Three Items

The next day, Zhongli got up very early, but Aserine rose even earlier. As soon as she saw that he was awake, she quickly prepared breakfast. Zhongli ate a little before heading out.

His goal was clear: to go to that shop from yesterday and collect his things. That purple-haired young lady had promised to let him choose three items.

Not long after Zhongli left, Aserine followed behind him. She looked somewhat hurried, as though she had rushed to pack her things and catch up.

"Why are you following me?"

Zhongli turned and asked.

"It is my duty."

Aserine replied seriously, "You are still very young. Going out alone, you might encounter danger or get yourself into trouble, so I should follow you as much as possible to protect you."

Duty... trouble...

"More important than duty is your mission. Go to Spirit Hall and register me. Securing my qualification to study at Spirit Hall Academy is more important." Zhongli looked at her calmly as he spoke.

"..."

Aserine fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. "I understand."

"Go home once you've registered me. There is still a lot to do at home. Once you've finished it all, you can take a vacation and do whatever you want," Zhongli said.

"Yes."

Aserine nodded and headed directly toward Spirit Hall without any objection or question.

She really felt like a tool...

With one hand on his hip, Zhongli narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Aserine's retreating figure, lost in thought. Her reaction was not actually normal. A normal maid would definitely worry about Zhongli's safety, and that would become troublesome...

But Aserine was different. She centered everything around her master's orders, and her own will was very weak. Even if Zhongli made more excessive demands, she would probably comply.

As a maid, she was very convenient; but as a person, she was truly rather abnormal.

How pitiful~

After letting out a soft sigh, Zhongli headed straight for yesterday's shop.

The shopkeeper had indeed changed. It was now the purple-haired young lady from yesterday. She was silently reading a book, occasionally curling her lips in a stifled laugh. After laughing, she would warily look around and lightly cough, as though checking whether anyone had noticed.

Soon, she spotted Zhongli. However, he had only just entered, so he had not seen her earlier sneaking laughs.

"Mm, little friend, are you here to buy something..."

The purple-haired young lady had only spoken halfway when she noticed that the child before her looked familiar. After studying him carefully, she revealed an enlightened smile, folded her arms over her chest, and said, "You're the child from yesterday, right? Pick anything you want from the shop. It's all mine. Just take it once you're done choosing. None of it is worth much anyway."

"Thank you very much," Zhongli said politely.

"Mm, go choose quickly."

The purple-haired young lady continued speaking, her gaze on Zhongli carrying a hint of impatience. Her eyes kept flicking toward her novel and desserts. She did not like doing the things she enjoyed in front of other people, so she was usually quite reclusive and generally preferred staying home by herself.

"Mm, I understand."

Zhongli nodded lightly. Of course, he could see what the person before him was thinking. That little expression was practically screaming: Hurry up and choose your things. Don't disturb me.

He walked straight to the display shelf, the spot where he had found that stone yesterday. The stone on the shelf had already disappeared, replaced by a roll of pink gauze and an ancient coin. If the names of those two items were put together, then only the first and last characters were considered, the secret within could be discovered.

Of course, perhaps Zhongli was overthinking it~

Heh, had that fox noticed?

Zhongli's expression shifted slightly. He knew this shop; few people came here normally, and he had only gone there on a whim. So it was unlikely that someone had bought it.

What a cunning woman...

He thought for a moment, then picked up the roll of gauze and examined it carefully. Other than its rather delicate pink color, there was nothing special about it. Then he unfolded the gauze and discovered a line of elegant writing inside.

Tonight, Moon Pavilion first-floor hall, secret

Interesting...

A meaningful smile gradually appeared on Zhongli's face. He picked up the pink gauze and continued looking over the various items around him. In the end, he chose two ancient stones with a certain charm to them. Such stones were very useful to him, capable of slightly strengthening his passive growth.

Though each one was small, they could accumulate over time and eventually yield decent benefits.

That fox was extremely cunning. She had probably realized something when neither Zhongli nor the purple-haired young lady had visited for quite some time. Perhaps she had used some special method to confirm it, or perhaps she had contacted the purple-haired young lady and judged from her attitude. In any case, she knew what Zhongli had done.

Then she had taken that ancient stone away, merely to make Zhongli feel a little worse. This fox seemed to enjoy playing such little tricks. She probably did not hold a grudge against Zhongli; at most, she was just amusing herself at his expense.

What a troublesome woman...

"I've made my choices. These three items."

Zhongli returned to the counter, placed the items before the purple-haired young lady, and spoke.

"Oh, take them, take them."

The purple-haired young lady seemed to have reached an exciting part of her book and had no interest in dealing with him. She waved her hand casually, too lazy even to glance at the items.

Zhongli's eyes shifted slightly. Sensibly, he left at once so as not to provoke her. Getting things for free was already good enough; he should quit while he was ahead.

Although the shop's items were not expensive, they could not be called cheap either. Some decent soul tools could be worth thousands of Gold Soul Coins, making them extremely rare in this small city. Yet this purple-haired young lady did not care about any of them at all. It was practically certain that she was a wealthy woman.

As her friend and the shop manager who took turns with her, that fox's identity was likely not simple either.

Nighttime, before Moon Pavilion

Zhongli looked at the magnificent Building before him, a slight smile rising at the corners of his lips. Although Moon Pavilion had been established in a small city, it catered only to those at the very top. Ordinary people likely had no chance of entering at all.

Therefore, if Zhongli did not display some strength, he would most likely be stopped outside and unable to enter. And that was probably what the fox wanted to see. She might come over with a smile to help him out of the situation, admiring Zhongli's embarrassment and enjoying his reaction.

What a strange hobby...

However, Zhongli was no ordinary person~

(As everyone knows, ordinary rabbits go into heat four times a year and have 4-6 litters each time. Soft Bone Rabbits do not possess any powerful bloodline, so when they are still very young, aren't they not much different from ordinary rabbits?

So, before Xiao Wu possessed sufficient intelligence, how many litters of baby rabbits had she ultimately given birth to? How many male rabbits had she bred with? Mm, this is a very difficult question to answer. Could Tang solve it... Before I knew it, it seemed I was looking at a vast grassland~ Grass~ Nothing but grass~)