For a period of time afterward, Junze frequently followed Shenhe to various sealed ruin sites, devouring the remnants of dead gods.
However, every time he did, Ganyu's expression would turn slightly unpleasant.
The brush in her hand had already been snapped several times.
As a result, every morning when Junze woke up, he would instinctively and somewhat painfully rub his horns.
They had been through a lot lately.
In contrast, Shenhe's condition seemed to be getting better and better.
"Crunch… crunch…"
At one of the sealed sites of the remnants.
Junze's entire body was wrapped in black aura.
From within that aura came the sound of chewing.
Shenhe stood beside him the whole time, ready to draw a talisman at any moment to stabilize his mind.
"Master, please."
Junze's voice came from within the darkness.
Though still childish, it carried an unsettling tone, as if it could draw out the darkness hidden deep within a person's heart.
But Shenhe had already grown accustomed to it.
"Mm."
She nodded and traced a talisman in the air, helping him maintain clarity.
"These remnants really are tough to chew through."
Junze sounded a bit helpless.
"No wonder the ancient gluttonous beasts were called vicious creatures."
Although these remnants provided him with significant growth, they were extremely difficult to digest.
After absorbing so many over the past days, his growth progress had already reached two thirds.
But the resentment within them, accumulated over thousands of years, was not something easy to handle.
As the number increased, Junze now needed both coconut milk and Shenhe's assistance just to avoid being corrupted.
Eat too many bad things, and naturally, something goes wrong.
For other gluttonous beasts, this might not even be considered a drawback.
To them, being able to eat their fill was everything. This kind of influence could even be considered a form of enhancement.
But Junze was different.
That terrifying state… if his Master saw it, she would definitely be heartbroken.
And the person beside him, the one bound to him by agreement, would probably be the first to eliminate him.
After finishing this batch, Junze said,
"Master, let's go to the next pla… hm?"
Before he could finish speaking, a clear and distant voice echoed from the sky.
"Shenhe~"
A crane slowly descended from afar.
It was Cloud Retainer.
Junze stiffened slightly and looked toward Shenhe.
Shenhe seemed to understand what he was worried about.
"Master has been reinforcing the seals recently, so she will appear here."
She paused briefly, then added,
"I did not tell her about you."
Junze let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Then I'll head back first."
For now, he still did not dare face Cloud Retainer directly.
His black aura could obscure his appearance from most people, but he was not confident it could fool an adeptus like her.
"Mm."
Shenhe nodded.
The next moment, Junze vanished from sight.
"Hard to understand methods."
Shenhe shook her head slightly and turned her attention to the approaching figure.
Cloud Retainer landed and asked,
"Shenhe, why are you here? And that just now… what was that?"
"I came to deal with evil remnants."
Shenhe thought for a moment, then said calmly,
"That… was likely the rumored Inkshadow Adeptus."
"WHAT?"
Cloud Retainer's expression immediately changed.
She had not expected her disciple to have encountered that mysterious figure.
"Did he do anything to you?"
She asked with concern.
Shenhe looked at her strangely and shook her head.
"No."
"I see…"
Cloud Retainer still could not help but feel worried.
She continued asking, "Then how did you meet? Why would that adeptus appear here?"
Shenhe replied calmly, "Because of that child. It was a coincidence. He was here slaying evil."
"…."
Such a simple and direct answer left Cloud Retainer at a loss for words.
But for some reason, a very bad feeling suddenly rose in her heart.
She quickly raised her hand and performed several divinations.
Her brows furrowed.
Just like before, anything related to that Inkshadow Adeptus could not be clearly calculated.
After thinking for a moment, she turned her attention to her disciple and calculated again.
As she continued, her expression became increasingly strange.
She did not uncover anything about Shenhe and the Inkshadow Adeptus.
Instead, she arrived at something else entirely.
Her two disciples… would clash in the near future.
Why would that happen?
Cloud Retainer quickly asked, "Shenhe, how has your relationship with Ganyu been lately?"
Shenhe frowned slightly and replied, "It's been fine."
"…."
So the divination was correct.
Cloud Retainer continued, "Then Shenhe, what exactly is your relationship with that person?"
"Relationship?"
Shenhe thought for a moment. A faint glimmer appeared in her eyes.
"A contractual relationship, I suppose."
"What?!"
For a moment, Cloud Retainer's mind went blank.
Clearly, she had interpreted Shenhe's words in a very different way.
After all, this perfectly matched what she had just calculated.
Thinking carefully, why would Shenhe and Ganyu be at odds?
The only possible reason was that child.
Ganyu was the child's Master, and she cared deeply about him.
Now Shenhe had some kind of strange contract with that Inkshadow Adeptus.
And that Inkshadow Adeptus also seemed closely connected to the child…
"So that's why that child is connected to both of you so deeply?!"
Cloud Retainer felt as if she had discovered the truth.
She immediately decided that she needed to go to Yuehai Pavilion.
She had to ease the relationship between her two disciples.
They absolutely must not end up fighting.
"…."
Shenhe looked at her Master in confusion.
She felt that her Master was acting rather strangely.
On the other side, Junze returned.
As soon as he came back, he saw Ganyu giving instructions to Huixin.
"Master, I'm back."
Junze walked over and called out.
Ganyu glanced at him, then nodded to Huixin, signaling that was all.
Huixin left.
Ganyu looked down at Junze, carefully examining him.
"Uh… what's wrong, Master?"
Junze felt uneasy under her gaze.
"Where is your Martial Aunt?"
Junze answered weakly, "She hasn't come back yet."
Ganyu stared at him and said in a faint, quiet tone,
"If that's the case, why did you come back first? Shouldn't you have stayed with her?"
Right now, Ganyu looked exactly like someone who had been wronged.
Junze hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked,
"Master… are you jealous?"
The moment those words came out, Ganyu's expression froze.
Her slightly aggrieved look instantly disappeared, replaced by a deep blush.
"You… you… you child, what nonsense are you saying!"
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