บท 71: Chapter 71
In a seaside room at the Listening Sea Teahouse, three people sat together.
Three cups of hot tea sat on the table, but no one had touched them.
Shenhe quietly looked at Xia Zhi, who kept his head slightly lowered, while Yanfei thoughtfully observed them both.
The atmosphere in the room felt somewhat strange.
After pondering for a moment, Xia Zhi spoke: "Miss Shenhe."
"Yes."
"You say I'm your master's lifesaver?"
"That's correct."
"May I ask who your master is?"
"Cloud Retainer."
Upon hearing this, Yanfei's expression showed slight surprise: "I didn't expect Miss Shenhe to be that adeptus's disciple."
"You know of her, Miss Yanfei?"
"Of course. Mr. Xia might not be familiar since he's from outside Liyue, but the people of Liyue are very familiar with Cloud Retainer. She was one of the Three Eyes And Five Manifestations (mighty and illuminated ) who fought alongside Rex Lapis. Since Liyue's founding, she has shown her adeptal form many times, often walking among humans in her crane form, just like Mountain Shaper."
"Crane form?"
"Yes."
"I think I understand now..."
Xia Zhi hadn't realized that the injured crane he had saved before had such a noble identity. He had thought she was just an ordinary mystical beast.
The other night, while walking at the harbor with Zhu Zi, he had been thinking about how she had left without a word, wondering if they would ever meet again. He hadn't expected to meet her disciple today.
It seemed their connection hadn't ended.
"Miss Shenhe, is your master... doing well?"
"Master is fine, she's in seclusion."
"That's good to hear."
"So why have you come down from the mountain?"
"Master said you're unfamiliar with Liyue and being blind must make life difficult, so she sent me to take care of you."
"I see."
That explained why Shenhe had said those words when they first met.
The little crane was quite grateful.
Shenhe looked at Xia Zhi and said seriously: "Come with me, I'll take care of you from now on."
Xia Zhi smiled gently and asked: "How does Miss Shenhe plan to take care of me?"
Shenhe thought for a moment and said: "Whatever you want, I'll find it for you."
What a straightforward way of caring for someone.
Xia Zhi shook his head and said with a smile: "I don't really want anything, and I'm doing quite well now. There's no need for Miss Shenhe to take care of me. Please thank your master for her concern."
Shenhe froze for a moment and asked: "No need?"
"No, there's no need."
Shenhe fell silent, seeming unsure what to do.
"Does Miss Shenhe have other business to attend to while down from the mountain?"
"I needed to deliver something for Master."
"Do you need any help?"
"No need, I've already delivered it."
"Will Miss Shenhe be returning to the mountain then?"
"I... won't be going back..."
"Oh?"
"I'm not actually an adeptus, I was just taken in by Master when I was young. Master is entering extended seclusion for cultivation, and hopes I can use this opportunity of coming down the mountain to return to human society."
"I see, so Miss Shenhe plans to stay in Liyue long-term?"
"Yes."
"Have you found a place to stay?"
"Not yet."
"Do you have enough money?"
"I brought 150,000 Mora."
"150,000 Mora should be enough for short-term rent. Do you have any plans for your future life, Miss Shenhe?"
"Plans..."
"Like what kind of work you'd like to do."
"I don't know..."
"Finding a job is the best way to quickly integrate into human society. Is there anything you're particularly good at, Miss Shenhe?"
"I know some adeptal arts, and I can make some adeptal talismans..."
"Those are too advanced and might be difficult to find work with. Do you have any more... ordinary skills, Miss Shenhe?"
"I'm good with a polearm."
"You could be an adventurer, but that work isn't stable and requires constant travel. It wouldn't help much with integrating into human society."
"I'm very strong."
"The harbor does have many porter jobs, but that work is too noisy and tiring, and mostly done by men. It wouldn't be suitable for Miss Shenhe to work in such an environment."
"Then I... don't know what else..."
A hint of dejection crept into Shenhe's voice.
Having lived on the mountain with her master for years, eating only things like Qingxin flowers that grew there, she had never needed to learn cooking. The most housework she did was washing her master's clothes.
Besides what she had mentioned, she really didn't know how to do anything else.
Perhaps she truly wasn't suited for returning to the mortal realm...
Shenhe thought glumly to herself.
"Since Miss Shenhe doesn't have any specific plans yet, why not try working at my little shop? What do you think?"
"Your... shop?"
"Yes, you might not know since you just came down from the mountain, but I've opened a small specialty beverage shop in Liyue. Although we already have one server, sometimes it gets too busy for her to handle alone. I was considering hiring another server, and it would be perfect if Miss Shenhe could help out at the shop."
"I've never been a server before..."
"It's simple work - just taking customers' orders and bringing them their drinks."
"Then... alright."
Shenhe nodded, accepting the offer.
In her view, this was also a way of taking care of him.
She could finally fulfill her master's request.
"There are several empty rooms upstairs at the shop, all very clean. They just need a bit of tidying up. If Miss Shenhe doesn't mind, you could move in with us. You'll save on rent, and it'll be convenient for work."
"Alright."
Shenhe nodded again, not particularly concerned about living conditions.
In her mind, living together would allow her to take care of him in daily life.
Like washing clothes - his blindness made many things inconvenient, so she could help him.
"As for work arrangements and compensation, Miss Shenhe will have the same terms as our other server: five days on, two days off, nine to six, with a monthly salary of 10,000 Mora. How does that sound?"
"Fine."
"Then it's settled."
Xia Zhi nodded, glancing at the golden progress bar above Shenhe that now showed [Progress: 3%], and took a sip of the now-cold tea.
Finally sorted out.
He didn't really care about unlocking the treasure chest - he mainly didn't want to see the crane's disciple suffer.
Although Miss Shenhe seemed very capable, their few exchanges had made it clear that she wasn't very worldly, likely due to living on the mountain for so long.
With such a pure and straightforward personality, who knew what trouble she might get into if she just dove into human society on her own.
*Sigh*, and she said she would take care of me.
Never mind, let me take care of you instead.
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