"My clothes... Did you take them off...?"
Fu Xuan, her face flushed red, asked in a trembling, embarrassed voice.
"Not exactly. My ability—or rather, my bandage—can heal you, but the price is... your clothes will vanish."
Lucian responded while still faced away from Fu Xuan, his tone calm and unruffled, as if utterly uninterested in the dazzling maiden behind him, carrying himself with the air of a courteous gentleman.
Fu Xuan glanced at the bandage splayed beneath her and then touched her forehead.
"D-Did you see anything you shouldn't have?" Fu Xuan asked cautiously.
"Duh, I couldn't see..." Lucian answered almost instantly, turning his head and pointing to the black cloth over his eyes that acted as a blindfold.
Seeing his covered eyes, Fu Xuan let out a soft sigh, feeling relieved.
"Alright, you mustn't take it off. Wait until I finish dressing."
Fu Xuan spoke softly, then hurried to the wardrobe to find clothes, not noticing that Lucian's mouth quirked slightly.
A scrap of cloth to try and block an Emanator's senses?
No way.
===
A few minutes later, Fu Xuan finally finished dressing and stepped in front of Lucian.
"You really can't see?"
Fu Xuan asked again, waving her hand in front of Lucian's face before suddenly jabbing her fingers toward him, but she stopped when they were just a centimeter from his eyes.
"I can't see—unless you want me to see, of course." Lucian replied lightly, showing no reaction whatsoever to her finger jab.
"What are you saying? Who wants you to see?" Fu Xuan said helplessly while helping him remove the blindfold, her earlobes flushed crimson.
When Lucian opened his eyes and looked straight at Fu Xuan, she quickly averted her gaze, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Now, the Master Diviner, who had earlier radiated an aura of authority and aloofness, couldn't even meet his eyes.
"Ahem..." Fu Xuan cleared her throat and forced the aura of the Master Diviner back. "Thank you for doing me a huge favor. I owe you one."
"Alright, I'll take that favor." Lucian shrugged nonchalantly. "Just don't try to deny it later, okay?"
"Nonsense." Fu Xuan replied almost instantly. "My word carries weight. As long as it's within my ability, I'll definitely repay the favor."
In the next moment, she sat down again, legs pressed together, looking somewhat reserved.
Seeing her like this, one really couldn't tell whose domain this divination chamber belonged to.
"By the way, what did you use just now to make me return to normal?"
Fu Xuan no longer questioned Lucian about his background but was now curious about the bandage on the floor.
It was only natural.
After being healed by this bandage, she felt no pain at all—clearheaded and refreshed, almost like a miracle.
Now, after centuries of suffering, she was finally freed.
In her eyes, this medical method was practically a blessing for the Xianzhou natives.
"Just a trivial trick. I expended my own spirit to create that bandage, so it can repair any abnormality." Lucian explained calmly, deliberately emphasizing the word 'spirit.' "Now your third eye has been integrated with your body, so it won't trigger an immune response—in other words, you won't feel pain anymore."
As soon as Fu Xuan heard that it had cost him his spirit, her beautiful eyes widened.
It couldn't be helped.
One should know that a Xianzhou native's spirit and mara were closely linked, so those whose spirit collapsed under stimulation would become easy prey to mara.
Lucian was, of course, not a Xianzhou native, but from his identity as the Acting Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Cangcheng, and from the faint presence of the power of Abundance that he emitted—the same power every Xianzhou native was born with—she naturally assumed he was one.
"You actually... risked yourself for me... thank you..."
Fu Xuan suddenly felt guilty and indebted to Lucian, especially since he had permanently solved the pain that had plagued her for years, making the favor so immense.
Of course, this was precisely what Lucian wanted—to secure a lifelong favor.
At this moment, without even Fu Xuan realizing it, her gaze toward Lucian had softened and grown more intimate, clearly because she now regarded him as a benefactor rather than a stranger.
Bestowing favors was, after all, one of Lucian's favorite pastimes.
"I know you still have many questions, but we'll have plenty of time together. You can learn slowly." Lucian smiled faintly and turned around. "Come walk with me a bit longer."
Fu Xuan smiled and then nodded, letting go of the aura of Master Diviner completely.
"I'll pay for everything." Fu Xuan stated with a grand gesture. "As long as it's at the Luofu, just put the tab on me."
Just like that, they left together, walking side by side.
Some observant diviners noticed the detail and saw the usually aloof Master Diviner actually smiling... smiling quite strangely.
"What the hell? Master Diviner actually smiled?"
"No fucking way... I've never seen Master Diviner smile before."
"Oh wow, it's true—wait, that guy looks like the big shot everyone gossips about online—General Lucian from Cangcheng, an honored guest."
"Turns out Master Diviner only smiles at handsome guys, huh..."
"Hey! I disagree! I'm handsome, but Master Diviner never smiled at me—just bossed me around!"
As the diviners gossiped among themselves, word quickly spread throughout the entire Divination Commission that Fu Xuan was actually a sucker for looks and only had eyes for Lucian's handsome face.
===
A while later, at the Exalting Sanctum, Fu Xuan and Lucian each held a cup of boba drink, chatting as they walked side by side.
However, in onlookers' eyes, their height difference made them look more like siblings than a couple—blame Fu Xuan's delicate frame. If she weren't wearing white stockings, she might even pass for an underage girl, especially since her chest was so unremarkable.
As the two walked and chatted casually, a clear voice suddenly called out.
"Lucian!"
Upon hearing the voice, Lucian stopped, turned toward the source, and saw a familiar figure with pale purple hair, fox ears, and a fox tail.
Who else but Baiheng?
Looking hurried, Baiheng ran toward Lucian, weaving through passersby before leaping straight into his arms.
Lucian opened his arms wide and welcomed her into his embrace.
"Great!" Baiheng exclaimed, pressing her face against the nape of his neck. "I thought you abandoned me~!"
Just as she had verified her Xianzhou family registration in the Xianzhou Yuque, she heard that the delegation from the Xianzhou Cangcheng would be coming to the Xianzhou Luofu.
In that instant, she guessed Lucian was the one leading the delegation, so she rushed over to the Xianzhou Luofu.
"Why did you suddenly disappear without saying a word..." Baiheng said softly, then bit Lucian's neck, as if venting some grievance—though her bite was gentle, almost indistinguishable from a kiss.
"I'm sorry, okay? I really couldn't help it." Lucian, feeling Baiheng's breasts pressing softly against his chest, said while lightly patting her back. "I mean, there was no chance to explain back then. Now I came back, didn't I?"
"Heehee, I'm just teasing. I'm not really mad at you." Baiheng chuckled, then rubbed her face against his neck.
Meanwhile, on the side, Fu Xuan froze at the sudden intimate display, feeling like she was somewhat of a third wheel now.
"Uh... well, Lucian, I just remembered I have urgent matters." Fu Xuan said awkwardly. "Baiheng should know the Luofu well, so let her accompany you for a bit."
In the next second, with pursed lips and flushed cheeks, she hurried off without giving Lucian a chance to respond.
"Master Diviner's really close to you—you even drink the same drink as her!" Baiheng pouted like a jealous little dog.
"You want it?" Lucian grinned and handed his boba drink to her. "But I already drank from it—you mind?"
"When you shoved your 'little dragon' in my mouth back then, you didn't ask if I minded..." Baiheng complained with mock grievance, then took the straw and sucked a big sip.
In that instant, she immediately smiled brightly—her expression changed smoothly without a hitch.
"So... can I know why? Why do I have two memories?" Baiheng's smile vanished, and her expression turned confused. "I died, but then I lived? Is it that this world is different, or is it me that's different?"
Given that she had traveled through many civilizations and was someone who was both receptive and perceptive, Lucian decided not to hide the truth from her and explained it directly.
"Well, how to say it..."
Lucian paused as he gazed at the sky for a while before continuing.
"What I can tell you is this is the real world—the reality, and you indeed died. It's just that I have a special ability to change fate."
"You and Jingliu gave your bodies and minds to me, so you two became my followers. Thanks to that, you two can resurrect infinitely as long as I live."
"In other words, if I don't die, you two won't die."
Even though Lucian left out the details about the Godly Script System, his explanation was more than enough for Baiheng to understand the situation.
"If being your follower means we can be together forever…" Baiheng murmured, hugging Lucian tighter. "...then I'll be your follower for life, and in the next one too!"
Right after saying this, she smiled radiantly, lifted her gaze to meet Lucian's eyes, and continued.
"Just remember to come get me when I die again, okay!"
Just like that, Baiheng's usual upbeat, peppy demeanor returned, making Lucian unable to help but smile gently and swear in his heart to protect her smile.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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