"But still…"
Himeko fell silent for a moment, then shook her head.
"The Nine Nether Mystic Realm exploration… that's the biggest operation you're holding in the near future, right?"
"When it starts, aside from the Sect Master, basically everyone's going, aren't they?"
"For me, that's the best chance I'll have in a long time."
"If I gamble once, I might earn a huge amount of contribution points in one go. Every day Honkai isn't resolved, more people die in my world."
"That's worth betting my life on."
"I won't drag you down."
Alice looked at her, a little helpless, then sighed.
"You're really just like me when I was young… Fine. When the time comes, you can stick with me and Klee."
"Strictly speaking, as long as you follow Klee, even running into one of the Seven Nether Kings isn't necessarily a death sentence."
"My good daughter is carrying a whole pile of spirit artifacts the Sect Master gave her. As long as no Return-to-Void powerhouse personally makes a move, she'll handle it."
Himeko nodded hard.
"Thank you, Elder Alice. I don't have any way to repay you right now, but in the future—if you ever need help, I'll do everything I can. Even if I can't actually pull it off."
"Hehe, don't be so stiff. I'm only helping because I like you."
Alice blinked at her and added, with a meaningful smile:
"Besides, don't you think we look a lot alike?"
Himeko couldn't help giving her a once-over.
Perhaps because of cultivation, Alice's face was flawless—so perfect she felt more like some unreal fae than a living person.
Come to think of it, everyone was like that. The higher their cultivation, the more perfect they looked.
Was this what it meant to be a higher-dimensional lifeform?
Back in her own world, Durandal was also impossibly beautiful; maybe power and perfection really did go hand in hand.
"Elder Alice, you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen," Himeko said honestly.
That wasn't flattery.
If Kiana saw her, that crooked-wired brat would definitely pounce on Alice and beg for hugs on the spot.
"Heh, but of course. I am Mount Shu's number one fairy," Alice said proudly, tilting her chin. "You've got good eyes, Himeko."
"Give it some time and I'll take you to see my little Klee, too. Our Klee is the cutest loli in the world."
Himeko actually looked forward to that.
Everyone kept saying how adorable that kid was.
"I'll be looking forward to meeting Mount Shu's number one little prodigy, then."
They chatted idly as Alice took her on a proper tour of Mount Shu's surroundings.
By the time they were done, the sky was completely dark.
Only then did Alice escort Himeko down to Mount Shu Village, even going out of her way to arrange a fairly nice little courtyard for her.
The villagers in Mount Shu Village all knew Himeko was under Alice's wing, and that once Jiang Yan returned, she'd likely be introduced as a candidate for the inner sect.
Naturally, they treated her with respect.
After all, this woman might very well be a future inner disciple of Mount Shu.
Once everything was settled, Alice finally flew back toward the mountain to resume her own cultivation.
Time was running short.
She probably couldn't push her realm up to peak Refining Qi into Spirit in the time left, but it was still enough to polish her techniques again.
Right now, every moment counted.
—
Inside the Demon-Sealing Tower, from Jiang Yan and Zhongli's perspective, nearly half a year had passed.
Zhongli had gained quite a bit. The beasts here, in their current state, put enormous pressure on him.
There were even some twisted demonic cultivators—methods cruel beyond words—that disgusted him to the core.
For the first time, he truly understood why Jiang Yan loathed demonic cultivators so much.
Dancing on the edge between life and death over and over again, Zhongli could feel the shackles on his cultivation starting to loosen.
After narrowly slaying yet another late-stage Refining Qi into Spirit beast, his entire body was covered in hideous wounds.
Even the war god's back—untouched by any blade for over six thousand years—now bore gaping stab wounds and punctures.
He hurriedly swallowed a pill and found a hidden corner to sit and recover.
The danger of this place was far beyond anything he'd imagined.
Calling it "peril with every step" would be an understatement.
But it was exactly this that created the chance to break through.
Eyes locked on the transmission gate to the fifth floor in the distance, Zhongli's gaze shone with battle lust.
"Tomorrow… I'll cut my way up to the fifth floor."
What didn't kill him would only make him stronger.
The Martial God…
Only grew more invincible through battle.
And so did True Lord Erlang.
Somewhere in that ceaseless struggle, Zhongli felt like he was finally grasping the true essence of the Clear-Source Manifestation Mantra.
—
The next morning.
Himeko had the best sleep she'd had in years.
Honestly, it felt like she'd gone back to childhood—back to the time before Honkai, when her parents were still alive. Warm. Safe. Ordinary.
She stepped out into the courtyard and onto the small village street, looked up at the seven sky-piercing peaks overhead…
Then pinched her cheek.
It hurt.
Not a dream.
She smiled.
"Wait for me, Kiana… This time, let your teacher be the one to play the savior."
"Good morning, Miss Himeko."
A slightly teasing voice broke through her thoughts. She turned to see a woman with exquisite features walking over.
"Forgot to introduce myself. I'm the proprietor of Liyue's Spring Fragrance Kiln. Just call me Ying'er."
Himeko's cheeks flushed.
"Spring… Fragrance Kiln?"
With Liyue's clear ancient-Liyue background, a name like that… wasn't it basically the same as calling it the Red Lantern House?
So this Ying'er…
Was the madam of the house?
"Pfft…"
Ying'er covered her mouth and laughed.
"Miss Himeko, you're not thinking Spring Fragrance Kiln is some unclean place, are you?"
"N-no, I… I didn't mean—"
Himeko flailed, mortified.
Back home, she could toss teasing remarks and parry verbal jabs without blinking.
But here, in a place where she didn't know the rules, hadn't even figured out who was who…
And the first person she ran into was from that kind of "special line of work"?
Her brain short-circuited a little.
"Miss Himeko is really fun," Ying'er said, smiling as she relented.
"Spring Fragrance Kiln makes perfumes and balms. We're Liyue's largest luxury fragrance workshop. Lady Ningguang comes by to place custom orders all the time."
"Please don't think too much of it."
Seeing the playfully smug way Ying'er's eyes sparkled, Himeko could only sigh inwardly.
Perfume…
So, basically, a very fancy cosmetics workshop.
Then why name it something that sounds like a brothel?
Ying'er, however, clearly enjoyed the misunderstanding. She'd picked the name precisely for the looks people made when they heard it.
She glanced up at the sky and sighed.
"Still no cultivators flying today…"
"Do you usually see a lot of them?" Himeko asked curiously.
Ying'er nodded.
"Mount Shu Village is where the sect borders the mortal world. Cultivators spend most of their time cultivating on the mountain and don't leave often."
"The Sect Master allows them to bring their families to settle here, but Mount Shu Village isn't completely safe—feral beasts still show up from time to time."
"So normally, you'd see plenty of cultivators flying overhead on their swords."
"But lately, there have been far fewer passing by. The Nine Nether Mystic Realm exploration is coming up soon—everyone's busy cultivating and doesn't have time to stroll."
She turned to Himeko and added with a gentle smile:
"Miss Himeko isn't from Teyvat, is she?"
"No. I only arrived here yesterday," Himeko admitted.
"No wonder…"
Ying'er didn't seem surprised at all. After all, Teyvat had plenty of otherworldly visitors nowadays.
"Elder Alice sent you here, didn't she? That means you're probably already earmarked as a future inner disciple. So enviable…"
Her eyes sparkled with genuine longing. She wasn't lying.
She really did envy Himeko.
Himeko was starting to get used to Ying'er's tone by now and chuckled softly.
"But aren't you already living in Mount Shu Village too, Miss Ying'er?"
"That's different."
Ying'er laughed.
"I was just lucky enough to be chosen to come here and train in the martial path. If I want to join Mount Shu, I still have to wait for the next mountain-opening ceremony."
"My talent isn't very good, so I can only rely on luck."
She winked at Himeko.
Himeko wasn't sure how to comfort her.
In a cultivation world, differences people were born with weren't just present—they were amplified.
"If you're trying to cheer me up," Ying'er teased, "don't worry. I'm not that fragile."
"Compared to the hundreds of thousands who were eliminated, and all those who never even made it in time for the tests, I'm already extremely fortunate."
"And staying here to cultivate the martial path is a very comfortable life. Mount Shu's spiritual energy is so rich that just breathing keeps you young and beautiful."
"That's something countless people would kill for."
Himeko smiled.
"You're pretty optimistic."
"Being cheerful isn't a bad thing," Ying'er replied, eyes glittering.
Himeko thought for a moment, then asked:
"Could you show me your martial arts? I'd like to see what your 'martial path' looks like."
"Of course. Around here, you can grab just about anyone and they'll be a martial artist," Ying'er said, waving her over.
"Come on. I'll take you somewhere lively."
"What about you?" Himeko couldn't help asking.
To her eyes, Ying'er looked delicate—like the very image of a gentle beauty from old Shenzhou stories.
But her instincts said that if she didn't use the Gem of Plague, she'd have no chance at all against this woman.
Ying'er glanced back with a small grin, confirming Himeko's suspicion.
"Of course I'm a martial artist too. I told you—around here, anyone you grab in passing is a practitioner. There are differences in strength, though."
"And you, Miss Ying'er?"
Ying'er gave her a long, meaningful look.
"What do you think?"
Himeko rolled her eyes.
Somehow, this woman felt more wicked than Rita tying ribbons on Tesla's head.
But as they walked, Himeko gradually pieced things together.
Whenever they passed through a busier street, no matter if it was Liyue folk, Mondstadters, or people from other nations—
Everyone greeted Ying'er with polite respect.
At first, Himeko thought they were simply attracted to her looks.
But then she saw the awe in their eyes.
Among martial artists, only strength earned that kind of respect.
Which meant Ying'er was absolutely one of the top experts in Mount Shu Village.
In fact…
Himeko's guess was right.
Right now, Mount Shu Village had three grandmaster-level martial artists.
One was a strange man named Jiang Yan.
Another was a vice-captain from the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt—Kaeya's deputy as an inner disciple.
And the last…
Was Ying'er.
Among the grandmasters, Ying'er could be considered the weakest.
That Mondstadt vice-captain was a battle-hardened veteran, his strength sharpened through countless fights, and after some guidance from Kaeya, he'd broken through.
As for Jiang Yan…
He was a complete enigma.
On paper, he displayed the strength of a grandmaster.
In reality, no one knew how strong he truly was.
Rumor had it that someone once saw him clash head-on with a Refining Essence–stage feral beast and walk away unscathed…
He was the first man to cultivate the martial path all the way to grandmaster purely through his own efforts—
Without ever relying on anyone else.
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