"Stelle! You're finally back!" Hu Tao practically flew over, and Stelle's eyes immediately sharpened. She used all her strength to catch Hu Tao, then skillfully absorbed the impact force into her feet.
The ground beneath her instantly shattered into pieces, stones splattering into the shops along the road, and the entire Feiyun Slope quickly became chaotic…
Alright, none of the above happened.
Hu Tao's flying tackle didn't have that much power; it was just that if Stelle didn't absorb the force, she might actually have been quite hurt.
After all, Hu Tao was not well-endowed, and their chests colliding wouldn't produce a particularly good effect.
"Long time no see, Hu Tao." Stelle smiled.
"Stelle, look, look!" Hu Tao stepped back and confidently puffed out her chest.
"Uh, look at what?" Stelle looked Hu Tao up and down in confusion, but didn't find anything unusual.
So Stelle subtly glanced at Shenhe beside her, and Shenhe also shook her head.
"Oh, didn't you notice?!" Hu Tao's cheeks flushed slightly, then she leaned in closer.
Stelle seemed to understand something, but her expression suddenly became a little strange.
"You, are you saying…?" Stelle pointed her finger.
Hu Tao immediately nodded with a smile.
"I, I can't really tell." Stelle rubbed her head, saying somewhat awkwardly.
Although she often helped Hu Tao with massages before, that was mostly just to satisfy herself; whether it actually had any effect was debatable.
Furthermore, even if it did have an effect, it couldn't possibly appear in such a short amount of time, could it?
And when Hu Tao tackled her just now, Stelle herself really didn't feel anything particularly special…
"How can you not tell?! Ugh… Although there's still a huge gap compared to Shenhe, you'll know if you feel it yourself. It must be different from before!"
Hu Tao whispered, her words a bit daring.
Stelle was somewhat tempted, but they were still standing at the doorway after all. Although this house was right next to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and usually no one passed by, it was still outside.
"Cough cough, let's go inside to discuss this in detail." Stelle lightly coughed, then pretended to be nonchalant as she said to Hu Tao.
"Okay, okay, let's discuss inside!" Hu Tao immediately broke into a wide smile.
She had been looking forward to this for a long time. Stelle hadn't been around for so long, and Hu Tao had recently had some funerals to arrange, which made her a bit tired.
Now that Stelle was finally back, Hu Tao couldn't miss this opportunity.
The three of them went inside. The house was clean and tidy, looking as if Lumine hadn't been back much recently either.
"What has Lumine been doing all this time?" Stelle asked curiously.
"Originally, everything was over, and Lumine had been quite free recently, but then, she couldn't sit still." Hu Tao shrugged.
The matter was perfectly resolved, but departing for Inazuma immediately was still not feasible.
After all, Inazuma was currently in a state of self-imposed isolation, with Thunderstorm on the sea, making it impossible for ordinary ships to approach.
It seemed only Beidou had some methods, engaging in activities that were called trade but were actually smuggling.
But firstly, Beidou had returned once before and then set sail again without stopping for long. Secondly, even Beidou needed to carefully plan her route and choose good weather to rush into the Thunderstorm.
So for now, they could only stop and quietly wait for an opportunity to arise.
During this time, they had to find something to do.
After all, Paimon's monthly food expenses amounted to a staggering three hundred thousand Mora. If she didn't work hard, Lumine simply couldn't afford to keep her.
"Wait, that doesn't seem right? Isn't Lumine the great hero who saved Liyue? Would she really be short on Mora?" Stelle couldn't help but ask.
Yes, following her status as the hero who saved Mondstadt, due to Lumine's performance throughout the entire incident, and the fact that it was she who sent the Qunyu Pavilion crashing down on Qunyu Pavilion, delivering the final blow to Osial...
So now, Lumine had also earned the title of the great hero who saved Liyue.
"No helping it. Lumine herself said just helping her put up some missing person flyers was enough, she didn't want anything else." Hu Tao shrugged.
Lumine had her own principles.
"And it's not necessarily just for Mora. Lumine might just want to find something to do."
"Hmm, alright." Stelle thought that if it were her... no, no 'if' about it. Right now, her money was essentially just handed to her by Ningguang.
Even without Ningguang, Yelan would give her plenty of Mora. One could say she had already latched onto a wealthy patron.
"Alright, enough about that..." Hu Tao said, taking Stelle's hand and slowly pressing it against her own chest.
"Can you feel it?"
"Gulp... Y-yes, it really seems like there's a bit?" Stelle thought it might just be her imagination.
---
That night, Hu Tao simply didn't leave. After all, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor hadn't had much business lately, so she didn't need to worry too much about it for the time being.
So she stayed, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.
Of course, Hu Tao was still somewhat reserved. Stelle had just returned during the day, so she wasn't in a hurry. Letting Stelle rest properly was the most important thing.
Therefore, at most, they just kissed, hugged, and... groped a little.
It wasn't until evening, after dinner, that the main event truly began.
Although it was still a three-person slumber party, Hu Tao alone could hardly withstand Stelle, so this arrangement worked out perfectly.
Except at that moment, Shenhe was still taking a bath. Stelle and Hu Tao arrived in the room first.
Hu Tao had originally planned to have a good taste first, but unexpectedly discovered something that greatly surprised her.
Hu Tao then looked up in some astonishment. She licked her lips, took something into her mouth, and slowly straightened up, leaning over Stelle's chest.
"Stelle, what is this?" Hu Tao spat the object out of her mouth and asked Stelle curiously.
She had never seen such a thing before. It seemed to carry a faint trace of Anemo energy.
It looked exquisitely crafted. Moreover, since it was on Stelle's body, it must have some special purpose, right?
Stelle's face instantly stiffened.
She had actually forgotten about this. Mainly because, after this period of training, it didn't have much effect on her anymore.
And then, Cloud Retainer had deliberately not reminded her, so she had momentarily forgotten this thing was still there.
"Ahem, well, this... this is a mystical contraption given to me by Cloud Retainer. She said it can prolong life, nourish and beautify." As Stelle spoke, she took the object in her hand and suddenly had an idea.
"But now, for me, its effect isn't that great anymore. Would you like to try it?"
"Huh? Is it really that miraculous?" Hu Tao asked curiously.
"Of course! Here, you try it first..."
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"