Xiangling pulled Amber out of the bathhouse and headed for a nearby treehouse.
When they arrived at the door, it was closed, with a sign hanging on it:
[Occupied, please wait].
Xiangling sighed with a hint of resignation. "I knew it — someone beat us here already. Wonder who it is..."
Just as she finished speaking, they heard a strange sound coming from inside the room.
Amber froze.
As a patrol knight, she often did rounds through Mondstadt's streets at night.
Sometimes, walking past certain homes, she'd hear these kinds of strange sounds drifting out on the wind.
Of course, she knew what was happening in there.
Whenever that happened, she'd awkwardly blush and speed up, hurrying away until she was out of earshot.
But now…
Why were those sounds coming from this room, too?
Amber looked at Xiangling, cheeks bright red, and asked in a stammer, "Um… Xiangling… are they really… massaging in there?"
Xiangling saw her friend's panicked look, and it reminded her of her own reaction the first time.
She couldn't help but giggle, nodding. "Of course. What else do you think they'd be doing?"
Amber was still confused. "But… if it's a massage… why would there be sounds like that?"
Xiangling teased, "That's because it feels that good. It's hard to explain until you've tried it for yourself."
Amber looked at the closed door, then back at her friend's mischievous grin, still a bit skeptical. "R-Really?"
Xiangling patted her shoulder and smiled.
"Oh, don't be scared! You're the Outrider of the Knights of Favonius, and you've got a Vision, too. Master can't even see — you don't really think he'd try anything bad with you, do you?"
Amber thought about it and had to agree.
Mr. Xia had given her a wonderful first impression today, with his gentle manner.
And someone who had earned Miss Ganyu's trust couldn't possibly have a bad character.
She straightened up and said, "No, of course not. I'm just… a bit nervous since it's my first time getting a massage…"
Xiangling nodded, laughing softly. "Then I'll let you go first when the room opens."
"…"
-----
"Xiangling, you're here early today."
"Yeah, Ying'er."
Barely two minutes had passed before yet another girl came over.
Amber glanced back at her.
Sure enough, Xiangling hadn't been wrong — Mr. Xia's special service was clearly popular with everyone.
Ying'er finished greeting Xiangling, then turned her curious gaze to Amber, who was standing beside her.
"Miss Amber is here too? So you're here for…?"
"Amber said she'd been running around all day and was feeling a bit tired, so I brought her over to relax."
"I see."
Ying'er chuckled and nodded.
"When your body's worn out, having the boss give you a massage is really helpful."
Amber looked a little embarrassed, clearly not used to this kind of thing, and said awkwardly, "Actually, it's really okay if I don't get a massage. I've been even more tired than this before, and I just slept it off at night. By the next morning, I'd feel totally recharged again…"
Ying'er smiled at her. "Ah, the resilience of youth — I'm so jealous."
"What are you talking about, Miss Ying'er? You're still plenty young yourself."
"No way. If I play too hard at night, I'll just crash the moment I lie down, and the next morning I feel totally out of it. Especially my lips, they get so dry, so every night I have to really make sure I hydrate…"
At that, Xiangling flushed red and quickly cut in, "Ying'er! Stop teasing people like that!"
Ying'er looked perfectly innocent. "What teasing? I'm just having a normal conversation with Amber. Xiangling, don't go slandering me out of nowhere."
Amber nodded along without hesitation. "Yeah, if you get too tired and sweat a lot, you really do need to hydrate properly."
Seeing how her friend didn't pick up on anything off, Xiangling felt helpless but also a bit relieved.
At least it showed Amber's thoughts were still pure.
But thinking about it…she herself had been just as pure last year. Why did she suddenly get all of Ying'er's dirty jokes now?
Oh right, ever since she'd read that book Zhu Zi wrote…which Ying'er had helped him edit, stuffed full of racy dialogue…
Ying'er smiled. "See? It's totally normal — you're just overthinking it, Xiangling."
"…Fine, fine, maybe I am," Xiangling relented.
There was still a while to go before the person inside finished their massage, and everyone standing around outside would get bored without something to talk about, so she couldn't exactly forbid Ying'er and Amber from chatting.
Besides, Xiangling knew Ying'er well — she could steer any conversation straight into the gutter, and would only rein herself in if Master was around.
Thinking it over, the best way was to switch to a topic Ying'er was genuinely interested in, so she wouldn't have time to tease Amber.
Xiangling glanced at her. "Ying'er, aren't you really into alchemy? Turns out, Amber knows some friends who are great at that."
Sure enough, Ying'er perked up. "Oh?"
Amber nodded. "Alchemy, huh? We actually have someone really amazing at the Knights of Favonius — the chief alchemist and the leader of our investigation team, Albedo. People say he's a genius of alchemy. Lisa says Albedo likes to study the essence of alchemy and creating new life, but I don't really understand it all."
Ying'er's eyes sparkled slightly. "A genius alchemist, huh…"
Amber went on, "And there's Sucrose. She's also an alchemist in the Knights, and Albedo's only assistant. Lisa says Sucrose is interested in using alchemy to transform existing life. I do know she's done some pretty amazing things."
Ying'er asked with great curiosity, "Like what exactly?"
Amber answered, "Like, she used a special potion to water Sweet Flowers, and made their nectar yield increase by seventy percent. Or she developed a spray that lets Sunsettias stay fresh for a whole month after picking."
Ying'er's eyes lit up. "Increasing Sweet Flower nectar yield by seventy percent? Sweet Flowers are a floral species — I wonder if that potion would work on other flowers too. If it could boost nectar production in rarer flowers, that would mean way more perfume ingredients! And that spray that keeps things fresh for a month…if it works for other plants, I could always have fresh petals on hand for experiments!"
She immediately grabbed both of Amber's hands. "Miss Amber!"
Amber was startled by Ying'er's sudden enthusiasm. "Miss Ying'er?"
Ying'er's eyes burned bright with excitement. "When you get back to Mondstadt, you have to introduce me to this Master Sucrose!"
Amber was a bit overwhelmed by her passion and quickly agreed, "Of course, I can, but…"
"But what?"
"Sucrose is kind of shy and quiet, you know, the type who only likes doing experiments… Of course she's really nice, but she gets embarrassed really easily…"
"Oh, that's normal for a master. Eccentric personalities are to be expected! I can totally understand that!"
"Mm-hm!"
Ying'er kept asking for every little detail about Sucrose.
Xiangling watched from the side, breathing a quiet sigh of relief.
After a while, the strange sounds coming from inside the room finally stopped.
Xiangling looked at the closed door.
A moment later, the door opened.
Chi Yu walked out, cheeks flushed with a deeply satisfied glow, her steps a bit unsteady.
She lazily raised a hand in greeting. "Hey, hey, hey…"
"Miss Chi Yu, you got here really early!"
"Of course — if you don't hurry for a massage, there's something wrong with you."
"Ew."
"I'm going for a bath first, you guys have fun."
Chi Yu walked off, and Amber looked at her retreating back, a little uncertain. "Xiangling, her skin just now looked kind of…shiny?"
"Because of the essential oil, of course."
"Huh? You need essential oil for a massage? Then… doesn't that mean you have to take all your clothes off?"
Just imagining that oddly intimate scene made Amber's cheeks instantly burn hot.
Ying'er laughed. "You can skip the essential oil, you know. Since it's your first time, it's probably best to keep things simple. The boss can just do it over your clothes."
Oh, so it was optional.
Amber felt relieved. "Oh, that's good."
Xiangling smiled at her. "Don't worry. Master is super gentle. If anything feels off, just ask him directly — he'll explain everything to you."
"Okay."
Amber pursed her lips, then stepped toward the room.
Xiangling went with her to the doorway and called inside, "Master, I brought Amber too! She says she's a bit tired, could you help give her a massage too? Just the simplest one!"
Xia Zhi's calm voice came from within. "All right, let her come in."
"Okay! Go on in."
"Uh… okay…"
Xiangling gently pushed Amber forward and closed the door behind her.
Amber stood hesitating at the entrance for a moment, then slowly stepped in.
The lighting inside was soft and warm.
A carpet covered the floor, plush under her feet.
The air was filled with a pleasant, unfamiliar scent.
All of it made Amber relax without even thinking about it.
After a few steps, she saw a medium-sized bed. The sheets were a bit rumpled, with faint damp spots.
Mr. Xia was standing nearby, washing his hands in a basin of water.
He turned to look at her with a gentle smile. "Miss Amber, please wait a moment."
So…so handsome…
Xia Zhi's charm stat was just too high. In this kind of intimate setting, it was downright lethal.
Amber stared for a second, her cheeks flushing pink as she quietly replied, "Okay."
In that moment, she looked nothing like the bright, energetic girl from daytime.
----
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