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Chapter 82: Reuniting with Xiangling
🕑 Added 2025-04-27 07:00:09 +0000 UTCTo be honest, apart from this possibility, Yun Fan couldn’t think of any other reason. This wasn’t arrogance or self-praise—after all, he did hold the title of Divine Lord.
And those who sat on the Qixing were no ordinary individuals. They would consider every possible factor. Without knowing Yun Fan’s stance on Rex Lapis’s death, their current approach was the best choice.
"Huh?" As Yun Fan pondered, he noticed a familiar girl walking toward him in the distance. She was dressed in purple tones and had a cute purple cat-eared hairstyle.
‘Is she here for me?’ Yun Fan thought for a moment but quickly shook his head. How could that be? She had never seen his true appearance. She must be here for some other reason. With that in mind, Yun Fan continued walking forward.
Ten meters… five meters… until they passed each other.
"Hmm?" After walking a few meters past Yun Fan, Keqing turned back with a puzzled expression, looking at the silver-haired young man who had just walked by. For some reason, he gave her a strangely familiar feeling, as if she had seen him somewhere before. Was it just her imagination?
The feeling only lasted a moment, and Keqing didn’t dwell on it. With Rex Lapis’s death, she had many things to attend to.
Yun Fan continued walking along the streets of Liyue Harbor and soon arrived at the entrance of Wanmin Restaurant. The aroma wafting from inside made him hesitate for a moment. It had been a long time since he’d eaten at Wanmin Restaurant. No matter how well Mondstadt’s Liyue-style dishes were made, they couldn’t compare to the authentic flavors of Liyue. Should he go in for a meal?
After hesitating for 0.1 seconds, Yun Fan resolutely stepped through the doors of Wanmin Restaurant. The matters of Liyue Harbor could wait. A full stomach would give him the energy to work.
"You’re… Mr. Yun Fan!? Oh my, it’s been a long time!" Seeing the newcomer, Chef Mao was momentarily stunned before warmly welcoming him. After all, it had been about a year since he last saw Yun Fan.
"Yes, it’s me. It’s been a while, Chef Mao. By the way, is Xiangling here?" Yun Fan smiled and nodded.
"Hahaha, indeed, indeed. Xiangling is in the courtyard, probably preparing some new ingredients. Go ahead and order, and I’ll call her for you."
"Thank you, Chef Mao." Yun Fan expressed his gratitude. He and Xiangling were good friends. If he had simply returned to Liyue, it would be one thing, but since he was already at Wanmin Restaurant, there was no reason not to say hello.
"Wow, Brother Yun Fan, it’s been so long!" In less than half a minute, Xiangling, who had heard Yun Fan was back, quickly abandoned her new dish in progress and ran out like an excited little deer.
"Haha, it’s been a while, Xiangling." Yun Fan smiled and ruffled Xiangling’s hair, causing her to blush shyly.
Yun Fan thought that having a little sister like Xiangling wouldn’t be so bad.
"Brother Yun Fan, I heard you went to Mondstadt. Why didn’t I see you there?" Xiangling asked curiously. She had heard from Lumine that Yun Fan was in Mondstadt City. During her recent trip to Mondstadt to study cooking, she had even visited the Good Hunter, as Lumine had mentioned, but she had never seen Yun Fan.
"Uh, I’m not sure. Maybe it was just a coincidence." Yun Fan chuckled awkwardly. He couldn’t very well say that he was a hands-off manager who never bothered with the Good Hunter’s affairs, could he?
"Is that so? Brother Yun Fan, do you know Lumine and Paimon?"
"Yes, they’re my travel companions. We’re currently traveling through the seven nations, and Liyue is our second stop. Why, have you seen Lumine somewhere?" Yun Fan briefly explained his relationship with Lumine and then asked Xiangling about her.
"Travel companions, huh… Lumine and Paimon went with Hu Tao. They’re probably staying at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor now."
"Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? What a coincidence." Yun Fan chuckled softly. If that was the case, Lumine might have already met Zhongli. Things were no longer following the original storyline, and that made things more interesting.
"Yeah, Hu Tao was very enthusiastic that day. Oh, by the way, would you like to try my new dish?" At this point, Xiangling looked at Yun Fan with eager anticipation.
"Uh, sure…" Seeing Xiangling like this, Yun Fan couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He had no choice but to agree to be her taste tester. It looked like he was going to be a guinea pig once again.
——————
The scene shifted back to the Traveler duo. At this moment, Lumine and Paimon were high above in a floating castle—none other than Ningguang’s Jade Chamber.
"Miss Lumine, any progress on the matter?" Ningguang looked at the somewhat distracted Lumine and routinely inquired about her commission.
"Yes, there’s been some progress. We’ve already made contact with Childe, but…" Lumine hesitated.
"Miss Lumine, feel free to speak."
"Childe already knew about us. When we met, he recognized me at first glance. Today, when we met with Childe, he gave us a talisman called the Sigil of Permission. He said he would pay us a large sum to go to Jueyun Karst and seek out the adepti, hoping to quickly capture the culprit behind Rex Lapis’s death and bring justice." Lumine laid out Childe’s plan in full. She didn’t believe the Fatui had good intentions. It was possible that they were behind the assassination of Rex Lapis.
"Let the adepti bring justice? Hmph, I think the real goal isn’t justice but to have the adepti hold the Qixing and Liyue accountable, throwing the entire Liyue Harbor into chaos." Ningguang snorted disdainfully. She acknowledged that this Tartaglia had some intelligence, but only a little.
Hearing Ningguang’s explanation, Lumine immediately understood the underlying meaning. This Childe guy was definitely no good.
"Hold accountable? Then maybe we shouldn’t go looking for the adepti." Although Paimon didn’t fully grasp the situation, she was very sensitive to words like "hold accountable."
"No, Miss Lumine, proceed with Childe’s plan. Go to Jueyun Karst and invite the adepti to Liyue Harbor." After a moment of contemplation, Ningguang closed her eyes and spoke to Lumine.
"Why?" Paimon was puzzled. If the adepti were going to hold Liyue accountable, why invite them?
"You can’t keep a lid on this forever. News of Rex Lapis’s death will eventually reach the adepti. Rather than trying to hide it, it’s better for us to inform them ourselves." Ningguang paused, her tone tinged with concern as she continued.
"Recently, the Fatui in Liyue Harbor have been unusually quiet. I believe this is just the calm before the storm. They’re definitely planning something big. Inviting the adepti is also to ensure Liyue’s safety."
