Xu Zheng weighed the situation.
With Hu Tao and Yanfei by his side, he wasn't exactly helpless.
Yanfei may be a legal expert, but she was also half-adeptus and fully capable of setting people on fire.
And Hu Tao? She didn't just run a funeral parlor—she fueled it.
Anyone who forgot that the Wangsheng Hall straddled the line between life and death usually ended up... on the wrong side.
Meanwhile, their enemies?
Just Chayevich, who'd only just gotten his hands on a Delusion, and Levian, a glorified thief with a bad attitude.
The odds were in Xu Zheng's favor.
He could've ordered a takedown right then and there.
But he didn't.
Instead, he quietly signaled his people to shadow Chayevich from a distance.
Because that Delusion?
It meant there was someone pulling strings in the dark.
And Xu Zheng had no interest in smashing pawns when he could capture the king.
Letting Chayevich and Levian roam free wasn't mercy—it was strategy.
He'd let them squirm a little longer, draw out their puppet master.
Xu Zheng pulled back from the surveillance feed and stretched.
Hu Tao was draped all over him like a cheerful blanket, ignoring every concept of "personal space."
Her cheek smushed against his shoulder as she squinted into the viewfinder of the snapshot crystal.
"Here," Xu Zheng said, handing her the whole thing. "Knock yourself out. Spy on our enemies. Or take selfies. Dealer's choice."
Hu Tao giggled and took over surveillance duty like she was filming a reality show.
Back in Mondstadt...
Eula had returned from Liyue and, true to her noble upbringing and irrational levels of pride, refused to distribute Xu Zheng's gifts herself.
Not because she was ungrateful—quite the opposite.
But as a Laurence, even in the Knights of Favonius, there were still plenty who distrusted her.
If she handed out gifts, it might reflect badly on Xu Zheng.
So instead, she went to Jean, the ever-suffering Acting Grand Master, and asked her to distribute the Liyue specialties.
"Looks like someone made a new friend in Liyue," Jean said, raising an eyebrow and a knowing smile.
"He's just a normal friend," Eula replied far too quickly.
Jean didn't push. She didn't need to.
Anyone Eula called a "friend" was clearly anything but ordinary in her eyes.
As Eula turned to leave, Jean noticed something glinting on her wrist.
A delicate bracelet with a plum blossom charm—undeniably Liyue craftsmanship.
Jean smiled again, the dots connecting themselves in her head.
"By the way," she added casually, "Ningguang of the Liyue Qixing just proposed a trade deal. They're buying a massive shipment of rice. Thing is... I don't know who to send with it."
She shrugged dramatically.
"Bit of a headache, really."
Eula didn't hesitate.
"I'll go."
"Wonderful," Jean said, already smiling like a cat who'd just caught a bird.
Eula blinked. Wait.
She realized too late—she'd been set up.
"I'll remember this betrayal," she muttered darkly, storming out of the office.
Jean just waved her off, satisfied.
Watching Eula leave, she couldn't help but think—sending her to Liyue the first time had been the right call.
She'd returned lighter. Warmer. Almost... happy.
And now, thanks to Xu Zheng's gifts, the entire Knights of Favonius had a slightly higher opinion of the mysterious Liyue man.
+1 Favorability: Xu Zheng.
Back in Liyue...
"Xiao Xu Zheng, snuggles please," Ganyu said sweetly, climbing into his personal space like it was her job.
Since Eula had left, Ganyu had become unusually clingy—constantly asking for snuggles, forehead boops, or simply to lean on him like an emotionally overloaded cat.
"Alright," Xu Zheng chuckled, indulging her with a head pat. "Snuggle mode activated."
But Ganyu wasn't here just to flirt.
She switched into work mode like flipping a switch.
"Master, I need a small squad from the Millelith. Something strange is going on. The hilichurls seem to be searching for something."
Xu Zheng's mind kicked into high gear.
Hilichurl activity?
That always screamed Abyss Order.
He remembered from his past life (and 1000+ hours of Genshin gameplay) that the Abyss could communicate with hilichurls. Even command them.
This wasn't a coincidence.
"I can get you two or three Millelith squads," Ganyu said. "But manpower is stretched thin."
"That's fine. I just need them for a little side op," Xu Zheng said.
He laid out his plan.
By the end of it, Ganyu's eyes had gone wide with worry.
"Absolutely not. That's way too dangerous, Xu Zheng."
"I'll be fine," he reassured her. "I've gotten stronger lately. I can handle a couple thieves."
"I said no," Ganyu said firmly. "You're staying here. I'll take the squads myself."
"We go together," Xu Zheng insisted.
The two stared each other down.
Cue: Argument.
Meanwhile, in the back alleys of Liyue...
A rumor was spreading like wildfire.
Rice prices were about to plummet.
Someone—probably someone with insider access—was claiming that Liyue had imported a massive batch of rice from Mondstadt.
Enough to crash the market.
Liyue's merchants weren't fools. The smart ones moved fast—dumping their current stock before the price drop ruined them.
Word on the street said the rice was cheap. Abundant. Legit.
If it arrived safely, the entire Liyue economy would stabilize. Prices would fall across the board.
Inflation? Gone.
Rice scalpers? Screwed.
Merchants started selling off their rice and other goods immediately—trying to cash in before the market collapsed.
And in the shadows...
Chayevich heard the news.
He was losing his mind.
He'd bet everything on this scheme—hoarding rice, jacking up prices, destabilizing the market like a one-man economic apocalypse.
Now?
If this shipment landed, he'd lose everything.
He had one option left: consult Levian and pray the idiot thief still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
The convoy left Mondstadt like a festival parade—hundreds of carts loaded with grain, rumbling across the land toward Liyue.
It wasn't just a shipment.
It was a caravan of destiny.
And leading the charge?
Eula.
She was exhausted.
The trip from Mondstadt to Liyue was long, and there were monsters around every bend.
The convoy was huge—over a hundred carts deep.
If the rear got attacked, she had to sprint the length of a small nation to help.
Then when the front got ambushed?
Back she went.
It was endless.
Luckily, she wasn't alone.
Amber was with her—Knight of Favonius, master scout, chaos magnet.
Her auburn hair was tied in her signature bunny ears, and her Baron Bunny doll peeked out from under her arm like a sidekick with attitude.
"Hey, Eula! I heard you made new friends in Liyue. I can't wait to meet them!"
"You'll get your wish soon," Eula replied. "We're almost in Liyue territory."
"If they're your friends, they're my friends. I'm sure we'll get along great!"
As she spoke, Amber suddenly stopped. Her eyes narrowed.
"Something's wrong."
Eula didn't even hesitate.
"Convoy, halt!"
If Amber's instincts were ringing alarms, it meant trouble was near.
And trouble was always hungry.