"Mr. Xia, I heard from Kaeya that you donated quite a bit of money to help with Mondstadt's repairs."
"Actually, the money has nothing to do with me. It was all from them."
"Then I really must thank them."
"Captain Jean, if you're going to thank someone, you should show some sincerity. You ought to tell them that yourself."
"Ah, as you can see, Mr. Xia, I'm so busy right now. I don't have the time to go out."
"Busy, indeed. But did Captain Jean have time for lunch today?"
"…What are you implying, Mr. Xia?"
"Yesterday, I ran into a few friends from Liyue while in Mondstadt. I thought I'd make a table full of dishes and invite them all over to gather."
"I… I'd love to go, but… I really can't make it… I'm sorry."
"I understand. Duty comes first. When Captain Jean has time, I'll organize another dinner. No need to dwell on it."
"Mm."
When the massage ended, Jean felt as though she hadn't moved a muscle while lying on the table—yet her body was drenched in sweat, as if she'd just gone through an intense workout.
Xia Zhi went over and, with considerate care, brewed her a cup of tea to replenish her fluids.
Jean was a little moved and thanked him softly.
Xia Zhi excused himself. "I still need to invite a few more friends and head back to cook, so I won't take up more of Captain Jean's time."
Jean got up to see him out. "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Xia."
Unlocking the door, Xia Zhi stepped out.
Noelle happened to be mopping the hallway.
Hearing the sound of the lock turning, she looked up and saw Xia Zhi walking out, with Captain Jean standing at the doorway, watching him leave.
A young man emerging from Captain Jean's office—which had been locked from the inside—was already enough to spark plenty of gossip.
And she had been mopping here for a good ten minutes without seeing anyone go in.
Which meant that man had been inside the locked office for at least ten minutes.
Not to mention the little details—how Captain Jean's face was flushed when she emerged, her hair damp with sweat, her clothes slightly disheveled…
Noelle had read her share of romance novels and understood a little about such things.
She lowered her head, pretending she hadn't seen anything.
The Knights of Favonius maids had many unbreakable rules, one of which was: [Private matters of Knights must be kept strictly confidential.]
What she had just witnessed could be considered Captain Jean's personal matter. And that didn't just mean keeping it from outsiders—it also meant keeping it from other members of the Knights.
For example, what exactly was in Captain Jean's private quarters, what was inside Amber's Baron Bunny, how many spare eyepatches Kaeya had, or how many hiding spots Klee had for her bombs… all of these were secrets among secrets.
Leaking a secret was a serious dereliction of duty for a maid. Anyone aspiring to be a knight must never make such a mistake.
Once the young man had entered the library and Captain Jean had closed her office door again, Noelle let out a small breath of relief in the now-empty hallway.
--
Xia Zhi stepped into the library and went straight to the librarian's office.
He knocked, and a languid voice called from inside.
"Come in."
Xia Zhi pushed the door open.
Lisa looked up and, seeing it was him, straightened her posture a little. "Principal Xia hasn't been in the library looking for books these past few days. I suppose you've been enjoying the Windblume Festival?"
Xia Zhi nodded. "Yes."
"Having a good time?"
"Very."
"So, are you here today to resume your search for books?"
"No. I'm putting that on hold for now. Today, I came to invite Miss Lisa to my place for lunch."
"You're inviting me to a meal?"
"Mm. Would Miss Lisa have time at noon?"
Lisa looked at him and chuckled softly.
"Of course, I have plenty of time. I'd be happy to taste Mr. Xia's cooking at noon."
"Excellent. It's right behind the Favonius Cathedral."
"I know where."
"Then I'll take my leave."
"Take care."
Xia Zhi left.
Lisa took out a cultivation jar.
Inside was the [Cream Mushroom] Xia Zhi had given her.
She'd already gone through multiple rounds of cultivation, but the new mushrooms she grew never tasted quite as good as the dried mushrooms in instant noodles.
Apart from the mushrooms' quality, it seemed cooking skill played a part too.
Lisa had only ever eaten the instant noodles Xia Zhi made. This time, she planned to go and watch how he prepared other dishes, hoping to discover the key to unlocking his culinary skill.
She was a scholar, and she believed that even something like cooking could be replicated.
---
Leaving the library, Xia Zhi returned to the hallway.
Noelle was still diligently mopping.
He walked over to her. "Miss Noelle."
She looked up and gave him a textbook-perfect maid's curtsy. "Good day, Mr. Xia."
"I've invited quite a few friends over for lunch. I wonder if Miss Noelle has time to join us?"
Noelle shook her head gently. "Thank you for the kind offer, Mr. Xia, but I still need to prepare lunch for everyone here."
Xia Zhi didn't press her. He simply thought Noelle was a good kid, and since they'd met, he asked out of courtesy.
Then he suddenly remembered something Xia Lin had told him.
"Miss Noelle, I heard you enjoy watching Yaoyao practice with her spear?"
"Yes."
"Do you perhaps want to learn by analogy—picking up new techniques by observing someone else's spearwork?"
"…Yes."
"I see. But that method would place high demands on your own abilities. How many years have you trained with a spear?"
Noelle's face flushed slightly.
"Miss Noelle?"
"I… I've never trained with a spear."
"Never trained…?"
"Mm. I actually use a claymore."
Xia Zhi fell silent.
Wait—you're a beginner claymore user, yet you think you can absorb techniques by watching someone's spearwork? Isn't that… not quite the right approach?
"And have you gained anything from it?"
"I… nothing at all… I just thought that little girl named Yaoyao looked beautiful practicing her spearwork, so I wanted to watch more and… learn more…"
"So that's how it is… Miss Noelle, you're currently training every day to become a full-fledged knight, correct?"
"Yes!"
"What style of swordsmanship do you practice?"
"Favonius Swordsmanship!"
"Would you mind performing a few moves for me to… hear?"
"…Hear?"
"My eyes can't see, so I can only rely on hearing to judge."
"Is that… even possible?"
Noelle looked genuinely surprised.
Xia Zhi spoke softly. "It is. Miss Noelle, just treat the mop in your hands like a claymore and practice a couple of moves."
That was hardly an unreasonable request—it was nothing more than a flick of the wrist for her.
Noelle trained hard every day and was eager for someone to offer her some feedback.
Gripping the mop, she lowered her voice. "Then… I'll start."
Worried her voice might interfere with Xia Zhi's ability to hear the details of her strikes, she shut her mouth immediately after speaking.
Then, following her usual daily rhythm, she began running through a set of Favonius Swordsmanship right there in the hallway. (or Favonius Bladework)
While his expertise with the claymore was not as great as with the spear, his mastery was more than enough to give advice to a beginner.
From his God's-eye view, he observed Noelle's practice and quickly gauged her true level.
When she finished, a little out of breath, she walked over and asked, "Mr. Xia, how was it?"
Xia Zhi pondered for a moment before slowly pointing out each mistake she'd made during her practice, along with ways to correct them.
The more Noelle listened, the wider her eyes became, and the brighter they shone.
She could tell that every word he said was incredibly useful to her.
Amazing!
Mr. Xia really could pick out every flaw in her swordsmanship just by listening—his own skill must be on an entirely different level.
When Xia Zhi finished, he asked gently, "Did you understand everything? If there's anything unclear, I can go over it again."
Noelle nodded quickly. "I understood everything. Thank you so much for your guidance, Mr. Xia."
Xia Zhi smiled. "Think nothing of it. I just happened to be in the mood to help. Keep working hard—your fundamentals are good. If you take my advice to heart, you'll have no trouble becoming a real knight."
"I will," Noelle replied earnestly.
"I need to get back to cooking, so I'll take my leave."
"Safe travels, Mr. Xia."
As she watched him walk away, Noelle's eyes were filled with respect and admiration.
She glanced at Captain Jean's office and thought: A teacher as good as Mr. Xia could never be the sort of scoundrel from romance novels.
And Captain Jean was also a person worthy of deep respect—she couldn't possibly be the kind of woman from those stories, either.
They must have been locked in her office earlier discussing some important matter.
As for why Captain Jean had been flushed and sweating… perhaps she had a fever?
At that thought, Noelle felt a flicker of concern. She hesitated, then walked up to the office door and knocked.
Jean's voice came from inside. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Captain Jean," Noelle said, opening the door.
"Noelle? What is it?"
"I…"
Noelle had been about to ask if Captain Jean was feeling unwell and suggest she see a sister at the cathedral.
But when she opened the door, Jean's complexion was radiant, with an almost glowing vitality—she didn't look sick or tired at all.
Noelle fell silent for a moment, then said, "Captain Jean, are you hungry? I could bring you some snacks."
"Snacks?"
Jean froze, instinctively wanting to refuse.
After all, she really had gained a bit of weight recently.
She ought to be watching her diet.
But then she remembered Mr. Xia's massage technique for reducing fat.
If she went to him every few days, maybe she could be like those girls who didn't have to suffer through strict dieting?
Thinking about it, she ultimately suppressed the temptation.
"No, that won't be necessary…"
Noelle quietly closed the door.
If Captain Jean didn't have a fever, then maybe she'd just been busy with something—like finding an important document for Mr. Xia.
With so many papers to sort through, and Mr. Xia being unable to see, she would've had to search by herself, which could explain the sweating.
Yes, that must be it!
Picking up her mop again, Noelle couldn't help but treat it as a claymore and run through Favonius Swordsmanship once more.
This time, she made the adjustments Mr. Xia had suggested—and sure enough, the movements felt much smoother.
Mr. Xia was truly amazing.
It was a shame he couldn't see. Otherwise, someone so young might well have become a sword master in the future.
----
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