Free Web NovelChapter 26: 26. And the Oriole was a child.
The spear streaked across the underground chamber like a bolt of silver lightning.
Lin Xuan stood several hundred meters away, spiritual energy circulating through his body as he watched with utmost vigilance.
The talisman-covered box sat silently atop the stone platform.
When the spear struck, it was as if the world had exploded.
Countless talismans lit up simultaneously.
Blinding light engulfed the chamber as a deafening roar shook the earth.
Spiritual energy surged wildly in every direction, reducing the stone platform to rubble.
Cracks spread across the surrounding walls while fragments of shattered rock flew through the air like deadly projectiles.
Even from hundreds of meters away, Lin Xuan could feel the terrifying force contained within the explosion.
His eyes widened.
"Jackpot!" he shouted excitedly.
If he had opened the box, he would be the victim of that explosion!
Just then, a heart-wrenching cry came from nearby.
"Father! What are you doing!?"
Lin Xuan nearly jumped.
He spun around so quickly that his hand instinctively moved toward his weapon before freezing.
Standing there was a small figure with tears gathering in her eyes.
Lin Zhaoyue.
For a brief moment, both father and daughter stared at each another until Lin Xuan let out a breath of relief.
It was just his daughter.
Only after relaxing did a cold realization strike him.
He had become careless.
After dealing with Bong Haoran and uncovering the old monster’s schemes, he had subconsciously relaxed.
If the person standing behind him had been an enemy instead of Lin Zhaoyue...
His neck might not still be attached to his body.
As Lin Xuan reflected on his lapse, Lin Zhaoyue suddenly pointed toward the destroyed platform.
"No! No! No!"
Her voice sounded as though her heart had been shattered.
"Father, why did you destroy it!?"
Lin Xuan looked at the smoking crater.
"Destroy what?"
"The box!"
"The box?"
Lin Xuan pointed toward the devastation.
"Did you not see that explosion? That box was clearly a trap."
"It’s not a trap!"
"It exploded."
"Because you attacked it!"
Lin Xuan blinked.
"That’s usually how traps work."
"It’s not!"
Lin Zhaoyue stomped her foot angrily.
"That box was designed to self-destruct if someone forcibly tried to open it."
Lin Xuan folded his arms.
"Same thing."
"It’s not the same thing!"
Lin Xuan, meanwhile, stepped onto his flying sword and drifted over.
Before the girl could react, he reached down and picked her up by the armpits.
"Now then."
He lifted her to eye level.
"What in the world are you doing here?"
Lin Zhaoyue immediately looked away.
"This place is hundreds of kilometers from Azure Willow City.
I specifically told you to go to the Punishment Hall. This isn’t the way to the Punishment Hall."
"Blah blah blah," the little girl replied instantly.
Lin Xuan looked at her for a long moment before letting out a sigh.
"...Fair enough."
He then decided to change the topic, especially to something he always wanted to address since early in the morning.
"Congratulations, by the way. You’re already at the peak of the Qi Refinement Realm. If you encounter the proper opportunity, you’ll be a Golden Core cultivator in no time!"
Lin Xuan said excitedly as he grabbed her and spun her around in the air.
"I know!"
Lin Zhaoyue puffed out her chest proudly.
"And that’s why I came here for that box. That box contained a Soul Condensing Fruit which would help me—"
She abruptly stopped and Lin Xuan also froze.
The smile on his face slowly disappeared.
"...How did you know that?"
Lin Zhaoyue’s body stiffened. frёewebnoѵēl.com
"...Zhaoyue. How did you know there was a Soul Condensing Fruit inside that box?"
Lin Zhaoyue looked back at him.
Then, without the slightest hint of panic, she simply stared at him and said absolutely nothing.
Lin Xuan and the little girl stared at one another and neither spoke.
After several breaths, Lin Xuan was the first to give up.
If his daughter was unwilling to talk, there was no way he could force the answer out of her.
"Alright, alright."
He waved a hand dismissively.
"If you’re not going to open that mouth of yours, let’s go check the remains of the box. Maybe something survived the explosion."
With Lin Zhaoyue tucked under one arm, he flew toward the smoking crater.
This time, the little girl tilted her head.
"But Father, wouldn’t a destroyed Soul Condensing Fruit be useless?"
Lin Xuan nodded.
"It should be."
"Then why are we checking?"
"Because cultivators survive on hope."
"Oh."
The answer seemed reasonable enough, but a few moments later, she spoke again.
"Why did you destroy the entire cave, Father?"
Lin Xuan glanced down at her.
"What do you mean?"
"He was a blood cultivator."
"So?"
"He definitely had lots of treasures hidden inside." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Lin Zhaoyue pointed toward the collapsed ruins.
"Things like the Soul Condensing Fruit. Oh, and he also had a Purple Mansion Fruit, by the way. That should’ve been destroyed when the cave collapsed as well."
Lin Xuan nearly stopped flying as a powerful urge rose within him.
He wanted to put her down, grab her shoulders, and ask how the heck she even knew all of this.
But then again, nothing was confirmed, and perhaps she was simply stating random things.
If that was the case, then the thing about the Soul Condensing Fruit was also just bullshit.
The more Lin Xuan thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded.
His tense expression immediately relaxed.
Of course.
How could a ten-year-old girl possibly know the inventory of a decades-old blood cultivator?
He had simply been overthinking things!
Lin Xuan let out a laugh and vigorously rubbed the girl’s head until her hair became a complete mess.
"Look at you."
His mood instantly improved.
"You actually managed to fool your old man and you’re only ten years old. You’ll definitely go places in the future."
The more he thought about it, the prouder he became.
To be able to trick a Golden Core cultivator at such a young age was practically a talent in itself.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhaoyue looked up at him in confusion.
...Eh? So I don’t have to explain my regression?
