The mountains quaked, the forests trembled.
A colossal golden Buddha, nearly a thousand meters tall, thundered across the land.
Not far ahead of it, a huge, weasel-like creature—taller than the trees themselves—was sprinting for its life.
Jiang Yan's handsome face was twisted in fury.
"You dared steal my precious treasure chest—right in front of me?!"
"You've got some nerve!"
He pressed his hands together, eyes blazing.
"Top Form: Buddha Manifestation!!!"
The great Buddha behind him spread its thousand hands; the spinning mandala at its back burst into motion.
Countless fists fell from the sky like a storm of meteors, crashing down with deafening roars that shook the heavens.
But the giant yellow weasel moved with impossible speed—darting, rolling, twisting.
Each punch missed it by a hair's breadth, the shockwaves flattening trees but never landing a clean hit.
"Aaaaaaahhh! This is driving me insane!!"
Jiang Yan clawed at his hair, half-laughing, half-growling.
That treasure chest—his beautiful, glittering treasure—he wasn't giving up on it!
Yet this damn creature was ridiculous.
Even Buddha Manifestation's ultra-fast attacks couldn't touch it.
It was like the thing had an eye on its rear end—it dodged before the blow even came!
The beast suddenly stopped, turned to look at Jiang Yan, and let out a string of taunting "gei-gei-gei!" sounds.
Then, just to add insult to injury, it shook its furry rear end at him—
—and burrowed into the earth, vanishing from sight.
Jiang Yan's face darkened to pitch-black.
"You'd better pray you never cross paths with me again!"
For a moment, he was this close to pulling out Excalibur and turning that thing into cosmic dust.
He took a deep breath, letting the rage simmer down.
"Hah… evening already, huh?"
"Alright, home time."
Clapping his hands together, he summoned a massive Wood Dragon, which coiled beneath him and carried him back toward Guili Plains.
At the heart of the village, a small wooden house stood quietly beneath the golden sunset.
Jiang Yan opened the door—and a wave of delicious fragrance hit him.
"Aiyaaa~ What's this? My little Ganyu cooked something heavenly again?"
He chuckled as he stepped into the kitchen, only to find the graceful girl busy at the stove.
"Oh, you're back!" Ganyu turned, smiling gently.
"How was your day's harvest?"
Jiang Yan walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, breathing in the faint sweet scent of her hair.
"Productive, as always! But sadly, that last treasure chest got stolen by some weird creature."
"Oh my~ Even you couldn't get one? That's rare."
Ganyu giggled softly, teasing him.
"Don't make fun of me, it hurts my pride… What's for dinner?"
"Sweet Flower Chicken and Jade Parcels. Go wash up and get ready."
After cleaning his hands, Jiang Yan helped her carry the food to the table.
As they began to eat, Ganyu said casually,
"By the way, Master sent a letter. She said the Geo Lord and the others plan to visit us soon."
That made Jiang Yan freeze mid-bite.
"Morax? What's he coming here for? Isn't he supposed to be busy these days?"
Over the years, Morax's fame had only grown—more and more humans sought his protection.
If he wasn't in Guili Plains helping Guizhong resettle refugees, then what was he doing here?
Wait a minute—
"That old rockhead didn't just dump all his work on Guizhong again, did he?!"
The thought made him squint suspiciously.
"That's… very much something he'd do."
Ganyu sighed, nodding helplessly.
"Yes. That's exactly what happened."
"Unbelievable. The man's made 'being a lazy boss' into an art form."
Jiang Yan stuffed another bite of rice into his mouth, then asked,
"So your master's coming too?"
"Mm-hm. She said she's worried we might not be managing Qingce properly, so she wants to 'give us some guidance.'"
"Ha! That sounds exactly like Cloud Retainer."
Jiang Yan snorted.
That tsundere crane—just admit you missed us already!
No need to use "supervision" as an excuse!
Qingce's reports were sent to Guili Plains every year; Guizhong and the others definitely kept her informed.
"Still," Ganyu said softly, "Master does get lonely up there…"
"Pfft—don't say that! Now I'm picturing it!"
Jiang Yan nearly sprayed his food across the table.
The image of a lonely, sulking immortal crane popped into his mind—along with a familiar phrase from his past life:
"Caring for lonely Cloud Retainer—everyone's responsibility!"
He burst into laughter.
"You know, Cloud Retainer's not getting any younger. Maybe she should find someone to keep her company."
He leaned clOsial to Ganyu with a teasing grin.
"As her beloved disciple, shouldn't you… you know, help her out a little?"
"E–eh?!"
Ganyu blinked, utterly flustered. Even after all these years, Jiang Yan's unpredictable way of thinking still caught her off guard.
"N-no, better not. Master… um… is very… pure-minded."
She spoke carefully, as if afraid the very air might carry her words to Jueyun Karst.
Meanwhile, in Dihua Marsh, a group of travelers strolled through the misty wetlands.
Suddenly, a white crane sneezed loudly.
"Achoo! …Strange. Who dares speak of this immortal behind my back?"
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