As the sun dipped below the horizon, Liyue Harbor lit up, ushering the day's bustle into another peak.
Yi Chen dragged Shenhe to the docks to look at the sea, stopped to watch street performers, and finally sat with her on a bench in Chihu Rock—each holding a cup of sweet lotus seed soup.
After an entire afternoon of fun, even Yi Chen felt tired.
He sighed contentedly, finished the last sip, and patted his stomach.
"Mmm… Senior Sister, that was enough fun. We should head back."
Shenhe took small sips of the overly sweet drink and nodded lightly.
The afternoon had been overwhelming for her as well—far too much to process without quiet reflection.
Yi Chen stood, stretched, and cracked his joints.
Looking around at the bustling shops, he suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Oh! Senior Sister—we need to buy a gift for Master!"
Shenhe lifted her eyes, puzzled.
"A gift?"
Yi Chen adopted a 'you don't get it' expression.
"We snuck down the mountain! Even if Master might not notice, what if she does? If we bring gifts back, she'll be happy and probably won't scold us!"
The more he thought about it, the more brilliant the plan seemed.
But Shenhe tilted her head slightly and asked a question perfectly aligned with her logic:
"If we bring a gift back… wouldn't that be admitting we snuck down the mountain?"
"Does that still count as sneaking?"
Yi Chen: "..."
His smile froze.
Wait—wasn't that… self-incrimination?!
Then what was the point of sneaking out?!
He scratched his head, deeply troubled.
"Uh… that makes sense… but going back empty-handed feels wrong too…"
"We ate and drank all day and didn't bring Master anything… it feels like eating alone…"
After struggling for a bit, Yi Chen gritted his teeth.
"Forget it! Master's smart—she probably already knows!"
"Instead of worrying, let's just… bribe her!"
He grabbed Shenhe's hand again.
"Come on, Senior Sister! Let's pick something out! There's a pastry shop with amazing osmanthus cakes—Master will love them!"
Shenhe watched him, seeing through his self-contradiction but not objecting.
Whether Master knew or not didn't matter.
What mattered… was that he wanted to do this.
And choosing a gift for their master together—
That didn't feel bad at all.
When they returned to Mt. Aocang under a sky painted gold and crimson, they landed quietly before the cave.
The moment they looked up—
Cloud Retainer was already there.
Standing beneath the ancient pine tree, wings folded, eyes fixed on them.
Yi Chen's heart sank.
She knew.
He quickly let go of Shenhe's wrist, plastered on his brightest smile, and rushed forward, holding up the neatly wrapped box like an offering.
"Master! Master! Look! We brought you the most famous osmanthus cakes in Liyue Harbor! Still warm!"
Cloud Retainer didn't look at the box immediately.
Her gaze swept over Yi Chen's guilty face—
Then very deliberately fell on the hands they had just separated.
The weight of that look made Yi Chen's wrist feel hot.
Cloud Retainer was internally exhausted.
Sneaking down the mountain was one thing.
Coming back holding hands?!
And Shenhe just… let him?!
First day meeting, and physical contact already this natural?!
She could practically foresee the future—not only worrying about lesson plans, but also guarding against certain developments.
A powerful, motherly sense of crisis surged.
An extremely serious—and terrifying—question surfaced:
At this rate… would these two pure-minded, absurdly strong disciples—forced to spend all day together for cultivation—eventually produce…
A little qilin?!
Would she have to teach AND babysit?!
Just imagining it made her wings feel weak.
She took a deep breath and decided to ignore the hand-holding—for her own sanity.
"…Fine. Put the pastries down."
She paused.
"Did you enjoy yourselves?"
Yi Chen nodded vigorously.
"Yes! Very much!"
Cloud Retainer sighed inwardly.
"Good. It's late. Go rest."
"Tomorrow… we begin proper cultivation."
She needed time to reassess the danger level of this dual cultivation plan.
"Yes! Good night, Master!"
Yi Chen quickly set the box down and dragged a still-dazed Shenhe back to their cave.
Cloud Retainer was left alone with the osmanthus cakes and the fading sunset—
Deep in thought about the long, difficult road of disciple management ahead.
Truly… a heavy responsibility.
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