Lisa blinked and looked at her fingers. She gave them a squeeze—sure enough, the pain was gone.
If not for her sweat-soaked clothes, she might've thought she'd been dreaming.
"What kind of miraculous potion is this? It even countered an Abyssal curse…"
Lisa stared at Shao Yun in disbelief. There were so many questions she wanted to ask—what kind of potion could possibly nullify an Abyss curse?
Shao Yun hadn't expected it to work so well either. Judging from Lisa's current state, she was not only back to normal, but actually more energized—like a whole new woman.
"I just figured I'd give it a shot. Didn't expect it to actually work." Shao Yun looked at the bottle, which still had a bit left. He popped the cork back in and prepared to put it away.
"Wait!"
Lisa suddenly grabbed his wrist, her eyes burning with intensity as she stared at the green glass bottle—like a prospector who had just struck gold.
Her reaction was so intense that Shao Yun paused, giving her a strange look.
"Uh, Miss Lisa, maybe calm down a bit…"
"Ah, cough…"
Lisa quickly snapped out of it, pulled her hand back, and gave a little cough to mask her momentary outburst. Still, she couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Shao Yun, would you… mind if I…"
Even though she was trying to be bold, it was clearly hard for her to ask outright for something so valuable.
Shao Yun noticed how her eyes stayed locked on the bottle. He gave it a little shake in front of her.
"You want it?"
Lisa nodded slightly, her gaze fixed on the tonic with a hint of longing. Her expression was a mix of tension and hope, as if she feared rejection.
A potion capable of dispelling an Abyss curse would be a dream for any mage—not just Lisa. If this thing showed up at the Akademiya in Sumeru, the sages would be throwing punches to claim it.
As Lisa reached unconsciously toward the bottle, Shao Yun glanced at it—it was already opened. The efficacy had likely diminished.
He couldn't give away something so inferior, so he tucked it back into his backpack.
Lisa's lips involuntarily curled downward in disappointment. But then again, how could she expect someone she barely knew to give away such a rare item?
Still, he had saved her. Lisa began mentally planning a suitable thank-you gift.
"Here. Take this—unopened."
Shao Yun's voice struck Lisa like a bolt of lightning. She froze, eyes wide with disbelief, utterly stunned.
Seeing her just staring, Shao Yun raised an eyebrow and gently pressed the potion into her hands.
"Hey, you okay?" He waved his hand in front of her face. "Still feeling weak? Should I talk to Acting Grand Master Jean—tell her you need rest?"
"Ah…" Lisa looked at the bottle in her hands. It didn't feel real. He was just… giving this to her?
To be fair, Shao Yun did feel a bit of heartache. The materials had been hard to gather, and crafting it had taken considerable effort. But since she'd asked for it...
Sigh. Let's just call it a contribution toward reputation.
"Thank you. I really don't know how to repay you." Lisa returned to her usual sultry tone, smiling sweetly.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a small favor." Shao Yun replied modestly, though inwardly, he was already imagining what kind of gift Lisa might give. Maybe a free weapon from the blacksmith? Or perhaps a new outfit from Mondstadt's general store?
As he let his thoughts drift, his eyes lingered on Lisa without realizing it—his gaze drifting slightly downward.
Lisa gently caressed her neck, her fingers brushing over her skin, eyes shimmering with mischief. In a smooth, magnetic voice, she said, "I'll prepare a proper thank-you gift. But for now…"
She ran her fingers through her sweat-dampened hair, then raised an eyebrow at Shao Yun.
"Staring at a lady while she's all sweaty… not very gentlemanly, you know."
Snapping out of it, Shao Yun quickly turned his head.
"Ah, sorry—I got distracted. Was just thinking."
Lisa smiled knowingly, her eyes dancing with playful cunning. She glanced over his face with a teasing glint.
"Oh? Thinking about… something inside perhaps?" Her hand slowly traced down from her collarbone, inching lower.
Flustered, Shao Yun backed up, raising his hands like he was surrendering.
"S-Sorry, Miss Lisa. I didn't mean to offend. I just remembered—I've got something to do. I'll be going now."
Turning around, he walked off. Lisa watched him leave, waving her hand softly.
"What a pity. Come visit me again sometime—I'll have tea and sweets ready."
"Thank you, Miss Lisa. I'll definitely come by when I can."
At the library door, Shao Yun paused. On a whim, he glanced back, wanting to check in once more.
"Make sure you rest well. The tonic cleared the side effects and restored your strength, but you should still take it easy."
"Thank you for your concern, my handsome and charming gentleman." Lisa brought her hand to her lips and blew him a soft, fleeting kiss.
Seeing her blow a kiss his way, Shao Yun grinned inwardly. Those two miracle tonics were totally worth it.
…
[Mission Complete: Lisa's Afternoon Tea unlocked. Can be triggered at the Knight of Favonius Library between 14:30–15:00 during free time. Currently unavailable.]
As soon as he stepped out of the Knight of Favonius Headquarters, the system gave a notification—Lisa's afternoon tea event had been unlocked.
That made sense. Free time probably referred to exploration downtime. After all, he was still mid-main quest.
He shelved the tea party idea for now. Since he'd stopped by to see Lisa, he didn't have time to change clothes at Amber's. Might as well head straight to the Cathedral and find Venti.
Leaving the headquarters, he expected just a few steps up to reach the Cathedral—but to his surprise, he had to pass through multiple residential zones.
Thankfully, while Mondstadt had grown larger, its overall layout remained the same. As long as he kept heading upward, he'd get there.
Climbing the final set of steps, a majestic, solemn structure came into view—the Cathedral of Favonius, its towering spires the most striking feature.
In the plaza before the cathedral stood the grand Anemo Archon statue. Seeing the scene, Shao Yun instinctively took out his notebook and sketched a quick landscape—capturing the view.
Just as he finished, he heard a distant shout.
"Stop right there! Don't run!"
Paimon's voice rang out across the plaza.
The system updated the quest.
[Current Objective: Intercept Venti.]
The moment the prompt appeared, a green figure came sprinting up from below toward the plaza.
Looking closer—it was Venti. There was a playful glint on his face, like he was enjoying a game of tag with Lumine and Paimon.
Judging by the timing, the story had reached the point of meeting Venti. Since the mission said to intercept him—well, that's what he'd do.
Shao Yun dove into the tall grass beside the stairs, perfectly still, blending into the greenery.
Eyes fixed on the stairs, he planned his move. Should he jump out and startle Venti?
Just then, Venti appeared at the top of the stairs. Shao Yun's eyes sharpened. He held his breath, waiting for the perfect moment.
Venti glanced back at his pursuers with a carefree smile—completely unaware of the bear-like man about to ambush him.
With a sudden leap, Shao Yun sprang out from the grass and blocked Venti's path.
Caught off guard, Venti turned right into him, face-first.
"Ah!" Venti stumbled back, holding his nose.
Realizing he'd bumped into someone, he quickly apologized.
"Sorry! I didn't see you there."
Wait a minute—Barbatos, the Anemo Archon himself, being this careless?
Oh… right. He'd been interrupted during the purification of Dvalin and suffered curse backlash.
Stormterror, once the Dragon of the East Wind, had turned violent from Abyss corruption.
Lisa had nearly passed out from simply touching the cursed crystal, and only Shao Yun's Special Miracle Tonic had saved her.
So, it was understandable that Venti's senses were dulled—he was injured and weakened.
Still, the mission came first. Lumine and Paimon were trying to catch him—he couldn't let Venti escape. But he wouldn't need to get physical. Just blocking his path would be enough.
"My companion seems to be chasing you, so… you're not going anywhere."
Venti immediately recognized the voice. They'd spoken back in Whispering Woods.
Opening his eyes, he saw the burly, bear-like man in front of him and realized it was the same one from before—clearly a friend of Lumine.
"Oh, it's you! I guess you've caught me now."
Seeing there was no need to run anymore—he'd successfully drawn Lumine and Paimon to the Anemo statue—Venti stayed put and waited for them to catch up.
There was still some distance, so with a little time to spare, he decided to ask the man his name.
"By the way, kind sir we met once before—what should I call you?" His voice had a playful lilt to it.
Since Venti clearly meant no harm, Shao Yun saw no reason to hide it.
"Usually, I go by Shao Yun."
The word usually piqued Venti's curiosity.
"Oh? And when is it not Shao Yun?"
"That depends on what kind of nonsense I need to make up at the time."
"Haha! You're fun." Venti grinned, clearly enjoying the humor.
"Oh, right—my name's Venti."