Ganyu continued nibbling at her Hundred Herbs Broth, face flushed and eyes misty.
Xia Ci glanced over at her, looking rather amused.
Xia Zhen nudged her. "What, you want some of that too?"
Xia Ci turned. "No, I'm just watching."
"Watching what?"
"You wouldn't get it."
"?"
"Did you finish that recording?"
"It's done."
"Then give it to Kirara later. She's heading out after lunch."
"Yeah, yeah… though it's probably not that urgent…"
"Excuse me? Who was the one panicking about it yesterday?"
"I mean… going back's just… kinda scary. What if Ei gets in a good mood and decides to cook again…"
"…"
"You've never seen how terrifying her cooking is. I used to be able to handle it. But after eating my cousin's food, I— I just can't go back."
Xia Zhen looked positively miserable.
Xia Ci gave her a sympathetic look.
Then Xia Zhen perked up. "Hey… Nahida probably can't cook, right?"
"She's the God of Wisdom. She could learn in a snap."
"Really?"
Xia Zhen frowned.
"My sister isn't dumb either. She picks up martial arts fast, but somehow when that fox teaching her to cook… she just can't get it?"
"Maybe that fox's just not a good teacher."
"…?"
Then Xia Zhen's gaze slowly drifted toward Xia Zhi.
Her eyes lit up.
"You know what? If my cousin teaches Ei how to cook, I bet she'll learn."
"For sure— wait, hold on…"
Xia Ci nodded reflexively, then paused and looked at her suspiciously.
"Wait. Are you trying to set something up for your sister?"
"Set up what?"
Xia Zhen gave her best innocent face.
Xia Ci stared at her, then sighed. "As expected… a true strategist…"
She was about to say more when something caught her attention.
She turned to look at Ganyu.
Xia Zhen noticed too.
So did Zhongli, Xiao, Madame Ping, Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, and Shenhe.
Even Xia Zhi's expression froze for a moment.
Ganyu had just finished her broth, setting down her spoon with a blissful smile, eyes closed as if savoring the aftertaste.
But from Xia Zhi's god's eye—he saw a platinum progress bar appear above her.
[Progress: 0%]
It meant her tier had advanced.
Just like Shenhe before her—she had gone from Gold to Platinum.
Although Ganyu took a bit longer than her junior Shenhe, it wasn't unusual.
After all, she only stayed over once a week, joined a few meals, and got a couple massages. Nowhere near Shenhe's every-night overtime grind.
If it weren't for the Hundred Herbs Broth at lunch, Ganyu probably wouldn't have leveled up just yet.
The Adepti exchanged glances, silently confirming it.
Ganyu had finally become a true Adeptus.
Though she'd fought in the Archon War, she had mostly played a support role back then.
Due to her half-qilin heritage, she had never fully stepped into the ranks of the Mighty and Illuminated Adepti.
Her Vision had come later—only after Liyue Harbor was founded and she began serving as the secretary of the Qixing.
Had she devoted herself to cultivating Adepti arts from that point, she might have reached this realm long ago. But for centuries, she'd spent every day working overtime at Yuehai Pavilion, with no time left for cultivation. Her growth had stagnated.
The other Adepti had always found that a shame. But since it was Ganyu's own choice, they hadn't said anything.
She had qilin blood. Longevity was never in doubt.
They just hadn't expected her to ascend today.
No tribulations. No harrowing trials.
She just… ate a bowl of soup. And ascended.
The Adepti stared at the still-savoring Ganyu in silence.
Jealous.
Back in their day, they'd suffered so much to attain immortality.
And then there was Shenhe.
She had ascended last year.
Sure, she had talent—but she was so young.
Even more jealous.
Mountain Shaper sighed. "If only I'd met Mr. Xia back then…"
Moon Carver shot him a look. "Tch. Even if you had, it wouldn't matter. You're not Cloud Retainer. She's the only one who counts."
"…"
So what if I'm a guy! Can't a man—wait a sec, all of Mr. Xia's employees are cute girls…
Disillusioned, Mountain Shaper glared. "Why are you grinning? You're just as useless."
"I'm different."
"Oh yeah? How so?"
"I'm a deer. I could work as a mount. Just feed me."
"…"
Mountain Shaper gawked at him.
Then sighed deeply. "I didn't know you were this shameless…"
"If you've got pride, then skip a second serving of Gods' Temptation."
"Screw you."
Mountain Shaper glanced at Ganyu. "By the way, you mentioned Cloud Retainer…"
"What about her?"
"She lost her cultivation, reverted to beast form, and is reattempting shapeshifting."
"She always had that reckless personality. Dared to experiment with terrifying mechanisms and didn't even ask someone to stand by just in case. Lucky she ran into Mr. Xia. Otherwise…"
"You and I both know how hard shapeshifting is. We've both done it once. Even re-cultivating isn't easy. But look at Ganyu—she stepped into the immortal realm just by eating…"
"So you're saying…"
"If Mr. Xia were to cook for Cloud Retainer, wouldn't her transformation go smoothly?"
"True."
"And Mr. Xia is close to Shenhe—"
Close? That's putting it mildly—
"And he's known Cloud Retainer from before…"
"Let's find a chance to talk to Shenhe."
"Better yet, go divine Cloud Retainer's romantic fate. If Madame Ping's turning out this way, I've got a feeling…"
"Shut up."
Moon Carver snapped.
It's always you dragging me into fortune-telling, and it's always the same result!
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