Paimon Was Emergency Food.

Paimon had a nightmare.

She dreamed again that someone had fished her out and thrown her into a great pot over a blazing fire, while someone else kept adding seasonings to it.

Wait, were they going to stew Paimon?

"Huh? Don't stew Paimon! Paimon doesn't taste good!"

Paimon woke with a start and saw three figures in front of her.

One was Phoebe Chibi, wearing a white hat and a white dress, with yellow hair and purple eyes.

Another was Aemeath, wearing a JK uniform and black tights, with pink hair and golden eyes.

But when Paimon saw the last figure, with black hair and golden eyes, she cried out in surprise.

"Traveler!"

"You've got the wrong person."

Xu Qing denied it. He wasn't that blond camera.

Well, he had launched Genshin and played as the blond camera before.

But just look at what he looked like now: black hair and golden eyes.

How was he anything like that blond Traveler Aether, with his braided scorpion-tail ponytail and bare waist?

Old Rover's appearance was a bit like Zhongli's.

Black hair, golden eyes, and a small, low ponytail.

Especially Old Rover's original appearance, which was tall and burly.

"Impossible! You're the Traveler!" Paimon grew anxious and stamped her feet in midair in front of Xu Qing.

"Traveler Xu Qing, I, Paimon, would never forget you!"

"..."

Xu Qing understood what was going on.

He had played every game on the market.

And for all those years, he had always used his real name in the games he played.

"Dad, when did you become the Traveler too??" Aemeath bent down to look at Xu Qing, her brilliant golden eyes glowing red.

"Didn't you call yourself the Rover? Have you been doing something behind Little Ai's back again?"

Xu Qing promptly reached out and pinched the cheek of the little cutie in front of him, who was about to turn yandere again.

"No idea."

"Hmph." Aemeath puffed out her cheeks and glared at Xu Qing.

What did he mean, no idea?

Dad had definitely gone running around saving the world again, attracting a whole swarm of wild bees and butterflies.

"Ha, I know! Traveler, you must have lost your memory!"

Paimon pointed at Xu Qing and cried out as if she had suddenly seen the light.

"Traveler, Paimon will definitely help you get your memories back."

Xu Qing looked at Paimon, who seemed to be telling him not to forget their bond, and raised an eyebrow.

"Forget it. Think what you like."

Had this Paimon come out of the game he had played under his real name?

Or was she a companion he would personally meet in another world in the future?

Who could say for sure?

Still, from a standpoint of universal rationality, if he went to Teyvat, he would definitely cosplay as Zhongli in front of a certain Morax who wandered the mortal world without any Mora.

That might be pretty interesting.

"Traveler, I'll definitely help you remember our journey."

"I think it'd be better not to remember." Xu Qing let go of Little Ai's cheek and sized up the floating Paimon, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Paimon, you glutton, you eat a whole 300,000 Mora's worth in a month. I think I'd better stew you now."

"Otherwise, you really might eat me out of house and home."

Aemeath rubbed her cheek, the same mischievous grin appearing on her face. "Dad, Dad, I want her red-braised."

"???" Paimon stared in disbelief at the two people bullying her.

"Y-you two?"

"Paimon is not emergency food!!!" Paimon stamped her feet in midair, furious.

"What normal person can eat 300,000 gold coins' worth in a month?"

Aemeath didn't know what Mora was, but since Dad had said it, it had to be a currency worth about the same as Shell Credits and Gold Soul Coins.

Paimon floated blankly in midair.

"Phoebe?"

Phoebe Chibi looked up at Paimon floating in midair, sizing her up from head to toe.

She really couldn't imagine Paimon could eat that much.

"Phoebe, does Paimon taste good stewed?"

Drool trickled from the corner of Phoebe Chibi's mouth too.

"Wah, Traveler, don't abandon Paimon! Paimon will just eat less from now on."

Paimon tugged on Xu Qing's arm, her eyes brimming with aggrieved tears.

"All right, I wouldn't go so far as to skimp on your meals." The corners of Xu Qing's mouth slowly rose.

After all, Paimon had brought him plenty of joy.

She was part of his youth, too.

Ahem, ahem, ahem.

Though with new games constantly coming out, and their beautiful character art and designs, he had fallen into one game after another.

"Really, Traveler?"

"No."

"Huh?!" Paimon was dumbfounded.

"Dad, you're so naughty too." Aemeath hugged Xu Qing with a grin.

Only then did Paimon realize Xu Qing had fooled her again, and she stamped her feet in midair.

"Traveler!!!"

"All right, since we can't catch any fish, let's take these two big fish back."

"Mm-hmm."

Aemeath nodded and casually scooped up Phoebe Chibi.

"Hey, wait, Traveler! Who are you calling a big fish?"

Watching the three leave together, Paimon finally caught on and shouted after them.

"Whoever answers is the big fish."

"Ah!!! You lousy Traveler!"

Paimon's shouts rang out by the lake.

Time flew, and several days later.

At the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, a small town had been built around the canyon, in the style of Xuanfang City.

Sweeping eaves and upturned corners lay half hidden in the verdant greenery floating in the air.

Towers, pavilions, terraces, and waterside halls formed a misty, rain-veiled realm of immortals. Mechanical puppets patrolled the perimeter, one after another.

It was completely different from the deadly expanse of poisonous miasma that had once surrounded the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's canyon.

In the town's master bedroom.

Xu Qing sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed as he circulated his cultivation technique.

Hsin lay on her side in front of him, her head propped on one hand, her long silver-white hair spread out beside her and her tail swaying lazily behind her. Her red eyes never left Xu Qing for a moment.

Before long, Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes and saw a bewitchingly beautiful face.

"Charioteer."

"Don't you need to sleep?"

"But you haven't rested, Charioteer. You've even been cultivating instead of sleeping."

At that, Hsin pouted slightly.

The Charioteer had been cultivating far too hard lately.

He got up to practice swordsmanship before dawn, then spent the day practicing calligraphy with Little Qingxiao and keeping Little Ai and the others company.

He even cultivated instead of sleeping at night.

She couldn't even hold the Charioteer while resting anymore.

"Why sleep long in life, when after death-"

"Charioteer, don't say such inauspicious things."

Before Xu Qing could finish, the devastatingly beautiful face before him drew closer, and then no sound could come from his mouth.

Xu Qing froze for a moment, then raised his hands and pushed the face away.

Once he had pushed her away, he saw her lick her canine tooth, pick up a handkerchief, and wipe the glistening trace from the corner of his mouth.

"Who taught you to cover someone's mouth with your own?"

"As I thought, you big fox, you're a shotacon, aren't you?"

"I really should give you a good shock."

"Whatever you do, Charioteer, Hsin can accept it."

The fox spirit smiled and accepted it all.

"..."

Xu Qing had to admit defeat to the big fox in front of him.

Then he was about to get up.

"Charioteer, let me."

With that, Hsin got up, took a set of clothes she had already prepared, and helped Xu Qing dress and wash up.

Xu Qing had long since grown accustomed to living like King Zhou. If he didn't let her do it, she would be unhappy, so he could only go along with the big fox.

But then a familiar voice rang out.

"Dad, Dad, are you up?"

The door flew open with a bang, and a pink figure pounced toward Xu Qing.