Time slowly passed, and as noon approached, the preliminary rounds in the Feiyun Slope district came to an end amidst intense matches.
Inside the teahouse sat the final four participants—the strongest and luckiest of the competitors.
Aside from his cousin, there was another participant Xia Zhi recognized.
It was Moon Carver.
Xia Zhi guessed that this adeptus had secretly used his fortune-telling abilities during the match.
After sitting down, Moon Carver looked at his cousin sitting across from him, his expression becoming slightly uneasy. "Miss Xia Ci…"
What do you do when you're at the same table as a god? Asking for a friend, it's urgent.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata nodded lightly. "Hmm."
Seeing that she wasn't particularly interested in engaging with him, Moon Carver breathed a small sigh of relief.
Of course, with Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's amiable nature, she must have long since stopped caring about his previous attempt to detect her fate.
No need to scare himself anymore.
Moon Carver glanced at the other two participants, both ordinary people.
Just luck-based players. Their journey ends here.
After some time, a staff member from the Feiyun Commerce Guild loudly announced, "The preliminary rounds in the Feiyun Slope district have concluded successfully. Congratulations to Miss Xia Ci for advancing to the finals! The Mahjong King Tournament finals, like the Cooking King Contest, will be held at the grand square of Yiyan Hall at 2 PM. The finals' format will differ from the preliminaries, promising even more excitement and intensity. Everyone is welcome to attend!"
After announcing the results, the staff turned to Xia Ci.
"Please arrive at the venue at least ten minutes early for some pre-match preparations."
"Understood."
"Thank you for your cooperation. We wish you a victorious start and glory for the Feiyun Slope district."
"Hmm, but with four winners from Liyue's four districts, the finals will have exactly four participants. What if I choose to withdraw now? How would the remaining three compete?"
"In such a case, we would implement an emergency plan, selecting the second-highest scorer from your final match as a substitute."
"I see."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata walked out of the teahouse, calmly accepting the various gazes directed at her.
"Cousin, I won."
"Congratulations."
"The finals are this afternoon. I wonder who the other participants from the other districts will be."
"We'll find out then."
"Miss Yun Jin is here too."
"Miss Xia Ci, congratulations on your victory."
"Thank you. Oh, where are Zhu Zi and the others? Where did they go?"
"They went to the market to buy groceries."
"Oh, to celebrate for me? They've worked so hard."
"You're overthinking it. This is their own welfare."
"Huh?"
"I gave them a hidden welfare. Even if they lose, they can still order a dish."
"Really? You're spoiling them."
"What spoiling? This is just a boss's normal care for his employees."
"Right, right. Let's head back."
Xia Zhi nodded and turned around. "Mr. Zhongli, Mr. Mountain Shaper, Mr. Moon Carver, goodbye."
"Goodbye."
After watching Xia Zhi and the others walk away, Moon Carver whispered, "I've embarrassed you."
Zhongli remained calm. "It's fine. As long as you enjoyed yourself. I didn't win against her either. Let's go eat."
Mountain Shaper whispered, "If we'd known she was participating, we would've signed up in another district."
Moon Carver sighed. "We'll try again next year."
At noon, Xia Zhi prepared a table full of delicious dishes, braised chicken, sweet and sour fish, braised pork, lion's head, and sour and spicy shredded potatoes, to comfort his employees who were feeling down after their losses.
Miss Yun Jin once again tasted dishes she had never tried before, her eyes sparkling.
Unfortunately, her appetite was too small.
After finishing one bowl of rice, she couldn't eat anymore and had to put down her chopsticks, sitting to the side and watching everyone eat with a hint of envy.
After the meal, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata went to the bathhouse to relax.
Out of curiosity, Xia Zhi quietly asked Phantom Mirror who the finalists for the afternoon would be.
The mirror revealed three familiar names.
Xia Zhi was slightly stunned.
He put the mirror away, marveling at how wonderful fate could be.
By the time Greater Lord Rukkhadevata finished her bath, it was already past 1 PM. Everyone headed to Yiyan Hall.
During the Cooking King Contest, Xia Zhi had been busy cooking in the shop and hadn't joined the festivities.
This time, he finally witnessed the bustling scene, which felt even livelier than when he had come to offer incense to the Geo Archon during the shop's opening.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata followed the waiting staff into the competition area to prepare. When she saw the other three finalists, she was also momentarily stunned.
Ten minutes later, the host began the announcements.
"Welcome everyone to the finals of the first Liyue Mahjong King Tournament. I've been invited by the Feiyun Commerce Guild to serve as the notary and host for this event…"
"The format of the finals is simple. The match will continue until one player's chips are completely depleted. The player with the most chips at the end will be crowned this year's Mahjong King."
"Now, let me introduce the four finalists."
"From the Harbor District—Liyue's most outstanding lawyer, Miss Yanfei, who has never lost a case!"
"From Chihu Rock—the owner of Yanshang Teahouse, Miss Yelan, who consistently rolled double sixes during the preliminaries!"
"From Yujing Terrace—the lucky star of the preliminaries, Miss Ganyu, who always won with high-scoring hands!"
"And from Feiyun Slope—the youngest participant in this tournament, Miss Xia Ci!"
The shop's employees watched as the four familiar figures stepped forward, their expressions changed.
They were all acquaintances.
Xia Zhi smiled and said, "Do you want to guess who'll win the championship?"
Zhu Zi glanced around and said with certainty, "Miss Ganyu!"
Chi Yu also nodded. "I think it'll be Miss Ganyu too!"
They were reminded of the fear of being dominated by Ganyu's [Auspiciousness]. That sense of helplessness was truly unforgettable.
A passerby nearby overheard their discussion and disagreed, "I think luck-based players won't get far."
"…"
You know nothing about true luck-based players.
Shenhe looked at her senior sister and said, "Senior sister doesn't seem to have revealed her identity as the secretary of the Yuehai Pavilion."
"Miss Ganyu probably didn't want to cause any trouble."
"Boss."
"Hmm?"
"Miss Yelan… she doesn't seem to be in good condition."
"Really?"
"Yes, I noticed it too. She looks very tired, especially around her eyes. Her dark circles are really heavy."
"Her job is already demanding. To make time for today's tournament, she must have been working overtime last night."
"That makes sense!"
On stage, Yelan glanced at Xia Zhi standing below.
I can't do this anymore. I really can't hold on. How many days has it been since I've slept?
After the finals, I'll have to ask Mr. Xia if there's a solution for drinking too much of that tea.
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