After bidding farewell, Hu Tao skipped her way toward the alley, appearing like an innocent little girl.
Ling Feng and Yun Jin continued their walk forward.
How Hu Tao would deal with the departed soul was not Ling Feng's concern. He was merely an ordinary assistant now. In Liyue Harbor, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was responsible for matters of life and death.
Besides, although Hu Tao seemed playful and cheerful, and a bit careless at times, she actually had her own sense of propriety.
The departed soul showed no signs of resentment or residual blood energy; it was just an ordinary soul. Hu Tao would likely guide it back to the border.
Yun Jin glanced at the sky.
The afterglow of the sunset on the horizon entered her eyes.
"Ling Feng, there's still plenty of time. How about we go try the drink I told you about last time?" Yun Jin invited enthusiastically.
"I'm easy, whatever you say. Let's go," Ling Feng replied. Though he claimed indifference, he was inwardly eager to know what this drink was. If it was good, he'd stock up a dozen bottles in his space.
"Yun Jin! I knew you'd be here! Hurry and come back with me, there's still a performance tonight."
Yun Ning suddenly dashed out from a corner. Upon seeing Yun Jin, she wiped the sweat from her brow and quickly called out to the two who were about to leave.
As if she had anticipated this.
Yun Jin stopped and smiled beautifully, "Perhaps next time. Yun Ning is looking for me. Tonight... are you free?"
"I don't have any plans today."
"Then come to Heyu Tea House tonight to listen to opera. After the performance, I'll take you to try that delicious drink, what do you say?"
"Okay."
"Then I'll be going now. See you at Xushi." (PS: 7 PM - 9 PM)
After a brief conversation, Yun Jin obediently accompanied Yun Ning back.
Ling Feng watched Yun Jin's departing back and couldn't help but shake his head.
Honestly, Yun Jin reminded him of himself when he was studying. Most of his days were spent practicing opera, while he was in school. He had little free time and was not free at all.
Except that Yun Jin genuinely loved Liyue opera, while he disliked studying, they were pretty much the same.
However.
Now that he was on the continent of Teyvat, he had much more freedom.
Although his current job as Keqing's assistant meant less available time, once the main storyline began, he would resign and embark on a journey across the Seven Nations.
If he encountered Lumine then, he would choose to join her travel group.
What if it was Aether?
He still remembered a popular saying online: "Just leave Aether alone!"
Besides, what fun could a journey be for two men and a Paimon?
Would they be fencing?
His sexual orientation was normal.
So, he had already decided. If he met Lumine in the future, he would join her.
As for Aether, he could travel alone. At worst, Paimon could be left with him. Paimon would eat him poor. Ling Feng couldn't afford to support her anyway.
Ling Feng was also wondering if he should recruit Noelle or Amber in Mondstadt.
That way, he'd have companions along the way and wouldn't be bored.
But it was too early to think about that. He didn't even know when the main storyline would begin.
"What should I do now?"
Ling Feng wandered aimlessly through the streets like a headless fly.
"Hmm, a shop for custom clothes?"
Ling Feng stood in front of a store with the signboard "Yi Hang Tian Xia" (衣行天下).
A wooden board was placed in front of the store, advertising custom clothing services.
If it were a month or two ago, Ling Feng would have definitely gone in to order some combat attire.
But now.
The blue and white martial arts-style outfit he was wearing was already combat-grade. It was difficult to damage with elemental magic attacks, only weapon attacks could cause harm.
He had several more combat outfits of the same kind in his backpack.
1-star Black Battle Robes x5 (PS: Kirito's classic black coat)
1-star Blue and White Wuxia Hanfu x5
Damn it, all he got from the lottery were these items.
Fortunately, they came in sets of five, not one by one. Otherwise, just the clothes would have taken ten draws.
Afterward, Ling Feng looked at the sky and decided to go to the harbor to watch the sunset.
He had barely taken a few steps.
Suddenly, he heard the shouts and pursuit of the Millelith from ahead.
Ling Feng focused his gaze.
Two people were crashing through the street, weaving through the crowd. The fruits and other goods people were selling, like apples and Sunsettias, were knocked over and rolling everywhere.
Wielding sabers, the people on the street dared not step forward, only offering them friendly greetings.
Behind them were several Millelith soldiers in pursuit.
For a while, the Millelith couldn't catch the two.
The two used the surrounding objects they knocked over to impede the Millelith, and their agility and escape speed were also superior to the Millelith.
Experienced, agile, and fast.
They were clearly repeat offenders and would likely escape the Millelith's grasp in a short time.
But unfortunately.
An accident had occurred.
The direction they were fleeing was toward Ling Feng.
As a good citizen, would Ling Feng let them escape?
The answer was of course: no!
Ling Feng's lips curved slightly as he quietly hid in the crowd, planning to give them a surprise.
"Brother, these Millelith are really slow," one of them, who was thinner, said. He kept looking back, mocking the Millelith's pursuit speed.
"Xu Wei, shut up and run. Let's shake them off first and find a place to hide. Otherwise, we'll be surrounded by the Millelith later."
"Big Sister, they're still waiting for our intel." The "Brother" said seriously.
Who knew why Xu Wei, of all people, was sent to deliver intel to him? He still vividly remembered the "chicken soup incident" a few months ago.
"Ah, Brother, what are you afraid of? With their speed, shaking them off is easy," Xu Wei said disdainfully.
The "Brother" glanced at Xu Wei and decided not to bother with him, focusing all his attention on escaping.
Anyone who spoke like that must not have experienced the harshness of society.
What happened next proved his thoughts.
"Ah!"
Xu Wei suddenly let out a scream.
The "Brother" looked back.
He saw Xu Wei "performing" a split, with a watermelon rind next to him.
Xu Wei clutched his groin with one hand, his face ashen, looking like he had just eaten shit.
"Damn! Don't come any closer!" The "Brother" threatened the surrounding people with his saber and was about to go back to help Xu Wei.
Xu Wei was his subordinate not long ago.
Just then, the "Brother" felt his foot slip. He stumbled and almost fell to the ground, but he managed to regain his balance.
The "Brother" looked back.
He saw that there was a watermelon rind where he had just stepped. The rind was the cause of his slip.
"Fuck! Where did this watermelon rind come from?!"
But this was not the time to ponder that.
The Millelith pursuing them were closing in.
"Get up, let's go."
After pulling Xu Wei up, the two continued to sprint, but Xu Wei had lost his previous arrogance. He limped along, clutching his groin.
Admittedly, Xu Wei had remarkable endurance.
That fall alone should have caused a muscle strain, yet he could still run.
Seeing the Millelith closing in behind him, the "Brother" grabbed Xu Wei and ran into a dark alley.
Just then, the entrance of the alley was inexplicably filled with watermelon rinds.
Damn it!
Where did all these watermelon rinds come from?
The "Brother's" pupils constricted sharply, and he immediately tried to brake.
"Poof!"
Two small stones, wrapped in True Elemental Energy, shot through the air and hit the "Brother" and Xu Wei simultaneously. The force was neither too light nor too heavy, just enough to knock them down, causing them to roll into the pile of watermelon rinds.
"Dammit! Who's playing tricks on me! Come out!"
The "Brother" raised his saber and roared at the crowd.
The crowd immediately retreated, and Ling Feng stood there, feigning confusion.
No, wait.
Were they running that fast?
(⊙▽⊙)
"Aha! So it was you!"
The "Brother" was too lazy to run anymore. Seeing Ling Feng's frail appearance, he was determined to teach him a lesson.
He raised his saber and charged forward.
"Clang!"
The next moment, the saber was sent flying, and a Liontooth Sword was held at his throat.
The "Brother" was utterly bewildered at this point. (@[]@!!)
"You... where did you get that sword from!"
Ling Feng smiled kindly and took out a Pyro Gnosis from his sleeve. (*^w^*)
"Sorry, I'm actually a Vision holder. It was dusty earlier, so I put it away."
The "Brother": "......"
Subsequently, the Millelith arrived, and Ling Feng handed the "Brother" and Xu Wei over to them.
After walking for a while, the "Brother" seemed to remember something and forcefully turned his head to shout at the retreating figure of the young man, "I remember this voice! You're the one who drugged me!!!"
Ling Feng did not reply, only waved his hand from his back.
Doing good deeds without seeking recognition, that's me!
...
Seven PM.
"Come, Ling Feng, don't be shy. Eat up."
"Dad! You brought Ling Feng back just to drink! Put that down quickly!"
"Lu lu lu!"
"Hey, what are you talking about? We agreed that if I had guests, I could drink. Ling Feng is my guest, isn't he?"
"But you're cheating!"
"Oh, what's said is like spilled water. So, let me finish this wine first, hahaha."
At Wanmin Restaurant, Ling Feng, Chef Mao, Xiangling, and Guoba were gathered around a table.
Xiangling was trying to stop Chef Mao from drinking, while Ling Feng and Guoba were diligently eating.
From Xiangling's words, it was clear that Ling Feng had been invited to Wanmin Restaurant by Chef Mao for dinner.
Two hours earlier, Ling Feng had encountered Chef Mao secretly buying wine and heading home.
Then, Chef Mao had enthusiastically invited Ling Feng to have dinner at Wanmin Restaurant.
And thus, the scene unfolded.
"Guoba, do you think Xiangling can stop Dad from drinking?"
Ling Feng did not intervene. He was watching the drama unfold while eating.
After all, it was their family business, and as an outsider, it was not appropriate for him to interfere.
Unless there was a compelling reason to intervene, but this was clearly not the case, so it was better to quietly watch this family drama.
"Lu lu lu!"
Guoba waved its hands in response.
However, Ling Feng couldn't understand what Guoba was trying to express. Only a few people could likely understand Guoba's intentions now.
"Give it here!"
However, Chef Mao ultimately succumbed. After being tricked by Xiangling's feint, the wine pot in his hand was gone the next moment.
"Dad, I told you, drink less, it's bad for your health," Xiangling lectured, hands on her hips.
Chef Mao licked his lips, let out a burp, and started picking up food, as if he hadn't heard Xiangling.
Xiangling suddenly realized something, and her expression changed.
She shook the wine pot in her hand and then, not daring to believe it, tipped it over.
A single drop of wine dripped from the pot, and then... nothing more.
"Ah! Dad! You drank a whole pot again! Believe it or not, I won't care about you anymore." Xiangling was about to go crazy with anger at her father.
She had won, but not completely.
"Alright, Xiangling, let's eat first. If you don't eat, Ling Feng and Guoba will finish all the food," Chef Mao said, his face flushed.
Xiangling: Σ(°Д°;
Xiangling looked back.
"Ah!"
On the table, most of the food had disappeared and was disappearing at an alarming rate.
The culprits were those two who ignored everything else and focused on eating.
Xiangling quickly sat down to eat. If she didn't, there would be nothing left.
After a simple dinner, it was already 7:20 PM.
At the entrance of Wanmin Restaurant.
Xiangling and Guoba were seeing Ling Feng off.
"Xiangling, are you sure you don't want to go listen to Yun Jin sing opera?"
"Sigh, I want to go too, but Ling Feng, you know my dad's habits. He falls asleep halfway through the meal." Xiangling covered her forehead, saying with great helplessness.
"Lu lu lu." Guoba nodded emphatically.
"Then, alright, I won't force you."
Ling Feng smiled knowingly. He understood how troublesome it was to have a difficult father, so he empathized with Xiangling's feelings.
"Ling Feng, although I won this cooking competition, if you want to win back in the future, just come find me. I'll give it my all."
Ling Feng hadn't just come here for a meal. He had also agreed to a cooking contest with Xiangling.
The judges were the customers, otherwise, they wouldn't have eaten so early today.
The result was obvious: Ling Feng lost, but not entirely.
After half a year of cooking, his Intermediate Cooking skill was close to reaching Advanced Cooking, and his culinary skills had far surpassed his past.
"Okay, we'll have a rematch then."
With that, Ling Feng bid farewell to Xiangling and Guoba and headed toward Heyu Tea House.
Xiangling and Guoba returned to the restaurant, carried the drunken Chef Mao, closed the door, and headed home.
"Sigh, Dad's drunk again. I'll probably be busy tonight. What do you think, Guoba?"
"Lu lu lu."
"Why can't Dad control his appetite? I really don't know what he'll do alone when I get married and move out."
"He's not young anymore, and drinking harms his health. Why doesn't he ever listen to advice? He's truly a playful old man."
Xiangling glanced at Chef Mao's flushed face and sighed softly, feeling weary.
However, despite her words, she slightly raised her hand and bent her back a little more, making it more comfortable for Chef Mao to sleep and less likely to fall.
Guoba hopped along behind Xiangling, watching her carry Chef Mao on her back.
Xiangling and her companions' shadows grew longer and longer, illuminated by the torchlight on the streets of Chenyu Vale...