A voice that felt immensely familiar reached Ye Xi's ears, causing him to look over instinctively. There, he saw a lively young girl clutching an Onikabuto while letting out startled yelps.
"Sister Xiangling! Watch out!"
A sailor nearby quickly lunged forward, grabbed the Onikabuto, and shoved it back into its cage.
The girl patted her chest repeatedly, still looking shaken. "That scared me to death! Why is this Onikabuto so energetic?"
Wait, isn't that Xiangling? Ye Xi thought. Since when is she afraid of a little Onikabuto?
Then again, it made sense. Girls generally tended to be afraid of multi-legged insects. Back when he and Kamisato Ayaka were practicing swordsmanship in the mountain streams of Mt. Yougou, they had encountered a massive Onikabuto. It had frightened Ayaka so much that she had ducked into his arms, dropping her tachi in the process.
"Ye Xi, let me introduce you. This is Liyue's most famous chef, Xiangling!" Beidou introduced her with a grin.
Ye Xi nodded. Of course he knew Xiangling! When he used to play the game, Liyue was his favorite nation, so he was very familiar with its people. Xiangling was the head chef of the renowned Wanmin Restaurant. Countless people flocked there just to get a taste of her culinary skills. He just hadn't expected to run into her here.
"Sister Beidou, why was there an Onikabuto in the bamboo crate today instead of octopus? I wasn't prepared for that at all!" Xiangling complained with the expression of someone who had just survived a disaster, drawing a hearty laugh from Beidou.
"Xiangling, you weren't scared when you were making Onikabuto stew before, so why the fright today?"
Xiangling immediately felt aggrieved. "Usually Onikabuto move very, very slowly. Who knew this one would suddenly pounce? And you're still laughing, Sister Beidou!"
"Hahaha... alright, alright. Let me introduce you properly. This is Ye Xi, a good brother I met in Inazuma. Don't let the fact that we met there fool you; he's actually one of our own from Liyue!" Beidou slapped Ye Xi on the shoulder, introducing him like a member of her own family.
Xiangling's small eyes shifted to Ye Xi. She was immediately struck by his handsome face and seemed to grow a bit flustered. "He... hello! I am Xiangling, a chef from Liyue. I'm best at making various... coo... cooking... Oh dear, I've practiced this so many times, but I'm still nervous. Hehe."
Ye Xi couldn't help but chuckle. "Hello, I'm Ye Xi. Feel free to ask if you ever need any help."
Now that he had arrived in Liyue, he needed to make more friends, especially prominent figures. That was the only way to thrive here! Thinking about it, Xiangling's background was actually quite formidable. Being on good terms with Beidou meant being on good terms with The Crux. And who in Liyue didn't know about The Crux?
Furthermore, Wanmin Restaurant was secretly funded by the Tianquan, Ningguang. It was safe to say she had connections in both the high and low circles of society. With Liyue about to enter the era of Rule by Humans, having such a background was incredibly impressive.
Xiangling's eyes lit up upon hearing Ye Xi's words. "You said it! I've been planning to research a new cuisine lately. I'll have to trouble you to be my food taster when the time comes!"
Ye Xi's smile stiffened, and he began to groan internally.
[Food tasting...]
[It's not going to be that Onikabuto soup Big Sis mentioned just now, is it?]
[That'll be the death of me]
Despite his internal dread, he forced a smile. "Oh... no problem."
At that moment, Xiangling's expression became very strange, looking quite shocked. Who was speaking? That voice sounded exactly like Ye Xi's.
Beidou noticed Xiangling's odd behavior and pulled her aside, whispering in a volume only the two of them could hear, "Xiangling, did you just hear Ye Xi's voice?"
"Sister Beidou, how did you know?" Xiangling was utterly astonished.
Beidou rested a hand on Xiangling's shoulder and lowered her voice. "Don't worry. Those are Ye Xi's inner thoughts. For some reason, we can hear them."
"Eh?" Xiangling's face was full of surprise. "You can hear them too? Does that mean everyone can?"
Beidou waved her hand dismissively. "Relax. From what I've observed, very few people can hear him. As far as I know, you're the only other one. Ye Xi doesn't seem to know about this himself, so let's just keep it to ourselves."
In truth, Beidou had been startled by this when she first met him as well. That day, she had been drinking alone on the shore when she noticed a few Treasure Hoarders plotting nearby. She had intended to pretend to be drunk and teach them a lesson,
but Ye Xi had suddenly appeared and sent the Treasure Hoarders running. Most importantly, she had heard his inner voice at that moment. That had piqued her interest, leading to their subsequent friendship.
Making friends with Ye Xi was all about one thing sincerity! In the world of martial arts and sailors, many people were two-faced, acting one way to your face and another behind your back. Yet, in all her time with Ye Xi, she had never heard him harbor a single ill thought about her. She loved friends like that!
So, she said to Xiangling, "Didn't you want to find Ye Xi to test your new dishes? If you can hear his inner voice, you'll know his true, first impressions better than anyone!"
Xiangling's eyes sparkled at Beidou's words. That's right!
In the past, whenever she asked friends or customers to test new recipes, many of them would hold back the truth to save her feelings. It had always been a source of frustration for her. But with Ye Xi here, wasn't he the most sincere food taster she could ever hope for?
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