Hu Tao was still pestering Guoba for a birthday gift.
Guoba scratched his head anxiously for a while, then finally pulled out a bright red chili pepper.
"Lu-luuu~"
Gift. This.
Hu Tao examined the pepper curiously. She had no idea what it was for.
But Jiang Bai recognized it immediately—his mischievous side lit up like a lantern.
"It's delicious, Director. You should try it."
"Really?" Hu Tao looked doubtful.
In Liyue, the most famous spicy ingredient was Jueyun Chilies—hot and intense, commonly used for seasoning or medicinal purposes.
But apart from Jueyun Chilies, there were still other varieties of spice… though truly pure, naturally cultivated peppers were incredibly rare. Rare enough that Hu Tao had never seen one before.
"Really?" She turned to Xiangling for confirmation, clearly suspicious.
Normally, it was Hu Tao who tricked her. Xiangling, seizing this rare opportunity to get her revenge, nodded sweetly.
"Yup! Totally edible."
Well… it was edible. Technically not a lie.
With Xiangling backing him up, Hu Tao popped the chili into her mouth without hesitation.
The moment her teeth bit down, a heat even fiercer than Jueyun Chilies exploded across her tongue and rocketed up to her skull. Stars danced before her eyes. Her brain buzzed.
While she was too stunned to react, the chili dissolved into a warm glow and melted into her body.
Watching her face turn a vivid red as the spice took effect, Jiang Bai, Xiangling, and Xingqiu all burst out laughing.
"Lu-luuu~" Guoba even waved a paw and joined in.
"S-so spicy—SO SPICY—!"
Hu Tao flung her mouth open and began flapping her hands furiously at it, hopping up and down in desperation like a kettle about to boil over.
But no matter how she jumped or flailed, the heat didn't let up. Panicked, she grabbed Chongyun—who was currently focused on infusing peach talismans with pure yang energy—and shrieked:
"Ice pops! ICE POPS!! Give me one—NOW!!"
Seeing Hu Tao red-faced and puffing like a dragon about to breathe fire, even the usually restrained Chongyun couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Hahahaha! Hu Tao, so you finally got what's coming to you!"
He was always the one being tricked—this was justice.
Still, joke's a joke. He reached into his pouch and handed her an ice pop.
The moment it touched her tongue, she sighed with relief, slumping into her chair.
"Whew… I'm alive again…"
With the ice pop in her mouth, she lay there limp, too worn out to retaliate against anyone.
But once the burn faded, she shot upright and grabbed Guoba by the ear.
"You traitor! You dared trick me too?!"
"Lu-luuu!" Guoba dove into Xiangling's arms for safety.
Then Hu Tao reached out and tugged Jiang Bai's ear. "You too! How dare you lie to your Director?!"
"Mercy, Director! Mercy!" Jiang Bai cried, instantly surrendering.
Guoba copied him, flailing his little paws. "Lu-luuu~!"
Mercy, mercy!
In the end, it was Xiangling who stepped in and rescued the two troublemakers from Hu Tao's wrath.
"Hey, Guoba's chili isn't just spicy, you know! He doesn't give those out lightly! Didn't you feel it? Your power—didn't it increase a little?"
"Lu-luuu~" Guoba nodded enthusiastically.
"Power increase?" Hu Tao paused, letting go of Guoba's ear and taking a moment to sense her body.
Now that she focused—yes. She did feel a noticeable, albeit small, boost in strength. Just a bit… but enough to feel it clearly.
"Hmph… fine. I'll let you off this time."
The group broke into laughter again, their cheerful voices echoing through the forest.
---
High above, Cloud Retainer and Moon Carver caught up with Shenhe just outside the cave. A gust of wind accompanied the arrival of one crane, one deer, and one human—descending in tandem before the group below.
"I heard someone was planning to stir up trouble with this adepti?" Cloud Retainer's dignified voice cut through the air, cool and commanding.
Just as she spoke, Chongyun—still steadily infusing pure yang into his talismans—suddenly wobbled and collapsed slightly. His yang energy had rebalanced. His eyes cleared.
And the first thing he saw… was a magnificent crane staring him down.
He froze. Slowly—very slowly—he turned his head toward his companions, eyes pleading for an explanation.
He had no idea what was going on.
In fact, he remembered nothing.
Also—wasn't this crane… and that deer beside it… weren't they both adepti?
Had he somehow offended them while blacked out?!
Sensing the tension, Xingqiu stepped forward to stand protectively in front of Chongyun. He cupped his hands in a respectful salute.
"Please forgive him, honored adepti. It was drunken nonsense, nothing more."
"Y-yes, yes!" Xiangling and Hu Tao jumped in to defuse the situation. "No disrespect intended at all!"
Seeing how nervous they all looked after just a single line, Moon Carver chuckled, his voice easing the tension. Shenhe also stepped forward.
"No need to worry. Master was only teasing you."
"Phew—"
The group let out a collective sigh of relief. They'd really thought Chongyun had somehow landed himself in cosmic-level trouble.
"I heard Shenhe made some new friends," Cloud Retainer said, tone softening. "So I came to see for myself."
"You've all done quite well."
If they'd been opportunists—self-serving and quick to shift blame—they'd have thrown Chongyun under the celestial carriage the moment she spoke. But instead, they'd stepped forward to protect him and offer explanations. That said a lot.
The atmosphere lightened. Hu Tao pulled out some oversized chairs and called out to Jiang Bai.
"Alright! Everyone grab a seat! Jiang Bai, snacks—now!"
The two "foodie adepti" didn't hold back—they shifted into human form to join them.
Cloud Retainer's mortal form was that of a tall woman with a high ponytail, glasses, and an air of commanding elegance. Her robe shimmered like feathers—transformed from her original plumage.
Moon Carver took the form of a distinguished middle-aged man, handsome and noble in bearing.
Guoba ran up and jumped happily in front of them.
"Lu-luuu~!"
Long time no see!
The moment they saw Guoba, the two adepti exchanged stunned glances.
A familiar energy radiated from the little bear.
They focused more closely—and their eyes went wide with shock. Then joy burst forth, bright and uncontainable.
"You're…!"
"Lu-luuu~!"
"This is… this is incredible! Moon Carver and I were just reminiscing about you!"
"Ahahahaha! What a day! What a fantastic day!"
Hu Tao and the others looked at them blankly. They had no idea what was going on.
All eyes turned to Xiangling—the only person who could "translate" for Guoba.
But even she looked bewildered, scratching her head in confusion.
"Guoba says it's been a long time. That's weird… has he met the adepti before?"
She'd found Guoba years ago in an old temple while foraging for ingredients. He'd followed her ever since—but she honestly didn't know anything about his past.
So she asked directly.
"Guoba, do you know these adepti?"
"Lu-luuu~"
"Old friends?"
"Lu-luuu~"
"How long ago? How did you meet?"
"Lu-luuu~"
"You know they're your friends, but can't remember how?"
Everyone exchanged puzzled glances… then slowly turned to the adepti for answers.
---
Every 100 Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter.
100ps = 1 chp
200ps = 2 chp
300ps = 3 chp
etc.