Seeing this, Yucheng did not hesitate. He leaped straight off the summit of Mt. Tianheng, spread the Wind Glider on his back, and glided toward the abandoned village.
As he drew closer, Yucheng finally made out the situation from the air. A white-haired woman with a long braid was wielding a spear, fighting six people dressed as Treasure Hoarders.
Although the woman stood alone with a single spear, and the Treasure Hoarders seemed to have the advantage in numbers, the battle was unfolding very differently from what one might expect.
The woman wielded her spear with one hand and talismans with the other. Yucheng thought he also saw a white figure helping her fight nearby. Fighting six opponents alone, she not only held her own but drove the Treasure Hoarders steadily back, soon putting some of them out of action.
By the time Yucheng landed near the village, the woman had already knocked down all the Treasure Hoarders. Realizing she was too tough an opponent, they hurriedly retreated. The woman did not pursue them. Instead, she turned her gaze toward Yucheng and pointed her spear at him, her stance showing that she was ready to fight at any moment.
Yucheng quickly raised both hands and said, "Don't misunderstand. I just happened to be passing by and came to see what was going on. I'm not with those Treasure Hoarders. Huh? Are you Cloud Retainer's disciple, Shenhe?"
Indeed, this aloof woman with astonishing combat prowess and an exceptional bearing was none other than Shenhe.
Yet, contrary to his expectations, Shenhe did not lower her guard after hearing his words. Instead, she became even more cautious.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Shenhe was absolutely certain she had never met Yucheng before, yet he had recognized her at a glance. This kept her highly wary of the man before her.
Yucheng very much wanted to blurt out, A barefoot height of 174.85 centimeters, hips measuring 97.28 centimeters, a waist measuring 51.98 centimeters, and, most importantly, a bust measuring 85.92 centimeters. International size 65F, British size 30F. As the single most generously endowed character in Genshin Impact, with no exceptions, you'd be hard to mistake for anyone else with that figure.
But if he actually said that, the Calamity Queller in her hand would probably come thrusting straight at him.
"Wait, I know your senior sister Ganyu. I'm her friend. My name is Uchiha Yucheng, but you can just call me Yucheng. I've heard about you from her. Besides, isn't your outfit part of the same set as Ganyu's? Is Cloud Retainer that stingy? She actually split one outfit into three."
Despite what he said, Yucheng had to admire that woman's aesthetic sense. Just look at her two disciples, Ganyu and Shenhe, clad in tight black stockings-showing nothing, yet sexy as hell.
On the surface, they were covered up tightly, with hardly any skin exposed, yet they still gave off an intensely sensual air, stunning without seeming vulgar, making it impossible to look away.
Hearing this, Shenhe lowered her guard a little and unconsciously looked down at her top, only to have her view blocked by something indescribable. Thinking back over the outfit her master had given her, it did seem to be the case.
But hadn't it only been divided between her and her senior sister Ganyu? Why did he say it had been split into three? Who had received the other portion? Shenhe was too embarrassed to ask Yucheng, a stranger of the opposite sex, about something like that.
Shenhe twirled her spear and drew the Calamity Queller behind her, putting aside her hostility toward Yucheng. He breathed a sigh of relief at the sight. Just as he was about to step forward to greet her, he saw her instinctively take a step back. Apparently, putting aside her hostility did not mean she had lowered her guard, so Yucheng stopped approaching.
"Shenhe, weren't you training under Cloud Retainer on Mt. Aocang? Why are you here? And how did you end up fighting the Treasure Hoarders?"
Shenhe did not want to explain the real reason to Yucheng. Was she supposed to tell him she had decided to come down the mountain because she could not find anything to eat on Mt. Aocang?
Shenhe pointed her spear at the abandoned village and said, "My master told me to descend the mountain and experience the mortal world. This used to be my home. I came back to take a look, never expecting that it had been abandoned for years, and that the remaining houses had become a Treasure Hoarder camp. As soon as I approached, they tried to attack me. You saw what happened afterward."
As Shenhe spoke, a trace of complexity appeared in her eyes, whose emotions and desires should have been bound by the red ropes. Whether it was longing for her home, resentment toward her father, or something else was unclear.
Yucheng simply sat down on the ground where he stood, without disturbing Shenhe as the sight stirred her feelings.
When Shenhe came back to herself, she asked Yucheng in turn, "How did you come to be here?"
Yucheng pointed toward Mt. Tianheng a short distance away and said, "I ate too much at lunch, so I thought I'd climb Mt. Tianheng to help digest it. I was admiring the scenery at the summit when I happened to see a burst of Cryo light over here. I got curious and flew over to see what was going on."
Hearing this, Shenhe glanced at Mt. Tianheng and nodded silently, her wariness toward Yucheng easing another notch. It did sound like a coincidence rather than something deliberate.
However, when Shenhe heard Yucheng mention eating too much at lunch, her stomach suddenly betrayed her with a rumble of protest. Though very faint, Yucheng still heard it, and the two suddenly found themselves in an inexplicably awkward silence.
"Uh... I still have three cornmeal buns with me. They've gone cold, but would you like to make do with them for now?"
Yucheng took the three cornmeal buns he had ordered to go at Wanmin Restaurant out of his clothes. At the sight of them, Shenhe found herself torn.
In fact, she had barely eaten anything since coming down the mountain. On her journey from Jueyun Karst to Lisha, she had only picked a few berries along the way and drunk some water to quench her thirst. But these were clearly just a drop in the bucket, not even enough to fill the gaps between her teeth.
She had no money on her, nor any concept of having to pay for things she bought. Originally, she had planned to search those Treasure Hoarders for food after defeating them, but Yucheng's sudden arrival had kept her from chasing the fleeing members.
Shenhe looked at the cornmeal buns Yucheng had taken out and considered them for a long time before finally saying, "You take a bite first."
Without hesitation, Yucheng broke a piece off each of the three cornmeal buns and put them in his mouth, chewing a few times before swallowing.
Only then did Shenhe accept the cornmeal buns Yucheng offered her. Feeling the faint warmth still lingering on them, she ate in small bites. Though she looked very ladylike, she would have seemed even more so had those bites come a little less frequently.
Soon, all three cornmeal buns were in Shenhe's stomach. Only then did she say to Yucheng, "Thank you."
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