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Chapter 280 – Searching Mission
"Sorry, Senior Lapin, we couldn't help," Tamina said, her voice tinged with guilt.
"Kekeke! Don't worry about it. Who am I? I am a Celestial Cloud Rabbit! Since this plan failed, I'll just think of another one with this brilliant mind of mine. You can stay here for now and look after human Anda," Lapin said with a cheerful wave. Before Tamina could respond, he vanished like a dispersing cloud, leaving her alone with the unconscious Anda in the serene cloud garden.
Somewhere in the clouds, a kilometer above the sky island, Lapin reappeared. He was sitting on a plush cloud chair, facing a sprawling garden filled with carrots. This was his personal carrot garden, a place he tended to with great care. However, his favorite part wasn't the carrot itself but the leafy tops. In his hand was a freshly harvested carrot, its shape round and stubby, completely different from the long, slender carrots found in the wild. The leafy top, however, was lush and bushy, a testament to Lapin's meticulous cultivation.
Lapin had altered the carrots' essence to suit his preferences—less focus on the orange root and more on the vibrant greens. He plucked a few leaves and popped them into his mouth, savoring the flavor.
"Yum yum. This is the best taste," he murmured, chewing thoughtfully. "Alright, what should I do next? Oh, right. A Spiritual Cultivator. A Qi Cultivator's spiritual imprint isn't strong enough, so now I have to try with a Spiritual Cultivator. The plan won't change much. I still need to find human Anda's husband and the others, as she requested. She did say he has an abnormal spiritual sense, so hopefully, he'll be able to do it."
Lapin had been eavesdropping on Anda and Tamina's conversations ever since they had entered the range of his wandering celestial clouds. So he knew about Spiritual Cultivator and Leyvi's impressive spiritual sense since Anda had bragged about it repeatedly to Tamina.
"Come forth! Super Long-Range Scout Celestial Clouds! Charged to the max!" Lapin suddenly shouted, his voice echoing through the sky.
His long, floppy rabbit ears immediately straightened, standing upright like antennas. From the tips of his ears, thick clouds began to shoot out, one after another. Each cloud was large enough for a person to lie down and stretch out comfortably.
In no time, approximately ten thousand celestial clouds had gathered above Lapin, blotting out the sun and casting a vast shadow over the land below.
"Kekeke! Now spread in all directions and find my potential savior—and the portal!" Lapin commanded, his voice filled with determination.
The celestial clouds obeyed instantly, dispersing in all directions. Some moved against the wind, defying the natural behavior of ordinary clouds. Within moments, sunlight broke through again, illuminating Lapin as he lounged on his cloud chair.
"Whew, that used up a lot of my power. Ten thousand of them. Now we wait," Lapin said, lying back and resuming his snack. He plucked another handful of carrot tops and chewed contentedly.
...
Three days later, Anda finally regained consciousness. She woke up on a soft cloud bed in a room made entirely of clouds. The walls shimmered faintly, and the air felt cool and soothing.
"Ouch, ouch... my head hurts. What happened to me?" she mumbled, rubbing her temples as she looked around. The room was empty, but the memories came flooding back. "Ah, right... my spiritual imprint failed... sigh... what a mess."
Anda cautiously spread her spiritual sense, but as soon as it reached a certain distance, a sharp, stinging pain shot through her head. She immediately retracted her spiritual sense and entered her sea of consciousness to inspect the damage. Sure enough, it was injured from the backlash of the failed imprint.
She returned to reality, reaching for her space ring to retrieve some alchemy products that could help heal her sea of consciousness. Just as she was about to consume them, a cloud figure materialized beside her bed. It was Lapin.
"Hello there, human Anda. You're awake now. You've been unconscious for three days. How do you feel?" he asked, his tone cheerful but his eyes sharp and observant.
Three days? Anda was surprised. She hadn't expected to be out for so long. It had felt like nothing more than a long nap.
Anda shook her head gingerly. "Not good. My head hurts when I use my spiritual sense. It might take a while to fully recover. Senior Lapin, did Tamina try to put a spiritual imprint on you after I fainted?"
"No. She would have failed too. Now I'm looking for a Spiritual Cultivator for this task since they should be able to create a stronger spiritual imprint. However, it might take a while to find one," Lapin explained, his ears twitching slightly.
Anda's heart sank. She had lost the chance to form a connection with a King Level Demonic Beast, and now there was a risk that Lapin might not prioritize finding Leyvi. She couldn't let that happen.
"Senior Lapin, actually, my husband has an extraordinary spiritual sense. Although he hasn't cultivated as a Spiritual Cultivator yet, I believe he has the best talent for this. If you want an unbreakable spiritual imprint, my husband is the best person for this task," Anda said quickly, her voice filled with urgency.
"Is that so? This seems oddly convenient. Is there any proof to back up your claim, human Anda?" Lapin asked, pretending he didn't already know about Leyvi's abilities. There was no way he would admit to eavesdropping on their conversations all this time.
Anda hesitated for a moment, then launched into an explanation. "I won't say it's proof or anything, but once, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator tried to invade my husband's spirit beast's sea of consciousness to take it over. My husband's spiritual imprint was there, and it completely blocked the attempt. The Nascent Soul attacked the imprint with soul power, but it wasn't damaged in the slightest. How's that? My husband is amazing, right, Senior Lapin? Not to mention, he was still in the Foundation Building Realm when that happened. His spiritual imprint should be far stronger now. Hehehe, my husband is the best," Anda said, her voice brimming with pride and excitement.
Lapin was dumbfounded. How had this turned into a bragging session about her husband halfway through? This human panda was clearly smitten. Now he wasn't sure if her claims were true or just the exaggerated ramblings of a lovestruck wife.
"Alright, alright. Human Anda, I understand your intention. I'll try to work it out with your husband first. After all, you were the first among all others to find this place, so I'll give you priority. Now, give me pictures of your husband and sisters so I can recognize them. A few of my celestial clouds have already found some people and are following them. I just need confirmation," Lapin said, his tone businesslike but still tinged with his usual playful energy.
Found a few people already? That was fast, Anda thought, impressed. She quickly retrieved a jade slip from her storage ring and handed it to Lapin. The slip contained images of the Leyan Family members, captured secretly by Anda during their daily activities at the Leyan Family mansion.
"The one in the red jacket is my husband. And the ladies who came here this time are the silver-haired lady with the plants, the red-haired lady with the large broadsword, and the petite, cute lady with combat gloves," Anda explained, pointing out the key details so Lapin could easily recognize them.
Lapin accessed the jade slip, his eyes scanning the images. His ears twitched as he took in the scenes. "Hoo... so this is the husband you're so proud of? But why does he look so goofy in all these pictures? Don't you have any cool pictures of your husband?" Lapin asked, raising an eyebrow. All he saw was a man in a red jacket making bizarre poses and pulling ridiculous faces.
Anda giggled, her eyes sparkling with adoration. "Hehehe. What are you saying, Senior Lapin? My husband looks cool in all the pictures. I don't think anyone else can be as cool as my husband. Even you, Senior Lapin, couldn't compare."
Lapin was dumbfounded. These were cool? A picture of her husband picking his nose. A picture of him laughing so hard that he was practically falling over. A picture of him tumbling off a couch. All of these were cool? Had the mental backlash affected her judgment? Oh no, Lapin thought, I need to find her husband as soon as possible before this panda human goes completely crazy.
"Ahem... human Anda, here. I've memorized their faces," Lapin said, handing the jade slip back to her. His expression was a mix of amusement and concern, but he kept his tone light. "I'll let you know as soon as I find any of them."
"Oh, right. I originally came here to give you this," Lapin said, as if suddenly remembering. He reached into a nearby cloud, his hand disappearing into its fluffy depths, and pulled out something. He extended it toward Anda with a grin. "A great medicinal plant that can heal and enhance your sea of consciousness. Something I prepared when I came up with the plan."
Anda was shocked yet again. Just how many things can he do with his clouds? Does his celestial cloud act like a storage space, too? No wonder it's called the Celestial Cloud. This bloodline ability is too convenient!
