Seeing this situation, Yuto didn't hesitate. He leaped directly from the peak of Mt. Tianheng, unfurling his Wind Glider behind him, and glided towards the abandoned village.
As Yuto approached, he finally got a clear view of the situation from mid-air. He saw a white-haired woman with a long braided ponytail wielding a spear, fighting six individuals dressed as Treasure Hoarders.
Although the woman was alone with just her spear, and the Treasure Hoarders seemed to have the advantage due to their numbers, the battle's progression was completely different from what one might expect.
The woman wielded her spear with one hand and talismans with the other. Yuto even seemed to see a white figure assisting her in battle. Fighting six opponents, she not only held her ground but also steadily pushed back the Treasure Hoarders, who quickly began to suffer casualties.
By the time Yuto landed near the village, all the Treasure Hoarders had been defeated by the woman. Seeing that she was too formidable, the Treasure Hoarders quickly retreated. The woman didn't pursue them but instead turned her gaze towards Yuto, pointing her spear at him, seemingly ready for battle at any moment.
Yuto quickly raised both hands in a gesture of peace and said, "Don't misunderstand, I was just passing by and came to check on the situation. I'm not with those Treasure Hoarders. Huh? Are you Shenhe, Cloud Retainer's disciple?"
Indeed, this formidable and elegant woman was Shenhe.
However, to Yuto's surprise, after Shenhe heard his words, she didn't relax her guard; instead, she became even more cautious.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Shenhe was certain she had never seen Yuto before, yet he recognized her at first glance. This made Shenhe highly wary of the person in front of her.
Although Yuto really wanted to blurt out, "With a net height of 174.85 cm, hip circumference of 97.28 cm, waist circumference of 51.98 cm, and most importantly, a bust of 85.92 cm (international size 65F, UK size 30F), as one of the allogenes with the most ample chest, it would be hard to mistake you!"
But if he really said that, the calamity queller in her hand would probably be thrust directly at him.
"Wait a minute, I know your Senior Sister Ganyu. I'm her friend. My name is Uchiha Yuto, you can just call me Yuto. I heard about you from her. Also, isn't your outfit the same as Ganyu's? Is Cloud Retainer so stingy? One outfit split into three parts."
Although Yuto said this, he couldn't help but admire that woman's aesthetic. Look at Ganyu and Shenhe, these two disciples, clad in tight black silk, completely covered yet incredibly alluring.
On the surface, they wore modest clothing with no exposed skin, but it still gave off a very alluring vibe, stunning yet not vulgar, making people unable to look away.
Upon hearing this, Shenhe's guard lowered slightly. At the same time, she unconsciously looked down at her top, but her view was obstructed by something ineffable. Recalling the outfit bestowed by her master, it did seem to be true.
However, wasn't it only split between herself and Senior Sister Ganyu? Why did he say it was split into three parts? And who got the other part? Shenhe felt too embarrassed to ask Yuto, a strange male, about such a thing.
Shenhe performed a flourish with her spear, retracting the calamity queller behind her, which signified the lifting of her hostility towards Yuto. Yuto also breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to step forward to greet her, he saw Shenhe instinctively take a step back. It seemed that lifting her hostility didn't mean she had relaxed her guard, so Yuto stopped approaching.
"Shenhe, aren't you cultivating with Cloud Retainer on Mt. Aocang? Why are you here, and fighting with Treasure Hoarders?"
Shenhe didn't want to explain the real reason to Yuto. Should she tell him that she decided to descend the mountain because she couldn't find food on Mt. Aocang?
Shenhe pointed her spear at the abandoned village and said, "Master sent me down the mountain to experience the mortal world. This place was once my home. I came back to look, but I didn't expect it to have been abandoned for many years, and the remaining houses had become a Treasure Hoarders' outpost. As soon as I approached, they tried to attack me. You saw what happened next."
As Shenhe spoke, a hint of complex emotion, which should have been restrained by the red ropes binding her seven emotions and six desires, flickered in her eyes. It was unclear whether it was a longing for home, resentment towards her father, or something else.
Yuto sat directly on the ground where he was, not disturbing Shenhe's moment of contemplation.
When Shenhe came back to her senses, she also asked Yuto, "And how did you come to be here?"
Yuto pointed to Mt. Tianheng in the distance and said, "After eating too much for lunch, I thought I'd climb Mt. Tianheng to walk it off. I was enjoying the beautiful scenery from the peak of Mt. Tianheng when I saw a burst of ice element light over here. Curious, I flew over to check it out."
Upon hearing this, Shenhe glanced at Mt. Tianheng and then silently nodded. Her wariness of Yuto decreased by another notch. It sounded like a mere coincidence, not an intentional act.
However, when Shenhe heard Yuto mention eating too much for lunch, her stomach suddenly, and uncooperatively, let out a faint protest. Although very subtle, Yuto still heard it, and the two suddenly fell into an inexplicable awkward silence.
"Uh... I still have three steamed buns here. They're cold, but maybe you can make do for now?"
Yuto took out three steamed buns he had packed earlier from Wanmin Restaurant. Shenhe saw the three steamed buns and fell into an internal struggle.
She hadn't really eaten anything since coming down the mountain. From Jueyun Karst to Lisha, she had only picked a few Berries along the way and drank some water to quench her thirst, but these things were clearly just a drop in the ocean, not even enough to fill a tooth gap for her.
She had no money and no concept of needing to pay for things. She had originally thought of searching the Treasure Hoarders after defeating them to see if there was any food, but Yuto's sudden arrival prevented her from pursuing the fleeing Treasure Hoarders.
Shenhe looked at the steamed buns Yuto offered for a long time before finally saying, "You eat a bite first."
Yuto readily broke off a piece from each of the three steamed buns, put them into his mouth, chewed a few times, and then swallowed.
Seeing this, Shenhe then accepted the steamed buns Yuto handed her. Feeling the faint residual warmth on the buns, Shenhe ate in small, delicate bites. Although she appeared very ladylike, she would have seemed even more so if her eating pace had been slightly slower.
Soon, all three steamed buns were in Shenhe's stomach. At this point, Shenhe finally said to Yuto, "Thank you."