Beside him, little Hu Tao continued to pour wine for Jingchen.
Half-drunk and half-awake, Jingchen felt her lean close, her soft voice whispering beside his ear.
"Jingchen-gege… will you wait for me, okay?"
Through his haze of drunkenness, Jingchen blinked. He had already passed the age of weak crown years ago, and this mischievous Hu Tao was still teasing him.
Most likely, she was only trying to comfort him after his confession had been rejected.
This girl — though always playful and full of tricks — was being uncharacteristically gentle at this moment.
Jingchen set down his cup, his tone gentle.
"Wait for you? Hu Tao, how exactly do you want me to wait for you?"
"When my hair grows down to my waist… c-could you… could you give me a chance then?"
Perhaps it was the drunken blur, or simply because Hu Tao was always so unpredictable.
Jingchen assumed she was just saying that to comfort him.
He smiled faintly — to him, Hu Tao was still just a little girl.
"When your hair reaches your waist… we'll talk about it then, little Hu Tao."
…
Time passed, and that little girl had grown up — though in some ways, she hadn't changed at all.
"Hu Tao, come down first. Aya's watching."
At the mention of Aya, Hu Tao froze for a moment, her eyes scanning Columbia up and down.
That gradient-colored hair, those tightly shut eyes, the flawless white stockings, and a face so beautiful it could topple nations.
Hu Tao's voice trembled as she asked,
"Jingchen?! Who… who is this girl called Aya?!"
Columbia stepped forward, her gem-like crimson eyes opening as she stared directly at Hu Tao.
Hu Tao refused to back down, locking gazes with her.
Between ruby and plum blossom, sparks flew unseen.
Columbia spoke coldly,
"Jingchen, put Hu Tao down."
Jingchen tried to grab Hu Tao, but her nimbleness gave him quite the headache.
He smiled helplessly at Columbia.
"Aya, you saw it yourself — I really, really tried."
Columbia snorted heavily, her opened eyes radiating immortal power.
A sky full of wings shimmered like a dream as they flew toward Hu Tao.
Sensing danger, Hu Tao panicked — she wrapped her arms tightly around Jingchen's neck, trying to pull him away.
Jingchen, struggling to breathe, clutched his throat and tried to explain,
"Hu Tao, this is only Aya's spiritual attack — it's all an illusion. She doesn't actually intend to harm you yet.
Before she truly develops the intent to kill, you should come down quickly."
"Ah?! I…"
Hu Tao hesitated slightly. Indeed, the moment Columbia had opened her eyes, she'd felt an immense pressure.
But backing down now would mean completely giving up on Jingchen.
In the end, she shook her head firmly.
Seeing the unwavering determination in Hu Tao's eyes, Columbia let out a laugh — one born of fury.
Her man — no one could touch him but her!
Hu Tao suddenly found she couldn't move. Even her elemental power was sealed.
Jingchen finally managed to grab her and gently set her down.
"Sigh? Aya, why did you use Dingchen?"
"What? I can't?"
"No, no, it's fine."
Jingchen knew that Dingchen not only immobilized one's body, but also sealed the elemental power in the surroundings.
It was somewhat similar to Raiden Ei's ability to suppress elemental energy — though even more extreme, since it froze the body entirely.
The effect was almost identical to freezing.
Columbia walked up to Hu Tao, her voice soft but laced with warning.
"Jingchen is mine. Next time you act up, I'll let you experience what it means to provoke a Harbinger of Snezhnaya~."
Jingchen didn't want Hu Tao to suffer psychological trauma. He quickly dispelled Dingchen's effect.
"Hu Tao, Columbia was only trying to scare you — don't take it too seriously. I'll still treat you as my little sister."
Hu Tao's pupils constricted. She lowered her head, eyes glistening with tears.
"Sister… only a sister?"
Columbia had already seen straight through the girl.
She gently took Hu Tao's hand, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
"The Knight's little sister shouldn't be so weak. And deep down, you keep telling yourself not to cry… right?"
"I…"
Hu Tao's figure flickered — and in the next instant, she vanished, dissolving into a flurry of fiery butterflies under the night sky.
Columbia turned back to Jingchen's side, calmly smoothing the wrinkles on his robe.
"Sigh. When that girl was still naive, if she had been a bit more decisive and a bit less whimsical, maybe I wouldn't even be here now. Don't you think so, Ah Chen?"
"Ah… Aya, you're saying that again. Anyway, let's go find the Rock King Emperor."
Columbia nodded slightly.
"You clearly planned to head for Inazuma, yet you've stayed here just to ease relations between Liyue and Snezhnaya."
"Aya, my shifu has treated me well. And… I have too many memories in Liyue."
"I didn't blame you. I just want you to finish your Liyue affairs sooner."
As soon as she said that, Columbia pulled out her notebook and feather pen.
[Autumn, Year Three with Jingchen — September 19th]A girl named Hu Tao tried to steal Jingchen from me.I gave her a little lesson — I didn't want to hurt her; after all, a sister is still a sister.Anyway, the advantage is mine.
Hearing Columbia record every word, Jingchen could only smile helplessly.
Still holding her hand, he continued walking down the street.
In the distance, the figures of Zhongli and Tartaglia flickered past.
Tartaglia, upon seeing Jingchen and Columbia, immediately turned his head — pretending to watch a little finch pecking rice from the ground.
"Yan~ Zhongli."
Jingchen called out to him.
Zhongli stopped, eyes closed, while Tartaglia took the chance to slip away.
"It's been a long time, Jingchen. What business brings you to me?"
Jingchen hesitated slightly.
According to his memory, La Signora obtained the Gnosis from Zhongli due to the contract between the Geo Archon and the Cryo Archon.
But should he bring that up directly? Perhaps it was better to start with small talk first.
Jingchen glanced around — Liuli Pavilion, Xinyue Xuan, and finally Mingxing Zhai caught his attention. An idea formed.
"Zhongli, I heard Mingxing Zhai just received a fine batch of antique treasures. I don't really understand such things — how about you come help me take a look?"
Zhongli nodded slightly.
"Very well."
The three arrived outside Mingxing Zhai. Zhongli, calm as ever, picked up a piece of ancient jade.
The shopkeeper, Yuexi, had thought that with Jingchen and Columbia there, she'd surely make a huge profit tonight — maybe even get a day off tomorrow.
But the instant she saw Zhongli, her heart sank.
Every time this man came, she suffered heavy losses.
No matter how perfect the replica, he would expose it instantly.
She snatched the jade from Zhongli's hand and drew the curtain down.
"We're closed for the night. Please come again another time."
...
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