The once-clean training ground was now a complete mess.
And the two protagonists of the duel were still standing there.
One of them was covered in blood, wounds crisscrossing his body.
The other looked completely unscathed.
The injured one was Jia Changjiang.
The condensed storm had carved countless cuts across his body, leaving him battered from head to toe. Jean, on the other hand… hadn't suffered any real injuries.
Yet no matter who you asked, the winner of this duel was obvious.
Jia Changjiang had won.
The massive battle axe hovered just above Jean's body, forcibly halted mid-swing by Jia Changjiang's own strength.
Meanwhile, the Knights of Favonius sword in Jean's hand—once of decent quality—had snapped cleanly in two.
The reason Jean wasn't hurt was simple:
the moment he severed her blade, Jia Changjiang had withdrawn his strike.
What he wanted was victory—not Jean's life.
"I… won!"
Jia Changjiang laughed, utterly unconcerned with the wounds covering his body, and pulled his axe back.
As he did, Jean staggered slightly, nearly losing her balance.
"Jean!"
"Acting Grand Master!"
Klee and Amber rushed over immediately, worry written all over their faces.
Jean gently waved Amber's hand away, then turned toward Jia Changjiang—who was leaning on his axe to catch his breath—and gave him a formal knight's salute.
"Thank you for your guidance, Sir Jax."
"Guidance? Come on, I didn't teach you anything."
Jia Changjiang waved it off casually.
"That was your Vision, your conviction. It has nothing to do with me."
A bright, satisfied grin spread across his face.
"But I had a hell of a good fight today. For that, I should be thanking you, Jean."
[Defeat the Dandelion Knight — Jean! Completed!]
[Mission Reward: Counter Strike Storm — distributing…]
"No, Sir Jax," Jean replied calmly, still humble as ever.
"This battle showed me how much I still lack. And during the duel… you held back more than once."
She looked at the wounds covering him and continued,
"If you don't mind, please allow me to heal you. And… to provide you with a change of clothes. I'm truly sorry for injuring you so badly."
"If I had better control over my elemental power…"
There was a trace of self-blame in her voice.
Jia Changjiang glanced down at himself—his clothes shredded, his body full of cuts, looking every bit like a beggar.
"…I'll take you up on that."
Now was not the time to be polite.
With his consent, Jean once again stirred the Anemo around her.
The wind that had moments ago been sharp as blades now became gentle and soothing.
As it brushed over Jia Changjiang's body, his wounds visibly began to heal.
Even though he had already seen plenty of elemental wonders, watching his injuries recover before his eyes still made Jia Changjiang poke at his skin in amazement.
Then he looked up—
—and saw Klee puffing out her cheeks at him.
"You big liar!"
Klee pointed at him angrily.
"You're obviously the guy who challenged Jean! And you lied to me and said you weren't!"
"Hahaha!"
Seeing Klee sulking like that only made Jia Changjiang laugh harder.
"Klee, don't point at people like that," Jean said gently, pressing Klee's hand down.
"It's fine, it's fine. I don't mind."
Jia Changjiang looked at Jean.
"Today's challenge must've delayed a lot of your work. Sorry about that."
"To think someone could reach this level without relying on a Vision or external power…"
Lisa watched him with renewed interest sparkling in her eyes.
"Looks like all my preparations ended up being unnecessary," Kaeya said with a helpless shrug.
"Then why don't you go find him some clothes, Kaeya?" Lisa added sweetly.
"…Why me?"
"Because," Lisa said as lightning crackled faintly at her fingertips,
"aside from Sir Jax over there, you're the only man left here."
"…I'll go. I'm going."
Kaeya promptly retreated.
Meanwhile, Jean and Jia Changjiang continued talking.
"Sir Jax, what do you plan to do next?" Jean asked politely.
Jia Changjiang thought for a moment.
He didn't really have any grand plans.
"Probably just keep taking commissions… and keep challenging strong people."
"If you don't mind, perhaps you could consider joining the Knights of Favonius—"
"Let's skip that."
Jia Changjiang cut her off with a laugh.
"I'm used to being free. Besides, exploring outside Mondstadt as a regular adventurer suits me just fine."
Then he added reassuringly,
"But don't worry. If the Knights ever need help, I'll be there."
"…I see."
Jean looked a little disappointed, but she didn't press the issue.
As for Jia Changjiang, he found himself wondering—
When would the Traveler finally arrive in Teyvat?
And would it be Aether… or Lumine?
Very few people knew about Jia Changjiang's challenge against Jean—only a small circle, and even fewer knew the final outcome.
Later that night—
"Charles! Two more bottles of dandelion wine!"
Inside Angel's Share, Jia Changjiang shouted toward the counter.
"Coming right up."
Charles carried the bottles over, just in time to see Jia Changjiang and Venti playing finger guessing.
"Ha! I won! I drink!"
Venti grabbed his glass and gulped it down happily.
"B-Bullshit!" Jia Changjiang slurred back, already drunk.
"It's the loser who drinks!"
And with that, he lifted his own glass and drank anyway.
Charles could only shake his head.
At this hour, these two were always the last ones still drinking.
He'd long since gotten into the habit of counting how much they drank—thankfully, they usually kept to a corner of the tavern. Otherwise, Mondstadt's infamous "Four Kings of Alcohol" might've needed two new members.
Just as Charles was thinking that, the tavern door opened.
Diluc walked in.
"Master Diluc," Charles greeted respectfully.
"Where's Jax?" Diluc asked bluntly.
"Second floor. Drinking with that bard he's always with."
With that answer, Diluc headed upstairs—and immediately spotted a thoroughly drunk Jia Changjiang.
"Mm… Jax, someone's here to see you… hic."
Venti let out a small burp and poked Jia Changjiang lazily.
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