Once they confirmed the monster was dead, the group unfused.
Through their contract, Yu Xian instructed Niman to retract the mushroom. Daylight streamed in from outside the bone once more, and Niman leaped back up from outside.
Everyone gathered around the beast, marveling at the sight. In death, its body rapidly softened, and the fluids inside drained and evaporated in the blink of an eye, leaving behind nothing but an empty husk of skin.
"A clean headshot. Looks like Nora's new ability is quite remarkable." Niman glanced at the distinct wound on the beast's head and smiled at Nora.
Yu Xian turned to Niman and asked, "Niman, have you ever seen a monster like this before?"
"The Tree Universe is vast. Even I couldn't possibly have encountered every creature in it. But this beast... though I've never seen one in person, I've read about it in books," Niman replied, meeting his gaze.
Little Nora immediately looked up at Niman and piped up, "Sister Niman, can we eat it?"
"It's called a death-foot worm. It feeds specifically on the marrow of powerful creatures. The creature who discarded this meat probably did so after discovering it was infested with one," Niman explained to the group. She then looked down at Little Nora with a chuckle. "Yes, it's edible—and extraordinarily delicious, too. Its skin can be considered the very essence of its entire body. If it weren't so difficult to kill, it probably would have been hunted to extinction long ago."
Edible!
And extraordinarily delicious!
Little Nora's eyes instantly sparkled as it stared at the death-foot worm's skin.
"It's extremely tough, though. Even I wouldn't be able to digest it raw, and it requires special cooking techniques to taste good. Better put it away for now," Niman quickly warned, noticing Little Nora itching to take a bite.
Upon hearing that special cooking was required, the ahoge atop Little Nora's head wilted at once.
"Don't worry, Big Sis Little Nora. I'll work hard to learn how to cook and help you make it in the future," Little Huangquan consoled.
Little Nora hugged Little Huangquan tightly, delighted. "Mm! I'll work hard to get stronger too, so I can protect you properly. We'll work hard together!"
"Alright, let's head outside first," Yu Xian said with a chuckle.
Everyone climbed out of the giant bone and drifted down to the ground. Yu Xian turned to Little Nora and cautioned, "Little Nora, whenever you use this ability from now on, I have to be present. Understood?"
Although Little Nora could conjure food without any cost, this had served as an important lesson. While food had indeed materialized, a living creature had been lurking inside it.
And a remarkably dangerous one at that.
Yu Xian knew this was an anomaly, an event of low probability. As long as Little Nora did not conjure food continuously like it had today, the chances of it happening again were slim.
Still, one could never be too cautious. He felt it was imperative to guard against any recurrence.
"Can I keep going right now, then?" Little Nora did not object. It knew full well how perilous that death-foot worm had been, so it merely looked at Yu Xian with pitiful eyes, hoping it could at least eat its fill today.
Yu Xian nodded. "We're all right here today. Eat as much as you like."
"Yay!"
Little Nora instantly perked up again.
Its threshold for happiness was exceedingly low; the slightest sweetness could keep it beaming for half a day.
Yu Xian knew well enough that this was primarily because Little Nora had spent so long in isolation, forced to entertain itself. Now, simply having companions around was enough to fill it with joy.
Afterward, Yu Xian and Nora sat together beneath the shade of a tree, watching Little Nora hold Little Huangquan's hand as they shared the conjured treats.
"If only things could always stay like this," Nora murmured softly, leaning gently against Yu Xian as she watched the two little ones.
Yu Xian took her hand and smiled gently. "No, things won't always stay like this. We'll only keep getting better, and happier."
"I hope so."
Nora closed her eyes, breathing in the scent lingering on him.
She was not a pessimist by nature, yet ever since she had been with Yu Xian, so many of her wishes had fallen through.
Once, she had dreamed of taking the college entrance exams alongside him. She had even dreamed of the two of them working side by side—and nightmares of holding him back, waking in a cold sweat.
In the end, Yu Xian had become a hero renowned across the country, even the world, and she had been left to face the college exams alone.
She had also imagined the two of them attending university together—exploring unfamiliar streets in between busy classes, seeking cool shade at a corner cafe, or resting peacefully on the campus lawn.
Regrettably, Yu Xian had never attended college at all, for everything on Earth had simply been too fragile for him.
Lingering on Earth would have amounted to idling away his time. To grow stronger, he had no choice but to venture onto a grander stage. Once again, Nora's wish had dissolved into nothing.
She had even pictured her father walking her down the aisle, placing her hand into Yu Xian's and wishing them a lifetime of joy together.
Yet her father had passed away, and she did not even know if Yu Xian held any interest in a wedding.
Now, deep down, she was terrified of falling behind, of becoming a burden to him. But even more than that, she feared losing him, feared he might grow tired of her. Many of these insecurities she had only dared confide to Niman.
Yu Xian caught the uncertainty lingering in her tone.
Tightening his grasp on her hand slightly, he began, "I'm sorry. There are things I've wanted to tell you for a long time, but I just never knew how to say them..."
He then leaned in close to Nora's ear.
Under the brilliant sunshine, Niman sat atop a mushroom, cradling the sleeping infant girl. A refreshing breeze rustled the surrounding foliage. Watching the young man and woman whispering intimately not far away, she could not suppress a warm smile.
Life truly was magnificent.
It was precisely because there were so many lovely, radiant lives that she cherished her own existence so deeply. She wished to witness these beautiful, charming, kind, and wonderful beings spend their lives in happiness. She wanted to protect everything precious in this world.
Niman looked up at the azure sky, a faint iridescent glow shining in her eyes as her divine power underwent a profound transformation.
Originally, she had been a Creator God. Now, her power had shifted entirely into the power of a guardian deity. She was Yu Xian and Nora's guardian god, as well as the protector of the bond between them.
This diverged from her original designs, yet it was the very first time she had embraced a path purely by letting nature take its course.
Following the metamorphosis of her divine power, she immediately felt an energy bubbling up from the depths of her soul like a murmuring spring. It had not come from nothing, yet it was remarkably close to it.
Had Yu Xian inspected Niman at that moment, he would have noticed that her combat strength, originally at a meager 1, was rapidly climbing.
Yu Xian, however, was wholly preoccupied. Having spoken his heart, he gazed into Nora's eyes. The closeness between them deepened, and Nora's anxieties melted away, as though they were back to the days of walking to and from school together.
They looked at each other with fond smiles, drawn irresistibly closer as if held by each other's gravity.
"Big Brother, save me!"
Just as they were about to share their second kiss, Little Nora's terrified shriek shattered the moment.
The two turned toward Little Nora, speechless.
A pig with curry growing on its back was chasing Little Nora around in frantic circles. Amazingly, the pig was fully cooked and giving off a mouthwatering aroma.
The kicker was that it was still very much alive.
Nora broke into laughter. "Go on, let's help it!"
With that, she sprang up and jogged toward Little Nora, leaving a trail of laughter in her wake.
Yu Xian chuckled softly and rose to chase after her, their laughter intertwining in the warm air.
Chapter 268