Hang tilted his head at Yunmei's worried expression, noting it but not commenting. Disengaging, he observes his surroundings again, noting a hint of a rush within some individuals.
"A-ah... uh..." Yunmei stuttered, clearly flustered at the situation. "N-no, Lady Fu Xuan is not a k-kid..."
"A kid?" Fu Xuan mimicked, her eyes narrowing in offence. "Excuse me?"
"Ahah... Lady Fu Xuan..." Yunmei mumbled, her tail curling around her leg in a way to comfort herself. She looked away, finding a sudden interest in the floor. "This man is a tourist... he doesn't know any better! I'm sorry!"
Hang looked to Yunmei, then looked to Fu Xuan. "It's reasonable for her height."
Yunmei and Fu Xuan's eyes both snapped to Hang. Yunmei had a horrified look, while Fu Xuan looked pissed and insulted.
"I see..." Fu Xuan responded, her voice seething with concealed anger. "Where are you from, tourist?"
Hang paused. He wasn't from here, nor from anywhere in this world. But, if the world was large enough, perhaps his own world could be disguised as a small world, visiting the Luofu.
"Língchuan," he responded, saying nothing more.
"Língchuan? I've never heard of a such a place," Yunmei commented quietly, her demeanor meeker than usual. "What... what does it look like?"
"A mountain gorge village."
"Our homes were beautifully crafted. We tied ropes to prevent the collapse of our bridges during storms. It smelled of pine and stone, and on windy days... bells and chimes would softly ring," he reflected, keeping it inside his own head.
Yunmei looked interested. She would have never guessed that Hang came from a mountain gorge village.
Fu Xuan, on the other hand, tilted her head. "And—"
"Apologies."
Hang stood tall, his gaze piercing Fu Xuan's own.
"..."
Fu Xuan let out a sigh.
"Fine. I'll accept it this once."
Yunmei, having figured out the two had seemingly made up, reverted back to her usual demeanor. "At least that's settled, phew... but Lady Fu Xuan?"
"What is it?" Fu Xuan nodded, prompting her to speak.
"I didn't know you drank Immortal's Delight, too."
Hang watched as Fu Xuan's face turned red, ever so slightly. She sputtered, looking down at the drink she held in her hand still.
"J-just so we're clear, I need sugar to replenish energy I lose when doing divinational calculations," she responded, her speech fast. "Different kinds of sugary drinks help my divination in different ways."
"So is that a third eye?" Hang prompted, pointing towards her forehead. "Looks like vanity, but it's mechanical."
"Vanity?!" Fu Xuan exclaimed, her gaze snapping to Hang. "This is not vanity! It's a tool used for diviniation! Rude, much."
"I go by what I see, not what I think," Hang replied matter-of-factly. "It wasn't my intention."
Yunmei cut back into the conversation, trying to ease the tension yet again. "So, Lady Fu Xuan... did you just come here for the Sleepless Earl?"
"No, I..." Fu Xuan trails off, murmuring a few words before it returned back to her original tone. "I'm looking for the Dragon Lady."
"She said she got distracted," Hang noted.
"Is Lady Bailu missing again?" Yunmei asked, her eyes holding a hint of concern. "Are the Cloud Knights looking for her?"
Fu Xuan nodded.
"Dragons?" Hang inquires. "I didn't know dragons existed here."
"Technically she's also a Vidyadhara," Yunmei answered, sipping on her almost finished Immortal's Delight. "They're decedents of Long, the Aeon of Permanence. They have draconic features, just like us Foxians have... well... fox features."
Hang nods. Looking in the distance, he can finally understand why there were some people in armor running around. "Important?"
"She's a skillful doctor," Fu Xuan answered, trying to drink the rest of her Immortal's Delight to rid herself of the embarrassment of being caught. "And she's a Vidyadhara High Elder."
Fu Xuan paused. "Where are my manners? I never asked for either of your names."
"My name is Yunmei~"
"..."
"... and this is Diào Rén, but he prefers Hang."
Fu Xuan nodded, throwing her drink away into a nearby canister. "I see. It was a pleasure to meet you both. I'll have to continue searching for the Dragon Lady."
Yunmei's face dropped slightly, saddened that she could no longer speak with Lady Fu Xuan. "Alright... goodbye Lady Fu Xuan!"
As Fu Xuan left, Hang grabbed the empty cup out of Yunmei's hand and replaced it with his own full cup.
"Are you trying to cheer me up? How sweet~" Yunmei teased, her eyes glimmering with mischief.
"Okay," Hang responded, not bothering to explain that he didn't like how sweet it was. He throws the empty cup into the canister. "Is that the tour?"
"Not at all! This was just a detour. I'll have to show you all the stores too!"
Hang slowly followed Yunmei as she continued to walk him through the busy streets of the Luofu. He took the time to look around, the architecture and busyness of the area a new experience to him.
Cloud Knights scurried by the pair as they continued their prolonged search for the Dragon Lady.
"Do you think we should let them know if we find Lady Bailu?" Yunmei asked, looking to Hang for an answer.
Hang looked over to Yunmei. "Do you?"
"Maybe a little..."
Hang blinked. His blue eye dimmed, his brown eye glowing slightly brighter. The world changed in front of him. Everyone vanished. Visions, small memories of people appeared as echoes.
He looked around. People were walking, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary.
Across the street, Hang spotted something. A small child, running across the street. A purple tail behind her, with small dragon horns protruding out of her head, making a corner turn somewhere unpopulated.
Hang blinked again, his blue eye brightening up as his brown eye dimmed. Echoes disappeared, and the world returned to normal. "Lady doesn't fit. More of a child."
"Huh? How would you know that?" Yunmei asked, skeptical. "Are you sure you're a tourist?"
"You said you wanted to find her. This way."
Yunmei looked confused, her head tilted sideways. "Huh?"
And for the first time since arriving, Hang decided to lead.