Zhongli extended an invitation to the person before him.
Behind him, Lumine and Paimon also gazed expectantly at the beautiful woman.
Seeing Lumine and Paimon looking at him with such anticipation,
Qiu Bai held his head. He had originally wanted to find somewhere deserted to change back into his male body.
But he felt too awkward to refuse, and he had already thought of a name for this female form.
I'll call myself Qiu Xue. (After reading the readers' comments, I finally chose this reader's suggested name.)
That was what Qiu Bai thought to himself.
"All right, Zhongli. I accept your invitation."
Qiu Xue adjusted her hair and smiled at Zhongli.
Then she turned her gaze toward Lumine and Paimon.
"Sure, I'll come along with you."
Qiu Xue smiled radiantly as she spoke softly to Lumine and Paimon.
"Yay!"
Paimon happily stamped her feet.
"Then let's get going, beautiful lady!"
Paimon was just about to fly ahead.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and asked slowly, "Where were we going again?"
Seeing Paimon like this, Lumine covered her forehead, somewhat speechless.
Then Lumine turned her gaze toward Zhongli beside her.
"Since my friend has accepted my invitation,"
"Let us proceed to our next destination together."
Zhongli had changed his form of address from "old friend" to "friend."
Qiu Xue tilted her head, her hands still folded over her abdomen, and looked at Zhongli with a serene smile.
Noticing Qiu Xue's gaze, Zhongli looked away and coughed lightly.
"Uh..."
"Old friend?"
Zhongli ventured tentatively, not quite understanding why the woman before him was looking at him that way.
"Hehe."
Qiu Xue said nothing, merely letting out a sweet laugh that nearly left even Rex Lapis dazed.
Let alone Lumine and Paimon behind him.
"I really didn't expect this. It's one thing for Qiu Bai to be an old friend of yours."
"But this beautiful lady is one too!"
Paimon looked at Zhongli in confusion and bewilderment.
She simply couldn't understand why this social deadweight, who only ever ate and drank on someone else's tab,
would have friends like the mysterious Qiu Bai and the beautiful woman before them.
"Hahaha. We were fortunate enough to meet and became friends despite our difference in age."
Zhongli chuckled calmly and offered an explanation.
The woman also chuckled softly and nodded at his words.
"Then Zhongli should know this beautiful lady's name, right?"
As soon as Paimon finished speaking, Lumine also looked expectantly at Zhongli.
The corner of Zhongli's mouth twitched. He had no idea what he should call the woman before him now.
Morpheus? The Twofold Immortal Lord? Old friend? He couldn't very well say Qiu Bai. Paimon's question had left even Zhongli utterly stumped.
Before Zhongli could answer, the woman spoke.
"Traveler, little Paimon."
"My name is Qiu Xue."
Qiu Xue looked at Lumine and Paimon with a smile, then turned her lovely eyes toward Zhongli and winked.
You helped me out of an awkward spot earlier, so now it's my turn to help you.
"Wow, you told us your name when we weren't expecting it at all."
Paimon waved her hands, surprised that the beautiful woman before them had simply told them her name.
She had seemed so secretive about it just a moment ago.
"Qiu Xue? What a lovely name!"
Paimon clapped her hands, indicating that the name suited Qiu Xue perfectly.
Lumine nodded in agreement.
Lumine: "I'm Qiu Xue's dog!"
"I told you my name because I consider you my friends."
Qiu Bai smiled at Lumine and Paimon. His personality had now completely shifted to that of a woman.
"Then we're good friends now, right, Qiu Xue?"
Lumine looked at Qiu Xue, the faintest hint of a smile appearing on her lips.
Once she saw Qiu Xue nod, Lumine stopped holding back.
"Qiu Xue! Quick, let me feel those fair legs!"
"I can't hold back anymore."
With a lecherous expression, Lumine stepped in front of Qiu Xue.
Lumine had noticed Qiu Xue's beautiful legs earlier and had wanted to touch them ever since.
"Huh?!"
Qiu Xue's face flushed crimson at her words.
Before she could react, Lumine's grasping hands were already stroking her flawless legs.
"Such pretty legs."
Lumine chuckled as she ran her hands over them.
Beside them, Paimon covered her face, secretly peeking through the gaps between her fingers.
Zhongli turned his head away rather than look at Lumine and Qiu Xue.
Qiu Xue watched Lumine touching her legs, her face scarlet with embarrassment.
"H-have you touched enough yet?"
Feeling the strange sensations in her legs, she blushed crimson.
She lowered her head and spoke softly to Lumine below her.
Ever since changing into a female body, certain places had become very sensitive, and she blushed easily.
"How could I ever get enough?"
Lumine looked up at the deeply flushed Qiu Xue and finally stopped her hands.
If I keep touching her, will she really think I'm some female pervert?
Lumine thought, feeling a little strange.
Once the embarrassed flush gradually faded from Qiu Xue's face,
Paimon spread her fingers and looked at Zhongli a short distance away. "Mr. Zhongli, what's the next step in preparing the rite of parting?"
"Oh, right. I almost forgot what we were supposed to be doing."
Lumine scratched her head, imitating Paimon.
She really had nearly forgotten their actual business.
It was all because that gorgeous Qiu Xue's legs felt so nice to touch.
"Hey, Traveler, can you stop copying the way I talk?"
Paimon stamped her feet and glared angrily at Lumine.
"I know. Follow me."
"Our next destination is Liyue Harbor."
Still looking gentle and demure, Qiu Xue smiled at Lumine and Paimon.
"I didn't expect Qiu Xue to know the steps of the rite of parting too."
Paimon sounded somewhat surprised.
"Because anyone who's lived in Liyue for a long time should know them."
Qiu Xue smiled as she explained to Paimon, and Lumine nodded as well.
After all, Zhongli had said that the tradition of the rite of descension had gradually faded.
Then Qiu Xue strode toward Liyue Harbor on her beautiful legs, with Lumine and Paimon following her.
Zhongli said nothing. He turned back to look at the statue, as though seeing his former self.
Then he turned his gaze toward Qiu Xue's retreating figure, which kept overlapping with a figure in his memories.
Zhongli's pupils contracted as an image suddenly appeared in his mind.
It was a woman in a blue-green dress, turning around to face him with a smile.
"Morax, this is the Memory of Dust. I'll leave it with you..." A gentle, lilting voice echoed through his mind.
The woman smiled gently, then reached out and handed the object she held to Morax.
"Guizhong..."
Zhongli stood motionless for a long time, as though recalling something, then let out a sigh.
"Mr. Zhongli, what's wrong?"
Seeing that Zhongli hadn't moved for quite some time and seemed frozen in place,
Paimon scratched her head in confusion as she spoke.
Hearing Paimon's words,
Qiu Xue also turned back in surprise to look at her old friend.
Then Qiu Xue's expression grew grave, and her lovely brows furrowed.
Has Morax's Erosion caused more cracks?
(Readers, I'll get some sleep first, then work hard on writing this afternoon. There will definitely be six updates today! Don't worry, and thank you for your support!!!)
Before you continue