Chapter 941: A Simple Solution
All four were Dao Integration cultivators. Their gazes burned as they stared at Li Fan's avatar, their auras churning with power.
Li Fan, however, appeared completely unfazed. He simply cupped his hands and said, "Seniors, please be patient. Allow me to make one final confirmation."
"But to do so, I'll need to send a wisp of my consciousness over there!"
As he spoke, Li Fan pointed toward the childlike spirit of the Deduction Jade, who was sprawled fast asleep on a long table.
The four Dao Integration cultivators glanced at each other.
Hesitation was written on all their faces.
Li Fan simply waited in silence for their decision.
"Young man, is there truly no other way?"
"It would only be the faintest wisp of my consciousness, purely for observation and communication. It's so weak it couldn't even harm a mortal..."
"However, if you're truly uneasy about it, then we can simply forget the whole thing."
The four Dao Integration cultivators conferred for another moment.
Ultimately, they decided to let Li Fan's avatar try.
The moment Li Fan sent out a wisp of his consciousness, he felt four other strands of consciousness latch onto it like chains.
The five strands were now linked, forming a single entity.
Everything they saw and heard would be shared, and they could communicate with one another.
"Let's go."
Four voices echoed in Li Fan's mind simultaneously.
Li Fan understood this was a necessary precaution and had no objection.
In the next instant, the five linked strands of consciousness flew into the little girl's sea of consciousness.
They entered a world shimmering with golden light, where countless cultivation tomes drifted like islands in a vast, boundless ocean of knowledge.
It was a sea of books, so vast and immense.
It was so immense that their consciousness nearly lost all sense of direction upon entry.
Li Fan could clearly see the titles of the tomes floating past him. If he were able, he could have freely browsed their contents.
That is, if not for the four powerful consciousnesses watching him like hawks.
Resisting the overwhelming urge to peek into the countless tomes, Li Fan's consciousness manifested a human form and called out, "Little one, stop pretending to be asleep! Come on out!"
His voice wasn't loud, but in this silent world of floating books, it was a jarring anomaly.
The sound spread, clear and unwavering, through the vast expanse.
At that moment, the four Dao Integration cultivators also manifested avatars of their consciousness.
"What are you saying? That the Deduction Jade is feigning sleep?"
"How is that possible?"
They had never considered such a possibility. Faces etched with disbelief, they gaped at Li Fan.
Li Fan paid them no mind, continuing to call out, "Little one, do you really think pretending to sleep will lighten your workload? Your duties are your duties! There's no escaping them!"
"When you wake up, you'll just have to continue your deductions anyway. You'll probably even have to work overtime to catch up on the backlog..."
He nagged endlessly, sounding just like a ruthless boss pushing an employee to work harder.
Even the four Dao Integration elders from the Protection Hall frowned slightly at his words.
This went on for what felt like an eternity.
"You're so annoying!"
A small figure suddenly materialized above Li Fan's head.
In her hands, she brandished a wooden club several times her size, preparing to bring it crashing down on his head.
"Watch—"
"You're awake!"
Seeing the little girl, the four elders were overjoyed.
Though his avatar's combat power was negligible, Li Fan was not so helpless that he couldn't evade such a blatant attack.
His form flickered, and he easily dodged the little girl's swing.
Missing her target, the little girl slung the club over her shoulder and stomped up to Li Fan, puffing her cheeks. "Who are you calling 'little one'? This granny is thousands of years old! Older than you by a long shot!"
Li Fan's expression turned stern. "If that's so," he chided, "then why take the form of a child and insist on playing possum?"
"Do you have any idea how many people were worried about you?"
The little girl flinched, her bravado instantly deflating.
But a moment later, she snorted and retorted stubbornly, "None of your business! You're so annoying! If it weren't for you, they never would have figured it out!"
As she spoke, she surreptitiously patted the giant club on her shoulder.
She sized Li Fan up, a malicious glint flashing in her eyes.
Li Fan, for his part, simply turned to the four elders and cupped his hands.
The gesture said it all.
"Oh, my little ancestor..."
The white-haired elder approached the little girl with a wry smile, his face a picture of helplessness.
"Do you have any idea? In just the past few days, the Protection Hall has been nearly paralyzed. Countless urgent matters had to be postponed..."
"What's that got to do with me!" The club on her shoulder vanished as the little girl clapped her hands over her ears, adopting a stubborn 'I can't hear you' expression.
"I've worked for two thousand, three hundred, and twenty-seven days straight! I'm exhausted! And the vacation you promised me was suddenly canceled!" she declared, her cheeks puffed out in indignation.
"I don't care! I want my vacation!"
They never imagined this was the reason the Deduction Jade had forced itself into hibernation.
The four elders from the Protection Hall could only exchange helpless, wry smiles.
"But there were extenuating circumstances..."
The four of them took turns speaking, trying to console and persuade her.
After a great deal of effort, they finally managed to persuade the little girl to change her mind.
She agreed to take one more day off before returning to work.
With that, the still-pouting little girl vanished.
The others were then forcibly ejected from her sea of consciousness.
Back in their own bodies, the group looked toward the distant sphere of light. The characters swirling within it were now changing at their normal pace. They all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Young friend, how did you know the Deduction Jade was only pretending to be asleep?"
The white-haired elder looked at Li Fan, asking with curiosity.
His tone was much warmer now, stripped of its earlier indifference.
"That would be a proprietary secret, I'm afraid." Li Fan was not in the least bit flattered by the Dao Integration cultivator's peer-like treatment; he simply declined to answer.
A flicker of awkwardness crossed the elder's face.
It vanished as quickly as it appeared, and he showed no sign of offense.
In his eyes, for this young cultivator to have diagnosed the Deduction Jade's "ailment" at a single glance was remarkable.
His skill in the "healing arts" had to be extraordinary.
His true body, even if not at the Dao Integration stage, couldn't be far from it.
"Haha, no matter. As long as the Deduction Jade is awake, all is well," the other three elders chuckled, smoothing over the awkward moment.
"Speaking of which," Li Fan interjected suddenly, "since I've helped you solve such a vexing problem, I assume there will be some form of compensation?"
The four elders paused, slightly taken aback.
The white-haired elder was the first to recover. "Yes! Of course there is!"
"Compensation is no issue. However, we must ask that you keep the matter of the Deduction Jade's... malfunction... confidential."
"What might you desire as payment?"
Li Fan considered for a moment before replying, "I haven't decided yet. If a need arises in the future, I will come find you. How does that sound?"
The white-haired elder studied Li Fan for a long moment before nodding in agreement.
He then gave Li Fan a jade pendant as a token of his promise.
With everything back on track, Li Fan returned to the waiting area.
He took his place back in the queue, waiting for his own cultivation technique to be processed.
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