As Xia Zhi led Hanachirusato away, Xia Le wrapped an arm around Xia Lin's shoulders. "See? Another pretty sister joins the family. If us two dragons don't back each other up, how will we compete?"
Xia Lin stayed quiet. But a tiny seed had been planted in her heart.
Maybe one day, it would sprout.
Back in his room, Xia Zhi sat cross-legged on the tatami.
"I've figured out a way to fix your problem," he told Hanachirusato.
Her eyes lit up. She placed her hands on her knees and bowed her head in Inazuman etiquette. "Please, Mr. Xia, help me!"
Even corrupted beings yearned for life.
"Don't worry. I promised Qiqi I'd help you, so I will. But the method's… unusual. I need to warn you first."
"Please, go on."
"You saw Xia Lin earlier. She's like you—an abyssal being."
Hanachirusato blinked. She hadn't sensed anything from the girl earlier. She'd thought Xia Lin was just an ordinary child.
No—her gaze had been too sharp. She'd seen right through her.
"Her original name was Durin," Xia Zhi continued. "The one who brought calamity to Mondstadt five centuries ago. Dvalin killed her in the mountains, but she didn't completely die. Later, by chance, I revived her and made her my third disciple."
Hanachirusato reeled. That innocent girl? And Xia Le—the one who'd killed her before? And now they lived together like family?
And resurrection, spoken so casually?
Too much… way too much information.
"My solution," Xia Zhi went on, "is the same one I used on her. If I use it on you, your relationship with me will shift too."
Hanachirusato hesitated, then whispered, "Do I… call you Papa too?"
His expression twitched. "No. Xia Lin calls me that because I gave her a second life. That's not part of what I'm proposing."
"Then what—"
"You noticed the golden circlet around her neck?"
"I did."
"It seals her Abyssal Aura, lets her live as a normal human. That's why the cleansing ritual didn't touch her."
"So you mean…"
"Exactly. I have another one. You can wear it."
"…There's a catch, isn't there?"
"Yeah. Once you put it on, you'll feel unusually close to me."
Hanachirusato's eyes widened. "That's all?"
"That's all. If you can accept it, I'll give it to you."
"Of course I can! Please, lend it to me!"
A side effect like that? Laughable. He'd saved her life—feeling close to him was only natural.
Xia Zhi nodded. "Alright then."
He opened the Shop, found another [Golden Circlet], and bought it.
[Golden Circlet]
Quality: platinum
Type: accessory
Trait: suppression, devotion
Effect: Binds to the wearer. Seals any ability up to the item's quality. The longer they wear it, the more their affection for you rises automatically.
Hidden Effect: immunity to all level-3 and lower mental spells.
A golden ring appeared in his palm.
Hanachirusato stared. Simple design, but beautiful.
Xia Zhi handed it over. "Take it."
"Okay!"
She placed it against her neck. It shimmered, then phased into place.
At the same time, a voice rang in Xia Zhi's mind:
"Bind target?"
"Yes."
"Binding successful."
A strange sense of control over the shrine maiden washed over him. He willed it—and her Abyssal Aura was suppressed.
He released the time-stop.
"How do you feel?"
"…No different."
"Good."
Hanachirusato studied him, puzzled.
She didn't feel any closer to Mr. Xia at all.
Where was that side effect he'd mentioned?
But side effects didn't matter anymore—not as long as she could escape the taint.
Hanachirusato knelt on the floor, resting her hands on her thighs, and bowed her head toward Xia Zhi in the traditional Inazuman way.
"Mr. Xia, thank you for saving me."
Xia Zhi waved her off. "It's fine. It's already late. Go get some rest first. Whatever else comes up, we'll talk tomorrow."
Hanachirusato nodded. "Alright."
After thinking for a moment, Xia Zhi pulled out a phone and handed it to her. "This is something we use all the time, called a phone. I'll show you how it works. You can use it to get familiar with the situation in our household."
Hanachirusato took the phone and quickly picked up the basics as he explained.
Xia Zhi told her, "That should be enough for now. If you have other questions, you can ask Qiqi. She's a zombie. I already took care of the problems her body gave her, but she still struggles to express her feelings. She's quiet, but don't let that fool you. She's actually a very good kid."
Hanachirusato lowered her head. "I know. Qiqi is very kind… Then I'll excuse myself. Good night, Mr. Xia."
"Good night."
From his god's-eye view, Xia Zhi watched Hanachirusato leave.
Her progress bar wasn't maxed yet, mostly because they hadn't interacted much. But now that she was part of the household, it was only a matter of time.
He checked his inventory. A diamond chest and a platinum chest still sat unopened—loot he'd farmed off Raiden Ei and Yae Miko.
After some thought, he left them untouched and instead pulled out [Yin-Yang Medicine Furnace] to refine a few pills, then headed into the next room.
Shenhe and Ganyu were sitting together, holding the fortunes they'd drawn earlier that day.
"What are you two doing?"
"Interpreting fortunes."
"Let me see. All good ones."
"We burned the bad ones already. This one's for you."
"What kind of fortune?"
"A marriage fortune. I drew three in a row, all great blessings. What do you think that means?"
"With your luck? Pretty normal. By the way, Ganyu, have you ever drawn a bad one?"
"…No."
Divination was mostly for fun anyway.
When it came to fate, the words of the adepti or Mona's crystal ball divination carried real weight.
Shenhe gathered the scattered fortunes from the bed and asked curiously, "Boss, what did you do while you were out tonight?"
Xia Zhi grinned. "We went to clear an Adventurers' Guild commission… a legendary one, actually."
He recounted what had happened that night.
Ganyu's voice turned wistful. "Even after she fell, even after losing parts of her memory, she still chose to use her second life to guard this land… People like that are truly incredible."
She resonated with Hanachirusato.
She herself had watched Liyue Harbor rise from nothing. After thousands of years, her bond with the land ran deep.
If it had been her—if it had been Liyue—she would've made the same choice Hanachirusato did.
Xia Zhi nodded. "She keeps saying she's nothing more than the filth born from Kitsune Saiguu's memories, that she's unworthy of the name. But honestly, I don't think she has any reason to feel that way."
Shenhe said softly, "A flower that blooms from the mud is even purer."
"I agree."
Ganyu glanced at her phone. "I think I see her. Someone new just joined the group chat—fox mask avatar..."
"That should be her," Xia Zhi said.
Ganyu tilted her head, intrigued. "I'll add her as a friend, chat with her a bit."
While she typed, Xia Zhi and Shenhe chatted nearby. He helped her paint her nails with a polish he'd crafted the night before. He'd infused it with petals from the Sacred Sakura—light cherry-blossom fragrance, pink tint.
Shenhe and Ganyu had both tried it yesterday and loved it.
As he finished, Xia Zhi remembered a technique he'd picked up from Yae Miko.
[Hakushin Bloodline]: Passive. Charm +30. Your body exudes a subtle, alluring fragrance. Charm effects on the opposite sex increased by 100%.
He'd only flashed it once before in front of Yae Miko. She'd sensed something, but not fully.
Now, he figured, was the time to test it on Shenhe.
He willed the passive skill active.
A strange, seductive scent spread quietly from his body.
----
Join my Patreon for early access to 100+ chapters: Patreon.com/rivyura