Chapter 142: The Ancient One Who Slipped In Some Extra Lessons
Clang!
The force field holding Iron Man in mid-air suddenly vanished. Still locked in his forward thrust, he crashed headfirst into the iron framework where Killian had been standing. Inside the cockpit, Tony Stark saw stars as the impact sent him tumbling, finally rolling to a stop in front of Pepper Potts.
"Are you okay, Tony?" Pepper asked urgently.
"Uh, I'm fine!"
Iron Man pushed himself up against the frame, then used the blade on his armored wrist to cut away Pepper's restraints. At the same time, he asked in puzzlement, "Do you know what just happened here?"
"I think Killian provoked some kind of extraordinary power."
Pepper's heart was still racing as she explained, "There were two beings here that I couldn't see with my eyes. Judging by their voices, one was a boy and the other was a girl. Unfortunately, I was too far away to hear what they were saying. But Killian looked terrified the entire time, completely paralyzed and unable to resist. After that… well, you saw what happened."
"Yeah, I saw. He got launched straight into the sky, like a rocket." Iron Man shrugged, raising his head to look up at the night sky, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, beneath the cranes in the wide port area, dozens of Iron Man suits were still locked in battle against Extremis-enhanced terrorists. Explosions erupted in waves, both sides dwindling in number with each clash.
Tony Stark, however, didn't feel the slightest pang of regret. To him, if money could fix a problem, it wasn't really a problem at all.
Besides, with Killian—the head of the operation—dead, the rest of his forces were little more than scraps. They would be wiped out soon enough.
This war had only just begun, and yet it was already over.
…
The next day, Sunday afternoon.
"I'm back."
Wearing a baseball cap low over his head, a mask over his face, and a scarf wrapped around his neck, Xi Nian returned home. As he opened the door, he called into the house, but the spotless interior gave no reply.
No one was home.
Come to think of it, was the house always this clean when he was away?
He shut the door casually, lowered the backpack from his shoulders, and set it down. A small paw poked out from the zipper and unzipped it further. Xiao Huang slipped happily into the living room, holding in her mouth the glass jar where Jarro still snored away.
After being away for a day or two, Xiao Huang clearly missed home as well.
"You two, don't mess the place up," Xi Nian warned, hanging the open backpack by the door. He kicked off his shoes and slipped into his slippers, pattering toward the living room.
This guy really had no self-awareness.
Xiao Huang glanced back at him with a sideways look, then padded elegantly toward the sunny balcony.
"Feels like the perfect time for a celebratory drink."
With the house's mistress and maid not home, Xi Nian thought it was the perfect chance to sneak a soda from the fridge.
But just as he was heading for it, a strange crackling sound rose behind him—like countless iron filings scattering across the floor.
"Someone's coming in!" At the same moment, Jarro's mental warning echoed sharply: "Wait, that's…"
Xi Nian spun around, startled. In the middle of the living room, a glowing circular portal flared open, its edges sparking with embers. From the shimmering gateway, a small figure stumbled through—crimson hair flowing, red dress billowing with her movements.
On instinct, Xi Nian opened his arms and caught the light figure who reminded him of Lorna. Behind her, the spell-portal quickly shrank and dissipated.
"A terrestrial spatial magic spell? Astonishing. Even across the entire universe, such things are rare."
On the balcony, Jarro stirred awake in his glass jar, blinking as he murmured in awe.
This household was becoming more and more frightening.
"Master, where have you been these past two days?!"
Wanda clung tightly to Xi Nian, her little face full of worry as she looked up at him.
She knew she was breaking her maid's rules by acting like this, but she couldn't help herself.
As for Xi Nian…
What boy could resist such a soft, adorable girl throwing herself into his arms, worried yet slightly pouting up at him?
"Alright, next time I go out, I'll be sure to tell you," Xi Nian said with a light smile, his hand naturally falling to her crimson hair. It felt soft and silky under his touch.
Wanda's cheeks flushed faintly, but her eyes half-closed in bliss, long lashes quivering. She clearly enjoyed the head-pat.
So different from that other one…
Xi Nian imagined if he tried patting her head, she'd explode, maybe even wrestle him down and ruffle his hair instead.
But Wanda relaxed completely under his hand, her body going soft as though surrendering herself to him.
"As for what I was doing the past two days… well, when the time is right, I'll tell you."
He spoke with a guilty twinge in his chest. Would he really be able to tell her someday? Hard to say.
"Wait, you actually learned the Ancient One's spells already?" Xi Nian asked, surprised, glancing at where the portal had vanished.
Didn't the Ancient One say it would take at least three days to learn that spell? It hadn't even been two.
What he didn't know was that Wanda had actually mastered it in less than a single day—she'd succeeded last night.
The Ancient One hadn't lied exactly. She had simply factored in all the time Wanda would normally spend on chores and schoolwork.
"Yes. I learned it for you, Master. Do you want to test me?" Wanda blinked playfully, tugging Xi Nian over to the sofa.
"What do you mean, 'learned it for me'…?"
Xi Nian felt there was something fishy about that phrase. Clearly the Ancient One had slipped in a little private interpretation during her teaching.
Settled onto the sofa like a front-row audience, he watched.
The little maid Wanda inhaled deeply, her delicate frame dressed in a red dress, pale slender legs wrapped in sheer stockings. With her soft white fingers moving gracefully through the air, a golden spell-seal appeared in her palm. The intricate circular glyph spun slowly like a miniature shield.
"This is the Ring of Raggadorr, a defensive magic shield. I haven't learned any offensive spells yet," Wanda admitted shyly, lowering her head.
"Not bad. Keep it up," Xi Nian said, though the corner of his mouth twitched.
The Ancient One had said it would take him a hundred years just to master a portal spell.
A hundred years!
"And I also learned this spell."
Holding the golden sigil like a little witch, Wanda suddenly closed her eyes. Then her body went limp, collapsing bonelessly into Xi Nian's arms.
"This is…"
Xi Nian's eyes widened as he saw a faint, transparent projection—Wanda's astral form—slowly rising from her crimson-haired body.
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