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Five days after Eula left Aaru Village, on that very day, Liyue's Lantern Rite Festival also came to a perfect close.
That morning, the sunshine was bright, and a gentle breeze drifted by.
As usual, Shao Yun sat idly at the doorstep, sunbathing and killing time.
Without any prior notice at all, Lumine and Paimon suddenly showed up before him, lively as ever.
Paimon quickly flew to Shao Yun's side and greeted him.
"Hi, Shao Yun! We're here! Did you miss us lately?"
The moment Shao Yun, who had been rather listless, finally saw Lumine and Paimon appear, his face instantly bloomed into a genuine smile.
He really had been finding all sorts of things to do just to pass the time these days.
He even went to help out at a construction site in Aaru Village, which kind of counted as getting a head start on learning how to build ranches and such…
Shao Yun hurriedly stood up from the steps and asked eagerly, "Wow, you two finally made it! How was this year's Lantern Rite? It must've been amazing!"
Paimon nodded excitedly, answering without hesitation, "It was super great! And we even ran into lots of old friends we hadn't seen in ages!"
With that, Paimon enthusiastically began recounting all the interesting things they'd experienced during Lantern Rite, as well as the old acquaintances they'd met along the way.
"First, we took Yoimiya around Liyue Harbor, then we went to Mt. Aozang to visit Shenhe, and afterward we even took Shenhe back to Liyue Harbor to play!"
As she spoke, Paimon waved her hands around, vividly painting the scenes as though everything was still right before her eyes.
"Oh, right, Mountain Shaper came with us to Liyue Harbor too. She said it was because she didn't feel assured about Shenhe, but I think she was just using that as an excuse to go have fun."
Paimon then complained, "I mean, she used to act like she didn't trust a Liyue ruled by humans, but she still couldn't resist her curiosity and came with us anyway. Her mouth says 'no', but she's really such a tsundere."
…
Paimon went on and on about all kinds of amusing things she and Lumine had gone through in Liyue.
And just like that, the topic of the Lantern Rite wrapped up. Lumine then asked Shao Yun about the matter concerning the God of Dendro.
At that moment, Lumine looked toward Shao Yun, concern written across her face.
"Right—how's Nahida now? Any new information?"
Shao Yun gently shook his head and answered slowly, "No. Right now, the Akademiya is being overseen by Alhaitham, and Cyno is organizing people to search for clues everywhere.
"But if you ask me, there's no point counting on Cyno. We should just place our hopes on Enjou."
Hearing that nothing troublesome had erupted within the Akademiya, Lumine felt somewhat relieved.
Then she pressed on, "And what about my brother? How has he been lately?"
At the mention of Lumine's brother, Shao Yun immediately replied honestly, "Ever since the day we left, there's been no news. He's probably still using Irminsul for some experiment, but that has nothing to do with us anymore."
"Anyway, enough about that. You and Paimon are done with Lantern Rite now, so we need to think about our next move: Natlan or Fontaine?"
Shao Yun could not wait to leave Sumeru—he was sick of staying here.
However, upon hearing his suggestion, Lumine showed a helpless expression.
"We can't leave yet. Before coming to find you, I accepted another commission in Sumeru City…"
Hearing that Lumine had taken another commission, Shao Yun was speechless. Does my wife have an addiction to accepting commissions?
"Wait—Lumine, I have a question. If it were the end of the world, would you still be out taking commissions? What kind of commission has such a huge charm for you?! Haven't you had enough of Sumeru?!"
Facing Shao Yun's complaint, Lumine calmly explained, "We can't just pat our butts and walk away. At the very least, we should confirm that Nahida is safe before leaving, right?
"I already told you my worry—if we really did kill two Archons, would the Hydro Archon or Pyro Archon even let us enter their nations?"
Shao Yun thought inwardly, One Archon's homeland is flooding, and the other's is full of abyssal chaos. They hardly seem like they'd have time to worry about us…
So Shao Yun asked Lumine a serious question.
"What if Nahida never gets rescued by Enjou? Are we supposed to stay here forever? Look at Aaru Village—endless yellow sand everywhere. Does this look like a place suitable for building a ranch?"
Then Shao Yun joked, "In that case, we might as well adapt to local conditions and just join the Eremites, right?"
"I mean, Dehya's 'Blazing Beasts' mercenary company seems pretty nice. And she's an old friend—I feel like she'd look out for us."
After hearing Shao Yun's words, Lumine thought for a moment and realized what he said made sense.
Waiting aimlessly like this wasn't a solution—they couldn't stay in Sumeru forever.
After thinking it through, she gave a firm answer.
"If, by the time I finish this commission, there's still no news about Nahida, then we'll leave Sumeru immediately!"
Then she laid out the next part of her plan.
"If the Hydro Archon of Fontaine doesn't let us enter, we'll just sneak in. Once we acquire Hydro power, we won't stay—we'll head straight to Natlan afterward.
"As for how Natlan feels about us… we'll figure it out when we get there."
After listening to everything Lumine proposed, Shao Yun nodded in agreement.
"Alright…"
Though the reply was only two simple words, Lumine still sensed a faint trace of displeasure.
She reached out and held Shao Yun's hand, gently comforting him. "I know you don't really like staying in Sumeru. But…"
Before she could finish, Shao Yun shook his head lightly, cutting her off.
"It's fine. We'll do what you want. I'll support your decision—you can leave Sumeru whenever you want." Shao Yun said this with a smile.
Even though he appeared supportive, Lumine knew he wasn't happy.
After all, she had left him in Aaru Village for so long—he must have been unbearably bored.
Thinking of this, Lumine felt a wave of guilt.
After a moment of thought, she made up her mind—she would properly make it up to Shao Yun, to soothe whatever dissatisfaction he might be feeling.
She hugged his arm tightly and said in a coquettish tone, "Okay, don't be mad. Let's go inside!"
Without giving him a chance to resist, she dragged him toward the house.
Shao Yun still hadn't fully registered what was happening and instinctively resisted a little.
Lumine thought he was mad again, so she coaxed him once more.
"Aw come on, don't be angry. Come in already. Look~ I'll even let you 'bully' me for a bit." Her bright eyes blinked mischievously as she spoke.
She stuck out her soft pink tongue playfully, and that adorable, charming sight melted Shao Yun's heart instantly.
At the same time, Lumine didn't forget to tell Paimon, "Paimon, be good and watch the door for us. Make sure no one comes to disturb us, okay?"
Paimon stared at Lumine dragging Shao Yun inside, her eyes widening.
"You two… don't tell me you're gonna do that kind of shameful thing in broad daylight?!"
Lumine stopped, turned her head slowly, gave Paimon a meaningful look, and then nodded gently.
As if saying: yes, she fully intended to do some indescribable things with Shao Yun right in broad daylight.
Understanding instantly, Paimon showed a helpless, embarrassed expression and spread her hands. "Alright, alright, I'll back off. I'll keep watch so I don't accidentally see something that'll scar my eyes."
With that, Paimon turned away to stand guard like a door guardian.
Shao Yun and Lumine entered the house, and the door closed gently behind them.
Inside, Lumine lay on the bed and suddenly asked something very important.
"By the way, Shao Yun… did you shower today?"
Shao Yun froze, his face reddening. Scratching his head awkwardly, he replied, "Uh… well, I haven't had the chance the past two days… You know, water is pretty valuable in Aaru Village."
Upon hearing he hadn't bathed for two days, Lumine's face showed clear dislike.
"Ugh—how can you be so unhygienic?! Hurry up and take a proper bath!"
Shao Yun nodded quickly. "Alright, alright, I get it! I'll go now! Hopefully Candace won't think I'm wasting precious water resources…"
…
Two nights later, on the red sandstone mountain east of Aaru Village.
The reason it was two days later was simple—Shao Yun and Lumine had played way too intensely two days ago, and Shao Yun needed time to recover.
Lumine wasn't any better—she was so weak the next morning that she couldn't even walk outside.
Shao Yun had to support her to meet the commission's client, the one who issued the task called "Golden Slumber".
The client, upon seeing Lumine's legs still trembling, almost rejected her on the spot.
Given her state at the time, she certainly didn't look like someone capable of working.
In the end, Lumine endured the pain and drank the Special Miracle Tonic Shao Yun had given her previously. Only then did she regain her energy and avoid ruining everything.
Before leaving with Paimon, Lumine stomped on Shao Yun's foot hard as punishment for him being too rough the day before.
And she issued a final warning—if he ever played that wildly again, she'd forbid him from touching her for half a year!
…
Now, on the red sandstone mountain east of Aaru Village, Shao Yun sat cross-legged on the ground, admiring the night sky while drinking a high-quality brandy that could make Venti drool, enjoying the desert scenery at night.
Just then, the previously still air rippled strangely.
A portal of the Abyss appeared before Shao Yun without warning, and in the next moment, his brother-in-law Aether stepped out of it.
Aether waved at Shao Yun, then strode over and sat next to him.
"Brother-in-law, how've you been lately?" Aether greeted warmly.
Seeing him suddenly appear, Shao Yun was surprised, but quickly returned to his usual teasing tone.
"Wow, you're opening Abyss portals near Aaru Village? Aren't you afraid of being discovered?"
"If you get into a fight with Candace, I'm 100% watching from the sidelines…" Shao Yun added jokingly.
After all, Candace's amber eyes could probably detect Abyssal remnants.
If she showed up now and saw Shao Yun with Aether, she'd have a 99% chance of grabbing her Staff of the Scarlet Sands and start beating Aether up.
Hearing this banter, Aether shook his head helplessly and replied with a wry smile, "I took special time out just to visit my dear brother-in-law, and this is the smile I get?"
At that, Shao Yun forced a slightly stiff smile, then pulled out an unopened bottle of gin, handing it to Aether.
"Alright, how about having a drink with me?"
Aether looked at the bottle instinctively wanting to refuse.
"No thanks, I don't drin—"
Originally, Aether had no intention of drinking. But when Shao Yun held out the bottle, somehow Aether's hand reached out on its own and took it.
"…Fine, I'll try a little."
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