By the windowsill, Void Empress was lost in thought as she looked at the soon approaching winter.

The air could be felt as it chilled and forced the trees to hug their clothes tightly against themselves.

The room seemed to be still with the Void Empress sitting on her chair and Baize sitting opposite her.

Only the notes of music played by Zi Ming from the music room caused slight ripples in the air molecules as they waved in synchrony.

Baize remembered this tune. It was the tune Zi Yang would often hum when he’s working alone on winter nights.

I think Zi Ming might have heard him and remembered it. It was called Moonlight Sonata, a wonderful piece.

Zi Yang said he didn’t remember where he heard it but he liked it nonetheless.

Baize was sure it was another excuse, but he didn’t pay it much heed.

They had already thought that he might be a reincarnation of an aboriginal from a certain self-evolving world left after the beast master’s death and brought that culture into stories, and songs.

The world was full of wonders, after all.

But now it seemed, no.

Heavenly merit, as it seemed is not something that could be known by anyone in the beast world. Even on their main planet, they had never heard of it.

That means that this is beyond their cognition – either another planet in the universe or from another universe altogether.

Or a very slim possibility – that he has a gift for knowing things from the universe.

A miniscule possibility, but that wouldn’t explain the special energy.

Anyhow, Void Empress had already made a decision today.

“Mystic Void, no matter what, I like the boy. Protect him, keep his files as normal as other people. He’s quirky and likes to come up with stories – so stories they are. He’s a young promising boy from ancient Donghuang country.”

“Understood”, Baize quickly noted. Void Empress used his title today so she surely meant business.

“What else did the Zi Yang say about the heavenly merit?”

Void Empress believed this so easily because of the incident which forced her to stay here ten years ago.

When her toad was breaking through king's threshold, the thunder tribulation came.

It was unexpected to have a tribulation when breaking through to the king level. To top is off, the tribulation was extremely destructive.

She has seen five elements tribulation and a yin-yang tribulation on two special occasions, but the toad’s tribulation was first purple then became black… The force contained pure destructiveness.

To protect her beast, Void Empress had to intervene in the tribulation which injured even her.

She was smashed near pine hill forests where Zi Yang’s mother Yi Nuo was collecting resources. She received her help to go to the hospital where she receive some first aid treatment.

Why would thunder destroy her beast? She knew now.

Because it possessed an authority it should not have.

By some lucky or unlucky coincidence, her frog had swallowed a purple-golden stone from her collection which caused him to be mutated.

She was even more amazed now, about how she had such a stone in her collection in the first place!

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Baize cut off her thoughts as he answered, “He said God doesn’t allow his authority to be plundered.

He warned me that I should not reveal this to anyone lest I be involved in the cause and effect and bring misfortune to himself. Even if I am a lucky beast, it’d be some trouble.”

“So that’s why a bag full of resources – to cut off cause and effect. Zi Ming feeding food is a kid’s kindness and ignorance can’t be blamed.

And finally, an auspicious beast as a final insurance to ward off bad luck or as a person in knowing – share the remaining karma that may occur.

He cut off all cause and effect for Zi Ming, dumped his remaining karma on you which your cultivation and luck could bear it.

Now, only Zi Yang who guided Zi Ming to get heavenly merit for nothing but some products should have some karma.”

The Void Empress analyzed.

Baize marveled. Even though Zi Yang looks casual, he considers a lot.

He thought he was sent by Zi Yang, just to prevent Zi Ming from taking unpaid for heavenly merit. But it seems, the brat calculated him again.

Baize realized that he had to be more thorough when looking at Zi Yang and should not consider him as a little kid when considering his thoughts.

“What are you going to do now, Empress? If it really is true, then the golden toad or rather, merit spitting golden toad would definitely usher in bad luck sooner or later.”

Baize was a little worried. He knew luck better than anyone else.

It was only be the virtue of his luck, he could guarantee safety in the wild in early days when the everyone died but he survived.

If the empress is affected by bad luck, it could prove fatal during a breakthrough.

“The tune stopped”, Void empress said.

“What?”

“I like this tune as well. This moonlight sonata. Ask Zi Ming to play again.”

Without waiting for Baize to respond, Dark Void’s voice trailed off.

“Yes, empress.”

It turned out the Void Empress speaking to Dark Void in the music room.

Then she turned to remove her eyes from the view outside and looked at Baize.

“You’re overly worried. Zi Yang’s story has told us how to cope with it. Even if he did not come to inform me of this, his informing you is good enough.”

In fact, both knew why Zi Yang did not inform the Void Empress of potential backlash and bad luck.

First, he wanted Zi Ming to get merit. Telling the Void Empress would essentially be blocking this path as that would increase their karma – doing things intentionally and unintentionally are two different things.

And the golden toad’s luck would decrease as well.

Second, Zi Yang couldn’t explain the source of this information and as Baize heard him say, “Aunt Jing’s eyes are fiery as if she wants to cut me and see what’s inside”. To be straight, he was afraid of inquiry.

Void empress continued, “Heaven bestows merit when one helps heaven evolve or perfect. There are so many imperfections in our world. Raging lands due to fights, broken continents, extinct species and more.

There are said to be holy beasts too, who maintain order of heaven.

Collect some merits regularly and feed it to the broken mountains, unclean rivers and the holy beasts who maintain order.

In this way, we help sort out the land and share some of holy beasts’ wages.”

Baize also realized what he had missed in his worry.

He was about to go and tend to his duties as Zi Ming’s godfather now when the empress spoke again, “For precise calculations, observe the toad’s luck and check how much it decreases every time it spits out merit.”

Baize took the order and immediately went to the music room.

Dark Void was busy with the class so she did not know any details of what Baize discussed with the empress.

When she saw Baize signaling her to go to the study, she understood and asked him to play the remaining tune and then he could leave.

She then crossed Baize and entered the study.

In the study, the Empress condensed void and played the scene exactly the same as it had happened moments ago for Dark Void to view.

Dark Void was familiar with it. She looked intently and soon got to know the whole story. She also knew what she had to do now.

This is the tacit understanding the two women have developed over period of working together.

So, Dark Void greeted the void empress again and went out again.

Coming to the music room again, she said: “Alright, Zi Ming. Class is over. I’m going out for grocery shopping, don’t disturb Aunt Jing again and leave quietly, okay?”

“Yes, Auntie Ling.”

Zi Ming was still wondering how to find a chance to sneak around to feed the shiny toad. He had already told Aunt Ling that he bought things for the toad to eat but if he’s not here, he couldn’t search all over the house for him.

Now, it’s good. Aunt Ling’s gone.

Dark Void was also a little amused seeing Zi Ming exhaling slightly. Both boys were such thieves – at least her apprentice was cuter, obedient and much simpler than the Empress’.

Zi Ming started looking for the toad with Baize while Baize guided him to the back garden of the house where a small pond was dug.

Zi Ming immediately took out all the food and resources and started feeding the golden toad who was by the toad.

Baize also activated his skill – observing luck and he observed both the lucks of the toad and Zi Ming.

Zi Ming’s luck was golden with slight tinges of purple with occasional gray color. This color is the color of the void when the beast taming space first opens. No one knows where this color comes from.

He had never seen such luck in anyone before Zi Yang.

Zi Yang’s entire luck is this color. His eyes even stung a little just by looking too long. He knows that this color appeared in Zi Ming’s luck and seemed to be getting deeper because of his brother’s connected luck.

He consulted ancient books and concluded that this was not bad luck.

The rest – he did not delve into the mystery.

Sometimes, knowing too much is not good.