Evening.
In Madame Ping's courtyard on Yujing Terrace.
Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper were sitting under a tree, sipping tea.
Mountain Shaper looked up at the sky. "Say, isn't it time to cook dinner?"
Moon Carver glanced at him. "You hungry?"
Mountain Shaper nodded. "A little."
"Then go cook."
Mountain Shaper started to get up, then sat back down, frowning. "Why is it always me? I cooked lunch, didn't I? Shouldn't it be your turn for dinner?"
Moon Carver sipped his tea. "I'm not hungry. You are."
Mountain Shaper also took a sip. "Actually, I'm not that hungry either."
They both refilled their cups.
Soon, the teapot was empty.
A silence fell between them.
Moon Carver gave him a look. "Seriously?"
"I like tea. What's the problem?"
"It's just cooking…"
"Then you go cook."
"…"
Moon Carver thought for a moment and pulled out a Mora coin.
"How about we flip for it?"
"You think I'm stupid? Flipping coins with a fortune-teller?"
"Then what do you suggest?"
"You cook. I did lunch, you do dinner. Fair. Besides, we don't even need to make dishes—we've got that Lao Gan Die sauce Mr. Xia gave us."
"It's not that I don't want to cook…"
"Oh?"
"I just think your cooking tastes better than mine."
"I think your cooking tastes better than mine too."
"…Fine, fine. I'll cook."
Moon Carver shook his head and went inside.
Mountain Shaper smiled as he watched his friend's back.
A moment later, Moon Carver came back out, expressionless.
"We're out of rice."
Mountain Shaper's smile vanished.
He remembered now—when he cooked lunch, the rice jar was nearly empty. He'd meant to remind Moon Carver to buy more in the afternoon, but the Lao Gan Die sauce had been so good he completely forgot.
"So what now?"
"Go buy rice?"
"Why not just eat at Wanmin Restaurant? We can ask Chef Mao for two bowls of plain rice."
"…That feels a bit embarrassing."
"Then how about the school? Didn't the Geo Archon say yesterday he was swamped with school affairs? We could go help out and eat at the cafeteria for a few days."
"Agreed."
The two Adepti shut the door and headed toward the school.
The school was still floating above Yujing Terrace—not far at all.
They arrived at the Vice Principal's office.
Zhongli looked a bit surprised to see them.
"What brings you two here?"
"We were worried you might be overwhelmed with school affairs…"
"You worry too much. It's just a school. Compared to old Liyue, this is nothing—just a bit tedious."
"Diligent as always, Your Excellency."
"Well then, we'll go eat now."
Just as they were about to leave, Zhongli called out, "Wait…"
They turned back. "Your Excellency?"
Zhongli said thoughtfully, "It's been a while since Xiao went to the Chasm. Guili Plains is currently unguarded. Normally, I'd go myself, but with the school to manage, I can't leave."
Mountain Shaper immediately understood. "You mean…"
Zhongli nodded. "You two are free anyway. why not go guard the area in Xiao's place for a few days? The residual godly energy there can affect Adepti, but only slightly. Besides, Mr. Xia has a way to dispel it."
The two Adepti nodded seriously. "Understood!"
Outside the office, Mountain Shaper sighed. "Great. We came to avoid chores and ended up with a troublesome task."
"My fault?"
"You didn't want to cook."
"You forgot to remind me to buy rice."
"Fine, no more arguing. Let's eat first, then head to Guili Plains."
"Guili Plains…"
Moon Carver suddenly stopped, as if remembering something.
Mountain Shaper urged him, "Don't dawdle!"
Moon Carver looked up, solemn. "If I recall, Mr. Xia said he was taking the trade route to Mondstadt, right?"
"Yeah…"
Mountain Shaper paused, realization dawning.
"You mean—?"
"He left yesterday morning. Even if the hovercar is faster than a carriage, he's probably still within Guili Plains."
"!"
In that case, forget the cafeteria!
They might even score a free meal!
The two Adepti exchanged a knowing smile.
Then Mountain Shaper frowned. "Guili Plains is huge. Even following the trade route, it'll be hard to find him."
"Relax."
Moon Carver confidently pulled out a few Mora coins, ready to toss them.
Mountain Shaper panicked and grabbed his hand. "What are you doing?!"
"Divination, of course."
"You're going to divine Mr. Xia?!"
"Who said that? I'm not divining him."
"Even someone close to him—"
"I'm not divining anyone close to him either."
"Then what are you divining?"
"I'm checking the general state of Guili Plains. Whichever direction has the most obscured reading, that's where we go."
"…"
Moon Carver tossed the coins.
The reading formed.
"Well?"
"Wangshu Inn."
"Let's go!"
The two Adepti vanished.
--
Dinner wasn't at Hotel Debord tonight, but on the first floor of Wangshu Inn.
The inn's chef was quite famous—a rival of Xiangling's, in fact.
He was Yanxiao, the chef who had competed in the finals of last year's Liyue Cooking King Contest.
Unfortunately, he lost to Xiangling. Otherwise, he'd be the current Cooking King, and Wangshu Inn would be as packed as Wanmin Restaurant used to be.
This afternoon, during free time, Xiangling didn't wander off. She went straight to the kitchen to find Yanxiao.
She'd stayed at Wangshu Inn for a couple of days during her last trip to Mondstadt. Back then, her skills were on par with Yanxiao's. After all, the recipe she used to win the contest was created by Xia Zhi, not her own original work. That made Yanxiao a bit unconvinced during culinary discussions.
But this time was different. Xiangling was now a true culinary master.
So this afternoon, with just a few seemingly casual pointers, she stunned her old rival and reclaimed her pride.
Xia Zhi was quite pleased.
His disciple had finally learned the most useful skill from him.
Qiqi still had a long way to go.
Once all the dishes were served and everyone had just started eating, Yaoyao suddenly stared wide-eyed at something in the distance and tugged on Madame Ping's sleeve.
"Master, Master."
Madame Ping looked down. "What is it, Yaoyao?"
Yaoyao pointed uncertainly. "I think I just saw Uncle Mountain Shaper and Uncle Moon Carver…"
Madame Ping chuckled. "You must be seeing things."
She followed Yaoyao's finger—and froze.
What the heck are those two old geezers doing here?
The others noticed too. Zhu Zi waved and called out, "Mr. Mountain Shaper, Mr. Moon Carver! What brings you here?"
The two Adepti walked over, greeting everyone as they explained, "Xiao's away, so we're here to cover for him for a few days."
"I see!"
"Have you eaten yet?"
"Well, we came in a hurry, so not yet…"
"Then join us! We just started."
"Much appreciated."
"Oh, don't be so formal. Waiter! Two more sets of utensils over here!"
--
After dinner, everyone took the lift back up to the lounge.
The lounge was warm with several fireplaces, perfect for chatting.
A Mondstadt guest, after a few drinks, pulled out a lyre and began to sing a folk song.
The melody was graceful, the voice powerful. When he finished, the room erupted in applause.
Inspired, a few other guests brought out their own instruments and played their favorite tunes, each earning cheers.
Mountain Shaper whispered, "That's it? Not even as good as one of Ping's casual tunes."
Everyone turned, curious. "Madame Ping is that good at music?"
She waved it off. "That was in my youth. I'm too old now—can't play anymore."
Some believed her. Some didn't.
Xia Zhi, remembering something he'd read in that notebook about Ping, thought for a moment and pulled out the [Focus Guitar] he'd just obtained.
"Since everyone's in the mood, how about I play a song from my hometown?"
"The boss can play too?!"
"I dabble a little."
"Wow!"
Everyone looked at him expectantly.
Xia Zhi hadn't known how to play guitar before, but he'd once stolen a skill from Madame Ping: [Music Master].
Just like how he'd stolen [Medical Mastery] from Baizhu, this [Music Master] skill not only gave him mastery over all instruments in Teyvat, but also those from his original world.
So yes, he could play guitar—and quite well.
He gently strummed the strings, and a melodious tune filled the room.
Thanks to the [Focus Guitar]'s special effect, everyone's attention was instantly drawn to him. The room fell silent.
Xia Ci listened to the intro for a few seconds, then suddenly realized, "Cousin, isn't this 'Hotel California'?"
Xia Zhi chuckled. "Nope. I tweaked it a bit. Now it's called 'Wangshu Guesthouse.'"
"Pfft…"
Xia Ci covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
As the intro ended, Xia Zhi began to sing.
Even without using any [Charming Voice] skills, his naturally high charm made his voice incredibly pleasant.
Everyone was captivated by the beautiful melody and singing.
The flames in the fireplace burned gently, casting a warm glow in Madame Ping's eyes.
They sparkled just a little brighter.