Ultimately, the "Hum and Ha" generals did not obstruct them and agreed to let Shenhe enter.
After all, Yelan wasn't an unreasonable person; since it was Miss Ann who brought her, and she seemed to possess an extraordinary aura, presumably nothing would go wrong.
And indeed, things were as they had expected; Yelan, upon seeing Ann and Shenhe, was only slightly surprised and showed no displeasure whatsoever.
"You've come at just the right time; if you were any later, I might have gone somewhere else," Yelan picked up the teapot on the table and poured each of them a cup of tea.
"Are you very busy lately?" Ann took the teacup and asked Yelan curiously.
"Of course, you know how big of a thing happened," Yelan shrugged, then turned her gaze to Shenhe, who had been sitting there silently.
"This must be Miss Shenhe, a pleasure to meet you," Yelan greeted her.
Clearly, she had investigated and learned about Shenhe beforehand, knowing that she was an Adeptus's disciple.
Additionally, the inexplicable sense of familiarity emanating from Shenhe also let her know that Shenhe, like her, had already had an intimate relationship with Ann.
"Hello," Shenhe nodded; she also felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with Yelan.
However, for her, whose emotions fluctuated little, no matter how great the sense of familiarity, it would not be shown.
"She truly is a beauty..." Yelan said with a smile, then redirected her gaze back to Ann, licking her lips instinctively.
Generally, she didn't like to share things she liked with others, but Ann was an exception.
Her time was limited today, and waiting for Ann to be alone would likely be too late.
And asking Shenhe to leave first or watch from the side would probably not be agreeable to her.
It seemed that today could only be a group activity...
"Uh, we came for this matter," Ann Shrink shrugged her neck; she didn't know what Yelan was thinking right now, but seeing her dangerous gaze, Ann knew that her mind was probably not on anything good at the moment.
"You know, Lumine has been identified as a suspect in Rex Lapis's assassination."
"I've heard about it; Ningguang was even a bit worried and asked me to secretly keep an eye on them and ensure their safety," Yelan nodded.
"What she and you did in the neighboring nation is quite famous; everyone knows about her feat of defeating a Anemo Archon's familiar, so it's not strange for her to be suspected."
"I actually think that rumor is a bit too outrageous," Ann couldn't help but complain.
They had hardly engaged Stormterror head-on; the matter was clearly resolved peacefully in the end.
How did it turn into a rumor in Liyue that they had directly defeated Stormterror?
"No matter what, people will only believe what they want to believe... But you don't have to worry; according to my intelligence, she is currently working with that Wangsheng Funeral Parlor consultant named Zhongli to prepare the Rite of Parting."
"Rite of Parting??" Ann was slightly startled; it was the first time she had heard of such a thing.
"Yes, there's a Rite of Welcome, and naturally, there's also a Rite of Parting, which is essentially a funeral for an Adeptus."
"No wonder they asked Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to handle it... But isn't Lumine still a fugitive? Is it okay to hold the Rite of Parting like this?" Ann asked somewhat confusedly.
"Actually, Ningguang has secretly instructed the Millelith to turn a blind eye as much as possible if they encounter Lumine," Yelan sighed slowly.
"After all, Ningguang has many things to consider; this is already the most she can do. If there's an opportunity later, she will find a way to publicly explain and clear Lumine's name."
"Ningguang... it's not easy for her either," Ann also sighed helplessly.
"The Fatui are also stirring now; this Please Immortal Ceremony incident probably has something to do with them... I've been investigating this recently," Yelan revealed information that she normally wouldn't share with outsiders.
However, Ann was no longer an outsider.
"Ningguang has already gathered many clues; she's just waiting for the right opportunity to catch all these guys in one swoop."
"Is Ningguang doing alright now?" Ann was actually more concerned about Ningguang's condition than these other matters.
"How should I put it? Last time I went to Qunyu Pavilion, her secretary told me that Ningguang hadn't rested in a long time… If you have time, you can go see her and help her 'relieve' her fatigue."
Yelan's face held a teasing smile, and she deliberately emphasized the word "relieve."
"Uh, I, I understand." Stelle nodded, a little embarrassed.
She still vividly remembered how Ningguang had used her to relieve fatigue back then.
However, having experienced a Sage, she no longer thought much of Ningguang's little tricks.
This could also be considered proof of her strength…
"Alright, it's rare that we meet, so let's not talk about these things." Yelan took the teacups from the table.
She somehow produced two dice and placed them on the table.
"It's a rare opportunity, won't you play a few rounds?"
Stelle's expression immediately changed. She cautiously glanced at Shenhe beside her, only to see that Shenhe was also looking at her with some confusion.
"Ahem, w-we still have important matters now, isn't it bad to play this…?"
"What important matters could there be? The Fatui investigation has temporarily concluded, so there's no need to rush. You can't help with Lumine's matters either."
"Besides, how is playing dice and helping me relieve my fatigue not an important matter?" Yelan said, straightening her upper body and leaning close to Stelle.
"Or are you planning to go to Ningguang first? But everything should have a first come, first served."
"But, Shenhe…"
"Come along, this kind of game is always more fun with more people."
Stelle almost couldn't catch her breath, forcing it back down.
"H-how can it be more fun with more people?!"
"How can it not be? Every time you come, aren't the gambling tables downstairs surrounded by a large crowd of people?"
"This, this is different…" Stelle subconsciously turned her head away, then suddenly met Shenhe's gaze.
"What are you talking about?" Shenhe asked indifferently.
"Heh heh, I'll teach you then, it's a lot of fun." Yelan saw Shenhe's interest, and the curve of her lips widened a bit.
She immediately began to explain the game's rules to Shenhe in detail, including rewards and punishments.
Shenhe listened silently, nodding occasionally.
"It sounds very simple."
"It is very simple, do you want to play together?" Yelan asked with a smile.
Shenhe turned her head to glance at Stelle, only to see Stelle looking at her with slightly flushed cheeks, not giving an answer of whether to play or not, seemingly wanting her to decide.
"Play." Shenhe nodded decisively.
Since it was a recreational activity for ordinary people, in order to integrate into human society, Shenhe also had to personally try it out.
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