Outside Sumeru City.
A dirt road that was difficult to travel on rainy days ran through the verdant grass.
Woods stood on both sides, sunlight passing between the branches, the interwoven light and shadow resembling a dreamscape of colored glass.
Li Qiuzhi had asked the Grand Sage for the precise location of the Joururi Workshop, where The Doctor and the others conducted their experiments.
He headed there with Nahida.
To avoid being discovered by any detection methods The Doctor might have set up outside the workshop, Li Qiuzhi and Nahida both traveled while invisible.
To be even safer, he even used the domain property of Abyssal Shadow to pull Nahida into shallow-layer space with him.
With a layer of space separating them, even Nahida could not detect him, so the chances of The Doctor detecting him were even lower.
With this, Li Qiuzhi had exercised sufficient caution toward The Doctor at his full strength. If he could still be discovered...
Then there was nothing for it. He would assess the situation, fight if he could win, and retreat if he could not.
As for asking Ei to come fight for him, that would not work. After all, The Doctor had acquired that Gnosis through a legitimate trade with Yae Miko.
If Ei came out and took it back, that would somewhat violate the spirit of their agreement, and word getting out would harm her reputation.
Moreover, if Li Qiuzhi took action, he could not openly go after the Electro Gnosis. He had to invoke reasons like saving Sumeru and helping Lesser Lord Kusanali.
After all, no matter how one put it, he had been present during the trade at the Grand Narukami Shrine and counted as a witness.
If he showed any ill intentions toward the Electro Gnosis, his reputation