In the kitchen.
Xia Zhi had already finished making the instant noodles with practiced ease.
Yae Miko helped him seal the packages.
Then Xia Zhi prepared for deliveries.
First was Mondstadt.
He messaged Noelle and Amber, telling them to find a secluded spot.
Once they did, he opened their Magical Girl status interfaces and bestowed the instant noodles.
From there, they could distribute them to Jean, Eula, Lisa, and the others.
Next was Liyue.
That part was trickier since no Magical Girls were stationed there.
He could give everything to Noelle and have Xiao run from Wangshu Inn to Mondstadt to pick it up.
With his speed, delivering everything in a day would be trivial.
But making the Conqueror of Demons do courier work all the time seemed excessive.
Xia Zhi thought for a moment, then opened his system interface.
Under Teleportation, there were two options:
[Shenhe]
[Summer Shop]
One linked to the Headband he'd given Shenhe.
The other was the Portable Waypoint he set up in the Summer Shop long ago.
It wasn't expensive—only 100 points.
Xia Zhi bought a new Portable Waypoint and set it at the Grand Narukami Shrine.
Then, carrying the instant noodles, he teleported back to the Summer Shop.
And froze.
Wait. This is supposed to be my room.
Why are there so many expensive furnishings here?
Where is my bed?
The old wooden bed was gone, replaced by a huge, soft, red silk-draped canopy bed that smelled faintly of perfume.
Scattered across it were several pieces of luxurious lingerie.
Those definitely belonged to Miss Ningguang.
He'd given her all the shop keys back then, after all.
Xia Zhi let out a small sigh.
Whatever.
He didn't live here right now anyway. If the rich lady wanted the room, she could have it.
He didn't touch any of her personal belongings, simply set the packaged noodles on the floor.
Then he teleported back to the Grand Narukami Shrine.
---
Sumeru.
Collei, Lumine, and Paimon had just returned to Gandharva Ville.
After updating Tighnari on the previous day's Withering-clearing progress, he told them to rest.
All three went back to their respective treehouses.
Collei relaxed a while, scrolled through her phone, and saw Amber and Noelle saying they'd already received instant noodles.
Moments later, she herself received a message from Mr. Xia telling her to find a quiet place.
Collei replied that she was alone in her room.
Seconds later, a mountain of instant noodle cups rained from above, piling across her floor.
Perfect!
She grabbed her phone to send a thank-you message, but...
"Collei? Are you okay? I heard weird noises from your room!" Paimon's voice came from outside.
She must've heard the noodles hitting the floor.
Collei glanced at the mountain of instant noodles again. Instead of storing them away, she opened the door. "I'm fine."
"Good.. whoa!!!"
Paimon's scream echoed across the treehouse walkway.
Hearing her, Lumine rushed over, thinking something was wrong, then gasped as well. "So many instant noodles!"
Collei nodded, smiling. "Yeah. They just arrived. I'll split them with you."
Paimon's eyes sparkled. "Collei, you're amazing! From now on, you're my best friend!"
Lumine: "…"
She already knew how Paimon operated and could only shake her head. But she did notice something else. "Collei, how did these instant noodles get delivered?"
"That… is a secret for now."
"Alright."
Paimon zipped around, clutching two noodle cups, then suddenly paused. "Why is there a Chef Mao flavor along with Master Xia's?"
"That's Xiangling's. It's a new flavor."
"Xiangling? New flavor?"
Lumine and Paimon exchanged a haunted look.
Old culinary trauma resurfaced violently.
Lumine cleared her throat. "Maybe… we should stick to Master Xia's."
Paimon nodded hard. "Agreed."
Collei didn't mind. She'd survived traveling rations and scavenged meals. As long as it restored energy, she'd eaten worse than slimes and insect wings.
So the new flavor didn't scare her at all.
"Then take more of Master Xia's. I'll eat Chef Mao's."
Paimon was moved to tears.
"Collei, from now on you're my dearest friend!"
---
Mt. Yougou.
Yoimiya, Zhu Zi, and Rii finally reached the top of the steps and approached the shrine gates.
Rii looked around with wide, curious eyes.
She might've been a local youkai, but she'd lived her whole life in the wilderness. This was her first time visiting the Grand Narukami Shrine.
Just standing at the entrance, she could feel the strange auras inside—powerful youkai, the Sacred Sakura Tree, and the overwhelming presence of the Electro Archon.
It was enough to make a small youkai tremble.
But thanks to quietly lurking in the group chat every day, she felt a tiny bit braver.
The three stepped inside.
Zhu Zi pulled Rii over to draw an omikuji.
Yoimiya didn't draw one, she'd already done it yesterday.
She scanned the area, hoping to spot Mr. Xia, but didn't see him.
Rii drew a bad fortune.
Zhu Zi quickly comforted her and helped her burn it in the furnace to chase away the bad luck.
Then they ran into Chi Yu and Ying'er.
Zhu Zi greeted them warmly, and they responded with smiles, greeting Yoimiya as well.
Yoimiya blinked at their familiarity. "You guys know each other?"
Chi Yu nodded. "Of course. We're coworkers."
"Coworkers?" Yoimiya blinked. "You write novels too?"
Chi Yu laughed. "I do write novels, but that's not what I meant. We all work at the Summer Shop."
"The Summer Shop? Oh—I think Xiangling mentioned that place. The juice shop Mr. Xia opened in Liyue, right?"
"Mm."
After chatting a bit, Yoimiya realized she was the only outsider and laughed awkwardly.
"Where's Xiangling?"
"She's in the kitchen making instant noodles."
"Instant noodles?"
"You can go take a look. She seems worried nobody will taste-test her new flavors."
"I'll help!"
Yoimiya lit up instantly and dashed off.
"Hey! Wait!" Zhu Zi reached out, but it was too late.
She could only watch her brand-new friend walk straight into the danger zone.
Xiangling's new creations…
They tasted fine, but that didn't mean they weren't terrifying.
All she could do was pray for her soul.
Ying'er glanced at Zhu Zi, smiling mischievously. "Zhu Zi, you look thinner."
"Do I?"
"Food at home not great, huh?"
"It's fine! My parents buy good stuff from the market every day!"
"Then it must be the cooking."
"No helping that."
"Well, the boss is making Gods' Temptation at noon today. Eat up and recover."
"Mm!"
Zhu Zi beamed with bright anticipation.
Even though they'd only been apart for a few days, she'd already realized one thing.
She was never escaping the boss in this lifetime.
--
Around midday.
Ei returned early from Araumi.
Xia Zhi had told her beforehand that he'd be making Gods' Temptation for lunch and wanted her to learn.
When Ei stepped into the kitchen, she found Yoimiya chugging water with flushed cheeks.
Judging by her panting and the way her tongue lolled out, she'd clearly been obliterated by something spicy.
By the time Ei reached the stove, Xia Zhi was already preparing the ingredients for Gods' Temptation.
Yae Miko was watching with great interest.
Xia Zhi noticed and asked, "Why aren't you recording now?"
"Of course I'm not."
Miko spoke with complete confidence.
"If I record it, next time you won't have to teach Ei. And if you don't teach Ei… we won't get to eat Gods' Temptation anymore."
----
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