Zhang Xiao emerged from the clear-minded state feeling as though he had just completed a triathlon. He was drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted.
He nearly collapsed to the floor. Li Qingshu hurriedly caught her son, poured him a glass of water with a pained expression, then took out a pill that soothed the mind and restored stamina and slipped it into his mouth.
He managed a weak smile at his mother as the pill rapidly dissolved into a sweet liquid that flowed down his throat.
The clear-minded state was powerful, sure, but it drained far too much energy. If I added the Golden Light Spell...
Zhang Xiao felt his little body would be wrung dry in minutes!
"Dad, have you ever seen a Thunder Talisman like this?"
Seen one, my ass!
Zhang Chengdao immediately lost his composure. He even whipped out a Message Talisman on the spot to contact his own father.
After the three of them waited with mounting impatience, the Message Talisman finally lit up.
Zhang Chengdao hurriedly tapped the Message Talisman to play the reply aloud. A clear, elderly voice rang out:
"I know. Stop making such a fuss! What's so unusual about it? Heaven has its own designs."
Zhang Chengdao: ...
Zhang Xiao: ...
Li Qingshu: ...
"What is my dad thinking? How is this normal by any stretch?!" Zhang Chengdao slapped his thigh in anguish.
"What has my dad been doing all these years? How can he not even know this?!" Zhang Xiao slapped the boat's deck in anguish.
Li Qingshu watched the father and son with a peculiar expression, suddenly struck by how faithfully the Zhang family's ways were passed down.
An awkward silence settled over them.
Only after a long while did Zhang Xiao speak softly:
"So there's no explanation for this?"