Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Planning the Rescue

She had drawn simple sketches of her five Beast Husbands’ beast forms. Since the drawing on it was a tiger, it had to be Feng Xuan!

Besides...

Yu An brought the silver coin closer and sniffed. "It smells like Divine Spring Water."

Han Li shared the information he’d gotten out of Old Lin. "An’an, that Old Lin must have taken the shaved ice to the mining camp to sell yesterday, and Feng Xuan bought some."

"Old Lin said the two portions of shaved ice he bought today were for someone else. It’s possible Feng Xuan asked him to get them."

Something like this was clearly Yu An’s handiwork. This had to be a signal from Feng Xuan!

Yu An suppressed her excitement and analyzed the situation. "Since Feng Xuan managed to get a message out, he probably can’t escape on his own. He must need our help."

"I’ll go check it out," Ao Wu suggested. "It’s getting dark, so I can use the cover of night to observe the situation."

Yu An thought for a moment, then nodded. "Be careful, then. Stay safe, and don’t get spotted."

Ao Wu agreed and left the courtyard.

Mo Yan brought over a freshly brewed pot of tea. "An’an, don’t worry. The fact that Feng Xuan can get someone to bring him things from the outside means his situation probably isn’t too dire."

"That’s right," Han Li said, pressing on her shoulders to make her sit. "When I gave Old Lin the two cups of shaved ice, I secretly added a drop of Divine Spring Water. Once Feng Xuan tastes it, he’ll know we got his message."

"Okay," Yu An said, clenching her fists. "We’ll wait for Ao Wu to get back, and then we’ll make a plan to get Feng Xuan out."

When Old Lin returned, he took the shaved ice directly to Feng Xuan. Feng Xuan thanked him profusely, which prompted Old Lin to chat a little longer.

"I’m going to buy more shaved ice tomorrow, and I’ll bring it back to sell. If you have the money, you can buy more then."

Feng Xuan acted surprised and flattered him. "Supervisor Lin, you’re really no ordinary man. Didn’t you say yesterday that there was a limit on how much shaved ice one person could buy? Yet you managed to get so many portions at once!"

Old Lin shook his head modestly, but he couldn’t suppress the grin on his face. "It was just a lucky coincidence. One of the males selling the shaved ice said I look like one of his elders. Since we’re practically family, he let me buy a little extra."

Feng Xuan feigned a look of sudden understanding. "Oh, so that’s how it was!"

"Anyway, enough talk," Old Lin said with a wave of his hand. "I should be getting back."

After seeing Old Lin off, Feng Xuan closed the door and gave one cup of shaved ice to Ao Er. Then, he shared the information he’d gathered.

As Ao Er listened, he casually took a spoonful of shaved ice. The moment it entered his mouth, he let out a surprised sound. "Hey, this shaved ice tastes like that water you gave me before!"

Stunned, Feng Xuan took a taste as well. He was now even more certain that Yu An was the one selling the shaved ice.

Back in the small courtyard in Sand City, Ao Wu didn’t return until late at night, covered in dust. Yu An hadn’t gone into her space, waiting for him outside until she had nearly fallen asleep.

She woke up the moment the door creaked open. Seeing Ao Wu had returned, she rushed to meet him. "How did it go?"

Ao Wu dusted himself off and pulled her down to sit. "It’s a mining area, probably the Invincible Alliance’s territory. It’s guarded around the clock."

"There are a lot of guards, so I couldn’t get too close. I’m fast, so I arrived at the same time Old Lin got back. I watched him go inside."

Yu An frowned. "If the security is that tight, it won’t be easy for us to blend in."

’Han Li said Old Lin probably wants to buy more shaved ice from us to take back and sell. I wonder if we could use a delivery as a pretext to get inside.’

’Once Feng Xuan tastes the Divine Spring Water in the shaved ice, he’ll be paying close attention to what we do. If I can just get inside, I can pull Feng Xuan into my space, and we can escape.’

"Let’s see what happens tomorrow," Ao Wu suggested. "An’an, we should be prepared for the possibility that we can’t make a delivery. What if... we knock Old Lin out, and I disguise myself as him to get in?"

Yu An rejected his proposal. "It would make more sense for me to go in disguised as him. You don’t have a space."

The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. She’d gotten a couple of good looks at Old Lin today. Her build was similar to his. If she darkened her face, applied some makeup, and covered up a bit with a cloth, she could probably pass for him.

The more Yu An thought about it, the more plausible it sounded. "That’s the plan. I’ll get in, pull Feng Xuan into my space, then find an excuse to leave. As for Old Lin..."

Her eyes glinted. "He can’t be allowed to go back. We’ll make it look like he was eaten by a wild beast and keep him alive in my space."

Ao Wu frowned. "An’an, it’s too dangerous..."

"It’s decided. It’s not actually that dangerous. I have my superpower, and if I run into trouble, I can just hide in my space. They can’t hurt me."

When Ao Wu didn’t respond, Yu An grabbed his sleeve and gave it a little shake. "Oh, come on. This isn’t the first time I’ve operated on my own. I came to the Beast God Continent by myself before, and I was fine, wasn’t I?"

"And you’re proud of that?"

For the first time, Ao Wu glared at her, his voice cold. "Coming to a strange place like this without a word to anyone... What would we have done if something had happened to you?"

"Just wait until we find Feng Xuan, Lan Yin, and Lan Ying. See how we teach you a lesson then!"

Yu An timidly shrank back, but on this matter, there was no room for negotiation. In the end, Ao Wu had to agree.

The next day, she told only Mo Yan and Han Li about the plan, keeping it from the others.

They both agreed, but insisted on going with her. They would stay in her space, ready to fight at a moment’s notice, while Ao Wu would be on the outside, ready to provide backup.

After setting up the cart in the usual spot, Han Li kept glancing up at the crowd, searching for any sign of Old Lin.

A long time passed with no sign of him. Just as Han Li was starting to think Old Lin wasn’t coming, he appeared.

Old Lin was a bit out of breath. He paused for a moment as he approached the cart, and Han Li quickly handed him a cup of water.

He downed it in one gulp, then pulled Han Li aside. "Nephew, something came up, so I’m a bit late. Let’s cut to the chase. How much shaved ice can you sell your uncle? And what’s the price?"

Han Li thought for a moment. "Uncle, you’ve seen how well the shaved ice sells in Sand City. I talked it over with my Female Master, and she said she can spare a hundred portions at most."

"As for the price... how does ninety copper coins per portion sound?"

Yu An had specifically told Han Li to offer a large quantity. If Old Lin couldn’t carry it all, they could offer to "help" him with the delivery.

Old Lin’s face lit up. "Excellent! Nephew, your uncle knew he could count on you!"

Han Li gave a shy smile. "Uncle, you won’t be able to carry that many portions by yourself, will you? Why don’t I help you transport them back?"

Old Lin waved his hand dismissively. "No, no, that’s alright. I’ll just go buy a carrying pole and two rattan baskets later. Shaved ice isn’t heavy. I can manage it on my own."

Han Li’s brow furrowed imperceptibly. He then said, "Alright, but you’ll have to wait a little while. We can prepare your order after these other Beastmen have bought theirs, since you’re getting quite a lot."

Old Lin said he understood. After all the Beastmen in line had made their purchases, Yu An slapped her forehead. "Oh no! I forgot the one hundred portions of shaved ice back at our place."

Han Li immediately chimed in. "Uncle, why don’t you come back to our place with me to get them? If we make them here, I’m worried more customers will show up."

Old Lin didn’t give it a second thought. "Alright, let’s go to your place then. It’ll be good to know the way so we can stay in touch."

’This is my ticket to making a fortune,’ he thought. ’I have to keep them on my good side.’