Keqing glanced at Tabibito. "That Vision just appeared out of nowhere. I don't know why either."
"Then why can't we see it on you?" Dehya asked.
"I was worried it would cause unnecessary trouble," Keqing said. "Vision holders are already rare enough. If people saw me carrying two Visions, it would definitely attract attention, so I put it away."
Keqing took out the Hydro Vision. "You probably noticed it when I sent you to Mondstadt."
"That's right!" Tabibito snapped. "Wait, you call that sending me? Keqing, you—!"
She pointed at Keqing, furious enough to explode, but when she noticed Ryou looking at her, she only huffed and swallowed the rest.
"A Hydro Vision… two Visions…" Dunyarzad looked deeply envious.
"I've never heard of anyone having two Visions before," Dehya said.
Keqing only smiled and said nothing. Instead, she looked at Ryou.
She knew everything came from him. Without Ryou, she would never have gained a Hydro Vision, and she certainly would not be able to command those ninjas.
She really had married a good man.
No wonder all those vixens kept staring at her husband.
But with so many of them circling around, Keqing had to think of something. Handling them alone was getting exhausting.
Just thinking about what happened yesterday made her angry all over again.
She had been one step away. One step. Then Shenhe and Ningguang ruined everything.
Now she had to come up with another plan.
Ganyu would definitely be on guard after this. Getting another chance would not be easy.
She really had to think carefully.
"Keqing-san, I'll keep this secret," Yun Jin said. "I won't tell anyone."
"Me too."
"Same here."
"Thank you," Keqing said.
Just then, she heard someone let out a playful, "Well, well."
Keqing turned and saw Hu Tao walking over with her hands behind her back.
"What are you all gathered here for?" Hu Tao asked.
"Just chatting," Chongyun said.
"Hu Tao, perfect timing. We have something to ask you," Xingqiu said.
Hu Tao glanced at Xingqiu, then walked over and sat down beside Ryou. "What is it?"
Tabibito glared at Hu Tao.
If she had known, she would not have stood up to talk. Now Hu Tao had stolen the seat beside Ryou.
Xingqiu said, "It's about that matter."
"Oh, you mean my client," Hu Tao said.
When everyone looked at her, she went on, "It's strange because there was nothing wrong with him, but he just suddenly died. Some illnesses can cause that kind of situation, but his body didn't really look like that."
"Could you hold off on handling the body for now?" Xingqiu asked. "We want to investigate."
"I couldn't find anything, and you amateurs will have an even harder time," Hu Tao said, shaking her head.
"We won't know unless we try," Xingqiu said.
"Well… fine," Hu Tao said.
Ryou poured himself a cup of tea. "You can all go walk around. Qingce Village is beautiful right now."
"Dunyarzad, should we go take a look?" Dehya asked.
"Sure." Dunyarzad nodded.
"I'll go with you," Chongyun said. "I've been to Qingce Village many times, so I can show you around wherever you want to go. And I'm an exorcist. If anything dangerous happens, I can protect you."
"Okay!" Dunyarzad smiled and nodded.
The three of them soon left together.
"Eh, wait for me. I'm coming too." Xingqiu stood up and followed them.
Keqing watched the four of them leave. "Does Chongyun like those two?"
"I think it's possible," Tabibito said.
"Chongyun usually gets nervous just seeing a girl," Hu Tao said, scratching her hat. "Why is he acting like a different person today?"
"Maybe it's love," Ryou said while drinking his tea.
But Ryou could feel something off about Chongyun, as if something had influenced him.
As for what exactly was going on, he could not tell yet.
Hu Tao looked at Ryou. "I'm hungry."
Ryou took out some fruit. "Have some fruit, then."
"I'll take it!" Hu Tao immediately grabbed some, but Tabibito snatched part of it away.
"Ryou gave that fruit to me," Hu Tao said. "What do you think you're doing?"
"You dare steal my food?"
"Do you believe I'll catch you tonight, dig a pit on Wuwang Hill, and bury you in it?"
Hu Tao clenched her fists. This Tabibito was just like a bandit. Completely unreasonable.
"If I asked him, he'd give me some too," Tabibito said, biting into a fruit. Then she looked at Keqing. "But I like taking other people's things."
"Tabibito, don't push it," Keqing said, catching the hidden meaning in her words. Her fists clenched.
"Keqing, let's team up and deal with her," Hu Tao said, rolling up her sleeves. "She's basically a bandit. Rude, unreasonable, and asking for a beating."
"Come on, then. You think I'm scared of you two?" Tabibito did not back down at all.
"What do you three think you're doing?" Ryou glared at them. "We're guests in someone else's home. Is this how you should be acting?"
"I was wrong."
"Me too."
"I…" Keqing hugged Ryou's arm. "Ryou…"
"You three…" Ryou looked at Tabibito, Keqing, and Hu Tao, then shook his head. "Qingce Village is beautiful right now. Go walk around for a while."
"I'll stay here and drink tea."
The three of them exchanged a look, then left together.
Ryou shook his head. White mist thick with Adeptal energy slowly curled around the teacup.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. A middle-aged man walked out with several books in his arms.
The man left quickly, but in his hurry, he dropped two books.
Ryou pulled the books over with a thought, picked one up, and flipped through it.
After a short while, he closed it without touching the second book.
"That should have been Chang the Ninth," Ryou said. "I thought his writing was supposed to be decent."
"But this novel has so many problems. Is the plot different from what I remember?"
Ryou shook his head and took a sip of tea.
[Ding! Eyes entering Darkened Mode!]
[Ding! Eyes Darkened Mode active. You have gained appreciation skill for books!]
[Ding! Eyes Darkened Frenzy active. You can use your eyes to polish novels. The effect starts at a 50% improvement and can reach up to 300%!]
Ryou shook his head slightly. He was not that interested in novels.
If he ever had nothing to do, he could write one for fun.
Still, being able to polish a novel just by glancing at it was convenient enough.
Ryou lifted his tea and drank. Then Yun Jin suddenly sat down beside him.
"You seem quite relaxed, Ryou-san," Yun Jin said.
"Eh?"
"A middle-aged man dropped these books just now," Ryou said.
"That was probably Chang the Ninth," Yun Jin explained.
Then she looked up at Ryou. "Ryou-san, why don't you like opera?"
"Hmm… it's just personal preference."
Ryou paused, then added, "But if Yun-sensei is performing, I'll definitely show up. Watching a beautiful woman on stage is pleasing enough on its own."
"You flatter me, Ryou-san." Yun Jin smiled, and her mood visibly improved. "I know my looks are far from Keqing-san's. Calling me beautiful feels a little too generous."
"Still… please come tomorrow night."
"Of course." Ryou smiled and nodded, then raised his hand to brew Yun Jin a cup of tea.
Yun Jin lifted the cup and smelled it. A rich tea fragrance drifted up.
Just the scent alone made her feel alert and refreshed, as if her fatigue had faded away.
She looked at Ryou in disbelief.
"What's wrong?" Ryou asked.
"Ryou-san, this tea is wonderful," Yun Jin said. "Just smelling it wakes me up."
"Please," Ryou said with a smile.
In truth, Ryou had already covered the area with his energy. Otherwise, tea of this quality might have caused too much of a stir.
"Mm-hmm." Yun Jin was clearly excited.
The moment she drank it, the whole world seemed to fall silent.
A long time passed before Yun Jin finally set the cup down, now empty.
Before she could say anything, Ryou poured her another cup.
After some time, Yun Jin came back to herself. She sat upright beside the tea table, her face faintly red.
"Ryou-san, I lost myself for a moment there," Yun Jin said, her face growing hotter. "But that cup of tea cleared my mind completely. So many things I couldn't figure out suddenly have answers, and I feel like I'm back at my very best."
"If I weren't looking at you right now, I might really think I was dreaming," Yun Jin said seriously.
Ryou smiled without saying anything.
Yun Jin stayed with him, drinking tea and chatting for quite a while, until she saw Granny Ruoxin return.
"I… I won't disturb your tea any longer," Yun Jin said.
She followed Granny Ruoxin toward the back hall, putting a little distance between them.
"Yun Jin, I saw you chatting happily with Ryou just now," Granny Ruoxin said. "That's rare."
"Granny Ruoxin, Ryou-san is truly talented. I admire him from the bottom of my heart."
Thinking of Ryou, Yun Jin could not help praising him. "Some of his ideas are astonishing. A man like him is hard to find."
She paused, then said, "It's just a shame he's already married. Otherwise, I would definitely pursue him."
[End of chapter]
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