"You got any proof? You can't just slander people like that."
The man scoffed. "Besides, you've never even been to Snezhnaya. Let me tell you, it's really cold there."
Xu Zheng shook his head with a long-suffering sigh. He knew it would come to this. But still—was it too much to ask for these guys to just admit they're full of it, so he could grab his Primogem payout and call it a day?
Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a book: Snezhnaya Travel Guide: Dos, Don'ts, and Don't-Even-Thinks.
"This book here's got all the basics about Snezhnaya. You, my friend, got nearly all of them wrong."
The man stiffened but doubled down. "Tch. How do I know you didn't just make that up to trick me?"
Xu Zheng raised an eyebrow. "Lucky for you, I brought a whole damn collection. Want to flip through them yourself? Most are sold in Liyue bookstores—you know, for actual tourists, not professional bullshitters."
The man's face turned from red to green to pale, clearly rattled, but still managed to snarl, "Just you wait. You'll be alone someday. We'll see who's laughing then."
Xu Zheng's expression stayed flat.
Alone? Please. Everyone around him was basically a boss-level threat.
One Ganyu flick and you're snow. Xiangling could cook you alive. Even Ying'er could erotically shame a man into submission.
And even if none of them showed up—he'd still beat this poser's ass himself.
[Daily Task 4 Completed]
The system chime pinged, and Xu Zheng immediately lost interest in the man like a kid dropping a toy that stopped lighting up.
He snapped his fingers.
Waiting nearby, a squad of Qianyan troops swooped in, pinning the guy faster than a five-star character at C6.
"Appreciate the help, gentlemen," Xu Zheng said coolly.
"All in a day's work," one of them replied, casually flexing.
The pinned man shouted, "On what grounds are you arresting me?!"
One of the Qianyan captains stepped forward, reciting like it was his daily routine.
"You're under suspicion of impersonating a Snezhnayan citizen to incite public disorder. Also, your actions may damage diplomatic relations between Liyue and Snezhnaya, qualifying as a potential threat to national security."
The man froze, visibly glitching.
Me? A national security threat? I was just pretending to be a Snezhnayan for the clout...
Of course, these troops weren't randomly patrolling. Xu Zheng had personally waved down a few on his way here. Perks of being Ganyu's personal disciple—he could call in a couple of military-grade babysitters when needed.
Also, this was technically a righteous act of civic reporting.
Later That Evening – Chayevich's Estate
Two bruised and battered goons stood sheepishly before their boss.
"Boss, long story short… the red-faced guy betrayed us. Ratted us out."
Chayevich frowned. "You're telling me he sold you out? After everything?"
"Yes, boss."
It sounded absurd. One cup of milk tea and suddenly Red-Face was a reformed saint? Were they serving therapy in those cups now?
Chayevich pinched the bridge of his nose. "Whatever. Here's the payout list. Huh... one of the Snezhnayan impostors never came to collect."
The two lackeys peered at the list. One muttered, "Think he got snatched by the Qianyan Army?"
Chayevich pondered that. Honestly... yeah, plausible.
Impersonating a Snezhnayan? That could go either way. On one hand, it's just empty boasting. On the other—it's the kind of crap that kicks off international incidents.
Right then, the door to his office burst open.
"Boss! We've got a problem!"
"What now?" Chayevich snapped.
"A bunch of Qianyan troops just showed up. They've got an official warrant. They're coming in to search the place."
"Let them," Chayevich said with impressive calm. "I'm just a humble businessman. I've got nothing to hide."
His minions snickered. Man was deep in his own propaganda.
Unbeknownst to the Qianyan Army, Chayevich had already scrubbed all his tracks—no evidence linking him to the thieves, no proof about the rice smuggling. Flawless.
"Boss… they also said they're here to arrest you."
Chayevich's eye twitched. "Arrest me? For what?"
The front doors opened. Xu Zheng entered dramatically, flanked by Keqing and a crew of Qianyan officers.
"Evening, you bloated bastard," Xu Zheng greeted cheerfully.
"Xu Zheng?" Chayevich narrowed his eyes. What the hell was this brat doing here with an arrest squad?
"I suspect you of inciting unrest and attempting to sabotage Snezhnaya. I've already contacted the Snezhnayan ambassador to deal with your sorry ass," Xu Zheng announced with righteous flair.
Chayevich's brain stalled. I'm here on official Snezhnayan business… and now I'm being accused of betraying Snezhnaya?
Where's the logic?! Where's the justice?!
Too bad. The Qianyan troops weren't interested in philosophical debate.
Later That Night
Keqing had originally come to see Ganyu.
Instead, she ran into Xu Zheng, who just so happened to have a juicy little folder of Chayevich's dirty laundry.
It wasn't perfect evidence, but it was enough to lock him up for a few months. With some digging, it might even stick permanently.
Keqing took the folder seriously. So seriously, in fact, that she didn't even bother saying hi to Ganyu—just marched off with Xu Zheng to go deliver some overdue karma.
She assumed Ganyu had skipped work earlier because she was busy investigating this herself.
What she didn't understand was why the hell Ganyu gave the critical evidence to a child.
"Maybe she's just really busy…" Keqing thought, shrugging it off.
What mattered was that she'd finish what Ganyu started—arrest Chayevich and seal the case.
She still wasn't sure why Xu Zheng insisted on tagging along though.
"Because it's fun?" she guessed.
Honestly, letting the kid come was probably easier than saying no. Parenting was hard. Ganyu had it rough.
Meanwhile, in Xu Zheng's Mind
Holy crap. That's real-life Keqing.
How could he not tag along?
She was his lucky charm! Every single gacha pull he made had ended up with Keqing. She practically lived in his account.
The Next Day – Wanmin Restaurant
Xu Zheng stepped into Wanmin Hall and nearly turned around in horror.
Was this… a daycare?
Dozens of tiny girls filled the space—every last one a miniature missy. Surrounding them were even more massive, bountiful, bodacious big sisters.
What the hell happened here?