"Brother Fang Xun is amazing!"
Ganyu, standing off to the side, fell silent.
She wondered:
If she used Mountain Marsh Lin Ji, could she inflict damage as terrifying as Fang Xun's?
The answer was obviously no.
Ganyu was curious:
How many secrets was this outsider named Fang Xun hiding?
On a distant mountaintop,
Xiao stood silently. Then he removed the mask from his face.
He had witnessed the entire battle.
He, too, found the strength Fang Xun had displayed utterly astonishing.
"An outsider with no Genshin's Eye who can still wield elemental power."
"I think I should report this to Lord."
Chapter 17: Why Was Ganyu Acting Like a Child Too, Cuddling Up Against Him?
Honestly, Ganyu's feelings were rather complicated at that moment,
because she couldn't understand
why Fang Xun, an outsider, knew Mountain Marsh Lin Ji.
That wasn't the only thing. Ganyu had many other questions she wanted to ask Fang Xun,
but this wasn't the right time to ask them.
After a brief moment of distraction, Ganyu quickly remembered her duties.
She looked at Fang Xun and Ningguang in front of her, then asked softly, "Are you both all right? Do you feel unwell anywhere?"
Ganyu was worried Fang Xun and Ningguang might have been hurt.
After all, the lotus's power had been enormous.
Even a well-equipped Fatui officer could be burned to ash in an instant.
"Miss Ganyu, thank you for your concern. I feel fine," Fang Xun replied easily.
He wasn't just putting on a brave face.
Mountain Marsh Lin Ji dealt enormous damage to enemies, but its user was completely immune to harm from it.
So even though Fang Xun had been close by, he'd come through the explosion unharmed.
Innocent little Ningguang shook her head too, then said earnestly in her childish voice, "Ganyu-sama, Ningguang is fine too. Brother Fang Xun protected me really well."
"When the explosion happened, Brother Fang Xun held me tightly in his arms, so I wasn't in any danger."
As she spoke, Ningguang lifted her pretty face to look at Fang Xun, her bright eyes shining.
Fang Xun really was such a warmhearted big brother.
The first thing he'd done when danger struck was protect her.
He hadn't even stopped to think. It had been pure instinct.
Faced with a big brother who would protect her without hesitation,
Little Ningguang was deeply moved.
Seeing how spirited Ningguang was, Ganyu finally let out a small sigh of relief.
Thank goodness the lively, adorable little girl wasn't hurt.
Otherwise, Ganyu would have felt she'd failed in her duties.
After making sure they were both all right, Ganyu went to check on the Millelith soldiers.
Fortunately, the soldiers were well trained and in good shape,
so none of them were in life-threatening danger. They just needed some time to recover.
Soon, the rest of the Millelith arrived as well and began securing the scene and detaining the Treasure Hoarders.
Ganyu didn't need to handle those tasks herself.
She raised her beautiful eyes to Fang Xun and bit her lip, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't quite bring herself to.
Even though the true lord of rolling down the mountain was good at handling work and could manage every matter in Liyue, big or small, with ease,
she really wasn't good at dealing with people.
When it came to social anxiety, Ganyu was the very definition.
In the end, Fang Xun noticed something was off and asked first, "Miss Ganyu, is there something you'd like to talk to me about?"
Ganyu blinked, then nodded earnestly.
She must have nodded too hard, because the little tuft of hair on her head bobbed up and down with it.
It looked adorable.
Fang Xun couldn't help laughing.
Wang Xiaomei had been Liyue's secretary for thousands of years, yet she still got nervous over a simple conversation?
Ganyu gathered her courage and said, "Mister Fang Xun, do you have time? I—I'd like to talk to you about the lotus."
"Of course." Fang Xun smiled and nodded.
He'd thought Ganyu wanted to discuss something else. Turns out she'd come to ask about Mountain Marsh Lin Ji.
Fang Xun wasn't surprised that Ganyu wanted to talk.
After all, he'd spent years diligently training to master a unique technique that no one else knew.
If she suddenly saw someone else use it, there was no way she wouldn't be surprised or confused.
Besides,
Fang Xun had already anticipated this and prepared an explanation.
"Miss Ganyu, shall we talk as we walk?"
Ganyu was clearly nervous, stumbling over her words as she spoke.
They wouldn't get far talking like that.
Besides, Fang Xun had noticed little Ningguang staring at the sea of Glaze Lilies near Wangshu Inn.
The little girl obediently held his hand, but her thoughts had probably already wandered over there.
So Fang Xun suggested they talk while walking.
It would ease Ganyu's nerves and let little Ningguang see the flowers.
It was the best of both worlds.
Ganyu knew Fang Xun was being considerate of her feelings, so she nodded gently and replied in a soft voice, "All right, Mister Fang Xun."
As they walked,
Ganyu kept her head lowered, nervously fidgeting with her hands,
looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't quite bring herself to.
Fang Xun and Ningguang, on the other hand, seemed much more at ease.
Especially Ningguang.
When she saw the sea of Glaze Lilies, she happily ran into the flowers.
The little girl had never had money to buy pretty, fun toys,
so this flower sea was the thing she loved and treasured most.
But little Ningguang was still young.
After playing for a little while, she started yawning.
On top of that, the Treasure Hoarders and Fatui had frightened her badly earlier,
and now that she'd relaxed a little, sleepiness washed over her like a tide.
Little Ningguang's eyelids kept drooping, but she forced them open, refusing to fall asleep.
Her expression made Fang Xun chuckle.
He crouched down and picked her up, speaking gently. "Little girl, if you're really tired, go to sleep."
"Your big brother will carry you back later."
Fang Xun's words seemed to have a sort of magic.
Little Ningguang had been struggling to stay awake,
but when she heard him, she immediately felt a sense of peace she couldn't put into words.
The little girl nestled against Fang Xun and slowly closed her eyes.
After a while, her breathing grew steady, and her long eyelashes fluttered gently.
She looked peaceful and adorable.
A little later, Ningguang seemed to find her sleeping position uncomfortable. She kept burrowing into Fang Xun's arms and unconsciously nuzzled his chin.
Fang Xun felt a little ticklish, but didn't dare move in case he woke Ningguang.
Before you continue