Hu Tao zoomed through the skies above Liyue Harbor on her flying motorcycle.
"Wahoooo!!"
This scene happened to be witnessed by Ningguang, who had stepped out onto the Jade Chamber's balcony for some fresh air.
"What is that?"
Keqing, who was working nearby, asked, "What's wrong, Ningguang?"
Ningguang pointed out the window. "Hall Master Hu's got some new toy. Want to come take a look?"
Keqing raised an eyebrow. "Hall Master Hu? What's she up to now?"
She slowly got up and walked to the window.
And saw—
Hu Tao is riding a flying motorcycle at high speed over Liyue Harbor, heading straight for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"What is that? What could allow Hall Master Hu to fly through the sky like that? Could it be an immortal artifact?"
Ningguang put down her pipe and straightened up.
"Why don't we go ask her directly? Baiwen."
The secretary, ever ready to serve, gave a slight bow. "I'll arrange it right away, Lady Ningguang."
Meanwhile, Hu Tao did a stylish drift and landed right in her courtyard.
Once the motorcycle stopped, she shut off the engine and hopped off.
Just as she was about to head to her room, she saw Zhongli approaching, holding a notebook.
"Consultant, you're back early today?"
Zhongli gave a gentle nod. "Yes, I bought a little something. Would you like to take a look?"
Hu Tao skipped over to him, leaving little trails of flame-shaped butterflies fluttering in the wind behind her.
She poked at the notebook in his hands. "What's this? Did you buy it from Ye Yun?"
Zhongli shook his head slightly. "No, this was a gift from Mr. Welt. It's called a 'laptop computer' and possesses many wondrous functions."
Seeing Hu Tao's clear interest, Zhongli offered, "Would you like to try it with me?"
Hu Tao's eyes lit up, and she eagerly agreed. "Hehe! That's what I wanted to hear!"
She snatched the laptop and dashed into the house.
Zhongli smiled and followed her inside.
Soon, they were back in Zhongli's room.
His place was elegantly decorated, filled with antiques and calligraphy paintings on the walls.
Hu Tao sat at the desk and opened the laptop. "Consultant, come here and teach me how to use it!"
Zhongli joined her, guiding her to enter the unlock password and open a media player where some movies and shows had already been downloaded.
Hu Tao browsed through and picked a horror film to watch.
As the screen lit up, spooky sounds soon filled the room.
Meanwhile, Ningguang and Keqing arrived at the funeral parlor, accompanied by a squad of Millelith.
The receptionist at the entrance quickly stood up to greet them. "Greetings, Lady Tianquan, Lady Yuheng."
Ningguang gave a small nod. "Is your Hall Master in?"
The receptionist thought for a moment—she hadn't seen Hu Tao leave today while on duty.
What she didn't know was that with a flying motorcycle, Hu Tao no longer needed to use the front door at all. Seriously, who even uses doors when you can fly? That's so outdated!
"She's home. Please, have a seat and some tea. I'll go fetch her."
The receptionist hurried into the courtyard.
As she entered, a piercing shriek rang out.
But she wasn't surprised—Hu Tao often brought back "guests" who made all sorts of noises. She was used to it by now.
Following the sounds, she realized they were coming from Zhongli's room.
She was a bit puzzled—Zhongli shouldn't be home at this hour. Usually, he'd be out enjoying music, especially today when Yun Jin had a performance.
But still, she went to check.
As she opened the door, to her surprise, both Zhongli and Hu Tao were there, sitting at a desk, completely absorbed in a glowing object in front of them.
Startled by the door opening, they looked up.
Hu Tao smiled. "Little sister, what brings you here? Is there business?"
The receptionist shook her head. "No, Lady Tianquan and Lady Yuheng are at the door. They said they need to speak with you."
Hu Tao blinked. "What could they want with me? Maybe they've got a big order for the parlor?"
After all, the Tianquan of today was Liyue's richest person—very rich.
"Alright, I'll go right away."
She paused her video and said to Zhongli, "Consultant, wait for me—we'll finish watching it together when I get back!"
Then she dashed outside.
Zhongli watched her leave and already guessed what Ningguang and Keqing were after—most likely the flying motorcycle.
He didn't mind; in fact, he hoped Hu Tao could help Ningguang and Keqing get acquainted with Ye Yun and the others. That way, he wouldn't have to do it himself.
Realizing Hu Tao might be gone a while, he took out his teaware and made himself a pot of tea.
Back on Hu Tao's side—
She entered the reception room with a bright grin. "Aiya~ No wonder the birds in the yard wouldn't shut up—it's because we have honored guests!"
"Lady Tianquan, Lady Yuheng, good afternoon. Have you eaten yet? If not, we can share a meal."
Ningguang smiled at her cheerful greeting. "Long time no see, Hall Master Hu. We came today to ask you something."
Hu Tao gestured for tea to be served and sat down. "Ask away. If I know, I'll tell."
Ningguang asked, "This afternoon, I saw someone flying through the skies of Liyue Harbor on some kind of magical device. Do you know who it was?"
Hu Tao answered directly, "That was me. And that thing isn't a magic artifact—I bought it from a friend."
Ningguang's eyes lit up. "Oh? A friend, you say. To be honest, I'm very interested in that item. Do you think your friend might have another one for sale?"
Her plan was to buy one, have Liyue's craftsmen study it, and potentially profit big if they could replicate it.
Hu Tao thought for a bit. "Hmmmm… probably! I'm going to visit that friend again tomorrow—why don't you come with me?"
Ningguang considered for a moment and agreed. "Alright. Mind if I bring two friends with me?"
Though Hu Tao was a loyal Liyue native, caution was still wise.
Hu Tao didn't mind at all. In fact, she was thinking about bringing more customers to Ye Yun—March 7th had told her that morning it was okay to bring friends to shop there.
***
After chatting with Hu Tao for a while, Ningguang and Keqing got up to leave.
"Master Hu, see you tomorrow."
Hu Tao got up and cupped her hands.
"Alright, see you tomorrow."
After Ningguang and Keqing left, Hu Tao looked at the sky—it was already around noon.
So, she asked the little ceremonial girl to bring lunch for both herself and Zhongli to Zhongli's room, planning to eat while watching a horror movie.
In the afternoon, she had plans with Xiangling and the others to go to Dihua Marsh to farm Primogems.
Back at the Jade Chamber, Ningguang had just entered her office when she heard a familiar voice.
"You called me back in such a hurry—what's the matter?"
Following the voice, Ningguang saw that it was none other than Yelan, Liyue's top intelligence agent.
"Of course, it's urgent. Otherwise, I wouldn't have called you."
Yelan leaned against a pillar, playing with a die in her hand, lost in thought.
"Let me think… Is it about that Fatui Harbinger who came to Liyue?"
Ningguang lit her pipe and replied,
"No, tomorrow I want you to come somewhere with me."
Yelan grew curious.
"Oh? Where?"
Sitting down at her desk, Ningguang took a gentle puff.
"You must've seen it too today—Hu Tao's flying gadget."
Upon hearing Hu Tao's name, Yelan smiled. She knew Hu Tao well. The two of them often encountered each other in the wild.
Yelan's missions were mostly at night, and Hu Tao's work also tended to take place after dark.
Over time, they became acquainted.
"You mean Little Hu Tao? Yeah, I saw it. You're not thinking of snatching her gadget, are you?"
Ningguang shook her head slightly.
"Of course not. I just went to talk to her. She's taking me to buy one tomorrow, and I want you to come with me."
Now Yelan understood. Ningguang basically wanted someone to watch her back.
But truth be told, Yelan was also quite interested in that flying motorcycle of Hu Tao's.
"What time tomorrow?"
Ningguang flicked some ash from her pipe.
"First thing in the morning. We'll meet at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor entrance."
Time flew, and soon it was afternoon.
Hu Tao rode her flying motorcycle to Wanmin Restaurant.
At that moment, Xingqiu, Chongyun, and Xiangling were already prepared and just waiting for her.
With a loud "Wahoo!", Hu Tao did a stylish landing drift in front of the trio.
She waved cheerfully.
"Good afternoon, my friends!"
Xingqiu and Chongyun stared at her, stunned. What the heck was that thing? It could fly?!
Xingqiu closed the book in his hand.
"Hu Tao, what is that thing?"
Hu Tao patted the seat of the flying motorcycle.
"Hehe, this is my latest treasure—a flying motorcycle! Cool, right?"
Xingqiu nodded and gave a thumbs up.
"Pretty cool indeed."
Hu Tao checked the time.
"Let's go. We better head out now. I've got things to do tomorrow, so let's come back early today."
Then she patted the motorcycle.
"Hop on, everyone. I'll take you flying!"
The three of them climbed on. Xiangling sat behind Hu Tao, and Xingqiu and Chongyun squeezed onto the back.
Four people—it was super cramped. But the flying motorcycle was fast, so they figured they could tough it out for a bit.
Hu Tao twisted the throttle, and the bike shot into the sky like a rocket.
She had grown fond of launching this way—it gave the biggest thrill.
Hu Tao was loving it, but for Xiangling, Xingqiu, and Chongyun, who had never ridden a motorcycle before, it was sheer terror. They screamed nonstop.
"Hu Tao! Slow down!!!"
Hu Tao, seeing their reactions, cranked the throttle even harder.
"What? Go faster? You got it!"
The flying motorcycle sped through the sky toward Dihua Marsh. The three passengers clung on for dear life, afraid they'd fall.
Yelan, just leaving the Jade Chamber, saw the scene and chuckled.
"Little Hu Tao's gadget is really something."
On a dock outside the Northland Bank, Childe also witnessed it.
"Interesting. Didn't expect Liyue to have something like that."
He glanced in the direction Hu Tao flew off to and followed.
Inside the Astral Express, it was nighttime. Everyone was gathered around the dining table for dinner.
Tonight's meal was pretty good—spicy hotpot. Ye Yun had made two big pots and set them on the table. Everyone helped themselves.
Stelle slurped her instant noodles with satisfaction.
"Ye Yun, can we have this hotpot from now on? It's sooo good!"
Ye Yun rolled his eyes.
"If you eat this all the time, you'll get inflamed. Once in a while is enough."
Stelle patted her chest.
"No worries. I'm healthy—I can take it!"
Ye Yun sighed.
"Klee and the little ones can't handle this kind of food."
Stelle fell silent. True, Klee and the kids had delicate stomachs.
Then Ye Yun remembered their plan to visit the ice fields tomorrow.
"By the way, have you all decided where we're going at the ice field?"
Stelle shook her head.
"Nope~ Got any ideas?"
Ye Yun thought for a moment.
"How about that spot above the Mechanical Settlement? Didn't Svarog dig a tunnel there? We can just use the portal—just a few steps and we'll be at the ice field."
Everyone agreed with Ye Yun's suggestion.
March 7th was already looking forward to tomorrow.
"I want to ride the snowmobile! I've wanted to try that for ages. Let's bring it with us tomorrow!"
Stelle immediately clapped in agreement. Great idea!
Ye Yun added,
"I'll bring a few snowboards, so we can go skiing."
He looked over at the three little ones sitting obediently.
"And some snow toys too, for Klee and the kids to build snowmen."
Welt spoke up.
"I won't be joining you guys tomorrow. I want to check out the northern part of Belobog—I heard there's something interesting there."
Dan Heng added,
"I'll go with Mr. Welt."
Everyone kept eating while discussing plans for tomorrow.
Just then, Silver Wolf walked out of her compartment, picked up a bowl, and scooped herself a large portion of spicy hotpot to bring back.
Stelle called out,
"Silver Wolf, wanna come with us tomorrow?"
Silver Wolf gave Stelle a look of disdain.
"No way. Playing in the snow sounds so boring. I'd rather stay in and play games. You guys go ahead."
With a full bowl of hotpot in hand, she returned to her room and slammed the door.
By now, everyone on the Astral Express had gotten used to her.
Before they knew her well, they thought she was some kind of dangerous criminal.
But now they knew—nope, just a hardcore gamer girl with a warm heart.
Like yesterday, when March 7's phone was acting up, Silver Wolf fixed it in seconds after spotting the problem.