Inside the small room.
Xia Zhi was teaching Xia Ying how to play the guqin.
Nothing was different from the past couple of days.
It was still hands-on instruction. Compared to the faint awkwardness at the beginning, both of them now seemed used to it.
Xia Ying's musical talent was not particularly outstanding, but she was undeniably diligent.
That probably came from Ei's original personality. She was a pure warrior type with unwavering willpower. Once she committed to something, she devoted herself fully and never slacked off.
Xia Ying had inherited those personality memories and was the same.
After practicing for a while, Xia Ying looked up at Xia Zhi, anticipation in her eyes.
"Teacher, could you play that piece, one more time?"
Xia Zhi froze for a moment, then smiled. "Teacher? Since when did you start calling me that?"
"You teach me music. That makes you a teacher, doesn't it?"
"When you put it that way, you're not wrong."
"Can you?"
"Sure."
Xia Zhi took the guqin from Xia Ying and began to play.
She sat beside him, watching intently, admiration filling her eyes.
When the piece ended—
"That was beautiful!"
"Alright. That's enough practice for today. Let's head out."
"Mm."
The two of them left the small room together.
No one found it strange anymore.
Only a few people cast immediate, searching glances their way.
Their clothes were neat, their expressions natural. Nothing seemed out of place.
Xia Zhi returned to his seat.
Xia Ying went back to Ei's side.
Ei glanced at her and greeted her casually. "You're back."
Xia Ying nodded cheerfully. "Mm."
Ei said, "Let's play games."
"You shouldn't play games all the time."
"?"
"You haven't finished reading that light novel you bought at Yae Publishing House today, right?"
"Not yet."
"You even brought it into the Dream World. Why didn't you read it?"
"I'll read it after this round."
"I'll play for you. You go read."
"…Alright."
Ei had no choice but to switch seats with Xia Ying, sitting off to the side and picking up the light novel.
Regarding My Chaotic Youth Romantic Comedy.
---
"I finished it."
"What did you think?"
"Nothing."
"…"
Xia Ying looked at Ei, a little helpless.
She could understand Ei, though. If she herself had not been moved by the music earlier, she would probably feel exactly the same. Completely clueless about romance stories.
"Anyway… you should change how you address Cousin."
"Change it to what?"
"Teacher."
"Teacher? A cooking teacher? That does make sense."
Ei nodded and agreed.
Then she suddenly remembered that the protagonist of the light novel she had just finished also seemed to be a teacher.
---
Morning, Gandharva Ville.
After getting up, Collei first set Lumine's medicine to simmer, then started boiling water.
Before long, Lumine and Paimon came over from the neighboring treehouse.
"Good morning, Collei!"
"Good morning, Lumine, Paimon. Breakfast will be ready soon."
"Yay!"
Collei asked, "Lumine, the medicine's almost done too. Do you want to take the medicine first, or eat breakfast first?"
Lumine glanced at the medicine pot, a trace of helplessness on her face. "I'll take the medicine first."
Collei poured the medicine into a bowl for her.
It was still scalding hot.
A flicker of Anemo flowed through Lumine's hand, cooling it down a bit, and she downed it in one gulp.
Ugh… still awful.
Paimon thoughtfully handed her some clean water to rinse her mouth. "Collei, how long does the Traveler still have to take this medicine?"
Collei thought for a moment. "I'm not too sure. I'll ask Master after breakfast."
Lumine smacked her lips as the bitterness faded slightly. "We'll go with you."
Collei nodded. "Okay."
Once the water was boiling, the three of them skillfully opened the instant noodles on the table, poured in hot water, and opened a few cans.
A simple yet hearty breakfast was ready.
After eating, Collei, Lumine, and Paimon went to a nearby treehouse.
After knocking, Tighnari came out. He looked a bit tired, mainly because he had been busy dealing with The Withering these past few days and had not rested well.
"Good morning, Tighnari!" Paimon greeted him energetically.
Tighnari nodded lightly. "Good morning. What can I do for you?"
Collei said, "Master, Lumine wants to know how much longer she needs to take the medicine."
Tighnari looked at Lumine. "Getting tired of it?"
Lumine admitted honestly. "Yeah. It tastes terrible, and I feel a lot better now."
Tighnari pondered for a moment. "The taste is indeed unpleasant. Wait a bit, I'll run a test."
He turned and went inside. Shortly after, he returned with a sachet in his hand.
Lumine paused. She recognized it.
When she first arrived and had doubts about the so-called rest and recovery method, Tighnari had used this sachet to give her solid proof.
Tighnari opened it and held it out to Lumine.
A strong fragrance washed over her.
Lumine felt slightly dizzy, but she did not faint.
Tighnari watched her closely for a moment, then nodded. "Your condition has stabilized a lot. You don't need to take the medicine every day anymore."
Paimon lit up. "Really?"
"For safety, you should still take it once every few days," Tighnari added.
"Okay," Lumine agreed.
She still had to drink that bitter medicine, but far less often. That alone was good news.
After thinking it over, Tighnari tied the sachet and handed it to her. "Take this. You can test yourself with it. Once you're fully used to the scent, you can stop the medicine entirely."
"I understand. Thank you, Tighnari!" Lumine said.
With Lumine's matter settled, Collei looked at Tighnari. "Master, the surrounding areas affected by The Withering have all been cleared, right?"
Tighnari nodded. "Yes. Everything's been taken care of. There shouldn't be any issues for a while."
"Then I'm planning to head out again," Collei said.
Tighnari thought for a moment. "Going back to Sumeru City?"
"Yes."
"I see. Go ahead. Don't worry about things here."
"Okay, Master."
Lumine and Paimon could not help asking, "Collei, you're going to Sumeru City?"
Collei nodded. "Yeah. I have a few things to take care of…"
"Then let's go together!" Lumine said immediately.
Collei looked at Tighnari. "Together…"
After a brief consideration, Tighnari said, "That's fine. I kept you here mainly because I was worried about your condition. If you collapsed in the rainforest, Paimon wouldn't be much help, and you'd be in real danger. Now that your mental state is much more stable, and with Collei with you, I'm at ease."
Paimon pumped her fists. "Mm-hmm! Then we'll go pack and set off right away!"
"Okay," Collei agreed.
Watching them leave, Tighnari called out, "Be careful on the road."
"Got it, Master," Collei replied.
Tighnari closed the door and returned to his room.
On the table lay a letter, written by a certain Grand Sage.
It mentioned some recent abnormal behavior among the sages.
Tighnari read it again, frowned, and put it away.
"Sumeru City isn't peaceful either…"
----
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