"Qiqi likes cool things."
Inside Bubu Pharmacy, Qiqi held a cool glass beverage bottle, drinking coconut milk. A rare, happy expression appeared on his face, but it was a bit stiff and quickly returned to normal.
Ryan, meanwhile, opened the Finches' birdcage and held out a hand, letting a Finch land on his finger.
This little Finch wasn't very good at flying and wasn't afraid of people, making it perfect as a pet at the moment.
Then Ryan took one of Qiqi's cold little hands, letting the little Finch hop from his hand onto Qiqi's finger.
"Oh...!"
Having his own pet for the first time, Qiqi opened his mouth, revealing an expression of disbelief.
He put down the coconut milk bottle with his other hand, clamping it between his legs. With his hands free, Qiqi gently stroked the round Finch.
The latter affectionately rubbed against Qiqi's palm, making Qiqi exclaim "Oh!" once more.
"Qiqi likes it very much."
"Big Brother, please teach Hu Tao a lesson, and give Qiqi coconut milk and Finches. Qiqi thanks you."
Gently stroking the little Finch, Qiqi looked at Ryan, thanking him.
As for the two threatening letters he received that day, due to his poor memory, he only remembered they were related to Hu Tao.
"What about me? This Master bought all these, you know."
Hearing Qiqi only thank Ryan, Hu Tao immediately moved closer to Ryan.
"Hu Tao... scary. Qiqi doesn't want to be buried..."
Qiqi looked at Hu Tao fearfully, gently cradling the Finch in his arms.
"Don't be afraid, Qiqi. She won't bury you anymore."
Ryan reached out and patted Qiqi's head, comforting him.
"Ugh..."
Qiqi didn't like physical contact with others because the body temperature of living people was warm, which made him uncomfortable. So Qiqi instinctively recoiled his neck, but couldn't avoid Ryan's hand.
Fortunately, Ryan mostly patted his hat, so Qiqi didn't feel the body temperature of a living person.
Under Ryan's comfort, Qiqi, though still a bit afraid of Hu Tao, still said thank you to her.
Hu Tao was satisfied with this.
Thanks to Ryan being there, otherwise, it might have taken a long time for her to make Qiqi not afraid of her.
Having received coconut milk and a cute little Finch, this was a moment worth smiling for Qiqi. However, a zombie's expressions were too stiff, and he tried for a while without success... The psychological trauma Hu Tao inflicted on Qiqi couldn't be dispelled in a short time, so after Qiqi accepted the gifts, Ryan and Hu Tao left Bubu Pharmacy together.
"This time, I really owe you. Although Qiqi is still very afraid of me, as long as she accepts the gifts, things will be much easier in the future."
Hu Tao, who had left Bubu Pharmacy, seemed to be in a very good mood. She first walked ahead with her hands behind her back, then suddenly turned around, walking backward as she spoke to Ryan.
"It's nothing. But Qiqi isn't afraid of me. Next time, I'll buy a bottle of coconut milk too, maybe I can trade some hair with him."
Ryan responded indifferently, then mumbled with some anticipation.
Zombie hair was still very rare for him. So far, he had only cut off a portion last time, which had already been refined into a Qilin Pill.
"Oh, oh, speaking of Qiqi's hair, did you say last time you wanted to use it for alchemy? It sounds very interesting. Can This Master watch?"
Hearing Ryan mention Qiqi's hair, Hu Tao remembered what Ryan had confessed that night and asked with some interest.
Although she often dealt with Baizhu, she didn't know if Baizhu could do alchemy, nor had she ever seen it. To her, alchemy was a novel thing, something she had only read about in books.
"Let's talk about it when I have the materials... I don't have anything now..."
Mentioning alchemy, Ryan became a bit depressed. The Qilin Pill, the more he thought about it, the less it met his expectations.
So many rare materials, and it only strengthened his tail a bit, not even as good as the Three Heads Six Arms Pill.
According to Ryan's guess, a failed Three Heads Six Arms Pill was randomly generated. So if it succeeded, the Three Heads Six Arms Pill should be the Three Heads Six Arms divine ability he knew of, right?
"Alright... But since you helped This Master, This Master will treat you to dinner at Wanmin Restaurant tonight, over at Chihuo Rock."
Hu Tao was a bit regretful but didn't press the issue, instead making a suggestion to Ryan.
Ryan didn't refuse, nodding his head in agreement.
Ever since he ate the Qilin Pill yesterday, his appetite had become unusually good; he had eaten several extra portions for breakfast.
After leaving Bubu Pharmacy and walking some distance, Ryan finally said goodbye to Hu Tao and returned to Wangshu Inn.
"Currently, there aren't many materials available in Liyue Harbor. I can only wait for the Rite of Descension..."
Ryan pondered after returning to Wangshu Inn.
He had already obtained most of the rare materials he knew of in Liyue Harbor and felt awkward asking for them again so soon.
As for people like Hu Tao, Ryan felt awkward asking for her human essence, as they had only recently met. And Ryan didn't really need her hair... because he had already picked up a strand of hair from a chair at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor earlier.
Hu Tao, after all, was human, and shedding hair was perfectly normal. The scent on that strand of hair was identical to Hu Tao's, confirming it was hers.
So, for a time, Ryan didn't know where to find new materials and could only wait for the Rite of Descension to arrive... As evening approached, Ryan left Wangshu Inn, passed through Feiyun Slope, and arrived at Chihuo Rock.
This was his first time visiting Chihuo Rock in several days, and he found that the bustling atmosphere here was no less than Feiyun Slope. However, there were more open-air stalls here, unlike Feiyun Slope, which had meticulously decorated shops lining the street.
Because of this, the aroma of delicious food and snacks wafted everywhere, making Ryan's stomach rumble.
"That's strange. After eating the Qilin Pill, has my appetite become as big as Senior Sister Ganyu's...?"
Ryan couldn't help but murmur.
"Hey~!"
"Waaah—?!"
Just as Ryan was muttering to himself, someone suddenly patted him on the back from behind, startling Ryan into a shout. His whole body bristled, and his already bushy fox tail suddenly puffed up a full circle.
"Pfft... Are you alright? Your reaction is even funnier than Xiangling's..."
Seeing Ryan's exaggerated reaction, Hu Tao covered her mouth, unable to hold back a laugh, but still asked about Ryan's condition with concern.
"Hu... Hu... Hu Tao... You scared me to death..."
Seeing that it was Hu Tao, Ryan took two deep breaths, raised a hand, and smoothed down the bristled fur on his ears.
"This Master didn't expect you to be so timid, even though you weren't afraid to go find a little zombie by yourself in the middle of the night."
Hearing Ryan's complaint, Hu Tao explained with an innocent expression.
"That's because I treat Qiqi as an alchemical ingredient... just like a chef isn't afraid of ingredients."
After calming down a bit, Ryan exhaled and explained.
He wasn't particularly brave, but if it was something that could be used as an alchemical material, he wouldn't be so afraid.
"That makes sense. I heard Xiangling say that when she went to Mondstadt a few days ago, she even treated a Cryo Regisvine as an ingredient."
Hearing Ryan's explanation, Hu Tao nodded her head in understanding...