After Jingliu fulfilled her agreement with Fu Zhu, she was escorted back to the Shackling Prison by the Cloud Knights under Jing Yuan's arrangements once more.
Jing Yuan also left the training grounds alongside Welt.
After the two of them departed, the system, which had been silent for a long time, finally reacted again.
[Achievement Unlocked: Met Luocha]
[Achievement Points +5]
[Achievement Unlocked: Met Jingliu]
[Achievement Points +5]
[Achievement Unlocked: A Different Ending (Part Two)]
[Achievement Points +20]
The achievements that had been held back all this time popped up all at once. The constant stream of system pings nearly made Fu Zhu think he was being bombed by text messages.
Fu Zhu took a moment to look through all the new achievements that had popped up. With so many new achievement points suddenly at his disposal, he had no idea how to spend them for a moment.
Well, I'll think about it tonight after I buy the fireworks, he thought.
Snapping back to the present, Fu Zhu saw that only he and March 7th were left, so he took her by the hand and left the training grounds as well.
"Where to next?"
March 7th walked alongside Fu Zhu on the street, letting him lead her forward.
Without looking back, Fu Zhu pulled out his phone with his other hand to check the map.
"Let's go to the Golden Automaton Lane next door. There's lots of good food there, and also a merchant association where I should be able to buy the fireworks I need."
Hearing that their destination was the Golden Automaton Lane, March 7th had no objections and let him pull her along.
The Golden Automaton Lane was not far from the training grounds. After just a ten-minute walk, they could see the maple-lined street.
Even before they arrived, the mixed aroma of different foods drifted out from the lane and into their noses.
"It smells so good! I'm starting to look forward to the food inside!"
The moment she smelled the food, March 7th quickened her pace. What started as Fu Zhu leading her turned into her pulling him forward.
"Slow down, it's not like the food is going to run away."
Fu Zhu chuckled as he reminded her, then pulled out his phone to send a message to Xing, asking if she wanted anything to eat.
Although he had told March 7th earlier that Xing would find her own food when she got hungry, that was just talk. He was genuinely worried that girl would get so absorbed in her games that she'd forget to eat.
It would be a real problem if she starved herself.
[Fu Zhu: Sis, want anything to eat?]
[Xing: The kid's starving, you know to come feed me!]
Fu Zhu blinked. Don't tell me this girl has really been playing games since she woke up without eating?!
[Fu Zhu: You haven't really been eating this whole time, have you?]
Xing's reply came quickly.
[Xing: How could I! Bro, you don't think your sis is that silly, do you? I'm eating melons right now!]
Seeing that she was eating, Fu Zhu let out a sigh of relief. He was truly worried that Xing would get so addicted to gaming that she'd skip meals.
Still, as her older brother, he felt it was necessary to remind Xing that one couldn't live on melons alone; it wasn't a proper main course.
[Fu Zhu: Eat something else too. Just eating melons will give you the runs.]
[Xing: I'm not talking about that kind of melon!]
Hm?
Fu Zhu grew alert. If Xing wasn't talking about the fruit, then that meant... there was drama to watch?
[Fu Zhu: Send it!]
[Xing: [Location]]
Fu Zhu glanced at the location Xing sent. As it happened, she was also in the Golden Automaton Lane, and not far from them either, just a few hundred meters away.
Fu Zhu immediately tugged on March 7th, who was about to check out what a small stall was selling.
"March, change of plans. I'll take you to eat some melons! Xing's over there too."
Though March 7th didn't quite understand what was going on, her eyes lit up when she heard there was a spectacle to watch.
"Alright, alright! This lady loves watching a good show!"
The two hit it off instantly and hurried toward the location Xing had sent. Within a few minutes, they saw a crowd gathered in front of a ferry dock.
Amidst the crowd of onlookers, Xing's tall figure and grey hair were particularly conspicuous. Fu Zhu and March 7th spotted her almost at a glance.
"Xing's over there. Let's go."
Fu Zhu and March 7th walked over quickly. After squeezing in, the latter smiled and raised a hand to greet Xing.
"Xing!"
Xing turned her head at the sound of her name and saw Fu Zhu and March 7th arrive. A smile blossomed on her face, but then her gaze fell upon their intertwined hands, and her eyebrows couldn't help but shoot up.
"Hoh hoh... No wonder you didn't prepare breakfast for me. So that's how it is, so that's how it is."
Fu Zhu walked over and gave her a light chop on the head. "Although I don't know what you're thinking, you might actually be right this time."
Xing clutched her head and rolled her pretty eyes.
"So, what's happening here?"
Noticing Xing's attention on them, March 7th discreetly let go of Fu Zhu's hand, clasped her own behind her back, and stood on her tiptoes, trying to see into the crowd.
"Xing and I came here together to eat, but we saw a man from some company making things difficult for a Cloud Knight girl and someone from the Golden Automaton Lane merchant association. It seems to be about some kind of debt."
Fu Zhu and March 7th listened to the explanation and nodded, getting the gist of the situation.
The next second, they both whipped their heads around. The voice that had just spoken wasn't Xing's!
Sure enough, they looked down and saw a beaming Bailu waving her little hand at them.
"Long time no see!"
"Bailu?" March 7th squatted down, a little confused, to look at Bailu eye-to-eye. "What are you doing here? Where are those attendants who are always with you?"
"Uhm..." A flicker of unease crossed Bailu's face as she explained sheepishly, "They don't let me touch too many things. I snuck out this time and happened to run into Xing. Please, please don't tell the Dragon Masters, okay? Otherwise, I'll definitely be grounded!"
Hearing Bailu's words, Fu Zhu couldn't help but frown. "Are the Vidyadhara's rules that strict? Grounding someone as young as you?"
Bailu just pouted and was unwilling to say more. Fu Zhu knew better than to press, and the group turned their attention back to the argument at hand.
After watching for a moment, they learned that the company executive in the center of the crowd, a man named Scott, had made a bet with the Cloud Knight named Sushang. If she couldn't pay off the debt within the stipulated time, Sushang would have to bark like a dog in public. Conversely, if she could, Scott would have to bark like a dog and apologize.
When March 7th, Bailu, and Xing saw how things were developing, they were all furious, planting their hands on their hips and complaining.
"What a horrible guy, making a girl do something as humiliating as barking like a dog! Fu Zhu (Old Bro), can you help her?"
Fu Zhu rolled his eyes at the three of them.
"Get your positions straight. We're the melon-eating crowd, not a group of good Samaritans. Besides..."
"Compared to watching a man bark like a dog, I'm more interested in seeing a pretty girl do it... Hiss, maybe I should secretly help Scott out?"
"???"