Xinyue Pavilion
In the large private dining room, Luo Qing and Shenhe sat at opposite ends of a round rotating table, nearly two meters apart. The table was covered with an array of Xinyue Pavilion's finest dishes.
Luo Qing wouldn't be staying in Liyue much longer, so he wanted to enjoy authentic Liyue cuisine a few more times before leaving. He had the server bring one of every signature dish Xinyue Pavilion had to offer, all charged to the Northland Bank's account.
Staring at the table full of beautifully presented dishes, Shenhe sat silently, not even picking up her chopsticks. Her stillness was in stark contrast to Luo Qing's enthusiastic feasting.
Seeing her remain motionless, occasionally glancing at him devouring the meal, Luo Qing paused, lowering his chopsticks in confusion.
"Miss Shenhe, why aren't you eating? Don't you like the food here?"
"You only said I should accompany you here. You didn't say I had to eat."
Just as she finished speaking, a faint rumble echoed through the room.
Luo Qing froze. There were only two of them in the room, and his stomach was already full of delicacies (including Hu Tao's infamous Golden Fish Soup), so the sound clearly hadn't come from him.
Even immortals' stomachs can rumble when they're hungry, huh…
Seeing Luo Qing's direct stare, Shenhe quickly turned her head away, refusing to meet his gaze.
From behind her back, she pulled out a small pouch, opened the drawstring, and delicately picked out a pale petal of Qingxin flower, slipping it into her mouth.
"Just nibbling on Qingxin petals won't satisfy your hunger, Miss Shenhe. If you want to eat, go ahead," Luo Qing said with a smile. He got up, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and offered them to her.
"I never said I wanted to eat."
Shenhe tilted her head slightly, showing little interest in accepting the chopsticks from Luo Qing's hand.
"Look, if you don't eat, that's like slapping me in the face. And if you don't respect me, then I won't keep my promise to duel you later," Luo Qing teased, still holding out the chopsticks.
By now, he felt he had figured out Shenhe's… triggers. Not in a bad way—just her personality.
A girl with an aloof yet adorable demeanor… How could he resist teasing her a little?
Seeing Shenhe still hesitate, Luo Qing added, "I'm serious. If you don't eat, I'm leaving. Three... two..."
"..."
Shenhe's indecision showed on her face. As Luo Qing counted, it seemed as though each number tightened a knot inside her.
"One—"
Just as Luo Qing was about to withdraw his hand, Shenhe, head bowed, grabbed the chopsticks he held, stopping him.
[Frustration Value from Shenhe +1]
"That's the spirit! Eating good food is the key to a… um, healthy body! Here, try this—Liyue's famous Golden Broth Beef," Luo Qing said with a grin. He released the chopsticks and sat back down, spinning the table to bring the dish of beef to Shenhe.
Ah… Hu Tao's cooking really left an impression.
Holding the chopsticks, Shenhe stared at the dish in front of her, feeling strangely conflicted.
She had come here to duel Luo Qing, to settle things.
So why was she doing everything he suggested?
Annoyed with herself, Shenhe stubbornly picked up a piece of beef and bit down hard.
After the meal, she would definitely give Luo Qing a proper thrashing!
"That's it! Now try this one…"
Seeing Shenhe finally start eating, Luo Qing felt a surge of joy, a sense of pride like he'd just guided a wayward child back onto the right path.
No longer focusing only on his own meal, he made sure that each time Shenhe picked up her chopsticks, he rotated the table to let her try another dish.
The spread was immense. Even though Shenhe only took a single bite from each dish, by the time she had sampled everything, her stomach had a slight bulge, the fabric of her tight black outfit noticeably stretched.
Before long, Shenhe set down her chopsticks and said softly, "I'm full."
Then, raising her gaze, she locked eyes with Luo Qing, a flicker of fighting spirit shining through.
"Now, will you duel me?"
"Emmm…"
Seeing the resolve in Shenhe's eyes, Luo Qing knew he had no choice.
"Alright. But Miss Shenhe, you've just eaten. It's not good to engage in vigorous activity right after a meal.
How about we go for a walk outside Liyue, find a quiet place, and have a nice… um, duel to settle things? A chance to walk off the meal?"
"..."
Shenhe frowned slightly, suspecting that Luo Qing might be stalling, and coldly said, "Swear it."
"Swear?"
Luo Qing was momentarily taken aback. He had to swear just to go for a walk?
"Swear that once we're outside Liyue, you'll fight me without any more excuses," Shenhe said firmly.
She had learned to be wary of Luo Qing's tricks.
Back in the mountains, when something bothered her, she would handle it head-on. This whole situation was utterly foreign to her.
"Fine," Luo Qing shrugged, pressing four fingers to his forehead. "I swear, by the name of Morax, the Geo Archon, that once we're outside Liyue Harbor, I will duel Miss Shenhe. If I break this promise, may I remain single forever. Does that work for you?"
"Hmph…"
Shenhe snorted coldly, getting up and heading for the door.
With night falling over Liyue, warm lanterns hung everywhere, casting a golden glow. Families strolled together, seemingly unbothered by the shadow of Osial that had so recently loomed over the city.
Shenhe walked ahead of Luo Qing, maintaining a slight distance between them. They looked almost like a couple in a quarrel, or perhaps a proud lady and her loyal attendant.
Every time she spoke to Luo Qing, Shenhe felt as if he was leading her by the nose.
But she hadn't spent much time outside the mountains and was a little awkward in conversation. Even when she knew Luo Qing was messing with her, she had no idea how to counter.
So she decided to remain silent, focusing instead on their impending duel, which she believed would bring closure.
The two walked from the southern part of Liyue to the cliffs on the eastern side without a word, yet somehow they knew when to stop.
"Here. This is the spot," Shenhe said, summoning her spear. With a swift motion, she leveled the tip at Luo Qing, eyes blazing with determination. If he gave even the slightest nod, she was ready to attack.
But just as she prepared to strike, Luo Qing raised his hand.
"Hold on!"
"..."
[Frustration Value from Shenhe +1]
"You swore—"
"I'm not trying to get out of it," Luo Qing said, shaking his head.
"What I said earlier still stands. If I lose, Miss Shenhe, I'll be at your mercy. But if you lose… shouldn't we have a fair wager on the table?"
"..."
Shenhe's brow furrowed slightly.
"What do you want…?"
Luo Qing shrugged casually. "If I win, Miss Shenhe, you'll have to promise me one thing. Deal?"
"..."
Hesitating, Shenhe pondered for a long moment before speaking. "Fine. But you cannot use that spiritual entity's power. It has to be a spear fight, and only a spear fight."
She wasn't foolish. She knew if Luo Qing used that spectral giant of his, she wouldn't stand a chance.
But if it came down to a test of spears, she, having trained from a young age, did not believe she would lose to him.
"Alright, no problem."
Luo Qing smiled, summoning the Millelith Spear.
After the last round of gacha pulls, he had maxed out the enhancements on the Millelith Spear with weapon enhancement cards.
The +20 Millelith Spear, with all attributes doubled, sank a third of its length into the sand as Luo Qing planted it firmly in the beach.
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T/N: Pretty late but uhh Millelith spear is basically the Lithic spear.
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If there are any mistakes let me know!
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