The person before them was none other than Xiao, the Conqueror of Demons.
Lumine curiously observed the adeptus before her, sensing a strange aura about him.
Although it was faint to her, it was likely because she carried two types of elemental power within her body.
Qiu Bai scanned Xiao with his divine sense and furrowed his brows slightly.
He could see it clearly at Xiao's current state, he would at most last another hundred years before the karma within him fully erupted.
However to Qiu Bai, the karma afflicting Xiao seemed insignificant. He was confident that he could purify it all in a single attempt.
"The Talisman of Absolute Avoidance, Seems like you came prepared."
Xiao's gaze flickered with mild surprise.
"But this only serves as a token preventing me from harming you. It does not mean you will not be injured."
He looked at the three before him and spoke indifferently.
"Uh... I don't really understand."
Paimon scratched her head, confused.
Xiao, however, did not care whether Paimon understood and continued speaking.
"To tread too deeply into the world of adepti and demons is to overstep one's boundary."
"A human's soul is not as resilient as an adeptus'. Nor can mortal blood withstand such concentrated adeptal energy."
Xiao cast a brief glance at the three of them.
"It is for your own good. Leave, quickly."
With that, he turned away.
Paimon hurriedly called out, "Wait! We came here to—"
Before she could even finish her sentence, Xiao had already disappeared.
Behind them, Qiu Bai stretched lazily.
"Unable to bear adeptal energy?"
He found that idea ridiculous, when Lumine fought the God of the Vortex, Osial, the adeptal power she wielded contained the strength of several adepti.
Paimon stomped her foot in frustration.
"Ugh! That guy just says whatever he wants!"
"I really want to give him an awful nickname!"
"But if we offend an adeptus, will we only get cabbages from treasure chests in the future?"
At that thought, Paimon clutched her forehead in distress.
Bennett: "…Nice."
At that moment, Qiu Bai, who had remained silent for a while, finally spoke.
"Let's go find the innkeeper. Maybe she can tell us how to properly communicate with an adeptus."
"Oh, right! Qiu Bai, you're so smart! Let's go, Traveler!"
Lumine smiled at Qiubai and nodded before the three of them made their way toward the Wangshu Inn's reception desk.
Stopping in front of the counter, they found various porcelain vessels neatly arranged behind it. A small cat sat atop the counter.
"Hmm... Your attire, your face, and that strange floating companion… I can't quite figure it out."
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Verr Goldet, the owner of Wangshu Inn."
"Just call me Goldet."
The woman behind the counter smiled as she introduced herself to Qiu Bai and the others.
"Nice to meet you, Boss Goldet. I'm Qiu Bai, and these two are Lumine and Paimon."
Qiu Bai returned the smile and introduced his companions.
"Wait… are you the consultant from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Qiu Bai?"
Goldet looked surprised.
After all, she had been placed at Wangshu Inn as an informant by Ningguang. So naturally, she was aware of Qiu Bai existence.
Qiu Bai, on the other hand, was curious.
Since awakening, he had never visited Wangshu Inn before.
"So how did its owner know his name?"
"Oh? I didn't expect the owner of Wangshu Inn to know me. Truly an honor."
"You're too humble, Qiubai."
Verr Goldet chuckled before continuing "So, what brings you here? Is there something you'd like to ask me?"
Lumine stepped forward.
"Boss Goldet, we wanted to ask about that adeptus..."
"Oh? So you've already met Xiao?"
"That's impressive. It's rare for him to be in a good enough mood to meet people."
Goldet was slightly surprised.
After all, despite working at Wangshu Inn for years, she had barely ever seen Xiao herself.
Paimon clutched her forehead in frustration.
"Wait… THAT was him in a GOOD mood?"
"Indeed. An encounter with an adeptus is rare."
"There are people who spend their entire lives searching for one, yet never get the chance to meet them."
Verr Goldet explained patiently.
Lumine and Paimon, however found it puzzling.
"Hard to meet an adeptus? But I've already met four of them in a single day..."
What Lumine didn't realize was that the man standing beside her, Qiubai, was actually a god of Liyue himself.
Paimon exclaimed, "Wow! You sure know a lot, Boss Lady!"
Goldet gave her a playful smile.
"It's not 'Boss Lady.' It's just 'Boss.'"
"Anyway, since you seem to have good fortune with meeting adepti, this makes things much easier."
Goldet paused for a moment before continuing.
"If you're asking for my advice, Hmm... Honestly you just need to find a way to make Xiao happy."
"Though, to be honest, I've never seen him smile before..."
"Make him happy?"
"It's hard to imagine the mighty Vigilant Yaksha smiling happily."
Paimon looked at the innkeeper, clearly troubled by the thought.
Xiao had smiled before but that was over five hundred years ago.
Qiu Bai sighed.
"I see. We know what to do."
After a long silence, Qiu Bai finally spoke.
After all, he had already experienced this storyline in the game.
Verr Goldet was momentarily stunned.
She hadn't even told them how to make Xiao happy.
How did this man who had only just met the adeptus today know what Xiao liked?
"Huh?!"
"Qiu Bai, how do you know what would make the mighty Vigilant Yaksha happy?"
Paimon looked at Qiu Bai curiously.
"That's a secret."
Qiu Bai grinned mischievously.
Paimon huffed. "You really know everything, don't you?"
"Anyway, let's find the head chef of the inn first."
"We need to prepare a plate of Almond Tofu and a few of Lumine signature dishes."
Verr Goldet quickly added, "Just tell them I ordered it."
Qiu Bai turned to her and nodded. "Thank you."
Then, he led Lumine and Paimon off to find the head chef of Wangshu Inn.
Lumine looked puzzled.
Thankfully, she had learned how to cook during her time in Mondstadt.
Still, she wasn't sure if this adeptus named Xiao would actually enjoy the dishes she made.
But since she often cooked while traveling in the wild, she was confident in her skills.
As the three of them left, Verr Goldet watched them with growing shock.
That man, Qiu Bai how did he know?
Could it be that he was also an adeptus, just like Xiao?
This was something she definitely needed to report to Lady Ningguang.
Qiu Bai, the consultant of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor...
What a mysterious man.
She continued to watch them until their figures gradually disappeared into the distance.
Meanwhile, Qiu Bai swept his spiritual sense across Wangshu Inn.
There were people admiring the scenery, discussing business deals, All of them were Liyue's elite.
But none of them were his true target.
A mysterious smile appeared on Qiu Bai lips.
"Found it."
"Found what?"
Lumine and Paimon looked at Qiu Bai in confusion as he suddenly stopped walking.
"Follow me."
Qiu Bai didn't explain further.
Instead, he turned and headed in another direction.
Lumine and Paimon quickly followed after him.
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