The young girl wore a straw hat and carried a small basket on her back, filled to the brim with plants Stelle hadn't seen much of.
Judging by her attire, she seemed to be a herb gatherer, and the basket was probably full of medicinal herbs.
Just as Stelle was wondering how to strike up a conversation with the girl, the young girl also noticed Stelle.
She stared at Stelle for a long moment, then hesitated for a bit, before getting up and walking towards Stelle.
Actually, Stelle had underestimated her own charm; there was no need for her to approach the young woman.
Upon seeing a rare stranger like Stelle, especially such a beautiful and captivating girl, the person actually took the initiative to come and sit at Stelle's table.
"Hello, do you mind if I sit here?"
The young girl asked Stelle.
"Ah, please, of course not."
Stelle quickly waved her hand.
How could she refuse a girl sitting next to her?
"You look unfamiliar; you must be an outsider, right? What made you think of coming to Qingce Village?"
The young woman asked Stelle curiously.
Qingce Village occasionally had passing merchants, but most of them were middle-aged, and it was rare to see young people like Stelle.
Moreover, Stelle didn't look like a merchant, nor had she seen any merchant caravans from the village.
"I suppose I'm an Adventurer. Not long ago, I met a scholar by chance. She wanted to investigate the legend of the [Chii] here in Qingce Village, so she entrusted me to protect her for a few days."
Stelle explained.
"An Adventurer? That's truly impressive."
The girl looked Stelle up and down with some surprise, then said.
Although the Adventurers Guild has a very low threshold, if she could be entrusted by a scholar for protection, her strength should be somewhat stronger than ordinary people's.
"It's nothing impressive, really. Besides, that fellow..."
Stelle didn't finish her sentence. Yan'er didn't have good intentions after all. Rather than protecting Yan'er, she was more like monitoring her, ready to lock her up at any moment.
"However, the legend of the [Chii]... I didn't expect outsiders would still be interested in this legend."
The young girl looked at Stelle with some confusion, but didn't ask further, merely continued speaking to herself.
That legend was very old; even in Qingce Village, only a handful of people knew about it.
If she hadn't heard Grandma Ruoxin mention it before, she probably wouldn't have known that such a legend existed in this place.
"Speaking of which, are you a local of Qingce Village?"
Stelle asked curiously.
"Yes, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is A-Zhi. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The young girl took off her straw hat and smiled at Stelle.
"Hello, my name is Stelle."
Stelle also immediately gave her name, "You're the first young person I've seen here."
Since she arrived at Qingce Village, this was the first time she had seen a young person on her journey.
She had thought this village only had elderly people and children.
"Besides me, there are only one or two other young people left in this village... Most of my peers have gone to Liyue Harbor for work or to settle down."
A-Zhi nodded and said.
"You don't have any plans to go?"
Stelle couldn't help but ask.
"I've been to Liyue Harbor a few times before, but staying there always felt off."
A-Zhi sighed and said.
"I always feel that it's both good and bad there. Perhaps it's because I have the nose of a mountain dweller; I'm not used to the sea breeze and smells of a coastal city..."
"But I stayed not just because I wasn't used to life there. With so many elderly people and children in the village, if all the young people left, how could one feel at ease?"
"That's true."
Stelle nodded in agreement.
Although she also felt that Qingce Village was very suitable for retirement, in reality, the various living facilities here were far less complete and convenient than in Liyue Harbor.
For example, the simplest point: this village isn't big and there's no place like a medical clinic, unlike Liyue Harbor, which has such a large Bubu Pharmacy.
Without young people to take care of them, if the elderly had any health problems, it would be very inconvenient for them to see a doctor, wouldn't it?
"Of course, there are also Millelith here; if you encounter any difficulties, you can go to them, but the Millelith are not omnipotent."
It seemed like she hadn't seen someone her age in a long time, and A-Zhi couldn't help but say a bit more.
"For example, for medical treatment, although doctors from the city come for free clinics from time to time, it would take a long time to invite that doctor if there was an emergency."
"So, herb gatherers like me cannot leave this place."
At least, with some herbs, minor illnesses wouldn't be such a burden.
"I see."
After listening to A-Zhi, Stelle couldn't help but admire her.
"My current life is also what I like... I've talked so much about myself, why don't you tell me, how did you know about the legend of the [Chii]?"
A-Zhi asked curiously.
"I didn't know about it at first; the scholar told me everything."
Stelle shook her head, she also wasn't sure where Yan'er had gotten the information.
"Later, according to what she said, we found some clues about the [Chii] in a ruin, but we couldn't understand what we found, so we thought of coming to Qingce Village to ask a professional."
"Then you've come to the right place. Grandma Ruoxin is the most familiar with this legend."
--
While Stelle and A-Zhi were chatting happily, Yan'er was not idle either.
As soon as she separated from Stelle, she immediately rushed out of Qingce Village, found a secluded and uninhabited spot, and pulled out a flare gun, firing it into the sky.
In a short while, a large group of Treasure Hoarders followed the flare's trail and arrived at Yan'er's side.
"Da Jie Tou!"
Dozens of Treasure Hoarders gathered around Yan'er, calling out respectfully.
"You've worked hard. Things on my end have made great progress. You will continue to follow me secretly afterward; do not expose yourselves."
Yan'er's voice was cold, completely different from when she spoke to Stelle.
"As Da Jie Tou commands!"
"By the way, you saw the person next to me, right? After this matter is concluded, prepare to make your move on her. She is very strong, so you must be prepared."
Yan'er then said coldly.
"Don't worry, Da Jie Tou, we will definitely chop off her head and present it to you as a spittoon."
"Nonsense! Who told you to chop off her head? I want her alive!"
Yan'er was furious when she heard her subordinate say that.
"Ah? Uh, yes, Da Jie Tou!"
"Hmph, remember what I said... Oh, has there been any news about Precious Baby?"
Yan'er asked.
"This..."
Several people looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
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