"This is your Martial Aunt Guizhong."
Seeing Guizhong completely immersed in the cuteness before her, Jiang Yan couldn't help but laugh.
"Mar—Martial Aunt… hello!"
Little Ningguang's face was buried in Guizhong's chest, nearly leaving her unable to breathe.
"Huh? Jiang Yan, is this your disciple?"
Hearing Jiang Yan's words and Ningguang's form of address, Guizhong finally reacted.
"Yep."
Jiang Yan replied with a cheerful grin.
"So jealous!"
Guizhong puffed up her cheeks. How come she had never encountered such an adorable child before?
"Alright, I still have to take Ningguang to handle some other things. Cloud Retainer, I'll leave Ningguang's clothes to you."
"Understood. I'll deliver them to you tomorrow."
Cloud Retainer nodded.
Jiang Yan took Ningguang's small hand and left.
In the following days, Jiang Yan brought Ningguang to meet all the Adepti and began having her follow Ganyu and Havria to learn about commerce and government affairs.
Occasionally, Jiang Yan would bring Ningguang to visit the other Adepti's abodes.
Well… "visit" might not be the right word.
Because every time they went, those Adepti would end up teaching Ningguang something.
In other words, Jiang Yan was basically freeloading knowledge.
And just like that, little Ningguang began growing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
To help her learn even faster, Jiang Yan discussed things with her parents and eventually moved Ningguang's entire family to settle in Liyue Harbor.
Soon, the people of Liyue Harbor all learned that Lord Tianquan had taken in a disciple named Ningguang.
For a time, many people beat their chests in regret, their eyes practically turning purple with jealousy.
This was the disciple of the Tianquan!
The prestige of Tianquan needed no explanation.
Some people even went home and gave their own children a beating.
"Why did Lord Tianquan notice that kid but not you? It must be because you're not working hard enough!"
Thus began the nightmare era for countless children.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
As Ningguang's studies gradually fell into a steady rhythm, Jiang Yan also began returning to his own work.
The case involving the Millelith had remained like a thorn lodged in his heart.
If even Guili Plains—so close to Liyue Harbor—had such problems, what about other places?
After some planning, Jiang Yan successfully pushed the work onto Morax and once again… ran off with a bucket—
No, went traveling through the mortal world.
However, what surprised Jiang Yan was that aside from Guili Plains, the other regions were not nearly as bad as he had imagined.
Each area of Liyue had an Adeptus stationed there:
Minlin was guarded by Azhdaha.
Chenyu Vale was guarded by Mountain Shaper.
Qingce Village was guarded by Marchosius.
Guili Plains, due to its proximity to Liyue Harbor, was jointly overseen by Jiang Yan and Morax.
Perhaps Jiang Yan's earlier bloody purge had completely shocked those with ulterior motives, leaving them too afraid to make any moves recently.
So...
Apparently…
The only place where a major problem occurred was the area he managed?
Jiang Yan felt a little depressed.
Arriving near Yaoguang Shoal, Jiang Yan gazed at the clear seaside.
With weather like this, not going fishing would be a waste!
Jiang Yan decided to buy a fishing rod and take a full day to relax.
After all, he had already toured most of Liyue.
After working hard for so long, Master Jiang finally decided to slack off for a day.
He arrived at Wangshu Inn, originally thinking the inn might sell fishing rods.
But to his surprise, they didn't.
"If you want to buy a fishing rod, there's a small fishing village to the north," the innkeeper kindly suggested after hearing his request.
"The villagers there are excellent fishermen. The rods they make by hand are quite famous throughout Liyue."
Jiang Yan nodded and smiled.
"Thanks for the tip. I'll go take a look."
He then left Wangshu Inn and headed in the direction she pointed out.
When Jiang Yan arrived at the fishing village the innkeeper mentioned, he hadn't even had time to ask anyone for directions—
When suddenly he saw a wild dog sprinting wildly toward him, a rice bun clamped in its mouth.
Behind it, a thin, frail-looking girl was chasing it with all her might.
The little girl's face was filthy, and the clothes on her body were tattered.
She looked just like a roadside beggar.
Even though she was dirty, her large eyes were bright and lively.
"Stop running! Give my bun back!"
"That's mine!"
No one knew why this little girl was chasing a dog so desperately.
The villagers nearby watched the scene silently, shaking their heads with disdain in their eyes.
A filthy little beggar fighting a wild dog for food—how had someone like that wandered into their village?
The girl naturally noticed the strange looks from the villagers around her.
Those cold or disgusted gazes felt like burning flames scorching her skin.
But the girl clearly didn't care.
Because when pain comes often enough, you get used to it.
After enduring too many cold stares, you become numb.
Only those who have experienced it truly understand.
As long as you can stay alive—
So-called dignity means nothing.
Some people spend their nights in luxury, throwing money around without a care.
While others…
Exhaust all their strength simply to survive.
The wild dog kept running frantically and soon arrived right in front of Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, bent down, and with precise timing grabbed the dog.
The dog struggled wildly, trying to bite his hand.
But before it could even react, Jiang Yan smacked it once and it instantly went limp.
The girl chasing it stopped not far away.
She looked at the white-haired man before her—someone who clearly carried an extraordinary presence—and stood there cautiously.
But when she saw Jiang Yan take the rice bun out of the dog's mouth, a trace of urgency appeared in her eyes.
"Sir… could you return that to me?"
"You can just put it on the ground. I'll come pick it up myself."
"I won't touch you… and I won't dirty your clothes."
Jiang Yan frowned slightly.
The girl's cautious, almost humble tone made him feel uncomfortable.
Judging from the way she spoke, this little girl had likely been wandering alone for a very long time.
Jiang Yan walked forward and crouched down.
He placed the dirty rice bun—now covered in dog saliva—aside, then took out a meal bundle that Ganyu had prepared for him from his robe.
"That one's already dirty."
"Eat this instead."
Jiang Yan's gentle smile was like warm sunlight shining into the dark world the girl had been living in.
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