"Heh."
Felix chuckled. "Director Hu's mouth, a deceitful ghost."
Hu Tao stiffened, her cheeks puffing out as she stared at Felix with her beautiful plum-blossom eyes.
Felix spread his hands. "Director Hu said last night she would eat less. I'm just stating a fact."
Hu Tao pouted, then turned her gaze to the Charmeleon beside her.
"Roar?"
Charmeleon tilted its head, confused by her look.
In the next second, Hu Tao pried open Charmeleon's jaws and dumped the entire bucket of popcorn down its throat.
Charmeleon's eyes bulged, nearly popping out of its skull.
It had already eaten a full breakfast. It couldn't eat anymore!
But before it could refuse, Hu Tao force-fed it every last kernel.
"Mmh, now it's not wasted."
Hu Tao closed Charmeleon's mouth with a satisfied nod.
Problem solved.
Felix: "..."
Xiangling: "..."
Felix and Xiangling watched with twitching lips.
Hu Tao's logic was truly awe-inspiring.
Charmeleon lay on the floor, eyes rolling back, rubbing its distended, round belly with both claws.
It was already stuffed from breakfast. Now, with a bucket of popcorn forced in, it felt like it might explode.
Xiangling looked at the suffering dragon with exasperation, then turned back to her jars.
Bang.
She smashed the fourth jar. A fiery red fruit fell out.
[Jueyun Chili]: A spicy plant native to Liyue...
"Another Jueyun Chili."
Xiangling raised an eyebrow.
Am I fated with these peppers today?
Bang! Bang!
Two distinct shattering sounds followed as Xiangling broke the next two jars.
Two sheets of white paper fluttered down.
"Uh."
Xiangling looked at them curiously. "Shopkeeper, is this ordinary paper?"
"Not ordinary."
Felix shook his head. "It's Treasure Hunting Paper."
[Treasure Hunting Paper]: A tool for finding precious items. Roast it over a fire, and writing will appear, guiding you to the nearest treasure in your vicinity.
"Treasure Hunting Paper?"
Xiangling's eyes lit up.
"Yes," Felix confirmed. "Heat it over a flame, and it will reveal directions to the nearest valuable item."
"Mmh-hmm!"
Xiangling nodded vigorously, stowing the papers away.
She looked at the remaining four jars.
After a moment's thought, she smashed two more. Breaking four at once felt like bad luck.
Bang! Bang!
A hat and a black finger cot fell out together.
[Delivery Cap]: Anyone who wears this hat becomes a delivery person and will be compelled to deliver items to a specified location.
[Rhino Finger Cot]: Wearing this finger cot grants the user the strength of a rhinoceros.
"One is a hat for delivering things," Felix explained, pointing at the cap. "Wear it, and you become the ultimate deliveryman. You'll deliver goods to the designated spot without fail—no getting lost."
"The other is a Rhino Finger Cot. Put it on your finger, and you gain the raw strength of a rhino."
"The hat is interesting."
Hu Tao immediately zeroed in on the Delivery Cap.
Accurate delivery? If I use this for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's business...
It could be incredibly useful for ensuring coffins or notices reached their destination.
Xiangling looked pleased as well. Both items were fun and practical.
While Xiangling opened her jars, Chef Mao locked up Wanmin Restaurant and headed cheerfully toward the jar shop, with Guoba waddling beside him.
"You get to choose the jars this time," Chef Mao said seriously to Guoba. "I permit you to smash all ten."
Guoba had picked the Instant Noodle recipe last time.
So, for this trip, Chef Mao was entrusting the selection to the bear god again.
Hearing he could smash things, Guoba's eyes glowed.
Smash? Yes!
He was getting excited.
"Eh? Chef Mao, you closed up?"
A passerby looked surprised. "Are you going to watch the movie too?"
"Huh?"
Chef Mao paused. "What movie?"
"The movie Lady Ningguang released! You aren't going?"
The passerby looked even more confused. If he wasn't going to the cinema, why close the restaurant?
"I'm going to open jars," Chef Mao chuckled. "It's a new week, after all. But what is this 'movie' you mentioned? Can you tell me about it?"
He was genuinely curious.
"Hehe, you don't know?" The passerby laughed. "It's spectacular. I highly recommend it. Lady Ningguang made it free for three days."
"There's a cinema opposite Mingxing Jewelry. It fits a thousand people. You watch for an hour, and it feels like you're actually there inside the story."
"It shows a monkey born from stone who learns immortality from an unseen sage. He learns magic, like the Cloud Somersault that covers 108,000 li in a single leap!"
"Yeah! And immortals aren't just naturally undying; they face calamities unless they master the 36 Heavenly or 72 Earthly Transformations."
"Did you see it too?"
"Yeah, it was amazing. Sadly, they only showed the first episode today. I have to wait until tomorrow for the next one. I can't wait."
Passersby stopped to join the conversation, sharing their excitement.
Chef Mao: "??????"
He had no idea what a movie was, but the talk of immortals and monkeys piqued his interest.
"I see. I'll go check it out today..." Chef Mao nodded.
"Haha, Chef Mao, you definitely shouldn't miss it," someone laughed. "Prepare to be shocked. No one walks out of there calm. It's the most exhilarating thing I've ever seen."
"Speaking of which, the movie seems to be something Lady Ningguang pulled from the jar shop."
"Not seems—it is! Lucky for us, Lady Ningguang shares the useful things she pulls with all of Liyue."
"I'm envious of Chef Mao going to open jars. He's definitely going to get something good."
"Yeah, Chef Mao, if you get another food recipe, please release it cheaply like the noodles!"
The conversation shifted back to Chef Mao and Felix.
Thanks to the Instant Noodles, Chef Mao was a local hero. The price was fair, and it helped everyone.
"Hehe, I will, I will," Chef Mao nodded, walking toward the shop with growing anticipation for both the jars and this mysterious movie.
Inside the jar shop.
Xiangling smashed the final two jars.
Bang! Bang!
A glass bottle filled with a thick, white liquid fell out. It looked to contain about 300ml.
"Uh."
Xiangling looked at it curiously. "Shopkeeper, what is this?"
It didn't look like water.
"Restoration Fluid."
Felix studied the item.
[Restoration Fluid]: Like a gecko regenerating its tail. Apply this fluid to broken or damaged items to restore them to their original state. Please test for specific limits.
"It restores broken things," Felix explained. "If you shatter a porcelain vase or break a tool, apply this, and it fixes it."
He wondered if it worked on biological wounds.
If it could restore a severed limb... that would be incredible.
"Restoration Fluid?" Xiangling asked. "What does it mean?"
"If you break something, paint this on it, and it returns to its original form."
"Oh, oh."
Xiangling nodded. Useful for repairs, though she didn't have anything broken at the moment.
Beside her, Hu Tao tilted her head, staring at the bottle. She rubbed her chin with her slender white hand, deep in thought.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
Felix: "???"
Seeing that look, Felix's eyelid twitched.
What is that little head thinking now?
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