She'd be coming back again...
Watching Cloud Retainer's receding figure as she flew off into the distance, Fang Qiu's face was filled with worry.
She was just afraid that next time, it wouldn't be because the books were any good...
Should she move house?
She had plenty of money on her at this point...
And besides — Cloud Retainer had said, just before leaving, that she was entrusting Shenhe to her care?
And on top of that — Shenhe's senior sister turned out to be Lady Ganyu?
This...
Before she could brood on it any further, Shenhe, standing beside her, looked over and said:
"Don't worry. My master isn't a petty person. Even if the books don't suit her tastes, she won't hold it against you. What's more, I had a look at your books, and I liked them very much — especially the scene where Yun Tianhe and Han Lingsha are conversing after being driven from the village. If it were me, I would have made the same choice as Yun Tianhe."
"Oh, that part! I know that part. If Paimon were in that situation, Paimon would pick the same too."
Paimon glanced over at Lumine and said, "What about you, Traveler?"
"Mm. If it came to it, I'd stand on Paimon's side."
Lumine nodded.
"Hehe."
Paimon scratched her hair, a bit embarrassed.
"Same here."
Hu Tao chimed in.
"Then — same here, too."
Fang Qiu gave a small smile, looked around at everyone, and nodded.
The conversation they were referring to was this: Yun Tianhe's father, Yun Tianqing, had done a great many transgressive things in the village when he was young, and because of that, Yun Tianhe and Han Lingsha had been driven out of the village.
Han Lingsha had asked Yun Tianhe — if Yun Tianqing were a bad person, or if it turned out a friend of his had really done some terrible things, would he still stand by their side?
Later, at the Qionghua Sect, Yun Tianhe had drawn his sword on all the Qionghua disciples who, upon learning of Han Lingsha's identity as a tomb raider, wanted to strip away her cultivation arts and drive her down the mountain. He had answered her question with his actions.
Just as the mood was at its warmest, Paimon suddenly asked, "By the way, Fang Qiu, Hu Tao — what were you two doing hugging each other just now?"
"Uh..."
Fang Qiu's face went a little red again.
Hu Tao, on the other hand, gave a sly little smile and casually made up some excuse to wave the question off.
Although everyone looked plainly skeptical, no one pressed her any further.
"You two are soaking wet. Why don't we head over to the bathhouse? We can wash up, get a really nice sleep, and then tomorrow we can go to the Jade Chamber to watch Yun Jin's new opera."
Paimon said.
"A new opera?"
Fang Qiu looked puzzled.
"That's right. It's called Divine Damsel of Devastation, and it tells Shenhe's story."
Paimon said. "Yun Jin already said she'd invite you and Hu Tao, along with Sister Beidou and the others."
"Shenhe's story?"
Fang Qiu glanced over at Shenhe, puzzled.
"Just some old matters."
Shenhe shook her head and said.
Seeing that Shenhe wasn't going to elaborate, Paimon just smiled and said, "You'll see when the time comes — we won't spoil it. Come on, let's get washed up, then go out and have ourselves a proper feast. I'm worn out today. Braised Lobster, Butter Crab, Pagoda Pork, Dry Pot Cured Meat, Flash-Fried Filet, Northern Smoked Chicken, Jueyun Chili Chicken..."
"Paimon was just watching the opera from the Jade Chamber, wasn't she?"
Lumine said.
"What do you mean by that? Cheering you all on is exhausting work, you know."
Paimon planted her hands on her hips, looking thoroughly indignant.
As she listened to Paimon rattle off the names of all those dishes, Fang Qiu couldn't help pressing a hand to her flat stomach, instinctively pursing her red lips and pressing them tightly shut — it would be terribly embarrassing if she ended up drooling.
Apart from a bowl of noodles for breakfast and a glass of juice in the afternoon, she hadn't eaten a thing all day.
So hungry...
Still, Hu Tao was soaked through. Best to head to the bathhouse first.
Hu Tao went home first to fetch a change of clothes, while Fang Qiu went back into her own room to look for something.
The pastries had all been eaten...
With no other choice, Fang Qiu quickly prepared some cat food for the wilted, starving Tingyu.
Watching Tingyu eat with such relish, Fang Qiu couldn't help swallowing.
So hungry...
Once she'd finished setting out the cat food, Shenhe froze the door shut again.
Looking at the frost crystallizing across the door, Fang Qiu was starting to worry whether this much Cryo power might actually wreck the structure of the door itself.
Then she'd be able to kick it open with a single foot.
Maybe it would be better to just replace the door outright later?
Then again, the lease was almost up. Should she start scouting around for a new place to live?
Forget it — she'd think about it when the time came.
Fang Qiu fell into step alongside the others, and together they made their way toward the bathhouse.
Along the way, Fang Qiu asked about that great battle out at sea that afternoon.
So Paimon proceeded to give Fang Qiu a thorough rundown of the great battle that had just taken place.
That dragon-like monster had been the lingering remnant of the Vortex — Osial's wife, the last of the Overlord of the Vortex's followers: Beisht.
According to the story, Sister Beidou had warned Ningguang months ago. The reason Ningguang had chosen this particular time to rebuild the Jade Chamber was precisely because she wanted to use Beisht's hatred for the Jade Chamber to lure her up out of the sea.
Ningguang, Keqing, and Beidou had attacked her from sea, land, and air, using upgraded Guizhong Ballistae.
At the end, Beisht had whipped up the sky-swallowing waves and unleashed a final, all-or-nothing strike — which Shenhe had frozen, every last bit of it.
"That ice storm was something you did, Shenhe?"
Fang Qiu's pupils contracted, and she turned to look at Shenhe.
"Mm."
Shenhe merely gave a faint nod.
Good grief...
Truly a case of same face, different fates...
Cloud Retainer had said the two of them might be twins... but why was the gap between them this enormous...
No wonder Cloud Retainer hadn't dared draw any firm conclusions about their relationship.
She'd said their connection was still in doubt.
Still, Fang Qiu was increasingly certain in her own heart that she and Shenhe weren't really like twin sisters at all.
After all — even twins shouldn't have constitutions this drastically different, surely?
She herself could maybe freeze a small puddle. Shenhe could freeze tidal waves dozens of meters high.
It bore mentioning — Ultraman is only about forty-some meters tall.
The gap was simply too vast.
On top of that, the village where Shenhe had spent her childhood had no records of her at all...
But still...
She didn't really care what her relationship to Shenhe was in the past.
Whatever.
As long as, going forward, the two of them were friends, that was enough.
By the time they had walked all the way to the bathhouse, Hu Tao had also arrived, in a fresh change of clothes.
The moment she spotted them, Hu Tao came over to greet them and handed Fang Qiu a small paper bag.
Fang Qiu took the paper bag. It was warm in her hand. When she opened it, she found a freshly baked pastry inside.
"Just as I was leaving, an undertaker from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor insisted on giving it to me. I didn't want to eat it. Fang Qiu, why don't you finish it for me?"
Hu Tao said.
"Huh?"
Fang Qiu blinked, a bit startled.
Hu Tao gave her a little wink.
And Fang Qiu instantly understood.
This was no "undertaker insisting on giving her the pastry" — clearly, Hu Tao had noticed she was hungry and had gone out of her way to buy it.
To avoid disrupting everyone else's plans, she'd framed it as the undertaker pressing it on her.
"Mm."
Fang Qiu naturally played along. She gave a soft sound of acknowledgement, took the paper bag, and began to eat.
Very fragrant.
Fang Qiu ate at a leisurely pace as she followed the others into the bathhouse.
Of course, it wasn't that Fang Qiu didn't want to wolf it down.
It wasn't that wolfing it down would be unseemly — it was that she didn't want to choke on it.
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