The light and shadow shifted, and the colossal Dragon of Light, with a power that seemed to devour everything, opened its maw as if to swallow the two tiny figures before it.
Cang Liu stood still, unfazed. He held his long sword tightly, ready to unsheathe it. The silver scabbard reflected the dazzling, blinding light emanating from the Dragon of Light.
Behind him was Gu Mingze, and there was no room to retreat. Besides, Cang Liu had no intention of backing down.
An intense coldness compressed and swirled around them. The frigid air spun madly. A chilling glint appeared in Cang Liu's eyes, and the dragon tattoo on his left eye flickered. The moment the Cang Hai Sword was drawn, concentrated cold air condensed and soared into the sky, tearing a rift through the massive Dragon of Light.
Gu Zitan was still very powerful. Although he had held back as much as possible, he could still exert immense pressure on ordinary Dragon Knights.
The immense light energy struck Cang Liu. To Gu Zitan's surprise, Cang Liu showed little strain. The cold air continued to cleave through the light energy, and even Gu Mingze behind Cang Liu remained silent.
Was this overconfidence?
Gu Zitan's face held not only displeasure but also astonishment. Cang Liu was, at most, a second-semester first-year student, while he was ranked among the world's top fifty. What kind of talent was this?
Cang Liu's composure and calmness also startled Gu Zitan. Faced with his own formidable attack, Cang Liu had quickly and calmly identified the Dragon of Light's weakest point.
"Snap."
A soft sound, so faint it was almost negligible amidst the colossal waves of energy, but to Gu Zitan, it was like a thunderclap, making his hairs stand on end.
He turned his head, and Bai Cha was standing behind him, her slender hand still resting on his shoulder.
Startled, Gu Zitan immediately ceased his energy output, causing a momentary pause in the Dragon of Light's assault. Cang Liu's azure eyes flashed with cold light, and the energy within him surged, compressed, and acted in one fluid motion. The sharp, cold light sliced the Dragon of Light in half like a keen blade.
"Tai Chi • Xun."
A low yet slightly childish female voice echoed from behind. Gu Mingze turned to see Yun He gliding towards them with peculiar steps. Her fists and palms moved in rhythm, and pale red wind coalesced in her hands, deflecting the residual waves from the cleaved Dragon of Light.
"Zhen! Li!" Yun He cried out, her hands channeling the power, which instantly became wild. She squatted and punched, a simple, unadorned movement.
Her small fist collided with the swirling mass of light energy. With sounds like distant thunder, faint sparks could be seen exploding. Yun He retreated several steps, stabilizing herself, but she had completely neutralized the aftershocks, emerging unscathed and seemingly at ease.
"Clap clap clap."
"Wow~ My little disciples are growing so fast~" Meng Qinghuan leaned against the doorframe, clapping leisurely. Gu Zitan's teeth itched at his flippant demeanor.
"Oh my, little Tan, don't be so fierce. We didn't want to meddle either~" Meng Qinghuan nuzzled the small Baimeng fiercely, giggling. "But your light was too dazzling, and it made things difficult for us~"
"Bai Cha, you've gone too far." Gu Zitan turned to the indifferent woman behind him, his face darkening. He felt annoyed yet apprehensive. Bai Cha's gentle tap had been completely imperceptible, and he realized that if she wished, she could have easily subdued him.
Bai Cha's gaze was calm, with a hint of warning. "Don't cause trouble. Your brother has the right to choose his own path."
"That's him fooling around! He can't always rely on me to take care of him, can he?" Gu Zitan turned to Gu Mingze, who was clinging to Cang Liu, and his anger flared. "He's never made things easy for us since he was little!"
Hearing this, Bai Cha raised an eyebrow. "Did he often cause trouble for you when he was young?"
Bai Cha's question caused Gu Zitan to falter. He thought carefully. Apart from being quiet and not studying diligently, which brought them shame, Gu Mingze hadn't really done anything else. He didn't smoke, fight, or drink. If he were to find trouble, it was truly hard to pinpoint.
"Did he have any choices when he was a child?" Bai Cha asked again. "What did he like? What did he want?"
Gu Zitan remained silent. He had always considered his younger brother to be a failure, but Bai Cha's words left him unable to retort.
It was then that Gu Zitan realized with a start that his understanding of his own younger brother was a complete blank.
"So, what you call 'not making things easy' is simply poor academic performance? If he doesn't cause trouble, doesn't resist, or argue, you've been emotionally neglecting him for twenty years." Bai Cha's voice was not loud, but it struck Gu Zitan speechless.
Seeing the once imposing Gu Zitan suddenly deflate, Bai Cha was about to say more but changed her mind. "Let him stay with me for a while. Consider it him throwing a tantrum and running away from home."
Gu Zitan frowned, remaining silent. He looked at Gu Mingze, who was still tightly gripping Cang Liu, then at the calm Bai Cha. After a long silence, he did not object.
"I won't be incorporating him into the Shadows for now. He'll be considered my mercenary. If, after some time, he still doesn't wish to return, we'll discuss it then," Bai Cha said calmly. "You call yourselves brothers, but your bond is weaker than that of friends. It might be better to create some distance."
"...Alright." Gu Zitan fell silent for a moment, then grudgingly agreed, gritting his teeth.
He looked at Gu Mingze, feeling a pang of guilt. He wanted to say something comforting, but found himself unable to utter a word.
Gu Zitan suddenly realized that over the past twenty years, he had offered so much encouragement to his students but had never said a kind word to his own brother. Now, trying to say something positive felt awkward and inexpressible.
Watching Gu Zitan walk away in silence, Cang Liu patted the tense Gu Mingze on the back. "He's gone."
"Ah! Gone! He's gone!" Gu Mingze jumped back like a startled rabbit but stumbled, his legs giving out. He sat on the ground, utterly bewildered. "He agreed? He left? He doesn't care anymore?"
"Of course. Your brother can't beat Little Bai," Meng Qinghuan, seeing someone so timid for the first time, felt a mischievous thought surge within her. She crouched down, pinching Gu Mingze's face, and grinned. "If Jun Yao didn't prohibit skipping grades, Little Bai could have become principal directly. Your brother is only world-ranked fifty, while Little Bai is in the top three."
"He's that amazing..." Gu Mingze felt a sense of defeat. Meng Qinghuan's hands contorted his face, but he didn't dare to resist, letting her manhandle him as she pleased.
"Hey, Little Gu's face is so nice to mold~ Little Baimeng, do you want to try?"
"Childish."
"Hey, hey~"
Watching the group bickering in the distance, Bai Cha finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, she had overused her power a few times in previous encounters, causing significant damage to her body. If a real fight were to break out, it would take some effort to secure a decisive victory.
"Master, we can depart," Lucifer approached and held a large black umbrella over Bai Cha, shielding her from the scorching sun. He said gently, "Before the Vortex Gate allows entry, perhaps we can resolve the amusement park disappearances."
"Mm, that's also an option. Let me see the information you've gathered," Bai Cha nodded. "But speaking of which, isn't it a weekday? The children are all in school, so it shouldn't be too crowded."
"No, Master, you misunderstand. Today's itinerary is a full day at the amusement park." Lucifer maintained his smile, speaking unhurriedly.
Bai Cha: "?"
Bai Cha found it both amusing and exasperating, not expecting Lucifer to want to visit an amusement park. She said helplessly, "If you want to go, I can give you a day off."
However, Bai Cha could understand.
Since Lucifer transformed from an embryo into a human, it seemed he had been busy assisting her and taking care of her every day, never getting a chance to relax. It made her feel like a heartless capitalist exploiting her employee.
In reality, she could handle investigations on her own. Giving Lucifer a day off wasn't a big deal.
As Bai Cha pondered whether to give Lucifer a day off, he interrupted her thoughts.
"Master, you haven't been to an amusement park before, have you?" Lucifer said with a smile. "You seem to want to train Cang Liu and the others to be independent. Appropriate training in investigation is also necessary. Why not let them go?"
It sounded perfectly reasonable.
But Bai Cha suspected that Lucifer was trying to pawn off his work onto his subordinates and then take her along to slack off. Yet, Lucifer's reasoning seemed impeccable.
"That might work. Let's assign the task to them for practice," Bai Cha sighed. "It's just a bit troublesome. Just after seeing off Gu Zitan, I have to ask for leave for so many people."
"Don't worry, Master. I've already prepared everyone's leave slips," Lucifer said naturally, producing several slips with dates for the upcoming days. "Mr. Gu Mingze's leave slip can be provided later, as he is still, nominally, Principal Gu's younger brother."
Bai Cha was somewhat speechless. She strongly suspected that Lucifer had premeditated this blatant attempt to shirk responsibility. Processing a single leave request could take over a day. How could all the slips be ready already?
What surprised Bai Cha even more was that Lucifer had already prepared the tickets.
When they arrived at the "Sky Island" Fantasy Wonderland, Bai Cha was still contemplating how to buy tickets, only to see Lucifer directly pulling her into the queue.
This amusement park was the largest fantasy amusement park in the world. Regardless of the crowd size, tickets had to be booked a day in advance. Yet, Lucifer had already procured two tickets.
So, when had Lucifer found the time to prepare leave slips and tickets while she was swamped with work?
"You've already appeared in the media, so we can enjoy ourselves inside and also attract the attention of enemies," Lucifer whispered to Bai Cha, who wore an expressionless face. "This way, Miss Yun He's and Mr. Cang Liu's investigations will proceed more smoothly."
He spoke with such conviction, and it sounded quite logical.
Bai Cha pouted and glanced at Lucifer, feeling a bit weary. "You just want to slack off with me, don't you?"
"You've discovered my secret."
What made Bai Cha even more weary was that Lucifer admitted it so openly. This immediately made Bai Cha laugh in exasperation. However, since the situation had come to this, Bai Cha could only give Lucifer an exasperated glance and continue queuing.
This amusement park, "Sky Island," was one of only two aerial Disney fantasy castles in the world. It was suspended thousands of meters in the sky by a giant floating mechanical island, covered by a protective shield to safeguard all the tourists within. Both the facilities and safety measures were advanced and comprehensive.
It even boasted a six-star fairytale castle hotel. If you couldn't finish exploring in a day, you could continue the next, as long as you had the money.
Of course, the last sentence was the most important.
Today was not a holiday nor a weekend. It was midday, the peak of the sun, so the crowd was rather sparse. Even at the highly popular Sky Island, there were only a handful of tourists. Against the backdrop of the magnificent architecture, it even appeared somewhat desolate.