"Look at how hardworking Qiqi is. Now look at you."
Ren Kai stood beside the bed and lifted the pink fox, Yae Miko, by the scruff.
"Mm… hmph…"
Yae rubbed her eyes with her fluffy little paws.
Under Ren Kai's watchful gaze, she had no choice but to surrender and follow Qiqi in doing the morning exercises.
Watching Qiqi and Yae doing radio calisthenics together, Ren Kai suddenly felt the urge to take out his phone and record the moment.
Unfortunately—
He didn't have a phone.
What a pity.
"Warm-up finished."
"Morning run begins."
"Our destination is Liyue Harbor."
Ren Kai pushed open the door and ran out energetically with Qiqi and Yae.
Under the astonished gazes of the guards, the three of them dashed out of the residence.
Early morning in Guili City was quiet.
A few scattered merchants were opening their stalls, half-asleep and yawning.
Ren Kai ran past with Qiqi and Yae like a gust of wind.
Their physical abilities were excellent—running one hundred meters in eight seconds was effortless.
"What just ran past?"
A merchant opened his shop door in a daze, only catching a blurry glimpse of figures rushing by.
"Are your eyes going bad already?"
"I told you to sleep earlier!"
"You stay up drinking every night!"
A woman's voice came from inside the shop, scolding loudly.
Meanwhile, the Millelith soldiers at the southern gate were struggling to open the city gate.
"Did you guys skip breakfast or something?"
"Put some strength into it!"
"Why are you taking forever to open a gate?"
One soldier complained.
"How did you know I didn't eat breakfast?"
Another soldier answered seriously.
…
The others were speechless.
Just then, Ren Kai arrived at the southern gate with Qiqi and Yae.
The moment the gate opened a small gap, Ren Kai scooped both girls into his arms and leapt right over the heads of the Millelith, exiting the city in one jump.
"…Was that…?"
The soldiers stared at Ren Kai's back.
He looked oddly familiar.
"That's the warrior from yesterday!"
"As expected of a master—training so early in the morning!"
"And look at that little girl!"
"She's the zombie everyone was talking about yesterday, yet she's working so hard!"
"Come on, everyone!"
"We can't let the Millelith be looked down upon!"
The soldiers were fired up and pushed the gate fully open with renewed energy.
"Qiqi really likes the feeling of running freely."
Qiqi spread her arms wide and ran happily, her little legs moving quickly.
Yae Miko looked utterly miserable.
Can't we run slower? I want to slack off.
"If Qiqi likes it, let's speed up."
Ren Kai smiled.
Qiqi truly was a hardworking girl.
He increased their pace from eight seconds per hundred meters to six seconds.
Yae's expression grew even more depressed.
Now she couldn't even pretend to be tired.
She had to speed up to keep up with Ren Kai and Qiqi.
The run from Guili City to Liyue Harbor took just over an hour.
To avoid embarrassing herself in front of Qiqi, Yae somehow managed not to fall behind.
Ren Kai looked at her with newfound respect.
When they finally arrived at Liyue Harbor, Ren Kai slowed down and began walking slowly while holding Qiqi's hand.
"Lord Ban… I'm hungry."
Yae said weakly while lying on his shoulder.
"Qiqi isn't hungry."
Qiqi lowered her head and spoke softly.
But her stomach growled loudly, immediately betraying her.
Ren Kai paused in thought.
Qiqi was becoming more and more like a normal little girl.
But her timid heart had not yet healed.
"Qiqi."
"If something is bothering you in the future, you must tell me."
"You're not allowed to hide things from me."
Ren Kai picked her up and looked at her seriously.
"…Okay."
"Qiqi is hungry too."
"Qiqi wants coconut milk."
Encouraged by Ren Kai's sincere gaze, Qiqi smiled brightly and said it aloud.
"Alright."
"I'll take you both to get some."
Ren Kai happily headed toward Liyue's commercial street with the two girls.
The bustling harbor was already busy.
Many passersby looked at Ren Kai holding Qiqi and smiled warmly.
Qiqi felt confused.
Why were people smiling at her?
It was strange.
Yesterday everyone had been afraid of her.
Ren Kai also felt puzzled.
The gazes of the pedestrians were strangely enthusiastic.
What was going on?
"Honorable warrior, hello."
"Is there anything we can assist you with?"
A patrol of Millelith soldiers noticed Ren Kai's confused expression and quickly approached him.
"…You know me?"
Ren Kai was stunned.
Why were the Millelith so enthusiastic?
"Of course."
"Last night, Liyue Harbor worked overnight."
"They built a statue of you in Liyue Square."
The soldiers all smiled proudly.
"Ah… that's far too much."
Ren Kai didn't know how to react.
This was the first time something like this had happened to him.
"For those who protect Liyue Harbor—heroes and adepti alike—such honors are only natural."
A gentle female voice spoke from behind him.
"…Ganyu?"
Ren Kai turned around in surprise.
It really was Ganyu.
"Do you know me, honorable warrior?"
Ganyu asked with a confused, innocent expression.
According to the records, this warrior had never visited Liyue before.
She was certain she wouldn't remember incorrectly.
"Ahem."
"Your master, Cloud Retainer, mentioned you before."
Ren Kai quickly thought of an answer.
"…Ah, I see."
Ganyu nodded awkwardly.
Then she suddenly looked at Qiqi.
"This little girl… she looks very familiar."
"Does big sister know Qiqi?"
Qiqi asked eagerly.
"…You're the little girl from back then."
After searching through her memories, Ganyu finally recognized her.
"So many years have passed."
"I never imagined you would survive."
Her voice was filled with disbelief.
"Mm…"
Qiqi didn't quite understand what she meant.
"Yes."
"Qiqi is very strong."
Ren Kai looked at the girl in his arms and nodded firmly.
"Hehe."
"Qiqi is strong."
Qiqi smiled happily after hearing his praise and stopped worrying about Ganyu's words.
"Honorable warrior, do you need any assistance?"
Ganyu asked kindly.
"I was planning to take them to get something to eat."
"But now that I think about it, there is something I could use help with."
"Where is the headquarters of the Feiyun Commerce Guild?"
Ren Kai suddenly remembered.
He was technically a consultant for the Feiyun Commerce Guild.
It was about time he showed up for work.
After all—
Free food and lodging were hard to beat.
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