Shen Luolun returned to the old house and saw a girl standing in the middle of the courtyard before a washbasin, carefully wiping her cheeks with a towel. She hadn't noticed him at all. His eyes darted about, and a wicked idea suddenly occurred to him. He raised his voice and called out:
"Good morning, Xiangling!"
"Ahh-!"
Xiangling jumped, nearly dropping her towel.
Recognizing whose voice it was, she glared at him.
"You jerk, A-Luo! Keep your voice down! I almost messed up my hair!"
She didn't want to ruin the hairstyle he'd done for her last night.
Though she often got covered in soot at the stove, she still cared about looking pretty.
"Hehe, I'll be careful next time."
"There's going to be a next time?" Xiangling gave him a dangerous look.
"Ahem, what are you doing? Why are you taking so long to wash your face?" Shen Luolun's survival instincts kicked in, and he quickly changed the subject.
"Because I don't want to mess up my hair, of course. It looks so nice, and I don't want to lose it."
"Ah, is that all? Why worry so much? Go ahead and wash it. I'll give you an even prettier hairstyle afterward!"
"Really?!" Xiangling's eyes lit up.
"You bet I'll see to it. The eight vajras and the four beauties." Shen Luolun raised his hand at a forty-five-degree angle.
"What eight vajras and four beauties?"
Is that a new hairstyle? How come I've never heard of it?
"Oh, sorry. I've been using too many memes, and it just slipped out."
Shen Luolun slapped his forehead and said:
"Anyway, don't worry. I guarantee I'll make you look gorgeous, loved by everyone, with flowers blooming wherever you go..."
Watching him prattle on, the girl felt an inexplicable sense that he couldn't be trusted and quickly shook her head.
"Stop, stop, stop."
"Forget it. I like it the way it is. Don't go to the trouble."
She was already very happy with her hairstyle.
Washing her hair again and redoing her look would only make her a tiny bit prettier. She'd rather spend that time preparing for the Cuisine Machine Test, which was about to begin.
"All right, but you're washing so slowly. Want me to help?" Shen Luolun smacked his lips and suggested.
"Huh? How?"
"Like this."
He walked behind her and gathered the hair around her forehead, ears, and neck in both hands.
"I'll hold your hair. Go ahead and wash."
Xiangling: ⊙▽⊙
That's an option?
But it did work. This way, she wouldn't have to worry about her hair falling into the basin or the towel getting it wet and messing it up.
It was just that, at this distance and in this position, things were a little...
A faint blush appeared on the girl's face.
"You're too close. You're crowding me."
She nudged his chest with her back, telling him not to press so close.
"Oh, is this better?"
Shen Luolun bent over and put a little distance between them.
Feeling the strangely unsettling heat behind her recede considerably, Xiangling quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mm, that's fine."
With Master Shen's help, the girl soon finished washing her face.
She was spotless and felt wonderfully refreshed.
"So being beautiful is this much trouble. Those beauties must have a hard time in their daily lives," Xiangling remarked, patting her fair, rosy cheeks.
"Is it possible that they wash their faces before getting dressed up? Who gets dressed up before washing their face?" Shen Luolun straightened her hair and smoothed her collar while he was at it.
"Huh? Is that how it works?"
"Isn't it? As soon as your makeup and hair get wet, they're ruined, and you have to clean up all over again."
"That's true."
After Master Shen's careful styling, the invincibly youthful beautiful girl, Xiangling: Limit Break, made her entrance!
"Nice!"
"You can go enter the Cuisine Machine Test's beauty pageant now."
Shen Luolun nodded in satisfaction.
"What beauty pageant? It's a cooking competition, not a beauty contest! Aren't you worried the judges will laugh at me?"
Xiangling pretended to be angry and slapped his chest, but she was actually quite happy.
Looks like certain people acknowledge my charm too.
No, even Guoba is hornier than you.
If Shen Luolun knew what the girl was thinking, he might have retorted with that.
"All right, go eat breakfast. Guoba bought some for you."
"Mm, what about you?"
"Me? I'll just have something simple."
Shen Luolun raised the fermented mung bean drink in his hand.
"Is that fermented mung bean drink?"
"Yep."
Xiangling's expression was hard to describe.
Even her tongue, which had tasted countless new dishes, couldn't withstand the assault on her taste buds from fermented mung bean drink.
In her opinion, it was one of those foods that shouldn't exist in this world.
Just how hard must life have been for the person who invented it to come up with something like that?
"I just like drinking something different. You get used to it after drinking it enough. It's really clean. Want some?"
"No, no, I'm leaving." Xiangling covered her mouth and ran off.
"Hey, why are you running so fast?"
Shen Luolun reached out to her like Erkang.
"Tsk, this is good stuff. Really authentic!"
The girl ran even faster.
"Forget it. If you won't have any, I will."
"But first, let me give you esteemed readers a taste."
"Open wide, everyone. Ah~"
Once it entered his mouth, he swallowed it like a whale and drank it down in great gulps!
(*๓´╰╯`๓)♡
After finishing the drink, he returned to his room, took a comfortable cold bath, and changed into casual clothes.
When he opened the door again, Xiangling and Guoba were each holding a bag of ingredients and had been waiting at the front gate for quite a while.
When they saw Shen Luolun finally come out, they waved to him.
"Hurry, hurry! We're just waiting for you."
"Coming, coming."
Shen Luolun jogged over.
"Are these all the ingredients you prepared?"
"Mm-hmm. Help Guoba carry his bag. He's too short, so it's inconvenient for him."
"OK."
He took the bag from Guoba.
Hmm... It's heavy. There's quite a bit of moisture in it.
That was thanks to soaking them overnight.
"Let's go, let's go! The competition's about to start."
The girl linked her arm through his.
"Let's go!"
"Lulu."
"Bang, bang, bang-"
Inside a glass jar, a green, one-eyed creature kept pounding on the glass walls.
"Let me out! Let me out, you demons!"
Rattle-
The glass jar suddenly tipped up and down. The one-eyed creature fell from one end to the other, bouncing back and forth until it was black and blue and screaming in pain.
"What's it saying?"
Paimon asked curiously as she shook the glass jar.
Lumine watched it for a moment and said:
"It's probably an instinctive panic response. After all, we chased it all night. It's only natural for it to be scared."
"But it's really amazing. Something so tiny has such powerful abilities and made all those terrifying things."
Last night's pursuit had shown her all kinds of wondrous technology. Using nothing but its bizarre yet astonishingly powerful devices, the tiny one-eyed creature had managed to hold its own against her, Zhongli, and Alice. It was truly amazing.
Creatures from beyond this world really are scary. We have to guard against them.
Hmm? Wait, I'm an alien too.
Never mind, then.
After playing with the jar a few times, Paimon lost interest and handed it to Alice:
"Alice, you absolutely mustn't let it out this time."
"Mm-hmm, don't worry, Paimon. I'll take good care of it and won't let it out to cause trouble again!" Alice put the glass jar into a storage container and gave her a solemn assurance.
Seeing that the matter had finally come to an end, Lumine's worries finally eased. Exhaustion washed over her like a tide, and she couldn't help yawning.
"...Then Paimon and I will find an inn to rest. Bye, Alice, Zhongli."
"Okay! Traveler, Paimon, make sure you get a good rest!" Alice smiled and waved to her.
"Thank you for your help this time." Zhongli, standing nearby, gave a slight nod, his gaze gentle. "Without your and Paimon's assistance, Chenyu Vale would likely have faced many more troubles. When we have time another day, allow me to thank you with tea."
Lumine waved goodbye to them and left with Paimon.
"Alice." Zhongli turned to look at her.
"Hmm, is there something else, Consultant Zhongli?" Alice asked, though she already knew, blinking playfully.
"...Now that you've found what you were looking for, it's time to return to Mondstadt."
He had never forgotten Alice's devilish side. Now that the matter was settled, it was time for her to leave.
"Mm-hmm, I will go back to Mondstadt. Little Klee is waiting for her mommy, after all, but-" Alice suddenly drew out the last word.
Hmm?
What are you planning now?
There can't be another complication, can there?
Even someone as composed as Zhongli couldn't help feeling a headache coming on at the thought.
"-I have a relative's child I'd like to visit, right here in Yilong Wharf." Alice smiled and casually brushed back the long hair by her ear.
A relative's child?
Alice actually has relatives in Yilong Wharf?
Zhongli was a little surprised.
Though curious, he didn't ask any more questions and nodded:
"Then I shall accompany you once more. After you've seen him, I hope-"
"Don't worry, Consultant Zhongli. I won't cause any trouble here." Alice pressed her palms together and smiled.
...I hope so.
Zhongli sighed softly, thinking to himself.