The Adeptus You Couldn't Help Running Into

Before long, Yanxiao came out carrying a plate of fragrant Almond Tofu.

The moment Paimon saw the Almond Tofu, she eagerly rushed over to try a couple of bites.

Luckily, Zhong Baiye reacted quickly and grabbed her. Otherwise, that plate of Almond Tofu would never have survived the ravages of the God of Time.

With the delicious food right in front of her but no chance to taste it, Paimon grew frantic.

She kept stamping her feet in midair, struggling hard to break free of Zhong Baiye.

"What are you doing? Let go of me! I just wanted to help the Conqueror of Demons check whether this Almond Tofu tastes good."

Amazingly, Paimon said this as though it were perfectly reasonable, without even blushing.

Beside her, Lumine looked embarrassed to hear Paimon tell such a flimsy lie.

Keqing, meanwhile, wore a rare smile. She hadn't expected Paimon to be such a little clown.

Paimon had nearly given Yanxiao a fright. Seeing Zhong Baiye hold her back, he let out a long breath and said,

"Here, this is the Almond Tofu you wanted. That really gave me a scare just now. What exactly is this little thing?"

Hearing Yanxiao call her a little thing, Paimon forgot all about the Almond Tofu and immediately turned to attack him.

She clenched her tiny hands into fists and waved them furiously in the air.

"I'm not some little thing! I'm Paimon! Remember that!"

Held back by Zhong Baiye, she looked like a fly caught by its wings. It was quite a comical sight.

Seeing Paimon's "ferocious" display, Yanxiao burst out laughing too.

His laughter seemed to awaken Paimon's hidden potential, and she actually broke free of Zhong Baiye's grip.

Paimon was just about to land a blow on Yanxiao.

Keqing hurriedly took the Almond Tofu from him, and Yanxiao immediately fled the scene.

Paimon could fly, but Yanxiao had once been a Notorious Thief. Whatever else he might lack, he was bound to be an expert at running away.

No matter how hard Paimon kicked her little legs, she couldn't catch up with him.

"Huff... huff... remember this! My name is Paimon! The next time I see you, I'll teach you a lesson!"

Lumine settled the exhausted Paimon on her shoulder to rest and comforted her.

"All right, all right. Our business comes first. Let's go find the Conqueror of Demons."

Zhong Baiye also wiped the smile off his face and struggled to hold back his laughter as he said,

"The Conqueror of Demons should be up here. Follow me."

The group reached the top floor of Wangshu Inn. The scenery was beautiful, with views of Yaoguang Shoal in the distance and the towering stone pillars of Jueyun Karst.

But there wasn't a soul around. Only birds briefly stopped there to rest.

By now, Paimon had recovered. Seeing no one around, she immediately began to doubt Zhong Baiye.

"Would the Conqueror of Demons really be here?"

Even Keqing and Lumine began to feel uncertain.

After all, the people of Liyue believed adepti lived in places filled with an ethereal aura.

Though the rooftop of Wangshu Inn offered lovely scenery, it was steeped in the bustle of human life. Nothing about it felt remotely ethereal.

Just as Zhong Baiye was about to think of a way to draw the Conqueror of Demons out, a figure appeared in front of him.

The figure had short green hair and a handsome face, with a demon mask hanging at his waist.

Zhong Baiye recognized him at once as the Conqueror of Demons they had come to find-Xiao.

Paimon seemed startled by Xiao's sudden appearance and hurriedly patted her chest with her little hand.

"Hey! Who are you, appearing out of nowhere like that? You nearly scared me to death!"

It never occurred to Paimon that the person before her might be the Conqueror of Demons, because she still thought all adepti took animal forms.

Keqing felt she had seen his face somewhere before. Then a sudden flash of inspiration brought it back to her.

"He should be the Conqueror of Demons. I remember seeing his portrait."

Zhong Baiye also stepped forward and said,

"That's right. This is the Adeptus You Couldn't Help Running Into, who often saves the people of Liyue from danger... oh, no, I mean the Conqueror of Demons."

Xiao's expression remained normal through the first part, but when Zhong Baiye called him the Adeptus You Couldn't Help Running Into, his face darkened (◦`~´◦). He was clearly furious.

Still amazed that an adeptus could have something other than an animal form, Paimon hurriedly said to Xiao,

"Honored adeptus, I'm really sorry about what happened just now ＞人＜."

Xiao paid no attention to Paimon. Instead, he studied Zhong Baiye.

Looking at him uncertainly, Xiao said,

"I seem to sense a familiar presence about you. You also carry the aura of both an adeptus and a mortal. You must be a Half-Adeptus."

Zhong Baiye couldn't exactly explain that the system had given him his Half-Adeptus constitution, so he changed the subject and got down to business.

"So you've come to ask for my help?"

Having learned why they had sought him out, Xiao wore an expression of refusal as he spoke.

Keqing hurriedly presented the Almond Tofu. The moment Xiao saw it, his expression changed.

Even an adeptus couldn't resist the lure of delicious food.

In an instant, Xiao teleported in front of the Almond Tofu and began devouring it.

"Burp..."

Before long, nothing remained of the Almond Tofu but an empty plate.

Xiao looked satisfied.

"For the sake of the Almond Tofu and Rex Lapis, I'll help you this once. Burp..."

"Still, the Liyue Qixing have done fairly well, keeping Liyue so orderly. They cannot be blamed for what happened to Rex Lapis, either."

Hearing this, Keqing's opinion of the adepti as arrogant and dismissive softened a little. So not all adepti are insufferable.

Seeing that Xiao was about to leave, Paimon hurriedly asked,

"Conqueror of Demons, did you know Wangshu Inn is haunted? Why haven't you dealt with her?"

Paimon still remembered the fright the ghost Xiao Ming had given her, and immediately complained to the Conqueror of Demons.

"A ghost?"

The Conqueror of Demons lowered his head and thought for a moment.

"Oh, you must mean Xiao Ming."

"Yes, yes, Xiao Ming! She gave me such a fright."

Paimon stamped her feet angrily.

Xiao continued explaining, "When vanquishing demons, I occasionally encounter spirits that have never harmed anyone. If I cannot help them pass on for the time being, I ask the proprietor of Wangshu Inn to take them in."

Paimon was surprised to hear this.

"So Wangshu Inn is looking after her? They really do offer all kinds of services!"

Keqing and Lumine also looked shocked.

Naturally, Zhong Baiye had known the truth all along and wasn't surprised in the slightest.

Zhong Baiye added,

"Actually, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor offers that service too. Next time, Adeptus Five Feet Tall... Conqueror of Demons, if you run into the same problem, you can go see Hu Tao at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."

Zhong Baiye hadn't forgotten to put in a little advertisement for Hu Tao's Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.