Upon returning to the Jade Chamber, Ningguang had also just gotten back.
Judging by her expression, she seemed to be in a good mood.
"Have you retrieved the item?"
"Of course. I chose a Liyue-style grotto-heaven. It should be to everyone's liking."
"Mm, the style doesn't matter. As long as it's a place to live," Ningguang nodded lightly. She didn't really care about the style of the grotto-heaven. It was just a place of residence, after all. As long as the houses inside were well-furnished, it would be fine.
Soon, Ningguang's gaze was drawn to the tall woman behind Su Han.
Didn't he just go to retrieve a grotto-heaven? Why did he bring back a beautiful woman?
Ningguang frowned. "And she is?"
"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Shenhe, a disciple of Cloud Retainer. You could also call her Ganyu's junior sister," Su Han explained. "When I went to Madame Ping's, I happened to run into Cloud Retainer. She said her disciple needed to descend the mountain for training and experience, so she asked me to take care of her for a while."
Su Han's explanation was seamless.
Of course it was; did he have a choice? The woman was looking at him with murder in her eyes.
Hearing that she was the disciple of an adeptus, Ningguang felt a wave of relief wash over her. She turned to Shenhe with a smile. "Hello, I am the Tianquan, Ningguang. Welcome."
"Oh." Shenhe gave a cold nod, her face devoid of any expression.
Mona looked her up and down, thinking to herself, So this is a legendary disciple of the adepti? This is the first time I've ever seen one.
Ningguang was already used to the attitudes of the adepti, so she didn't pay it much mind.
The grotto-heaven was inside the teapot. To link it with the Jade Chamber naturally required an adeptal talisman.
Following Madame Ping's instructions, Su Han linked the entrance of the grotto-heaven to a door in a room on the second floor.
With a flash of light, the connection was successful.
Mona looked at the small world inside the teapot and couldn't help but exclaim, "My heavens! Is this the power of Liyue's adepti? This is too magical!"
No wonder the old hag had told her never to provoke the adepti of Liyue, or even she wouldn't be able to sort it out.
It was clearly a teapot, but a whole world was hidden inside. Truly incredible.
Walking into the grotto-heaven, they were greeted by groves of peach trees. Pink petals floated on the wind, like a dreamland.
Past the peach groves, they could see a lake, with houses built around its shore. Nearby was a bamboo forest.
Ningguang smiled. "Just looking at a place like this is a pleasure."
In the past, she had heard stories of how magical the realms within teapots were, but because she wasn't very familiar with Madame Ping, she naturally wouldn't have dared to ask for one. Now, seeing it with her own eyes, she finally understood how comfortable the lives of the adepti were.
Beidou nodded. "It really is beautiful. It makes me want to move in. Unfortunately, I'm the type of person who can't stay still."
Although she yearned for a place like this, living here was out of the question. She still had a whole crew of people to support.
Su Han smiled. "You can choose a house first. In the future, when you have time, or when you retire, it would be a fine thing to come and live here."
"Hm? You've got a point there, haha! In that case, I'd be a fool to refuse."
In the end, Beidou chose a house in a more remote location. She wouldn't be coming often, perhaps not even once in several months, so it was better to choose a spot that was out of the way.
Ningguang chose the highest house, one that overlooked the entire lake. Mona casually picked one. Su Han's house was next to Ningguang's.
At that moment, Beidou looked at Shenhe and asked, "Aren't you going to choose a house?"
Cloud Retainer had sent her here for training. It wouldn't be right for her to live outside.
Shenhe looked at Su Han and said something astonishing. "I will be living with him. There is no need for me to choose a house."
That one sentence captured everyone's attention.
Beidou was dumbfounded, not understanding the situation at all.
An unmarried man and woman living together?
Mona's small mouth opened, her gaze darting back and forth between Su Han and Shenhe. She felt like her brain cells weren't enough to process this.
Wait. These two… could they have some kind of unspeakable secret?
Ningguang looked at Su Han, her face expressionless, as if waiting for an explanation.
She knew there was more to this story. From the very beginning, this adeptus disciple's gaze had not once left Su Han.
Feeling Ningguang's gaze on him, as sharp as a sword, Su Han quickly tried to explain. "Well, listen to my specious argument—no, wait, listen to my explanation! Shenhe's situation is a bit special. That's why she needs to live with me."
"What kind of special situation requires living together? If you're going to make an excuse, at least make it a believable one," Ningguang said, so angry she almost laughed.
His excuse was too lame. It wouldn't even fool the ordinary women outside.
However, Shenhe spoke up with a deadpan expression. "My fate is one of solitary calamity, and he has a Pure Yang Body that can suppress my baleful energy."
"A calamitous fate? What's that?" Mona didn't understand the Liyue terminology.
Su Han explained, "You can think of it as, Shenhe has a powerful force within her body, but she can't control it. It can even go out of control. And I have a Pure Yang Body. Staying with me can suppress the baleful energy inside her. Anyway, that's how it is."
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