Paimon caught the questioning look Zhong Baiye cast her way. After thinking over what had just happened, she made a decision that went against her ancestors.
"Keqing and the Traveler each gave me a kiss just now. You got so jealous you tried to hit me, so I knocked you out with a kick."
Paimon told Zhong Baiye this with a perfectly straight face.
How could Zhong Baiye possibly believe Paimon's nonsense? Everyone knew she ranked first at bragging and second at running away.
Hearing Paimon's answer to Zhong Baiye, Keqing and Lumine were both startled. They exchanged a glance and silently agreed to bury what had happened today.
Keqing interrupted Zhong Baiye's thoughts and said to him,
"We should go find Cloud Retainer first. Apparently, she's not far from here."
"Right, right! Finding the adeptus is what matters most. Don't you still need to prove your innocence, big brother?"
Lumine chimed in at just the right moment.
But Zhong Baiye still found it extremely suspicious. Both Lumine and Keqing had turned their heads away while speaking, not daring to meet his eyes.
Paimon stepped forward again.
"Zhong Baiye, stop worrying about all that. Hurry up and find the adeptus! Nothing important happened just now anyway, so stop thinking about it."
Hearing Paimon's words, Zhong Baiye rubbed his head.
"Right. It's not like I can figure it out anyway. I might as well spend my time on something important."
Having made up his mind, he said to Keqing and Lumine,
"All right, let's get going. Mt. Aocang is still pretty far from here."
Lumine and Keqing both sighed in relief when Zhong Baiye stopped pursuing what had happened.
What puzzled Zhong Baiye, though, was that Lumine, who normally clung to him and hugged his arm, didn't do so this time.
After an exhausting journey, their group finally reached Mt. Aocang.
The mountain scenery was beautiful, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers. A pond lay in the center, thick with white lotuses, while countless koi leaped across the water.
Most importantly, a round table and several stone stools stood in the middle.
Anyone who saw them in such a remote place would know they had something to do with the adepti.
"Adeptal treasures, here I come! Don't any of you fight me for them!"
The moment Paimon spotted the stone table, she rushed over, completely ignoring Zhong Baiye and the others.
Zhong Baiye could only rub his forehead. When would Paimon ever stop being so greedy?
They hurried after her.
"What the heck? It's just a lousy table. I thought it'd be something good."
As soon as they arrived, they saw Paimon poking and prodding the table with a disgruntled expression.
"Paimon, stop! This might be another test from the adepti."
After their previous experience, Lumine knew how eccentric the adepti could be. Not daring to let Paimon anger one, she immediately went over and scooped her into her arms.
At that moment, Zhong Baiye felt a little envious of Paimon... No, sorry for Paimon.
"Let's examine this place first. There might be some special mechanism we haven't found."
Keqing looked around, found nothing, and offered the suggestion.
"Okay."
Everyone agreed with Keqing in unison.
But then something unexpected happened.
The moment Zhong Baiye's hand touched the round table, he suddenly felt the world spinning around him.
When he opened his eyes again, he was sitting on a stone stool, chatting and laughing with several "people" around him.
Just as he tried to get himself to stand, he realized he couldn't control his own body.
All he could do was watch the scene before him as though it were a movie.
But no matter how hard he focused, he couldn't make out who the "people" around him were.
He couldn't even tell their genders.
He could only see the delicious food on the table.
"Zhong Baiye, are you okay? Why did you suddenly zone out?"
Paimon had noticed something wrong with Zhong Baiye and was gripping his collar, slapping his face.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Zhong Baiye came to, his cheeks burning with pain.
When he looked, he found that Paimon was actually hitting him with all her might.
"Paimon, do you have a death wish? I've put up with you long enough."
Seeing Zhong Baiye wake up and prepare to give her a beating, Paimon immediately darted behind Lumine.
She even poked her head out and said with a perfectly serious expression,
"Don't be angry. You were just standing there in a daze, and you wouldn't respond no matter how much I called you. That's the only reason I did it."
Zhong Baiye looked at the worried expressions on Lumine's and Keqing's faces and realized Paimon had a point. Even so, he added her to his little revenge ledger.
"Big brother, are you okay? You wouldn't respond no matter how much we called you."
Lumine was so worried about Zhong Baiye that she was on the verge of tears.
"Stop worrying. He's perfectly fine, isn't he? How could anything be wrong when he's so full of energy?"
Keqing spoke nonchalantly, but an observant person would have noticed that the rims of her eyes had clearly reddened.
Zhong Baiye shook his head and absentmindedly patted Lumine's head.
"I'm fine. I just remembered a few clues."
Seeing Zhong Baiye actually stroking Lumine's hair, Keqing abruptly changed her tone.
"It's very rude to touch a girl's head, you womanizer. Hurry up and tell us what you found."
Zhong Baiye noticed his hand was stroking Lumine's head and immediately pulled it away, giving her an apologetic look.
"Ahaha! What's gotten into my hand?"
Lumine had been "enjoying" it, but Zhong Baiye suddenly withdrew his hand. Unhappy with the loss, she immediately shot Keqing a glare.
Not to be outdone, Keqing glared fiercely back. Thunder and lightning seemed to crackle in the space between them.
But Zhong Baiye's attention was elsewhere, and he didn't notice any of this.
"From what the Conqueror of Demons said, we need to make a few dishes here. My guess is that Cloud Retainer might also be an adeptus who loves to eat."
He continued explaining to Keqing and Lumine.
"I was just thinking about which dishes we need to make here."
"Zhong Baiye! What dishes? I can cook, let me do it!" "Big brother! What dishes? I can cook, let me do it!"
At the mention of dishes, Lumine and Keqing questioned Zhong Baiye in unison.
Zhong Baiye didn't notice the awkward atmosphere at all. He merely wondered whether the two of them really liked cooking that much.
"Jade Parcels, Mora Meat, and Matsutake Meat Rolls. I think those were the ones."
Zhong Baiye wasn't making this up. He knew these were the dishes this location required in the game.
Besides, although he hadn't been able to identify the dishes in that vision, their features really had been similar to those described in the game.
"I'll go cook right away. You wait here." "I'll go cook right away. Wait here, big brother."
Once Keqing and Lumine heard which dishes were needed, they immediately exchanged a glance. After telling Zhong Baiye, they each hurried toward the nearby cooking fires.
Before you continue