Everyone turned their heads, only to see Tartaglia walking over with a bright smile.
"I was just thinking of buying some kites to send to my younger siblings back home. Are you guys here to buy kites too?"
Tartaglia saw "Yunqin" give him a careless glance before returning her gaze to the kites on the stall.
She neither took half a step back like last time, nor did she initiate a conversation. Her indifferent demeanor made a trace of strangeness well up in his heart.
"What's with this girl today?" he muttered to himself.
But on second thought, perhaps Yunqin had finally let down her guard against him. So, he didn't dwell on it any further and turned around to warmly exchange pleasantries with Lumine and Paimon.
Just as they were chatting happily, Granny Shan had already packed up the seven kites Zhongli had reserved.
Hearing this, Zhongli habitually reached out to touch the coin pouch at his waist.
Hmm... empty.
He turned around to look at Lumine, Paimon, and "Yunqin", his tone carrying a bit of helplessness: "I left in a hurry today and forgot to bring Mora. Did you... bring money?"
Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances and rolled their eyes.
"Yunqin" subconsciously reached for her pockets... completely empty.
She couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly, feeling a bit exasperated with Morax as well: the God who created Mora actually had no money. What a disgrace to the gods.
Just as everyone exchanged glances and the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward, Tartaglia stepped forward with a smile, pulling out some shiny Mora.
He handed the Mora to Granny Shan, then turned to look at "Yunqin," his eyes full of anticipation like a child waiting for a reward: "I'll pay for this! However—"
"Yunqin, you have to fight me in a fair and square duel! I haven't sparred with you these past few days, and my hands are itching like crazy!"
"Yunqin" raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.
She knew what kind of person Tartaglia was.
A grand Fatui Harbinger picking fights with "her" whenever he had free time was honestly a bit of an embarrassment to the Fatui.
However, the girl inside her seemed to quite like him.
Although she didn't know why the girl still refused his invitations.
But since it was something "she" had refused, she was determined to do the exact opposite.
This was also a perfect opportunity to test just how much capability "she" had gained from her so-called growth under the influence of the Geo Archon and the Adepti.
"Yunqin" nodded slightly, her tone calm: "Alright."
"It would be better to set the location at the foot of Mt. Aocang. Few people go there, so even a huge commotion won't disturb the citizens of Liyue Harbor." Seeing this, Zhongli thoughtfully stroked his chin.
His gaze swept over "Yunqin" fleetingly, his tone carrying an elusive nuance. "Furthermore, given Yunqin's condition, going there would provide an extra layer of protection."
Lumine and Paimon were startled—Mt. Aocang was Cloud Retainer's territory!
Yunqin was Cloud Retainer's disciple. For Zhongli to purposely set the duel there... could he have already seen that the current "Yunqin" wasn't the real one?
Did he want to use Cloud Retainer's power to eliminate her?
Paimon subconsciously tugged at Lumine's sleeve, her small face fraught with worry as she whispered, "Lumine, do you think Zhongli wants to..."
Lumine hurriedly covered Paimon's mouth, motioning for her to stay quiet.
"Yunqin" seemed to have realized this as well.
Refusing would only make them more suspicious of her.
Agreeing would allow her to see exactly what tricks Morax was playing, and perhaps give her a chance to uncover the true depths of this Geo Archon.
She sighed helplessly, a hint of unwillingness flashing in her eyes, but still nodded. "Alright, to the foot of Mt. Aocang."
Tartaglia didn't overthink these hidden motives. The moment he heard there was a fight to be had, he followed the others and set out toward Mt. Aocang.
Along the way, he endlessly discussed the rules of the duel with "Yunqin."
One moment he was saying, "No sneak attacks, we have to fight fair and square," and the next he added, "The loser has to fight the winner again next time," acting much like an eager child.
Soon, the group arrived at the foot of Mt. Aocang.
The only sounds around them were the rustling of leaves in the wind and the occasional bird's chirp. It was indeed incredibly remote, without a single soul in sight.
Zhongli, Lumine, and Paimon tacitly took a dozen steps back, putting some distance between themselves, "Yunqin," and Tartaglia, clearly wanting to leave the two enough space for their duel.
"Yunqin" vigilantly observed her surroundings, carefully sensing the auras in the area.
There were no fluctuations from a barrier, nor the presence of any strangers. There was only a faint trace of adeptal energy hidden high above.
Master... no, Cloud Retainer?
With Yunqin's identity, if she simply wanted to leave, there was absolutely no way Morax and the others could stop her, let alone that hidden Adeptus who posed no threat to her whatsoever.
In this duel, she held every advantage.
"Yunqin" raised her head and looked over at Zhongli, who was watching from a distance.
Morax, are you trying to test my strength, or are you hoping to use someone else's hands to get rid of me?
If that was the case, his little scheme seemed to have fallen through.
Zhongli seemed to sense her gaze. He nodded at her with a kind expression, his golden eyes carrying a hint of gentleness.
"Yunqin" paused for a moment before giving a slight nod in response.
She really couldn't fathom this Geo Archon's thoughts. She could only take things one step at a time and deal with whatever came her way.
However, Tartaglia, who was standing opposite them, mistook their exchange as a signal that "the fight can begin." His eyes lit up, and he quickly drew an arrow.
A faint trace of the Hydro Element quickly gathered on the arrowhead. He nocked it on his bow and fired it straight at "Yunqin"!
At the same time, moving as swift as the wind, he dashed toward "Yunqin" like an arrow loosed from a bowstring. The Hydro Element rapidly condensed in his hands, transforming into a pair of sharp twin blades as he circled behind her, forming a pincer attack from the front and back.
"Watch out!" Lumine and Paimon subconsciously cried out in alarm.
They hadn't expected Tartaglia to launch a sudden attack, much less for his movements to be so incredibly fast!
"Yunqin" stood her ground, her expression completely calm without a single ripple of panic, as if she had anticipated Tartaglia's strike all along.
Just as the arrow was about to strike her chest, the rock beneath her feet suddenly shattered with a loud crack. It turned into countless fine grains of sand carrying a faint dampness, enveloping her entirely to form a shield of sand.
The arrow struck the shield and was instantly swallowed by the sand.
Tartaglia fiercely slashed his twin blades against the sand shield, but the powerful recoil sent him stumbling backward.
He shook his numb arms, his eyes filled with astonishment.
The hardness of this sand shield was far greater than he had imagined. He had used nearly seventy percent of his strength in that strike, yet he couldn't even carve out a single crack!
"Yunqin" slowly stepped out of the sand shield, a few fine grains of sand still clinging to her ink-black hair.
She looked at Tartaglia with disdain, as if looking at an overconfident little brat.
With a light flick of her finger drawing an arc, the sand that had enveloped her seemingly came to life, surging madly toward Tartaglia.