That night, everyone retired to their rooms.
Xia Zhen was sitting on the bed spacing out when she heard a knock at the door.
She got up and opened it.
Standing outside in pajamas was her best friend.
"What are you doing here?"
"Came to hang out with you."
Xia Ci stepped inside and plopped down on her bed without waiting for an invitation.
Xia Zhen gave her a side glance. "Let me guess—you're trying to pry into what I did with Cousin tonight."
"Bingo!"
"Not telling."
"C'mon, sweetie~"
"Ugh, don't call me that."
"Please tell me! I'm dying of curiosity! I won't be able to sleep without knowing!"
"Then don't sleep."
"Why won't you tell me? Did Cousin say you couldn't?"
"No, I just don't want to."
"You two didn't go do something shady, did you?"
"What do you think?"
"You snuck out for a secret date, didn't you?"
The word "date" made Xia Zhen abruptly recall that moment when Xia Zhi had taken her hand—her expression flickered for a second.
"...Maybe."
Xia Ci stared at her face, catching that brief reaction. Her suspicion deepened.
"We used to be sisters who told each other everything. Now look at you... You've changed…"
With a melodramatic sigh, she pulled out the little bottle filled with shimmering golden liquid.
"I was going to share this amazing thing with you, but now I guess I won't."
Xia Zhen was already mid-sentence. "Amazing thing—?"
She froze.
A strange aura wafted out from the opened bottle.
And just from inhaling a trace of it, she felt her soul being nourished—ever so slightly restored.
!
She hadn't even drunk it yet, and it was already having this effect? She couldn't imagine what might happen if she actually took a sip...
Eyes wide, Xia Zhen stared as her best friend lifted the bottle to her lips and cautiously took a sip.
Xia Zhen found herself gulping subconsciously.
"What… what is that?"
"Not telling."
"…"
She watched Xia Ci take another sip.
Wait, hold on—you said you were going to share!
"Ahem… Sweetie~"
"Ugh, don't call me that."
"Didn't you want to know what Cousin and I did tonight?"
"I don't anymore. This stuff is delicious…"
Xia Ci took another sip.
Xia Zhen saw how little was left—just a mouthful or two. When Xia Ci picked the bottle up again, she hurriedly said, "Cousin and I went to the Northland Bank!"
Xia Ci paused, slightly puzzled. "The bank? What for, a withdrawal?"
"A roleplay mission."
"…What?"
"We pretended to be a Fatui Harbinger—[Childe]."
"Then what?"
"Went into his office to look for stuff."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Find anything?"
"Copied down two lists of people the Fatui had bribed. Then we came back."
Xia Ci tilted her head, thinking. "So Cousin basically went out for fun."
"Pretty much? I mean, with his abilities, he could've just gone in and taken what he needed. No need to go through the trouble… Hey—"
Xia Zhen blinked, startled as she stared at Xia Ci.
Her friend's hair had started growing longer, and her body taller.
Moments later, the once-youthful girl had matured by two whole years, her figure now striking—and very obviously straining against her now-too-tight pajamas.
Especially the center button. That thing looked like it was one deep breath away from flying off.
"Why are you growing?!"
"Because my divine power is coming back. Not that hard to understand, right?"
"It's because of what you drank?"
"Yup."
"What is it? It actually restored your divine power so quickly?"
"Cousin's essence fluid."
"?!"
"Told you, you wouldn't believe me."
"No wait, 'essence'…?"
Xia Zhen's face flushed scarlet.
Her best friend had clearly misunderstood something.
Xia Ci raised an eyebrow and held the bottle up. "There's a little left. Want some?"
"Huh?"
"If you're not drinking it, I'll finish it myself. I'm still a bit short of full recovery."
"I…"
Xia Zhen hesitated half a second—but her body knew what it wanted. She reached out and took the bottle.
She brought it to her lips and took a cautious sip.
The golden liquid slid down her throat.
"How's it taste?"
"It's… indescribably wonderful."
"Your soul?"
"Recovered a ton!"
"Good stuff, huh?"
"Mhm!"
Xia Zhen drained the rest, tipping the bottle to make sure not a single drop remained. Only once she was sure it was empty did she set it down, looking slightly disappointed.
Too little.
Nowhere near satisfying.
Xia Ci totally did that on purpose.
Best friends, huh…
Still, this stuff was far more effective than her Soul Jade pendant.
Mainly because it worked so fast.
That one sip had restored her soul as much as the pendant would've over two weeks.
She wanted more… more of Cousin's essence…
Her thoughts drifted, and her gaze turned toward the wall.
On the other side was Cousin's room.
She was in spirit form. Passing through walls wouldn't be difficult.
But Cousin wasn't just anybody. She couldn't exactly sneak in and swipe more of his essence…
Just imagining the scenario made Xia Zhen blush again.
Xia Ci, meanwhile, tugged at her pajamas, frowning. "Ugh. I need new clothes again."
Xia Zhen glanced over. "Your body's about the same size as mine now. Just borrow something of mine."
"Sure."
She walked over to Xia Zhen's wardrobe, grabbed a set of sleepwear, and changed on the spot.
"I'll crash here tonight."
"Whatever."
The two lay down on the bed and chatted quietly for a while.
"Zhen, you want more of that essence?"
"Obviously."
"Well… Cousin puts it in his massage oil too."
"?!"
"Even in spirit form, you can still enjoy a massage, y'know."
"You mean…"
"You could give it a try."
"I…"
Xia Zhen had already been staying at the shop for over half a month now, but she'd never once gone for a massage.
She'd always just sat around the lounge with Guoba, staring into space.
"I'll think about it."
"Up to you. I've told you everything."
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