"I never imagined that simply stepping through a door would transport me to another world entirely!" Ning Caichen marveled after absorbing Gustave's explanation. The concept felt like something from the most fantastical legends rather than his lived reality.
"This Gate of All Worlds truly represents a treasure beyond comprehension," Fahai agreed with genuine awe. "Even with all my studies and travels, I've never heard of such miraculous artifacts. Perhaps even the Buddha himself possesses nothing comparable."
As both men struggled to process the implications of interdimensional travel, two familiar figures approached their table—one small and energetic, the other taller and clearly up to mischief.
"Brother Gustave! Brother Gustave!" Yang Chan skipped over and grabbed the chef's hand, tugging insistently. "Chan'er is so hungry!"
"Would you like noodles too, little one?" Gustave asked with fond indulgence, gently tapping her cute nose.
"Yes! Chan'er wants noodles!" she replied with enthusiastic nodding.
"Gustave, make me a bowl while you're at it," Tu Shanyan added with casual presumption.
The fox spirit had been working tirelessly to win Yang Chan's favor as part of her long-term strategy to control Gustave through emotional leverage. Her efforts had proven successful—the little girl now shared her sleeping quarters and clearly viewed Tu Shanyan as a trusted older sister.
"If you want food, make it yourself," Gustave replied dismissively. "I don't cater to freeloaders."
He stood to leave for the kitchen, but Tu Shanyan immediately shot a meaningful look toward Yang Chan, who understood the signal perfectly.
"Brother Gustave, please help Sister Ayan make noodles too!" Yang Chan pleaded with devastating cuteness, wrapping her arms around his legs.
"For your sake, Chan'er, I suppose I can feed this troublemaker," Gustave conceded with theatrical resignation.
Tu Shanyan's manipulation tactics proved frustratingly effective—whenever Yang Chan intervened, Gustave's resistance crumbled completely.
After patting the little girl's head affectionately, Gustave headed toward the kitchen, leaving Tu Shanyan to survey their guests with calculating interest.
That bald monk looks insufferably righteous, she thought with disdain. But this little scholar might be fun to tease.
"Little scholar," Tu Shanyan purred, stretching languidly to emphasize her curves, "are you one of today's new arrivals through the Gate?"
Her voice carried honey-sweet seduction that would have weakened most men's resolve.
Ning Caichen had virtually no experience with beautiful women, let alone one of Tu Shanyan's extraordinary appeal. As a pure-blooded fox demon from Tushan royal lineage, she possessed natural allure that required no conscious effort to deploy. The scholar's face immediately flushed crimson, starting from his ears and spreading rapidly.
"I... yes, miss, I am Ning Caichen," he stammered, unable to meet her gaze directly. "I was... was fortunate enough to receive Brother Gustave's hospitality today."
"Sister Ayan, why is this scholar brother acting so strange?" Yang Chan asked with innocent confusion. "His face turned all red and he's talking funny! The other people on the Bamboo Staff don't act like this around you, and neither does the handsome monk brother."
"Haha, Chan'er, you'll understand when you're older," Tu Shanyan replied with delighted laughter, covering her mouth daintily.
She hadn't expected Ning Caichen to prove quite so easy to fluster—the poor man could barely form coherent sentences.
Ning Caichen's embarrassment deepened further upon hearing their exchange, his blush intensifying to an almost dangerous shade.
"Miss, as a member of the fox clan, surely employing such petty tricks against an ordinary mortal is beneath your dignity?" Fahai interjected with calm authority, stepping forward to defend his new friend.
"Fox... fox clan?" Ning Caichen looked between Fahai and Tu Shanyan with growing alarm.
"A fox demon, to be precise," Fahai clarified gently.
"Fox demon!" Ning Caichen nearly jumped out of his skin at the revelation.
While romantic tales of scholars and fox spirits were popular entertainment, Ning Caichen harbored genuine terror of supernatural creatures. He'd witnessed monsters devouring humans with his own eyes—the stuff of nightmares rather than fantasy.
"What business is this of yours, baldy?" Tu Shanyan snapped, her playful demeanor shifting to open hostility.
Her opinion of monks, Taoist priests, and similar religious figures had never been particularly high.
"Miss, your words lack merit," Fahai replied with unruffled composure. "Brother Ning and I have become friends, making it natural to assist when he faces difficulties. Moreover, as a Buddhist monk facing a demon, philosophical opposition is only to be expected. Where exactly is the impropriety in my intervention?"
Tu Shanyan should have been grateful this was the enlightened version of Fahai—a more traditional interpretation might have already unleashed the Mighty Dragon technique without bothering with conversation.
"You...!" Tu Shanyan sputtered, unprepared for such articulate reasoning.
"Sister Ayan, I think this big brother is right," Yang Chan added with devastating innocent honesty.
The unexpected betrayal hit Tu Shanyan like a physical blow.
"Chan'er! I'm your Sister Ayan—you don't even know this bald monk! How can you take his side?"
Tu Shanyan grasped the little girl's hands with desperate earnestness, her voice carrying genuine hurt.
"But Sister Ayan, Brother Gustave taught me that I shouldn't just agree with people I like," Yang Chan replied with sparkling eyes and sweet sincerity. "Sometimes I have to support what's right instead of who's related to me!"
"Chan'er, how could you..." Tu Shanyan clutched her chest and staggered backward as if physically wounded.
She'd believed she'd successfully won the child's loyalty, never realizing Gustave had planted a philosophical time bomb designed to undermine such manipulation.
"What the little benefactor says makes perfect sense," Fahai observed with obvious satisfaction, delivering another verbal strike while his opponent was reeling.
"By the way, little one, I don't believe I caught your name?"
Fahai could sense Tu Shanyan's demonic nature through spiritual perception, but Yang Chan registered as something far more extraordinary. The child radiated purity and intelligence while being surrounded by concentrated spiritual energy—clearly no ordinary mortal.
"My name is Yang Chan, but everyone calls me Chan'er!" she replied with characteristic brightness.
"Yang Chan!" Recognition flickered in Fahai's eyes at the familiar name.
"Little benefactor, do you perhaps have a brother named Yang Jian?"
"Brother Monk, how do you know my second brother's name?" Yang Chan asked with curious surprise.
Who doesn't know the relationship between the Third Holy Mother and Erlang Shen? Fahai thought with amusement, though he opted for diplomatic evasion.
"I... heard someone mention it in passing."
"Brother Monk, you're fibbing!" Yang Chan declared with matter-of-fact certainty. "Saint Grandpa and Chan'er both say that lying is wrong!"
"Saint Grandpa?" Fahai immediately seized upon this intriguing detail. "Who exactly is this Saint Grandpa you mention?"
"Saint Grandpa is... Saint Grandpa!" Yang Chan replied with the circular logic of childhood, clearly knowing no other name for the Moral Lord.
"The Saint Grandpa she's talking about is Taiqing, Daode Tianzun," Tu Shanyan supplied with venomous helpfulness, eager to share information that might discomfort the monk.
"Taiqing, Daode Tianzun!" Fahai's eyes widened with sudden understanding. "That explains everything—no wonder Benefactor Gustave possesses such extraordinary treasures."
While he didn't know the exact relationship between Gustave and the legendary sage, if the Gate of All Worlds had been gifted by one of the Three Pure Ones, the mystery of their situation finally made perfect sense.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGaruda
You'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~