Youhu distributed the frostflower cakes for everyone to taste, and they were indeed quite delicious.
The pastry carried a moist texture with a faint hint of fruity fragrance.
Jiao-Jiao praised, "Truly excellent. Did you make these yourself?"
Youhu replied proudly, "Of course."
"When I travel across Solaris in search of relics, there are often tis when I can't find food or lodging. These little cakes are my ultimate survival delicacy!"
Abby expressed slight concern, "You explore all these places alone at your age? Isn't it dangerous?"
Youhu waved her hand dismissively, calm and composed. "I'm a Resonator—I'm plenty strong!"
"Besides, after all these years, I'm already used to it."
When Youhu was still young, her parents followed their hotown's tradition by placing objects symbolizing various professions around her.
It was said that the first item a child touched would foretell their interests and future vocation.
That day, Youhu ignored the brushes, swords, and cooking utensils entirely, crawling straight toward her mother and grabbing the Ruyi Ring hanging from her waist—the very sa one Youhu now wears around her neck.
It was a genuine family heirloom, an authentic ancient artifact.
Later, Youhu grew up surrounded by relics, developing a deep fascination for them. Even the most tedious and obscure knowledge about artifact appraisal couldn't dampen her enthusiasm.
Her treasure-hunting journeys across the land stemd purely from her love for antiquities.
Beep beep beep—
Lucian's terminal suddenly rang.
Chixia's voice ca through the communication line.
"Lucian!"
"Where have you been these past few days? You didn't leave a single ssage…"
Her tone carried a hint of grievance.
Lucian chuckled fondly. "I'm at Mt. Firmant right now."
Chixia gasped audibly. "Mt. Firmant!?"
"Don't tell … that earth-shattering incident that shook all of Jinzhou—no, the entire Huanglong—was your doing!?"
News of the events at Mt. Firmant had spread throughout Huanglong in just a single day.
Storytellers everywhere had already begun weaving it into tales and songs.
So it wasn't surprising that Chixia had heard about it in Jinzhou.
Lucian remained modest. "It was mostly the Magistrate's achievent."
Chixia scoffed. "Stop being humble! I know exactly how strong you are!"
"Hurry back to Jinzhou and tell us all the details! Besides, the festival is coming up soon."
Lucian glanced at Rover questioningly.
Rover gave a slight nod. Though Mt. Firmant was a pleasant place to stay, most of their friends were still in Jinzhou.
And with the teleportation beacon, returning to Jinzhou would be effortless.
"Alright, we'll et at Panhua Restaurant later."
Chixia cheered. "Great! Yangyang and Baizhi will be there too!"
Even after days apart, Chixia was as lively as ever.
Rover had been with Lucian all this ti, even sharing the sa bed.
He hadn't had the chance to have a long, cozy chat with Chixia. Truth be told, he missed her after all these days.
And while they were at it, they might as well check on Jinhsi at the City Hall…
Rover: "In that case, let's head back now to et them."
Youhu waved her hands dismissively. "I'm not going back! I still have treasures to hunt in Mt. Firmant!"
Though she had explored many places, she had never been to Mt. Firmant before.
After all, the mountain had long been trapped in stasis.
Countless adventurers had perished there—Youhu wasn't reckless enough to challenge it before.
Lucian hesitated. "But…"
"Is it really okay to leave a child here alone?"
Youhu imdiately pouted. "Who's a child?! I'm plenty strong!"
"Don't worry about . Besides, I'll return for the festival when the ti cos."
Lucian pondered for a mont but still felt uneasy.
He exchanged a jade pendant from the shop system and hung it around Youhu's neck, letting it rest alongside her Ruyi Ring.
This pendant could protect her in critical monts and even send Lucian a warning if she were in danger.
Youhu picked up the pendant and examined it. "This is…"
The jade was finely textured, smooth as silk, slightly heavy in her palm, and cool to the touch.
Most importantly, Youhu could sense a powerful frequency resonating within it.
Her face imdiately lit up with joy. "I knew you had treasures, Lucian!"
Lucian pinched her soft cheeks. "Stay safe. If anything happens, you can always contact ."
Youhu huffed confidently. "Relax, with
around, any monsters or demons will have to scram the mont they see …"
With that, she waved and walked off.
Watching her small figure gradually disappear into the distance, Abby sighed. "She really has no fear at all. At such a young age, who on earth made her like this?"
Lucian mused, "Definitely Chenpi's fault."
Rover nodded in agreent. "I think so too."
...
...
Jinzhou, Panhua Restaurant.
"Over here!"
Chixia waved her arms vigorously, drawing the attention of nearby diners.
As the group approached, Chixia couldn't contain her excitent and leaped into Lucian's arms in a flying hug.
Lucian quickly steadied her to keep her from falling.
Chixia showered him with kisses and hugs, utterly unstoppable.
Jiao-Jiao, witnessing this, whispered into Rover's ear, "My Lady, I'm a little confused about your relationships here…"
Rover's face darkened. "Lucian's status has been downgraded to 'pet.'"
Jiao-Jiao sighed. "It seems I've truly grown old."
Abby cheered. "Nice! Lucian's rank is lower than mine now!"
"Rover, let's cook and eat Lucian!"
Rover: "…"
Lucian overheard and retorted, "You've got your hierarchy backwards."
The group settled at the table, with Rover and Chixia sandwiching Lucian on either side.
"Lucian, try this! It's one of my favorite dishes!"
Chixia picked up a piece of spicy tofu and fed it to Lucian. He took a bite, his face turning red from the heat.
But Lucian, ever the stubborn one, forced out a strained complint: "Hiss—Not spicy at all. Tastes great!"
anwhile, Rover wordlessly wiped the oil from Lucian's lips with a napkin.
"Your face is red from the spice. Eat this instead—it's not spicy."
Rover shoved a piece of sweet-and-sour pork into Lucian's mouth with a force that definitely carried a hint of vengeance.
Lucian chuckled awkwardly. "Delicious! Sweet, tangy, crispy—perfect!"
Rover smirked coldly, crossed her arms, and scrutinized him. "Then tell —whose food tastes better, hers or mine?"
Lucian: "…"
Are we still talking about the food here?
From a short distance away, Abby stomped his feet in frustration. "Damn it! Why does no one want to feed ?!"
Jiao-Jiao, hearing this, flicked a Yuanhua Cake from her hand. It traced a graceful arc through the air before landing perfectly in Abby's mouth.
Abby choked mid-sentence: "?!"
Jiao-Jiao continued eating nonchalantly. "Adults are talking. Children shouldn't interrupt."
Abby: "???"
He hurriedly chewed and swallowed the cake before protesting indignantly, "Even if I'm an Echo, I'm an Echo with dignity!"
"I'll fight you—!"
With a loud cry, Abby lunged forward.
Across the table, Yangyang sighed helplessly and muttered to Baizhi, "Weren't we here to learn about what happened at Mt. Firmant?"
Baizhi: "…"
In short, aside from Yangyang and Baizhi, the entire table had descended into chaos.
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