Something feels off.
From the looks of it, Keqing and the Millelith were clearly preparing to deal with the Fatui.
Should I… do something? Cael thought calmly.
Just then, the Electrohammer glared at him viciously.
"Kid, behave yourself. If you don't want to die, do exactly as I say!"
Cael turned his head and replied simply,
"Oh."
The moment the word left his mouth—
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept past.
The next instant—
A heavy punch slammed straight into the Electrohammer's face!!
"PUH—!!"
The Electrohammer staggered back several steps.
"What the—?!"
The Fatui Anemoboxer instantly sensed something was wrong—and when he looked again, Cael was already behind the Electrohammer.
His expression changed immediately.
This kid was not ordinary.
Without hesitation, the Anemoboxer activated his Delusion, raised his iron fist, and smashed it toward Cael!
A hurricane roared as the sandbag-sized fist appeared right in front of Cael's face.
Cael froze for a split second—
But his body reacted on instinct.
"What?!"
The Anemoboxer's eyes widened in shock.
That seemingly skinny young man had actually caught his punch.
Seeing this, the Pyro Gunner immediately raised his weapon, took aim, and fired without hesitation.
Bang!
The flaming bullet reached Cael in an instant.
Cael drew the Dull Blade and blocked it head-on—
Though the impact still sent him skidding back several meters.
"Damn it—this guy's way too troublesome!" the Anemoboxer shouted.
"The hostage is free! Retreat—now!"
The signal was given.
By the time Keqing reacted, Cael was already exchanging blows with multiple Fatui elites—locked in a deadlock, neither side gaining the upper hand!
"Now!" Keqing seized the moment.
"Arrest the Fatui!"
The Millelith responded in unison:
"Yes!"
"This guy's holding off all of us by himself—what a nightmare!" The Electrohammer finally realized something was seriously wrong.
"Why are we still fighting? Run!" the Anemoboxer yelled.
"The Qixing is right here!"
He slammed Cael back with a heavy blow and turned to flee.
"Wait for me!"
The Electrohammer and the others followed immediately.
"Eh—?! They all ran?!"
Only the Pyro Gunner reacted a beat too slow.
By the time he realized what was happening, Keqing and the Millelith had already surrounded him.
"You have nowhere left to run."
Keqing lifted her jade-like leg and kicked him flat to the ground, then stepped firmly on his head, leaving him no chance to resist.
The remaining Fatui who failed to escape were swiftly subdued as well.
"…Damn it. A few still got away," Keqing said, looking toward the direction the Fatui had fled. She knew it was pointless to pursue them now.
Then she noticed—
Cael squatting not far away, calmly picking up the scattered Violetgrass.
She smiled, walked over, and spoke gently.
"Thank you, sir. Without you, we might not have managed to capture even one Fatui."
Cael paused and looked up at her.
…Huh?
Wait—are those seamless black stockings?
This angle—
This position—
This is bad.
Cael's face instantly turned red. A nosebleed burst out on the spot.
Keqing froze.
She immediately assumed he had been injured during the fight. Though she didn't quite understand why the blood was coming from his nose, treatment was still necessary.
"Are you alright?" she asked, crouching down.
"Should I take you to Bubu Pharmacy?"
Cael waved his hands frantically and turned his head away.
"N-No! I'm fine! I just… haven't exercised in a long time!"
Keqing didn't press the matter.
"Either way, you rendered great service today," she said.
"May I have your name?"
Cael smiled awkwardly.
"No need to call it great service—just helping out. My name's Cael. You might've heard of me… I'm the one who 'died' half a month ago."
"…The one who faked his death?"
Keqing thought for a moment, then her eyes widened.
"Oh! So you're that Cael—the one who nearly got buried alive."
Cael: (ー_ー)!!
Yep. Conversation officially dead.
Being almost buried was still the thing he least wanted to remember.
He sighed helplessly.
"Y-Yeah… that's me. Um, Lady Keqing, if there's nothing else, I'll be heading off. I still need to turn in my commission."
He gestured to the basket of Violetgrass.
Keqing smiled politely.
"Then I won't keep you. Once things settle down, I'll visit the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to give you proper thanks and a reward."
She added with a faint smile,
"You can't refuse. If you do, you'll be disrespecting me."
A small joke—but a firm one.
Cael knew better than to decline and agreed before parting ways with her.
Next stop—
Bubu Pharmacy.
He rented another carriage and returned to Liyue Harbor.
...
...
Bubu Pharmacy
"Oh?"
Baizhu looked surprised.
"I didn't expect the one who completed my commission to be my former patient."
Coincidences happened all the time, so he didn't dwell on it—but when counting the herbs, he frowned slightly.
"Strange. I requested ten Violetgrass… why are there fourteen?"
Cael explained,
"There was a fight on the way back. Some of the Violetgrass got damaged, so I picked a few extra."
Baizhu glanced at the torn spots on Cael's clothes, then shook his head.
"I asked for ten, and ten is enough. Since you gathered fourteen, I won't take advantage of you. I'll pay you for the extra four as well."
Cael felt a little embarrassed but didn't refuse.
After receiving his payment, he was just about to leave when—
He felt someone tug lightly on the corner of his clothes.
He stopped and looked down.
Light blue hair.
A talisman pasted on a zombie hat.
A small hand—soft and pale—clutched his sleeve.
Even without seeing her face, Cael instantly recognized her.
The little zombie—
Qiqi.
But in this timeline, Cael had never met her before.
He smiled gently.
"Little one, do you need something?"
Baizhu noticed as well and chuckled.
"How rare. Qiqi doesn't usually approach strangers on her own. Cael, how did you manage that?"
"I… didn't do anything," Cael replied awkwardly.
Qiqi still didn't speak—only lifted her head to look at him.
The silence made Cael a bit uneasy.
"Um… little one? Is there something you wanted?"
At last, Qiqi spoke slowly, her voice soft and halting.
"I'm not… 'little one.'"
"My name is… Qiqi."
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