"Master… what's going on?"
Shenhe had been preparing to train when she noticed the unusual commotion and hurried over—
only to find two unfamiliar people who had seemingly appeared out of thin air.
No one had climbed the mountain earlier…
So where did they come from? Did they fly up here?
Seeing this, Ganyu pulled Shenhe over.
"Let me introduce her. This is Azhdaha. She'll be living with us for a while."
Shenhe looked at Azhdaha, then glanced at Cael.
She nodded calmly.
"Understood."
Then she turned around and was about to leave.
Ganyu froze.
"Eh? You're not going to ask who he is?"
Shenhe replied flatly,
"I'm not interested."
And she really just… left.
"..."
"Sorry, Cael. She's always been like that," Ganyu said awkwardly.
Cael shook his head, indicating he didn't mind.
Glancing at the time, he realized it was already quite late.
Just dealing with Azhdaha had taken nearly four hours.
Time to head back.
With that thought, he said to Ganyu,
"It's getting late—I should go. If you have time later, you can come find me."
Ganyu hesitated for a long moment.
Then, summoning all her courage, she stepped forward.
Before Cael could react—
She leaned in and kissed him.
"Mm—!!"
Cael stood there in complete disbelief, unable to calm down for a long while.
Ganyu's face was completely red as well.
For someone like her to do something like this… she must've spent a very long time preparing herself.
She smiled softly at him.
"Five hundred years ago, you owed me a kiss. Now you've finally paid it back."
Cael covered his mouth, his face burning.
He didn't know whether his past self had kissed anyone—but in his current memories, he definitely hadn't.
So as far as he was concerned—
This was his first kiss.
"I—I just got forcibly kissed?!"
Cael's head felt dizzy. This was easily the most emotionally turbulent moment he'd had since arriving in Teyvat.
Azhdaha stared at the scene with completely vacant eyes.
She hadn't expected Ganyu to be this bold—
kissing him in public?!
Meanwhile, Cloud Retainer, hiding behind a tree, watched with great interest—
just one step away from pulling out a melon to snack on.
Not far away, Shenhe watched quietly.
She didn't understand what she was seeing…
but for some reason, she felt a strange sense of envy.
Cael looked at Ganyu, unsure of what to say.
Seeing her still flushed, he could only reach out and gently pat her head.
"Mm…"
Ganyu was startled—she hadn't expected that—but she didn't dislike it at all.
In fact…
She'd been waiting for this feeling for a very long time.
A sense of warmth she hadn't felt in ages.
...
Just then, Azhdaha rushed over, glaring fiercely at Cael.
"I want a kiss too!!"
Looking at her adorably indignant face and petite body,
Cael's mouth twitched.
He let go of Ganyu and lifted Azhdaha straight up.
"Up you go~"
Azhdaha: "..."
Ganyu: "..."
Cloud Retainer: "Pfft."
Being treated like a child made Azhdaha furious.
Why did Zhongli shape me like this back then?!
I wanted to be a tall, busty, mature onee-san!!
Cael set her back down and patted her head as well.
"Alright. I really have to go now."
"Hmph…"
Azhdaha turned her head away angrily, full of resentment.
...
...
Benghuai Village
Evening had fallen.
Inside a small villa, Kiana, Mei, Bronya, and Seele were all present.
Standing before them was a small white-haired girl.
That's right—
the eternally unlucky Theresa.
She stared at them seriously.
"The information is accurate?"
Mei answered solemnly,
"We've seen it with our own eyes."
"So at the moment, only the five of you in the village know about this?"
"Yes."
Theresa jumped down from her stool.
"Lord Agarest being alive is a world-shaking matter. It could affect the entire continent of Teyvat. This must be kept strictly confidential!"
"Understood!!"
Theresa nodded in satisfaction.
"Good! Very spirited! Next—let's play Genius Invokation TCG!! This time, I'm definitely beating you, Seele!"
After finishing her serious talk, she immediately pulled out a box of cards from under the table.
Kiana protested loudly,
"No! I want to play Seele myself! I was this close to beating her last time! If I hadn't misplayed those turns—!"
Seele stood there with her hands in her pockets, looking smug.
"For the past half year, I may not have won even once against Lord Agarest… but here?"
"I'm still invincible."
"Like Lord Agarest said: that year, I stood with my hands in my pockets, knowing no opponent. I need only strike lightly to reach the limits of Genius Invokation."
Bronya's eyes sparkled.
"That line's pretty cool."
Theresa immediately pulled out cards for Diluc, Xingqiu, and Ganyu.
"This time I'm definitely crushing you!"
Seele replied calmly,
"Then the two of you can come at once. Two versus two."
As soon as she finished speaking, her Dark Vision flashed—
Black Seele appeared instantly.
She looked at Seele with a deadpan expression.
"Seele… is this really how you're supposed to use a Vision?"
"But Black Seele," Seele replied innocently,
"they said they're going to crush us."
"Hahahaha! Bring it on!" Kiana laughed.
"Let's see how I ruin you this time!"
...
...
Dark elemental energy suddenly rippled through the room.
Cael's figure appeared silently beside Seele.
No one noticed—everyone was too focused.
Only Mei sensed something wrong. She looked up—
And nearly jumped out of her skin.
Bronya followed her gaze.
Bronya: !!!
Black Seele also noticed and was about to warn them—
When the opposing side suddenly played a brutal card.
"What the—!!"
Kiana, meanwhile, noticed absolutely nothing and was still planning her comeback.
"Everyone seems pretty busy," Cael suddenly spoke.
That familiar voice made Seele jolt violently.
"Wah—!!"
Cael laughed at the sight.
Theresa was startled too and immediately glared over.
"Who are you?! Which kid's this—don't interrupt!"
The moment she said that—
Seele, Mei, and Bronya all stiffened.
Seele spoke carefully,
"Village Chief Theresa… this is Lord Agarest."
Theresa froze.
"Eh?"
Then her entire body turned to stone.
Looking up at Cael—who was much taller than her—she spoke in a tiny voice,
"Uh… good evening?"
"Good evening, Theresa."
"You know me?!" Theresa exclaimed.
"I've heard Seele talk about you before," Cael replied calmly.
"She said you were about… this tall."
He gestured with his hand.
"So I figured it must be you."
"Pff—!!"
Theresa suffered massive emotional damage.