"Look at those trees swaying in the wind. Do they look like they're hiding Treasure Hoarders?"

After finishing his words, the officer hurriedly led his men toward the outskirts of the city.

"I hope those two haven't gone too far. We might still catch up with them."

Chapter 14: "Look at those trees swaying in the wind. Do they look like they're hiding Treasure Hoarders?"

Meanwhile, over on Fang Xun's side,

the first stop on their original itinerary had been to hear Tian Tiezui tell stories,

but buying clothes for Ningguang had taken up the whole morning,

so they had no choice but to change their plans.

However, Fang Xun wasn't familiar with Liyue, so Little Ningguang naturally took charge of making the adjustments.

After receiving her task, the little girl sat on a stone bench and began to ponder hard.

Whenever she thought, she liked to tilt her little head,

which made a strand of hair on top of her head wobble along with it.

She looked incredibly adorable.

After a while, Ningguang blinked her big eyes and said excitedly, "Brother Fang Xun, I've got it! Let's go see the Glaze Lilies at Wangshu Inn!"

"You can see a spectacular sea of Glaze Lilies there,"

"and this is the best time of day to admire them. If we miss it, we'll have to wait another day."

At the mention of the Glaze Lilies at Wangshu Inn, Ningguang's eyes lit up.

She loved flowers.

Whenever she went to Wangshu Inn to sell her wares, she always made a point of stopping there for a while.

That was partly to rest, but more than anything, she wanted to see the magnificent, beautiful sea of flowers.

Ningguang had always felt a little regretful.

It was probably the kind of regret that came from this:

Every time the little girl saw something new and interesting,

she would turn around to share it, only to find no one by her side.

But things were different now.

She could share all the interesting things with Fang Xun,

and let him admire the sea of flowers she loved, too!

Seeing the longing on Little Ningguang's face,

Fang Xun had no objections. He would follow the little guide's plans.

"Sure. Let's set off now. Destination: Wangshu Inn."

"Mm-hmm, let's go! Let's go!" Ningguang echoed Fang Xun. The tiny girl looked adorably silly.

Looking at poor little Ningguang, Fang Xun suddenly felt mischievous.

He crouched down, ruffled Ningguang's hair, then grinned and said, "Ningguang, want to play a game?"

"Whoever gets to Wangshu Inn first wins a mysterious gift!"

At the mention of a game, Ningguang immediately perked up.

After all, she was just a little kid.

Playing was a child's nature.

"Get ready. I'm going to count down from three."

"Mm-hmm, I'm ready!" Little Ningguang nodded. She was taking it incredibly seriously, but her childish voice was enough to make anyone smile.

She was just so cute.

"Three... Go!"

Fang Xun had never intended to count down at all. He immediately took off running north.

By the time Ningguang came to her senses, Fang Xun was already far ahead.

"Brother Fang Xun, you cheater! You took off without counting down!"

Little Ningguang pouted in annoyance,

but she still hurried after him.

Perhaps Ningguang herself hadn't even realized it,

but Fang Xun had already found a deep place in her heart.

Fang Xun deliberately slowed down as he ran ahead,

waiting for Ningguang to catch up.

Before he crossed over,

Fang Xun had never understood why parents in short videos liked teasing their kids so much.

Why were they always teasing them?

Kids were so adorable!

But now Fang Xun understood.

If kids weren't born to be played with, then what was the point?

When a little cutie chased after you, babbling and making adorable faces,

the happiness of that moment was beyond compare.

Before long,

the two of them left Liyue through the North Gate and continued north.

During the journey, whenever Ningguang grew tired from running, Fang Xun slowed down, too.

They took breaks along the way to catch their breath and admire Liyue's scenery.

Fang Xun wasn't in a hurry to reach their destination.

After all,

a certain poet who liked to slack off had once said,

"The destination isn't everything. Before you reach it, take a good look at the world around you."

The idea of observing the world struck a chord with Fang Xun.

So much so that he wanted to take a good look at this world called the Teyvat Continent.

Look at those trees.

They swayed in the wind, accompanied by a faint rustling sound.

Fang Xun almost thought there were Treasure Hoarders hiding among them.

But in the very next moment, a group of people sprang out of the woods.

They were masked, their faces hidden. All Fang Xun could see were their vicious, savage eyes.

Those eyes didn't seem human. They were more like the sharp, predatory gaze of wild beasts.

The masked men wore ragged clothes that looked as though they hadn't been washed in a long time. They were filthy and reeked.

Of course they were filthy and smelly. They were always hiding in the bushes.

What caught Fang Xun's attention most was that the weapons in their hands were no ordinary tools.

The daggers flashed a chilling, murderous gleam in the light.

They were Treasure Hoarders!

The moment Ningguang saw the Treasure Hoarders,

the smile on her face froze, replaced by fear and panic.

To her, having lived in Liyue for years,

the Treasure Hoarders were like something out of a nightmare.

No one wanted to run into Treasure Hoarders, especially out in the wilderness,

because those people had no bottom line and were incredibly cruel.

Ningguang also noticed that some of the daggers in the Treasure Hoarders' hands were smeared with fresh blood!

The bright red blood dripped slowly onto the ground, chilling Ningguang to the bone.

In the end, she was only a six-year-old girl.

Her ability to withstand pressure wasn't very strong.

Seeing this, Fang Xun discreetly shielded Ningguang behind him.

The little one was still too young.

He couldn't let her get scared.

Ningguang had been breathing rapidly, so overwhelmed by fear that she could barely control herself.

Usually, she managed to slip away quietly before the Treasure Hoarders noticed her.

But today, she had come face-to-face with them!

The group really were just like the stories told around Liyue.

An oppressive aura seemed to radiate from every inch of them.

It made it hard for Ningguang to breathe, as though she were about to suffocate.

Ningguang felt like a ferocious beast had its eyes on her. Her limbs could barely move.