An Innocent First Meeting

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Su Miao's little heart skipped a beat.

Danger!

There was no killing intent.

But those three uninvited guests who had quietly appeared in her home...

The invisible aura emanating from them sent her vigilance soaring instantly!

They definitely weren't those foolish little beasts on the island!

Nor were they the spirit ants she had bullied before!

They were experts!

And the super, super powerful kind!

Oh no, oh no!

Had thieves broken into her home?

Or was it some incredibly powerful bandit?

How had they gotten onto the island?

Had the Innate Grand Formation bestowed by the Heavenly Dao been pried open?!

In that flash of lightning,

Su Miao's little mind, made somewhat muddled by her toddler body and chaotic memories, began racing at full speed.

Fight? She definitely couldn't beat them!

Just look at their bearing and presence. They could probably blow her away with a single breath!

Run? Where could she run? This was her home!

Surrender? No, no!

What if they were here to seize her territory and steal her Treasure?

Her Three Lights Divine Water!

Her sparkling stones!

The fruit she had worked so hard to grow!

Right! Master!

She suddenly remembered the Heavenly Dao's promise!

She had no idea what her Master looked like or when he would come, but that didn't stop her from using his name to bluff them now!

In the blink of an eye, all these thoughts flashed through her mind.

She jumped down from the Profound Origin Water Control Banner, her little feet landing on the warm Jade Stone floor with a soft patter.

With a wave of her tiny hand, the Twenty-Four Sea Calming Beads flew back like loyal soldiers answering a summons.

They whizzed back and spun around in front of her,

giving off hazy Five-Colored Radiance as they attempted to form a fragile line of defense.

At the same time,

she grabbed the still-swaying Profound Origin Water Control Banner and hugged it to her chest like a comforting toy,

or perhaps like a pitiful weapon.

She tried her best to puff out her tiny chest,

attempting to look more imposing, though the effect was minimal.

On her fair, tender, chubby little face,

she forced out what she thought was a fierce expression.

Her brows stood on end, her little lips pressed tight, and she shouted in a sweet yet ferocious voice:

"Y-you! Who are you?! How did you break into my home?!"

Her voice was soft and glutinous, utterly lacking in intimidation. Instead, she sounded like a tiny milk kitten puffing up its fur to look fierce.

Tongtian could not help wanting to give her a pat.

"I-I'm warning you! I'm not easy to mess with! I'm super strong!"

She waved the little Banner in her arms, trying to make herself more convincing, but its tip merely swayed weakly.

"And!

And my Master will be here soon!

My Master is... is the most, most powerful Great Expert in heaven and earth!

With one finger, he can... he can knock all of you flat!

Scared now?! If you are, then hurry up and leave!"

The more she spoke, the guiltier she felt. Her voice grew softer and softer until it was nearly a mumble.

Inside, she was already crying rivers of tears.

Master, where are you?!

Come quickly!

Your cute, weak, helpless disciple is about to be taken away by bad people!

Great Heavenly Dao, save me!

This bluff didn't seem very convincing!

As she issued her stern-but-inwardly-timid warning, she finally got a clear look at the three people before her.

Huh?

They were so handsome!

They... probably weren't bad people with blue faces and fangs?

The one on the left

wore Black Martial Attire. His short hair looked spirited, his eyes were bright, and he was watching her with an amused yet curious expression, like...

Well, like a bold wandering hero listening to a storyteller reach the most exciting part?

His expressions were just a little too animated. He did not look very steady.

The man in the middle wore a simple light-gray Daoist robe.

His aura was mild, and he seemed to have little presence, yet he somehow made one feel especially safe and dependable.

His gaze... seemed able to see through everything. Having just told a lie, Su Miao felt a little guilty and did not dare look at him for long.

The one who caught her attention most was the man on the right!

He wore a silver-gray robe, and the fabric alone looked incredibly luxurious.

The collar and cuffs bore exquisite hidden patterns, immaculate in every detail.

His hair was perfectly combed, and he wore a delicate Green Jade Crown.

He was... truly beautiful!

One of the most beautiful people she had ever seen in both her lives combined!

His expression was just too serious!

His brows were tightly furrowed, and his gaze was incomparably complex, as though he had seen something that left him deeply shocked, deeply conflicted, and even...

Heartbroken?

He kept staring at her, making her skin crawl.

What was with this handsome guy? His eyes were so strange...

But he really was handsome...

Like the aloof Master from novels who cultivated the Dao of Detachment, or from one of those classic Master-disciple romance novels...

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

Su Miao, snap out of it!

Was this the time to be lovestruck?!

They were intruders!

Yet in the eyes of the Three Pure Ones, they saw an entirely different scene.

She was a genuine, unmistakable little baby.

She wore a warm orange Bellyband and Little Shorts, exposing white, tender arms and legs as plump as lotus roots.

Her chubby little face was pink and delicate. From playing and being nervous, it was flushed with a healthy rosy glow.

Her slightly curly hair was damp and stuck to the corners of her forehead and cheeks, making her look even more childish.

At this moment, she was trying hard to look fierce, her large eyes rounded wide and her little mouth pouting.

But that carefully maintained "fierceness,"

paired with her baby-fat cheeks and milky little voice, was nothing but utterly adorable and comical.

Especially her declarations of "I'm super strong" and "My Master is even stronger."

Together with her trembling little appearance as she tried to act calm, they made it impossible not to laugh.

Tongtian was the first to lose control and laugh. He quickly covered his mouth, but his shoulders shook even harder.

This little child was far too interesting!

Yuanshi, meanwhile, felt as though someone had poured a bottle of mixed flavors into his heart.

The child's wariness and fear pricked him lightly like a fine needle, making him feel uncomfortable.

Instinctively, he wanted to restrain every trace of aura that might make her feel pressured.

Her blustering threats, when they reached his ears,

held no force at all.

Instead, he heard the helplessness and dependence beneath them.

She was waiting for her Master,

a powerful support she imagined could protect her.

And this Master...

Yuanshi's heartbeat inexplicably sped up.

The Heavenly Dao had revealed a heaven-ordained bond of father and daughter...

Could it be that the one she had been unconsciously waiting for was him?

That realization stirred an utterly unfamiliar yet burning emotion in his chest.

Laozi looked gently at the little child who was so nervous she was nearly moving her arms and legs in unison.

Then he glanced at his two brothers beside him, each wearing a different expression, and slowly spoke. His voice was like a spring breeze brushing over a lake, carrying a naturally soothing power.

"Little friend, do not be alarmed."

His voice seemed to possess a strange magic. Su Miao's taut nerves relaxed a little on their own.

"The three of us are Cultivators from Kunlun. We came here while traveling the clouds, sensed a karmic connection, and thus came to meet you."

Laozi's words were simple and calm. They stated their origins while obscuring their purpose, making them seem wholly nonaggressive.

"We are not malicious guests, nor do we mean to offend."

A karmic connection?

Su Miao's little ears caught those words, and her little mind immediately became active.

Karma? Could it be...

Could they be the ones the Heavenly Dao had mentioned...

No, that was not right. Hadn't it said it would be her Master?

Why had three come instead?

Had they come as a group?

Her little eyes immediately took on a scrutinizing, appraising look. She asked cautiously, with obvious probing in her voice.

"Karma? What Karma? Do you... know Heaven?"

She nearly let something slip, quickly shut her mouth, and made a vague gesture with her chubby little hand, pointing at the sky.

The Three Pure Ones instantly exchanged a look.

Sure enough!

This child truly had been waiting for "Karma"!

And she seemed to know something even deeper?

The smile on Tongtian's face deepened. He felt this little child was simply a Treasure; every word she spoke brought a surprise.

Yuanshi's heart sank even further.

She really had been waiting.

Then the Master she spoke of...

Understanding flashed through Laozi's eyes. He nodded slightly and answered evasively.

"The Heavenly Dao is profound and mysterious, and it has its own order of operation.

When Karma arises and converges, all things have their proper time."

He neither confirmed nor denied it, yet this only made him appear more unfathomable.

Su Miao understood only half of it, but felt those words had the air of an immortal. The wariness in her heart eased a little more.

They did not seem like bandits. They looked like they were from some legitimate organization?

She relaxed slightly, and her grip on the Banner loosened.

But then her eyes turned, and she remembered another crucial question. She continued probing.

"Then... then how did you get in? The Formation at my... my entrance is very powerful!"

She knew just how powerful that Formation was. Even she herself could not get out!

Laozi smiled faintly, his tone as calm as ever.

"Though the Formation is wondrous, we too have a karmic connection with this place. Thus, we were able to enter through its gate."

His words were flawless, yet they subtly made clear that they had not forcibly broken the Formation, but had entered by proper means.

Su Miao blinked her big eyes and carefully sensed the surroundings.

Hmm, she really couldn't feel any signs of the formation having been violently destroyed.

Could Heavenly Dao really have given them permission?

Did that mean they were really on her side?

Then...

Did that mean her "all-expenses-paid lifetime VIP master contract" was finally within reach?!

The thought made Su Miao's little heart burn with excitement!

She looked at the three before her.

That aura! That bearing!

They were obviously famous Great Experts of the Prehistoric World!

For all she knew, they might be the legendary Three Pure Ones of Kunlun Mountain, incarnations of Pangu's Primordial Spirit.

Even though she had forgotten the details of the Prehistoric World myths, she still knew the general plot. Combined with the Inherited Memories' introductions to the Great Experts throughout the Prehistoric World...

Kunlun Mountain! Three Daoists! An introduction from Heavenly Dao!

There was a ninety-eight percent chance they were the Three Pure Ones!

There was hope!

She immediately decided to take the initiative!

After trying hard to clear her throat and make her voice sound more obedient,

Su Miao raised her little face, her expression carrying a trace of expectation and fawning as she asked in a soft, childish voice with utmost seriousness:

"Then... then are you three... here to be my masters?"