"Mhm, don't worry. Let her have some fun outside. I'll go pick her up tonight."
Jiang Yan said with a smile.
Thanks to the spatial membrane he left on Keqing, he could clearly sense her location at any time.
Besides, he believed that a child Keqing's age wouldn't stay out too late anyway.
At most, she was just enjoying the novelty of going on an adventure.
"Then thank you very much, Lord Tianquan."
Hearing Jiang Yan say this, Keqing's grandfather finally relaxed completely.
After all, in this land, aside from Rex Lapis, the person who made people feel the most secure was the Tianquan standing before him.
After chatting with the old man for a while, Jiang Yan took the kids to Yuehai Pavilion to pick up Ganyu after work.
Since the General Affairs Department wasn't busy today, Ganyu was getting off work earlier than usual.
After waiting a bit, Ganyu finally walked out of Yuehai Pavilion.
"Master's wife~!"
Little Ningguang waved enthusiastically the moment she saw Ganyu.
Ganyu also noticed the five people standing outside the entrance.
It looked exactly like a husband bringing four adorable children to pick up his wife from work.
Her pretty face immediately turned red.
"Why are you all here?"
Ganyu walked over to Jiang Yan and asked softly.
"The rain stopped, so I took the little ones out for a stroll."
Jiang Yan said with a smile.
"We ended up playing for quite a while. Since the timing was about right, we figured we'd come pick you up together."
"So this is your excuse for skipping work again today?"
Ganyu looked at him helplessly.
Jiang Yan just chuckled.
If you couldn't skip work and slack off, then what was even the point of working?
Besides, it wasn't busy today. Sitting in Yuehai Pavilion would've been boring anyway.
"Let's go. We're not eating at home tonight."
"We'll eat at Old Mao's place."
Jiang Yan said as he took Ganyu's delicate hand.
"Old Mao? Didn't he just get married?"
Ganyu asked in confusion.
"Didn't he go on a honeymoon with his wife?"
"That's what you'd think."
Jiang Yan told her about Chef Mao's situation.
Even Ganyu sighed after hearing it.
"Old Mao is truly fortunate to have met such a good partner."
"Exactly!"
Jiang Yan nodded.
"That guy doesn't even realize how lucky he is. With such a virtuous wife, he should be secretly celebrating."
As he spoke, Jiang Yan suddenly leaned closer to Ganyu.
"Of course, I'm different."
"I celebrate openly."
He grinned.
"Bad!"
Ganyu blushed and lightly smacked his arm.
Meanwhile, the four little girls surrounded them.
The group of six walked through Liyue's streets like a happy family.
Wanmin Restaurant
"Ah! Lord Tianquan!"
Chef Mao greeted Jiang Yan warmly when he saw him enter with Ganyu and the kids.
"Come on, Old Mao. I'm off duty right now. Just call me Jiang Yan."
Jiang Yan waved his hand.
"Looks like business isn't too busy today with the rain."
He walked inside and casually picked an empty table, sitting down with Ganyu and the kids.
"Hahaha, it's alright. It's not dinner time yet."
Chef Mao replied.
"Order whatever you want. I'll even send over a couple of my specialty dishes later."
"That won't do. That's no way to run a business."
Jiang Yan shook his head and looked at the menu on the table.
"Let's see… one Jueyun Chili Chicken, Crystal Shrimp, Mint Salad, Stir-fried Qingxin, Crab Roe Tofu, and finally a Sweet and Sour Squirrel Fish."
He ordered quite a few dishes.
After all, there were six of them.
Six dishes should be enough.
"And bring a few bowls of rice later."
Jiang Yan added with a smile.
"Got it! I'll bring them over soon!"
Chef Mao nodded and headed into the kitchen.
Just then—
Jiang Yan suddenly sensed that the protective mechanism he left on Keqing had been triggered.
Little Keqing ran into danger?
Jiang Yan stood up and said to Ganyu:
"I need to step out for a moment. I'll be back soon."
"Oh, and tell Old Mao to prepare one more set of bowls and chopsticks."
Although Ganyu was a bit confused about why he needed to leave now, she nodded.
She trusted Jiang Yan would explain when he returned.
The moment he finished speaking—
A portal suddenly opened.
Jiang Yan stepped through it.
Deep in the Forest of Tianheng Mountain
Little Keqing stood there holding a wooden stick.
Because the mountain was muddy after the rain, her clothes were covered in mud.
In front of her stood a Mitachurl holding a massive stone shield.
Between them seemed to be an invisible wall.
No matter how the Mitachurl charged, it couldn't break through the invisible barrier.
This infuriated the monster.
It slammed and smashed against the barrier repeatedly, roaring in anger.
Keqing was still just a child.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally for dangers during her adventure—
Facing a monster like this for the first time still made her extremely scared.
She had no idea who created the invisible barrier protecting her.
But at least she knew one thing—
She was safe for now.
Suddenly, the Mitachurl's body trembled.
It looked toward Keqing's direction cautiously and slowly began stepping backward.
As if it had sensed something terrifying.
"Are you alright, little Keqing?"
A gentle voice sounded behind her.
Keqing turned around.
Standing there was Jiang Yan, the big brother she met earlier that day, smiling at her.
"Brother Jiang Yan!"
As if she had finally found something to rely on, Keqing rushed forward and hugged him.
"There, there. You're safe now."
Jiang Yan gently stroked her messy hair.
Then he calmly glanced at the Mitachurl.
Just a single look—
The Mitachurl shuddered violently and ran away in panic, scrambling as fast as it could.
"Alright, now you know why your grandfather didn't want you going on adventures alone, right?"
Jiang Yan lightly flicked Keqing's forehead.
"Mhm… I'll apologize to Grandpa when I get home."
"But… I still won't give up!"
Keqing said stubbornly. 💜⚡
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