"Kekeke—"
Lucian fell silent for a moment. "What was that sound?"
Rover glanced around. "It's a Tacet Discord. The explosion must have drawn them here."
"We should probably deal with them. This place isn't far from the Moon-Chasing Festival."
Encore suggested, "I have a great idea!"
Lucian chuckled again. "Setting the mountain on fire would land you in prison. Encore, Jinzhou has a complete set of laws for your kind of 'ideas.'"
Encore scratched her head. "Then never mind… Encore doesn't want to go to jail."
Lucian reassured her, "Don't be discouraged. Since these firecrackers work so well, we can ask Xisha to make more when we get back. They'll be our secret weapon."
Encore nodded in agreement. "Secret weapon! That's right! Every hero's adventure needs secrets!"
Lucian gave a slight nod. "Jiao-Jiao, it's your turn!"
Jiao-Jiao: "?"
"Am I your personal thug now?"
Despite her complaints, Jiao-Jiao swiftly took down all the Tacet Discords with a few punches and kicks. She didn't transform into her Jué form because Encore was nearby.
Still, Encore gasped in amazement. "Wow! I didn't know you were this strong! You'd make a great hero in a story!"
Jiao-Jiao was puzzled. "A hero in a story?"
"Exactly!" Encore mused. "Let me think…"
"Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Sheepy Meadows, where a little girl named Jiao-Jiao lived. From a young age, she showed extraordinary martial talent!"
"Under the guidance of her father, Lucian, the kingdom's guardian, and her mother, Rover, the kingdom's princess, Jiao-Jiao became a child prodigy known throughout the land!"
Jiao-Jiao: "?"
Lucian: "?"
Rover: "?"
Encore grew more excited as she spoke. "Near the kingdom lay a cursed forest, home to a wicked dragon named Aalto!"
"Every few years, it would emerge from the forest to kidnap children from the kingdom. The people lived in fear, but no one dared enter the forest to challenge the dragon."
"Even Lucian, the guardian, could only fight it to a draw, unable to defeat it completely."
"As Jiao-Jiao grew older, her martial skills improved, but her parents aged and passed away…"
Rover: "???"
Lucian: "???"
"Then, the dragon returned to wreak havoc once more. At the same time, Jiao-Jiao discovered her parents' legacy—a miraculous technique: Jiaolong Transforms into Water!"
"It turned out that only a special bloodline, born from the union of an ordinary human's blood and the kingdom's royal blood, could master this technique."
"Coincidentally, Guardian Lucian's bloodline was that of an ordinary human…"
"So, Jiao-Jiao learned Jiaolong Transforms into Water and battled the dragon Aalto for three days and three nights."
"Finally, during the fight, Jiao-Jiao fully grasped the technique, transformed into a jiaolong, and engaged in an epic dragon duel! In the end, Jiao-Jiao's skill prevailed, and she defeated the wicked dragon!"
"Jiao-Jiao rescued all the children, and the kingdom entered an era of peace and prosperity. She was hailed as the new guardian…"
"As for how Guardian Lucian, with his ordinary bloodline, ended up with Rover, the kingdom's princess—that's a story for another time…"
As Encore finished, everyone fell into stunned silence.
Leaving aside why Lucian and Rover were Jiao-Jiao's parents, how did Encore accidentally guess that Jiao-Jiao could transform into a jiaolong?
Noticing the silence, Encore asked sadly, "Was the story not good?"
Lucian smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Who said it wasn't good? It was amazing!"
Rover's lips curled into a smile. "A very fun story. Next time, tell us how Guardian Lucian and Princess Rover fell in love, okay?"
Encore's mood instantly brightened. She raised her hands excitedly. "Yay! I knew you'd like it! Once I figure it out, I'll tell you all about Lucian and Rover's love story!"
Rover laughed. "I'm looking forward to it."
The group returned to the fireworks stall, where Xisha asked eagerly, "So? Were the fireworks spectacular?"
Lucian grinned. "Even the Tacet Discords thought they were too dazzling."
Xisha was stunned. "Wh-what happened?"
Rover explained the earlier events.
Xisha scratched his head sheepishly. "...Ah, I'm just glad no one got hurt."
"Maybe I should destroy that formula after all."
Lucian waved his hand. "No need. That formula could be useful against Tacet Discords."
Xisha's eyes lit up. "Against Tacet Discords? That's a great idea!"
"In that case, I'll ask the couriers from our Wuwu Logistics to try it out too…"
"Thank you so much!"
Encore raised her hands. "No need to thank us! Encore got a super fun story out of it too!"
"Sheepy Meadows found peace again under the new guardian's protection!"
Xisha blinked. "...Did you understand any of that?"
Lucian chuckled. "No one understands Encore's stories better than me!"
Encore gave a thumbs-up. "As expected of Guardian Lucian!"
Xisha: "..."
"Sometimes, kids' thoughts are just impossible to follow."
"Speaking of which, I really thought this would work. Looks like I'll have to find a new formula…"
He pumped himself up. "But for my daughter, I can't give up!"
Encore cheered him on. "Go for it, Uncle Xisha! You'll definitely make the most beautiful fireworks!"
Xisha smiled warmly. "Thank you, Encore."
After leaving the stall, Lucian crouched down to Encore's eye level. "Encore, where else do you want to go?"
Encore looked around and suddenly spotted a small green figure near the lantern riddle booth.
"Sheepy warrior, Verina spotted! Big Brother Lucian, let's go check it out!"
Lucian looked over and saw Yangyang there as well, so he led the group toward them.
"Verina!"
Verina turned and smiled. "Oh, it's Baby Encore…"
Lucian greeted Yangyang. "Yangyang, so you're here."
Yangyang nodded slightly. "Lucian, Rover, Jiao-Jiao, Encore. The lantern riddles here are quite interesting. Would you like to try?"
Encore's eyes sparkled. "Lantern riddles? Encore is super good at these!"
The booth owner, Xieyang, laughed heartily. "Oh? Such a confident little one!"
"I've got some freshly made high-difficulty riddles here. Answer three correctly, and you'll win today's grand prize—a collector's edition special reward!"
Encore's curiosity was piqued. "Collector's edition reward? Encore wants to join!"
Lucian crouched down with a smile. "Alright then. We'll all help you, Encore."