"Hm?"
Xu Ning stopped mid-motion, took a hearty swig of wine, and walked over to gently tap Beidou on the head.
"What do you mean by 'silly'? This is advanced martial arts. Ordinary people wouldn't understand it."
He picked up a wooden pot lid with a handle from the stove and handed it to Beidou.
"This is a shield. Hold it in your left hand—it's for protecting your body."
Then he picked out a stick of suitable thickness from the firewood pile, carefully removing any splinters, and handed it to her.
"This is your sword. Right hand, for attacking. Now, come at me!"
Beidou found it fun and, giggling, swung the stick down with all her strength.
Xu Ning shifted slightly and easily dodged her attack.
Her strikes were wild, straight, and lacked technique.
Xu Ning simply held one hand behind his back, swigged from his wine gourd with the other, and relied solely on footwork to dodge all of Beidou's attacks.
No matter how many times she struck, not even the corner of his clothing was touched.
The little girl's competitive spirit flared, and her mood grew impatient.
"This useless thing isn't helping at all!"
She tossed aside the "pot-lid shield" in frustration, glanced at the firewood pile, and then threw away the "stick sword" as well.
From the pile, she grabbed a long wooden pole, holding it with both hands, and grinned.
"I'll use this long one! Don't cry if it hurts!"
Xu Ning looked at the discarded "sword" and "shield," then at Beidou.
That stick was far too long—neither a proper club nor a spear.
Yet she held it with both hands, set her stance… Beidou clearly loved greatswords!
"This won't work. You'll lack defense and flexibility. If you miss your target, you'll get hurt. When you get your Vision, you can play like this."
Xu Ning spoke earnestly, but the little girl ignored him.
With a loud "Heh!" she charged forward.
Xu Ning sighed and took a swig of wine.
"Then use your body to feel it—I'm going on the offensive!"
He leaned back into an iron bridge stance, the long pole sweeping across his face.
Beidou missed, and before she could retract it, Xu Ning pivoted with crossed steps.
A punch shot upward from below, landing at her brow.
"Snap."
His middle finger lightly tapped Beidou's forehead.
"Hit!"
The little girl's cheeks flushed with a mix of shame and irritation. She swung the pole back at Xu Ning's head.
He stumbled forward but dodged just in time.
Then, using his waist, he turned the stumble into a backward lean, his head nearly bumping into her small belly.
Looking up, Xu Ning smiled, took another swig of wine, and aimed again at her forehead.
"Hit again!"
"Hit again!"
"Keep hitting!"
"Hit! Hit! Hit… you were enjoying that just now, weren't you!"
Beidou then clamped her right arm around Xu Ning's neck, pulling him to the ground, and pounded him on the head with her left hand.
Xu Ning loudly begged for mercy and reminded her to add more wood to the stove before she finally relented, rubbing her red brow.
He tossed two pieces of firewood under the pot, pointing at the lid on the ground.
"See, if you had this shield earlier, you could've blocked my punches easily. Even if you miss me, you'd already be in a strong defensive position…"
Xu Ning patiently guided her, still determined to train Beidou into Teyvat's ultimate sword-and-shield fighter.
But Beidou was clearly uninterested. She propped her chin on her small hands, tilting her head while inspecting the firewood pile.
As if she were searching for a weapon that could defeat Xu Ning.
Xu Ning shook his head with amusement, lifted the pot lid on the stove, and tasted the soup.
He added a bit more salt, tossed in some mushrooms clinging to the edge, and replaced the lid.
Once the meat was fully cooked, he served two large pieces to Beidou, letting her take the bowl back inside to eat.
He filled a bowl for himself and carried it to the old village chief.
"You're thoughtful. But you two have suffered a lot and are still growing. Keep it for yourselves. I'm old—one more mouthful doesn't matter."
Xu Ning stubbornly left the bowl there.
"I actually came to ask a favor. If you have some free time in the next few days, could you take us to the Wangshu Inn? It shouldn't be far from the village, right?"
The old chief looked at the boy in surprise—he'd lost count of how many times he'd seen this child impress him.
"You know the Wangshu Inn? You've been there?"
Xu Ning shook his head honestly. "No. I just know the name. I've also heard that merchants from Liyue and Mondstadt often pass through. I wanted to see if I could earn some Mora and buy Beidou a few clothes."
The old chief looked into Xu Ning's eyes. "I have some savings. At least I can help you get some winter clothes…"
Xu Ning smiled.
"Thank you, sir. I'll try it myself first. If I can't manage, I'll ask you later."
The old chief smiled, looking up at the sky.
"Looks like good weather tomorrow. I was planning to catch a few fish anyway. I'll take you there in the morning."
Xu Ning thanked the chief and returned to his room.
To his surprise, Beidou wasn't eating the meat. She sat quietly on a bench, waiting for him.
Xu Ning affectionately ruffled her hair. "Waiting for me to eat together?"
The little girl rolled her eyes and held up an empty bowl.
"Waiting for your wine. Meat alone isn't fun—pour me a bowl!"
Xu Ning's hand froze, staring at her tiny hands holding the big bowl.
He felt a deep pang of guilt.
After filling their bellies, Beidou, slightly tipsy, leaned against Xu Ning, murmuring softly.
"These past two days feel like a dream. Since meeting you, I don't have to worry about anything."
"Xu Ning… why are you so good to me?"
Xu Ning, having sipped wine throughout the day, now felt a little drunk.
He tilted his head, thinking carefully.
"Why…?"
"Maybe because the first person I saw was you."
"Maybe because you were willing to give me your only food."
"Maybe because I didn't want to see you walk that hard path again."
"Someone in the sky called me here, gave me this Vision. I think they wanted me to do something, but didn't say what. So I'll do it my way."
"All the pain before… we'll just treat it as a memory. I won't let you go through it again!"
The next day, Xu Ning woke early.
He told Beidou they were going to the Wangshu Inn. Though she didn't know where it was, the little girl was excited.
The old village chief carried fishing nets on his shoulder and a wooden bucket in hand.
Beidou eagerly offered to carry the fishing rod, and Xu Ning took a small bag of bait.
The three boarded a small boat, the chief using the pole to slowly guide them toward the Wangshu Inn.