A Chance Encounter in the Street, Tang San's Gaze Changed
On the top floor of the Rose Hotel, inside the spacious, luxurious heart-shaped suite, the sounds of intimate, lingering panting gradually subsided.
Mona leaned weakly against Chu Yuan's chest, her clear mint-green eyes still veiled in a misty haze. Her rosy, slightly swollen lips moved softly, and the full curves wrapped in her skintight deep-purple and dark-blue bodysuit rose and fell slowly as her breathing steadied.
With a slight thought, Chu Yuan sent a wisp of gentle fire and Anemo divine power flowing from his fingertips, brushing it lightly along Mona's slender, smooth waist and long legs.
Her star-themed bodysuit, which had been thoroughly soaked with astrological water and clung tightly to her curvaceous figure, quickly became dry and warm beneath the divine power.
Even the gradient-black, starry stockings torn in several places along the outside of her right thigh and above her left knee were quietly mended to perfection by a fine thread of starlight, once again fitting snugly around her straight, shapely, full and firm jade legs.
"Mm... th-thank you..."
Mona felt the dryness return between her legs and around her waist and belly, but the alluring blush on her cheeks had not faded in the least.
Somewhat embarrassed, she pressed her legs together and gently slid off Chu Yuan's sturdy thigh. She picked up the pointed witch's hat from the carpet and put it back on, but the scholarly reserve with which she had first looked at Chu Yuan was long gone, replaced by unmistakable shyness and compliance.
Seeing this, Keqing picked up the warm water on the table and handed it to Mona, a knowing smile in her amethyst eyes:
"Now that your Vision has been completely reforged, Miss Mona, why don't you sense the Ley Lines in Suotuo City and see what the relics from beyond the heavens are doing? When Chu Yuan and I were out on the street earlier, we faintly sensed several familiar Teyvat elemental fluctuations to the west of the city."
"Mm! Leave it to me. Now I can communicate directly with the stellar fate projections of this world without even using a hydromancy divination plate!"
At the mention of astrology, her greatest specialty, Mona perked up. She set down her cup and gently traced a line in the air with her slender, jade-white right hand.
Hum—a deep, dazzling azure star chart appeared in midair in the suite, pale golden divine patterns of the Heavenly Principles flowing along its edges.
Without any medium, her reforged Hydro Vision resonated perfectly with Chu Yuan's Third Divine Authority Soul Ring, [Stellar Fate Hydromancy: Illusory Bubble]. The flow of energy for more than ten li around instantly turned into countless fine points of light reflected on the star chart.
"Found them! In the bustling district north of the western part of the city, there are three very distinct Geo and Electro crystal reactions. They should all be fragments of Liyue or Inazuma minerals that fell through the Heavenly Abyss rift last night!"
Mona pointed to several points of light on the western side of the star chart. Then her slender brows knitted slightly, and her gaze shifted toward the central commercial street less than three streets away from the Rose Hotel:
"Huh? Strange... on the street market directly ahead, aside from two local cultivators who are moving around, that girl among them actually has a vast life essence hidden inside her. It's extremely pure, but completely concealed by the scent of some strange flower or herb! And... in a dark alley roughly two li northwest of the hotel, there's a star trail carrying the scent of blood and an air of shadows being surrounded by four or five hostile presences. Could it be that girl in black we saw at the hotel entrance today?"
A glimmer of understanding flashed through Chu Yuan's deep black eyes when he heard this.
The vast life essence concealed by the scent of an Immortal Herb naturally belonged to Xiao Wu, who carried something with a special scent to provide partial cover and was actually a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit in human form, and Tang San.
As for the shadowy star trail in the northwestern alley, that was undoubtedly Zhu Zhuqing, who had internal injuries and whose whereabouts had been pinpointed by the Star Luo Imperial Family's pursuers.
"Perfect. It's still early in the night, and you've just finished reforging your Vision in the suite. Come out for a walk with Keqing and me, and stretch your limbs while we're at it."
Chu Yuan rose from the couch and straightened the hem of his white robe with its golden patterns. His left arm naturally circled Keqing's supple waist, while his right hand took Mona's slender, slightly cool hand:
"We'll check out the commercial street ahead first, then go help that Hell Spirit Cat who's all alone."
Mona's fingers instinctively curled as Chu Yuan's warm, broad hand clasped hers, but she did not pull away. She merely gave a soft "Mm," and, close against either side of Chu Yuan with Keqing, walked out of the Rose Hotel.
On the central commercial street of Suotuo City, night had already fallen, but the main thoroughfare running north to south through the city was still brightly lit.
Because of the purple-gold Heavenly Abyss phenomenon that had stretched across ten thousand li the previous night, there were noticeably more fully armed Spirit Hall patrol deacons and spies sent by the great noble families on the streets tonight. A subtle atmosphere of outward calm and hidden tension hung in the air.
In front of a row of general stores and clothing shops on the right side of the street, Tang San was accompanying Xiao Wu as she wandered among the stalls.
After experiencing the earth-shaking impact of the previous night's phenomenon, Tang San had rested for the entire day. Only at dusk had he brought Xiao Wu out to buy dry rations and daily necessities for their trip to register at Shrek Academy the next day, as well as try his luck in the blacksmiths' district for suitable Hidden Weapon materials.
"Brother, I wonder where those multicolored streaks of light that fell from the sky last night ended up. We went around most of the city today, and those mercenaries said several hills outside the city were smashed flat. Even the people from Spirit Hall are searching everywhere!"
Xiao Wu held a freshly bought skewer of candied hawthorns, taking small bites as her scorpion braid swung behind her. Her big eyes darted around curiously.
Tang San wore a composed expression. His gaze swept over several Soul Masters carrying weapons nearby, and he lowered his voice:
"Power great enough to tear open the heavens is far beyond the reach of any ordinary Titled Douluo. Until we uncover the truth, we must not rashly get involved. Xiao Wu, hold on to my sleeve. There are more than twice as many experts in Suotuo City tonight as usual."
"I know, brother! You've reminded me eight hundred times today!"
Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue. She was just about to grab Tang San's sleeve and head for an accessories stall ahead when her steps suddenly halted without warning.
At a corner of the long street more than thirty paces ahead, the bustling, shoulder-to-shoulder crowd parted of its own accord toward both sides of the road, as though pushed apart by an invisible tide.
Under the soft glow of the Soul Tool streetlamps, three figures with extraordinary bearing walked slowly toward them, utterly unlike the rough Soul Masters of the Balak Kingdom around them.
In the middle was a black-haired young man dressed in a white robe with golden patterns. Tall and straight, he was as handsome as a work of art painstakingly sculpted by a god. His eyes, black as an abyss, were calm and unruffled, and his every movement carried an innate nobility and composure that looked down upon all beings.
Nestled against either side of the young man was a breathtakingly beautiful girl, each dressed in strikingly exotic attire.
The purple-haired girl on his left wore her hair in a charming pair of twin tails. Her luxurious, coolly elegant purple-and-black dress set off skin fairer than frost and snow. As her long legs moved beneath deep-purple stockings, an amethyst ornament inlaid with golden patterns at her waist flowed with sharp, pure violet lightning.
The girl on his right wore a broad, pointed witch's hat. A skintight bodysuit of deep purple and dark blue and gradient-black starry stockings outlined her curvaceous figure to breathtaking effect, while a faint glow like the rippling waters of the Milky Way surrounded her.
"Wow... brother, look at those two big sisters!!"
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up at once. Forgetting even the candied hawthorns in her hand, she tugged at Tang San's arm and exclaimed:
"Their clothes are so beautiful and unusual! And those two sparkling gems hanging at their waist and back—the light they give off looks just like those multicolored streaks that fell from the sky last night!!"
As Chu Yuan and the two girls drew closer, Xiao Wu, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, a Soft Bone Rabbit in human form, suddenly caught a whiff of a strange scent coming from the black-haired young man in the middle.
It was neither a human Soul Master's Soul Power nor the bloodline pressure of a Soul Beast, but a pure, boundless, supreme rhythm of life, as though it had nurtured all the plants and living things in the world!
Enveloped by this natural presence from the [Irminsul] Martial Soul, Xiao Wu felt that the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast essence within her, which she normally had to take constant care to conceal, was stirring with a closeness and reverence instinctive to her soul, as though she had returned to the shores of the Lake of Life at the very heart of the Star Dou Great Forest!
"How strange... why does that black-haired young man smell so good? It makes me want to get closer..."
Xiao Wu blinked her bright, dewy eyes, an inexplicable fondness welling up in her heart, and unconsciously took half a step forward.
Tang San, however, stood beside Xiao Wu with every muscle in his body taut, his expression turning grave in an instant!
While Xiao Wu was drawn to Keqing and Mona's clothes and the life presence around Chu Yuan, alarm bells immediately rang in Tang San's mind.
At this sensitive moment, with a strange phenomenon having descended from the heavens, how could he not be wary when three young men and women around his own age suddenly appeared on the streets of Suotuo City, dressed in luxurious, unusual clothes and mysteriously attracting even Xiao Wu?
Yet no matter how he tried to sense them, the black-haired young man before him and the two girls at his side seemed like bottomless ancient wells, without the slightest trace of a Douluo Continent Soul Master's Soul Power leaking out!
I can't tell how much Soul Power they have... could they be wearing treasures like breath-concealing Soul Tools, or are the three of them connected to the Heavenly Abyss rift phenomenon last night?
Tang San's thoughts raced. Seeing Xiao Wu still studying Chu Yuan curiously, he instinctively stepped in front of her, driven by protectiveness and wariness.