Under Klee's wild bombardment, the dozen Hilichurls were blasted into the sky in the blink of an eye, then crashed down and vanished from sight.
In fact, if Klee hadn't been having so much fun playing, the whole process probably would have ended even faster.
But since Klee was so happy tossing bombs, Shao Yun let her enjoy herself and didn't step in.
The female adventurer, seeing that the danger around her was gone, finally breathed a sigh of relief. She stood up and gave Shao Yun and Klee a deep bow of gratitude.
"Thank you so much for your help. If you hadn't shown up in time, those wretched Hilichurls would've stolen all the cargo I was escorting."
Hearing this, Klee puffed up proudly, hands on her hips, grinning ear to ear. "Heehee, so? Isn't Klee's Jumpy Dumpty super powerful? Don't mention it, this is just the duty of an excellent knight!"
The female adventurer pressed her hands together again, bowing gratefully.
"Thank you, really, thank you. My name's Anna, I just started out as a rookie adventurer."
Then she muttered in a low voice, a touch of complaint in her tone. "Ugh, how strange… why are there so many annoying Hilichurls suddenly appearing even in a relatively safe place like Springvale?"
At last, Anna sighed and said with frustration, "Sigh… I learned so much from Senior Lumine, Senior Bennett, and Senior Fischl, but when it comes to fending off Hilichurls or Treasure Hoarders, I still feel so powerless…"
When Shao Yun heard her name was Anna, and that she mentioned Lumine, he muttered under his breath, "Senior? Lumine. Oh… so that's it."
He suddenly realized—this must be what happens after Lumine completes the daily commission "Anna the Adventurer!"
Looking at the dull blade lying on the ground, Shao Yun could already picture the scene in his head.
Anna had taken on a commission to escort a cargo hot air balloon. She thought Springvale would be safe, but then Hilichurls suddenly attacked.
Completely unprepared, Anna panicked, her weapon knocked away, leaving her crouched on the ground, helplessly crying for help.
Shao Yun bent down, picked up the dull blade, and handed it back to Anna with a friendly reminder. "I think you'd better switch to a better weapon. This dull blade of yours looks even weaker than a Hilichurl's club."
Anna accepted her dull blade, nodding, but asked in confusion, "But… I've seen senior use a dull blade too, and she could still beat Hilichurls and Treasure Hoarders with ease."
Shao Yun thought to himself, How can you compare yourself to Lumine? If she can't handle something with the dull blade, I give her my revolver. And if even that doesn't work, then I step in with my own gun. How could you compare with her?
Still, for Lumine and Paimon's sake, he offered Anna some advice.
"There's an old saying in Liyue: 'To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools.' You should buy a silver sword from Wagner."
As for why he didn't suggest she open chests in the wild—well, with Lumine and Paimon around, those two were already the ultimate earth tillers. For Anna, buying from Wagner was far more practical.
Just then, a boy's voice called out.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here! Reinforcements and rescue are on the way!"
A blond boy with a birdlike hairstyle came running up.
The boy looked around at the unharmed scene in confusion, then turned to Shao Yun, gave a perfectly formal knight's salute, and introduced himself.
"Hello, my name is Mika, front-line surveyor of the Knights of Favonius Reconnaissance Company. May I ask what happened with the cry for help just now?"
So, you're Mika, huh? You're back before we even get to Sumeru?
Shao Yun glanced at Anna, who was busy checking her cargo hot air balloon, and chuckled as he explained, "Sorry to trouble you to come all this way. Actually, what happened was this…"
But before he could finish, Klee ran over eagerly and declared to Mika, "Big Brother Mika, me and Big Brother Shao Yun already took care of all the bad guys!"
Mika, seeing Klee, finally understood. "Oh, I see, so that's what happened. Then you really worked hard."
He then turned back to Shao Yun and continued his introduction.
"I've heard Captain Jean mention you. We probably haven't met before—I was away on expedition with the Grand Master, and only returned to Mondstadt a week or two ago."
Shao Yun smirked and teased, "So, did you bring back any horses this time? Because your cavalry captain Kaeya still doesn't have a horse. Honestly, it's a bit pitiful."
Mika's face turned bright red, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Well… I didn't bring any…"
Shao Yun laughed. "Hah, guess that means Kaeya has no choice but to run on his own two legs like a horse. Maybe we should add a rule—anyone running for cavalry captain must prove their two legs are as fast as a horse."
Just then, two familiar female voices called out from afar.
"Mika, we're here!"
"Mika, is anyone hurt?"
Mika's face lit up with joy. He waved his hand and called out, "Amber! Eula! Everything's already resolved."
Amber rushed in first like the wind, but the moment she saw Shao Yun, it was as if she'd seen a ghost. She skidded to a halt so suddenly she nearly tumbled over from momentum.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she cried out, "Ah! It's Shao Yun!"
The very next second, Amber spun around, trying to block Eula behind her, desperate to keep her from seeing Shao Yun.
But she was a step too late. Eula met Shao Yun's gaze directly.
At first, Eula froze.
Then, in an instant, memories of that night surged through her mind, flashing like a slideshow, stirring the storm in her heart back into a raging tempest.
Her eyes locked on Shao Yun, fists clenched so tightly that her nails pierced her palms, blood seeping out unnoticed. She only stared, unblinking, at the man before her.
Through gritted teeth, she forced out words like a beast ready to pounce.
"You…"
Mika shivered, hugging his arms. "Why does the air suddenly feel cold, like Dragonspine…"
He rubbed his arms, trying to chase away the chill.
Klee looked around, baffled by the tense silence. "Huh? What's wrong? We beat the bad guys, shouldn't everyone be happy?"
She tilted her head, blinking her big eyes in confusion.
Eula glanced at Klee, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress the flames of rage within her.
Though anger roared inside her, threatening to consume her, she exerted incredible self-control, keeping her emotions hidden.
She quickly returned to her usual proud, icy composure. Loosening her bloody hand as though nothing had happened, she spoke with cold detachment.
"Anyway, the problem's resolved. Thank you, Spark Knight, for your help."
Then she turned and walked away, motioning to Amber and Mika.
"Amber, Mika, let's resume patrol."
Without looking back, she left, her proud, icy silhouette fading into the distance.
Amber hurried after her, worry etched on her face.
Mika stood frozen, glancing between his captain Eula and Shao Yun, then finally said, "We'll be heading back then."
Klee, still confused, scratched her head. "Ooh… okay then. Big Brother Mika, Big Sister Amber, and Big Sister Eula—good luck!"
Anna, having finished inspecting the hot air balloon, also said to Shao Yun, "Then I'll continue with my delivery."
Shao Yun watched Eula's retreating back, muttering inwardly.
He couldn't tell if it was Captain Jean, as Albedo mentioned, who convinced Eula… or if it was Klee's innocent presence that let her suppress her hatred.
…
Everyone busied themselves with their own tasks. Shao Yun, meanwhile, sat leisurely on horseback, shielding Klee in front of him as they rode back to where Alice's lantern floated.
When they arrived, he gently tugged the reins to halt the horse.
Then, reaching into the Legend of the East satchel, he fished around until he pulled out a pocket watch.
Squinting at the time, he muttered, "Mm… looks like it's nearly ten in the morning. We'd better head back to Mondstadt."
He raised his head, glancing at the lantern hovering beside him.
Looking at it thoughtfully, he said, "Once today's Knightly Exam is over, we'll talk more about that so-called suggestion you mentioned."
At those words, the lantern quivered, Alice's surprised and puzzled voice echoing from within.
"What? I thought we'd already reached an agreement."
Shao Yun smirked faintly.
Lowering his voice, he replied softly, "I'm not someone who's swayed so easily by words. Even Lumine couldn't manage that—so why would you? If you want me to rebuild my way of life, it'll take a lot more than empty talk."
With that, he ignored Alice in the lantern.
Instead, he gently stroked Klee's soft, rosy cheeks, smiling. "Alright, little one, sit tight. We're heading back to the Knights to cheer on your dear Big Sister Noelle."
Klee's face flushed with excitement.
She raised her tiny fists high, cheering loudly. "Yay! Let's go cheer for Big Sister Noelle!"