Half an hour later, Ye Yu, Han Gu, and Little White had all calmed down and were sitting together. Both Han Gu and Little White bore a few bruises and scratches on their facesâpurely the result of their own brawl! It â đđšđŻđđ„đąđ đĄđ â had to be said that Little White had deliberately held back; otherwise, Han Gu would have ended up inside its stomach. Sensing that this terrifying divine beast bore no true malice, Han Gu had likewise refrained from using
Piercing Bone
to kill, choosing instead to rely on the raw power of his divine body to try and subdue the creature.
After the seal was lifted from Ye Yuâs mouthâsome time equivalent to one incense stickâs burnâhe finally intervened, persuading Little White to call off the battle. Had he not done so, one could only imagine how far the fight might have escalated.
Ye Yu then recounted in brief to Han Gu the whereabouts and recent movements of Han Yue Xi and her brother Han Qian Zhang, stressing earnestly that he and Han Yue Xi were merely friendsânot, as Little White had claimed, dao partners.
Han Gu only replied with a cold laugh. He had been young once, after all, and knew that a manâs word could not always be trusted. âFlawless eggs donât get pecked,â he muttered. âIf you were truly only friends, why is Little White so certain youâre his son-in-law? There must be more between you and my daughterâat least unrequited longing, if nothing else.â
Little White bristled. âHey, you old goat! Laugh all you wantâbelieve it or not, Iâll knock your teeth out with a single punch!â
Han Gu, unwilling to be outdone, retorted, âOh? Prove it!â
âLetâs go!â
âBring it on!â
âWho chickens out is a dog!â
âCome on!â
Instantly, the two rose, prepared to resume their fight. Ye Yu, caught between them, groaned inwardly.
âEnough, both of you! Little White, zip it! And Han Gu, you donât really want videos of you trading blows with a divine beast circulating for Han Yue Xi to see, do you?â
Little White pouted but fell silent, his eyes still alight with the urge to fight. Han Gu stiffenedâafter all, he was a father. Imagining his daughter witnessing him trading punches with a monster was nothing short of social death. He smoothed his robes and hair, then said in a measured tone, âAh... one more thing. The Communication Stone is damaged, so I canât contact Han Yue Xi. I have urgent matters to discuss with herâdo you know where she might be?â
Ye Yu shook his head. âWe parted company just a couple of days ago. I donât know where she went. You could try contacting Han Qian Zhangâthose two siblings should be together.â
Han Gu frowned. âI canât contact Han Qian Zhang either. His situation... is rather special.â
Ye Yu raised an eyebrow. âSpecial? You mean his being the Child of Destiny?â
At those words, Han Guâs expression darkened further.
So you and Han Yue Xi are just ordinary friends?
How could Ye Yu know such a secret?
Has my daughter been swayed by this fickle, two-timed man?
Han Gu sighed heavily.
He then confided everything: several hours ago, he had emerged from a hidden realm and persuaded a powerful Divine Lord to help cure Han Qian Zhangâs eclipse-induced madnessâbut only if Qian Zhang would enter the realm. The price of care was his compliance, and Han Gu could not leave until his son returned. He had tried reaching Qian Zhang, then Han Yue Xi, but the Communication Stone always went to Little White. And so the scene had unfolded just now. Fate, he mused, was always unpredictable.
When Ye Yu finished listening, he instinctively reached for the Communication Stone, paused thoughtfully, then set it aside again. Han Gu watched every motion with mounting anger.
âHey, boy, cut the act! If you could reach my daughter, just do itâthis isnât a joke. And if I find out you two really are genuinely just friends... fine, Iâll wash my hands of this relationship!â
âSir, Iâm not acting,â Ye Yu protested. âI really did want to call Han Yue Xiâbut then I remembered we never actually exchanged Communication Stones.â
He looked sheepish. Given their hurried reunion and subsequent chase, it was easy to forgetâand completely understandable.
Han Gu stared at Ye Yu for a long, tense moment before spitting out, âScumbag!â
No Communication Stone exchanged, and already claiming to be a dao partner?
he fumed. Ye Yu blinked, confused. Little White bristled once more.
To avert another clash, Ye Yu gently pressed Little Whiteâs muzzle, coaxing him back into his adorable formâthough if heâd stayed in true form, there was no way Ye Yu could have held him.
Clearing his throat, Ye Yu said, âSir, I truly donât know the term âscumbag.â My relationship with Han Yue Xi is aboveboardâyou can verify it yourself. As for finding the siblings, why not try Han Yue Xiâs Divine City?â
Han Gu looked up at the sky at a forty-five degree angle. âShe already has a Divine City?â
Ye Yuâs lips twitched. Truly, what a fatherâunaware his own daughter had founded a Divine City. He fought back a smile.
Moments later, after Han Guâs careful hints, Ye Yu agreed to take him to Han Yue Xiâs Divine City. He also arranged for Little White to return to Equilibrium City to waitâafter all, the two of them were too volatile together; separation was the only way to keep the peace.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the Divine Realm, Han Qian Zhang lay with eyes closed, bound by countless chains and sealed within a golden coffin.
(Apologies, brothersâyesterday I was occupied and had to take the day off. Last night I stayed up late to finish the chapter so that youâd see the update first thing.)