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Yu Xiaogang was barely clinging to consciousness.
Through his swollen eyelids, which were little more than slits, tears of pure anguish squeezed out.
"Brother Lu, did you really have to hurt him so badly?" The little girl asked hesitantly, a flicker of pity in her voice.
Lu Xian gently patted her small head. "Nuan Nuan, don't waste your sympathy on him. He's a hypocrite, a truly unpleasant person – the kind of individual who deserves to be punished. I was actually showing restraint by not ending him. Besides, he was rude to you just moments ago.
People like him only understand harsh lessons."
The little girl nodded slowly, a hint of understanding dawning in her eyes. "If he's a bad person, then he deserved it!"
"Exactly!"
A satisfied smile touched Lu Xian's lips.
"Nuan Nuan, now I'm going to teach you the more advanced applications of the Forty-Eight Character Mantra. How much you grasp will depend on your own innate comprehension."
"Mhm!" The little girl's face brightened with eager determination, ready to absorb every syllable.
Her comprehension skills were truly remarkable!
Observing her enthusiasm for learning, Lu Xian felt a surge of pleasure. He squatted down beside the groaning Yu Xiaogang, meeting his hateful glare with a casual smirk.
"The rising morning sun," he began, his voice light and mocking, "The fading warmth of dusk."
"Scarlet mist at twilight," he continued, "A solitary fire flickers amidst the ruins."
Yu Xiaogang nearly choked on his own blood. Just kill me already, you monster! Don't prolong this humiliation!
Meanwhile, little Nuan Nuan squatted attentively beside Lu Xian, her large, dark eyes shining with admiration.
Brother Lu is so clever!
He had taken the rigid structure of the Forty-Eight Character Mantra and transformed it into a beautiful, evocative poem. The imagery painted vivid pictures in her mind: the vibrant sunrise in the east, the gradual darkening of the western sky, ancient ruins bathed in a crimson twilight mist, and a lone bonfire stubbornly resisting the encroaching darkness.
Just four simple lines, yet brimming with profound meaning – they captured the very essence of the mantra.
Brilliant!
A sudden realization struck Nuan Nuan like a bolt of lightning!
So, the Forty-Eight Character Mantra isn't a fixed sequence! It can be broken down and rearranged!
My previous usage was merely the most rudimentary application. The forty-eight words can be combined into countless variations!
Understanding this fundamental principle, everything else clicked into place for the intelligent little girl.
After a moment of contemplation, she recited, her voice clear and sweet:
"Crimson stones in winter streams, The fading warmth of dusk."
"A pheasant takes flight, Reflections ripple in the agate pond."
"Wait! Nuan Nuan, aim it at him, not at me…" Lu Xian chuckled softly.
"Oh! Right."
Following Lu Xian's lead, Nuan Nuan squatted on the other side of Yu Xiaogang's battered head. With a serious expression on her innocent face and in her soft, childlike voice, she repeated:
"Crimson stones in winter streams, The fading warmth of dusk."
"A pheasant takes flight, Reflections ripple in the agate pond."
Upon finishing, she blinked her wide eyes and looked at Lu Xian expectantly, as if silently asking, "Did I do it right, Brother Lu?"
Yes! Absolutely perfect!
"Hiss—!"
Lu Xian sucked in a sharp breath. He hadn't anticipated Nuan Nuan grasping the core concept so swiftly.
Her short poem conjured a breathtaking image in his mind – a stream bed filled with vibrant crimson stones flowing towards a serene agate pond under the soft glow of the fading sunset, while a mythical pheasant gracefully soared above the water's surface, its reflection shimmering below.
Beautiful, simply stunning!
It was every bit as good as his own impromptu verse.
Even the renowned poet Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty might have struggled to create something so exquisite!
Lu Xian gave her a hearty thumbs-up. "Nuan Nuan, you're incredible! I'm so glad I shared the Forty-Eight Character Mantra with you. Now, it truly has a worthy successor!"
The little girl beamed with pure joy at the praise. She bounced to her feet excitedly, reaching for Lu Xian's little finger. Hand in hand, the two of them strolled away, their laughter and cheerful chatter fading into the distance.
Left behind in his miserable state, Yu Xiaogang's mouth hung slightly open, a trickle of blood escaping the corner of his lips – a testament to the internal injuries inflicted purely by the sheer intensity of his rage and humiliation.
Suddenly, he felt something large and unfamiliar in his mouth, and before he could consciously react, his jaw instinctively began to chew. A wave of putrid stench instantly assaulted his nostrils, nearly causing him to lose consciousness on the spot.
Yu Xiaogang desperately wanted to vomit, but his broken body refused to cooperate. Any attempt at movement sent searing waves of pain through him. All he could do was endure the disgusting mass in his mouth, silent tears of agony streaming down his bruised face.
[Congratulations! You have created an abstract moment. Rating: Extremely abstract. Reward: 1000 Abstract Points.]
[Current balance: 40,000 Abstract Points.]
[Xiao Yan: Lu Xian, Brother Lu, those sword-shaped artifacts you asked me to sell—I managed to sell two of them.]
[Lu Xian: Oh, I almost forgot about those. Only two? How much did they go for?]
[Xiao Yan: You won't believe it—nearly 200,000 gold coins each! My teacher said if we had sold them in the imperial capital or the Central Continent, they would have fetched even more. The local market in Wutan City simply isn't strong enough for such high-end artifacts. I'm thinking of holding onto the rest for now. Selling them here would be a waste.] [Lu Xian: Huh?!] That was utterly insane!
Lu Xian was completely dumbfounded. Could those scraps from Elder Han really be worth such an astronomical sum?
At this rate, if each sword was worth 100,000 gold coins, and he had given Huo Huo twelve swords and a small seal, that would amount to a staggering 1.3 million gold coins?
[Xiao Yan: My teacher explained that these artifacts possess exceptional battle energy conductivity, making them top-tier weapons. They're significantly more efficient than materializing weapons from pure battle energy, so there's no doubt they'll sell incredibly well.]
[Xiao Yan: So, Brother Lu, should I send you the gold now?]
Lu Xian paused for a moment, considering his options before replying in the chat.
[Lu Xian: Take out 100,000 gold coins, have Medicine Elder use his Heavenly Flame to burn off any identifying marks from the Jia Ma Empire's forging process, making it untraceable, and then send it to me. As for the remaining funds, keep them for yourself. I don't really have much use for money – it just clutters up my storage ring. You'll likely need it more for your alchemy studies.] A brief silence hung in the chat.
[Xiao Yan: You know what? I've never really liked my given name. From this day forward, please call me Lu Yan. After all, what kind of child doesn't take their father's surname? Right, adoptive father?]
This time, it was Lu Xian's turn to fall silent, a strange mix of emotions swirling within him.
[Ye Fan: LMAO!]
[Lu Xian: Good, Huo Huo, I'm glad you've found your rightful place. Follow me, and I promise – if I have meat to eat, you'll have soup to drink!]
[Xiao Yan: Wait a minute, that's not fair! If you have meat, I should at least get some too!]
[Lu Xian: You will – because if I have soup to drink, you'll have dishes to wash!]
[Xiao Yan: …]
[Xiao Yan: If that's the case, I might just take my halberd and stab my dear adoptive father in his sleep!]
[Ye Fan: LOL, I'm actually crying with laughter! My little plant spirit thinks I'm having a seizure! Hahahaha!] [Flame Spirit Princess: …]
[Lu Xueqi: You two… are utterly ridiculous.]
[Lu Xian: Xueqi, our Lu family is expanding! Should we celebrate with a romantic candlelit dinner to officially welcome you as the adoptive mother?]
[Lu Xueqi: Get lost!]
"....."