Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though it was only ever a matter of time before someone stopped him, Vahn hadn't anticipated that the people stopping him would be a group of young girls with ornate hairstyles resembling rabbit ears.

"Pardon me, Elder Brother. Might I inquire as to the origin of your companion? I have never seen a creature with such a pure Yin constitution. If possible, I would like to purchase her from you. Please, name your price."

Scratching Fenrir's head to help her remain calm, Vahn adopted a smile that wasn't quite a smile as he answered, "Fenrir is my most trusted companion. She isn't for sale."

As if she was genuinely surprised by Vahn's response, the young, princess-like girl placed a hand over her mouth as she replied, "Oh my..."

Reacting to their mistress's words, two of the girls in her entourage, appearing nearly identical to one another, stepped forward to synchronously state, "Lady Xiao Yue has shown you tremendous favor by allowing you to name your price. Who are you to refuse the Moon's Grace?"

After briefly exchanging glances with the disguised Erlang Shen, Vahn stared down at the two girls, answering, "I am known as Vahn Aldrnari Mason, the Sage Dragon Emperor and Leader of the Sage Dragon's Hearth. Tell me, daughters of Changxi, does your Venerable Mother approve of this kind of behavior?"

Not expecting Vahn to mention their mother, the twins visibly paled as the other ten girls in the entourage promptly averted their eyes. The only person who still appeared completely innocent was the young girl they were escorting. Her dainty little face morphed into one of curiosity and confusion as she asked, "Have we erred in some way...?"

Resisting the urge to pat the girl's head, largely because of the ornaments contained within, Vahn's expression softened as he said, "It is unbelievably rude to expect someone to part ways with one of their companions. Tell me, if I were to make a similar offer for the girls following behind you, would you be willing to sell them?"

Furrowing her brows, the rabbit-like girl, Xiao Yue, briefly pursed her lips before muttering, "I see..." in a disheartened tone. Immediately afterward, however, her expression immediately brightened as she proposed, "Then I will simply purchase both of you. That way, you can always remain together."

While Erlang Shen was issuing a rather creepy sounding laugh from the sidelines, Vahn was doing his best to resist facepalming. He could tell the girl was naive and innocent by the way she carried herself but this was bordering on the ridiculous.

"Listen...you can't just go around trying to purchase people..."

Tilting her head to the side, Xiao Yue appeared genuinely confused by Vahn's words as she lightly furrowed her brows and repeated, "I see..." in an even sadder tone. This earned him a number of scary looks from the people observing the events from the periphery, but, not caring about them in the slightest, Vahn pulled out a candied golden apple and said, "Cheer up. We all make mistakes. So long as we learn from them, there's no problem."

Staring at the shimmering apple covered in caramel, Xiao Yue's brows raised as she leaned forward, nose twitching ever so slightly as she attempted to capture its aroma. This caused her to resemble a rabbit even further. The ears atop her head even twitched slightly, almost as if they were alive.

"This is...?"

Though wild apples were remarkably common in Heavenly Domain, Xiao Yue couldn't correlate the object in Vahn's hand with the fruit she was familiar with. The variety they produced, Malus Sieversii, was typically fed to livestock or consumed by the poor. It wasn't something the wealthy consumed. Rather, depending on the circumstances, offering an apple to a wealthy and affluent deity could be seen as a tremendous insult.

"It is a candied sweet from my homeland. It combines the Golden Apples of Avalon with caramel manufactured by Wood Nymphs and Dryads. They are remarkably popular among men, women, and children alike."

While she wasn't particularly learned in the stories and myths of other Districts, Xiao Yue had heard numerous tales pertaining to Golden Apples. They were often directly compared to the Peaches of Immortality guarded by the Most Revered and August Matriarch, the Queen Mother and wife to the Jade Emperor, Lady Xiwangmu.

After a brief moment of consideration, Xiao Yue extended her dainty, jade-white fingers to grasp the stem supporting the candied apple. Then, despite the concerned looks she was receiving from the members of her entourage, she lowered her head to gingerly nibble the unbelievably fragrant and appetizing treat.

Though the caramel met her expectations, Xiao Yue's eyes began shimmering like starlight as she took several additional bites of the apple. She wouldn't be able to describe its flavor in detail but it was easily the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. It was almost like ingesting pure happiness, and, much like genuine happiness, it was gone before she knew it.

"Ah..."

Staring at the emptied stick, a feeling akin to melancholy washed over Xiao Yue as she directed a rather pitiable gaze towards Vahn. Fortunately for her, he had already anticipated this, so, as a kind of toll, he produced an entire tray filled with candied apples as he said, "This should be enough for everyone to have two. Unfortunately, I need to be on my way so you'll have to enjoy them on your own. I suggest you find a shop that sells cinnamon-flavored tea. They go remarkably well together."

Hearing Vahn's words, a wide range of emotions presented themselves across Xiao Yue's face. She went from pleasantly surprised and grateful to somber and melancholic in less than ten seconds. It made her appear remarkably adorable, but, with an entire litter of kittens back home, Vahn had no intention of looking after another baker's dozen...

Understanding it would be rude of her to continue barring Vahn's passage, Xiao Yue reached up to the golden, branch-like ornament twining around her head. It had golden leaves and several berry-like gems growing along its length, and, the moment she reached up to pull one, even Erlang Shen came forward to shout, "Princess Yue...!" in his actual voice.

Shifting her confused gaze to the disguised Erlang Shen, Xiao Yue briefly lowered her hand, asking, "Uncle Shen...?" in a slightly doubtful tone.

Exhaling a sigh, Erlang Shen surprised everyone present by dropping his disguise and affectionately replying, "Little Moon, you should not be so quick to part with the buds of your Ginko Tree Diadem. There is a difference between returning a favor and placing yourself at a disadvantage..."

Furrowing her brows, Xiao Yue's face scrunched up adorably as she rebutted, "The Revered Mother told me that acts of kindness should be returned ten-fold. I inconvenienced this Elder Brother, yet, in spite of my careless words and actions, he has gifted me with the most delicious offering I have ever eaten. I do not believe our favor is too much as compensation..."

Without waiting for Erlang Shen's reply, Xiao Yue plucked one of the sapphire-like buds from her diadem before proferring it towards Vahn and explaining, "Elder Brother, this seed allows you to make a single request of me. You need only crush it between your thumb and index finger and I vow to do everything in my power to grant your request."

Though he was tempted to refuse Xiao Yue's offer, Vahn ultimately accepted the Ginko Seed with a smile. He knew she would most likely pout if he refused, so, with the intention of never using it, he placed the seed into his Inventory before cupping his hands together and saying, "Thank you. I will remember this kindness for the rest of my days."

Smiling radiantly in response to Vahn's words, Xiao Yue promptly stepped aside before offering a polite and courteous bow. Then, along with her sister-cousins, the twelve moons sired by Changxi, she departed with uncharacteristic haste in an effort to find a tea house serving cinnamon tea...

Seeing Xiao Yue scamper off, a tired sigh escaped Erlang Shen's mouth before he walked over to Vahn and said, "You possess the luck of the devil. It's rare to meet the Moon Princess in the Jade Palace, much less wandering the streets. Make sure you protect that seed with your life. If it falls into the hands of someone with malicious intent, the Jade Palace will spare no effort to hold you accountable..."

As the daughter of Chang'e, the most beautiful Goddess in the Heavenly Domain, Xiao Yue was nearly as famous as her mother. She was also the personal disciple of Lady Xiwangmu, and, more importantly, a dear friend of Sun Wukong and Karyou, two of the Seven Great Demon Kings. Once it was discovered that a man from outside the Jade Palace possessed the right to request Xiao Yue's favor, they were bound to cause an uproar.

With Loi-chan conveniently narrating Erlang Shen's thoughts, the smile on Vahn's face became increasingly wry as he replied, "Relax. I stored it in a location beyond the reach of even the most powerful deities in the Divine Realm. I also have no intention of asking for the Princess's favor so it won't be an issue."

Catching Vahn by surprise, Erlang Shen actually glared in response to his words. Then, in a heavy and ostensibly threatened tone, he asserted, "You shouldn't do that. When a female Daoist gives their favor to another, they will ruminate on it every day until a request has been made. You might not care about such things but it will burden Princess Yue's heart and mind if you never make use of the right she has bestowed you..."

Understanding better than most how fretful women could be, Vahn exhaled a mildly exasperated sigh of his own before answering, "I understand. Once I have come up with something suitable, I'll be sure to make a request. Now, I believe we have an audience to attend? I can't imagine the Jade Emperor enjoys being kept waiting."

Snorting through his nose, Erlang Shen continued glaring at Vahn for several seconds before easing up and answering, "Along with the title of Jade Emperor, the old man is also known as the Greatest God of Benevolence, Fairness, and Mercy. He is patient enough to tolerate that troublemaker, Sun Wu Kong, trashing the Imperial Court. He isn't going to get upset over something as insignificant as a delay in arrival. Rather, he is the type that genuinely believes that people appear at the exact time they are meant to."

Not expecting Erlang Shen to go on a moderate tirade that effectively amounted to him praising his father, Vahn's wry smile turned into a light chuckle as he mused, "I see. Your father is, undoubtedly, a great man. However, my words were just a polite way of suggesting we ditch the crowd. I believe you said something about wanting to avoid garnering too much attention~?"

Blinking in surprise, Erlang Shifted his attention from Vahn to the rather sizeable crowd forming around them. The moment he did so, a few of the bolder members of the audience came forward, smiles on their faces as they shouted things along the likes of, "Erlang/Brother Shen!" before asking for his autograph. This, somewhat amusingly, caused the proud warrior god to blush, as, despite his previous claim about not being shy, he actually had a fear of public speaking and large crowds...

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While Vahn was enjoying the sight of Erlang Shen failing to disperse the crowd, a woman with long, smokey grey hair was watching him from afar. Her golden eyes glistened with fierce intellect, but, if anyone were to spot her, the first thing they would notice is her remarkably curvaceous body veiled behind a skintight, predominately white bodysuit. She also had an inordinately large and armored petticoat, but, juxtaposed against her phenomenal figure, even the sun overhead seemed to pale in comparison.

"Vahn Aldrnari Mason...you will have the honor of being my 109th kill..."

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn's curse is still going strong xD...','If a girl gives you her number, you better call back...','New chapter. Who dis...?')