While Xingqiu was fighting the Hilichurls alone, Hu Tao and Lu Lin had intended to step forward to assist and finish the battle quickly. But just as they moved—
Their vision suddenly went black.
A dizzying sensation overtook them.
When their sight returned, the surroundings had completely changed. Xingqiu and the Hilichurls were gone. They had arrived somewhere entirely unfamiliar.
"Where are we?" Lu Lin stayed calm despite the shock, drawing the sword he had just bought from Hanfeng Ironmongers.
"Hmm~ Looks like we triggered some mechanism and entered a secret domain," Hu Tao said, gripping her Staff of Homa, remaining vigilant.
They stood in a corridor. Large glowing pearls embedded in the walls illuminated the path.
But the black mist here was even thicker than outside. Even with the pearls, they could only see about three meters ahead. Beyond that—pitch darkness.
Lu Lin pried two glowing pearls from the wall—not out of greed, but for portable light.
He handed one to Hu Tao.
Unexpectedly, after taking the pearl, she grabbed his hand.
"Huh?"
The soft, smooth touch startled him.
"Hmm~ This ruin gives this Director a very bad feeling. To avoid accidents or getting separated… we need to hold on tighter."
So she meant literally holding tighter.
Perhaps because it was her first time holding a boy's hand, the usually bold Hu Tao showed a trace of shyness. Her explanation sounded stiff—clearly trying to justify it as a safety precaution.
Her little white ghost, displaced from its usual position at her fingertips, floated reluctantly to her shoulder instead.
"Yes, you're right. Being pulled into this domain was sudden. We definitely can't get separated again."
Lu Lin nodded solemnly.
Yes. All for safety.
Hu Tao's hand felt different from Ganyu's.
Ganyu's was cool.
Hu Tao's was unexpectedly warm—just like her personality, lively and passionate.
Hand in hand, they walked deeper into the corridor.
The passage was straight, with no clear direction, but the deeper they went, the thicker the black mist became—suggesting they were heading the right way.
After several minutes, they reached a tightly shut stone door.
Lu Lin tried pushing it. It didn't budge.
"There must be some mechanism nearby," Hu Tao said, scanning the area while still holding his hand.
Soon, they found a strange cube embedded beside the door.
It was made of smaller colored squares—some movable, some fixed.
Lu Lin leaned closer and couldn't help twitching.
It was basically a 3×3 Rubik's Cube.
"That must be the mechanism. But how do we solve it?" Hu Tao rotated it randomly without success.
"Let me try."
Though slightly different from a standard cube due to fixed pieces, Lu Lin had studied Rubik's Cubes back in school during a popular craze.
After about ten minutes of recalling algorithms and adjusting for the differences—
Click!
A mechanical sound echoed.
The stone door rumbled open.
"So each face has to be a single color! What a magical mechanism. Lu Lin, you're amazing!"
Hu Tao patted his shoulder sincerely.
Even her little ghost floated forward approvingly.
"It's not difficult—you just haven't seen it before. I can teach you sometime."
"Deal!" Hu Tao's eyes sparkled with interest.
While he was solving the cube, she had leaned very close to observe, their heads nearly touching.
Now that the tension eased, the faint scent of plum blossoms lingered in his nose.
Almost unconsciously, he tightened his grip on her warm hand.
"The door's open. Shall we?"
"Mm~ Let's go."
She stiffened briefly at his initiative but, remembering she had been the one to suggest holding hands, allowed it.
"We need to be careful," Hu Tao said more seriously now. "My sense of unease is stronger."
"Stronger?"
Lu Lin frowned.
He had initially felt nervous too—but oddly, the deeper they went, the calmer he felt.
Hu Tao was famously fearless—even spending nights at Wuwang Hill. Why would her unease increase?
Even her little ghost seemed subdued.
They stepped into a wide hall.
Rumble!
The stone door slammed shut behind them.
"Careful!"
Hu Tao swept her spear sideways, knocking away arrows that shot from the darkness.
"Yaaah!"
A group of Hilichurls rushed out, surrounding them.
These ones were unusually frenzied.
"Protect yourself. I'll handle them!"
Hu Tao twirled her spear. Flames burst from its tip as she leapt into battle.
She used the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's secret spear techniques—graceful yet deadly. Like a butterfly dancing through chaos, she moved effortlessly among the monsters.
Within moments, all the Hilichurls were defeated.
She landed lightly, spear angled, heroic and composed.
Lu Lin opened his mouth to praise her—
But—
"Hu Tao!!!"
The girl suddenly fell backward stiffly, collapsing onto the ground.