"Tail, Tail, waaah, look at this!"
"Tail, Tail, this is all your fault! You have to come up with something, please!"
"Tail, Tail... is Little Gui... is she...?"
"Ugh, so noisy! I already told you she'd be fine."
As Lumina approached, Huohuo didn't notice her, still cradling Guinaifen's "corpse" and shedding tiny pearl-like tears.
Taking advantage of the moment, Lumina knelt down and gently stroked Huohuo's head. "Little sister," she said softly, "don't cry. Leave it to me, okay?"
"Huh?" Huohuo, lost in her grief over Guinaifen's unconsciousness and immersed in her own world, suddenly felt a wave of warmth spreading through her head, instantly washing away her anxiety, bitterness, and worry.
Just a few seconds after this warmth appeared, Huohuo realized its source.
A slender, jade-like hand, so delicate it seemed imagined rather than real, rested gently on her head.
Basking in the warmth for a moment, Huohuo turned to look up.
Before her stood a face that could overturn the world—a face of flawless, otherworldly beauty, seemingly untouched by earthly imperfections.
"Hey Brat!" Mr. Tail cried out urgently in Huohuo's mind. "She's dangerous! Run!"
"Quick, flick a talisman at her head!"
No matter how beautiful Lumina might be, Mr. Tail, the great tail Heliobus, remained unimpressed. He bombarded Huohuo's mind with frantic warnings, reminding her that the woman before them was far from virtuous.
Seeing Huohuo utterly entranced by Lumina's head-patting, Mr. Tail grew desperate. He tried to seize control of her body and break free.
But his efforts failed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't manipulate Huohuo's body as he once had.
It was as if an invisible barrier had severed their connection.
"That woman..."
Mr. Tail knew without a doubt that the woman before him was responsible for this.
Adding to this, the onlookers surrounding the unconscious Guinaifen, their eyes rolled back, showed no reaction whatsoever. Some even scratched their heads in confusion, as if completely unaware of what had just occurred.
She erased everyone's memories without even a ripple in the Path's energy...
This woman... she's terrifyingly powerful!
Damn it!
Mr. Tail cursed inwardly at the sight.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Lumina said with a smile, withdrawing her hand. "I mean no harm."
"I'm Little Gui's friend. I saw her livestream and wanted to come find her to hang out."
"I never expected to witness such an amusing scene right after arriving."
Her gaze shifted to Mr. Tail as she explained, observing Huohuo's somewhat unsatisfied expression.
"Little Gui's... friend."
"I... I... I, I didn't do it on purpose! It's all Mr. Tail's fault!"
Upon hearing these words, Huohuo, who had been gradually calming down, reverted to her earlier state of panic: trembling with fear, worry, and tears welling up like tiny pearls.
"Hey! Get a grip!" Mr. Tail snapped, his irritation rising at Huohuo's pitiful state.
"Don't worry, she's fine," Lumina said with a reassuring smile, gently patting Huohuo's head. "Little Gui just had... her soul wandered for a moment." She stood up and approached Guinaifen, who lay peacefully on the ground.
Stepping forward, Lumina reached out and grasped at the air as if seizing something invisible.
In reality, she was seizing Guinaifen's disembodied soul.
Without any elaborate techniques or unnecessary gestures, Lumina simply grabbed the soul and firmly pressed it back into Guinaifen's body.
With a flick of her wrist, she telekinetically cleared away the rubble covering Guinaifen.
"Ugh... Where am I...? Is this... Heaven?"
Moments later, with a soft groan, Guinaifen slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Lumina's familiar face.
"Ah... so I really did ascend to Heaven?" Seeing Lumina, the groggy Guinaifen became even more convinced that she had indeed flown up to the celestial realm.
"Waaah, Little Gui, I'm so glad you're okay!"
But soon, the still-dazed Guinaifen was dealt another blow.
Huohuo rushed over, tears welling in her eyes, and tightly embraced Guinaifen's arm, repeatedly nuzzling her head against it. Lumina watched with a pang of envy...
Envy for their deep friendship, of course, and nothing more.
"Ehh... of course I'm fine! Crushing a boulder on my chest? Child's play!" Huohuo's sudden embrace snapped Guinaifen back to reality, realizing they were still on the Xianzhou Luofu.
Then what was that I saw earlier...?
Guinaifen's gaze slowly shifted from Huohuo to Lumina, her face instantly lighting up with delight.
"Sister Lumina! What brings you here?" Guinaifen patted Huohuo, who was still clinging to her, signaling her to stop crying and reassuring her that she was okay.
"Hoh~ So they really know each other. That scared me half to death! I thought she was one of those evil aunties who kidnap children." Mr. Tail, relieved to see Lumina and Guinaifen were acquainted, finally relaxed his guard and let out a sigh of relief.
After all, with that creature's terrifying strength, he could have easily kidnapped Huohuo right under everyone's noses...
"I came to watch the Xianzhou's Wardance Ceremony," Lumina said with a smile, gesturing lightly. Her gaze then shifted to Huohuo, and she asked, feigning ignorance, "Who is this?"
"This is Huohuo," Guinaifen replied, introducing her.
"And what about this?" Lumina's gaze slowly drifted downward from Huohuo, eventually settling on the tail behind her.
"Um... you should really ask Huohuo herself. It's not my place to say." Despite trusting Lumina implicitly, Guinaifen hesitated to reveal someone else's private information.
"Hey, woman, I, the great Mr. Tail, am a renowned member of the Heliobus —"
"It's a tail! A tail!"
Hearing Mr. Tail spout nonsense again, Huohuo quickly reached out and pinched his tail, making the choice for him.
"Ah, I see," Lumina nodded with a gentle smile, saying nothing more.
"Hey! Little girl, I'm—"
"Meow?"
Mr. Tail was clearly displeased with how Huohuo had introduced him.
With this woman's strength, how could she not recognize me as a Heliobus? What's the point of hiding it? I might as well introduce myself properly!
But just as Mr. Tail was about to introduce himself, a sudden meow pierced the air, reaching everyone's ears.
Following the sound, they saw it was coming from the Little Kitten nestled in Lumina's arms.
"Meow? Meow." The Little Kitten opened its eyes, its gaze locking onto Mr. Tail.
"..."
The large and small eyes stared at each other for a moment before Mr. Tail fell silent, bringing the exchange to an abrupt end.