"Stop right there!"
The fat-bellied merchant ran faster the moment he heard someone shout at him.
Unfortunately for him, there was no outrunning Yanfei and Ganyu. Within seconds, he was blocked front and back like a criminal caught red-handed.
"According to Liyue Law, Article 198, fleeing the scene after causing an incident qualifies as a hit-and-run. Punishable by a fine of 7,000 Mora."
The moment the merchant heard "fine," he gave up on running. Money? Nah, that's where he draws the line.
"What do you want?" he snarled, arms crossed, glaring at Yanfei.
"You violated the law of Liyue. Naturally, I'm here to see you acknowledge your crime."
Yanfei had no intention of letting this merchant—who nearly hit Ganyu—off the hook.
"I'm a merchant from Snezhnaya. You don't have jurisdiction over me."
He said it with smug arrogance, puffing his chest like he just won a case.
Yanfei squinted. "You're in Liyue. You follow Liyue's laws. What are you, illiterate?"
"You—! Little girl, ever heard the phrase 'take a step back and the sea becomes calm'? If not, I can't guarantee nothing will happen next time you're alone."
Clearly, the merchant had no idea who he was dealing with.
"Threatening a citizen? That's another charge," Yanfei said flatly.
[New mission activated.]
[Mission target: Punish the Snezhnayan merchant Chayevich]
[Reward: 50 Primogems]
The system's voice rang in Xu Zheng's ear.
Well, since there's a mission, time to get to work.
That name though—Chayevich—it sounded awfully familiar.
Xu Zheng thought about it. Wasn't this guy from one of Mondstadt's daily commissions? The one where you clear monsters for him, and he pays you a measly thousand Mora and mocks you afterward?
The nerve.
"Master, let's just throw him in jail."
"Huh? Jail?" Ganyu blinked, momentarily confused.
"Master, look at this logically: this is attempted assassination. He's a Snezhnayan merchant who just tried to assassinate a key Liyue official. If that cart had hit you, the consequences would've been catastrophic."
Yanfei's eyes lit up. Damn, what a good idea! Why didn't I think of that?
"You're right. This was clearly an assassination attempt."
Even Ganyu started playing along, though her anger wasn't just for show—this man had almost hit Xu Zheng too.
"Unbelievable. You tried to assassinate her?" Ganyu added, calmly but firmly.
"Master, play along," Xu Zheng whispered. Then louder, "Look, she's already injured!"
Ganyu wasn't actually hurt, of course, but she played along—placing a hand over her chest and pretending to wince.
It was… a little embarrassing.
"Will you walk yourself to the guards, or shall we drag you?" Xu Zheng said coldly, stepping in front of his master like her tiny bodyguard.
Chayevich narrowed his eyes, clearly doubting that this beautiful, soft-spoken woman could be some high-ranking official.
But when his gaze dropped to her long, perfect legs—
Ganyu felt his leer and immediately frowned.
Before he could take another breath, Xu Zheng launched an Ice Lotus straight at his face.
BOOM.
The lotus exploded into icy shards, sucking in nearby Cryo energy and instantly freezing Chayevich in place.
"You? Not even worthy," Xu Zheng said, disgust curling his lip.
Yanfei was stunned for a moment. That was fast. Brutal. Efficient.
She had expected Xu Zheng to be more like Ganyu—gentle and hesitant.
But no. He was cold and sharp when it counted. Good. That bastard deserved worse.
The scene, unsurprisingly, drew the attention of a nearby patrol.
A squad of Millelith quickly arrived on scene—then paused, blinking.
It was rare to see Lady Ganyu here. They immediately straightened up.
"Lady Ganyu, what happened?" the captain asked respectfully.
"He attacked Master Ganyu," Xu Zheng answered for her, just in case her kindness let the merchant off the hook.
The captain looked at Ganyu for confirmation.
She nodded once.
"Take him," the captain ordered.
The soldiers quickly surrounded and hauled away the frozen meat popsicle that used to be Chayevich. He wouldn't be going anywhere. Not without a trial.
Still encased in ice, the merchant didn't even get a chance to protest. Couldn't even flinch.
All he'd done was mess around on the road… and somehow ended up pissing off one of Liyue's big names.
[Mission complete. 50 Primogems awarded.]
With Chayevich gone, the system counted the job done.
That night, after finishing her work, Ganyu brought Xu Zheng home.
As soon as she set him down, she disappeared into a side room.
Xu Zheng watched her go, lips curled into a knowing smile.
Moments later, the faint scent of warm milk filled the air.
When Ganyu returned, her face was calm and tidy—but her shirt looked just a bit… rumpled.
Xu Zheng walked over, not because of some instinct, but because—of course—there was a mission.
[New mission activated.]
[Mission: Grow strong and healthy]
[Description: As a child, you must drink coconut milk every night for three days to ensure proper growth.]
[Reward: 150 Primogems]
Now this was a good deal.
No way Xu Zheng was passing up a chance like that. Besides…
He wanted it fresh.
He wanted it warm.
He wanted the good stuff, straight from the source.
Some people died, but not completely...