Xia Zhi sipped his tea, watching Chongyun and his companions depart through his God's Eye perspective, his mind briefly mulling over the situation.
Xingqiu's elder brother had a Black Iron Tier progress bar above his head. After their short conversation, it had already increased to [20%].
He noticed Xingqiu handing the spicy strips to his brother, who, with a resigned smile, took a bite.
Success. Imdiately, the Black Iron Tier progress bar jumped significantly.
Xia Zhi chuckled softly, shifting his attention to Chongyun, who was discreetly swallowing his saliva.
Monts later, the system's prompt echoed in his mind:
"Would you like to use [Skill Steal] on the target?"
"Yes."
"[Skill Steal] successful. Skill [Pure Yang Body] acquired from target."
Xia Zhi took a satisfied sip of his tea.
Perfect, another special constitution added to his collection.
He had made it an ambition to collect all the unique constitutions in Teyvat one day.
Curious, he opened the system panel to inspect the description of his newly acquired skill:
[Pure Yang Body]: Naturally abundant in yang energy, repels evil spirits. Enhances cultivation of yang-based techniques by 100% and dual cultivation capabilities by 50%.
Hmm? Dual cultivation?
What does that an?
Xia Zhi reread the description, suspicion growing in his mind.
Was this "dual cultivation" what he thought it was?
He tried to sense any changes in his body. Physically, everything felt the sa as before acquiring the skill.
After a mont of thought, he recalled a passage from Records of Jueyun: those with the Pure Yang Body had such an abundance of yang energy that their blood could boil easily, causing their emotions to stir uncontrollably and sotis even leading to berserk outbursts.
That was why Chongyun avoided spicy food—it triggered this excess yang energy.
Setting his teacup down, Xia Zhi, without hesitation, picked up a spicy strip from the table and took a bite.
The initial taste was as spicy and flavorful as ever. However, this ti, the sensation in his body was drastically different.
A wave of heat coursed from his throat, surging through his entire body, making him feel unbearably hot.
Particularly… in certain indescribable areas.
Xia Zhi attempted to calm himself, only to realize it was surprisingly difficult.
Why did this feel even more intense than consuming a [Rejuvenation Pill]?
He imdiately chose to deactivate the [Pure Yang Body] skill. As soon as he did, his body returned to its usual state.
Thank goodness.
Then, Xia Zhi turned his head and "looked" at Shenhe, who sat beside him.
Perhaps… tonight, after eating so spicy strips, the bell might jingle even louder.
Shenhe seed to sense sothing and glanced at him, softly asking, "Boss, what's wrong?"
Xia Zhi smiled slightly. "Nothing. I was just thinking about how you invited Chongyun over for dinner tonight."
Shenhe lowered her voice. "Is that alright?"
"Of course. He's family, after all."
Since Chongyun called Shenhe "Auntie," it only made sense for him to refer to Xia Zhi as "Uncle." They were, indeed, family in a way.
And Xia Zhi was grateful for the new Pure Yang Body skill. Though the skill itself wasn't a big deal, Xia Zhi genuinely wanted to treat his "nephew" to a hearty dinner.
"Once Miss Ningguang's banquet concludes this afternoon, we can go buy groceries together," Xia Zhi added.
"Alright."
From the other side, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata watched Xia Zhi suspiciously.
She had a nagging feeling that sothing strange had happened to her cousin just now.
Even though he could usually handle spicy food with ease, he had turned slightly red after just one spicy strip. Not only that, but his body had montarily emitted a faint, almost magnetic heat that she couldn't help but notice.
Sothing was off.
Before she could pinpoint the source of this anomaly, whatever had changed about Xia Zhi suddenly vanished.
Was the heat related to his identity as the "God of Light"?
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata squinted slightly, deep in thought.
Noticing her gaze, Xia Zhi turned to her. "What's wrong, Cousin?"
Rukkhadevata tilted her head. "Oh, nothing. You just seem… more handso all of a sudden."
"Right?!" Xia Zhi replied with a grin.
"Mm, see? Even the superstar is heading this way."
"…"
With a teasing glint in her eye, Rukkhadevata motioned toward a familiar figure approaching them.
Within Xia Zhi's 20-ter detection range, the figure of Miss Yun Jin—now out of her costu and seemingly in a hurry—appeared.
"Mr. Xia…?"
Out of breath, Yun Jin jogged to the table, her eyes sparkling with a peculiar sense of expectation.
"Is that really you?"
Xia Zhi turned toward her with a calm smile. "Miss Yun Jin."
That voice! There was no mistaking it! It was the confidant from her dreams!
"It really is you!" Yun Jin exclaid.
"You still rember , Miss Yun Jin?" Xia Zhi asked politely.
"Of course! If it weren't for your guidance, today's performance wouldn't have been as flawless as it was!"
"You flatter . I rely offered a few suggestions. The credit belongs to your extraordinary talent."
"No, no…"
Xia Zhi chuckled lightly. "Please, have a seat, Miss Yun Jin. After performing so many plays back-to-back, you must be tired."
"Thank you, Mr. Xia."
Yun Jin nodded graciously, her deanor poised as she took a seat at the table.
Her chosen spot was the farthest from Xia Zhi but directly across from him.
As she settled in, Yun Jin quickly noticed that all the other girls at the table were watching her. Their gazes ranged from curious to amused to indifferent, but none held the usual awe or idolization she was accustod to.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Yun Jin of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe," she greeted, her celebrity composure unwavering.
"Miss Yun Jin, your performance just now was absolutely amazing," said Chi Yu, who was sitting beside her.
Before Yun Jin could respond, Chi Yu casually handed her a piece of spicy strip. "Here, try this. It's delicious."
"And this is…?" Yun Jin hesitated.
"Osial's Flesh," Chi Yu replied with a straight face.
"…Pardon?"
"It's just spicy strips, made with flour. Try it."
"Thank you, but…"
"Co on, it's really tasty."
"It's not that I don't want to; it slls delightful. But I can't eat overly spicy food—I need to protect my voice."
"Oh! That makes sense! No worries, next ti the boss makes sothing new, I'll save so for you to try."
"This was made by Mr. Xia?" Yun Jin asked, montarily stunned.
"Of course! The boss is an amazing cook. You didn't know?"
Looking slightly embarrassed, Yun Jin replied, "I've only t Mr. Xia once before."
"Huh?"
"And it was… in a dream."
"???"
The girls stared at her in amazent, while Rukkhadevata and Shenhe exchanged knowing glances.
Well played, Cousin. Truly impressive.
Ying'er, puzzled, asked, "But everything in dreams is fake, isn't it?"
Yun Jin shook her head. "This wasn't a normal dream. It felt incredibly real. For a long ti, I doubted whether the 'Mr. Xia' in my dream truly existed… until today, when I finally saw him in person."
Zhu Zi chuckled. "I don't think Miss Yun Jin has ever been to our shop for juice. If you'd visited, you might have recognized the boss sooner."
"Juice? Mr. Xia runs a business?" Yun Jin asked curiously.
"Yes, he owns the most successful [Sumr Shop] on Feiyun Slope. Haven't you heard of [Rainbow Juice]?"
"…" Yun Jin fell silent for a mont.
"To protect my voice, I rarely drink anything other than water…"
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