"Wow, these are all so delicious. Thank you, Yae."
"Qiqi will treat you to coconut milk."
"Mmm! The coconut milk is delicious too!"
The interaction between Qiqi and the pink fox, Yae Miko, added warmth and sweetness to the gathering.
Ren Kai watched the two little cuties happily enjoying themselves, then glanced around the table.
Zhongli and Guizhong were chatting and serving each other food, smiling warmly. Good.
Azhdaha was happily eating roasted sweet potatoes. Excellent.
Nearly everyone was enjoying their favorite dishes, with pleased expressions on their faces.
While eating his sweet potato, Azhdaha noticed Ren Kai observing everyone.
He suddenly put down the sweet potato, grabbed a wine jug, and started pouring wine for Ren Kai.
"Ah—!"
Xiao, who was eating almond tofu, saw this and was so shocked that his mouth fell open and the tofu slipped out.
"Is that Dragon King an impostor?"
Cloud Retainer whispered to Ping'er in disbelief.
The other adepti looked equally confused.
When had Azhdaha ever poured wine for anyone?
Aside from the Geo Archon, no one had ever received such treatment.
And yet Azhdaha was smiling cheerfully while pouring Ren Kai a drink.
Just as Azhdaha raised his cup to toast—
"Mr. Ban is today's honored guest."
"On behalf of Liyue, I offer you a toast."
Zhongli suddenly stood up and raised his cup before Azhdaha could speak.
"…."
Azhdaha and the adepti were speechless.
"This is far too flattering."
"Allow me to toast the Geo Archon instead."
Ren Kai felt his embarrassment rising.
You two just won't stop, will you? Look at the expressions on the adepti and Yaksha—they're starting to think I'm the Geo Archon.
After Ren Kai and Zhongli finished their drink, Azhdaha immediately stood and offered his own toast.
Then things spiraled out of control.
Marchosius followed with a toast.
Then the Yaksha.
Then Ping'er and the other adepti.
And after that, everyone started toasting Zhongli and Azhdaha as well.
But those two would take a sip and immediately drag Ren Kai into another drink.
"…."
Ren Kai felt completely helpless.
The gathering was lively and joyful, but everyone kept pouring him wine.
By the end of the night, he had drunk over a hundred cups.
The wine was excellent.
The problem was—
His stomach was full of wine and he had barely eaten any food.
Guizhong watched from the side, laughing nonstop.
Big brother, even you have days like this.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the entertainment portion began.
The first performer was Ping'er.
"Tonight I will play a piece titled Where in the World to Find a Kindred Spirit."
She sat in the pavilion and placed her zither upon the stone table.
Her slender fingers danced like spirits across the strings.
The elegant melody flowed like a gentle stream, carrying memories of friendship and beautiful times long past.
When the final note faded, the atmosphere remained enchanting.
A perfect night beneath flowers and moonlight.
"Hehe, my turn!"
Guizhong skipped outside the pavilion.
Under the moonlight, she held the Cleansing Bell and began a playful dance.
"Ring—ring—ring."
The bell's clear sound washed away worries.
"Da—da—da—da!"
Guizhong even hummed her own rhythm as she danced barefoot.
"Ooo—!"
Qiqi and the pink fox Yae were immediately captivated.
They ran around Guizhong, dancing along happily.
"Hehe!"
Bonanus could no longer resist and joined the dance as well, copying Guizhong's movements with enthusiasm.
Ren Kai and Zhongli exchanged a smile.
Even Azhdaha looked delighted.
This gathering had truly been worth attending.
Afterward, several adepti displayed their own talents, making the night even more memorable.
Qiqi and Yae played so much that they eventually grew tired.
Both girls fell asleep in Ren Kai's arms.
"Mr. Ban, you should stay here tonight."
"The room has already been prepared."
Guizhong said cheerfully.
"Then thank you, Lady Guizhong."
Seeing Qiqi and Yae sleeping so peacefully, Ren Kai decided not to return to Liyue Harbor tonight.
Guizhong led him into a room.
Ren Kai placed Qiqi and Yae gently onto the bed and tucked them in.
Then he sat beside the bed, watching the two sleeping girls.
Suddenly—
A sharp pain struck his head.
Ren Kai clenched his teeth and endured it silently.
After more than ten minutes, the pain finally subsided.
"Phew… the side effects of the Shadow Clone Technique are brutal."
He had just received the memories of the other seventeen clones.
The gathering had ended, and the adepti and Yaksha had gone into the mountains around Liyue and Guili Assembly.
There they encountered Ren Kai's clones.
Since none of the clones had found Qiqi, they had continued running and fighting for hours.
Eventually they gathered into several groups.
After encountering the adepti and Yaksha, they learned that the gathering had already ended and dispelled themselves.
"No wonder the Shadow Clone Technique is considered a forbidden technique."
"I'd better use it less often."
After organizing their memories, Ren Kai discovered several troubling things.
First—
The hilichurls and the Abyss.
Earlier, when he encountered them, he thought they were just scattered groups.
But the mountains around Liyue were filled with entire hilichurl tribes.
This meant Khaenri'ah had already been cursed.
The fall of the nation at the hands of the Seven Archons was likely approaching.
Second—
The underground world beneath Liyue's mountains was enormous.
His clones had discovered dozens of large underground regions.
The number and variety of monsters were staggering.
No wonder the Yaksha accumulated so much karma.
There were simply too many monsters to kill.
Only gods could suppress such chaos.
Third—
His clones had encountered Fatui agents.
That was definitely not good news.
The Fatui were masters of causing trouble.
Five hundred years later they would act without restraint, even disregarding the authority of the Archons.
"I seriously don't understand how Naruto manages thousands of shadow clones."
Ren Kai muttered helplessly.
Just sorting through these memories had taken over half an hour.
At that moment, he heard movement outside the door.
Ren Kai smiled helplessly.
He walked to the door, opened it, then stepped outside and closed it behind him.
Turning around, he saw Zhongli, Guizhong, Azhdaha, and the Stove God waiting.
"Can't sleep either?"
Ren Kai looked at the group of night wanderers who had boldly gathered outside his room.
"We just haven't seen you in a long time."
"We missed you, Lord Rexas."
Azhdaha said with a grin.
"Exactly!"
"Especially after hearing the news from Inazuma—I was terrified."
The Stove God Guoba said with his usual simple smile.
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