"Wait!"
The Fatui squad leader jolted upright, shouting at the soldiers around him. "Find them! Find the two commanders!"
If either one of them was missing, he knew their respective superiors would skin him alive.
"No need to—cough—no need to look."
A rustling sound came from one of the dirt mounds as Tartaglia emerged, his clothes reduced to rags. If not for the blood and dust covering him, he could've easily been mistaken for a model fresh from a photo shoot.
"I'm fine. That guy over there should be fine too."
"Who said I'm fine? Cough."
Gu Sanqiu crawled out from another pile of dirt, coughing up blood in perfect sync with Tartaglia.
"We were both buried by the shockwave. By the time we figured out what was going on, you guys were already making a racket, so we didn't come out right away."
Tartaglia waved off his subordinates' concerns, giving a quick explanation. "Less talking, more action. Get me clean clothes and all the medical supplies you can find."
Gu Sanqiu stumbled forward, still unsteady on his feet. "Tell them to hurry up. I've got a feeling the Millelith will be here any minute. You wouldn't want to be dragged off by the guards while bleeding and dressed in rags, would you?"
The squad leader opened his mouth, about to protest that they were from Snezhnaya—what authority did the Millelith have over an Executor of the Fatui?
But one look at the devastation surrounding them made him wisely shut his mouth.
This wasn't a "sparring session" anymore; this was clearly a catastrophic explosion orchestrated by two walking calamities. Expecting the Millelith not to notice this would be like hoping the Tianquan would defect to Snezhnaya. Utterly impossible.
In the hastily erected tent, the two of them tended to their wounds. As a Hydro Vision user, Tartaglia had the luxury of quickly cleaning himself up, summoning water with a flick of his wrist.
"So, want me to give you a nice shower too?" Tartaglia teased, watching the water curl around his hand.
Gu Sanqiu glanced at the water swirling in Tartaglia's palm and quickly waved him off.
It wasn't that he was squeamish, but something about Tartaglia using Hydro powers to wash him just felt... wrong.
"I'll pass. Thanks."
Tartaglia laughed but didn't push it. "By the way, what was that last move you used? It matched my strongest attack head-on. I didn't expect a Fengxiang to have such power. You really surprised me."
"That? Just a family technique. Mountain-shaking Spear Arts."
With a subtle flick of his Vision, the dirt covering Gu Sanqiu's body crumbled to the ground. "What about yours?"
"Endless Whale Song," Tartaglia replied with a grin. "Something I came up with myself. First time using it in Liyue."
Tartaglia cocked his head, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "As a Fengxiang, aren't you supposed to be one of those exorcist types? You know, like the families or sects that fight monsters and demons? Why were you fighting me using only raw Vision power and martial arts?"
Gu Sanqiu's face twitched. "Let's just say... that's something you'll figure out in due time. Don't ask me."
"Ah, so there's a secret behind it," Tartaglia said, rubbing his nose. "Interesting."
"Sir, I brought the medicines you asked for~!"
A Fatui Electro Cicin Mage peeked through the tent flaps, several others standing behind her dressed in similar robes.
"Heehee, listen closely, maybe we'll hear something fun~."
"The Executor and that handsome guy are in there treating their wounds together~. Just imagine how exciting that must be~."
"Stop it! Don't touch me there!"
…
Gu Sanqiu and Tartaglia stared at each other, both completely bewildered.
(￣ー￣)
Do they think we went deaf from the fight?
Gu Sanqiu massaged his temples, wondering why, after all that, he suddenly found himself much less wary of the Fatui vanguard…
Do these people even have real combat ability?
"Ahem!" Tartaglia cleared his throat, clearly unable to tolerate his subordinates' antics any longer. "Good job. Now get out. And don't come back unless we call for you."
As the sound of giggling gradually faded outside the tent, Gu Sanqiu shot Tartaglia a teasing look.
"So, how does it feel to be admired by your subordinates that way?"
"Cough!" Tartaglia flushed slightly, embarrassed. "That's not admiration. They just like to watch a spectacle."
Desperate to change the subject, Tartaglia muttered, "Anyway, forget about that. Who do you think they'll send to haul us in for questioning?"
"Does it matter?" Gu Sanqiu shrugged. "What matters is whether or not we'll get slapped with a travel ban."
"Yeah, you're probably right. There's no way we're getting out of this without fines and formal reprimands."
"Exactly," Gu Sanqiu agreed. "Let's just hope Liyue has a 'good deeds cancel out bad deeds' policy or something."
Tartaglia's expression shifted, and a smirk crept onto his face. "Well, if that's the case, I might be able to offer some useful information to help you out. In exchange, maybe you can help me get out of this mess too."
"Oh? What kind of information?"
"Somewhere in Liyue, the average temperature has increased by five degrees. The source is located in a cave near Cuijue Slope."
Tartaglia's smirk widened. "Care to guess what's lurking in there?"
Gu Sanqiu's eyes flickered with recognition.
"The Pyro Regisvine. Right… I'd almost forgotten. So, it's that time of year again, huh?"
Tartaglia blinked, stunned. "Wait… you knew?"
"Of course I knew." Gu Sanqiu rolled his eyes as he applied the last of the salve to his wounds. "Do you even know who you're talking to?"
"I'm a Fengxiang by blood, practically a living encyclopedia for Liyue's history. Do you really think I wouldn't know about something like that?"
"Besides," Gu Sanqiu added with a grin, "maybe you'd like to join me in a nice, cozy prison cell after all this?"
Tartaglia chuckled darkly. "Want to bet? I guarantee I'll spend less time in a cell than you. I am, after all, a Snezhnayan envoy. There's only so much they can do to me."
"But you?" Tartaglia smirked. "That's a different story."
Gu Sanqiu raised an eyebrow. "You're probably right. Which is why I'm not dumb enough to bet against you."
"Ahem, both of you," a voice called from outside the tent. "The Millelith is here. Leading them is Lady Keqing."
The scout hesitated, then added nervously, "She looks... furious."
Gu Sanqiu sighed. "Well, can't say that's a surprise. If this kind of thing happened on Snezhnaya's soil, the Fatui wouldn't exactly greet the intruders with smiles either."
Tartaglia stood, stretching. "Let's go. I'll explain the situation."
"Actually, that brings up a good point. Do you think anyone even can read your soldiers' expressions? With all those masks, unless someone can sense killing intent or has X-ray vision, no one has a clue what your men are thinking."
Tartaglia stumbled a bit, glaring at Gu Sanqiu, who wore an entirely innocent expression.
"Where exactly did you learn to be such a smartass?"
"Isn't it just common sense to aim for the weak spot?"
(°ー°〃)
"Okay, fair point," Tartaglia grumbled, admitting defeat.
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