"Ahhh～"
In this lively district, Bonanus stretched vigorously. All this walking around had really tired her out.
"So satisfying! Shopping like this is literally every girl's dream!" Bonanus took a deep breath and sighed happily.
"Mm... indeed..." Xiao responded flatly, though his tone carried a hint of exhaustion.
Seems even the Conqueror of Demons could feel fatigue after his first real shopping experience.
After all, a woman's shopping ability was terrifying. They could circle the same area dozens of times, seemingly never getting bored!
Even if they knew the merchandise displayed wasn't to their liking, they'd still take another look.
And Bonanus? No exception.
This repetitive circling left Xiao, trailing behind her, completely baffled.
Hadn't they already looked at all this several times? Why go through it again?
Xiao couldn't figure it out. He couldn't understand Sister Bonanus at all—it felt like women's shopping possessed some kind of mysterious power...
"It's almost time, Sister Bonanus." Xiao exhaled wearily, gently shaking his arm to loosen it as he reminded her.
Hearing this, Bonanus instinctively looked around. People who had been shopping were all stopping now, each holding a Xiao lantern.
Every lantern was different—some handmade, others bought directly from merchants.
Seeing this scene, Bonanus's eyes lit up. Back when she'd watched the Lantern Rite cutscenes in her previous life, those beautiful visuals had stunned her.
Now, standing here, about to witness this magnificent sight in person, Bonanus felt a surge of happiness.
"You're right, Alatus. Let's head to Sister Ping's place—it's been so long since we've all gathered!" Bonanus turned to Xiao with a grin.
Xiao nodded slightly. He really didn't want to stay in such a crowded place a moment longer. Normally at this time, he'd be sitting alone, quietly watching.
Suddenly integrating into the crowd, facing so many stares—it made him uncomfortable.
"Hey! Little sis! Alatus!"
Just as they were about to head to Yujin Terrace together, a familiar gruff voice suddenly called out from behind.
Both Bonanus and Xiao recognized who it was immediately. That booming voice could only belong to Bosacius.
"Big Brother Bosacius! Over here!" Bonanus turned and waved enthusiastically. She'd been shopping so long she'd nearly forgotten about him.
Seeing this, Bosacius quickly jogged over. Stopping before them, he lightly wiped the sweat from his brow. Finally found these two.
"Big Brother! You made it! I hear Liyue's main event is about to start—let's hurry to Yujin Terrace!"
After saying this, Bonanus thoughtfully pulled a pink cloth from her pocket. She'd bought it earlier because it looked nice, though she hadn't known what to use it for.
Might as well give it to Bosacius to wipe his sweat.
"Oh? Little sis is so thoughtful!" Bosacius smiled gently and took the pink cloth, wiping his brow.
Seeing this, Bonanus nodded with satisfaction. See? Real men wear pink!
She'd always believed that every big, tough guy had a pink heart!
"Let's talk as we walk! That was absolutely scorching!" Bosacius exhaled several puffs of hot air, then started forward.
Bonanus and Xiao exchanged glances, both looking puzzled. Scorching? That would explain why Bosacius's usually light purple skin had turned somewhat dark red.
Curious, Bonanus walked beside him and asked, "Big Brother, did you eat something earlier? You look like you're burning up."
Hearing this, Bosacius shook his head ruefully, a pained expression on his face.
"While tasting those competition dishes earlier, I ran into a plate of Jueyun Chili Chicken..."
Earlier, at the cooking competition, Bosacius had just wanted to quietly observe as part of the audience.
But somehow, the Liyue folks spotted him, pushed him forward to be a judge, and then... well, he ended up tasting dishes.
All the chefs were skilled, each with their own specialties. But if he had to pick a winner, he thought Xiangling from Wanmin Restaurant had a slight edge.
Sure, that girl's dishes weren't the prettiest, but the flavor was genuinely delicious. That deserved recognition.
And so, Xiangling of Wanmin Restaurant won that cook-off. Since an adeptus had personally judged, no one questioned the result.
The competition's theme had been creating dishes that adepti would love, so having an adeptus as a judge made perfect sense.
All the dishes were excellent—except for one from a chef who'd recently returned from abroad. He was the last to present, and his dish made Bosacius eat with pure agony.
That guy had loaded it with Jueyun Chilis! Good grief! Did he love spice that much? In Bosacius's memory, not many adepti enjoyed spicy food!
That single dish had Bosacius practically smoking from his mouth—it was way too spicy! How did someone like that even become a chef?
Though the dish left Bosacius looking pained, he persevered and finished judging all the entries.
Afterward, he quickly waved modestly to the crowd, then whoosh—vanished.
That's why he was sweating so much...
"You were tasting dishes? So Big Brother became a judge at that competition?" Bonanus tilted her head, eyeing Bosacius's slightly swollen lips curiously.
"The enthusiastic crowd pushed me into being a judge. But I didn't expect that last chef's dish to have such destructive power." Bosacius smiled bitterly. The taste still lingered, stimulating his taste buds. Pretty terrifying, honestly.
"What?! Big Brother went off to eat without us!" Bonanus planted her hands on her hips, putting on an angry pout.
Earlier, he'd pulled her back from the crowd, not letting her in. And now, as soon as she left, he'd slipped in to eat by himself!
"That does sound like something Bosacius would do." Xiao crossed his arms and nodded affirmatively.
"You two! Your big brother's suffered enough, and you still show no mercy." Bosacius rubbed his spicy, numb lips, his tone helpless.
"All I know is, Big Brother sneaked off to eat while we weren't around." Bonanus inwardly gloated. Serves you right! See what happens when you sneak off alone?
"Uh... anyway, let's just get to Yujin Terrace and find Sister Ping." Bosacius shook his head.
He wiped his face with the pink cloth again. If his tongue weren't so numb, he'd definitely fire back!
Hearing this, Bonanus and Xiao nodded slightly. They knew he was changing the subject, but they didn't call him out on it.
"We'd better speed up. It'd be awful if the lanterns started rising while we're still on the way!"