The lighting was dim, the steam thick and curling through the air.
Cloud Retainer leaned on the edge of the bath, staring intently at her friend outside the pool.
"Ping, something's off about you!"
Madame Ping ignored her and walked over directly.
She sank into the hot water, closed her eyes, and began to enjoy the bath in peace.
"Ping, aren't you going to explain yourself?"
"Explain what?"
"Why you've gained so much weight!"
"Where have I gained weight? I've always had this figure, okay?"
"I remember you didn't look like this before!"
"Then your memory must be bad."
Cloud Retainer stared at her friend, a thoughtful look on her face. "Yaoyao said she grew so fast because she drank some soup. Ping… don't tell me you drank that soup too?"
Ping lazily replied, "…You guessed right."
"What kind of soup is it?"
"Mr. Xia's cooking. I don't know what ingredients he used, but it tastes great."
"Shenhe and Ganyu drank it too?"
"Mm."
"No wonder… I thought Ganyu just couldn't resist eating again and got chubby."
"Give it a rest. Stop talking nonsense. She's not a child anymore."
"What's wrong with saying it?"
"It's annoying."
"…"
Cloud Retainer sulkily shut her mouth.
She knew full well that her tendency to babble and gossip wasn't exactly endearing.
But what could she do?
Hard to change.
The two of them quietly soaked in the bath for a while.
Cloud Retainer looked at her friend and asked softly, "Ping, tell me about what's been going on in the mortal world."
"What do you want to know?"
"What happened while I was in seclusion."
"Then we'll have to start with the Archon's abdication and the unsealing of Osial."
"Let's start from there."
"The Qixing…"
Ping gave a brief summary of the major events that had occurred in Liyue Harbor.
Osial had been unsealed again? Shenhe went to fight Beisht?…
Cloud Retainer frowned deeply as she listened, finally letting out a sigh. "I didn't expect so many major events to happen in just half a year of my absence… Clearly, the mortal world can't function without me."
Ping rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, sure."
"By the way, is Mr. Xia's massage really that popular?"
"Do you not see how busy Ningguang is? She still makes time to go every day."
"Pfft… So did you try it?"
"Me? No!"
"Why not?"
"I'm an old lady. What would I get a massage for?"
"So basically, you're just maintaining your image, but deep down, you're dying to try it, right?"
"Wrong."
Ping glanced at her.
"If you want to try it, just say it. No need to drag me into it."
"Me? If I get the chance, yeah, I'd like to give it a try."
"Well, the chance will come. Hope you can resist."
Cloud Retainer looked confused. "Resist what?"
Ping's tone turned meaningful. "You'll find out when the time comes."
Cloud Retainer snorted. "You're still as scheming as ever. So annoying!"
By then, the bath felt like it had gone on long enough.
Ping rose from the pool, dried off, changed clothes, and said over her shoulder, "I'm going to bed."
Cloud Retainer leaned against the edge of the pool, eyes closed. "Go ahead. I'll soak a little longer."
As Ping opened the door and stepped out of the bathhouse, her youthful appearance faded, and she transformed back into the aged form of Madame Ping.
Her footsteps drifted away, soft and slow.
Cloud Retainer opened her eyes, listening as the footsteps disappeared into the distance. She sighed almost imperceptibly.
"Streetward Rambler..."
--
The night atop Mt. Aocang was especially quiet.
Xiangling had slept soundly, and when she woke up, the dawn light was already filtering through the window.
"So comfy… Cloud Retainer's place is amazing…"
Sitting up in bed, Xiangling's voice was full of energy.
"Don't you think so, Guoba?"
"Mmrrgh…"
Guoba rubbed his eyes with his little paws, groggily sitting up.
"Still sleepy? Come on, time to get up. Cloud Retainer isn't available right now, so let's go help make breakfast."
"Mmhm."
After tidying up the bed and washing up, Xiangling brought Guoba to the kitchen.
As soon as they stepped in, the rich aroma in the air greeted them, and Xiangling spotted a tall, familiar figure busy at the stove.
She blinked, then exclaimed in delight, "Cloud Retainer!"
Cloud Retainer turned around and smiled. "Xiangling, you're up."
"Yep!"
Xiangling ran over, eyes sparkling as she looked her up and down.
"You've transformed back!"
"Mm. I transformed last night."
"But didn't you say it would take much longer to finish cultivating?"
"It was supposed to, but Mr. Xia gave me a Transformation Pill. Just taking it let me return to this form."
"Does Master have more of those pills?"
"Master?"
Cloud Retainer was momentarily startled by the title, then remembered that Xia Zhi was Xiangling's formally acknowledged master.
"He made it himself. I originally didn't want to accept it, but he said it wasn't as rare as we thought—he can make more anytime."
"Anytime!?"
Xiangling looked down at Guoba by her feet, a thought stirring in her heart. If Master had more Transformation Pills…
"Master is amazing."
"Hmm?"
Cloud Retainer also looked down at her old friend.
"Guoba must be hungry. I made some porridge—I'll dish some up for him."
"No rush, Cloud Retainer. We can eat breakfast together later."
"Mmhm!"
"Guoba says the same!"
Cloud Retainer smiled and nodded. "Alright then."
Xiangling walked over to the stove and asked curiously, "What kind of porridge are you making? It smells amazing."
Cloud Retainer joined her. "The pot on the left is vegetarian, with vegetables and medicinal herbs—specially made for Ganyu. When she was little, this was her favorite. The other two pots are meat-based—one with beast meat, the other with fish."
Xiangling peeked inside the pots and noticed long ladles stirring automatically. "Whoa, is this a mechanism?"
"Yes, I invented it—an automatic stirrer. What do you think?"
"It looks fun!"
"It's not just fun—it's practical. Look how well the porridge is cooking."
"That's true…"
The consistency was perfect.
Still, Xiangling felt a bit off about it. Compared to using a machine, she preferred cooking with her own hands.
"Porridge goes best with side dishes. Shenhe loves that. Cloud Retainer, do you have any pickled or preserved vegetables?"
"No."
Cloud Retainer shook her head. She had been in seclusion for half a year—whatever she had stored was long spoiled.
"Then let's make some now!"
"Now?"
Cloud Retainer looked troubled.
"There's not enough time. Pickling takes days…"
"No worries! We'll use the [Dragon-Turning Pot]!"
"The [Dragon-Turning Pot]?"
Xiangling pulled out a strange jar with a coiled dragon carved on its surface.
"This pot…"
"It's the [Dragon-Turning Pot], one of Master's cooking tools. Just put in the ingredients, and it instantly ferments and pickles them."
"What!?"
"I'll show you. You'll see."
Under Cloud Retainer's gaze, Xiangling ran to the cutting board and gathered leftover ingredients from the vegetarian porridge prep.
She noticed a bunch of vegetables discarded on the floor.
"Cloud Retainer, are these veggies being thrown out?"
"Mm. They're from yesterday. No longer fresh."
"Feels like such a waste to toss them. I think we can still use them."
"No need…"
"It's okay! We'll use the [Eternal Spirit Knife]!"
"…What's the [Eternal Spirit Knife]?"
Xiangling took out a gleaming kitchen knife etched with a mighty dragon motif.
"This is the [Eternal Spirit Knife], another of Master's tools. When you cut ingredients with it, they return to peak freshness."
As she spoke, she picked up a wilted cabbage leaf and sliced it in half with the knife.
In the next instant, the limp leaf turned crisp and vibrant.
Cloud Retainer fell silent at the sight.
After a pause, she asked, "Just how many tools like that does Mr. Xia have?"
Xiangling rattled them off like a collector showing off treasures: "Master has eight. The [Garuda Knife], [Spirit Storage], [Jade Dragon Pot]…"
As she listed each tool and its incredible effects, Cloud Retainer looked back at her own invention—the automatic stirrer—and suddenly felt a wave of disheartened boredom.
Both were cooking tools, yet hers and Mr. Xia's weren't even on the same level.
So pointless.
"Cloud Retainer, where are you going?"
"I'm going to check on my Adeptus' Temptation. I want everyone to enjoy a good lunch."
That was her last hope.
Xiangling, however, gave a slightly awkward smile.
Adeptus' Temptation… these days, it probably wasn't considered anything special anymore.