Inside the Serenitea Pot.
Ping soaked in the warm bath, looking conflicted.
Massages…
She'd never gone for one. If she suddenly showed up now, it would be awkward.
And Cloud Retainer would definitely tease her. It'd be embarrassing.
But ever since listening to Mr. Xia play the guqin last night, her mood had been restless.
She kept thinking about him. If she didn't see him for a while, she felt uneasy.
Being able to enjoy a massage while discussing music with Mr. Xia sounded like pure bliss.
Madame Ping furrowed her brows, torn.
Ugh. If she'd known, she wouldn't have acted so reserved before…
Now she had to come up with a believable excuse…
---
Xia Zhi was massaging Xia Zhen.
Her eyes were closed. "I already gave Urakusai the Transformation Pill."
Xia Zhi nodded. "Then he should have succeeded by now. Cloud Retainer took about half an hour last time."
"Mm. Thank you, cousin."
Xia Zhen opened her eyes, meeting his gaze seriously.
"That's another debt I owe you."
"Alright, I'll remember it."
"You can't just keep stacking debts like that."
"It's fine."
"No, it's not. A debt has to be paid."
"So what are you saying?"
"Let me pay a little now. Don't lock your door tonight."
"Hm? You're not going back to Tenshukaku?"
"I'm not in a rush. And since Urakusai's revived, he needs work to do anyway."
"You…"
"What? Do you already have plans tonight?"
"No, I was planning to visit Shenhe…"
"Go tomorrow night."
Xia Zhi thought for a moment, then smiled. "Alright."
Xia Zhen smiled too and closed her eyes.
As for Xia Ci's nonsense about the enjoyment of the long-life species…
Get lost! She'd already died once. She wasn't waiting around for romance or enjoyment. She'd take what she wanted first and let him catch up later.
---
Maybe because of Xia Zhen's words, Xia Zhi felt a weird mood while massaging Ei. After all, the body looked exactly like Xia Zhen's.
Ei didn't notice anything.
Halfway through, he switched to Xia Ying.
They chatted about music for a bit.
Compared to silent, cold Ei, Xia Ying was much livelier. It really felt like Ei was the puppet.
Next was Yae Miko.
She immediately tried to tease him the moment she walked in.
He used Celestial Fox's Voice again to shut her down.
As expected, she had no resistance to it and turned dazed and silly.
He patted her soft pink hair. She was hopeless but fun.
---
Late at night.
Yae Miko felt hungry again.
She had already embraced her fate. Even if she gained weight, she could just go find Mr. Xia—for massages.
She headed straight to the kitchen.
But after searching everywhere… no fried tofu.
The cabinet was empty.
She sniffed the air.
There was still a faint trace of fresh fried tofu.
Meaning there had been fried tofu. And someone took it.
"Who stole my fried tofu?"
Yae Miko stood there, sniffing again.
This scent…
Another fox.
Her expression darkened instantly.
"I knew it. Urakusai, you old rascal!"
---
Deep in the forest outside Gandharva Ville.
The campfire crackled softly. A small iron pot hung over the flames, water inside bubbling hard with a steady glug-glug-glug.
Paimon floated in the air, practically vibrating with excitement. "Collei, the water's boiling! We can finally make some instant noodles!"
Collei nodded. She reached into her ring, pulled out a few cups of Instant Noodles, then grabbed several cans of food.
Before long, the three of them were sitting around the fire with steaming paper cups in hand, wearing the same blissfully content expression.
As Paimon slurped noodles, she mumbled through a full mouth, "Finally, we don't have to eat the Traveler's mushroom chicken skewer anymore…"
Lumine shot her a look. "Paimon, you used to say my mushroom chicken skewer was the best thing ever."
Paimon put on a serious face. "That was then. This is now."
Lumine sighed. "You unbelievable little—"
Collei lifted her head. Through the thick canopy, she watched the stars glitter across the sky, a soft ache rising in her chest.
When she used to patrol the forest alone, she often had to camp out in the wilderness like this. Back then, she was always on edge, worried some monster or beast would jump out of the dark.
Now, with Lumine and Paimon beside her, the night felt loud and warm. Safe.
After dinner, the three sat around the fire, quiet for a moment.
Paimon rubbed her full belly. "This is so boring. Let's talk about something."
Lumine glanced at her. "We're not like you. We've been walking all day. We want to rest."
Paimon huffed. "Hey! I worked hard keeping watch for you two!"
Just as the bickering was about to start all over again, Collei thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we listen to some music?"
"Music?"
Lumine and Paimon both turned to look at her.
"Collei, you can sing?"
Collei shook her head. "Not me. I have recordings on my phone… Yun Jin's 'The Divine Damsel of Devastation', Barbara's new song, and some pieces Mr. Xia played. Which one do you want?"
Paimon answered instantly. "I wanna listen to Yun Jin's 'The Divine Damsel of Devastation'!"
Lumine said, "Anything's fine."
Collei tapped her phone.
A moment later, an elegant opera voice drifted through the forest. "How lamentable…"
As expected of the head of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe and Liyue's superstar—Yun Jin's singing really was incredible.
When the song ended, Lumine and Paimon both looked like they hadn't gotten enough.
Collei said softly, "I have another version of 'The Divine Damsel of Devastation'—Mr. Xia sang this one. Want to try it?"
Curiosity lit up their faces. "Sure."
Collei tapped the phone again.
A stranger's voice came out. Deep, magnetic, strangely compelling.
It was good.
Lumine actually felt goosebumps prickle up her arms.
She half-closed her eyes, listening to the haunting opera lines while watching the sparks dance in the fire. And somehow, her interest in the multi-talented Mr. Xia only grew deeper.
----
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