Wangshu Inn

While Liyue was still reeling over what had happened with Ganyu, Yucheng, the one responsible, was still struggling to make his way back with Qiqi. Their harvest this time had been plentiful, and the two large baskets brimming with fresh medicinal herbs had drawn the covetous attention of more than one band of Treasure Hoarders.

Near the small path leading out of Jueyun Karst alone, Yucheng and Qiqi had encountered two Treasure Hoarder ambushes. A large group had surrounded them with wicked grins, threatening them and demanding that they obediently hand over their herb baskets.

The Treasure Hoarders certainly lived up to their name. They were only interested in treasure and would not go so far as to take lives. In a sense, they still observed a certain code of honor among outlaws.

They were unlike ninja, who would use any means necessary to complete a mission. If killing someone would accomplish their mission, a ninja would strike without hesitation. As a Chunin, Yucheng naturally had a few lives on his hands, and killing was not something he needed to agonize over.

However, the smiles on their faces soon shifted to Yucheng's. Before he even had a chance to act, Qiqi dealt with them effortlessly. The elemental power of a Vision wielder was simply too overpowered for ordinary people. Combined with the strength and speed her zombie body granted her, it left the Treasure Hoarders no room to fight back.

After Qiqi knocked every last one of them flat, Yucheng began robbing the robbers, searching their bodies. Unfortunately, people who became Treasure Hoarders seemingly had little prospect of being wealthy to begin with. Aside from a little loose Mora and a few Treasure Hoarder Insignias exclusive to their group, they had nothing else.

Qiqi did not quite understand Yucheng's decision to rob them in return, but once he said he would treat her to cold coconut milk after they returned to the city, she soon joined in the searches. However, with the restrictions of her Edict released, Qiqi could not control her strength very well, putting the Treasure Hoarders she searched through untold misery.

With Ganyu's help on this herb-gathering trip, they had two more days to spare than usual. Yucheng felt there was no need to hurry back to Liyue Harbor. Since it was also nearly noon, he decided to take a detour to Wangshu Inn in Dihua Marsh to rest their feet, have lunch, and buy Qiqi a bottle of coconut milk.

Once the two reached Wangshu Inn, they could rest easy for the time being, because this was possibly one of the two safest places in Liyue.

Wangshu Inn stood in southern Dihua Marsh, where the terrain was flat and the views unobstructed. It was also an unavoidable stop on the overland trade route between Liyue and Mondstadt, with merchant caravans passing through frequently. Since the trade route between Liyue and Mondstadt was long, Wangshu Inn, situated right in the middle, became the first choice for many caravans looking for a place to rest.

Wangshu Inn was managed by Ningguang. While earning Mora, it also served as an excellent lookout post, giving Liyue time and room to respond at the first sign of trouble.

For this very reason, a small contingent of Millelith was stationed at Wangshu Inn. Why were so few troops stationed somewhere so important? Because at the top of the inn lived a yaksha adeptus who loved almond tofu: Xiao, the Conqueror of Demons.

After Teyvat's Archon War ended, Liyue, the region with the most gods participating in the war, also had the greatest number of fallen gods. The Archon Residue left behind by their deaths caused evil beings and corruption to proliferate. Rex Lapis dispatched five yakshas to vanquish these evils, but unfortunately, even the yakshas, adepti though they were, could not escape the resentment born of the gods.

In the end, the Hydro Yaksha Bonanus and the Geo Yaksha Menogias killed each other. The Pyro Yaksha Indarias died after succumbing to madness. The Electro Yaksha lost his memories and ultimately died in battle beneath The Chasm. Only the Anemo Yaksha Xiao remained, but he too was deeply afflicted by karmic debt, and there was no telling how much longer he could hold on.

When Yucheng and Qiqi arrived at Wangshu Inn carrying their large haul of medicinal herbs, the abundance of fresh herbs immediately attracted the attention of several merchants. After coming closer to inspect them, they immediately recognized that the herbs were all of excellent quality and freshly picked. Merchants promptly offered to buy them.

After Yucheng explained that he gathered herbs exclusively for Bubu Pharmacy, some of the Liyue merchants could only express their regret. However, the merchants bound for Mondstadt went straight to offering prices far above Bubu Pharmacy's purchase rates.

Both Qingxin and Violetgrass were medicinal herbs native to Liyue. They were not particularly rare within Liyue, but if they were taken to Mondstadt to sell, they would command very different prices.

Most importantly, these herbs were still fresh enough that, even after traveling from Wangshu Inn to Mondstadt, they could still be sold at the price of the freshest herbs, raising their value considerably further.

After some thought, Yucheng decided to sell a portion. As for the portion that needed to be delivered to Bubu Pharmacy, he refused to agree no matter how tempting a price the merchants offered.

Just like that, Yucheng lightened his load and added over two hundred thousand Mora to his pocket, enough for a good meal at Wangshu Inn. After eating dry rations for several days, his stomach could barely take it anymore.

Since Qiqi had no sense of taste and disliked hot food, Yucheng ordered her some cold dishes. Most importantly, she could have as much chilled coconut milk as she wanted. Qiqi held the coconut milk in both hands and happily enjoyed it.

Yucheng, meanwhile, ordered some of Wangshu Inn's signature dishes: vegetarian abalone, bamboo shoot soup, stir-fried shrimp, and matsutake meat rolls. As he looked at the almond tofu on the menu, an idea suddenly came to him.

As the owner of Wangshu Inn, Verr Goldet was standing at the front desk, greeting guests in utter boredom, when an unusual pair caught her attention.

A young man was carrying a plate of freshly prepared almond tofu in one hand and holding the hand of a little girl with a talisman stuck to her forehead in the other. The little girl was still clutching an unfinished bottle of coconut milk, diligently sucking through a straw.

As one of Ningguang's dedicated covert informants, the well-informed Verr Goldet naturally recognized Qiqi. However, she did not recognize the young man beside her. Qiqi, a zombie, was letting a stranger hold her hand without the slightest resistance? And of all things, the dish that young man was carrying was almond tofu?

Something was wrong. There was definitely something going on.

The young man led Qiqi straight up to the top floor of Wangshu Inn, as though he knew what was up there.

The owner kept her eyes on the young man until he disappeared from view. Then her languid gaze abruptly sharpened, and a grave expression appeared on her face. There was no telling what she was thinking.

Although almond tofu was a very simple signature dish at Wangshu Inn, and the inn's top floor was not any special place, the combination of the two was anything but ordinary.