Mt. Aocang,
Cloud Retainer woke from her slumber to the sound of knocking at the entrance to her abode.
With a gentle flap of her wings, the great doors slowly opened.
Soon, a woman with a white braid walked in. Her black skintight outfit outlined an extremely alluring figure, yet her bearing was as cold and aloof as though she were untouched by mortal affairs.
"Shenhe, are you ready?"
Cloud Retainer asked Shenhe.
"Master, I am ready."
Shenhe nodded slowly.
"Then go down the mountain and travel for a while."
Cloud Retainer said to Shenhe.
A few days earlier, she had felt a stirring in her heart and sensed that it was time for Shenhe to go down the mountain and see the world.
As it happened, the Rite of Descension in Liyue Harbor was also drawing near. It would be good for Shenhe to witness it.
"Yes."
Shenhe bade Cloud Retainer farewell,
then turned and left with her spear in hand.
Cloud Retainer left alongside Shenhe and watched her make her way down the mountain before turning back.
At the mountain gate, she glanced at the stone table beneath the tree.
With a thought,
she transformed directly into human form.
A tall, black-haired woman with glasses appeared,
then slowly walked over to the stone table.
She stretched out her hand,
and three wine cups appeared from thin air.
She picked up the cup closest to her and slowly poured its contents into her mouth.
Looking at the cup in the spot that should have belonged to Guizhong, the corners of her lips lifted into a smile.
"Guizhong, my proudest Art of Automata may not compare to yours, but I still have one thing that surpasses you. I have two excellent students, so I am better than you! Two! You do not even have one student. If you did, I truly would have wanted my two disciples to compete with yours properly."
Remembering that she would never see her old friend again, Cloud Retainer drank heavily for a long time.
Without deliberately suppressing it, she became a little drunk.
"I truly want to compete with you in the Art of Automata one more time!"
Outside Liyue Harbor,
Bai Ye, Hu Tao, and Xiangling were having a picnic in the wilderness.
They had brought several dishes, as well as a large piece of marinated raw meat, intending to grill it outdoors.
Guoba breathed fire to roast the meat,
while the three people who could not drink alcohol at all raised their juice cups and clinked them together.
"Come, cheers!"
After draining her cup, Hu Tao asked Bai Ye,
"What are you planning to do next, Bai Ye? You are not going to build roads, are you?"
"No. I can handle designing something, but carrying out the actual work is not my specialty." Bai Ye shook his head, then smiled at Hu Tao. "Recently, I found another commission. It is far better than building roads."
"What is it?"
Hu Tao asked curiously.
"During the Rite of Descension, I will be responsible for overseeing public security in Liyue."
Bai Ye said smugly.
"Next, all of your establishments will have to submit to my inspection. If you do not treat me properly, I will have you shut down on the grounds of obstructing the Rite of Descension."
"Tch. Go ahead and shut down Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Let us see whether the people of Liyue get anxious."
Hu Tao was not afraid of the threat at all.
Bai Ye thought about it and realized he really had no way around it.
A business that had held a monopoly for seventy-seven generations truly could not be touched.
Xiangling watched from the side and laughed.
Bai Ye shot Xiangling a look, then hurriedly reminded her.
"Stop laughing. The meat over there is almost burnt!"
"Ah!" Xiangling immediately came to her senses and hurriedly turned the meat, sprinkling seasonings over it.
"It is done, it is done! Hurry and eat!"
The three of them began enjoying the delicious grilled meat.
No, to be precise, there should have been four.
Hagintos was also enjoying the food through Bai Ye's mouth.
Xiangling's cooking was excellent, and with Guoba's control over fire, the grilling was naturally superb.
Hu Tao worked both hands at once, stuffing skewer after skewer of grilled meat into her mouth until her lips glistened with oil.
"Wow, Xiangling's cooking really is amazing!"
"Of course. I am going to make sure Wanmin Restaurant does not fall behind Xinyue Kiosk and Liuli Pavilion."
Xiangling looked utterly confident as she said this.
"Mhm, mhm. I will keep expanding Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's business as well."
As she said that, Xiangling and Hu Tao both looked toward Bai Ye.
Hu Tao asked Bai Ye, "By the way, Bai Ye, what is your wish? Do you not just want to make money?"
"Of course not."
Bai Ye shook his head.
"I want to use my Art of Automata to make Liyue a better place."
He lay down and crossed one leg over the other as he spoke.
He wanted to use his own power to make life better for himself and the people of Liyue.
This was not only Bai Ye's wish. It was also what his teacher had always hoped for.
Hu Tao remembered something, lay down beside Bai Ye, and asked him, "Right, where is that incinerator you said you would modify for me?"
"Alright, I will make it for you whenever I have time these days."
Bai Ye agreed.
At the same time, he looked at Xiangling, who was sitting nearby, and added, "Xiangling, I will make one of these stoves for you too."
The moment Bai Ye said that, Hu Tao and Xiangling both widened their eyes.
"Wait, why would I need an incinerator?"
Xiangling asked Bai Ye.
"Well, burning people and cooking food are pretty much the same thing. Since Wanmin Restaurant wants to bring good food to the public, you need to consider ease of operation. Even if you and Master Mao each have a stove, how much can you cook? In some areas, it is better to use the Art of Automata."
"That is true."
Xiangling nodded.
But she was still somewhat hesitant.
"Um, having the stove at Wanmin Restaurant be the same as the furnace used for burning bodies at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor..."
"Xiangling, you are being silly," Bai Ye said to her. "People who enter an incinerator generally will not come out to eat at Wanmin Restaurant."
"That is true!"
Then, she clasped her hands together above her head and bowed to Bai Ye. "Then thank you very much."
"No need to thank me. Just make me a few more of your signature dishes when the time comes."
"Alright, when the time comes, I will definitely bring out several more of my best dishes for you."
Xiangling nodded with a beaming smile.
Just as she agreed, a damp gust of wind swept through the air.
"Forget when the time comes. Make a few dishes now. Remember to add plenty of Jueyun Chili. Consider it Bai Ye treating me, his former employer."
Yelan appeared before Bai Ye and the others.
"Why are you here?"
Bai Ye asked in surprise when he saw Yelan.
Yelan walked over beside Bai Ye's head and looked down at him as he lay flat on the ground.
"Is it not alright for me to come see you?"
As she spoke, Yelan bent down and ran a finger across Bai Ye's smooth cheek.
An angry look appeared on Hu Tao's face.
"Hey, look all you want, but do not touch him!"
Yelan was startled at first, then immediately smiled.
"Alright, alright. I understand."
After smiling for a moment, she finally turned serious. "Bai Ye, I came to tell you about the Fatui, the Treasure Hoarders, and the others."
Seeing her serious expression, Bai Ye sat up as well.
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