Lucian looked at the smiling foxian girl before him, her fox-like eyes shimmering with flowing light and carrying a naturally seductive charm that could easily draw in anyone who met her gaze.
From what he could currently sense, Tingyun appeared completely normal, and there were no traces whatsoever of heliobus energy around her.
Still, he could not entirely rule out the possibility that Phantylia possessed more advanced methods capable of evading his detection, so he silently decided to investigate further once he found an opportunity later.
Meanwhile, when Tingyun noticed Lucian examining her, she did not show the slightest hint of shyness. Instead, she spun gracefully in place, her fluffy tail swaying behind her and lightly brushing across the back of his hand.
In that instant, Lucian felt slightly ticklish, and the soft texture truly was just as pleasant as he had imagined.
"Yukong's being too polite. We're just wandering around casually."
Lucian spoke politely with a faint smile.
"And how could that possibly do?" Tingyun lightly waved her hand while the tip of her tail swayed along with the motion. "Lady Yukong specifically instructed me that you're her benefactor, so how could we possibly neglect you? Oh, right, Lord Lucian..."
As she spoke, she suddenly leaned slightly closer, bringing with her a faint yet pleasant fragrance that lingered gently in the air.
"May I take a photo with you? Think of it as keeping a little souvenir, and it would also let me prove to Lady Yukong that I truly met you and properly completed the task she entrusted to me."
Before Lucian could answer, Stelle immediately leaned over from the side and whispered excitedly to him.
"Hey, Godfather! Do it! You absolutely gotta! Such a pretty fox lady—if you don't take a pic, it'd be a huge waste!"
Stelle repeatedly nudged Lucian with her elbow while whispering and wiggling her brows exaggeratedly.
Himeko stood nearby with her arms folded, maintaining her usual elegant smile on the surface, yet for some reason, she felt a subtle sense of discomfort stirring inside.
"Sure."
Lucian nodded readily.
"Wonderful!"
Tingyun's eyes immediately brightened with delight as she took out her phone-type jade abacus, skillfully switched it into camera mode, and stepped over to stand beside Lucian. She stood rather close as well, close enough for him to clearly notice the faint fragrance drifting from her hair, which indeed looked exceptionally smooth and soft.
She slightly adjusted her posture, carefully searching for the most flattering angle, yet even after trying several poses, she still seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
In the next moment, when she noticed March carrying a camera, Tingyun immediately slipped the phone into her hands with a cheerful smile.
"Excuse me, beautiful young lady, could you help us take a few photos of us? Thank you~"
March, looking helpless, glanced at Himeko and then at Tingyun, finding it difficult to refuse such a polite request.
In the end, she could only start snapping away nonstop, taking photos from all kinds of angles and capturing quite a few excellent shots. Every pose Tingyun struck was perfectly measured, appearing intimate enough to feel close while never crossing the line into anything improper.
"My lord~"
Tingyun's smile grew even sweeter as she spoke in a soft, pleasant tone.
"Actually, I have a small request. A merchant guild known as the Whistling Flames has recently been promoting tourism for the Luofu. If a handsome general like yourself were willing to appear in our publicity materials, it would certainly attract many more visitors."
As she spoke, she even blinked playfully, her professional skill truly living up to her reputation.
Whether it was her speech, expression, or attitude, everything about her made people feel comfortable and appreciated. It almost made Lucian feel as though any request she made naturally deserved agreement.
"Fine, as you wish."
Lucian casually agreed without much thought, since to him, it was not a particularly significant matter anyway.
"Thank you very much, my lord!" Tingyun immediately clapped her hands happily. "Don't worry, the Whistling Flames will certainly repay your kindness generously! Ah, why don't we exchange contact information as well? That way, I can personally bring gifts and visit you someday in the future."
As the Head Representative of the Whistling Flames, she had climbed to her current position entirely through her own ability.
Social networking, interpersonal relations, business negotiations—basically, in any situation requiring eloquence and communication skills, she undoubtedly stood among the top elites.
With just a few casual sentences, she could effortlessly provide enough emotional value to make others feel relaxed and comfortable around her.
She was also one of Yukong's most loyal supporters, and after learning from Yukong that Lucian was the General of the Xianzhou Cangcheng, the husband of the Master Diviner, the close friend of General Teng Xiao, the benefactor of General Jing Yuan, and even the person who had helped Lady Yukong walk out from the shadows of her past, Tingyun naturally understood just how important Lucian truly was.
Whether in business or in private, he was a man worthy of her respect, not to mention that he was also extremely handsome.
Under those circumstances, asking for his contact information was hardly excessive.
Naturally, Lucian had no reason to reject a beautiful woman asking to exchange contacts, so he casually took out his phone before speaking up.
"Sure, but after adding me, you need to set me as your emergency contact and enable automatic coordinate sharing."
As soon as those words left his mouth, not only did Tingyun freeze in surprise, but even the others nearby revealed confused expressions.
Tingyun tilted her head slightly as her fluffy ears twitched gently.
"Why would you make such a request, my lord? Although this humble girl is not especially capable, I can still protect myself to some extent."
Even though she said that, inwardly, her thoughts immediately began running wild.
'Isn't this progressing a little too quickly...?'
'Could it be... this important figure suddenly fell for my looks?'
'No... that shouldn't be possible, right?'
'Isn't he the Master Diviner Fu Xuan's husband? Surely he wouldn't secretly keep women outside behind the Master Diviner's back...?'
'But if he really wanted to do something, with my status and influence... could I even resist him?'
While Tingyun's thoughts spiraled in every direction, Lucian's expression instead became serious.
"I know a little divination," Lucian said calmly. "And according to my calculations, you'll encounter a calamity in the future. Since you've kept me in your heart, naturally, I should also keep you in mine."
In truth, aside from the original story, he simply remembered the part of the script where Tingyun was replaced by Phantylia.
If this truly was the real Tingyun standing before him, then there was a high probability that she would still encounter something similar eventually—it was merely a matter of sooner or later.
However, when his words entered Tingyun's ears, they naturally carried a completely different meaning.
'Why did everything he said sound so flirtatious to me?'
As that thought crossed her mind, her pretty face immediately flushed a faint red, and even her tail stopped swaying for a moment.
"I see..." Tingyun revealed a charming smile. "In that case, I will gratefully accept your kindness."
Her heart raced uncontrollably as she hurriedly followed his instructions and enabled the emergency contact function.
Since Lucian was the Master Diviner's husband, his divination abilities were surely first-rate as well, so she naturally did not dare doubt his words. For such an important figure to willingly save her life was an enormous favor that ordinary people could never hope to receive.
After finishing the setup, Tingyun secretly glanced up at Lucian again, but when she saw the calm and indifferent expression on his face, she instead began feeling that perhaps she had simply overthought everything.
"My lord really speaks beautifully... just like one of those elegant young masters from storybooks..."
Tingyun muttered softly, feeling slightly embarrassed, but the moment she finished speaking, she became even more embarrassed before anyone else could react.
"A-Anyway, Lady Yukong is away on business today, so I shall host in her stead and invite everyone from the Astral Express, as well as Lord Lucian, to a simple meal together. I hope you will honor me with your presence."
"Ohh, you're treating us? Yay!"
Stelle immediately became the first person to enthusiastically raise her hand in agreement, looking like an excited child.
"Stelle! Stop acting like that! It's way too embarrassing!"
March could not even pull Stelle back and could only whisper repeatedly in embarrassment.
What March did not know, however, was that Stelle was not interested in the food at all.
'Umu, this fox lady's pretty, and she speaks so nicely. I definitely gotta make her my godmother.'
Needless to say, Stelle had already completely set her sights on Tingyun herself.
"Himeko, what do you think?"
Lucian turned to glance at Himeko beside him and asked with a smile.
Himeko had not expected him to actively ask for her opinion, and for a brief moment, she felt slightly touched as she realized that he also possessed such a considerate and gentle side.
"As guests, we should follow the host's arrangements," Himeko replied softly, maintaining her elegant demeanor. "Miss Tingyun is sincerely welcoming us, so it would be impolite to refuse."
"Alright, then let's have a meal together."
Lucian readily agreed.
Seeing that everyone agreed, Tingyun immediately became delighted and quickly arranged for a private room and a lavish feast to properly welcome the distinguished guests.
Soon, while walking along the way, she directly uploaded the photo she had taken with Lucian to her social media feed before even adding a caption beneath it:
[So fortunate to meet Lord Lucian! He's even more handsome in person than in photos! 😍😍😍]
At the same time, she also sent a message to Yukong, informing her that she was currently hosting Lucian personally and telling her not to worry because she would definitely make him happy.
As soon as her post went live, it instantly exploded with activity.
It was understandable.
Tingyun was, after all, already somewhat famous across the Xianzhou Luofu and had a considerable number of followers, so the post quickly gathered an overwhelming flood of likes and comments.
[StarrySoda99: Whoa! Miss Tingyun is soooo pretty! And the hot guy next to her? Like, seriously handsome. Wait, isn't that Lucian everyone's been talking about lately?]
[DivineTeaLover: Yeah, the Master Diviner's husband! It's already official, y'know.]
[OrbitingFate: Miss Tingyun, you're standing that close—ain't you scared the Master Diviner's gonna show up at your door or something?]
[NetGhost404: Who uploaded pics of my husband?! C'mon, delete it right now!]
[MoonlitShipper: Miss Tingyun's smile is sooo sweet! Lord Lucian is way too handsome! I'm totally shipping this, no cap!]
[ParanoiaPing: I don't recommend shipping them! If the Master Diviner sees this, won't she just trace the internet straight to your house?]
[DivinationPingedYou: @Divination_Commission_Master_Diviner My lady, c'mon, hurry over here!]
[ChaosGremlin_07: Hey, you're literally trying to start trouble, y'know!]
Just like that, because Lucian himself already possessed enormous popularity and attention across the Xianzhou Luofu, the photo rapidly climbed onto the platform's trending searches.
As a result, Fu Xuan, who was working in the Master Diviner Chamber, also saw it very quickly.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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