Ever since his trip to the Jade Chamber, Yucheng had been hiding on Mt. Tianheng. He had stayed away from Liyue Harbor for several days, afraid someone might club him in the back of the head as he walked down the street, until he spotted a large ship with a distinctly Snezhnayan style entering Liyue Harbor from Mt. Tianheng.
Liyue Harbor became exceptionally lively because of this, too. Yucheng used the Transformation Technique to take on the appearance of a random passerby and appeared at Liyue's docks.
Sure enough, Snezhnaya's Harbinger, [Childe] Tartaglia, appeared at the docks of Liyue, and Lady Ningguang, the Tianquan, came in person to welcome him, showing the Diplomatic Ambassador from Snezhnaya every courtesy.
However, as Ningguang shook his hand, Tartaglia felt that her expression carried some other meaning. That professional smile left even a veteran of countless battles like him feeling rather unnerved. For a moment, he even thought Ningguang was very much like [Pantalone]-both were people he could not handle.
Seeing that [Childe] had indeed come to Liyue as expected, Yucheng finally felt the weight lift from his heart. He had been afraid that his arrival would cause a butterfly effect that changed the original course of events.
If [Childe] had failed to come to Liyue, his words would have lost a great deal of credibility with Ningguang and Yelan. Yelan might even have made a move against him outright.
Now Ningguang and Yelan probably won't have time to pay attention to me. For them, matters involving the Fatui take top priority.
With that thought, Yucheng left Liyue's docks, found a deserted spot to change back into his original appearance, and headed to Wanmin Restaurant.
Motherfucker, eating nothing but vegetarian food these past few days has even given me an upset stomach. This time, I'm having a proper feast, no matter what, to make up for all that suffering.
When he reached the entrance to Wanmin Restaurant, Yucheng was just about to call out to Master Mao to make him a few dishes when he spotted a lovely figure in red.
"Xiangling, you're back?"
Xiangling turned around and saw Yucheng, immediately greeting him excitedly. However, the excitement on her face lasted only a few seconds. Then, as though she had remembered something, her smile vanished, and her expression grew downcast.
"What's wrong, Xiangling? Why the long face? Didn't your trip to Mondstadt go well?"
"No, no, no, my trip to Mondstadt went very well. I even happened to find that Chilled Meat you told me about before, Yucheng. It really does taste a cut above Springvale's wild boar meat."
"In that case, what is there to be upset about? Oh, right, did you bring any of that Chilled Meat back? Could you cook some for me to try?"
"Of course. But, Yucheng, I'm really sorry. My dad told me that I left you on Mt. Tianheng back then, and you were attacked by monsters and nearly died. If a fairy lady hadn't come to your rescue, I would have caused a terrible disaster."
"Oh, so that's what this is about. That's all in the past. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have practically forgotten. It's fine. Your cooking matters much more to me than those trivial things. It's been ages since I had your food. I'm in for a treat today."
Xiangling was naturally lively and cheerful. Her earlier gloom had only stemmed from her guilt toward Yucheng, and once he forgave her, she quickly became lively again. She also wanted to make it up to him with delicious food.
"Just you watch! I'll let you try some new dishes I've made with Chilled Meat. They'll be so delicious you'll lick your bowls clean. Guoba, breathe fire!"
"La la la... la la la."
Guoba truly was Xiangling's family. When Xiangling was dispirited, Guoba had looked listless too, as though he had wilted. When Xiangling perked up again, Guoba also recovered his energy, and the flames he breathed grew stronger.
"Ta-da! This one's [Spicy Stir-Fried Chilled Meat], this one's [Chilled Mora Meat], and this one's [Sichuan Boiled Chilled Meat]. Give them a try, Yucheng."
There was no denying that Chilled Meat deserved its reputation as a delicacy for gourmets. Whether in texture or aroma, even Yucheng, who was no professional food critic, could easily taste the difference in the meat.
Unfortunately, supplies of Chilled Meat were far too scarce. Scarcity drove up its value, and its price really made it unsuitable for Wanmin Restaurant's menu.
However, Xiangling had already settled for the next best thing and reached a trade agreement with Uncle Draff from Springvale (Diona's dad) to bring Springvale's wild boar meat into Liyue. Although it would cost a little more than local Liyue pork, the difference in meat quality made it well worth it.
Since it was not yet mealtime at Wanmin Restaurant, there were not many customers. After finishing those dishes, Xiangling sat down beside Yucheng and began recounting her experiences in Mondstadt.
Mondstadt had so many ingredients she had never seen before, like Valberries and Wolfhooks, as well as Cryo Regisvines that attacked people and Whopperflowers disguised as Sweet Flowers.
Before she even reached Mondstadt, she had heard from traveling merchants that a Stormterror was causing trouble there. While everyone else was still afraid of Stormterror, Xiangling's tears had already begun spilling uncontrollably from the corners of her mouth.
A dragon that big-how wonderful would it be grilled into dragon steaks! (Dvalin: Do you even hear yourself? Is that something a human would say? When have I ever suffered like this? Lawyer! Where's my lawyer?)
Unfortunately, when she arrived in Mondstadt, she heard that the Stormterror crisis had already been resolved by an exceptionally powerful Honorary Knight.
Hearing this, Yucheng immediately became interested. Has the protagonist already arrived?
"Xiangling, is that Honorary Knight a man or a woman? Have you met her already?"
"She's a woman-a beautiful blonde girl, too. Her name is Lumine, and she's a Traveler determined to travel across Teyvat. She also has a little white companion who floats in the air, named Paimon. Oh, right, they said they were heading to Liyue soon, too. I'll introduce you once they arrive.
"Let me tell you, that little Paimon may be small, but her appetite is truly astonishing. She ate an enormous pot of food all by herself. I don't even know how she managed to fit it all into her stomach!
"But for us chefs, food-loving customers who can finish every bit of our cooking are our favorite kind."
Next, Xiangling described how she had met Lumine, how they had taken on Brook from Springvale in a cooking competition (a food war?) and won, and how they had also rescued a hunter named Olaf, who had been frozen in ice for three hundred years. That hunter had actually turned out to be Draff's ancestor. It was truly astonishing.
Yucheng ate the delicious food while listening to Xiangling's vivid account, thoroughly enjoying himself, when he suddenly remembered something very important.
I only know that Lumine and Paimon will arrive in Liyue on the day of the Liyue Qixing Rite of Descension, but I don't seem to know when the Liyue Qixing Rite of Descension actually starts.
Before you continue