Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Mu Chen mulled it over for a moment before smiling. "Sir, may I make a rather bold request?"

The middle-aged proprietor said in surprise, "Go ahead."

Scratching the back of his head, Mu Chen said sheepishly, "Could you gift me that Memory Crystal you carved of my daughter? I know it’s not one of the prizes, but... I really like it."

"Oh?" The middle-aged proprietor voiced, then chuckled. "Is that all? I was wondering what it was. Of course, that’s no problem. Besides, now that I’ve carved it, it’s just a common prize. You’re actually getting the short end of the stick here."

With that, the proprietor flipped his wrist, and a translucent crystal figurine appeared in his palm. It was carved in the exact likeness of Xiao Ying’er, so lifelike that Mu Chen stared at it, utterly captivated.

"Thank you." Voicing his sincere gratitude, Mu Chen took the crystal sculpture of Xiao Ying’er from the proprietor’s hand, instantly unable to part with it.

Watching Mu Chen and Xiao Ying’er’s retreating figures, the middle-aged proprietor smiled faintly. ’This is exactly the kind of scene I love to see.’ Unwilling to disturb their quiet moment of happiness, the proprietor gave a grand wave of his hand, and both the Flying Target Device and the Test Crystal vanished. Along with them, the proprietor himself disappeared.

As they walked back into the crowd, people cast one last envious glance at the pair before dispersing. Only Yalan remained, staring blankly after them.

"Sister Yalan, look!"

A cheer like the ringing of a silver bell snapped Yalan out of her daze. Seeing Xiao Ying’er waving the Original Memory Crystal in her hand, her face wreathed in smiles, Yalan’s expression softened. By extension, the look she gave Mu Chen grew much friendlier.

However, in her eyes, Mu Chen was still a stranger. Even though he had helped them, for the sake of Xiao Ying’er’s safety, Yalan took the little girl back from him. She then looked at Mu Chen sincerely, gave a slight bow, and uttered a single, "Thank you."

The moment Yalan took Xiao Ying’er, Mu Chen’s heart suddenly felt empty, and a pang of reluctance washed over him. He concealed it well, however, waving his hand dismissively. "It was nothing. I imagine anyone who saw that pleading look in her eyes would have done the same, if they were able. I am curious, though, why her father didn’t bring her to play this challenge game."

As he spoke, his hair gradually shifted from ice-blue to a deep crimson. His delicate, handsome features were suddenly tinged with a roguish charm, though it was one that inspired neither revulsion nor a sense of danger.

Mu Chen’s words left Yalan silent for a long while. She did not, however, reveal the special circumstances surrounding Xiao Ying’er. Instead, noticing the change in his hair color, she asked in astonishment, "Your hair...?"

Mu Chen grabbed a lock of hair framing his face. "Oh, this? This is my natural color. My hair used to be ice-blue, but now it’s like this. I only changed it a moment ago to feel a bit closer to Xiao Ying’er."

Yalan’s eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, I see."

’Now I’m a hundred percent certain this man has nothing to do with her,’ she thought, inwardly breathing a huge sigh of relief. ’The young mistress’s hair and eyes are both black, which means the master’s hair and eyes must both be blue—that’s a requirement. But this man’s hair is crimson, and there’s something off about his eyes, too.’

"Uncle... Ying’er wants to eat that."

Suddenly, in the middle of Yalan and Mu Chen’s conversation, Xiao Ying’er pointed toward a stall selling candied hawthorns in the distance. She blinked her ice-blue eyes at Mu Chen, her gaze filled with anticipation.

"Candied hawthorns? Heh, Uncle will go get some for you right now."

With that, Mu Chen—still carrying the enormous black case on his back—walked briskly to the candied hawthorn vendor and said, "Two skewers, please."

The vendor had clearly made a good profit from the challenge game today, as he was in an excellent mood. He promptly took two skewers, handed them to Mu Chen, and said, "That’ll be ten Elemental Crystals."

Hearing the term ’Elemental Crystals’, Mu Chen smiled faintly. It had been many years since he’d last used them. Though he wasn’t the son of a wealthy family and had no particular talent for earning money, his Storage Ring never seemed to lack for items like Purple Elemental Crystals.

"Keep the change."

Tossing the vendor a single Purple Elemental Crystal, Mu Chen turned and hurried back toward Xiao Ying’er, paying no mind to the man’s dumbfounded expression. That one crystal, after all, was worth several days of his earnings.

"Ying’er, here you go."

He handed one skewer to Xiao Ying’er and the other to Yalan, leaving his own hands empty. He wanted to hug the little girl but couldn’t think of an excuse. Looking at her unbelievably cute face, Mu Chen was overcome with affection.

Yalan looked at the candied hawthorn in her hand and then back at Mu Chen, asking in confusion, "Why did you get one for me, too?"

Mu Chen said sheepishly, "Er, you don’t like them?"

Mu Chen didn’t realize how easily his actions and words could be misinterpreted, especially by someone like Yalan, who was just beginning to experience the first stirrings of love. As expected, she quickly got the wrong idea. Gazing at Mu Chen’s handsome face, her own cheeks flushed crimson.

Seeing her reaction, Mu Chen immediately realized his words had been clumsy. There was no way to explain, however; it would only make things more awkward. He quickly shifted his gaze back to Xiao Ying’er.

As it happened, Xiao Ying’er was looking right back at him, holding the Original Memory Crystal in one hand and the candied hawthorn in the other. She looked as if she wanted to say something but was hesitating.

Mu Chen smiled. "Xiao Ying’er, is there something you want to tell Uncle?"

Xiao Ying’er nodded eagerly. Her ice-blue eyes were locked on Mu Chen, and seeing the expectant look on his face, she whispered, "Uncle... can you be Ying’er’s daddy for a day?"