Knock, knock, knock…!
A series of sharp, urgent knocks echoed through the house. Hearing them, Yun Fan, who was cooking at home, furrowed his brows slightly.
"At this hour, in the middle of the day… it's not Tingyun coming to mooch food again, is it?" Muttering to himself, Yun Fan turned off the stove, removed his apron, and leisurely walked toward the courtyard gate.
He unlocked and opened the door, but the figure standing before him wasn't the foxian lady he'd expected. Instead, it was a petite, purple-haired girl with delicate dragon horns.
"Hm? It's my good girl! What brings you here?" Yun Fan was slightly surprised, but soon his face softened with warmth and affection.
Reaching out with his right hand, Yun Fan gently stroked Bailu's small horns.
"Ugh…! A-Fan, stop teasing, it tickles!" Feeling the tingling sensation from her dragon horns, Bailu's face flushed red. After all, a Vidyadhara's horns and tail were their most sensitive spots. Unless they were close to someone, they wouldn't allow anyone to touch them.
"Hahaha, couldn't help myself, couldn't help myself. Little Bailu, you're just too cute. Everyone loves beauty, so please, Lady Bailu, have mercy and forgive me," Yun Fan said with a smile, clasping his hands together in a mock apology.
"Hmph… fine. Since you're sincerely apologizing, I'll let it slide just this once!" Bailu turned her head away haughtily, avoiding Yun Fan's earnest gaze.
"Alright, alright, thank you, Lady Bailu," Yun Fan said with a chuckle, shaking his head. This little Bailu was just too adorable—no wonder he'd taken her on as his goddaughter.
After a moment of tsundere behavior, Bailu slowly turned back, a bit shyly, and said, "A-Fan, can you help me with something?"
"Help?" At this, the 'Lord of Samsara' perked up with interest. He'd known little Bailu for so long, and this was the first time she'd ever asked him for help directly.
"Tell me about it."
"Well, it's not a big deal, really…"
"Then I won't help," Yun Fan interrupted suddenly, cutting off Bailu's hesitant words before she could continue.
"Huh?"
One face of confusion, two faces of confusion, many faces of confusion…
"Ha?!"
After a brief moment of shock, Bailu let out a surprised yelp so loud it nearly startled the birds flying overhead.
Luckily, Yun Fan had anticipated this and covered his ears just in time, sparing his eardrums from the piercing sound.
"Wha-wha-wha…!"
"I'm not 'what.' Little Bailu, just keep calling me A-Fan."
"No, no, no…!"
"No what? Calling me Dad works too, since you're my goddaughter."
Interrupted again and again, unable to express her true thoughts, Bailu's face grew redder by the second. After a moment, she let out a frustrated wail.
Her tiny fists rained down on Yun Fan like a storm, while he grinned mischievously, clearly pleased with his prank.
After a while, when Bailu had tired herself out, Yun Fan patted her head again, coaxing her fondly. "Alright, alright, no more teasing, little Bailu. Tell me what you need help with, and your godfather will take care of everything."
"You… hmph! It's like this: the Xianzhou is in chaos right now, and those Dragon Masters have all run off, leaving all the Vidyadhara's authority to me…"
Bailu explained the current situation to Yun Fan. After listening, he pondered for a moment before looking at the girl in front of him.
"Take me to the Vidyadhara's residence first."
— — — —
"Master Gongshu, are you saying there's an Emanator of Causality on the Xianzhou Luofu?!" March 7th nearly slammed the table and stood up. An Emanator of Causality—the same kind as Yun Fan!
Compared to March 7th's excitement, Master Gongshu remained calm. "I can't say for certain. Regarding the Emanator of Causality, whether it's fact or rumor, there's simply too much information out there. With so many details mixed together, it's hard to discern what's true and what's not."
"But, considering all the information, the idea that there's an Emanator of Causality on the Xianzhou Luofu has at least a sixty percent chance of being true."
After cleaning up the leftovers on the picnic cloth, the group set off again to confront the Abundant Ebon Deer. Welt and Master Gongshu walked in front, while March 7th and Stelle trailed behind, whispering to each other.
"That Emanator of Causality… could it be Miss Qingque?" March 7th speculated. "Come to think of it, last time we didn't ask her which Path she follows."
"Probably. Emanators are rare enough as it is. Qingque must be the one from the rumors," Stelle replied.
"Hey, Stelle, do you think Qingque knows Yun Fan?" March 7th's heart stirred with a faint sense of unease as she spoke.
While Qingque wasn't breathtakingly stunning, she was undeniably a beauty. If she really was an Emanator of Causality and knew Yun Fan, then the competition…
Perhaps sensing March 7th's worry, Stelle patted her shoulder and said, "March, once we're done here, let's invite Miss Qingque to hang out with us."
With their thoughts weighing on them, the Trailblazers and Master Gongshu returned to the Creation Furnace. The Abundant Ebon Deer, stationed there, let out a furious roar as it saw the group return.
"Roar!"
With a skyward bellow, several Abundance creations began frantically gathering energy, channeling it toward the Abundant Ebon Deer's antlers.
"Stelle!" March 7th nodded to Stelle, and the two clasped hands, combining their powers of Preservation.
In the next moment, a white and pink stream of Preservation energy merged, forming an unbreakable shield.
At the same time, the Abundant Ebon Deer, having gathered its Abundance energy, unleashed its attack.
With a boom, a beam of energy several meters thick shot toward the Trailblazers and Master Gongshu.
Abundance Power: Spotted Dragon's Touch!
Boom!!
The two forces collided, marking the clash between Abundance and Preservation.
Crack, crack, crack…
Under the assault of Spotted Dragon's Touch, the shield formed by their combined strength began to crack inch by inch. But unfortunately for the Abundant Ebon Deer, just before the shield shattered, its energy—deprived of the Ambrosial Arbor's supply—finally ran out.
With its energy source depleted, the attack of Spotted Dragon's Touch gradually weakened until it vanished completely.
"Roar… roar…"
The Abundant Ebon Deer panted heavily, its eyes glinting with unwillingness. It raised its head high, ready to fight on, but alas, it was already at its limit.