"Alright, let's stop there."
"This old lady talks too much when she gets going… Young one, what is it you came to see me about?"
Granny Ping looked at Lumine and asked.
"I'd like to borrow your Cleansing Bell."
Lumine stated her purpose directly.
"The Cleansing Bell…"
"Other than that old trinket, I doubt there's anything worth asking this old woman for."
Granny Ping didn't seem surprised.
"However, the bell was never truly mine."
"It originally belonged to an old friend of mine."
She explained slowly.
"When I was young, I loved beautiful things."
"I liked that bell very much, so I kept pestering him, begging again and again…"
"In the end, he couldn't refuse me and gave it to me."
"But he told me something back then."
"If someone ever came to borrow the bell, I mustn't refuse."
"Over the years, I've lent it out countless times."
"But somehow, I don't know when it started…"
"…no one has come to borrow it for a very long time."
She sighed softly.
"This old body of mine moves slowly these days."
"You young ones might not have the patience to wait…"
Qiu Nian simply smiled after hearing the story but said nothing.
"I learned how to search for things from the Knights of Favonius."
Lumine said with a smug expression, sounding faintly proud.
"Hmm…"
"You're suddenly proud in the strangest moment!"
Paimon crossed her arms and complained.
"Alright, children. The bell isn't far."
"You don't need to worry so much."
Granny Ping reassured them.
"Grandma, do you live nearby?"
"Wow… this is Yujing Terrace. You must be really wealthy!"
Paimon exclaimed.
After all, people who lived in Yujing Terrace were definitely not ordinary.
"Hehe, this old woman cannot afford a house in the city."
"Look at this teapot."
"Everything I own is inside it."
Granny Ping said with a smile, pointing at the teapot on the table.
"Everything… inside the teapot?"
Paimon looked utterly confused.
"Paimon, why don't you go inside and check?"
Lumine said mischievously.
"I can't go inside!"
"How could I possibly fit in there?!"
Paimon protested loudly with her arms crossed.
"And why do I have to go in?"
"Why don't we just open the lid and look?!"
She stomped the air angrily.
Qiu Nian couldn't help laughing at their antics.
"Hehe… children, the bell is inside this teapot."
"If you want to find it, you'll have to go inside and look."
Granny Ping said mysteriously.
Then she gave Qiu Nian a small nod.
Qiu Nian returned the gesture with a smile.
"This old lady is so strange…"
"Saying all her belongings are inside a teapot… she must be joking with us."
Paimon muttered as she floated in front of the teapot.
Lumine and Paimon began studying it.
After a while, Lumine reached out and touched the surface.
Suddenly—
The world before her eyes blurred.
When the scene cleared, they found themselves standing in a place that looked like a fairyland.
Trees swayed gently.
Massive stone platforms floated in the air.
Leaves drifted down slowly.
Waterfalls cascaded in the distance.
Soft light shone through pale mist.
The scenery was breathtaking.
Almost unreal.
It took only a moment for Lumine and Paimon to realize—
They were inside the teapot.
Lumine instantly understood that Granny Ping was definitely no ordinary person.
So they began searching for the Cleansing Bell.
Outside the teapot—
"Won't you go inside with them?"
Granny Ping asked Qiu Nian.
"Inviting an old friend into one's home…"
"Shouldn't one tidy things up beforehand?"
Qiu Nian replied with a light smile.
"Haha…"
"Yes… yes…"
Granny Ping chuckled and nodded while looking at the teapot.
"So you've returned…"
"Is it also because of that murderer?"
She asked quietly.
"In a way."
Qiu Nian nodded solemnly, though inwardly he felt slightly awkward.
After all, this entire situation was Morax's test for both the adepti and humanity.
He certainly couldn't reveal that Morax wasn't actually dead.
"Ah…"
Granny Ping sighed.
"Your strength once rivaled Rex Lapis himself."
"But if someone truly managed to assassinate him silently…"
"If you ever discover who it was…"
"Don't face them alone."
"Even we old bones can still lend a hand."
She warned.
Qiu Nian simply nodded with a strange expression.
A while later—
Lumine and Paimon emerged from the teapot.
"Young people are certainly quick."
"You already found it."
Granny Ping praised them.
"Qiu Nian! You didn't come inside with us!"
"You have no idea how huge it is in there!"
Paimon said excitedly.
"Little Paimon, are you saying that inside that tiny teapot…"
"There is an enormous world?"
"A realm within a pot… how marvelous."
Qiu Nian murmured in feigned amazement.
"It seems I missed something interesting."
He glanced at the teapot.
Paimon nodded vigorously.
"Are you an adeptus?"
Lumine asked Granny Ping directly.
With abilities like that, there could only be one explanation.
"Adeptus…"
"It has been a long time since anyone seriously called this old woman that."
Granny Ping sighed softly.
"As for whether I am one…"
"Child, don't you already know the answer in your heart?"
She asked gently.
"I understand."
Lumine smiled.
It was obvious now.
Granny Ping was indeed an adeptus.
"So you're actually an adeptus."
Qiu Nian said with exaggerated surprise.
"Haha…"
Seeing Qiu Nian suddenly start acting, Granny Ping couldn't help laughing.
"Hmm… I feel like I understand… but also don't."
"But Granny…"
"You're just going to give the bell to us like that?"
Paimon still looked confused.
"Aren't you surprised?"
"Rex Lapis just died, and we suddenly came asking to borrow the bell…"
She asked cautiously.