Chapter 82: The Origin of the Buddha Lotus Lamp
“Little fox, stay here,” Lou Yunxiao said as he placed Ning Ke on the bed. “I’m going to the kitchen to cook.”
Ning Ke jumped off the bed and stayed by Lou Yunxiao’s side.
“You want to come with me?”
“Awoo!”
“Alright.” Lou Yunxiao opened the door, and Ning Ke followed him, his eyes scouting the surrounding environment.
The courtyard wasn’t large. There were only two main rooms, a side room for cooking, a toilet, and a woodshed. Bai Wanru had already returned to her blacksmithing.
Ning Ke narrowed his eyes. He could see a dense, surging spiritual Qi around Bai Wanru. Although his cultivation was gone, he could still perceive powerful spiritual Qi. Thus, he could sense that Bai Wanruâs strength was incredibly high, on par with Lou Yunxiao’s. Based on her blacksmithing technique, he could also tell she was an out-and-out artifact refiner.
Artifact refiners were an extremely rare profession. Even ten thousand years later, few could refine exceptional magic artifacts. Generally, if a disciple wanted a good magic artifact, they had to search for treasures left behind by their predecessors in secret realms. Now, it seemed Bai Wanru was definitely a standout among those predecessors.
Ning Ke followed Lou Yunxiao around in the kitchen. He watched Lou Yunxiao expertly wash and chop vegetables, stew fish, and cook rice. It was obvious he had been trained through his motherâs long-term exploitation. After finishing this, Lou Yunxiao squatted before the stove to feed the fire.
He asked, “Little fox, do you have a name?”
Ning Ke nodded. He dipped his paw in the dirt on the ground and wrote the two characters for “Ning Ke.”
“Ning Ke? You actually have a proper name.”
Lou Yunxiao wasn’t someone who smiled often, but now he was constantly smiling because of Ning Ke. He picked up the little fox and rested his chin on top of Ning Ke’s head, rubbing against him. He actually had a thing for fluffy things, especially furry animals. It was just that he usually had to maintain a serious and inscrutable image before the City Lord and the people of Chihe City.
When the little fox approached him today, he didn’t show it on his face outside, but his heart was actually incredibly happy. Now that he had caught him, he naturally had to keep rubbing him.
“Though the name Ning Ke sounds nice, it doesn’t roll off the tongue easily,” Lou Yunxiao said. “From now on, I’ll call you A-Ke.”
Ning Ke stiffened. A strange thought suddenly occurred to him. Could it be that his name for the A-Ke character ten thousand years later came from this?
“A-Ke,” Lou Yunxiao called out. He reached out and scratched the soft fur under Ning Ke’s neck, signaling for a response.
Ning Ke, who had already accepted his role as a pet, whimpered “awoo” twice.
“A-Ke.”
“Awoo.”
“A-Ke.”
“Awoo.”
“A-Ke.”
“…” Damn it! Are you done yet?!
Sensing Ning Ke’s impatience, Lou Yunxiao laughed and stopped calling him.
The food was ready. Lou Yunxiao was dishing out the rice when he suddenly heard a loud BANG from the courtyard! The man’s face changed instantly. He rushed out the door, dropping the rice on the ground.
The Fox Ning Ke was startled. After all, he hadn’t seen Lou Yunxiao show such fear before. He hurried after him.
He saw Bai Wanruâwho had been swinging her hammer with glowing eyesânow slumped on the ground, her face deathly pale and blood leaking from the corner of her lips. Seeing Lou Yunxiao arrive, she quickly wiped it away and smiled. “Son, is the food ready?”
Lou Yunxiao’s fingers tightened at his side. He seemed to be suppressing strong emotions.
“Son, don’t look at me like that. I’m really fine.” Bai Wanru stood up, brushed the dirt off her clothes, and flexed her arm to show off her bicep to Lou Yunxiao. “Your mother is strong. If I failed this time, I can try ten thousand more times!”
“Must you refine it?” Lou Yunxiao’s voice was low and raspy. He said, “Why are you so obsessed with the Buddha Lotus Lamp? You said it yourselfâit’s just a hypothesis. Even if you refine it, it might not be able to eliminate demons! Every time you refine a divine artifact, your body weakens. If the Buddha Lotus Lamp is truly as miraculous as you say, then once itâs finished, what will happen to you? Have you ever thought about that?”
Listening from the side, Ning Ke’s shock was nearly overflowing. Was the origin of the Buddha Lotus Lamp right here?
“But… itâs so chaotic outside. There are so many demons. If we don’t do something, many people will die…” Bai Wanru was clearly in the wrong before her son’s questioning. However, she insisted, “As an artifact refiner, if I can create a magic artifact that completely eliminates demons, I can prevent more casualties. I went outside the city a while ago and saw such a small child…”
She gestured with her hands, her eyes turning red. “His head was bitten off, eyes wide, dying with his grievances unaddressed. There were so many severed limbs, discarded on the ground after being gnawed by demons… We are sentient beings with feelings, not food for those cold-blooded, brutal demons. After seeing that, I really couldn’t bear it… Thatâs why I want to try my best to refine the Buddha Lotus Lamp.”
“…” Lou Yunxiao kept a tight face, saying nothing.
Bai Wanru leaned in and acted spoiled. “Son, I promise I’ll be careful next time. I won’t hurt myself again. Stop being angry, okay?”
Ning Ke thought for a moment and also rubbed his head against the man’s pant leg, whimpering twice. Lou Yunxiao remained silent for another moment before finally speaking.
“Letâs eat.” Then, he turned to the kitchen to get the food.
Bai Wanru breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest. She looked down at the Fox Ning Ke, smiled, and made a “pew” gesture. “Thanks, little fox.”
Ning Ke was slightly stunned.
“His name is A-Ke,” Lou Yunxiao said as he placed the dishes on the table. He said to Bai Wanru, “If you dare play tricks on him, don’t even think about touching your forge hammer again.”
“Stupid son! Such a strong guard against me!”
“It’s because you’ve lied too many times.” Lou Yunxiao finished setting the table and then took a separate plate, portioning out half of the fish for Ning Ke.
Bai Wanru puffed out her cheeks. “Why does he get half my fish!”
“Eat your rice.” Lou Yunxiao scolded her, and she withered. She began eating obediently.
On the ground, Ning Ke tilted his fox head. He looked down. Uh. He couldn’t reach. He strained his neck with all his might, his whole body tensing up, baring his teeth.
Finally, Xiao Yuan couldn’t help but remind him: [Host, you’re standing on your front legs. How are you supposed to reach down?!]
“…”
Oh, right.
The plate was on the ground. Ning Ke was standing straight; heâd be a miracle worker if he could reach the plate. Thus, he bent his front legs and changed from sitting to lying down, finally managing to reach the plate with his fox mouth.
Mmm, delicious! This taste was divine! The bones were stewed until they were soft, and the flavor was incredible!
Lou Yunxiao lowered his eyes and saw the little white fox finish the half plate of fish completely. He even stuck out his pink tongue and licked the plate until it was reflective.
“Is it that good?”
“Awoo!”
“You like it very much?”
“Awoo!”
“Want more?”
“Awoo! Awoo!”
Then, Bai Wanru watched as her son ruthlessly took away the fish she had only half-eaten and placed it before the little fox lying on the ground.
“Eat up.”
Bai Wanru: “???”
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