Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

"Ultimately, you started this whole thing!" the traveler immediately retorted, his logic clear.

You were the one who left without saying goodbye! You were the one who impersonated Jin Moli! You were the one who approached me in that way...!

She wouldn't let him lead her by the nose and get bogged down in trivial arguments like "who kissed first." She wanted to get straight to the heart of the matter—the root of it all was his deception and pretense!

How dare he mention my mistakes?

Hmph, not only does she not humbly repent, but she even transforms into a woman and tries to get intimate with me every day!

His heart is despicable! This child... this god must not be allowed to live!

Amidst the surge of anger, another question resurfaced: "Who exactly is that guy in the other room!" She stared intently at Zhongli. "You're here now, so who is that 'Zhongli'? Are you the real one, or is that the real one?"

A terrifying thought sent chills down her spine: Could he also have countless 'slices'?

Like that foolish doctor?

Maybe he was that bastard doctor in disguise from the very beginning, then all his bastard behavior would make sense!

This association sent chills down her spine.

Faced with this crucial question, Zhongli's answer was surprisingly concise: "A magical clone." He paused, then added, his tone even carrying a hint of...teaching-like patience?

"These techniques, which differentiate body and spirit and maintain independent action, require an extremely high level of control over elements and divine consciousness, and require years of dedicated practice to master their essence. You..." His gaze fell on the traveler's puffed-up face: "Want to learn?"

"Stop trying to change the subject!" The traveler retorted angrily, unmoved by the ruse. But the answer of "magical clone" at least temporarily ruled out the most horrifying possibility of "Dr. Slice," which reassured her somewhat. However, another old grudge immediately surfaced in her mind.

"That teleportation talisman failed," she squinted, recalling the nights she spent sleeping in the tent in the desert. "It was your doing, wasn't it?" You made me sleep in the desert with aches and pains all over my body, constantly on edge!

New and old grudges piled up, and anger completely overwhelmed the dam of reason.

The traveler could no longer restrain himself. He clenched his fist and threw a powerful punch at the handsome face so close to him, or rather, at the corner of his smiling mouth.

The punch had barely begun, before it even touched the fabric of his pajamas, when his wrist was firmly enveloped by a warm, dry hand with just the right amount of strength, stopping the attack.

"It hurts." Zhongli looked at her, his brows furrowed slightly, and uttered a single word softly.

"You still have the nerve to cry out in pain?" The traveler was almost laughing in anger. Without thinking, he used his other hand to strike the traveler's exposed chest!

The same outcome.

He easily grabbed her other wrist as well. This time, he only used the hand that had been holding her before, his five fingers tightening to pin down both of her restless wrists in his palm.

He held her wrists effortlessly, even having the leisure to gently stroke the delicate skin on the inside of her wrists with the pad of his thumb, as if to soothe her.

"It seems you haven't made much progress in martial arts and close combat." He looked down at her restrained hands, his tone like a critique, but his words infuriated the traveler: "You need to practice more and solidify your foundation before you can do such... impulsive things." His words were completely those of a wise elder saying "I'm doing this for your own good," but the strength in his hands didn't loosen even a little.

"Let go!" The traveler struggled, but found that the other person's seemingly casual grip was like a shackle made of fine iron, and it did not budge.

Not only did they refuse to admit their mistake, but they also mocked my martial arts skills! They are utterly despicable!

Overwhelmed by extreme anger and helplessness, she blurted out the most hurtful and resolute words of the moment: "I never want to see you again!"

That bastard Zhong Li!

However, Zhongli was not angered by these words, nor did he show any sign of hurt or compromise. He simply looked at her quietly, and something long dormant in the depths of his molten gold eyes was gently stirred by these words, rippling out a deep and stubborn wave.

"No." He spoke slowly, his voice slightly lower than before: "Because..."

He leaned forward slightly, and the traveler, whose hands were restrained and unable to resist, could only watch helplessly as his face magnified before her eyes, feeling that familiar, tea-scented breath brush against her cheek once more.

"...I want to see you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he grasped her wrist and gently pulled her into his arms, his other arm already encircling her waist and back.

The unfinished intimacy, interrupted by the power of the rock element, seemed to find a reason and opportunity to continue in his deep voice and the sudden approach of his aura.

He lowered his head, his aim clear, and once again sought her lips, as if to swallow the declaration of "I don't want to see you," along with all her lingering anger, into another irresistible kiss...

"Ha ha……"

A low laugh sounded just inches from her lips, his warm breath brushing against her skin. He didn't continue.

Inside the room, a wisp of cool, emerald-green light suddenly seeped into the edge of the still-dissipating golden aura. With the appearance of this grass-elemental light, a delicate and ancient-looking phantom of a balance scale quietly appeared in mid-air behind Zhongli.

The scales swayed slightly, radiating a subtle rhythm of fairness, measurement, and… “knowing when to stop.” This was not an attack, but a blatant threat.

It was its appearance and the eerie light in the traveler's eyes that made Zhongli change her mind. The force around the traveler's waist and the grip on her wrist gradually loosened, and she eventually withdrew completely.

He didn't say anything, he just straightened up and completely distanced himself.

"Get out," the traveler said coldly.

*

The next morning.

After a night of chaos and standoff, the scorching desert sun may have softened a bit, casting warm golden light through the wide floor-to-ceiling windows of the Golden Leaf Hotel suite onto the polished floor and the heavy desk.

On the morning before the journey was about to begin again, the traveler was already dressed and stood with his hands behind his back, like a strict examiner, on one side of the large mahogany desk.

Her face was calm, but there were faint dark circles under her eyes, indicating that she had not slept well last night.

Behind the desk, Zhongli sat upright. He had changed into his usual dignified and elegant Liyue robe, every fold of which was meticulously arranged, and his long hair was tied up again, with only a few strands hanging down his forehead.

The morning light illuminated the high-quality stationery from the hotel spread out on the table.

He was holding a wolf-hair brush, its tip fully dipped in thick ink, suspended above the paper, waiting.

"The first rule..." the traveler began, "You are not allowed to leave without saying goodbye. Under no circumstances should you leave without informing me in person, explaining the reason and your approximate return date. You are not allowed to use any letters, messages, hints, or other means to evade the issue."

The morning light fell on the pristine white paper. As her voice faded, Zhong Li's wrist twitched slightly, and the pen fell to the ground. His penmanship was steady and fluid, his beautiful handwriting appearing on the paper, recording the terms she dictated word for word, even adding a touch of solemnity.

"Secondly, you are not allowed to transform into someone else, or use any means such as creating a clone, illusion, or disguise to deceive, approach, or test me. Something like 'Jin Moli' must never happen again."

The pen moved across the paper without the slightest pause or hesitation. The clear, crisp handwriting seemed to carry the binding force of a contract.

"Thirdly, you are not allowed to touch me without my explicit consent, unless I allow it! No physical contact of any kind is permitted!" She specifically emphasized "any kind" and "explicit consent".

The only sounds in the room were the scratching of the pen on the paper and the faint morning hustle and bustle of Sumeru City outside the window.

After listing the three items, the traveler was silent for a moment, then she raised her hand and pointed to the end of the paper, where the section on penalties for breach of contract was still blank.

"Otherwise," I will never see you again! From now on, you will walk your Liyue Ancient Road, and I will walk my starry journey, like strangers, never to meet again!

Zhongli stopped writing. He didn't immediately write down the punishment, but instead looked up at the traveler standing in the halo of light. A thoughtful look flashed in his golden eyes:

“I have no objection to these three agreements and will certainly keep them in mind and abide by them. However… is the punishment of ‘never seeing each other again’ too harsh? Although the reasons mentioned above are inappropriate, the crime does not seem… to warrant such an extreme punishment.” He tried to leave some room for maneuver in the scale of the punishment, looking at the traveler with gentle eyes.

"Is that so?" Upon hearing this, the traveler did not calm down; instead, it was as if a more sensitive nerve had been touched. She took a small step forward, placed her hands on the edge of the desk, leaned closer, and looked directly into Zhongli's eyes.

"You think this punishment is too harsh?" Then do you even know what kind of punishment is considered harsh? What... 'Never allow me to set foot in Liyue'?" She dredged up old and heavy grievances, judgments once handed down by a worn-out demon god.

Zhong Li's gentle expression gradually faded, and finally, he lowered his eyes slightly, avoiding her piercing gaze. He said nothing more, nor did he try to explain or downplay the situation.

He picked up his pen again, dipped it in ink, and moved the pen tip to the blank penalty clause. Without the slightest hesitation, he clearly wrote the resolute punishment dictated by the traveler—"If any of the above is violated, the friendship between the two parties shall be severed and they shall never see each other again"—at the end of the guarantee.

The ink gradually dried in the morning light, and a brand-new contract was drafted.