Liyue, Outskirts of Stone Gate
Two rogue martial artists were locked in battle with disciples of the "GuHua Clan."
Meanwhile, Nolan, cloaked in invisibility, made his way towards the bound boy lying on the ground. Lumine stood ready, prepared to jump into the fray at any moment.
Before long, Nolan reached the boy. Suddenly revealing himself, he startled the child, causing him to let out a sharp scream. The fighting parties paused, their attention drawn to the noise.
Qiu Shicai, noticing a stranger near his "golden goose," was alarmed. Using his light-foot technique, he swiftly approached.
Nolan chuckled lightly, scooped up the boy, and started to run back.
This was deliberate on his part—to draw the kidnappers' attention and lure them into pursuit.
Lumine lay in ambush just a short distance away, poised to spring a surprise.
Sure enough, before long...
As the middle-aged man chased after them, Lumine suddenly emerged from the woods beside the road, swiftly knocking him unconscious.
After all, he only had moderate strength among ordinary people and was no match for Lumine, who had reached level 42.
Indeed, Lumine and Paimon had both gained two levels during their journey to Liyue over the past half-month, progressing exceptionally fast.
One could only say they were truly formidable individuals, capable of once again gazing at the night sky and traveling to any star they pointed at.
Meanwhile, the headscarf-wearing young man, witnessing this, was greatly surprised and attempted to flee, only to be intercepted by Sun Yu and his junior sister Little Que'er from the GuHua Clan.
"Get lost!" Yao Liang shouted angrily.
"Hmph, dreaming! Do you think you still have a chance?" Que'er sneered sarcastically.
She and her senior brother blocked the thief with their swords, one on each side.
"You!"
Yao Liang clenched his fists. He had struggled against even one girl earlier, let alone now, with another man in the mix.
With a sigh, he slumped down on the ground, resigned to capture.
Since there was no rope, Sun Yu simply knocked the thief unconscious. Then, he and his junior sister walked towards Nolan and Lumine.
"Thank you both for your help. May I ask who you are?" Sun Yu first expressed his gratitude with a bow, then asked with evident curiosity.
"Wait, it's not two, it's three of us!"
Before Nolan or Lumine could respond, Paimon hurriedly flew out from the side. She couldn't help with fighting, but being thanked was something she wouldn't miss.
"What sort of wild monster is this?"
Little Que'er, seeing the flying creature suddenly appear, shouted sternly.
"Eek!"
Paimon immediately halted and covered her mouth, hiding behind Lumine. Her small hands clutched Lumine's snowy shoulder, peeking out fearfully at the girl in front.
"Paimon is not a monster!"
Lumine, seeing Paimon misunderstood, displayed an angry expression on her fair face. Her amber eyes glared straight at Little Que'er.
Nolan frowned at the situation.
When they introduced themselves, Nolan knew that the two were characters who had appeared in the game, from the "GuHua Clan", often seen in daily quests.
The senior brother had a calm demeanor, devoted to reviving the GuHua Clan. His junior sister, Little Que'er, was quite different—temperamental and quirky, which today's encounter confirmed.
"Junior Sister!" Sun Yu reprimanded, seeing his sister's rashness, then turned to Paimon, bowing respectfully. "Apologies, Lady Paimon. My junior sister was out of line. Please forgive us."
"Lady Paimon... heh heh, it's alright, Paimon didn't mind~"
Hearing the novel address, Paimon quickly forgot her previous displeasure and waved her hand, indicating she wasn't upset.
"Senior Brother, why are you siding with outsiders?"
Little Que'er, still not understanding, tugged at her brother's arm and complained.
"Junior Sister! Apologize at once!"
Sun Yu was exasperated. It was clear she needed more worldly experience to prevent her from offending powerful people in the future.
Little Que'er rarely saw her senior brother scold her so loudly. A rush of indignation welled up inside her.
It's just because I called that weird flying thing a monster! How could you treat me like this, senior brother?
The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Then, without a word, she turned and ran off.
"Hey, junior sister!"
Sun Yu tried to catch her, but failed. He could only watch her figure get smaller as she ran further away.
Helpless, he apologized to Nolan and the others once more before hurrying after his junior sister, fearing she might cause trouble on her own.
"Uh, she really is a strange little junior sister."
Paimon spread her hands in speechlessness, then stamped her foot angrily in mid-air.
"She called me a wild monster! No way, Paimon have to come up with a bad nickname for her too!"
"For once, I agree with you, Paimon!" Lumine laughed, hands on her hips.
"...Hmm, let's call her 'Grumpy Junior Sister' then!" Paimon rubbed her chin, thinking for a few seconds before her eyes lit up.
"That's not much of a nickname," Nolan commented, just as the boy he was holding spoke up. "Hey, who are you guys? Did you come to rescue me? Put me down!"
"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot." Nolan realized he was still holding the boy.
As he set the boy down, he used Anemo to cut through the tightly bound ropes. The boy landed with a thud.
"Hey, couldn't you be gentler?" Zhao Bing stood up, brushing off his pants, and complained.
"Hmph, we just saved your life. Show some gratitude!" Paimon retorted, hands on her hips, feeling that he was as grumpy as the "Grumpy Junior Sister."
"Ahem, you're right. I am Zhao Bing, the young master of the Five Blades Gate. To express my gratitude, would you honor us by visiting our 'Five Blades Gate'?"
Zhao Bing tried to be formal, clasping his hands in a polite gesture.
"Uh," Paimon looked uncertain, glancing at Lumine and Nolan for guidance.
"Forget it. We saved you because it was convenient. We need to head to Liyue Harbor and can't afford to waste any more time," Lumine said, shaking her head, her golden hair swaying.
At this, Zhao Bing's eyes widened. "That won't do! You saved me, the young master. If we don't show any gratitude, what will people think of the Five Blades Gate?!"
Just give us something valuable. That's better than useless words. Nolan thought silently.
Of course, to maintain his image, he didn't say that. Instead, he nodded gently in agreement with Lumine.
(End of Chapter)
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