After the contract was signed, Shenhe once again put on a display of earth-shaking strength before Xingqiu and A-Xu, leaving them both utterly stunned. Yucheng, on the other hand, was already used to it.
Shenhe carried the Mingxia Floating Life Stone into a warehouse belonging exclusively to the Feiyun Commerce Guild. Such an enormous Mingxia Floating Life Stone naturally drew the curiosity of some of the townspeople, but what concerned them more was how a frail woman could carry such a huge stone. Was that woman an adeptus?
Since Liyue had had all sorts of legends about adepti since ancient times, along with extraordinary individuals such as Vision bearers, a woman with boundless strength was not entirely incomprehensible. Thus, the city's residents would at most be curious for a while, and the excitement would naturally fade with time.
After the Mingxia Floating Life Stone had been properly stored, A-Xu returned to the Feiyun Commerce Guild to continue handling business. Xingqiu, however, was reluctant to leave and kept following Yucheng.
In fact, something had been weighing on Xingqiu's mind for a while now. Looking at Shenhe's appearance, he kept feeling that she resembled a friend of his. Although he very much wanted to ask her about it, her icy expression and the hint of fierceness in her gaze when she looked at him made him shrink back.
Moreover, Yucheng and Shenhe were a somewhat strange pair. Shenhe had an outstanding bearing and wore a Cryo Vision. Coupled with her astonishing strength, one glance was enough to tell that she was a disciple of the adepti, on a level far beyond his friend Chongyun's exorcist arts.
Yet Xingqiu sensed nothing exceptional about Yucheng. At any rate, he looked like an ordinary mortal, yet he could actually have an adeptal maiden let him take the lead in everything.
Xingqiu was also surprised to discover that although Shenhe said nothing in response to Yucheng's instructions, she did not resist them in the slightest. The way she looked at Xingqiu was entirely different from the way she looked at Yucheng.
Since approaching Shenhe would not work, he could only try working on Yucheng.
As it was nearly noon, Xingqiu took the initiative to invite his two friends to Xinyue Kiosk for a drink, to wish his cooperation with Yucheng success in advance. Yucheng naturally accepted with pleasure. Seeing that Yucheng had agreed, Shenhe quietly followed along.
The Feiyun Commerce Guild was one of the largest commerce guilds in Liyue Harbor, and as its second young master, Xingqiu naturally received special attention from the staff at Xinyue Kiosk. When a member of staff saw him approaching their restaurant, they immediately came outside to greet him with a smile.
Seeing this display, a staff member from Liuli Pavilion next door could not help spitting on the ground, their face full of envy.
Yucheng merely mentioned to Xingqiu that Shenhe preferred vegetarian food, then left the rest of the arrangements to him.
When the fine dishes arrived, Xinyue Kiosk proved worthy of its reputation as a long-established, high-end restaurant in Liyue. There was nothing to fault in their color, aroma, flavor, or presentation. Although Yucheng felt that Master Mao's cooking at Wanmin Restaurant was no worse than the Xinyue Kiosk chef's in flavor, Xinyue Kiosk really did take greater care in other respects. In short, there was a reason for its high prices.
Over the meal, Xingqiu and Yucheng chatted expansively, moving from Liyue's local customs to those of Inazuma. Although Xingqiu made several attempts to steer the conversation toward Shenhe, she continued to turn a deaf ear.
The main problem was that the subjects Xingqiu brought up kept dancing across Shenhe's minefield. Yucheng felt she was already being magnanimous by pretending not to hear him. He was genuinely worried that she might lose control, rush over, and slam his head against the ground three times.
As their conversation continued, Yucheng mentioned a novel called Record of Sinking Autumn's Sword, which had received widespread acclaim in neighboring Inazuma. Inazuma's writers competed to imitate it, but none of their works could surpass it, and it had become an enduring fixture of Inazuma's literary scene.
This news left the previously composed Xingqiu beside himself with excitement, because it was precisely the martial arts novel he had written based on his own experiences.
Unfortunately, Liyue's publishers had rejected his manuscript on the grounds that its setting was too outlandish, its plot surprisingly clichéd, and no one would like it. Unwilling to accept this, Xingqiu had printed a few copies himself and secretly placed them in Wanwen Bookhouse to see how they fared. The results had indeed been less than satisfactory.
Xingqiu had almost forgotten about the matter, never expecting that a merchant from Inazuma would bring the novel back there. Even more unexpectedly, the novel had actually become a hit.
It really was a case of finding success elsewhere after failing at home. Unfortunately, Inazuma was now enforcing the Sakoku Decree. Outsiders could not get in, and those inside could not get out, so the editors at Inazuma's Yae Publishing House could only dream of commissioning more work from Zhenyu.
When Yucheng told him that the only way to enter Inazuma now was to sneak across the border, Xingqiu immediately thought of Captain Beidou of The Alcor. She would surely have a way to reach Inazuma. He wanted to have someone deliver his novel to Yae Publishing House in Inazuma, and to achieve that goal, he was already prepared to have Beidou ruffle his hair and laugh at him.
Having friends who knew you in real life discover that you wrote novels could very easily lead to social death. That was precisely why, in the game, the number of people who knew Xingqiu was Zhenyu could be counted on one hand.
But that was because Xingqiu had only received Yae Publishing House's letter commissioning more work after Inazuma's Sakoku Decree was lifted, learning then that his novel enjoyed a fine reputation in Inazuma.
Now, however, Yucheng had told Xingqiu the news ahead of time. How could Xingqiu not itch to act? Readers in Inazuma were eagerly waiting for his novel. How could he disappoint those readers who understood him?
Fuck the Sakoku Decree. Even if it means social death, I'm going to smuggle my novel over there.
The meal thus ended early. Xingqiu left Xinyue Kiosk brimming with confidence, with something of the air of a warrior setting out into the mournful wind across the cold Yi River, never to return. He still had much to do.
Watching Xingqiu's departing figure, Shenhe felt as though he had suddenly become a different person, his heart seemingly filled with some kind of obsession.
Shenhe asked in confusion, "What's suddenly gotten into him?"
"Nothing. He's just rushing off to his social death?"
"What does social death mean? Is someone going to kill him?"
"Social death, short for death in society. He might be about to do some things that'll embarrass him in front of his friends and relatives. Don't mind him." Yucheng wore a mischievous grin.
Yucheng privately wondered whether Xingqiu would beat his chest and stamp his feet in anger if, after risking social death and going through untold hardships to smuggle his novel into Inazuma, he learned that Inazuma's Sakoku Decree had suddenly been lifted. Yucheng rather looked forward to seeing his reaction.
Forget it. Who told him to keep picking on Shenhe's nephew? This can count as collecting a little interest for Chongyun in advance.
Before you continue