just a fleeting glimpse.

The gauze screen fell back into place, obscuring the man’s face as the procession continued on, gradually disappearing into the distance.

"Lost in a daze?" Fei Yuan tapped her forehead lightly with his folded fan, his devilishly charming voice laced with jealousy.

Sang Luo shook her head, touching her forehead.

’But her mind kept replaying that moment...’

’When Prince Yun Hua looked toward the restaurant, for a split second, it felt like their eyes met. I wonder if he noticed me.’

"And you say you weren’t staring. I’d say Little Luoruo’s soul was nearly stolen away by him." Fei Yuan glanced lazily out the window. "Is the resemblance that strong?"

"Not really. There’s just a hint of resemblance in his aura, but it’s nothing compared to the real him." Sang Luo shook her head as the ripples in her heart subsided. She placed a few pieces of meat in the two little snakelets’ bowls.

"This body of his is just that of an ordinary mortal. To possess even a fraction of his original self’s looks already makes him an unparalleled beauty among men." Fei Yuan turned his gaze back to her, his tone sour with jealousy. "Who’s more handsome, me or that old fox? To think a mere reincarnation could make my Little Luoruo stare like that. With a handsome beast like me right here, how can my Little Luoruo still have eyes for another male!"

Sang Luo was speechless. ’This is a total trap.’

"You are, of course!" she said, placatingly planting a kiss on his handsome face. She beamed. "My Ah Yuan’s beauty is simply bewitching. You’re exactly my type. No one in the world can compare to you!"

Fei Yuan chuckled, his phoenix eyes narrowing in satisfaction. "My Luo’er has such a sweet mouth, always so good at charming males. I wonder how many others you’ve said that to?"

"No one! Absolutely no one!"

Little Qi tilted his head, looking adorably clueless. "But I saw it with my own two eyes! Mother praised Father for being the most handsome and said he was perfect for her!"

Sang Luo, "!!!"

’This silly boy! How could he sell out his own mother like that!’

Fei Yuan’s thumb gently caressed her lips, his smile growing even more beautiful and dangerous. "My Little Luoruo only tells the truth when she’s been teased to tears. When we get back, you and I..."

Sang Luo’s face flushed crimson. She pinched his thigh, hard. ’The children are here! Behave yourself!’

Fei Yuan let out a muffled grunt. He glanced at the two little snakelets’ wide, innocent eyes and fell silent.

After eating and drinking their fill, Sang Luo and Fei Yuan got a room at the inn and rested for the night.

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, the pair changed into plain clothes, and the two little snakelets assumed their human forms. Walking down the street, the family of four was so stunningly beautiful that passersby stopped in their tracks, unable to look away.

"Today’s the first day of the Royal Family hunt," Fei Yuan said. "It’s time we made our move."

"To do what?"

"To make sure Prince Yun Hua stays alive."

"Are you saying... Prince Yun Hua is going to have an accident at the Hunting Ground?"

"It’s a possibility. It’s always best to be cautious. Better safe than sorry." Fei Yuan turned to Sang Luo. "How old do you think the Crown Prince is?"

Sang Luo thought back to the fleeting glimpse she’d had the day before. "Very young," she replied. "Twenty at the most."

"Mm, my Luo’er guessed right. The Crown Prince has his coming-of-age ceremony in a year," Fei Yuan said. "I’ve been observing the reincarnation cycle of the soul fragments for years, and I’ve discovered something strange. Not a single one of the reincarnated soul fragments has ever died of old age. They either die in childhood or perish from some sort of accident later on. The one who lived the longest didn’t even make it past twenty."

As strange as this pattern is, it does have an upside: it speeds up the reincarnation process.

The real problem is that the final soul fragment has been stubbornly refusing to return.

If the Crown Prince dies an early death before we can complete the set of soul fragments, all our previous work will be for naught, and we’ll have to start all over from the beginning.

The priority now is to ensure Prince Yun Hua stays alive and well until we can find that last soul fragment and prevent any accidents from happening.