Led by Yanfei, the three entered the small courtyard behind the house.
The courtyard had the stone tables and chairs that Bonanus vaguely remembered. Tea and various pastries were already laid out upon them.
Seated at the stone table were two people Bonanus knew intimately—Ping and Ganyu.
That Ganyu, always so busy with work, hadn't been delayed and was actually here on time. Bonanus found this quite surprising.
The moment Ganyu spotted the three entering, her face lit up with joy. She welcomed them with a gentle smile.
"Welcome, welcome! Please have a seat!"
The three nodded in acknowledgment, and each found a spot to sit. Bonanus ended up between Yanfei and Xiao.
Bosacius sat beside Ganyu, and the group settled in, casually chatting about various topics.
After a while, Ganyu tilted her head in slight confusion. She'd finally noticed the drawings on Bonanus's and Bosacius's faces—the lighting had been too dim earlier.
She stared at those markings, falling into deep thought. Was this some new trend in Liyue?
Being constantly immersed in her work, she was out of touch with such things. Perhaps she'd fallen behind the times. With this in mind, she voiced her question.
"May I ask if the patterns on your faces hold some special significance?"
Bonanus and Bosacius exchanged awkward glances and scratched their cheeks. Nothing significant—just the result of losing at games.
Granny Ping, who had been quietly gazing at the night sky, turned her head upon hearing their conversation. Her kind, benevolent smile remained.
"Back in the day, when they ended up like this, it usually meant they'd lost at games." Granny Ping hit the nail on the head.
In the past, she'd often been pestered into playing card games with them. So she could tell at a glance why those markings adorned their faces.
"Is that so?" Ganyu nodded, suddenly understanding.
"Ah... my luck wasn't great this time." Bosacius chuckled sheepishly.
"Heh, Great Marshal Bosacius returns after all these years and doesn't even think to visit this old woman." Granny Ping poured them all some fine tea as she spoke lightly.
"Haha, I had other matters to attend to, you know? We Yaksha are quite busy." Bosacius offered a perfectly reasonable excuse.
The truth? Bosacius hadn't been busy at all these past few days. His mind had been entirely focused on having fun.
"Alright, I'll believe you." Granny Ping shook her head helplessly.
"Having so many adepti gather together for Lantern Rite like this is truly rare. In past years, such a thing almost never happened." Ganyu remarked softly in her gentle voice.
"The main reason we can gather this time is because Sister Bonanus and Bosacius have returned." Xiao raised his teacup, taking a small sip as he spoke calmly.
"I'm truly happy for you, Senior Xiao." Ganyu pressed a hand to her chest, her smile radiant. Finally, the companions who had once upheld the contract alongside Xiao were back.
She hoped Senior Xiao could gradually open up to others!
Hearing this, Xiao nodded slightly, then spoke evenly.
"These two surpass me in certain aspects. If you ever have the opportunity, you should seek their guidance."
Ganyu nodded gently at this, once again pressing her hand to her chest.
"Then I may need to trouble you both in the future."
(A/N: The official lore doesn't specify exact ages for these adepti, so please don't dwell on it here.)
"No trouble at all! You're always welcome to find me, Miss Ganyu." Bonanus said enthusiastically. Who could refuse a gentle and adorable Ganyu?
"You can come to me for combat matters. My experience far exceeds Alatus's." Bosacius patted his chest confidently.
Xiao didn't react much to this statement. Bosacius had always had more combat experience—both in the past and now.
Truth be told, with Ganyu's martial prowess and intellect, she didn't truly need to seek instruction from others. Everyone knew her work efficiency and combat ability.
As a half-adeptus, she was far from frail, especially with her Qilin bloodline. But that was simply her nature—nothing to be done about it.
Watching them chat so animatedly, Granny Ping, who had been quietly sipping tea, spoke up once more.
"Oh, that reminds me. To welcome your return, I've prepared some small gifts for you."
"Oho! I knew it!" Bosacius laughed heartily. He'd guessed correctly—Ping really had prepared gifts for them.
"Haha, these gifts aren't valuable, but they represent my feelings." Granny Ping smiled gently. She glanced toward Yanfei, who was sitting nearby, seemingly communicating through eye contact.
Seeing this, Yanfei immediately nodded. She stood up and quickly hurried inside, returning with several beautiful Xiao lanterns.
"I asked Yanfei to purchase these earlier. I knew you'd be 'too busy' to make your own lanterns, so I prepared them in advance." Granny Ping chuckled lightly.
"Ping really thinks of everything!" Bosacius gave a thumbs up. Truly, one could always count on Ping.
"This gift means a lot to us." Bonanus clapped happily, beaming. They'd missed the lantern-making process, but not the lantern-releasing step.
This gift seemed ordinary, but for two people who had never released Xiao lanterns before, it held unique significance.
Just as Bonanus finished speaking, people in the distance began slowly releasing their Xiao lanterns into the sky. One by one, beautiful lanterns came into view.
In an instant, all of Liyue Harbor lit up. Glowing lights filled every street and alley, dazzling to behold.
If one looked down from the Jade Chamber, they would surely sigh in awe at the breathtaking sight. Like precious paintings, everyone would want to preserve this moment forever.
"Alatus! It's starting! It's starting!" Bonanus excitedly patted Xiao's thigh. She was overflowing with anticipation.
"It's time to release your wishes." Granny Ping set down her teacup, gazing at the group before her.
Hearing this, everyone nodded. None refused—such an opportunity was truly precious.
Borrowing paper and brushes from Yanfei, Bonanus and the others wrote their wishes on blank strips. Once finished, they attached them to their respective Xiao lanterns.
Taking their lanterns, they lit the fuel inside and waited for them to slowly ascend.
Soon, the burning fuel heated the air within the lanterns.
The internal density decreased, causing the lanterns to rise. As the original air was expelled, the lanterns became lighter, and the buoyancy of the air lifted them upward.
The lanterns carried everyone's slips of paper as they slowly rose, drifting into the distance with people's wishes. Where would they go? No one knew, but surely, they would drift toward places touched by wind.
The group watched the ascending lanterns, and before they knew it, everyone was captivated by the beautiful sight.
Xiao gazed at his own lantern. Unconsciously, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
After so many years guarding Liyue, amidst the countless lights of thousands of homes, there was finally a lantern shining just for him.
---
The wish slips:
Yanfei: Hope that when dealing with legal matters in the future, I don't always get stuck with annoying minor cases!
Ganyu: Hope I can work even harder and improve my efficiency. Also hope Senior Xiao can gradually open up to others.
Bosacius: Hope I can stay by my family's side and truly experience the life of ordinary people.
Xiao: Wish for my family's well-being.
Bonanus: Hope my life in this other world becomes a little more rich and colorful! And hope I can soon find Xiao's two remaining family members!