Foxian Girl Stood Beneath the Lanterns, Radiant as a Painting

"No, wait—Lord Fu Xuan, what was that old saying again? Matching mandarin ducks recklessly? Please don't do something like that. Huohuo's still right here."

Bai Sheng became somewhat tongue-tied and nudged Huohuo, who had already entered her steamed-up matcha-cupcake mode.

"Eh? Eh? I... I'm not... Asheng's, um, girlfriend yet, Lord Fu Xuan."

Huohuo's face was as red as a cherry tomato. She hurriedly waved her hands, but perhaps it was just his imagination—he couldn't shake the feeling that there was a hint of unwillingness in her tone.

"I see. It seems I misjudged the situation. Well, my Immortal's Joyful Tea has arrived, so I'll be leaving first."

A trace of a smile flashed across Fu Xuan's lips, but she said nothing more. She simply picked up her milk tea and left.

That's what you say, but... the hexagram chart didn't pair you two like that...

"Goodbye, Lord Fu Xuan." ×2

After seeing Fu Xuan off, Bai Sheng felt that her misunderstanding had made the atmosphere somewhat awkward, so he said to Huohuo:

"Um, Huohuo, Lord Fu Xuan was only joking. Don't overthink it."

"Mm, I know..."

"But I don't really want to just let it pass as a joke..."

Huohuo spoke the last sentence so softly that Bai Sheng didn't hear her.

"What?"

Bai Sheng asked.

"Nothing, Asheng. Have you seen Guinevere? I'm a little hungry."

Huohuo spoke while searching for Guinevere's figure.

"You two, I'm over here! Let's talk while we walk. Was the person who just left the Divination Department's Diviner? She seemed completely different from the rumors."

Guinevere asked as she secretly glanced at the tourist map on the sign beside them.

"How was she different?"

Huohuo asked. She wanted to use the topic to dispel the awkward atmosphere that had yet to fully fade.

"The rumors say the Diviner of the Divination Department is an extreme workaholic who likes dragging her subordinates into overtime. She's supposedly cold and ruthless, fierce and intimidating. But the woman just now didn't look like that at all, did she?"

After Guinevere finished speaking, she took another sip of her Immortal's Joyful Tea. The straw had already been chewed beyond recognition.

"I don't know the specifics, but my master once told me that Lord Fu Xuan could remain on duty for several days and nights straight in order to perform calculations.

"I also have a friend in the Divination Department. She once said, 'Although the Diviner is lacking in height, her abilities reach the heavens.'"

Bai Sheng explained.

"She really proves that appearances can be deceiving. Looks like I still have a lot to learn. I'll start with Xianzhou writing. What about you two?"

A passion for learning appeared in Guinevere's eyes.

"I'll pass. Xianzhou's history is extraordinarily long, and many Eternals can't master it even after spending their entire lives studying it. I'll just read a few books now and then and be able to handle ordinary situations."

After Bai Sheng finished speaking, he looked at Huohuo.

"Huohuo, what about you?"

"Ah, me? I went to school before, so I didn't find it all that difficult. But for Asheng to reach his current level in such a short time is genuinely impressive."

A few days ago, when she had nothing else to do, Huohuo had seen Bai Sheng reading a book titled Xianzhou Dictionary. Although there was a convenient item called the Synesthesia Beacon for communication, Bai Sheng still liked reading written text. He didn't want to become someone who couldn't recognize a single character.

In just one week, Bai Sheng could already spell many Xianzhou characters. Basically, whenever he saw a shop on the street, he could look at its sign and roughly tell what kind of place it was.

The three of them chatted idly, discussing nothing of value. Occasionally, Bai Sheng and Huohuo even found a topic they had in common.

"You two, we're here! Aurum Alley! This used to be the liveliest night market in Chang Le Tian's cave realm. Come on, come on, let's go here first and order our food."

Compared with the area outside, Aurum Alley had a much stronger atmosphere of everyday life. Vendors of all sizes sold snacks and other food here, making the whole place look exceptionally lively.

Guinevere led the two of them to sit beside an open-air stall and handed the menu to Bai Sheng.

"Aunt Gao! I'm back again!"

Guinevere seemed to be a regular here. She greeted the Boss Lady with great familiarity.

"Oh, it's Guinevere. I haven't seen you in ages. Did you bring friends today?"

"Yes. Sorry for the trouble, Aunt Gao."

"No trouble at all. I don't mind a little work—the more people, the livelier it is. Go ahead and order first. I'll get things started for you."

The Boss Lady smiled. She knew Guinevere, a rather impoverished young girl who usually performed on the streets and earned very little. Even so, Guinevere still visited her stall every time.

"Boss Lady, three Minglotus Cakes and three Dream Eater Rolls. Huohuo, do you want some goat milk?"

"Yes, yes. Thank you, Asheng."

Huohuo smiled as she spoke.

"Then one serving of hot Fu Yang Milk, and three Qiongshi Bird Skewers as well. What about you, Guinevere?"

Bai Sheng looked at Guinevere, who was sitting some distance away beside them.

"Anything is fine with me, but I still need to buy some staple food later. Aunt Gao only sells snacks here, so they aren't really filling enough."

Bai Sheng nodded.

"Coming right up. Everything here is authentic Xianzhou Luofu cuisine. Please wait a moment."

Aunt Gao went to the steamer to prepare the dishes. Bai Sheng and Huohuo, meanwhile, went to a vending machine beneath the steps to buy some more drinks.

"How about this? Soda Bean Juice?"

"Um, Asheng, are you sure? It might taste awful."

Huohuo found it difficult to describe the flavor of Soda Bean Juice. The first time she had tried it, its terrible taste had nearly overwhelmed her.

"All right, then. Let's get this Scale Abyss Ice Spring. By the way, does this have anything to do with the Dragon-given?"

Bai Sheng took three bottles of Scale Abyss Ice Spring.

Xianzhou was primarily made up of three major races: Foxians, ordinary Xianzhou People, and the Dragon-given. The Dragon-given were relatively few in number, however. They could not reproduce, so merely maintaining their population was already difficult enough.

He had heard that when a member of the Dragon-given died, they transformed into a Dragon-given Egg, which was essentially reincarnation. At the time, he had also heard Acheron mention that something had gone wrong when a member of the Dragon-given shed his scales and was reborn, leaving behind remnants of his memories.

That member of the Dragon-given also had a significant connection to Blade. Whenever that member of the Dragon-given was mentioned, Blade's Mara-struck grew worse, requiring Kafka and Bai Sheng to suppress it together.

"It probably does. After all, only members of the Dragon-given would choose a name like that."

Huohuo said.

"Let's go back. Guinevere is waiting for us."

Bai Sheng patted Huohuo's head again, then remembered what Fu Xuan had just said and stiffly pulled his hand away. Somewhat embarrassed, he said:

"Sorry, Huohuo. I did that instinctively. If you really dislike it, I'll correct myself and make it up to you."

"I don't mind having my head patted."

Huohuo smiled softly. At the same time, a breeze swept past, lifting her pale-green hair.

By coincidence, all the lanterns in Aurum Alley lit up at that moment.

The Foxian girl stood beneath the lanterns, radiant as a painting.