Shenhe held Yaoyao's small hand as they crossed the lotus pond and ascended the steps back to Yujing Terrace.
Underneath a large tree, a few fresh Glaze Lilies had blossod. Standing beneath them, Mada Ping clasped her hands behind her back, her face adorned with a gentle smile as she watched them approach.
"Master! Yaoyao is back!"
"Mm. Did you have fun tonight?"
"Yes! It was great fun!"
"And you bought so many things?"
"Big brother and Shenhe gave them to !"
"Then you must thank them properly."
"I already did! …Oh, Master! We saw Ganyu at the docks just now!"
"Oh?"
"She looked like she was in a bad mood… and she said she's not going to be a secretary anymore!"
"???"
Mada Ping's expression shifted, and she looked to Shenhe. "Is this true?"
Shenhe nodded lightly and replied, "Senior Sister Ganyu did indeed say this to us."
Mada Ping frowned. Sothing felt off. She hadn't heard a word about Ganyu stepping down from her position.
"How could this happen so suddenly? Shenhe, tell everything that transpired when you t Ganyu."
---
Over the next few minutes, Shenhe recounted their earlier conversation with Ganyu, word for word.
Mada Ping fell silent for a mont, then shook her head. "This must be a misunderstanding. While Liyue is now governed by humans, no one would dismiss Ganyu simply because of her adeptal bloodline. This must be a matter of her own unresolved feelings."
Yaoyao's concern deepened. "Master, can you help Ganyu resolve her feelings?"
Mada Ping nodded. "Don't worry. I'll visit Yuehai Pavilion shortly to get to the bottom of this."
Yaoyao's face brightened. "Thank you, Master!"
Shenhe added, "We'll leave the matter of Senior Sister Ganyu in your capable hands."
"It's no trouble," Mada Ping assured.
"Thankfully, Ganyu will be staying at your place tonight. Otherwise, this matter might have been harder to handle. Shenhe, I also have so questions for you."
"Please, Master, ask away."
"Yaoyao ntioned that your trip down the mountain was your master's order?"
"Yes. Senior Sister Ganyu delivered a letter to Master recently regarding the reconstruction of the Jade Chamber. As Master is currently preparing to enter seclusion, she tasked with delivering so adeptal talismans."
"Why is Cloud Retainer suddenly going into seclusion?"
"Master was injured recently. Her cultivation level dropped significantly, and she can no longer even maintain her human form."
"???" Mada Ping's surprise was evident. "Such serious injuries… How did she get hurt?"
"I don't know. Master didn't explain in detail. I only rember that she had left to test one of her new chanisms."
"You think the injury is related to that?"
"Yes. I overheard Master muttering to herself that the Guizhong Ballista is powerful, but it's only effective against common monsters. Against beings like Osial, it's utterly inadequate. She said that if Liyue is to truly govern itself without relying on the adepti, it must possess a ans of protecting itself."
"A chanism capable of rivaling a god… Cloud Retainer truly dreams big."
"Master once shared a concept with . She wanted to condense different elental energies into cores, store them separately, and then have them mix in an instant to trigger elental reactions."
"…"
Mada Ping was quiet for a long mont before letting out a sigh. "It seems Cloud Retainer narrowly escaped death this ti."
"It was Mr. Xia who saved her."
"Oh? There's more to this story?"
"Yes. Before I ca down the mountain, Master showed an image of Mr. Xia and instructed to look after him while in Liyue."
"I see. That explains why you're working at his shop."
With this, Mada Ping connected the dots she had been unable to piece together before.
---
"Shenhe, what do you think of Mr. Xia?"
"He's a good person."
"That's quite high praise from you."
Mada Ping nodded thoughtfully, then sighed. "It seems we owe Mr. Xia a great deal. It's late now, Shenhe. You should head back to rest. I'll visit Yuehai Pavilion and deal with Ganyu's situation. Tomorrow morning, I'll co find you."
"Understood, Master."
Shenhe bowed respectfully before turning to leave.
---
When they pushed open the locked door and stepped inside, Xia Zhi lit the lanterns, casting a warm glow over the shop.
Ganyu looked around at the arrangent of tables and chairs, her eyes filled with curiosity. "So, this is the shop you run, Mr. Xia?"
"Yes."
"And what do you sell here?"
"Currently, mainly specialty drinks."
"Oh? What's Shenhe's role here?"
"Greeting guests, handling paynts, keeping accounts, and cleaning."
"…A server?"
"Exactly."
Ganyu's expression grew slightly peculiar.
Shenhe, with her cold and aloof deanor, was working as a server at a small shop?
---
At that mont, Zhu Zi looked at Xia Zhi with an eager gaze, her tone soft and pleading. "Boss, juice."
Xia Zhi chuckled and nodded. "Got it."
He moved behind the counter and swiftly prepared three cups of colorful fruit juice.
"Thank you, Boss!"
Hugging her cup, Zhu Zi took a sip, her face lighting up with satisfaction.
Xia Zhi handed one of the cups to Ganyu. "Miss Ganyu, this is our shop's specialty—Rainbow Fruit Juice."
"Ah… thank you."
Taking the cup, Ganyu's first impression was how beautiful the drink looked.
"Give it a try," Xia Zhi encouraged.
"Alright."
Ganyu took a glance at Zhu Zi, then raised the cup to her lips and took a small sip.
A dreamy flavor danced across her tongue.
Closing her eyes, she savored the sensation for a while before opening them again. She felt as though so of the gloom clouding her heart had lifted.
"How is it, Miss Ganyu?" Xia Zhi asked.
"It's delicious."
Xia Zhi handed her another cup. "Try this one too."
"But I haven't finished this one yet."
"It's alright. Just taste it."
Hesitating briefly, Ganyu set down her first cup and accepted the second. A sip brought a completely new burst of flavor.
"How fascinating."
"That's the unique charm of this juice—every cup is one of a kind."
"Doesn't that an I'll never taste the sa flavor again?"
"…"
Ganyu had unknowingly asked the sa question as Shenhe.
You two really are Senior and Junior Sisters.
Xia Zhi couldn't help but wonder if their master would react similarly upon trying the juice.
After a mont's thought, Xia Zhi replied, "That's true. But there's no need to feel regret, Miss Ganyu. Sotis, losing the old makes room for the new. You might lose a tree, but gain an entire forest."
Ganyu fell silent.
After a long pause, she lifted her head and said earnestly, "Mr. Xia, your words hold great wisdom. I've learned a lot tonight."
"I'm glad to hear that, Miss Ganyu."
---
Just as Ganyu seed about to continue speaking, a strange gurgling sound interrupted her.
"Hm? What's that sound?"
Xia Zhi and Zhu Zi turned toward her, their expressions becoming a little awkward.
"Miss Ganyu…"
Ganyu blushed, lowering her head as she covered her stomach with her hands. Her voice was as soft as a whisper.
"Apologies for embarrassing myself."
"Miss Ganyu, are you hungry?"
"Mm… I only just returned to Liyue from Jueyun Karst today, and I haven't eaten anything because I didn't have much appetite…"
Seeing her embarrassed yet adorable deanor, Xia Zhi chuckled gently.
"Well, it's too late to find sothing outside. How about I cook sothing simple for you, Miss Ganyu?"
Progress bar or not, Xia Zhi didn't want Cloud Retainer's disciple to go to bed hungry in his shop.
----
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