Under the influence of that glance that spanned ten thousand years, Xu Xiaoyu tactfully volunteered to treat them. After all, there was no conflict a meal could not resolve.
Leng Nu Jiao seemed to get along very well with Xu Xiaoyan. The little Demon Pill kept calling her "pretty big sister," which pleased her immensely.
The two even added each other as friends right away.
The three girls walked ahead, with the two boys behind. The little Demon Pill went buy, buy, buy, while her errand-boy brother went carry, carry, carry.
"What are you looking at? Hurry up and come here."
Leng Yaozhu shot Tang Qingye a sidelong look.
Tang Qingye: ...
Xu Xiaoyu: Hmph, you're no better off than me, yet you laughed at me...
Di Tian knelt on one knee, his head bowed low. "My Lord, I have finished investigating."
A faint light flickered in Gu Yuena's violet eyes. "Speak."
She lounged against the soft backrest, her figure graceful and exquisite, like an unfurled painting of a court lady.
Di Tian slowly began, "This family consists of four people. The parents are Tang Ziran and Lang Yue. Outwardly, they make their living repairing Mecha. They settled in Aolai City roughly ten years ago."
"The two children are Tang Qingye and Tang Wulin. Although Tang Wulin has registered records, I could find no trace of him. It was as though he appeared out of thin air."
"Tang Qingye's records are very complete. He was born in Red Mountain Hospital, and..."
Di Tian paused, then said gravely, "That hospital was precisely where your origin power pointed. Aside from the aura of Divine Consciousness, I also sensed another aura. It gave me a very peculiar feeling. Without your origin power, I would never have detected its existence."
"The day he was born is known as the Day of Disaster. The files of all children born that day were specially documented, and the Federation gives them considerable compensation every year."
"Their information disappeared shortly after the brothers underwent their Martial Soul Awakening."
"My Lord, that is the general situation with this family..."
Gu Yuena sat quietly on the sofa, her fingertips gently stroking the soft leather. This thing was much more comfortable than the old-fashioned wooden furniture she had used before. Only after a long while did she slowly shake her head. "A natural disaster? I would say it was a man-made calamity..."
Di Tian's gaze grew solemn, and he lowered his voice. "My Lord, I wonder if they were taken away by that Divine Consciousness."
"It isn't as simple as you think. To survive that so-called disaster, the power that could contend with it must also have been divine. In that case, how could they have been taken away so easily?"
"Besides, from what I sensed, one was violent and the other gentle. No matter how you look at it, they don't seem to belong to the same person."
"Then, My Lord, what should we do next? With two divine powers appearing one after another, I fear our grand plan..."
Gu Yuena said lightly, "Let's watch and wait. I actually suspect that Divine Consciousness cannot act at will. On the contrary, I am more interested in the other aura."
"Keep that strand of Silver Dragon origin power with you for now, and travel around the continent. If that aura comes near you, it will let you know."
Di Tian sighed inwardly. His lord did not seem to be in any hurry at all. The continent was so vast-how was he supposed to sense it?
"Yes, My Lord. I shall take my leave."
Di Tian bowed, then turned into a black shadow and withdrew silently from the room.
Gu Yuena stood before the window, gazing at the flowing halos of light among the streets and alleys.
Tang Qingye, Divine Consciousness... are you enemies or friends...?
Steeped in twenty thousand years of history, Heaven Dou City was crisscrossed with streets and alleys, with clusters of old buildings scattered throughout.
The most eye-catching building in the entire city was the headquarters of the Blacksmith Association, situated at its very heart.
Heaven Dou City had an ironclad law protecting the ancient city: most buildings could not exceed fifty meters in height. This building was one of the few exceptions exempt from that restriction.
A broad, open plaza stretched before its entrance. The gray-white building rose in tiers, with a huge gilded forging-hammer emblem set into its rooftop, recognizable at a glance from far away.
This was the continent-wide headquarters of the Blacksmith Association, the sacred ground in the hearts of every blacksmith on the Douluo Continent.
An endless stream of blacksmiths came from every corner of the continent, some to take blacksmith rank assessments, others to accept various forging commissions.
Mu Xi darted ahead of the group with light steps, then turned and pointed at the gray-white building that rose above Heaven Dou City's height limit, her clear voice brimming with delight.
"Zixin, look! That's the Blacksmith Association headquarters! We're here!"
A faint, gentle smile appeared on Mu Chen's face as he reminded her, "Slow down. There are blacksmiths coming and going all along the street. Don't run around, and be careful not to bump into anyone."
Yuan Bao'er walked slowly to Mu Chen's side, looked up at the towering building, and said softly, "Xi'er, when you see your martial uncle later, don't get carried away and forget your manners."
This was not their first visit, but a reminder was still necessary.
Mu Xi stuck out her tongue. She seemed to answer obediently, but the excitement in her eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
She could hardly wait to show her martial uncle how much her forging had improved. My presents, here I come...
"Got it, Mother! I promise I'll behave!"
Ouyang Zixin stepped forward and gently linked arms with Mu Xi, studying the building curiously as she said softly, "So this is the sacred ground in the hearts of blacksmiths across the continent. It really is enormous."
Ouyang Zixin had a fair talent for Mecha design, but forging was something she truly could not get the hang of.
"Of course! My martial uncle is the president here."
After the group entered through the glass doors, the first thing they saw was an enormous pane of glass inlaid with a giant golden hammer.
There were already quite a few people in the lobby. If Divine Craftsman Daddy's little class had been in session, there would only have been more.
Zhen Hua's office was on the highest floor of the Blacksmith Association, and staff guarded the elevators. An ordinary person had to go through an extraordinary number of procedures to meet the Divine Craftsman, but as Zhen Hua's junior martial brother, Mu Chen was clearly no ordinary person.
After verifying their identities, the beautiful receptionist smiled sweetly. "Please follow me."
The receptionist led them into a private elevator.
The elevator traveled for a while before reaching the top floor. At last, the group stopped before a door made from high-grade metal.
The faint sound of hammering could be heard inside, the rhythmic strikes like cheerful percussion.
"I'll take my leave now." The receptionist went back the way she had come.
"How strange. Why is Senior Brother forging in his office?" Yuan Bao'er asked in puzzlement.
"No, this isn't his technique. It must be someone else," Mu Chen judged from the faint echoes of hammer strikes, pressing the doorbell as he spoke.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths.
The door did not budge. There was only that melodious, lilting sound.
"Hm? What's this supposed to mean? Didn't he always open it instantly before?" Mu Chen pressed the doorbell again.
The door remained tightly shut. Clearly, whoever was inside was completely absorbed.
"Ah, let's wait." Mu Chen quieted his voice and stilled his breathing, silently taking in the symphony coming from behind the door.
Seeing her father like this, Mu Xi put her ear close to the door and began taking it in with an air of practiced seriousness.
Everyone, take it in!
As time passed, the earlier lilting notes vanished, replaced by a deep rumbling. With each strike, the rumbling built layer upon layer, shifting between light and heavy, gentle taps guiding the work and heavy blows securing its form.
This was undoubtedly the crucial Spirit Attunement stage.
After a long while, the metal finally shone with a soft halo. A vortex slowly emerged, crystalline and translucent, brimming with vibrant life.
"Excellent, excellent, excellent!!!"
Zhen Hua shouted, his eyes shooting laser beams. Even those outside the door could feel his excitement.
"What a prodigy! Spirit Forging at six years old!"
Tang Qingye exhaled a breath of stale air. He had borrowed Big Baby's power to make up for his insufficient Spiritual Power. Let this Divine Craftsman be thoroughly stunned!
Before you continue