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For the rest of the day, there was nothing left to do but go fishing.
Late at night, when all was silent, inside the Spina di Rosula hideout by Fleuve Cendre—
Lumine and Paimon were lying quietly on the bed, their mouths slightly open as they breathed in soft, even rhythms, clearly already lost in sweet dreams.
Unlike usual, however, Paimon wasn't sleeping between the two of them this time. Instead, she lay obediently at the edge of the bed, enjoying the small patch of space that belonged to her alone.
Shao Yun gazed quietly at Lumine in his arms, his thoughts a tangled mess.
Though it was deep into the night, he felt no trace of sleepiness—his eyes were wide open.
Perhaps it was because, earlier that day at the Hotel Bouffes d'ete, he'd drunk far too much coffee while chatting with Arlecchino, leaving his mind in an extremely overstimulated state.
Minute by minute, time slipped by. It was nearly the second half of the night, yet Shao Yun still felt no drowsiness at all.
He muttered helplessly, "This is so boring… I can't fall asleep at all."
Out of sheer boredom, he reached out and gently pinched Lumine's nose as she slept.
Feeling the discomfort, Lumine frowned slightly, then groggily raised her hand and flailed about in the air a few times.
"Mmm… stop it, Paimon…" she murmured, before burrowing even closer into Shao Yun's arms.
After teasing the sleeping Lumine for a while, Shao Yun let out a long sigh and muttered to himself, "Sigh… still so bored. Can't sleep at all… Guess I really drank too much coffee during the day…"
Just then, a system dialog box suddenly popped up, clearly displaying a line of text.
[Would you like to start a hidden quest?]
Shao Yun knew exactly what this hidden quest was—returning to Liyue to see Ningguang.
But at this hour of the night, he couldn't help hesitating as he muttered to himself, "Going to see Ningguang this late… That feels a bit, um… inappropriate, doesn't it?"
"It's kind of like that saying—what was it again—someone staying up late at night…"
The system promptly chimed in with a reminder.
[You forgot how long traveling takes… If you open an Abyss portal directly on the Jade Chamber, you wouldn't even be pretending anymore!]
At the mention of "travel time," realization dawned on Shao Yun.
"Oh, right—almost forgot about that!"
"If I leave now and move quickly, I should be back by tomorrow afternoon…"
As he spoke, Shao Yun looked down at the peacefully sleeping Lumine and lowered his voice.
"Lumine, I'm heading to Liyue for a bit. We'll see each other tomorrow afternoon, okay? If you don't say anything, I'll take that as silent consent."
Since Lumine was fast asleep and obviously wouldn't respond, Shao Yun prepared to quietly slip out of bed.
But just as he was about to rise on tiptoe, Lumine suddenly stirred. Her hand landed squarely on top of his.
At the same time, she mumbled indistinctly in her sleep.
"Mmm… don't go…"
Shao Yun's heart skipped a beat. He instinctively thought she had woken up and was just about to say he was only going to the bathroom—
But when he saw that her eyes were still tightly shut, her delicate features looking especially beautiful in sleep, he let out a long breath of relief.
Carefully, gently, he eased her soft, slender hand off the back of his own, afraid that even the slightest movement might disturb her rest.
Then he leaned down, close to her ear, and whispered softly, "Mm… I didn't hear anything… Don't worry, I'll definitely be back in the afternoon."
After gazing at her serene sleeping face for a little longer, Shao Yun finally got out of bed.
...
Late at night, silence reigned.
In the vast mountainous forests of Minlin in Liyue, an Abyss portal shimmering with eerie light suddenly appeared without warning.
The abrupt disturbance sent waves of danger through the area, startling the small animals that had been resting there.
They jolted awake in panic and scattered in all directions, desperate to flee this terrifying place.
Shao Yun stepped out of the Abyss portal.
He cautiously surveyed his unfamiliar surroundings—towering ancient trees and jagged rocks filled his vision.
Moonlight filtered through dense branches, casting mottled shadows and cloaking the forest in a hazy, mysterious veil.
"Whoa… where the heck did this drop me? Is this really Liyue?" he muttered.
Just then, a system pop-up appeared, offering an explanation.
[This is the Lingju Pass area of Liyue, located west of Mt. Tianheng.]
As Shao Yun examined the scenery, he muttered suspiciously, "That's weird… why would the Abyss Order set up a node in a place like this?"
The system urged him on.
[Enough talking. Leave immediately—residual Abyssal energy could attract unwanted attention.]
Shao Yun took the advice seriously. After all, Liyue wasn't like Inazuma or Sumeru—people actually policed things here!
He let out a sharp whistle, then silently counted down ten seconds, muttering as he did so, "Alright, let's see… which horse am I riding to Liyue Harbor this time?"
From afar came the soft sound of hooves and breathing, as a faint pink silhouette galloped toward him.
Seeing the winner was "Carrot," Shao Yun announced excitedly, "Haha—oh yeah! Looks like Carrot is today's lucky pick!"
Carrot obediently stopped in front of him.
With a smooth motion, Shao Yun mounted the horse and settled into the saddle.
He gently patted Carrot's neck. "Good girl. Let's go—destination: Liyue Harbor. Time to pay Miss Ningguang a visit…"
Before his words even finished, Carrot broke into a gallop, carrying Shao Yun away from the area.
Not long after he left, a figure suddenly appeared on the spot.
It was the Conqueror of Demons, Xiao.
With a grave expression, Xiao crouched down, scooped up a pinch of soil, and brought it to his nose.
His face darkened instantly.
"This aura… it's the Abyss."
A strong sense of unease surged within him, and he clenched his fist.
Then his gaze fell upon the clearly visible horse tracks nearby, his eyes turning complex.
"Horse tracks? Strange… Could it be that Mr. Shao Yun has returned? Odd…"
The mingling of Abyssal energy and those hoofprints made the situation increasingly murky.
For a moment, even Xiao—usually so decisive—hesitated.
After a brief pause, he slowly stood up and murmured, "This matter is no small thing. It must be reported to the Rex Lapis at once."
With that, his figure flashed, transforming into a streak of teal light before vanishing.
...
As dawn broke and a pale glow spread across the eastern horizon, gentle morning light bathed the land, draping Liyue in a thin layer of gold.
Shao Yun rode Carrot to the outskirts of Liyue Harbor.
He reined her in, slowing her pace.
"I'm back again…"
His gaze lingered on a nearby spot where he had once camped with Lumine and Paimon.
Those memories felt as vivid as if they'd happened just yesterday.
He lifted his eyes to the sky, fixing them on the Jade Chamber floating high above.
"Wonder if Ningguang's even awake at this hour…"
...
Inside the Jade Chamber.
Ningguang's secretary, Baishi, was busy organizing Ningguang's schedule for the day.
Fully focused, she flipped through documents, carefully checking each arrangement to ensure nothing was overlooked.
Suddenly, without any warning, a figure appeared right in front of her.
"Wah—?!"
The shock made Baishi cry out in alarm as she stared at the unexpected visitor.
When she realized it was Shao Yun, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, it's Mr. Shao Yun… You really scared me…"
Shao Yun looked at the shaken Baishi with interest and asked curiously, "You're Baishi, right?"
Startled back to her senses, Baishi quickly replied, "Yes. May I ask what brings you to the Jade Chamber, Mr. Shao Yun?"
As she spoke, her eyes involuntarily flicked toward Ningguang's bedroom, clearly worried he might wake her.
Shao Yun didn't notice her concern and went straight to the point. "Where's Ningguang?"
Baishi hesitated for a moment, then answered truthfully.
"Lady Ningguang… she's still asleep…"
Hearing that Ningguang was actually sleeping, Shao Yun frowned and complained irritably.
"She had Yelan tell me she wanted to see me. I didn't sleep all night to come here—and she's sleeping?"
Baishi hurried to explain on Ningguang's behalf. "Lady Ningguang was handling complicated official matters until very late last night."
"So, she did wake up later than usual today…"
But Shao Yun had no interest in hearing excuses.
Waving his hand impatiently, he said, "My time is valuable! If she doesn't get up soon, I'm leaving."
Baishi's heart jumped. She quickly responded respectfully, "I—I'm terribly sorry. Please wait just a moment. I'll go wake Lady Ningguang right away."
As she turned to leave, Baishi couldn't help grumbling silently to herself.
"Ugh, what is this… Lady Ningguang gave him one hundred billion Mora, and he's still acting like this… Can't he even let her sleep in a little…?"
Fortunately, she kept those thoughts to herself.
Because if she'd dared say them out loud, Shao Yun might've given her a firsthand lesson in what it feels like to bungee jump off the Jade Chamber—without the rope.
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