In the courtyard, Ganyu's face still held a faint blush. Being grabbed by the horn like that—it was just too embarrassing.
Still, seeing Xu Zheng's serious expression, she coughed twice and forced her tone to return to normal.
Unbeknownst to her, Xu Zheng was just barely holding back his laughter. Bullying the bashful Ganyu was way too fun.
Back when Ganyu was Xu Zheng's size, she had also been taught the art of elemental control by Cloud Retainer. Now, teaching Xu Zheng felt like the perfect payback.
"Xu Zheng, watch closely."
She extended her jade-like hand. Cold mist gathered around her fingers, swirling into a vortex of frost that rapidly compressed.
In a matter of seconds, a radiant blue lotus formed in her palm, made entirely of ice.
The moment it appeared, the surrounding temperature dropped sharply.
As the ice lotus spun slowly in her hand, it began to draw in elemental power from around them, glowing with threads of ethereal blue light.
Instead of exploding, the lotus hovered gently in Ganyu's hand like a delicate sapphire crystal.
She gazed at it. A reflection of the frozen lotus shimmered in her violet pupils.
"Now you try," she said softly.
Xu Zheng tore his eyes away from her face. I wasn't staring at her or anything... He nodded. "Mm."
He focused, mentally replaying the way Ganyu had summoned her ice lotus, trying to mimic the elemental flow.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the surrounding elemental currents. Crystals of frost began to form around his hands.
It wasn't a full lotus, but he had clearly activated the power of Cryo.
Ganyu observed the faint aura circling him and nodded. "Not bad."
She began walking in circles around him, trying to identify what needed correcting.
Then she froze.
"Wait."
She circled him again. Her expression tightened.
She reached out and started patting his body here and there.
"Master, not there—!" Xu Zheng yelped. He felt like his underdeveloped brother had just been pinched.
"Ugh!"
A flush raced from Ganyu's slender neck up to her ears.
"Master, you okay?" Xu Zheng asked.
"Little Xu Zheng... you don't have a Vision?"
Her question made him pause.
Now that she mentioned it—he hadn't seen a Vision on his body either. But he had clearly used elemental power just now.
In Teyvat, only those with Visions could channel elemental forces. Without one, you were just a normal person.
Then again, not all creatures in Teyvat needed Visions—slimes, Fatui agents, even the ancient dragons didn't have them. The original gods themselves wielded elemental powers long before Visions existed.
"That's... strange. I'll have to ask Master Cloud Retainer about it," Ganyu muttered.
"Okay."
Xu Zheng, too, was curious about his origins.
Ganyu's expression turned serious. "You must not tell anyone about this. No one. Understand?"
Xu Zheng nodded solemnly. He got it—being different in Teyvat meant being targeted. He definitely didn't have that protagonist plot armor.
"Speaking of, who even is the main character in this world—Aether or Lumine?"
...
Ganyu demonstrated the Cryo lotus again, and Xu Zheng practiced all evening. By the end, he could just barely form a flower-shaped construct.
Ganyu nodded in approval. "Very good. Just like me when I was your age."
"I'm that good?" Xu Zheng blinked.
She rolled her eyes internally. More than good. He's already better than I was.
When she was his age, she'd spent her first day simply sensing the elements. On day two she'd barely made an ice sphere. The lotus didn't come until day three.
Xu Zheng pulled it off on day one.
Still, Ganyu consoled herself, This just proves I'm a better teacher than Cloud Retainer. Yup, has to be that.
"It's late. Let's head home," Ganyu said.
"Okay."
Just as he took a step, she scooped him up into her arms.
"Master, I can walk by myself," Xu Zheng protested.
"If we wait for your tiny legs, it'll be bedtime by the time we get there. Kids need sleep," she said.
He thought about it. Fair enough.
At his current size—about five or six years old—he wasn't heavy. But a few more years and she probably wouldn't be able to carry him.
Still, as she held him close, Xu Zheng couldn't help noticing it again.
That scent... milk? It's getting stronger.
Must be his imagination.
They got home. Ganyu quickly set him down and rushed off.
"So urgent?" he muttered.
Xu Zheng shrugged, went to find his toothbrush.
Then the system popped up.
[Option 1: Brush your teeth like a good boy. Reward: 3,000 Mora.]
[Option 2: Delay brushing. Reward: 1-star item—Instant Noodles.]
[Option 3: Turn left, go straight, and charge forward like a man. Reward: 10 Primogems.]
Who even looks at Option 1 or 2 when Primogems are on the table?
He beelined left.
...
Ganyu had ducked into a dimly lit room. The flickering candlelight made the place look eerily dramatic.
The door creaked, the windows groaned, and her steps were hurried.
Looking down, Ganyu's blouse had grown damp in two spots.
She hastily pulled a bottle from a cabinet, popped the top, and undid her clothing.
Rubbing her swollen slime-like breasts, she exhaled sharply. Lactation during early motherhood was brutal—and she'd held it in all day.
Then the creaking stopped.
Replaced by a loud—BANG.
The wooden door swung open.
Some people died, but not completely...