Regarding Shenhe's whirlwind-like eating habits,
Changsheng was a bit baffled.
Who eats medicinal herbs like a meal?
The more she looked at Shenhe, the more something felt off. Why did the red rope on her carry such a familiar aura?
And it wasn't just one—there were multiple…
But she could only discern one of them.
"Little lady, what's Mu Yang to you?"
Shenhe was momentarily stunned, then noticed it was Changsheng speaking.
Unlike Lumine and Paimon, who were startled the first time they saw Changsheng, Shenhe wasn't fazed.
She'd seen things like this plenty of times.
"He's her Master," Paimon answered for her.
Now Changsheng understood. No wonder Shenhe carried so many familiar yet unplaceable auras.
She was trained by those Adepti.
Shenhe nodded slightly, affirming Paimon's response.
Then she turned to Lumine to express her gratitude. "I'm not hungry anymore. Thank you for the hospitality."
Lumine probed, "Was it… good?"
The answer, of course, was no.
"Though it has a faint fragrance, eating too much leaves only bitterness, sourness, and astringency."
Lumine finally asked, "Why do you eat these? Is it Mu Yang's request?"
Everyone knew Mu Yang was obsessed with swordsmanship, but his culinary skills were also top-notch.
There was no reason he'd make his disciple eat herbs.
Seeing the others' misunderstanding, Shenhe quickly defended her Master.
This had nothing to do with Master Mu Yang.
If anything, it was a rule she set for herself.
She believed that as a practitioner, she shouldn't indulge in worldly delicacies.
If she returned to the wilderness later, lingering on the taste of gourmet food would hinder her training.
So, at restaurants, she only sampled signature dishes lightly, just to taste them.
As for Mu Yang, she didn't dare visit him.
She feared that after his warm hospitality, she'd never want to return to Mt. Aocang.
She wasn't yet sure if she wanted to stay in Liyue Harbor long-term.
[Got it. Almost misunderstood Mu Yang there.]
[Uh, but Mu Yang doesn't exactly skimp on meals.]
[Shenhe's still in her training phase. Maybe her level isn't high enough?]
With Shenhe's explanation,
everyone understood the reason—it wasn't Mu Yang's requirement.
Just then, Mu Yang walked in from outside Bubu Pharmacy.
"This is why you came to Liyue Harbor but didn't come see me?"
"Master…"
Shenhe looked like a kid caught doing something wrong.
Mu Yang didn't mean to scold her.
He knew this was a hurdle Shenhe had to overcome herself.
Once this matter was over and she stayed in Liyue Harbor, he could slowly help her change her mindset.
In the end, Mu Yang shared a funny story about little Shenhe eating herbs,
and the matter was brushed aside.
[Fun fact: Shenhe has another Master—Chatty True Monarch.]
[Sooner or later, they'll spill all her dark history.]
[Shenhe: With you two Masters, I'm truly blessed.]
Afterward, Baizhu said he needed to prepare a large amount of healing medicine for Ningguang.
Qiqi had been borrowed by her, so he was a bit overwhelmed and asked if they could help.
Lumine was puzzled. Why was Ningguang doing all this?
A ton of healing medicine and borrowing Qiqi?
Baizhu didn't know either, assuming it was due to the massive Jade Chamber reconstruction project, perhaps to prevent injuries.
Though skeptical, everyone was happy to help.
With Mu Yang's assistance, the task was quickly resolved, and Baizhu thanked them.
After some casual chat, Baizhu bid them farewell.
Outside, Lumine asked Shenhe why she suddenly came to Liyue Harbor.
From the current situation, it didn't seem like Mu Yang had summoned her.
Shenhe replied, "I came for the Jade Chamber reconstruction."
"Eh? Shenhe's joining the competition too?" Paimon was surprised. Did even Adepti have questions for Ningguang?
"No, but since you helped me earlier, I can assist you."
She turned to Mu Yang. "That's right, isn't it, Master?"
Mu Yang nodded.
Then, as if remembering something, he pulled Lumine aside.
"Lumine, let Shenhe act with you. Cloud Retainer's intention is to see if Shenhe can adapt to life in Liyue Harbor…"
"No problem," Lumine agreed immediately. "But Mu Yang, you're coming too."
"Me?"
"You need to be there to see her genuine reactions. What if I embellish my report to you?"
Lumine's little scheme was clear—she just wanted Mu Yang to come along.
Mu Yang agreed.
However, for this commission, he'd only be an observer.
Unless absolutely necessary,
he'd only answer simple questions and wouldn't intervene.
This was part of Shenhe's test.
The plan was set.
Paimon rubbed her hands excitedly. "Hehe, with an Adeptus helping, things will be much easier."
Shenhe said, "Then let's not delay. I have a strategy."
"Awesome! Shenhe's plan must be amazing!"
Despite Paimon's praise, Shenhe remained humble.
"I'm not sure if it's amazing, but it should be effective."
She shared her strategy:
Since it's a competition, if we take out everyone ranked above us, we'll be number one.
— — — — — —
Guinaifen couldn't hold it in. "Wow! That logic is flawless!"
"Quick, give my husband a shot. I bet his mouth is twitching, hahaha…"
[Mu Yang's sweating buckets. Quick, get Yanfei the Adeptus Lawyer to defend Shenhe!]
[Shenhe: Dunno, Master's book didn't mention this.]
[Ningguang's racking her brain, wondering why the more people search, the fewer there are.]
[This plan's solid—efficient. You could even extort Ningguang for rewards afterward! ()]
Guinaifen read the comment. "I'm the Millelith. Keep talking."
— — — — — —
Paimon stomped in the air. "…No way! No matter how you look at it, that's not okay!"
Lumine facepalmed. "Shenhe, it's not that kind of competition…"
Mu Yang had it the worst, struggling to keep a straight face for appearances…
Seeing everyone's reactions, Shenhe fell into thought.
"Is that so? But I heard competition is all about crushing and scheming against each other…"
Lumine explained that they were just helping Ningguang out, and being first wasn't necessary.
"I see. Understood."
Lumine thought about the plan. During their chat at Bubu Pharmacy,
Baizhu mentioned that all [Resonant Dawnstones] had been mined and were already claimed.
To get information, they could visit the Feiyun Commerce Guild, where people might know more.
So, the plan was set:
Head to the Feiyun Commerce Guild.