After speaking, Xiao flicked the hem of his robe and sat down, beginning to enjoy the offerings.
"That's it?" Paimon asked, feeling a bit lost.
Somehow, this adeptus's reaction seemed very different from what they'd imagined.
Xiao paused, spoon hovering over his almond tofu, as though realizing his own reaction had perhaps been lacking.
After a moment's thought, he added, "Among the adepti, I excel at combat but lack skills in governance. Moreover, I'm bound to guard this place and can't leave at will. If I were to intervene, it would mean direct suppression."
"Su-suppression?" Paimon exclaimed in shock.
Why was it that this seemingly approachable adeptus used such intimidating language?
Xiao spoke with chilling ease, as though stating the obvious, "Exterminate every suspicious member of the Qixing and the Fatui, and this matter would naturally be resolved."
Paimon frantically waved her hands, "No, no, no! We haven't finished investigating yet—we can't do that!"
"So," Xiao provided himself with a perfectly reasonable explanation, "given the uncertainty you've described, there might be conspiracies at play. It's all the more reason I shouldn't leave this place lightly. Once you've informed the other adepti, I'll go to Liyue Harbor with them to investigate."
"Exactly! That's exactly right!" Paimon nodded fervently, as though pounding garlic, terrified that this fierce adeptus might head to Liyue Harbor and start a massacre at the drop of a hat.
"But why do you have to guard here? Is this place really so important?"
"To the west lies Jueyun Karst, to the east lies the Sea of Clouds, north is Stone Gate, and south connects directly to Liyue Harbor. It is the throat of Liyue—of course, it's important."
"Oh, that makes sense! Such an important place absolutely can't be left unguarded." Hearing Xiao's explanation, Paimon instantly understood the gravity.
After all, with the Geo Archon gone, Liyue was bound to descend into turmoil. It was crucial that a vital place like this remained defended.
"All right. You cannot linger here. Continue seeking out the other adepti," Xiao bluntly dismissed them.
"We still haven't asked your name, Adeptus," Aether suddenly interjected.
"I am the Conqueror of Demons—Xiao."
Leaving Wangshu Inn, Paimon glanced back at the inn's highest floor and let out a long sigh.
"Strange... He seemed easy enough to talk to, but I felt so nervous around him!"
Aether thought for a moment. "Probably because of his karmic debt. He said it himself—his aura is harmful to mortals."
"Oh, he really is a good adeptus then! He was worried about hurting us. Let's bring him extra almond tofu when we come back after visiting the other adepti!"
Not long after Aether and Paimon departed, Jiang Bai arrived at Wangshu Inn.
He'd come to buy some red dates.
As the largest inn in the area, Wangshu Inn naturally stocked the highest-quality red dates.
As for why he didn't pick them himself—What a joke! The date trees were still blossoming!
At the counter, Jiang Bai asked directly, "Boss, do you have dates from the oldest jujube tree in Dihua Marsh?"
Verr Goldet pondered for a moment, "We have red dates, yes, but specifying the exact branch might be tricky."
After all, nobody picked dates according to individual branches. At most, dates were sorted by quality, good and bad.
Jiang Bai compromised, "Then just give me a few of the finest dates from that particular tree."
"You'll have to choose for yourself, then."
Verr Goldet led Jiang Bai to the storeroom and retrieved a small cloth bag containing last year's finest dates—small pits, plump flesh, thin skins, perfectly round, and sweet. Even Wangshu Inn had only this one small bag of such top-quality fruit.
"If you don't mind me asking, Jiang-xiaoge, what are these dates for?" Verr Goldet asked curiously.
"A gift for my apprenticeship ceremony," Jiang Bai replied seriously, carefully selecting a few of the best ones.
Verr Goldet paused, dredging up a distant memory of the connection between dates and apprenticeship ceremonies.
"The 'Six Ceremonies' is quite an ancient custom. Red dates are rarely used nowadays; it didn't even occur to me at first. Who is the master you're seeking apprenticeship under?"
"Who else could it be but our knowledgeable, historically erudite, and annoyingly particular guest consultant, Mr. Zhongli?" Jiang Bai's voice was filled with grievance.
"So it's Mr. Zhongli…" Clearly, Verr Goldet had also heard of Zhongli's notorious fussiness.
After picking five of the best dates, Jiang Bai asked, "How much, Boss?"
"They're only a few dates, hardly valuable. Consider them a gift, Jiang-xiaoge, and good luck with your apprenticeship!"
"I really appreciate it. I'll definitely give you more business in the future!"
Suddenly remembering something, Jiang Bai asked, "By the way, is Xiao around? It's been ages—I should go say hi."
"Yes, actually. Two travelers saw him just now, so he's probably in a good mood. You should be able to catch him," Verr Goldet replied openly.
As the inn's manager, she was fully aware of everything that happened within the establishment—including Jiang Bai and Hu Tao's past meals with Xiao.
"Then I'll take some almond tofu up for him."
Saying this, Jiang Bai headed straight for the kitchen.
Barely finished with his almond tofu, Xiao found himself confronted by another serving and a brightly smiling Jiang Bai.
Jiang Bai waved cheerfully at the suddenly appearing Xiao. "Xiao, look! Almond tofu! Made it myself—come and eat!"
"I already ate some earlier." Xiao crossed his arms, clearly with no intention of moving.
But Jiang Bai didn't care about that, dragging him directly to sit down. "That's not the same! I made this myself! If you eat theirs but not mine, that's playing favorites!"
Xiao: "..."
Unsure how to handle this, Xiao emitted a chilly aura while keeping a blank face.
Completely ignoring the chill, Jiang Bai stuffed a pair of chopsticks into his hands. "Come on, eat up! I tasted it while making it—surprisingly turned out really well."
Xiao instantly regretted revealing himself.
This guy was just like Hu Tao, climbing the pole the moment you gave him an opening.
Having just eaten plenty, Xiao had no desire for food. Fortunately, being an adeptus, he wouldn't feel bloated no matter how much he ate.
He picked up the chopsticks and took a small bite. Under Jiang Bai's expectant gaze, he reluctantly commented, "Passable."
Only after seeing Xiao eat did Jiang Bai bring up his real purpose.
"So, the Traveler already stopped by. You've probably heard about what happened to the Geo Archon, right?"
"Yes. Are you here for that too?"
"No, not really. I'm mostly here running errands for our dear guest consultant. I figured you must be bored here alone all day, so I came by to see you."
Xiao corrected him immediately, "I'm not bored, nor do I need visitors."
Hearing Xiao's disgruntled tone, Jiang Bai swiftly smoothed things over. "Yes, yes, yes! The Conqueror of Demons is too busy guarding humanity to ever get bored!"
"Hmph."
Crossing his arms again, Xiao set down the chopsticks with an icy snort.