Back in Mondstadt.
Jean stretched her arms after a long day's work, finally letting herself relax.
After the Windblume Festival, her workload had eased up significantly. The city no longer needed heightened security, manpower wasn't as tight, and with the Knights of Favonius finally having some money to spare, many things could now be solved simply by… paying for them.
She walked to the window and looked down.
Below was the knights' training field.
During the day, it was full of trainees.
At night, though, it was usually empty—except for Noelle, who would practice alone in silence.
But Noelle hadn't been coming for days now.
She was busy helping out at the potion shop every day.
Jean's gaze lingered on the empty corner where Noelle used to train, and she sighed softly.
It had only been a month—barely that.
Yet her life already felt completely different.
The foods she used to crave didn't appeal to her anymore.
The multiple cups of coffee she once drank daily had been replaced with gentle green tea.
The romance novels she used to enjoy now felt dull, while that bizarre cultivation story? She'd read it several times and still wasn't tired of it.
All of these changes traced back to one man.
Mr. Xia.
For a moment, she could almost see his silhouette again in front of her.
Jean blinked, realizing she'd been lost in another illusion—and sighed once more.
She'd stopped counting how many times she'd imagined him these past few days.
But if nothing else, it proved one thing.
She truly missed him.
"Starting tonight," she murmured to herself, "I'll resume sword training. Without Mr. Xia's massages, I'll have to stay disciplined if I want to keep this figure."
---
Eula walked through the streets.
People passing by straightened and bowed respectfully as soon as they saw her.
"Lady Eula."
Eula returned a polite nod.
It was a small gesture, but an important one. Anything less would seem arrogant.
She'd once been aloof and cold, but things were different now.
Now, she represented both the Anemo Archon's will and the face of the school. Her behavior had to reflect that dignity.
It was a little troublesome, yes—but she didn't dislike it.
Respect was far better than the contempt she used to receive.
When she returned to her home, the room felt emptier than usual.
She'd lived alone ever since cutting ties with her family, and at first, it hadn't bothered her.
But now, after fully severing those bonds, the silence had begun to feel… lonely.
Why was that?
She stood before the mirror.
Her reflection was elegant, intelligent—undeniably alluring.
Her lips, a deep crimson, radiated quiet temptation.
"Of course…"
She raised a finger and gently traced the reflection of her own face.
"…it's because there's someone in my heart."
Once you care about someone—once you start to miss them—that's when loneliness sets in.
Day five without Mr. Xia.
Still thinking of him.
---
Nighttime.
Rosaria slipped out the back door of the Pet Tavern.
Following the intel she'd gathered, she arrived at a secluded location.
Inside, two suspicious men were bound and waiting.
She stepped in and began the interrogation.
Before, dealing with stubborn targets like these would've taken a full night—torture, threats, whatever it took to make them talk.
But now, with the [Crystal of Truth] in hand, all it took was setting it down and maybe dislocating an arm or two before they spilled everything.
Efficiency through the roof.
What once took all night now took ten minutes.
Rosaria walked out, glanced up at the moon, and exhaled softly.
It felt like her job had lost its purpose.
She was just going through the motions now.
If the crystal could handle everything, why did they even need her?
Maybe she should just… quit.
Next time something came up, she could just lend them the crystal, have them use it and return it later.
Save herself the hassle.
Time to go home and cuddle the cats.
---
Xiao had already returned to the Wangshu Inn, keeping watch over the Guili Plains once more.
With the Bodhi Bead Bracelet on his wrist, purging demons was no longer dangerous work.
Earlier this year, he had even returned to The Chasm and found traces of Bosacius, learning at last of his final resting place. That long-standing burden in his heart had finally eased.
When he'd first returned from The Chasm, the memories had left him heavy and quiet—but after the Geo Archon sent him to Mondstadt for a short break, he'd recovered his calm.
Now, Xiao felt… free.
Gone was the oppressive haze that had once weighed on his spirit.
In the daytime, he lounged atop the inn's roof, playing mahjong or games on his phone.
At night, he'd stroll around, slay a few lingering demons if they appeared, then return, sleep, and sometimes head to an internet café in his dreams to play games.
A perfectly salted-fish life.
The only downside was that the chef, Verr Goldet's assistant, couldn't hold a candle to Xiangling's cooking.
Still, Xiao could live with it.
He'd never been one for indulgence anyway.
---
Meanwhile, the Dragon King and Mountain Shaper were still lingering in Mondstadt.
They'd planned to head for Inazuma sooner, but Venti had waved it off, saying, "No point going early. Better to arrive a couple of days after our dear friends. Perfect timing that way."
The Dragon King had thought it over and realized that made sense.
Besides, no sake in Inazuma could compare to the wine at the Cat's Tail Tavern.
And with the discount for "family," it was basically free profit either way.
So they stayed a few more days, wandering around and occasionally reinforcing weak structures around the city when they found them.
Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver found themselves reminiscing about the old days—pulling all-nighters mixing mortar to build the school in Liyue.
Venti laughed heartily at the story.
But after hearing it, even he admitted that the idea of a commemorative monument wasn't half bad.
It had meaning—and it definitely boosted morale.
He pulled out his phone and sent Jean a message.
Her reply came quickly: she already knew about it from Ningguang and was working on it herself. "No need for the Anemo Archon to worry," she wrote.
Venti chuckled and said, "Jean really is reliable."
The Dragon King nodded, then added thoughtfully, "Pity she's already one of Mr. Xia's."
Venti fell silent.
---
Life at sea was simple—and honestly, kind of boring.
Compared to that, the hovercar was way more comfortable. At least it didn't rock with every wave; when it moved, it was smooth as silk.
And as long as he didn't stay cooped up inside too long, living in the Serenitea Pot meant he didn't have to worry about motion sickness at all.
There were fresh fruits and vegetables growing inside the pot, so no one had to worry about getting sick of seafood every day.
Entertainment options were pretty decent too.
Unfortunately, Xia Zhi's luck stat had been off the charts lately. Whenever he joined in for mahjong, he'd just start pulling insane hands out of nowhere. In the end, just like Ganyu, he got completely banned from playing.
Ganyu couldn't stop laughing—finally, she wasn't the only one.
Xia Zhi could only give her a helpless look.
With nothing better to do, he went back to his old trade—picked up his pen and started writing again. His last Liyue cultivation novel had blown up in popularity, and now he had some new inspiration.
Like, for example, the "Nekomata." Since he'd actually experienced that firsthand, the spicy scenes practically wrote themselves, vivid and full of life.
So when Ganyu peeked over his shoulder, her cheeks turned bright red in seconds—she was way too immersed.
Half a month went by in a blink.
By then, Xia Zhi had finished writing the next two volumes.
Xia Ci—no one knew how she managed it—somehow digitized the handwritten draft and turned it into an e-book, then uploaded it to the group chat.
Five minutes later, the download count had already surpassed half the group's total members.
Seriously? Does no one here have a job?
Thanks to that novel, life on the sea suddenly felt much more enjoyable.
According to Cloud Retainer, the laundry automaton had been spinning nonstop every morning, washing everyone's sheets. (lol)
Ping, on the other hand, still seemed stuck on that unfinished tune from the other night.
She didn't play mahjong either—she just sat there frowning all day, lost in thought.
But two weeks passed, and she still hadn't come up with a new melody.
Yaoyao came to Xia Zhi in secret, whispering that her master hadn't been sleeping lately—just sitting on the bed staring blankly into space. Whenever she asked what was wrong, Madame Ping wouldn't answer.
Yaoyao looked genuinely worried.
Xia Zhi patted her head gently. "It's fine. She'll be back to normal in a few days."
Yaoyao, of course, believed her big brother and skipped off to play with her friends again.
Cloud Retainer might be a sarcastic old friend, but she wasn't heartless. Watching Ping like this, clearly haunted, she couldn't help but feel sorry.
That night, while she and Xia Zhi were exercising together, she leaned close and whispered, "I want to hear that song you played last time again."
Xia Zhi smiled. "Sure." He pulled out his guqin and began to play.
Cloud Retainer recorded the entire melody on her phone, then immediately sent the file to Ping.
That night, Ping was still sitting there, listening to the incomplete version through her headphones, when suddenly her phone buzzed.
She looked down—Cloud Retainer had sent her an audio file.
Her heart skipped a beat.
No way… it can't be… is it really what I think it is?
She tapped to open it.
The moment the music started, that familiar guqin melody filled her ears.
Eyes closed, she listened. It reached that maddening cutoff point—and this time, the music didn't stop. It flowed smoothly onward, like water finally finding its path.
So that's how the rest of the score goes!
It was beautiful—utterly beautiful.
When the final note faded, Ping slowly opened her eyes. She felt as though her entire being had been cleansed by sound.
Too bad she hadn't heard it live.
She'd heard Xia Zhi play before; live music always carried a different soul from a recording. Even the same song never sounded quite the same twice—some inexplicable magic would fade with each replay until it was gone.
"Cloud Retainer, that lucky girl…" she murmured.
But then she snorted. "What does that silly mechanism tinkerer know about music anyway…"
Still, since Cloud Retainer had taken the initiative to send her the piece, Ping decided to let bygones be bygones.
After some thought, she forwarded the file to Fujin.
That poor thing could use a little soul-cleansing too.
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