Hearing Welt's words, General Jing Yuan was momentarily taken aback before his face lit up with a look of approval and admiration.
"Mr. Welt, your integrity is truly admirable. However, I, Jing Yuan, am not some despicable person. My intention in wanting Danfeng… no, Dan Heng, to return is twofold: first, to borrow the power of the Vidyadhara Dragon to overcome this crisis, and second, to take this opportunity to lift the Alliance's exile order against him. After all… it's been a long time since he's returned home."
Welt gazed into Jing Yuan's eyes, and the latter met his stare without flinching. After a moment, Welt spoke.
"I misjudged you, General Jing Yuan. I'll pass the message to Dan Heng."
"Thank you, Mr. Welt."
— — — —
"Everything is predestined by Causality? That's your reason, my great Lord of Samsara?!" Fu Xuan was clearly dissatisfied with Yun Fan's response. This man's vague answer was practically no explanation at all!
Did he really think I'm some kid who's easy to fool?
Yun Fan merely gave a faint smile in response.
"Believe it or not, that's my reason. Just as fish swim in the sea and birds soar in the sky, whether you believe it or not, it exists as truth."
Unable to outtalk or overpower the person before her, Fu Xuan could only turn her head away in frustration, letting out a cold huff to express her discontent.
Seeing Fu Xuan's petulant, almost childlike demeanor, a smile tugged at Yun Fan's lips.
Everything predestined by Causality? That was just something I made up. The real reason he let Kafka go was to avoid derailing the subsequent plot too much. If Kafka had been detained on the Xianzhou Luofu because of Qingque, then what would happen next…
Though this was Yun Fan's true reasoning, seeing Fu Xuan's mix of grievance and cuteness, he couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her cheek.
"Alright, don't look so wronged. It's my fault, okay? How about this: as compensation, I'll grant you a portion of Causality's power."
Yun Fan's words hit Fu Xuan like a stone dropped into water, sending ripples through her. In an instant, it was as if thunder had struck. The Master Diviner whipped her head around, her beautiful eyes filled with shock and a hint of embarrassment. After a long pause, she asked uncertainly, "G-Grant me the power of Causality… Are you… are you saying you want me to become your Emanator?"
If she remembered correctly, becoming the Emanator of the Lord of Samsara required… required that with him…!
"Emanator? You're overthinking it." Yun Fan mercilessly shattered Fu Xuan's fantasy. "I only meant to let you step onto the Path of Causality and, while I'm at it, help eliminate the side effects of your Matrix of Prescience."
Hearing Yun Fan's clarification, Fu Xuan's face darkened momentarily before she tilted her head proudly.
"Hmph, who cares about being your Emanator!" Seeing this, Yun Fan just chuckled, deciding not to tease the little tsundere further. When it came to handling someone like her, he preferred a hands-off approach.
"Come, close your eyes obediently, and I'll pass the technique to you."
Following Yun Fan's instructions, Fu Xuan closed her eyes. In the next moment, she felt a warm hand rest on her forehead, and a cool, clear energy, like flowing water, slowly seeped into her 'Matrix of Prescience.'
The pain and torment caused by years of using the Matrix of Prescience began to melt away under the nourishment of this power, replaced by a soothing sensation. Fu Xuan felt as if she were floating among the clouds, her body and soul receiving divine comfort.
At the same time, a grand path opened within her, and the mark of the Path of Causality was etched into her soul. With unstoppable momentum, it merged and subsumed the Path of Preservation within her.
"Hm?"
Sensing the girl's body sway slightly, Yun Fan reached out, gently catching her delicate frame before she could collapse.
In his arms, Fu Xuan's breathing was steady, her brows relaxed, and a faint smile graced her face, as if she had fallen asleep.
"Heh, this little one looks pretty cute when she's sleeping." Yun Fan reached out and pinched Fu Xuan's cheek. In response, the sleeping Master Diviner reflexively wrinkled her small nose but showed no signs of waking.
"Sleep well. You must be tired, my dear Master Diviner…"
Gently placing Fu Xuan on the bed, Yun Fan tucked her in before stepping over to the window. Gazing at the Ambrosial Arbor piercing the sky in the distance, he narrowed his eyes slightly…
— — — —
"That's strange. This whole journey has been way too smooth. Does Luocha really not have any accomplices?"
In the Shackling Prison, March 7th and Stelle exchanged glances as they watched Luocha being escorted away by the Cloud Knights. Both saw disbelief in the other's eyes. Even the usually proud Yanqing had an uncertain expression.
Honestly, bringing a Stellaron to the Xianzhou Luofu and using its power to revive the long-withered Ambrosial Arbor—how could one person possibly pull that off? Because of this, they were certain Luocha must have accomplices.
But, to their astonishment, not only did they not encounter any of Luocha's allies during the escort, they didn't even see a single suspicious person. It was truly baffling.
"Could it be… we overthought it? Maybe Luocha doesn't have any accomplices, and he revived the Ambrosial Arbor all on his own?" March 7th asked cautiously.
"That's impossible. He must have accomplices. Something's gone wrong somewhere." Yanqing shook his head firmly, his intuition telling him things weren't that simple.
"Well…" March 7th and Stelle didn't know what to say. Since he was so convinced, arguing further would be pointless and might even annoy him.
Time ticked by, and Yanqing stood in place, arms wrapped around his beloved sword. As the sun sank toward the west and dusk settled in, while March 7th and Stelle were already discussing what to eat for dinner, Yanqing suddenly clapped his hands.
"I've got it!"
Seeing Yanqing's look of realization, March 7th and Stelle quickly leaned in, a bit excited. "What? Yanqing, did you figure something out?"
"No." The Cloud Knight Lieutenant answered honestly. "I just remembered you said that after we finished escorting the prisoner, you'd tell me what you discussed with the General."
March 7th: "…"
Stelle: "…"
Stelle felt her fists clench, itching to leap forward and punch this guy. They'd been standing here waiting for so long, and this guy… this guy was thinking that?!
Seeing this, March 7th hurriedly grabbed Stelle's arm, whispering urgently in her ear, "Stelle, calm down, calm down!"
However, as the saying goes, the involved are clear while the onlookers are confused. To Yanqing, March 7th and Stelle's actions looked like they were putting on a show to avoid honoring their earlier agreement.
With this thought, Yanqing frowned deeply, his tone displeased. "You two aren't going back on your word, are you? A gentleman's word is his bond, hard to retract. Though you're guests of the Xianzhou, you shouldn't toy with Yanqing like this, right?"
March 7th: "…"
Stelle: "…"
I changed my mind. Let's punch him!