In the field of divination, there exist many taboos.
One of the most important rules is: "One must not pry into the affairs of a god."
At the level of deities, even whispering their nas is enough to draw their attention, let alone using divination to invade their privacy.
Unless, of course, one possesses a divine artifact or so special power—or is a god themselves…
Not long ago, during Liyue's annual Rite of Descension, an unprecedented event occurred—the assassination of the Geo Archon.
When the Traveler delivered this shocking news to the Adepti, including Moon Carver, they imdiately attempted to verify the Archon's safety.
Moon Carver had perford a divination for Morax.
The result? A blank divination—which, in itself, confird that the Geo Archon was unhard.
However, back then, the Mora used for divination had not split apart like now.
That was because Morax, though aware of the attempt, had chosen not to interfere. If he had wanted to, he could have shattered the coins just the sa.
At present, the shop was lively, filled with the sounds of custors laughing and chatting.
Yet, under Xia Ci's gaze, the two Adepti felt an eerie silence descend upon them—as if they had been plunged into absolute stillness.
Fortunately, Xia Ci didn't stare at them for long.
After glancing their way briefly, she turned back to her work.
With her gaze withdrawn, the suffocating pressure on the two Adepti instantly lifted.
The sound of the bustling shop returned to their ears, as if they had just been pulled back into reality.
Both hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to look at her any longer, only to realize that cold sweat had ford on their backs.
That was terrifying.
They dared not gossip any further. Hastily cleaning up the ruined Mora, they silently finished their juice and snacks—so hurriedly that they didn't even savor the flavors—and quickly bid farewell to Yaoyao and Xia Zhi before leaving the shop.
As they passed the entrance, they brushed shoulders with Xia Ci, who was welcoming new custors.
She looked at them and, in an oddly gentle voice, softly said, "Don't do that again."
The two Adepti froze.
Then, like nodding chickens, they frantically bobbed their heads, "Yes, yes, yes!"
They walked far, far away from the shop before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
Exchanging glances, they noticed—each other's foreheads were covered in sweat.
"That girl… did you notice? She looks a lot like soone from Suru's past…"
"Yes… she does."
The Seven Archons often gathered in Liyue in ancient tis.
While the Adepti never directly participated in those high-level etings, they had still seen them before.
The mory was distant, blurred by ti, but now, after that encounter, they found themselves recalling a certain figure.
Comparing their recollections, they realized—Xia Ci bore a 60-70% resemblance to the forr Dendro Archon, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
"She looks just like… a younger version of Her."
"But why would She be here?"
"I don't know… The rumors said that She disappeared long ago. Now Suru has a new god…"
"But Lord Morax must have known about Her presence here. If She is truly that person, it makes sense that Morax would allow Her to stay in Liyue."
"She's Mr. Xia's cousin…"
"You actually believe that excuse?"
"This is your fault! If you hadn't insisted on divination, I wouldn't have lost my precious old Mora…"
"Wait, wait… what if—just hear out—what if she's actually Her daughter?"
"???"
Moon Carver fell silent.
"Let's just stop talking about Her."
"Agreed. Let's pretend today never happened. Let's go play mahjong."
"Yes."
The two quickened their pace and left.
Just before reaching Feiyun Tea House, Moon Carver had a sudden thought.
When he was cleaning up the ruined Mora, he had noticed sothing.
Despite being split apart by an unspeakable force, the coins had still ford an incomplete divination pattern.
A blank reading.
Naturally, at Her level, a blank result was inevitable.
But strangely enough…
This pattern felt oddly similar to Ying'er's divination.
Both seed linked to Mr. Xia…
Soone capable of making Her willingly run errands?
Xia Zhi was growing more and more mysterious…
Moon Carver shook his head, dismissing the thought.
No need to overthink.
Mahjong! Mahjong!
As they stepped into Feiyun Tea House, a waiter smiled and greeted them.
"Welco! Registration is now open."
"Registration? For the Mahjong King Tournant?"
"Yes, sign-ups are available across four districts in Liyue, but each person may only enter once. Would you like to register?"
"Yes."
—
By 5 PM, the shop had finished its evening shift, and everyone was cleaning up.
With the shop space doubled, cleaning had beco a bit more work.
Thankfully, they now had two extra hands to help.
At that mont, Lady Ningguang arrived—with her secretary in tow.
"Mr. Xia, congratulations."
"Lady Ningguang, welco."
"Wait, isn't that Ying'er? What are you doing here?"
"Of course I'm here."
"?"
"Because I already belong to Mr. Xia now."
"You quit Scent of Spring?"
"Yep! Yesterday afternoon. Your intel is so outdated."
"I've been busy, okay? I don't have ti for minor news like that."
"Tsk, how coldhearted. Calling the affairs of an old friend minor news. No ti to check on , but ti for massages? I even taught you my most valuable skill back then!"
Xia Zhi's interest was piqued.
Most valuable skill?
Could it be… one of those scenes?
Ningguang sighed. "Stop making it sound misleading. I'm talking about sewing—she taught how to make clothes."
"Mr. Xia…"
"Massage? Right this way, please."
Ningguang followed Xia Zhi into the back room, effortlessly settling onto the small bed.
He lit so incense.
"You and Ying'er know each other?"
"Yes, we've known each other for a long ti. Her tailoring skills are excellent."
Xia Zhi nodded.
He recalled that, at so point, he had stolen a skill from Ningguang called [Tailoring Basics].
It seed likely that Ying'er had been the one to teach her.
"Lady Ningguang, I didn't know you made your own clothes. I always assud you commissioned high-end tailors."
"As a lady, one should at least have so skill in this area."
"I see… Would you like to use essential oils today?"
"Of course! The last one worked wonders! My skin has never been this smooth. I wanted to co back earlier, but since your shop was expanding, I waited until today."
"Everyone else has been saying the sa thing. I've made two new essential oils—would you like to try them?"
"Absolutely!"
And then… there was nothing else to say.
If anything—Lady Ningguang's hand-feel was quite nice.
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