Zhongli and Ying, who had left Wangshu Inn, were hiding in a roadside tea stall in embarrassment.
Her pale golden hair became wet from the rain. She lay beside the antique solid wood fence and stared blankly at the raindrops falling in the sky.
The ribbon behind the girl's neck is flying in the strong wind, and her cute eyes and slightly worried expression are like a docile reindeer.
"It's so unlucky that it rained so heavily just after I went out..."
"If you go back too late, you won't be able to see Immortal Ancestor Fashen."
Paimon held his arms in distress and turned around Ying's head, mumbling incessantly.
"Paimon, stop shaking."
"We will set off when the rain subsides a little."
Ying spoke comfortingly and rubbed Paimon's little head, but the worry in his eyes did not diminish at all.
The immortals arrived at Qunyu Pavilion with such a huge momentum that it has been more than half an hour now, but there is no movement in Liyue Port to the south. It is difficult for people to be sure that Qixing is safe and sound.
If Qixing is placed under house arrest by the Immortals, the Fools will definitely take the opportunity to cause chaos in Liyue.
The girl was holding Paimon in her arms, thinking wildly by the wooden fence, hoping that the heavy rain would subside soon, while Zhongli was slowly holding a tea cup and sitting at the table drinking tea.
The tea shop here is located on Dihua Island, next to Wangshu Inn. Business is not good on weekdays, and the owner is recuperating at home due to illness. Only his young son Xiaoyu supports the business of the tea shop.
At the beginning, Xiaoyu, like his peers, was not good at entertaining guests, making tea, and calculating accounts. But as his father became more and more frail, the sensible Xiaoyu took the initiative to take on the responsibility of running the store. Although he was still a little nervous about dealing with people, he
It’s pretty good.
There is usually little business in the tea shop. After all, just a few hundred meters further is Wangshu Inn. How many people would choose to rest in this little-known shop?
Fortunately, the Qianyan Army patrolling the nearby Ogihua Continent all knew about Xiaoyu's situation. They would always come here to take a break after patrolling and when changing shifts, and pay for some tea, so that the shop could sustain itself.
"Guest...Sir, do you need more water?"
Seeing that the tea in Zhongli's cup was about to be finished, Xiaoyu picked up the heavy teapot and walked over, standing on tiptoes, wanting to help the guests refill the tea.
"Don't worry, I can provide for myself."
Zhongli shook his head slightly, then reached out and took the teapot from Xiaoyu's hand.
Steaming tea poured into the teacup, and the rising steam obscured Zhongli's handsome face, but it quickly dissipated.
Xiaoyu looked at the God's Eye on Zhongli's lower back with envy.
The guest in front of him was different from other people he had seen in terms of temperament and appearance. He seemed to have an innate calmness and elegance. Even if his clothes were soaked by the heavy rain, his golden eyes were not visible.
Half complaint.
"If I also had the eye of God...Dad's illness..."
The light in Xiaoyu's eyes dimmed a bit, and she took out two clean towels from the counter, giving one to Zhongli who was sitting upright, and the other to a girl wearing exotic clothes.
This big sister and the little pet floating beside her are also guests that Xiaoyu has never seen before.
Ying took the towel and raised her hand to wipe away the water stains on her pale golden hair.
When the raindrops fell from the sky, Paimon immediately got into Ying's arms to take shelter. The only one among the three who was not soaked by the rain was little Paimon who was purring next to him.
However, before the towel could cover Ying's head, Paimon exclaimed.
"Hey! Ying, your hair seems to be dry!"
The girl looked down at her white skirt in confusion, and then smoothed her braid on her shoulders.
There are indeed no traces of water stains.
Zhongli, who was holding the towel, obviously noticed what was happening here, and there was a hint of imperceptible silence in his eyes.
As far as he knew, the traveler only mastered the elemental power of wind and rock, and the two of them had indeed been soaked by the rain just now.
How does the moisture between clothes and hair disappear?
Before Zhongli could express his doubts, the girl thoughtfully took out a small red crystal from the pocket of her white dress and looked at it several times.
At this moment, Mr. Zhong also noticed the red crystal that he had just ignored. His bright golden pupils suddenly shrank, and he stood up in surprise. Then he immediately calmed down and put the cup back on the saucer.
"Maybe it's because of this thing?"
The traveler noticed Zhongli's movements and waved the seemingly inconspicuous crystal in his hand.
Gentle warmth continued to radiate from the fragments. Paimon curiously raised the crystal with his little hand to observe, and then happily held it in his arms.
“I didn’t expect that the things left behind by the stinky security guard could actually dry out the water vapor in the clothes.”
"Hmm... so warm."
Little Paimon also seemed to like this kind of shiny thing. After playing with it for a while, he caught a glimpse of Zhongli sitting at the table and wiping water stains on his clothes. He happily flew to him and handed over the crystal in his hand.<
/p>
"Here, Zhongli, you can try it too."
Zhongli just shook his head with a complicated expression and folded the used towel.
"Hey, don't use it if you don't need it. Why do you look so disgusted with it!"
Paimon pouted angrily after being rejected, took the crystal into his arms again, and flew back to the traveler.
Ying handed the towel back to Xiaoyu, took the warm red crystal stone from Paimeng, walked to the table in front of Zhongli and sat down: "Mr. Zhongli, do you know the origin of this stone?"
She always felt that Zhongli's expression became a little strange after seeing this crystal.
"I know a little bit... Even in the eyes of the seven rulers in the world, it is an extremely precious thing."
"As for what purpose this thing has besides dispersing moisture, it's best to ask its owner."
The omniscient Mr. Zhongli pondered for a long time before nodding slightly.
"Precious? Seven Consuls? Its owner?"
Paimon stared curiously at the crystal in Ying's hand.
Isn't it just a piece of broken stone? How come it has become a precious thing in the eyes of the gods?
Hearing Zhongli's words, little Paimon suddenly felt that the stone in the traveler's hand seemed to be a little brighter. Just when he was about to ask more questions, Zhongli didn't want to continue the topic and waved to Xiaoyu who was lowering his head to clean the tea shop.
"Children, do you have any extra umbrellas in the store? Can you borrow them for emergency use?"
"It will be returned soon."
Xiaoyu, who was suddenly called, raised her head blankly and looked at the heavy rain outside the window.
"Yes."
Xiaoyu nodded hastily in agreement, ran into the back room of the tea shop, and walked out after a while holding two umbrellas.
"Travelers, and little Paimon children, are you still in possession of the All-Inclusive Barrier?"
Zhongli took the umbrella, handed one to the traveler opposite, and then asked.
"Of course, Paimon has taken good care of such a valuable thing!"
When mentioning the "No Taboo", Paimeng proudly crossed his arms and nodded affirmatively.
Although the Fools have secretly copied many fakes, they are still not sure that the 100% Absolute Barrier in their hands is definitely the authentic one.
"In that case, I have a way to return to Liyue Port faster."
"Come with me."
Zhongli stood up and walked outside the tea shop, opening his umbrella.
"Oh, by the way, kid, the money for tea... please put it in the account of the Hall of Rebirth."