Chapter 388: Chapter 388

For the next three weeks of the Christmas holiday, I will publish three Chapters daily and wish everyone a Blessed and Joyful Christmas!

But as the energy enveloped him, Cannonball closed his eyes and saw Murphy — Chatty — radiating joy, vulnerability, strength. He vividly recalled the day their bond was forged — a moment when Chatty stood valiantly against a rogue cultivator, the way he shared his meager food even when it was scarce.

Enfields were the essence of loyalty.

To forsake that for autonomy would be to tarnish the very soul of his kind.

So, Cannonball made his resolute choice.

But he did not change.

He remained the steadfast Enfield.

And today, he emerged from his cocoon.

The Reunion: Fur, Tears, and Chaos

The training field was alive with the bustle of trainees lost in drills when a sudden gust of wind stirred the treetops. Cannonball burst into view, his tail unfurling like a banner behind him, eyes shimmering with newfound brilliance, his aura radiating strength like a sun bursting through dark clouds.

"Murphyyyyyy!" he howled, a joyous echo that reverberated through the air.

Chatty spun around, heart racing. "Cannonball?!"

Before he could even register what was happening, Cannonball launched himself forward with the force and fervor of a cannon, true to his name, and bowled Chatty over in a whirlwind of soft fur, flailing paws, and affectionate growls.

"You’re heavier!" Chatty gasped, pinned on the ground. "Did you eat a boulder?!"

"I ascended!" Cannonball barked with pride, licking Chatty’s face exuberantly. "I’m stronger now! I can carry you and all your emotional baggage!"

Laughter bubbled up from Chatty, and tears welled in his eyes, blurring his vision. "You idiot. You were supposed to be gone for three days."

"I was busy becoming awesome!" Cannonball declared with the gravity of a hero.

"You were busy making me worry!" Chatty shot back with mock severity, but his smile betrayed him.

Cannonball leaned closer, nuzzling him with warmth and loyalty. "I chose you."

Chatty froze in that moment, the depth of the declaration settling in.

Then he pulled Cannonball close, wrapping his arms around him in a fierce hug. "Then I choose you. Always."

Around them, the bustling trainees paused mid-drill, caught in the electric moment of reunion, their eyes wide with a mix of awe and confusion at the heartfelt display.

Four Eyes muttered, shaking his head with an amused glimmer in his eyes, "That’s the most dramatic pet reunion I’ve ever witnessed."

Ling Li, watching from a distance, couldn’t help but smile.

And stronger than ever.

Li Tianyuan’s Wrath: The Bamboo Forest Sealed

The eagle, a majestic silhouette against the pale dawn, spiraled downwards like a silver arrow slicing through the morning mist. Its mighty wings beatin’ a precise rhythm as it gracefully landed on the elegantly curved rooftop of the Verdant Bamboo Pavilion, the sharp click of its talons against the jade tiles echoing in the stillness. A scroll, sealed with Otako’s sigil, hung delicately from its leg, emanating a faint, ethereal glow as if imbued with ancient protective magic.

Inside the pavilion, Li Tianyuan sat quietly at a low table intricately carved from centuries-old spiritwood, savoring tea brewed from the rarest thousand-year-old lotus leaves, its aroma wafting delicately through the air. As he cradled the scroll delivered into his hand, a tempest of emotions swirled across his face.

He tore through its contents, reading it once, then again, with growing intensity. His eyes narrowed, the lines of his brow deepening like formidable cracks in a rocky mountainside, heralding an imminent avalanche of fury.

"Who dares to make trouble with my family?!" His voice erupted, reverberating through the chamber like the relentless beat of a war drum.

With a resounding crack, his palm slammed down onto the table. The ancient spiritwood groaned under the weight of his wrath, splintering at the edges as if recoiling from his fury. Tea spilled violently from his cup, hissing as it met the heated floor tiles beneath him.

Startled, his young assistant, Xiao Ren, who had been meticulously organizing scrolls nearby, jolted at the sound. He nearly lost an entire stack, his eyes widening in shock, his face a mask of pale disbelief. "M-Master?" he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Li Tianyuan paid him no heed. His gaze burned with an intensity that seemed almost palpable, his qi flaring in golden arcs that shimmered through the air like wild flames licking the sky. Outside, the bamboo forest responded eagerly to his fury — leaves rustled violently, stirred by an unseen force, while the illusory mist thickened, curling around the perimeter like a coiling serpent, ready to defend its lair.

With a decisive flick of his sleeve, Tianyuan reinforced the Illusory Veil Formation, layering it with a secondary seal of Heaven’s Eye Concealment. The entire forest shimmered briefly before dissolving from the perception of spiritual senses, cloaking his sanctuary in impenetrable secrecy. Not even the most adept diviners would uncover his location now.

"Xiao Ren," he commanded, his voice low and as sharp as a drawn blade. "Send word to every disciple. The chamber where Shi Min cultivates must be guarded without pause. No one approaches. Not even a shadow."

Xiao Ren bowed deeply, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste to comply. "Y-Yes, Master! Right away!" he stammered, hastening out of the room.

As the boy scrambled away, Li Tianyuan turned back to the scroll, his fingers tightening around it until the parchment crinkled like dried leaves crushed underfoot.

"If these fools are already trembling at the thought of Mushu’s ascension," he growled, his voice a low rumble, "what chaos will ensue when Shi Min breaks through?"

He strode to the edge of the pavilion, gazing out at the now-invisible forest, his robes billowing dramatically around him, animated by the sheer force of his qi. His piercing gaze swept over the land.

"They’ll scheme. They’ll whisper. They’ll plot," Li Tianyuan mused, a disdainful snort escaping his lips, echoing like the breath of a dragon preparing to unleash its fiery wrath.

"A pack of jealous dogs, barking at the gates of a house they’ll never enter," he sneered, tension coiling within him.

His eyes narrowed further, a fierce glint igniting within their depths.

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey! If you’ve enjoyed the story so far, please remember to vote, recommend, and leave your comments — your thoughts mean the world to me and help shape the Chapters ahead.

Your generous gifts and support are an inspiring force, fueling my passion to create even more exciting, heartfelt, and unforgettable scenes for you. Every gesture, big or small, reminds me why I love telling this story.

Let’s keep building this world together.