Genshin Impact: Dionysus reigns supreme, all demons retreat!

Xu Ning patted Xiangling's head and smiled, "Of course you can. Maybe we can go to even more places in the future."

Having received Xu Ning's affirmative answer, Xiangling happily skipped and hopped towards Wanmintang.

"Xingqiu, what are you doing here? Were you waiting for me?"

Upon hearing Xiangling's words, Xu Ning looked up towards the entrance of Wanmintang.

A handsome young boy, dressed in fine clothes, stood smiling beside Xiangling.

“My father saw that I was engrossed in studying all day long, so he wanted me to go out and explore. But I wasn’t interested in doing business, so I told my father that I wanted to learn martial arts, and he agreed.”

Xiangling was heartbroken when she heard this. "You're leaving already? I just found a lot of new and interesting ingredients in the mountains today, and I was just about to cook some new dishes for you to try!"

Xingqiu wanted to explain to Xiangling that he wasn't leaving immediately, but upon hearing Xiangling's request to taste the dishes, he immediately put on a regretful expression.

"Oh dear, that's such a pity. If we weren't so pressed for time, I would really love to have a good taste."

Xu Ning couldn't help but laugh at the little rascal's cunning expression.

Xingqiu is the complete opposite of Xiangling's innocent and straightforward personality. I don't know how the two of them became childhood sweethearts.

Xingqiu, fearing that Xiangling would continue to dwell on the topic of new dishes, immediately changed the subject and asked a question.

"What kind of creature is this short, fat guy? He seems to like you quite a bit."

Xiangling patted the rice crust next to her and said proudly, "It's called rice crust, and it's a good friend I met in the mountains."

Xingqiu curiously looked at Guoba for a few moments, wanting to reach out and touch Guoba's round ears.

Unexpectedly, Guoba had just heard Xingqiu call it "short fatso," and made an angry expression, dodging Xingqiu's hand.

Xingqiu withdrew his hand slightly embarrassed, his eyes darting around as he said with a mischievous grin, "Have you ever tried feeding it some really spicy chili peppers? It might just give you a fire-breathing performance after it eats them!"

Crispy rice crust: (?Д?)

Xiangling said with surprise, "So you knew too! That's what Brother Xu Ning told me."

Xingqiu then noticed Xu Ning standing behind Xiangling. The two looked at each other, feeling a sense of mutual respect, but also a degree of wariness towards one another.

"Is your father going to send you to the Guhua Sect?" Xu Ning asked Xing Qiu.

Xingqiu was a little surprised that Xu Ning had revealed the place he was about to go in just one sentence.

"Yes, my dad probably thinks that the Guhua School has declined, and since I can't learn any really great skills anyway, he just wants me to go out and play around for a few years."

Xu Ning shook his head slightly, "Don't have the same thoughts as your father. The foundation of the Guhua Sect is extraordinary. If you are willing to put in more effort, you will definitely not be disappointed."

Xingqiu glanced at Xiangling, who was taking out ingredients from her basket. It was unclear whether she had heard what Xu Ning had said.

When Xingqiu saw Xiangling shake a lizard the length of his forearm out of her basket, he was immediately shocked.

"Xiangling, I have to leave right away. I'll send you some local specialties when I get there."

Xingqiu shouted inside, and after hearing Xiangling's response, he turned around and tried to run away.

Xu Ning reached out and grabbed the boy by the back of his collar, laughing, "What are you panicking for? She's not going to give you anything raw."

Xingqiu turned his head with a pleading look on his face, "Brother Xu, it's really hard to say."

Xu Ning turned his head and saw Xiang Ling grinning as she tore off a wriggling lizard tail. He was a little unsure of what to do, but he still told her what needed to be told.

"The last time I saw your elder brother, he wrote me a very beautiful piece of calligraphy. If you have nothing to do, you might as well practice your calligraphy. Maybe you can even take on the responsibility of revitalizing the Guhua School."

Xingqiu nodded quickly, "Let me go, I'll do whatever you say."

Seeing that the boy wasn't listening at all, Xu Ning had no choice but to let go of him, and Xing Qiu ran off and disappeared.

"You yourself are unwilling to learn to write large characters, yet you expect others to practice diligently."

A mocking laugh came from behind him, and Xu Ning turned around to see a little girl he didn't recognize.

Xu Ning paused for a moment before recognizing Ye Lan's familiar tone.

"You're playing dress-up again."

Ye Lan smiled and said, "I'm here to deliver a message. Ning Guang told me to let you know that she and Bei Dou are going to do something and might not be back until tomorrow."

Xu Ning nodded. With Ningguang by Beidou's side, he was completely at ease.

"In that case, I won't go back. Since you're here, could you come with me to... that clinic, what's it called again, the one run by Bai Shu?"

"His name is Bubulu, which probably means 'knowing without divination,' so he must be a very proud person!"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "If a doctor doesn't even dare to show this much confidence, how can he expect patients to believe that he can cure their illnesses!"

Xu Ning first went to say goodbye to Master Mao and Xiang Ling.

Master Mao was overjoyed to see his daughter return unharmed and was preparing to cook some of his best dishes to reward Xu Ning and his daughter.

Xu Ning repeatedly stated that he had something to do and made an appointment to come with Beidou Ningguang the next day before the matter was dropped.

Xu Ning and Ye Lan walked slowly towards the direction of Yujingtai.

Ye Lan looked at Xu Ning and asked, "Why do you suddenly want to go to Yujingtai? Have you heard some rumors?"

Xu Ning glanced at her and said, "I don't have any rumors to hear. I did hear a lot of real rumors in the mountains. Tell me what news you have."

Ye Lan smiled, but she didn't believe Xu Ning's words at all.

"Actually, this isn't just a rumor. It's said that the current Seven Stars in power, due to his advanced age and poor health, has repeatedly asked to step down and give way to a more capable person. Now, many business leaders are eager to compete for this position."

Xu Ning's expression was slightly solemn.

Ningguang has now made a name for herself as a wealthy merchant in Liyue Harbor thanks to her wine.

However, given the short timeframe, it will likely be very difficult for them to win over the hearts of the people of Liyue with their current reputation and ascend to the position of one of the Seven Stars.

Ye Lan watched Xu Ning's changing expression with great interest, and then said something that Xu Ning could never have guessed.

"However, thanks to you, the Mr. Bai Shu you brought to Liyue last time is said to have met this Tianquan Star while he was out for a stroll. He immediately saw through his illness and, after several treatments, actually restored his health. We haven't heard any news about him abdicating recently."

"I heard that a few days ago, a hot-tempered businessman spent a lot of Mora to inquire about Tianquan's illness in Bubulu, and in a fit of anger, he smashed several expensive teacups at home!"

Xu Ning smiled in astonishment; this was indeed preordained.

"I'm not going there to find out any news. I just haven't seen Qiqi for too long, so I'm going to visit her."

Ye Lan nodded her chin. "If that's the case, then why did you specifically invite me along?"

Xu Ning smiled and said, "Of course, there are times when I need your help."