Sparrow God Village was protected by the Vermilion Bird.
The emergence of the dungeon in the mountain forests near Sparrow God Village indicated a weakening of the protective power over it.
Fire Finch paused, slightly taken aback, for this was the first time she had heard such profound secrets from her grandfather.
“Previously, I thought you were still too young to bear significant pressure,” Huo Shenming remarked, a twitch playing at the corner of his mouth, “but who knew you’d actually become completely devoid of any pressure at all?”
Upon stepping down from his position, he had deliberately transferred his daughter-in-law, Xuan Yuanhuai, away, preventing her from guarding the S-rank dungeon in Yan’an City.
His intention was for Fire Finch to rapidly mature under the inherent pressure of the role.
He had never imagined that his granddaughter would unearth an S-rank powerhouse from who-knew-where, who then proceeded to clear that S-rank dungeon outright.
Monsters typically born within A-rank dungeons could not withstand the Vermilion Bird’s Undying Flame, let alone possess the capacity to enhance Fire Finch’s strength.
“After the clan meeting, don’t return home immediately,” he instructed. “Stay here; let your grandfather properly observe how much you’ve grown over these years.”
Although he was no longer the Vermilion Bird’s inheritor, he remained the only one in the world capable of truly guiding Fire Finch.
The Vermilion Bird’s termination of their contract did not signify his transformation into a weakling.
Quite the contrary!
Having inherited the Vermilion Bird’s power for so many years, the Undying Flame had long since become an intrinsic part of his being.
Even if he could no longer transform into the Vermilion Bird, he could still wield the power of the Undying Flame.
Perhaps, in a way, it was a lasting gift from the Vermilion Bird.
“Oh, no, please…”
Seeing that her grandfather was not joking, Fire Finch smiled wryly inwardly.
As a child, she had witnessed her grandfather training her father, a sight that had left her young mind with a shock comparable to an asteroid colliding with Earth.
If she were forced to stay, her days of leisurely slacking would undoubtedly vanish forever.
Huo Shenming let out a cold snort. “What do you think?”
“Don’t imagine your grandfather doesn’t know; with that little girl in Yan’an City, would you truly exert yourself?”
The old man’s voice left Fire Finch with no inclination to retort.
Indeed, there was no refuting it.
With Aya Tone, the diligent workhorse, and her capable assistants in the guild, her position as guild master was undeniably comfortable.
She, as the guild master, merely needed to eat, drink, and happily binge-watch dramas every day.
****
While everyone gathered around Li Huaiming, offering concerned inquiries, Aya Tone quietly slipped back to Huo Wushuang’s side.
By the wooden table now, only Huo Wushuang remained, engrossed in her phone, with the docile Aya Jiu seated dutifully beside her.
Upon witnessing their son’s severe injuries, the Li couple could no longer sit idly by.
Huo Linyun, meanwhile, accompanied his brother, as Li Huan had been his personal invitation to the clan meeting.
With his brother’s son now injured, he naturally could not stand idly by.
Consequently, as Xuan Yuanhuai departed, she entrusted Aya Jiu to Huo Wushuang’s care.
“Aya Jiu, what are you looking at?” Aya Tone asked, curious to know what could captivate his daughter so completely.
“Papa~” Aya Jiu, clutching the white egg in her hands, initially brightened with joy, but then her little mouth pouted, and she turned her head away, pointedly ignoring her ‘bad papa’.
Aya Tone chuckled, realizing that not bringing Aya Jiu along had clearly made her upset.
“Oh dear, Papa was wrong; please forgive Papa, okay?” Aya Tone lifted Aya Jiu from the stool, embracing her tightly.
“Eww~ Papa stinks!”
Aya Jiu, nestled in Aya Tone’s arms, sniffed with her tiny nose, then abruptly wriggled free from his embrace.
Wiggling her little bottom, she scurried back to Huo Wushuang’s side, rubbing against the young woman’s hand to wipe away the lingering smell of sweat from her nose.
“Uh…”
Aya Tone touched his nose, realizing his daughter had apparently found him distasteful.
Having carried Li Huaiming for over ten minutes along the mountain path, his clothes were already thoroughly drenched in sweat.
Even after drying, the pungent odor had remained.
“Aya Jiu, look.”
Aya Tone retrieved the crimson magic crystal from his backpack, presenting it like a mischievous uncle enticing a little girl.
“Papa has a pretty stone here, see?”
Indeed.
Aya Jiu tilted her head slightly, her bright eyes widening instantly upon seeing the magic crystal.
“So, so pretty~”
Huo Wushuang, too, put away her phone at this moment.
“Is that… a magic crystal?”
But how could there be such a captivating and alluring magic crystal?!
She wasn’t some naive schoolgirl who had never seen the world; most magic crystals circulating in the market were colorless.
Only magic crystals produced by elite monsters would reveal faint hints of blue.
Yet, the one held by the man before her was a bleeding red.
‘Could I be mistaken?’
Huo Wushuang couldn’t help but question her own perception.
‘Perhaps it wasn’t a magic crystal at all, but merely a slightly larger piece of crimson jade.’
“Papa~ Is this for Aya Jiu?”
Aya Jiu, who had run back to Aya Tone’s side, curiously reached out and touched the magic crystal.
It felt cool to the touch.
Her eyes were filled with the mesmerizing crimson crystal.
“Of course, it’s a gift for Aya Jiu! Papa worked hard to get this, so please don’t be mad anymore, okay?” Aya Tone gently tossed it up and down.
Indeed, saying he “worked hard” wasn’t wrong; how could a clandestine act be described as easy?
Fortunately, he had anticipated this and had taken a backpack from the car, secretly placing the magic crystal inside.
“Mm-hmm~” Aya Jiu blinked her beautiful large eyes.
“Papa is so good.”
But in the next instant, she was stumped.
She looked down at Big White, feeling a bit lost.
Her little hands were too small; it seemed she couldn’t hold the pretty stone along with Big White.
“Papa~” Her little mouth drooped, as if she were about to burst into tears from distress.
“My little greedy monster,” Aya Tone murmured, shaking his head and dotingly flicking her small nose.
Then, with thoughtful care, he placed the magic crystal from his hand securely on top of Big White.
Perfect!
Watching the little head partially obscured by the magic crystal, Aya Tone couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.
Looking through the crystal, her small face appeared comically stretched and plump, utterly adorable.
“Hmph!”
Though unable to see ahead, she could clearly hear Aya Tone’s unrestrained laughter.
Aya Jiu pouted her little mouth, her face etched with displeasure as she bumped into Aya Tone’s embrace.
‘Bad Papa, still laughing!’
“Hahahaha—” This time, Aya Tone could no longer contain his hearty laughter.
Yet, his laughter quickly died.
He could no longer sense the magic crystal, as if it had disconnected from him.
When he looked down, only Big White remained in Aya Jiu’s arms.
The magic crystal, astonishingly, had vanished.
“Aya Jiu, the stone is gone!”
“Ah! Aya Jiu’s stone?”
Aya Jiu, clutching Big White, anxiously shook her little head from side to side.
But no matter how she searched, she could not find the conspicuous crimson magic crystal.
It was as if it had vanished into thin air.
“Eeeh—”
Suddenly, a distinct burp drew the attention of both father and daughter.
‘What just happened!?’
“Papa~ Did Big White just talk?” Aya Jiu asked, blinking her adorable eyes with a bewildered expression.
“It sounds like it,” Aya Tone replied, equally unsure.
Both father and daughter looked intently at Big White in their arms, even forgetting about the vanished magic crystal.
Big White: ‘…’
‘Suddenly being stared at like this is quite embarrassing for them.’
Finally, Big White, unable to bear the intensity of their gazes, gently swayed twice.
This completely thrilled Aya Jiu.
Clutching Aya Tone’s arm with her tiny hands, she excitedly bounced up. “Papa, Big White moved!”
“Papa saw it too,” Aya Tone softly affirmed.
It seemed, then, that the magic crystal had likely been “eaten” by Big White.
Heh.