The smile on Junze's face instantly froze, and his body became completely motionless.
The small garden fell into a strangely awkward silence.
Clearly, Shenhe's answer had not only shocked Junze. It had terrified him.
What did she just say?
She said I am the Ink Shadow Adeptus.
How did she know?!
Have I completely exposed myself?
She didn't tell Master, did she?
In an instant, countless doubts flooded Junze's mind.
He was completely stunned.
Why would Shenhe know that the Ink Shadow Adeptus was him?
Logically speaking, he had always hidden himself inside the cloudlike black ink aura. No one should have been able to see him clearly.
If someone had really noticed something strange, it should have been Eula, since she was the only one who had physically come into contact with him.
But Shenhe?
Aside from that one night, the two of them had practically never even met.
So how had she discovered it?!
Junze could not understand it no matter how much he thought about it.
"M Martial Aunt… what are you talking about? Ze doesn't understand. Ze wants to become someone like an Adeptus, but Ze isn't one."
"I'm just a child. How could I possibly do those things?"
Junze felt that there was still room to turn things around. He absolutely could not expose himself first.
"Then where do you go every day after Ganyu finishes her work?"
Shenhe stood there with a calm tone, yet her words struck directly at the key point.
"Huh?!"
"Th this… I…"
This time, Junze was completely dumbfounded.
He had never expected that this suddenly appearing martial aunt actually knew that he left every day.
"Martial Aunt! Have you been watching me this whole time?!"
Junze shouted in horror.
Shenhe replied,
"I cannot tell you that."
Isn't that basically the same as admitting it?!
Junze screamed internally.
He had absolutely no idea that Shenhe had been silently watching him every day.
Cold sweat had already appeared on Junze's forehead.
He asked cautiously,
"Martial Aunt, if I say that I didn't go anywhere and was just hiding somewhere, would you believe me?"
Junze's tone already sounded somewhat like self deception.
"I believe you."
"Huh?!"
Junze froze again.
Honestly, after such a short conversation with Shenhe, Junze had already lost count of how many times he had been surprised.
This martial aunt of his was truly something else.
Whether it was her figure, the way she spoke, or her behavior.
"Be honest with others and trust each other. That is a method of communication I read about in books."
"You read it in books…"
Junze looked at the woman in front of him who carried an otherworldly aura, who looked even more like a reclusive Adeptus than his own master.
He did not know whether to feel pity or something else.
"So if Ze says Ze is not the Ink Shadow Adeptus, would Martial Aunt believe that?"
Junze looked at Shenhe with hopeful eyes.
Shenhe shook her head decisively.
"I do not believe it."
Junze placed one hand on his forehead and said helplessly,
"Didn't you just say we should trust each other?"
Shenhe nodded.
"That is why my cultivation in interacting with others is still shallow."
"I actually cannot refute that."
Junze felt that this martial aunt of his was truly difficult to deal with.
Shenhe continued asking,
"So what are you planning to do tomorrow?"
Junze hesitated for a moment before looking at Shenhe.
"Martial Aunt, if I tell you, will you tell Master?"
Shenhe asked,
"Tell your master? Tell her what? Why would I tell her?"
When Junze heard this, he froze for a moment. Then a smile slowly returned to his face.
Ah, what was I even worried about? I almost forgot what kind of personality this martial aunt has.
Shenhe was unfamiliar with worldly matters. She did not understand common sense, did not grasp social subtleties, and did not concern herself with status or hierarchy.
She was pure and simple.
Part of it was because of the deadly fate she carried, restrained by the red ropes that suppressed her violent destiny, leaving her emotions somewhat faint.
Another reason was that Shenhe had lived in the mountains for years, rarely interacting with people.
Even if she knew his identity, what did it matter?
She would not necessarily tell anyone.
Because in her understanding, there was no need.
Since that was the case, as long as he kept this martial aunt satisfied, what was there to worry about?
Coaxing an otherworldly fairy who did not understand the world.
Please.
Junze felt confident he could trick her into...
Shenhe frowned slightly.
To be honest, she felt that the smile on the child's face in front of her looked somewhat suspicious.
In the wilderness, people who showed that kind of smile often intended to do unpleasant things to her.
Of course, Shenhe usually responded by beating them severely before throwing them into the river.
That was how the nickname White Haired Witch gradually spread.
"Martial Aunt, tomorrow Ze plans to plant flowers here. Ze won't go anywhere."
Junze picked up his small shovel again and leisurely continued loosening the soil.
He even hummed a little tune, looking quite carefree.
"..."
Shenhe frowned slightly.
Clearly, if the other party refused to tell the truth, she had no solution.
Perhaps I should beat him once. He would probably tell me then.
When Shenhe encountered a problem she could not solve, her instinctive choice was "threat."
"But if Martial Aunt agrees to one condition, Ze can tell Martial Aunt."
Junze suddenly turned his head and said with a grin.
"What condition?"
"After this, Martial Aunt should stop watching me all the time."
Junze continued tending to his flowers as he spoke.
Shenhe refused without hesitation.
"No."
Junze smiled.
In some ways, Martial Aunt and Master were very similar.
Even though Shenhe appeared so cold, because she rarely interacted with people, she was still somewhat naive.
Just by saying that, she had already admitted she was watching him.
Junze continued,
"Then let's change the method. How about Martial Aunt comes to work at Yuehai Pavilion?"
"Work at Yuehai Pavilion?"
Junze's suggestion left Shenhe somewhat puzzled.
Junze set down his shovel, watered the seedlings, and said,
"Yuehai Pavilion often has tasks involving delivering documents. Master and Sister Huixin are already very busy. They have been planning to recruit someone to do those tasks."
"If Martial Aunt takes that job, wouldn't it be perfect?"
"You could watch me, help Master, and also experience life in Liyue. Three benefits in one."
Junze smiled brightly, looking exactly like a little fox.
In truth, he had his own calculations.
First, for some reason, even while working, Ganyu had recently been glancing at him many times.
If he tried leaving while she was deeply focused on work like before, he would definitely be exposed.
But if there was now a trustworthy adult present, Junze could go out openly and properly.
Second, having Shenhe watch him within his sight was far better than having her secretly observing from the shadows.
Who knew whether he might do something with Master later that was not meant to be seen.
Being watched during something like that would be far too awkward.
Junze did not have any strange hobbies.
Shenhe thought for a moment. For a short time, she seemed somewhat conflicted about whether she should listen to Junze.
"Martial Aunt, just agree to it. The work at Yuehai Pavilion isn't heavy at all. It's very easy."
Junze grabbed Shenhe's hand and swayed it back and forth, starting to act spoiled.
"I might not be very suitable for life in the mortal world."
Shenhe allowed Junze to act spoiled in front of her.
She was not like Ganyu, who would satisfy Junze whenever he acted cute. Even though the child in front of her was indeed very adorable.
Junze said, "Martial Aunt, avoiding things like this isn't good."
"Avoiding?"
Junze nodded.
"Refusing to do something just because you're not used to it is a very cowardly behavior. People can only truly grow by stepping out of their comfort zone."
A small child talking to an adult about growth looked very strange no matter how one looked at it.
"Cowardly? Growth?"
Shenhe glanced at the red ropes on her body.
"Martial Aunt has cultivated in the mountains for so many years. You must have noticed that you've reached a bottleneck, right? At a time like this, coming to the mortal world for some experience would be very beneficial."
"After all, Martial Aunt is human, not a true Adeptus."
Junze continued coaxing her without pause.
Shenhe shook her head.
"My cultivation has not yet reached what you call a bottleneck."
Shenhe's bluntness directly choked Junze's words.
He had truly assumed too much.
But Martial Aunt, couldn't you be a little more tactful?
Talking like this makes it very hard for me to keep persuading you.
There was a saying about this.
A naturally naive person completely counters someone who schemes.
Junze did not think of himself as scheming. At most he was a little mischievous toward his master and martial aunt. At heart he was still a cheerful child.
But talking with Shenhe like this was really...
"However, perhaps you are right. Staying in the mortal world might indeed help my future cultivation."
Shenhe looked at the red ropes on her body.
The Adeptus had once said that her fate carried both the Lonely Star and Calamity, with an extremely heavy killing nature. It was a rare and ominous destiny that could harm both others and herself.
Therefore, the Adeptus used red ropes to perform a soul binding technique.
They bound the violent aura and killing intent within her body.
But although the red ropes restrained that violent nature, Shenhe still hoped that one day she could walk this world without relying on them.
Perhaps this child was right.
She could try interacting with the mortal world.
After all, she had also...
Shenhe pressed her lips together.
After living in the mountains for more than ten years, even the calmest heart would develop ripples.
She had long been accustomed to the harsh cultivation in the mountains.
Yet in recent years, she had gradually grown curious about life at the foot of the mountain.
Taking advantage of this opportunity seemed quite good.
"Oh, that's more like it!"
Although Shenhe's blunt words had left him speechless earlier, Junze was still very happy that she agreed.
Shenhe continued asking,
"But how would I be able to work at Yuehai Pavilion?"
"Don't worry about that."
Junze said,
"You just need to say that Grandmaster Cloud Retainer sent you to help Master Ganyu."
"And it's just a simple errand job. There aren't any strict requirements."
After all, if even the Traveler could run errands like that, what restrictions could there possibly be?
"You mean… to lie?"
Junze shook his head and continued persuading her.
"How can that be considered lying? It's just making use of a little linguistic art."
"Linguistic art?"
Junze smiled.
"Look. Wasn't it Grandmaster who sent you here?"
Shenhe nodded.
"She sent you here to prevent something from happening to me, right?"
Shenhe nodded again.
"If something happens to me and you solve it, wouldn't that be helping Master?"
Shenhe nodded once more.
Junze clapped his hands.
"See? If we leave out a few details, then you were sent by Grandmaster to help Master."
"So it can be done like this!"
Shenhe blinked. Although her tone remained calm, a hint of amazement could be heard.
"So this is how people communicate with each other?"
Shenhe murmured softly, as if she had realized something.
Even though she understood it a little, her eyes still showed some confusion.
"But it still feels difficult for me to understand."
Instead of such complicated persuasion, why not simply threaten someone to achieve the desired result?
In Shenhe's view, that method clearly reached the goal much faster.
"If you don't understand, that's perfect. While working at Yuehai Pavilion, you can watch others and learn more."
Junze reached out and wanted to pat Shenhe on the shoulder.
But because of the height difference, he ended up patting Shenhe's thigh instead.
Although it was also smooth and elastic, it clearly felt different from Master's.
Of course, both were very nice.
Shenhe suddenly asked,
"So you usually deceive your master like this?"
Junze, who had been comparing the difference between the two, immediately rolled his eyes upward.
Great.
All that explanation had been wasted.
"Bang!"
Just as Junze was about to continue correcting her, the ground beside the flowerbed suddenly burst upward for some unknown reason.
A large amount of water shot out from underground, forming a small fountain.
Not only that, the floor beneath Junze's feet also began to tremble slightly.
Junze looked down at the ground beneath his feet and reacted blankly.
"Uh oh."
Could this be the punishment for deceiving his martial aunt and teasing his master all the time?
"Be careful!"
Seeing the situation, Shenhe immediately moved.
She pulled Junze into her arms.
Considering their height difference, it was more accurate to say that she pulled Junze against her abdomen.
Junze felt the tip of his nose press against a small indentation.
A navel?
Feeling the smoothness against his face, that thought appeared in his mind.
Speaking of which, this martial aunt, like Master, also had a slightly cool body.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Soon after, more sections of the ground were blasted open by underground water.
The underground water surged upward like a fountain.
The falling water splashed directly onto Shenhe and Junze.
In an instant, both of them were soaked.
Their clothes clung tightly to their bodies, making them very uncomfortable.
But standing like this in the misty rain with a white haired martial aunt who looked like an immortal fairy created a rather special atmosphere.
The discomfort of the wet clothes suddenly did not seem so important.
Many people would probably wish for such an opportunity.
The aura of immortality surrounding Shenhe and Junze blended with the thin veil of water mist, giving them an almost unreal and otherworldly presence.
Junze raised his head, wanting to see Shenhe's reaction.
"Uh… I can't see."
Junze pressed his lips together and sighed.
From his angle, Shenhe's head was completely blocked by something resembling two black slimes.
His vision was completely obstructed.
At that moment, a drop of water from the darkness blocking his view fell and landed beside his lips.
"It just tastes like groundwater. Master Ganyu is still better."
Junze muttered quietly.
"Ze!"
At that moment, Ganyu noticed the disturbance in the garden and hurriedly ran out from the office.
When she saw Shenhe holding Junze while the two of them stood together under the rain...
Something in Ganyu's mind seemed to snap.
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