In the field of divination, there exist many taboos.
One of the most important rules is: "One must not pry into the affairs of a god."
At the level of deities, even whispering their names is enough to draw their attention, let alone using divination to invade their privacy.
Unless, of course, one possesses a divine artifact or some special power—or is a god themselves…
Not long ago, during Liyue's annual Rite of Descension, an unprecedented event occurred—the assassination of the Geo Archon.
When the Traveler delivered this shocking news to the Adepti, including Moon Carver, they immediately attempted to verify the Archon's safety.
Moon Carver had performed a divination for Morax.
The result? A blank divination—which, in itself, confirmed that the Geo Archon was unharmed.
However, back then, the Mora used for divination had not split apart like now.
That was because Morax, though aware of the attempt, had chosen not to interfere. If he had wanted to, he could have shattered the coins just the same.
At present, the shop was lively, filled with the sounds of customers laughing and chatting.
Yet, under Xia Ci's gaze, the two Adepti felt an eerie silence descend upon them—as if they had been plunged into absolute stillness.
Fortunately, Xia Ci didn't stare at them for long.
After glancing their way briefly, she turned back to her work.
With her gaze withdrawn, the suffocating pressure on the two Adepti instantly lifted.
The sound of the bustling shop returned to their ears, as if they had just been pulled back into reality.
Both hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to look at her any longer, only to realize that cold sweat had formed on their backs.
That was terrifying.
They dared not gossip any further. Hastily cleaning up the ruined Mora, they silently finished their juice and snacks—so hurriedly that they didn't even savor the flavors—and quickly bid farewell to Yaoyao and Xia Zhi before leaving the shop.
As they passed the entrance, they brushed shoulders with Xia Ci, who was welcoming new customers.
She looked at them and, in an oddly gentle voice, softly said, "Don't do that again."
The two Adepti froze.
Then, like nodding chickens, they frantically bobbed their heads, "Yes, yes, yes!"
They walked far, far away from the shop before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
Exchanging glances, they noticed—each other's foreheads were covered in sweat.
"That girl… did you notice? She looks a lot like someone from Sumeru's past…"
"Yes… she does."
The Seven Archons often gathered in Liyue in ancient times.
While the Adepti never directly participated in those high-level meetings, they had still seen them before.
The memory was distant, blurred by time, but now, after that encounter, they found themselves recalling a certain figure.
Comparing their recollections, they realized—Xia Ci bore a 60-70% resemblance to the former Dendro Archon, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
"She looks just like… a younger version of Her."
"But why would She be here?"
"I don't know… The rumors said that She disappeared long ago. Now Sumeru has a new god…"
"But Lord Morax must have known about Her presence here. If She is truly that person, it makes sense that Morax would allow Her to stay in Liyue."
"She's Mr. Xia's cousin…"
"You actually believe that excuse?"
"This is your fault! If you hadn't insisted on divination, I wouldn't have lost my precious old Mora…"
"Wait, wait… what if—just hear me out—what if she's actually Her daughter?"
"???"
Moon Carver fell silent.
"Let's just stop talking about Her."
"Agreed. Let's pretend today never happened. Let's go play mahjong."
"Yes."
The two quickened their pace and left.
Just before reaching Feiyun Tea House, Moon Carver had a sudden thought.
When he was cleaning up the ruined Mora, he had noticed something.
Despite being split apart by an unspeakable force, the coins had still formed an incomplete divination pattern.
A blank reading.
Naturally, at Her level, a blank result was inevitable.
But strangely enough…
This pattern felt oddly similar to Ying'er's divination.
Both seemed linked to Mr. Xia…
Someone capable of making Her willingly run errands?
Xia Zhi was growing more and more mysterious…
Moon Carver shook his head, dismissing the thought.
No need to overthink.
Mahjong! Mahjong!
As they stepped into Feiyun Tea House, a waiter smiled and greeted them.
"Welcome! Registration is now open."
"Registration? For the Mahjong King Tournament?"
"Yes, sign-ups are available across four districts in Liyue, but each person may only enter once. Would you like to register?"
"Yes."
—
By 5 PM, the shop had finished its evening shift, and everyone was cleaning up.
With the shop space doubled, cleaning had become a bit more work.
Thankfully, they now had two extra hands to help.
At that moment, Lady Ningguang arrived—with her secretary in tow.
"Mr. Xia, congratulations."
"Lady Ningguang, welcome."
"Wait, isn't that Ying'er? What are you doing here?"
"Of course I'm here."
"?"
"Because I already belong to Mr. Xia now."
"You quit Scent of Spring?"
"Yep! Yesterday afternoon. Your intel is so outdated."
"I've been busy, okay? I don't have time for minor news like that."
"Tsk, how coldhearted. Calling the affairs of an old friend minor news. No time to check on me, but time for massages? I even taught you my most valuable skill back then!"
Xia Zhi's interest was piqued.
Most valuable skill?
Could it be… one of those scenes?
Ningguang sighed. "Stop making it sound misleading. I'm talking about sewing—she taught me how to make clothes."
"Mr. Xia…"
"Massage? Right this way, please."
Ningguang followed Xia Zhi into the back room, effortlessly settling onto the small bed.
He lit some incense.
"You and Ying'er know each other?"
"Yes, we've known each other for a long time. Her tailoring skills are excellent."
Xia Zhi nodded.
He recalled that, at some point, he had stolen a skill from Ningguang called [Tailoring Basics].
It seemed likely that Ying'er had been the one to teach her.
"Lady Ningguang, I didn't know you made your own clothes. I always assumed you commissioned high-end tailors."
"As a lady, one should at least have some skill in this area."
"I see… Would you like to use essential oils today?"
"Of course! The last one worked wonders! My skin has never been this smooth. I wanted to come back earlier, but since your shop was expanding, I waited until today."
"Everyone else has been saying the same thing. I've made two new essential oils—would you like to try them?"
"Absolutely!"
And then… there was nothing else to say.
If anything—Lady Ningguang's hand-feel was quite nice.
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