[Main Quest: Cut Off the Godly Residue, Completed]
[Reward: 300 Primogems, Issued]
After Junze and Shenhe worked under the Geo Dragon Tree for over an hour, the system finally responded.
Thanks to their efforts, the area around the tree had returned to normal.
There might still be some traces of godly residue leaking from underground, but it was no longer significant.
Within the domain of the Geo Archon, even the land itself seemed to carry a certain power.
For thousands of years, countless gods and adepti who protected Liyue had willingly given their bodies and strength to nourish this land.
Not just the adepti, but also the warriors who fell in battle were buried within it.
Heroic souls remained to protect, allowing future generations to thrive.
With such a profound foundation, how could mere remnants of evil possibly overcome it?
"Finally done~"
Junze flopped down onto the ground.
Shenhe had also clearly expended a lot of energy, and a trace of fatigue could be seen on her face.
The two leaned back against each other, resting beneath the Geo Dragon Tree.
At such a close distance, Junze could smell a unique fragrance.
So far, he had encountered three different kinds of cool, refined scents.
The first was his master, Ganyu.
Her scent was soft and sweet.
Like the fragrance of Qingxin flowers mixed with the sweetness of Sweet Flowers.
It was strange, describing a fragrance as "sweet."
But perhaps that was simply Ganyu's charm.
Being around his master, Junze's first instinct was always to curl up in her arms, rest against her soft chest, drink coconut milk, and watch her blush.
The second was Eula.
Her cool fragrance was pure.
Resolute. Unyielding.
It was like the crisp scent of frozen waves.
Just from the scent alone, one could tell she was a valiant knight.
The third was Shenhe.
Her scent was distant, almost detached from the mortal world.
Yet within that cold fragrance, Junze could sense loneliness, sorrow, and even danger.
It reminded him of a lone orchid blooming in the snow.
Smelling that scent and looking at her white hair, Junze sighed inwardly.
This Shenhe… was actually quite pitiful.
"Shenhe, are you used to the work at Yuehai Pavilion?"
Junze leaned his head against Shenhe's shoulder. This was the first time he had主动 leaned on her.
Shenhe felt the warmth of his head against her jade-like shoulder. She wasn't used to it, but she didn't push him away.
"It's fine. I only need to deliver documents to others."
"Did anyone give you trouble?"
"Some shady individuals approached me."
"How did you deal with them?"
"I threw them into the sea."
"Huh?! Didn't the Millelith come after you?"
"They couldn't catch me."
The two chatted like this while resting.
Junze asked, Shenhe answered.
Most of it was trivial conversation.
Shenhe didn't understand why the boy asked her these things, but she didn't resist answering.
In fact, she found herself somewhat willing to talk.
Perhaps it was because of the contract they made earlier.
After all, people naturally have a desire to share, especially those who have always been alone.
As for Junze, why was he talking to her like this?
From his perspective, he simply couldn't stand seeing her so lonely.
"Grrr~"
"Grr~"
As they talked, their stomachs suddenly growled.
Junze's expression turned a bit subtle.
If he heard correctly, there were two sounds just now.
"I'm hungry."
Shenhe showed no embarrassment at all.
In her understanding, a stomach growling from hunger was as natural as breathing.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," she thought.
"Then let's go eat at Wanmin Restaurant."
Junze stood up and suggested.
Since someone else was already handling Azhdaha, and the system mission was basically done, there was no need to stay.
As for the reason behind the geovishaps' rampage, there were still no clues, so it could be left aside for now.
"There's no point staying here any longer."
Junze stretched lazily.
"Better to go eat."
After all, for a Taotie, nothing mattered more than food!
"You go ahead."
Shenhe shook her head.
"I'll gather some medicinal herbs."
In the past, during her cultivation, this was how she sustained herself.
"Medicinal herbs… those are bitter and astringent, right?"
Junze wasn't particularly fond of that kind of thing.
"I've cultivated for many years. I'm already used to it."
"Then… do you like it?"
Shenhe didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
Eating herbs was merely a habit. Deep down, she didn't like it. In fact, she disliked it.
"Oh~ so Shishu doesn't like it either. Hehe, Aze is the same."
Junze grinned, as if he had just found a partner in crime.
Seeing his expression, Shenhe couldn't tell whether he was pretending or being genuine.
"If you don't like it, then don't eat it."
Junze reached out and grabbed Shenhe's cool hand.
"Shishu, come eat at Wanmin Restaurant with Aze. The food there is really good."
Shenhe shook her head.
"Eating too much mortal food is not good for mountain cultivation."
"But you're training in the mortal world right now."
Junze looked at her seriously.
"If you're training in the mortal world, then you should eat mortal food and act in mortal ways."
"This…"
His words made Shenhe hesitate.
"Rule number one of mortal-world training: if you don't like something, learn to refuse it. If you like something, go after it."
"Like… dislike…"
Shenhe frowned slightly, repeating his words.
Was this how one should act in the human world?
Junze gently swung her hand and smiled.
"Rule number two of mortal-world training: listen to Aze!"
The first rule was reasonable.
The second one was complete nonsense.
But Shenhe didn't understand jokes.
She took it seriously.
"Listen to you?"
She pondered for a moment.
Perhaps… that was reasonable.
Even though he was just a child, from what she had observed these past days, this boy handled people and situations far better than she did… even better than Ganyu.
If she did something wrong in the mortal world, perhaps she really should listen to him.
If Junze knew what she was thinking, he would probably be overjoyed.
After all, who wouldn't like a beautiful shishu willing to listen to them?
"Let's go!"
Black mist began to rise from Junze's body.
In the next moment, he wrapped an arm around Shenhe's slender waist.
At that moment, Junze finally understood what it meant by "slender enough to hold in one hand."
Even with his small hands, he could wrap around Shenhe's waist.
He even gave it a slight squeeze.
"We're off!"
With that, Junze took Shenhe and rushed toward Liyue Harbor at high speed.
This wasn't him taking advantage of his shishu at all.
He was just worried she might get flung away, so he held on a bit tighter… right?
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