Chapter 345: "Don't Move, Senior Brother… Be Good~"
Luo Wusheng felt like his head was about to explode.
As the countless threads began to gradually fade into the void, and the curse that had been acting upon him left along one of the threads, he noticed something else at the same time.
The red string tied to his and Bai Xiaoyao's wrists had disappeared… or rather, taken on a new form on their wrists?
Now, at the spot where the red string had been, there was only a faint mark left—light, yet showing no signs of fading.
And the moment this mark appeared, Luo Wusheng's mind was suddenly flooded with an overwhelming amount of obscure and complex information.
The massive stream of data almost blew up his mental processor.
His mental processing speed couldn't keep up with the incoming flow… Though, among the chaos, there were some inexplicable images that somehow helped him relax a little.
Hmm. In those images was an ugly-looking but strangely expressive green-furred rat.
Thankfully, that state only lasted for a few breaths.
"Huff… huff…"
Luo Wusheng gasped for air in large gulps, but his first instinct was to look at his Junior Sister beside him.
At that moment, Bai Xiaoyao also happened to open her eyes, which had closed at some unknown point.
She didn't seem as disoriented as Luo Wusheng, though for some reason, her beautiful face was tinged with a blush.
Their eyes met, and it was as if they could read each other's minds, each vaguely understanding what had just happened to the other.
Amid the flood of information, Luo Wusheng had managed to decipher some crucial bits.
For example, he now knew exactly what that mysterious red string was.
A rule-based artifact—The Red String of Causality.
What it could do had just been demonstrated.
(Causal threads… tsk, they really are causal threads!)
Luo Wusheng's heart surged with excitement.
In most xianxia novels, causality is considered an incredibly high-level concept, and causal threads are a tangible manifestation of that power.
Normally, unless one specializes in the Dao of Causality and has reached an extraordinarily high level, it's impossible to even perceive causal threads.
But now, using the Red String of Causality, he could not only see them clearly—he could even use them!
Even though he didn't understand the underlying principles of such a high-level force, Luo Wusheng had somehow gained an instinctual grasp of how to wield it.
Just like earlier—by unintentionally pulling on a particular causal thread, he had redirected the curse meant for him along the thread to another end– cough, to a certain Rat Netherkin.
Realizing the amusing images he'd used to relax were actually real, Luo Wusheng's expression turned odd, and he couldn't help but shiver.
He turned his gaze toward the last remaining bit of black sludge.
That chicken Netherkin had truly harbored malicious intent, resorting to such a venomous curse.
Just imagining how he might have ended up looking like a green-skinned Hulk-type character if he had forced himself to endure it made Luo Wusheng's face almost turn green from the thought alone.
However, now everything was over.
The last bit of black sludge—likely the "eye" meant to watch Luo Wusheng suffer—swirled with disbelief and madness as it stared at the unharmed Luo Wusheng.
Then, it twisted wildly before finally vanishing into the void.
In Luo Wusheng's eyes, the deep green causal thread connected to the black sludge, already faint and nearly illusory, flickered, then snapped and disappeared completely.
With that, the chicken demon was utterly destroyed.
...
A while later.
"A massive amount of information...? Not really. All the info Xiaoyao got from the red string was just what I told Senior Brother just now," Bai Xiaoyao said as she tilted her head.
Luo Wusheng and Bai Xiaoyao were sitting under a red-leafed tree, the still-unconscious Sword Fairy resting against the trunk nearby.
Hearing his Junior Sister's innocent-sounding words, Luo Wusheng twitched the corner of his mouth.
He had originally assumed that his Junior Sister had received the exact same flood of information as he had when she activated the Red String of Causality—after all, it was clear she'd also come to understand something about it.
But as they sat and talked, Luo Wusheng realized something was off.
His Junior Sister had only received the parts of the information he had already successfully processed.
It was as if he had acted like a filter—blocking out the bulk of the chaotic and undecipherable data stream, then passing along only the refined, understandable pieces to Bai Xiaoyao.
No wonder the girl looked completely unbothered earlier… He had even thought this little demoness must have at least an octa-core mental processor or something, possibly deciphering even more than he had.
Ah well, better he suffers through that mess alone. It was a good thing that his adorable Junior Sister hadn't had to endure any of that torment.
"In that case, let's summarize what we know about it," Luo Wusheng said with a sigh, showing her the faint thread-like mark on his wrist—nearly identical to the one on Bai Xiaoyao's.
"As far as we can tell, its ability allows the users—that is, us—to briefly see and influence causal threads… You haven't tried this part yet, so it might sound a bit abstract now, but you'll understand naturally when the time comes."
"There are many colors of causal threads, but everything happened too fast earlier, and I didn't get a chance to figure out what each color represents... The one I pulled on was a dark green thread—probably indicating someone who bears malicious karma toward me?"
"And as for how to activate this artifact…"
He turned his gaze to his Junior Sister.
Bai Xiaoyao gave a sweet smile.
"Just now, I didn't want you to suffer from that curse, so I fulfilled the condition, I guess."
Luo Wusheng gave a slightly helpless smile and nodded.
The Red String of Causality was a unique treasure that required two people to use.
The most crucial point: in order for one person to activate the artifact, the other person must either grant permission—or voluntarily allow them to use it.
If the other party is unwilling, then no matter what you do, the artifact will be useless in your hands.
And beyond that, there was one more mechanic…
Once the other person agrees to let you use the string, a mysterious "Predestined Effect" will be imprinted on them.
Over the next month, they must create the necessary conditions to fulfill that effect, to allow the cause-and-effect chain to be completed.
If they fail, they'll suffer a terrifying backlash from the law of causality itself.
"…Sorry you had to go through that," Luo Wusheng said softly as he gently took her small hand, which bore the same faint mark. "Do you already know what that so-called 'effect' is that you're supposed to fulfill?"
At his question, Bai Xiaoyao's flawless face flushed again, as if something came to mind.
"Mm… I do. But you know, Senior Brother—the 'effect' can't be told to anyone until it's fulfilled or failed…"
The girl lowered her head slightly, her voice soft.
"Right," Luo Wusheng said, stroking his chin.
Just as she knew little about the causal thread he had triggered for her sake, he too had no clue what kind of "Predestined Effect" had been cast upon her.
After a brief pause, he reached over and ruffled her hair.
"If you need my help in fulfilling it, just say the word. I'll do everything I can to make sure you avoid any backlash."
He had barely finished speaking when her small hand reached up and gently took his hand off her head.
Those bright, beautiful eyes looked into his.
"Then… could you lean a little closer, Senior Brother?"
Luo Wusheng blinked in surprise, but obediently leaned toward her.
And then, he felt a small hand rest on his head.
Bai Xiaoyao hand gently ruffled his hair.
"Don't move, Senior Brother… be good~"
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
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